Page 69 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

He’s chained to the bed, naked, like he was in my vision. I don’t know how it’s possible, but he’s lost even more weight, and his skin is a mess of bruises and raised red lines. The stained mattress beneath him is still wet with his blood, and his neck is encased in a thick metal collar. Titania stands sentinel beside him and nods sadly as I enter.

Maeve hisses, looking at the chains. “Iron.”

“Don’t touch it.” Mab’s voice is quiet. “It will burn you.”

“The key’s here.” Titania points to a large key, hanging on a hook on the wall by the door. “They probably left it there just to toy with him.”

I grab the thing and carefully slot it into the collar and twist until it clicks. Then I do the same thing with each of the cuffs. That done, I wiggle Lore’s blade into the space between the púca’s skin and the restraints, and wedge them open, careful not to touch the metal myself.

With my guides still gripping my shoulders, I slip my arms beneath his body, lifting him from the filthy mattress. It must look ridiculous—me carrying such a large man with ease—but I’m still not thinking straight enough to question it. Titania and Mab switch places, and suddenly I can feel my energy seeping into my púca’s body. The burns on his neck disappear, along with all of his other injuries. Leaving one very thin, heavily tattooed male.

“Is everyone out?” I demand, striding back towards the door.

The fire is spreading, the air has become heavy with smoke. Growing thicker with every second, until it stings my eyes and my nostrils.

“Yes,” Titania confirms, releasing my shoulder. “The cells you opened were the last ones. No one else was chained because no one else was as dangerous as he is.”

“Good.”

I pass the bar and shift my púca in my arms as I hurry down the stairs and back into the main room. He’s getting heavier. I won’t be able to carry him for much longer.

Fire is everywhere. What began as a few sparks has been coaxed into a full on blaze, no doubt helped by the alcohol which has soaked into all of the surfaces.

We barely make it outside before the entire place erupts in a pillar of flame.

Jaro is the only reason I’m not blown forward by the force. His golden power shields my back, taking the impact as I stride away from the chaos and towards the spot where my three other males are waiting for me. Behind them, the whores, guards and patrons are all kneeling. Some are covered in soot and others are coughing, but they’re all staring at me with wide, fearful eyes.

The closer I get to them, the more my anger seems to ebb. Withdrawing from my connection to the Goddess feels like clawing my way back out of a bad dream. I hadn’t even noticed how foggy my thoughts had become until they start to clear. When I’m ten paces away, Jaro kneels, joining the other fae on his knees. Unlike them, he keeps his focus completely on me rather than on the floor, as if he can’t drag his gaze away.

Lore follows, grinning. I don’t expect Drystan to do the same, since he can’t even see me. His eyes are scrunched shut and watering, and he’s pinching the bridge of his nose so hard his fingers have gone white. Somehow, he must feel my approach because he falls to his knees as well.

Five paces away.

The feeling of hands on my shoulders begins to fade. The weight of Maeve’s body disappearing until eventually I can’t feel her at all. Then she and the others vanish entirely.

Three paces. My knees start to buckle, and I stagger to one side. Goddess, was he this heavy before?

Two. I barely manage to keep my púca’s head from hitting the ground as I completely lose hold of my connection to Danu. Warm arms surround me just as a loud voice cries out.

“Clear the way. In the name of the King, I demand to know what happened here!”

“Shit,” Jaro hisses, gathering me and my final Guard close to his chest.

The last thing I see is the green eyes below me blinking open before what little energy I have disappears and I collapse.

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