Page 56 of Faerie Hunted

Light. Free.

Even the pain lessened until I was hardly aware of the old wounds.

Several of the Unseelie clapped for us as we twisted our bodies in a random dance that forced a giggle bubbling out of me.

“I’m a terrible dancer,” I admitted to Onyx loudly.

He shook his head as if it didn’t matter, resting his opposite hand on my waist and drawing me closer. Our bodies twined together in the same rhythm as the beating drums around us.

Soon enough sweat dotted my hairline and plastered my shirt to my skin. My mouth hung open slightly, my eyes closed, my body listening to Onyx.

Maybe I could be happy here.

Onyx let out a whoop of pure joy and tightened his hold, jerking me forward harder until my front pressed to his with no room to breathe between us. This could be good. For me, for him. A place for us to really heal around like-minded people.

With him holding me, spinning us in dizzying circles, I let my mind race and my body arch backward. Dancing and flying were one and the same.

As long as Onyx had me, we were happy. For tonight…I could let myself go.

Maybe everyone had it wrong and Dorian Jadewasn’tthe enemy. I liked what he’d done with the camp. And so many people I’d talked to couldn’t all be wrong, could they? They had to make a point.

The bigotry of the royal court had to go.

It had no place in this world anymore. Lines should never be drawn separating fae from fae, person from person. Some of the best people I knew were halflings who shouldn't exist, and some of the worst were those considered pure-blood.

Onyx stopped suddenly and jerked me to him. My chest bumped against his and I laughed breathlessly. His eyes echoed the same heat mingling with my blood, overly bright and a little glassy.

My gaze dropped to his lips as his tongue darted out to lick the lower one. I watched as if in slow motion, found myself leaning forward.

Another dancer staggered into us and sent the three of us tripping dangerously toward the fire, which only resulted in another round of giggles.

Afterward, someone led us to our separate tents and only then did I realize the drop in temperature. I shivered and the sweat froze on my skin. It was much colder here than it was in the Seelie court.

But the tent blocked the worst of the wind.

Alone,I snuggled closer to Noren, his warmth providing the perfect opposition to the chill outside. It seeped in through the seams of the tent but the pallet bed was comfortable enough to allow me a little bit of sleep.

More sleep, I had to admit, than I’d gotten recently, so I counted it as a blessing. The dizziness hadn’t gotten any better, but being here…it helped. It provided a distraction from my own bullshit and gave me something entirely new to think about.

Another path.

I swallowed a chuckle when Noren groaned and rolled over to half squash me, pushing me into wakefulness. My ribs ached in protest but I scooted out of his way and wrapped my arms around his back.

Another path, and it was for me to decide if I wanted to take it or not. That was how I had to consider things now.

My choice.

It felt better to think of things in those terms. It felt less black and white. Less like I was a victim of fate or a casual observer in my own life, destined to pay the consequences for other people's prejudice.

A soft knock on the exterior bones of the tent had me jolting up in bed.

My hair flopped over my face and I hurried to push it back, noting the slight outline of a shadowy figure outside the flaps. Morning already? I felt like I’d just dropped off.

“Yes?” I called out.

“Beg your pardon, Miss.” A slender woman slipped inside, her hair caught somewhere between gold and green in the oddest combination I’d ever seen. She stood and straightened, and the bones of her face gave her away as one of the pure fae. The same silver collar hung heavily around her slender neck. “I’ve been sent to bathe you and help you dress.”

I cleared my throat and pushed at Noren. He yawned right in my face, those curved fangs inches from my nose, before huffing and curling into a tighter ball on the pallet.

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