Page 36 of The Lost Fae
He spins around to watch me without hurry. "When? Where?"
"In the Shadow Court. Cordelia's castle." I kick my boots toward the dresser. "I'd like you to remember that we would have never met if I didn't go snooping around someplace I wasn't supposed to."
"That’s different. Your Fae blood was called to the court. This... this is reckless."
"And sexy?" I lift a brow.
"Don't change the subject." But it's too late, his voice is husky. The smell of him, the smell of his want, is growing stronger.
"I like the way that turns you on." I bite down on my thumbnail and look up at him from under my lashes.
In true Lincoln fashion, he's quick to restrain himself. His shoulders straighten and he clears his throat, even going so far as to turn and look away from me.
"Anyways." I roll my eyes, offering him the slight change of subject. "That’s not the point. I have to tell you what I saw. I don't know if it means anything, it could mean nothing or it could mean everything."
"That line leaves a lot to the imagination." Lincoln relaxes ever so slightly, tilting his chin as an invitation for me to continue.
I take a minute just looking him over, memorizing his features. Though I know that if this information doesn't help us get out, then I'll have all the time in the world to look at Lincoln and only Lincoln. Which isn't such a bad thing...
Not the point. Get to the point.
"The queen," I start slowly, "and all of her little troll minions are behind the castle. I don't think she saw me and I think," I motion toward Beatrice's sword, "I have it on good authority that the pirates won't say a word. But Miss Anastasia was bathing in a fountain."
Lincoln's brows pinch together. "And?"
"And she was guarded by all those troll statues while doing so."
"Is there more? Because so far I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to be getting from this little trip of yours."
I clasp both my hands in front of me, stepping toward the fire for some warmth. The pallet of blankets is wholly disturbed by the way Lincoln had rushed out of them. In the back of my mind I know that I need sleep, that rest would do me good, but excitement pulses through me keeping my thoughts trapped in a tornado of good and bad.
"I have a theory. Because as I was trying to figure out why she was bathing outside in a fountain instead of inside, I realized that every time the water fell over her features her body looked... younger."
"Like she's hiding her age? Under makeup or something?" Lincoln catches my gaze as I stare at the blankets. He crouches and spreads them evenly back out. He stays squatted and looks back up at me.
"No." But maybe? I didn't even think about the illusion of makeup. Was I so eager to find something to hold against the queen that I jumped to conclusions? Maybe she's just that young because of the same thing that has kept these pirates alive... time is different here. "It looked like her body was aging in reverse. The slight wrinkles she had were gone. Her skin was glowing with youth. Hell, I'd even go as far as to say that her boobs became just a bit smaller and perked up."
"Magic?"
"I think...if it's something that's just aslostas everything else in this world... I think she's hiding the Fountain of Youth."
"Humans seem to lose a lot of things," Lincoln chuckles as he lowers himself back under the blankets. His gaze finds mine and he opens up his arms. "Tell me more about this Fountain of Youth and then I must insist that you get some sleep tonight."
"You are too good to me." I shake my head even as I lower myself to lay beside him. His chest lifting and falling with every breath he takes is calming. The nearness of his scent... intoxicating. I close my eyes, with my head propped up by the arm he has underneath me, and I let him pull me in to him. "The Fountain of Youth is a legend. If you drink from it, or perhaps in this case bathe in it, it will keep you young, healthy, and extend your life. As an old myth I don't know a lot about it and I can't even be certain that what I know about the topic is even true. It just all seems to make sense together... with what I saw."
"And you think we can use this against her?"
"If she won't tell us how to get home, we have to. I'm sure she was guarded for a reason. Not to mention that if everyone we run into finds out what she has, what's to say that they won't want it too? Everyone wants to be young again. To live forever." I swallow.
Not too long ago, that had been a passing thought in my worries. What if I had only been human? What if Lincoln had been wrong about me and had foolishly let my mortal heart fall in love with an immortal? I don't need to think about that. I am Fae. I'll live a long life.
"We'll know more in the morning. I trust that you may know what you're talking about. It could be our only hope."
I close my eyes. Lincoln's rough hand runs over my hair again and again. The calluses on his hands catch on the strands. Sleep doesn't come. In the quiet, this time where only our thoughts exist, when we both ponder over what our futures hold, sleep doesn't come to our aid.
My mind refuses to shut down or give me any sort of release from the stressful thoughts bombarding me. What if I'm wrong? What if there truly isn't a way out of this realm? What if, when we wake the pirates have left some sort of trap for us just outside the door? What if they don't keep my midnight trip a secret?
What if...
