Page 23 of Taken By the Fae King

He sits down beside me. “I will stay with you.”

Everything inside me wants to tell him it’s all right to leave. I hate being afraid. But when I open my mouth, the words die in my throat as I glance down at the ground once more.

One of his guards brings us a platter of food. Sliced meat, bread, and cheese with a few pieces of fruit and some water. As delicious as it looks, I eat only enough to sate my hunger, worried that any more than that will disturb the heavy knot in my stomach.

When we’re finished eating, a slight twinge in my lower abdomen makes me grimace. I turn to Kyven. “Could you please help me get down?” My cheeks warm as I force the words past my lips. “I need to relieve myself.”

He scoops me up into his arms and flies a short distance away from our encampment. Far enough that we can have privacy, but still close enough to call out if we run into trouble. His eyes sweep over the forest around us, searching for any signs of danger before he sets me down.

He pulls a dagger from his belt and hands it to me. Bracing myself against my terrible memories, I take it from him. My pulse pounds in my ears as I grit my teeth and hold my arm tight to my side to stop it from trembling.

I am strong and I am brave. I repeat the words like a mantra in my head. I will not be afraid.

Kyven gestures to a nearby tree. “That is a good spot,” he whispers.

As I start toward it, so does he. I whip my head to him and frown. “I’d like some privacy.”

“It is dangerous,” he whispers. “There could be Orcs out here.”

As much as I fear the Orcs, I also know that there is no way my bladder will cooperate with him standing over me. “Then, just wait on the other side of the tree,” I state in a tone that leaves no room for argument.

Reluctantly, he stalks away. Quickly I relieve myself. Kyven must not have been as far away as I thought because he comes round the corner as soon as I’m done. Although we did not walk, I still feel a bit grimy from the day’s travel and I wish so much for a bath.

Kyven takes my hand, and a warm tingling sensation spreads up through my arm and across my body. The fresh scent of rose and lavender fills my nose and I glance down to see my clothing appears pristine. “Was that a cleansing spell?”

He grins. “Rather convenient, is it not?”

“Yes.” A smile crests my lips. “Thank you.”

He gathers me to his chest, and we fly back up to our shelter. When he sets me down on the tarp, he flashes a devastatingly handsome smile. Just one look seems to loosen something inside me. I’m still nervous, but not quite as scared as I was before because I know he would never put me in danger.

I glance at the guards around us, settling onto their tarp beds and I’m suddenly very self-conscious about the thought of my first night sleeping beside my new husband with an audience.

As if sensing my concern, Kyven waves his hand and a soft glowing barrier forms around us. Aside from the very faint glow, it has the appearance of a soap bubble. I can see out at the others. “Is this for… protection?”

“For privacy,” he explains. “We can see out, but no one can see in.” He turns his gaze back to the forest. “As for protection… Aren has erected an invisible barrier around our entire group. It will repel most things, and alert us of any trespassers.”

I try not to focus on how he said “mostthings,” not “allthings.” My mind begins conjuring all sorts of terrifying images of what sort of dangers he may be speaking of. Closing my eyes briefly, I force myself to push down these dark thoughts as I settle onto my side.

He lies down next to me and carefully pulls the blanket up over my shoulders. “Thank you,” I somehow manage to speak despite my nerves. I’m not sure if I’m nervous to be sleeping beside him or worried about how far up we are. Sighing, I realize it’s probably a bit of both.

A cool wind blows through the trees, causing the branches to sway slightly and I freeze in place as an entirely new fear snakes through me. If I fall asleep, I could easily roll off this tarp. And if Kyven is sleeping when it happens… then, I still could possibly fall to my death. At the very least I’d definitely break something.

I glance around for anything I can use to tie myself off to the branch. So if I roll off the tarp, I won’t fall. Or at least, not too badly. I’m sure I’d still have some sort of injury from the initial tug on the rope and then I’d probably slam against the trunk, and—

“I can scent your fear, Grayce,” Kyven raises his arm. “Come here. I will not let you fall.”

I move close to him, and he loops his arm around my waist, tugging me the rest of the way until I’m flush against him. With my palms pressed against his chest, I can feel the hard planes of muscle under his tunic and the strong and steady beat of his heart beneath my fingers.

“You are safe with me, Grayce,” he murmurs.

I lift my head to find his violet eyes studying me with a piercing gaze.

“You will not fall. I have you.” Gently he tucks a stray tendril of hair behind my ear. “My vow.”

I shiver slightly and he tucks the blanket up around my shoulder and then cautiously wraps his wings around my form like a second comforter. “Are you warm enough?” he asks.

“Now I am.”

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