Page 102 of A Deal with the Shadow King

I sit up and prop a few pillows at my back. “I can’t leave you, Lori, and the others to face the nightmares alone.”

One sits close to me on the bed and wipes off the venom burns with a wet cloth. He moves with confidence, and yet his touch is gentle enough to mollify my bones. “Don’t move. It might sting a little.”

He spreads the salve over my throbbing skin with his fingers, and I grit my teeth at the heat. The mixture of herbs quickly coats the venom-infected burn, and in an instant, I feel a thousand times lighter.

A sigh of relief escapes me as I relax into the pillows. “Thank you.” The ointment quickly hardens over my skin as it cools.

One lays down the salve and cloth on the bedside table. “Morheim might be depicted in your books as this terribly anxious time, but for us, it’s sacred. Beautiful. The moon’s always full on Morheim, and when she reaches that apex in the sky on the first night—it’s the most beautiful moment of the year.”

The raw emotions dancing in his eyes rake through me, and I wish we could stand under that moon together.

“A full moon sounds lovely, and not very dark,” I breathe.

“Shadows do not exist in absolute darkness. Like most things, they need light to grow. Morheim is more than an opportunity to scare young Faen into obedience. It’s the foundation of all life. Without it, the sun would never surrender his place in the sky. He’s awfully arrogant, you know.” He chuckles—mostly to himself. “But Morheim forces him to reflect on his flaws. Without it, he’d burn too bright, scorch our crops, and heat our seas…”

The tip of his index finger curls around the edge of the hardened salve, and he peels it off in one fluid motion. I’m relieved to see nothing but smooth skin underneath.

“There. Good as new.” He traces a circle over the new flesh with his thumb, and my belly tightens at the caress.

I rest my hand over his. “Why is Three allowed to touch me, and you aren’t?”

A dark shroud clouds his golden gaze, and he retreats by a few inches. “It’s complicated.”

“I’m in love with you.” The admission is guarded despite the sweetness of the words, but I almost died today. I can’t afford to keep it to myself anymore.

One stands and extends a hand toward his discarded mask. “You’re infatuated with me. There’s a difference.”

I steal the scarred piece of onyx from his reach and hold it behind my back. “Don’t pretend to know how I feel. You’re infuriating, hard-working, kind—I know my own heart. I love you.”

“You can’t love me. I’m nothing.” Self-loathing drips from every word as he prowls closer to reclaim his most-prized possession. “I’m barely alive.”

I rise to my knees on the bed and grab a fist of his shirt with one hand, right over his heart. “You feel alive to me.”

His hand freezes over his mask, his resolve wavering. “I have nothing to offer. I’m a ghost of who I used to be. I?—”

I stand on the mattress. The bed gives me a few inches on him, and I wrap my arms around his neck. There are no songs hidden in his beautiful eyes today, no enchantments waiting to hold me captive. Just fear.

I sink a hand inside his dark hair. “The king needs magic. What if he decides to take mine? Would you let him?” Shivers brand my body as I chuck out the words. “Am I going to forget ever coming here? Will I remember Lori and the others? Will I remember you, or will the king take everything from me?”

One strokes my hips before coaxing me off the bed. My body glides against his as he sets me down, and he presses his forehead to mine. “What if he doesn’t have a choice? He can’t let the kingdom burn because of Morrigan’s army.”

My blood races in my veins. “Morrigan? I don’t understand. If she’s alive—what does she want?”

“Me. But since she can’t have me, she’ll destroy me.” One cups the side of my face and traces the shape of my lips with his thumb. “She can’t ever know about you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re the first thing since that damned curse that makes me feel whole,” he growls.

“And that’s bad?”

“Very bad.” He nips my bottom lip. “The worst.” His voice is low and fragmented, like I’m about to wrench a secret from the depths of his soul.

“Why?”

He finally presses his lips to mine. “Because I’d die to have you.”

The sweet pressure of his tongue blows all thoughts of Morrigan out of my mind.

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