Page 104 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

The cold air that rushes between us as he moves away is like a slap to the face, reminding me of our poor timing. A few dozen feet away, Caed and my other males are still fighting it out. Glowing, ghost-white blades parry every move Jaro and Drystan make.

“You never answered me,” Lore murmurs. “Are we watching or would you like me to blink you back to the safety of your bed like wolf-boy told me to?”

I shake my head. “This has to stop. He wasn’t… he wasn’t hurting me.”

As if he hears my words, Caed’s gaze flicks back to mine. The fight leaves his posture, and I wonder what he’s doing as he gets to his knees on the grass beneath the wall. His swords are still parrying the others’ attacks, but they’re not actively striking back.

Finally, he puts his hands in the air, and they dissipate.

“I didn’t come here to fight you.”

His accent is heavy and rough, and it colours the otherwise lilting syllables of the Fae language with a kind of savagery I almost like.

What does the Fomorian language sound like?

Jaro growls as his wolf paces from side to side, keeping his immense body between me and Caed, blocking my view.

“You’re surrendering?” Drystan’s sardonic tone makes it clear that he doesn’t buy Caed’s peaceful stance. “The crown prince of the Fomorians, surrendering? And we’re supposed to believe you’re doing this out of the goodness of your black heart?”

“I’m offering myself as a willing prisoner.”

Jaro shifts back, and once again I’m caught between the urge to look away and the strange desire to stare at the hard line of his erection which is straining into the air. When I do finally drag my gaze away from it, my eyes hesitate at the perfect ‘v’ beneath his abdominal muscles, and then get sucked right back down again.

Seriously. How the hell is that supposed to fit inside of me? It can’t. There’s no other explanation.

And now is not the time to be pondering such things, for heaven’s sake.

“You want us to bring you directly into the heart of the palace, close to the Nicnevin?” Jaro snorts, apparently unaware of my perusal. “No chance.”

Caed doesn’t seem to have the same problem as me, because he keeps his eyes on Jaro’s face as he responds. “Well, seeing as you can’t kill me, and trying to torture me will hurt her, I don’t think you have much of a choice.”

He has a point there.

“He could have brought reinforcements,” Bree mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll check the skies.”

In another burst of inky mist, an enormous black bird bursts free of his body with a loud, croaking cry. It soars into the night above before I can get a good look at it and quickly disappears from sight among the stars.

Does it have a name too? I make a mental note to ask him later.

“Lorcan, take Rose away and alert Florian,” Jaro grumbles. “Now.”

I want to protest, but the hard look in the shifter’s eyes brooks no argument. He’s still breathing hard, and his eyes have narrowed.

So I don’t say anything as Lore tugs me up and into his arms. The redcap’s hands cup my ass, hauling me up until my feet can’t touch the floor, and I’m forced to link my fingers behind his neck for balance. This new position means I can see over his shoulder, and for a second, my eyes latch onto Caed’s.

What is he doing here? Why volunteer as our prisoner when he has an army at his command trying to break down our walls as we speak? Is this a trap?

But none of my questions have a chance to break free. Drystan, Jaro, and Caed are all staring at me, and I barely have time to blurt out, “Please don’t hurt one another,” before I’m whisked away.

I reappear in my garden, completely alone. Lore has left me on one of the pretty mosaic stone benches, and all of the exhaustion of the day finally hits. Goddess, was it really just this morning, I woke up in the Summer Temple? Falling onto my back, I flinch as my wings make contact with the cool stone. It takes a few seconds for me to work out how to make the position comfortable, but eventually I can stare up into the stars.

Without meaning to, I find myself picking out the constellations that Lore taught me on our date. It keeps my mind distracted from thoughts of what my Guard might be doing to Caed right at this very moment.

I asked them not to hurt one another. That has to count for something, right?

Should I even care when he got me killed?

“Mab?” I call, not fully expecting her to answer.

But she does, appearing in a swirl of armour and robes beside my head. “What is it?”

“Could you…?”

“Spy on your males for you?” She grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Drystan can see you,” I warn.

She shrugs me off, disappearing into nothingness once more.

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