I moaned at his hold on my wrists.
“Oh my Fates! She gave you fairy mead!” Eli said with a cackle. “To bed with you immediately, you lush.”
I lost the fight to stand up again, and Eli didn’t hesitate to scoop me into his arms. My head spun under the bright lights of the sun that shone in the halls and the rocking of my tired body as Eli carried me, batting my hands away every time they wandered away from his chest.
I wanted to turn my body over and grind on him. In fact, I was feeling aggressive about it.
What was that smell? Oh god, I loved that smell. Cedar? Ambrosia? Why did I always smell that? Whatever it was, I wanted to roll it up into a good-smelling, sexy ball and then climax on top of that ball.
I couldn’t discern my thoughts. All that was left were feelings and urges—pent-up, angry, rough, supposed-to-be-kept-quiet urges.
It wasn’t until I felt myself drop slightly that I realized Eli was setting me on a bed.
Yesssss.
The room was darker, and I struggled to take note of my surroundings.
Was that still Eli?
“You’re all right. I’m just setting you on the bed and then I’m going to get the maid to start a cold shower and get the witch to make an elixir for you,” Eli whispered. “I’m afraid Mother gave you faerie mead, knowing how it affects non-fae.”
“I don’t want a cold shower. Faerie mead?” I grabbed ahold of him, locking his arms in place.
“The cold shower is for me, I’m afraid,” he chuckled, trying to shake my hold.
I squeezed harder, easily gaining more leverage.
He wouldn’t leave me. He couldn’t leave. I didn’t want him to leave me ever again—if only that was how it could be.
“Faerie mead usually causes those who aren’t fae to get…umm…quite frisky. Artemi are not technically faeries, so I suppose that’s why it’s hit you so hard. It causes a loss of all inhibitions, sort of like human’s alcohol, only about a million times more potent and aimed specifically at making you horny and honest. It’s as good as a truth serum with non-fae. They typically hide a lot, and it seems to…ugh…come out with the mead,” he chuckled.
He surprised me with his own skills as he gently disengaged my hold on him.
“Don’t leave me, please?” I begged, my voice husky and full of pleading.
He paused, still holding me and touching my skin. His godlike face froze above mine with a dreamy expression. A hint of reddish orange I’d never noticed before brightened his honey-colored irises. Was that his heart racing? How could I hear that?
Maybe we could get married, and I could take him with me.
No.I frowned. I wouldn’t make him go where I was going.
“I need to go,” he stated. “You don’t want this. Not really.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I’ve wanted this for a long time,” I whispered, feeling slightly dejected, still holding tight to his shoulders.
“Not like this,” he whispered back.
“Because you don’t want to ruin our friendship?” I asked, rolling my eyes. My hands tightened around his hard biceps when he attempted to move away from me. “No! I won’t let you push me away and leave me so you can forget about me again. You’ll have plenty of time to hate me later, and eons of immortality to forget me.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
“Then why, Prince Aurelius? Why won’t you be with me tonight?” I snapped.
He stilled, and sorrow crossed his features for a moment before it was replaced with something I didn’t recognize on his face. Anger?
“Because I know you like no one else in this worldwill ever know you. Because I know you grievehim. As much as you will deny it, I saw you two together. You were falling in love with him and had to take his life.”
I pulled away. “I didn’t love him. He tried to kill me. He is awful?—”