Page 217 of Wrath of the Fae

‘If you drool on me, I’ll be annoyed,’ he mutters in a sleepy voice.

‘You’ve had worse than my drool on you, Reid,’ I retort, laughing as he smacks my head.

I sit myself up as we both stretch out the aches and kinks from lying on the sand all night.

But what a fucking night.

That woman… I’m in awe.

How she can go through so much. Be so broken and brutalised. So betrayed and haunted. And yet be so loving, giving and forgiving.

If I were her, I would have killed everyone. Spared nothing. I would have taken that dark crown placed upon her head and sunk into the violent depravity that tries to grip her daily.

But she’s so much stronger than I am. Than anyone I have ever met.

Her capacity to forgive and accept is endless. Lucky for us. Or we would be long dead at her hands.

A fate I would expect and accept.

Instead, we have spent the last six months flying, fucking, laughing and exploring the lands beyond the Thirteen Kingdoms. Ancient lands that were lost to time and darkness. Lands sealed away in dense fog, endless sea, the promise of death and strange illusions that would turn any well-travelled explorer on their head.

Not for us.

These lands are hers.

As we sit, I freeze and grab Reid’s arm as he goes to stand, keeping him with me on the sand.

‘Look,’ I whisper.

We both look on.

Raven is standing on the waves as if walking on water. Her feet rest on the surface, her wings wide and glorious.

She reaches out her hand and touches the nose of a great creature whose serpent-like head protrudes from the depths.

It’s stunning, in a profoundly terrifying way. It’s twice the size of the dragon she commanded in the Fifth Kingdom, with pale blue scales and turquoise eyes. It closes its eyes, and I know it's bowing to her. It could swallow her whole and be done with it if it wished. Like me eating a pea.

But it bows, and she smiles, caressing its snout.

It turns and dives back beneath the water, letting her trail her hand along its shimmering body, right up to the speared tail, which disappears beneath the waves.

We stand and watch her turn, smiling from ear to ear.

‘Did you see her?’ she beams, pointing to the water. ‘Wasn’t she beautiful?’

She flies back to us, vibrating with excitement as she wraps her arms around us both and pulls us into her.

We sink in, savouring her scent and warmth.

I know Reid feels the same as me. Every time we touch her is heaven. We lived for years without her. Lost her twice. Now we soak up every second. Every caress. Everything she allows us to have, and we cherish it.

Which is all of her. In every way.

Mind, body and soul.

When she pulls back, she looks at us both.

Those eyes stare straight into my soul.

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