Page 21 of Taken By the Fae King

“Do you want me to turn back?” he asks. “I can take your brother up on his offer of a carriage.”

I’m about to say yes, please, but stop short. “You said this was the safer route, right?”

“Yes. Wraith have been spotted along our borders and Orcs have been seen wandering in the Dark Forest recently.”

“Do you know which Clan they belong to?” I ask. I’ve studied Orc culture in great detail. I had to when Edmynd negotiated a truce with Clan Ulvad a few years back. But I know that not all Clans are the same. Some are violent, and some are not. It depends upon their leader.

He hesitates a moment before replying. “No.”

“It’s probably safer to fly,” I tell him.

“My guards and I will protect you if you wish to—”

“I’m not going to put anyone in danger just because I’m a bit uncomfortable, Kyven.” I do my best to keep my voice even despite my churning stomach. “Besides, this is how you normally travel, is it not?”

“Yes.”

I lift my face to his. “Then I will learn to get used to it.”

His expression softens. “You are certain?”

I nod and then duck my head back to the crook of his neck. I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth as I focus on calming my heart rate and breathing. I love his scent of forest and fresh rain. “You smell good.” Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I inwardly curse my nerves as the words leave my lips unfiltered.

A warm puff of air blows across the top of my head. “So do you.” He gently nuzzles my hair. “Like roses and lavender.”

My thoughts drift to last night, and my heart flutters in my chest. Gods help me, my new husband is already breaking down the carefully built walls around my heart.

CHAPTER13

KYVEN

As darkness descends, the forest below us seems to come alive. The ancient trees with trunks as thick as castle towers seem to stretch toward the heavens. Their bark is as dark as midnight and their thick branches are heavily laden with dark green needle-like leaves practically blot out the last of the light of the sun as it retreats from the sky.

No one knows how old this forest is. It is said that these colossal guardians have stood sentinel since the dawn of time, their roots burrowing deep into the earth, tapping into the very essence of magic that pulses through the land.

Holding Grayce in my arms, with her face buried in the crook of my neck, fierce possessiveness uncoils from deep within. My fangs extend. The primitive desire to mark my mate is all-consuming as her warm breath puffs against the sensitive skin on my neck.

If she were Fae, she would mark me, just as I long to do to her in return. But she is not, and I do not know enough of human mating rituals to know if this is something her kind does as well. I did not notice any claiming marks on the citizens of Florin, but perhaps humans leave them in places on the body that are concealed by their clothing.

“My king,” Aren says as he comes up beside us. “It is getting late. Do you want me to send a few scouts ahead to secure a campsite along the edge of the forest?”

“Yes,” I reply, thankful that he is such a competent warrior. He is always thinking ahead, and I trust his judgment in regards to our safety. “See that it is done.”

He dips his chin and leaves to relay the order to the others.

We are nearly to the edge of the Dark Forest. Scanning the woods below, I search for any sign of movement. All the reports I’ve had of Wraith and Orc appearances have been farther North than this, so we should be relatively safe for the night.

I’m sure Grayce must be tired. Despite my reassurances that I will not let her fall, her body is still slightly tense. She has relaxed a bit from what she was earlier, but I imagine she will probably be exhausted once we stop for the night.

“We are almost there,” I murmur into her hair.

“Thank the gods,” she breathes out the words like a sigh. “I cannot wait to set foot upon solid ground again.”

Worry snakes through me at her statement. We are not going to make camp like humans. We are Fae. We set up our shelters in trees, where it is safer. “We are not going to be on the ground,” I tell her.

She lifts her head. “What do you mean?”

“We sleep in the tree branches.”

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