Page 118 of Destined for the Fae King

“How do I do that?” I ask. “Force him to stay in bed?”

Tharin groans as he finally gets Lysandir somewhere he can rest.

“Surely you know?” He raises a brow at me.

“Humans give fae power, yes. A mark even more so.”

“Uh huh. And the more you work on that mark and build the bond between you, the more powerful he’ll get. Just being near you will aid him. So, it’d be best if you get in the bed, preferably naked so your skin touches his. And when he wakes up, you can show him just how much you’ve missed him.” He winks.

I want nothing more than to vanish through the floor. “We are not having this discussion right now.”

He smirks. “Oh, but we are. You’re the best thing for him. How do you think he held his own in the fight after so little rest and still had enough strength to re-raise the wards that the Unseelie King ripped apart?”

“Fine.” I want nothing more than to help Lysandir and strengthen him. Discussing it with Tharin? No thanks. “But I’m not about to strip with you here.”

“Then I’ll see to my own rest. But first.” He drops to one knee before me. “I’m sorry.”

I lean back in confusion. “For what?”

“For my wariness of you being near Lysandir. For doubting. I promised you would have my apology if your bore his mark.” He glances to Lysandir and back to me. “So, you have it, along with my trust and protection from this day until my last.”

I sober, the reality of what he’s pledging sinking in. It’s so much more than an apology. “Thank you,” I whisper, barely able to form the words over the weight of his proclamation settling over me.

He rises to his feet before giving a sweeping bow that manages to be both respectful and amused in equal measure. “Good night, future queen.”

Lysandir woke a few hours after Tharin returned him and we did work on rebuilding our mark. And the next morning too. The sting of loss hit him hard then, and I held him close until he fell back asleep and I laid down beside him. When I wake again, the room is bright, but the comforting weight and warmth at my back says Lysandir is still close by. I sit up carefully so as not to wake him, but when I look over, I find him watching me, wide awake.

“Good afternoon?” I tug a sheet up to cover my chest, though he’s seen all of me multiple times now.

“Afternoon indeed.” He reaches up and brushes a piece of hair back behind my ear. The simple act stirs up an ache between my legs. But even though he smiles up at me, the look on his face is a somber one.

He beckons me, close and I curl up at his side again, my head on his shoulder, one arm draped over his chest.

“I’ve been thinking,” he begins.

“About?”

Lysandir sucks in a deep breath and then lets it out again. “What the Unseelie King said before the battle.”

“About Bailey?”

He nods. “He seemed genuinely confused, and even Unseelie cannot lie. The more I think about what happened, the stranger it seems for it to have been Unseelie. They need humans. They’ve tried to capture them, sure, but harm them? They didn’t even really hurt Wren when they held her captive, but they could have to force the King of Air into action.”

“It does seem strange.”

“I thought so earlier, but with everything that happened, there was little time to focus on it. But why kill her? Why not even try to take her away? Plus, how could they know where she would be and the impact it would have upon my brother?”

A sinking feel takes root within me, and I snuggle closer to Lysandir. “Unless it wasn’t the Unseelie but someone who knew the king’s preferences and where we would be.”

“Exactly.”

“But who all knew how much he cared for her? That she was his top pick? We women discussed it later, but I don’t think any of us were really sure.”

“The council,” he says calmly. “Maybe some of the guards.”

I half sit up in urgency and stare down at him. “You think someone in the court did this. That there’s a traitor among us.”

Lysandir pulls me back down. “I want to know what you think. Talk out your thoughts with me.”

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