Page 9 of Moonlit Guardians

“Talk?” I repeat, surprised by his information.

He nods and I can see the hatred he has for me in his eyes. “You owe her your gratitude, at the very least. If not for her, you’d be rotting in that cell on King Galmer’s orders.”

“I will be sure to give her all my gratitude,” I say.

“And if you try to hurt Eilish, I’ll gut you where you stand.”

“Will you?”

“I’d have to first fight Aima for the chance.”

“Understood,” I answer.

***

An hour or so later, I’m freshly bathed and dressed in new clothes that fit me well enough. I’m not fully healed but I feel night and day better. Now that I’m feeling presentable, I don’t wait before approaching Eilish’s bedchamber.

I need to prove to her that I am the man I say I am. I won my battle for dominance against Morrigan. I’m truly free of her influences now. But Eilish will need to be convinced. That, and she and I have much to discuss. My heart beats ravenously in my chest as I lift my hand to knock. The door swings open at the softest touch and I find myself face to face with a house brownie.

“If you be looking for the angel, Mr. Theren, she be in her tent,” the little brownie named Noni says. She then leads me to a tent not much different than the ones around it. I’m not surprised Eilish chooses to sleep near the refugees waiting to be sorted into their new homes. Ever the outsider.

I push open the flap and step inside to see her leaning over a small desk with a quill in her hand. The feather flicks back and forth as it scratches the paper.

Eilish doesn’t look up at me, but I know she senses my presence. “Are you feeling better?”

“I am now that I know you’re safe. When they told me you were going after your father, I was worried about you,” I admit. “But you’ve always been the one to stare danger in the face. Some things never change.”

“Not always. Without my memories, I wasn’t much of anything, other than a burden.”

I move closer, dropping to my knees in front of her. I notice she still won’t look at me and so I reach out, gripping her chin and turning her head so she’s forced to look at me. I push her hair back from her face so she can’t hide from me.

“What happened?” she asks. It takes me a moment to realize she’s referencing the scene she and the others came across in the glade.

“Morrigan was in the glade. I knew she’d go after you if she could, or at least use you as bait to get to Silvanus,” I explain. “So, I fought her. I fought her to free myself and to make sure she couldn’t use you anymore.”

“Forever my protector,” she says but her eyes are narrowed, angry.

“Forever,” I say as I brush my lips against her temple, surprised she allows me. I wrap my arms around her and inhale her floral, feminine scent.

“Eilish,” I start.

“Shh,” she interrupts and drops her head to my chest. “Just don’t… say anything.”

She’s stiff in my arms, and I know we have a long way to go in order to return to the way we once were.

CHAPTER THREE

MORRIGAN

The Castle In The Sky

“It worked.”

I feel the magic within me again—potent and stirring.

“Theren walked right into the trap,” I explain to Variant. “I knew he’d protect her to his last breath.”

“And how did he manage that?”

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