Page 80 of Taken By the Fae King

“I’m fine,” Lukas teases, gesturing to his own bloodied shirt. “No need to worry about me.”

A hint of a smile tugs at Emryll’s mouth. “Of course you are, Wolf-Shifter. I was not concerned because I know your kind heal quickly. But he”—she points at Raiden—“is human, and they do not.”

Raiden straightens his back and flexes one very muscular bicep, trying but failing to appear casual as he does it. “I’m all right.” He smooths his hair back from his brow. “I’ve had worse.”

Now, I’m the one trying not to roll my eyes.

“You have?” Emryll asks, her wings fluttering slightly behind her.

“I’m not easy to kill,” he teases, and she laughs—a bright sparkling sound of happiness.

Raiden smiles at her as if she hung the moon and the stars. I’ve never seen him look at anyone that way before, but I do know what it means. My brother is completely and utterly smitten. And from the look on Emryll’s face as she stares at my brother, I believe the feeling is mutual.

Emryll turns to Kyven. “I’ll ask the servants to prepare chambers for them in the family wing.”

He dips his chin and then she looks back at Raiden. “Are you hungry?”

“I am.” A mischievous smile curves Lukas’s mouth. “If anyone cares, that is.”

Raiden elbows his side, and Lukas laughs. “I was only joking.”

“Come,” Emryll tells them. “I will take you both to your chambers to change and dress, and then we will go to the dining hall for a meal.” She looks back at me and Kyven. “You two should go back to your rest and we’ll all have breakfast in the morning.”

I hug Lukas and Raiden before they leave with Emryll.

Kyven’s gaze tracks his sister with a look of concern before they disappear around a corner and down the hallway.

“It’s all right. My brother is a good man, Kyven.”

“Yes, but will he be careful with her heart?” he asks.

A smile crests my lips. “I think he is the one more in danger of having his broken.”

“Why do you say that?” Kyven asks.

“Because everyone knows the Fae are skilled in placing poor, unsuspecting humans under their thrall,” I tease. “There are many stories about it, you know.”

Kyven laughs and then gathers me to his chest. He drops his forehead gently to mine, his expression sobering. “I apologize for the way I reacted to them at first. I just—” He clears his throat. “My kind are very possessive of their mates. And while I know that you only consider Lukas like a sibling to you, it is difficult to suppress my instincts because he is an unbonded male and—”

“I understand,” I tell him. “It’s all right. You two actually seemed to be getting along there toward the end.”

“He cares for you,” Kyven says. “I cannot fault him for that.”

As we make our way back to our rooms, Kyven is unusually quiet. “What is wrong?” I ask.

“The Wraith along the city’s borders… it is concerning that they made it this close to the city without anyone knowing.” He sighs. “We will need to check all the wards and double the number of guards on patrol.”

He turns back to Aren, who is walking silently behind us. Aren nods. “Consider it done,” he says, before relaying the order to another guard beside him while Talyn takes up his post outside our chamber doors.

When we step inside our room, I turn to Kyven. I know that what I have to say will probably upset him, but it needs to be done.

“I’m going to start studying the prophecy,” I tell him. He opens his mouth to protest, but I quickly add, “If what the Orc says is true, isn’t it better to be prepared for what may come?”

“Not if it means you must place yourself in danger,” Kyven says. “I will not allow you to—”

“I am your equal,” I remind him. “You swore this to me before we wed.”

“I did.” He hangs his head. “Forgive me. I just… cannot stand the thought of any harm coming to you.”

---