Page 141 of Wrath of the Fae

‘Reid?’

‘Youateone of Jonah’s eyes?’ he repeats. I can’t tell if it's amusement or disgust in his tone.

‘He deserved it,’ I insist. ‘And it was the only way I could think to see his truth. When I got free of the iron, I saw what he saw. I-’

His lips crash onto mine before he bursts out laughing.

‘I fucking love you,’ he chuckles, kissing my cheek. ‘Just when I thought I couldn’t be prouder, you go and tell me that.’

Truth. Every word.

‘I’m going to move you closer to the fire, okay?’ he says, scooping me up and carrying me a few paces. ‘I’ve boiled some water, and there are some basic medical supplies here. I’ll do my best to clean you up.’ I’m placed back on the ground before he lets me go. I hear him moving around the cave as I take comfort in the warmth. ‘Cyrus used to stash Gilt here back in the day,’ he says. ‘He kept some basic supplies here in case. Bottles of water. Bandages. No food, annoyingly. But some cigars if you fancy.’

He's trying so hard to keep this light and easy.

But it’s not. It’s really not.

‘I could smell you,’ I tell him. ‘Your scent consumed me. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. All I could think about was your blood.’

‘What did it taste like?’ he asks.

‘Life. Peace. Power. It was euphoric, tasting you.’

‘I like the sound of that,’ he softly laughs.

‘It’s not funny.’

‘I know.’ He stops before me and cleans my face with a warm cloth, paying gentle attention to the burns. ‘We think that the way the Dark Fae crave your blood, you may crave Fae blood when you are here,’ he says. ‘And you need to talk to us about the markings on your body. They’re up to your elbows now. They were seeping upwards as you fought Ivan. It stopped when you tasted my blood.’

‘I’m turning into a monster.’

‘No, you’re not. We knew you were different, Raven. Right from the start. Something new. You didn’t need Gilt. You have powers beyond our understanding. And now it seems you can control the Dark ones back home. That gift won us the fight, and you saved the entire Kingdom from a catastrophic explosion that would have killed everyone, even though you knew it would put you in danger. You set the First Kingdom free. Set us free. That doesn’t sound monstrous to me. Not even close.’

‘I’m not something new,’ I admit. I feel him watching me. ‘I’m something very, very old.’

He listens as I tell him everything. As I tell him about the Leviathans. The King below the Thirteenth Kingdom. The crown I hold and what it means to accept it. To use the authority I have over the creatures. How I can control the runes and access their power through my blood. That I made a portal to get us out of there by accessing those ancient markings.

He listens, slowly wiping away the blood from my skin and doesn’t interrupt me once.

When I’m done, he says simply, ‘We’ll deal with it.’

He says it so casually, like it’s a minor hiccup.

‘Do you still smell my blood?’ he asks.’ Do you want it?’

I shake my head.

‘Maybe now you’ve had it, the need will disappear.’

He re-soaks the towel and wrings it out.

‘I need to get into the eye,’ he says apologetically. ‘I’ll be quick. Okay?’

I nod and lift my head. He gently runs the cloth over my burns, and I grind my teeth as he does.

‘You’re healing quickly. The burns are already less raw than they were by the beach.’ He finishes and returns to washing the cloth.

‘Can you cover it please?’ I ask.

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