Page 56 of His Dark Delights
“What do you mean?”
The prince’s head dropped back, and a long sigh breached his lips. After a second of staring at the ceiling, he faced me. “Well, I have nothing better to do until my death. Come here, girl.”
Lunaric set the food down, carefully wrapping up the parcel. He approached the bars with confidence, gingerly sliding his hands through the gaps. His palms hovered, facing upward and waiting for mine.
I got a better view of him. Up close and under the light of his wings, I discovered the smattering of freckles across his nose and the pointed tips of hisexcessively long ears. Under the torchlight, his hair shifted between shades of red, pink, and copper. His features were sharp, bold, and exquisite. A perfectly sculpted example of a fairy prince in every aspect.
Sparks zapped along my palms as I slid my hands into Lunaric’s. My mouth dropped open from the odd tingling sensation cascading up my arms. He curled his fingers around mine and promptly closed his eyes, utterly unphased by the magical contact.
“Hm,” he hummed. More energy coursed through me, spiking along my heart and surging in my stomach. His brows knit together, and his lips pursed. “I sense flower nymph blood. It runs strong and deep, but it’s… dormant.”
“Dormant?”
“Someone locked away your fae essence shortly after your birth, it seems.” Lunaric’s eyes peeled open, and he almost reluctantly pulled his hands away. “Locking the fae half away as a baby hinders the development of fairy features in halflings. Fae blood is so potent that even halflings are almost as strong as a full fae. It would have taken a lot of magic to accomplish the lock on your essence. A powerful fairy did that.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, sucking in shallow gasps of air.
“Your ears should be twice as long and pointed. They’re barely arched at all.” He crossed his arms and whistled. “But I understand why the Butcher keeps you around. Nymphs, especially flower nymphs, have indomitable allure. Even with most of your essence locked away, no man can resist you.”
Understanding washed through me and provoked nausea in my stomach.
“This is a lot for me to take in. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I’m sure. It’s difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that the Butcher King has a fae girl in his bed. Quite the nasty shock seeing you two together on the balcony and confirming it on the street. It’s certainly worse for you learning he likely only wants you because he’s addicted to your pheromones.”
The remaining shards of my heart tumbled through my cracked ribs to the floor. “Gods,” I croaked.
“Flower nymph powers are intrinsically tied to plant life. Nymph sexuality allows flowers and fertility to thrive. From them, new life is born. It’s a pity that humans don’t respect that power.” Lunaric spoke more to himself as my reality spun dizzily around me.
I stumbled to the left, trembling until my knees gave out and I collapsed on the wall before sinking to the ground. My fingers threaded through my hair, tugging until my scalp ached from the pressure. A visceral panic gripped me and threatened to tear me apart.
Learning more about my fae heritage should have been a gift. My full capabilities as a fae had remained shrouded in mystery. Instinctively knowing directions, aiding flower growth, and feeling a connection to plant life were only the surface of a fathomless sea. And at the core of those abilities, though latent and hidden away, was the only reason the king ached for me.
Was that the truth of it, then?
Was my entire relationship with Soren based on biologically induced desire?
If so, part of me had been right to guard against him all along. Soren couldn’t truly love me for me. He was a human man who hated fae. Yet the taste of me, the feel of me, even my smell… every bit of me was crafted bythe gods for seduction. His Majesty simply fell into a trap I’d unknowingly set.
“It can be undone, you know?” Lunaric’s voice snapped me out of my spiraling dread, his words a bucket of ice water doused over my head.
“My essence can be unlocked?” My eyes snapped up, unabashedly brimming with tears.
“Indeed.” The fae prince clicked his teeth while inspecting his nails. Feeling my searching gaze, he glanced up. “Well, not here. We’d need a strong, magically inclined flower nymph to unlock the essence of a flower nymph.” He hesitated, drawing out the anticipation until my teeth were as on edge as I was. “I might happen to know one.”
“Who?” I scrambled to the bars on my knees, inches from touching them.
“No one here in Elleslan or anywhere near it. You’d have to go to the Fae Wild. Alas, we’re both stuck here, aren’t we?”
Dangerous ideas spread like a contagion in my mind.
The tension hung on a breath between us. Apprehension coiled into something alive and nearly tangible.
“If I got you out of here, could you help me?”
I shouldn’t have asked or made such a risky suggestion. But a madness had grabbed hold of my senses, paired with knots of despair. In my agonized state, I saw no other option but to flee, to seek support.
Lunaric stroked his chin, eyes twinkling. “Now there’s an idea. You get me free, and I take you to the Fae Wild. What about your little dalliance with the Butcher?”
