Page 99 of A Bargain with the Fae King

Riven.

He’s doing this. Sheltering me. Protecting me.

Wind howls against my shelter, whistling worse than the tornado that ripped by outside our house when I was a girl. The shaking that grips my body is just as bad as then. Maybe worse.

Then all at once, everything is still. Quiet as the grave.

“Riven?”

My shelter crumbles. I brace for the worst, my arms curled over my head, when colorful flower petals rain down on me.

“Lia.” Riven kneels on the ground in front of me in a puddle of petals.

I’m its epicenter and beyond—

Breath catches in my throat. Nothing. Short grass dominates the barren landscape as if the maze never was. One blink. Two. He’s still there.

Riven. My Riven. Not some witch’s illusion. Thin scratches mar his face like he crashed through the dying hedges to get to me. Maybe he did. He hasn’t even bothered to wipe at the little trails of crimson dripping down his skin.

I fling myself into his arms with a sob. One arm catches around his neck. The other still clutches the stone against my chest.

All the world is safe and good again as he cradles me to his chest.

“It’s you. It’s really you,” I sob.

“Yes.” The warmth of his breath caresses my cheek.

Magic tingles under my skin. It eases my wounds, soothes my soul. His fingers twine through my hair and massage my scalp. Ever so gently, he tilts my face up to his. “What happened?”

“I—” Words are hard to find. “You were there. But not. And May and—” I leave out the rest. Can’t manage to tell him about his enemies,ourenemies. “I saw the witch.”

His eyes widen. “The—”

“Yes,” I stumble on. “And she…” I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. I made a choice, I ran and—” I unfurl my hand between us, revealing the stone.

His gaze locks on the simple object, and he goes utterly still. Doesn’t breathe. Doesn’t blink. All at once, movement returns. His breaths come fast and hard. His body shakes as he sputters in disbelief. “That’s—”

“I think so.”

Riven takes my face between his palms. “Lia, my beautiful Lia.”

The look on his face holds utter adoration. Awe. Wonder. And something else… something that sends every butterfly in my stomach fluttering in a wild display.

His lips crash into mine. Strong arms pull me tight to him. The kiss is deep, passionate, and I accept it without question.

Then we’re falling.

I squeal as we spill into the flower petals. Half of me is on the ground, the other half is sprawled across his chest. Everything is right, and warm, and beautiful.

I have the stone. We can trade it for May.

A loud cough has us pulling apart, but I can’t stop the delirious giggles or the smile stretching across my face. Sylvie, Galen, and other members of the elite guard circle us, staring down with a mix of wide smiles and sheepish grins.

Hesitantly, I hold up the stone.

Eyes widen. Whoops and cheers split the air. Riven helps me to stand.

It’s a victory—for me, for them.

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