Page 17 of Deliverance

“Do not harm her!” the dark fae orders, fury lining his voice, yet he does not step any closer to help me.

The fae I saw with the mohawk appears from nowhere, only this time whatever was glamouring him to look human is long gone, revealing his long, spindly limbs. He reminds me of a spider, his arms and legs much longer than the rest of his body. He scared me before, and now he terrifies me. He grins as he moves towards me, his stumbling gait only adding to the horror building inside me.

“You are coming with us, princess,” he hisses, wrapping his clawed hands around my upper arms before he begins dragging me deeper into the woods, the darks fae’s order not to hurt me falling on deaf ears.

“No! Release me!” I shout, putting as much power into my voice as I am able to, but I sound like a weak child, my voice wobbling. Digging my feet into the ground, I struggle to find purchase on the forest floor.

That is pathetic, Iris. You have to save yourself, and if that is all you have, then you will die. The thought is harsh and enough to snap me into action. I might be a novice when it comes to defending myself, but I will not go without a fight.

The ground suddenly rumbles beneath my feet, throwing my assailants to the ground. Somehow, I manage to stay upright and jump over their bodies in an effort to get away. There is one thing I have forgotten though—the fae are much faster than I am and surround me again before I can reach the human lands, dragging me back.

“Iris!” a voice shouts, and even though I only met him today, I’m instantly able to recognise it as Alaric.

A jolt of hope shoots through me, and I get a tingling sensation in my belly. Help is coming, I am no longer alone. I have no idea how he found me so quickly, but I’m not about to complain—not when the Unseelie are trying to drag me away.

Twisting in their grip, I see him bounding towards us through the trees. “Alaric!” I say breathlessly, never so happy to see anyone in my life.

“Let her go!” he demands loudly, drawing his sword and pointing it at the dark fae. As he does, plants burst up from the ground, wrapping me in a living cocoon and pushing away the creatures who try to hold on to me. Glancing around, I see that my protection is actually more than a cocoon. I follow where the vines and plants stretch and weave together through the trees, and I realise they created a tunnel for me, right up to the boundary line. Amazed, I run the short distance to the forest’s edge.

The Unseelie attack my tunnel, but it stands strong, and they quickly realise there is no getting to me. As soon as I reach the end, I climb out and turn around, trying to get a good view of Alaric to ensure he is okay. Only, a strong set of arms wraps around me in a movement too fast to be human, dragging mebackward. Screaming, I thrash in my attacker’s arms, desperate to get away. I wassoclose to being free. A hand is quickly pressed over my mouth.

“Shh, Iris. It is me, Blaise.” He sounds pissed as hell, but I do as he says, trusting he is not going to hurt me. I stop screaming, and he slowly releases me, not seeming to trust that I won’t start up again. Glancing up at his bearded face, I confirm that heispissed, anger radiating from him, but I do not think it is aimed at me.

Following his gaze, I see that Alaric is still standing in the forest, facing off against the dark fae. I automatically take a step forward, but I am jerked back by the fae at my side. If he says anything scolding, then I miss it, because I am too focused on what is playing out before me. The other fae have skulked away. At least, at first glance it seems as though they did, but most of them are still watching from afar, using the trees as cover. All attention has moved to the prince and the Unseelie fae though, and I have quickly been forgotten now that I am out of reach.

The two of them face off against each other, one light and the other dark, and it does something funny to me, my mind becoming fuzzy. Forcing myself to stay upright, I wait for something to happen, but they just appear to be staring at each other.

“Why has he not followed us?” I hiss to Blaise, not understanding the crazy mix of emotions in my chest.

“Those two have a long history.” That is all the answer I get, but from his deep tone, I guess this history is less than pleasant. Something suddenly clicks in my mind, and I know why he is so angry—the prince is risking himself against the Unseelie. He jumped in headfirst to rescue me, knowing his presence would stun my assailants.

“Who is the dark one?” I ask quietly, watching the fae in question closely.

Snorting, Blaise looks down at me with a quirked lip. “I am going to call him that next time.” He huffs out a sigh and gives into my question. “He is the heir to the Unseelie Court.”

Heir, not prince. Do they not use those titles in the Unseelie Court, or does royalty exist but not rule?

“Not a prince?”

He shakes his head, amused by the question. “He wishes. No, power passes from their leader to the strongest fae rather than family ties and bloodlines. Ciaran is that fae.” He nods his head in the direction of the other fae.

Ciaran… so that is his name. It suits him, and I am glad I no longer have to call him “the dark fae” in my mind. As though sensing that I am thinking of him, he looks away from Alaric and locks eyes with me. His stare is so intense, it takes my breath away. Alaric seems to say something, bringing Ciaran’s attention back to the matter at hand, and although I can tell they are both angry from the tone of their voices, I cannot actually hear what they are saying. I wish I could creep forward to listen, but I know Blaise would not let me get anywhere near them.

As if they received some silent signal, the Unseelie creatures start to disappear until only Ciaran is left. His pale hair contrasts with the dark trees around him and the darkness he seems to carry with him.

“Until next time, Lady Iris,” Ciaran calls, blowing me a kiss, and in the blink of an eye, he disappears. One moment he was there, and the next, he was gone. My heart pounds with fear. Where did he go? Are we safe? He is not simply going to give up. Does this mean I have to watch my back for the rest of my days?

“What happened? Where did they go?” I ask as Alaric suddenly appears at my side, sheathing his sword in one quick movement now that he is back in human territory. The sun shines down on him, making him look godly, which isappropriate seeing as he just saved me. His attention is still on the forest as though he’s expecting an attack.

“They are too weak to fight me. The hunt might have begun, but they cannot leave the forest yet.” Reaching out, he brushes a knuckle against my cheek, my skin tingling at the contact. “We need to get you somewhere safe.”

I nod, dumbstruck at his touch while still knowing he is right. It’s dangerous to be so close to the forest, especially now that I know the trees are able to drag me into their depths. My entire world has been rocked, and I desperately need that feeling of safety. Without Forrest here, the prince is the person I trust the most with my safety at this moment.

It is only later, when I am alone and have time to myself, that I wonder when the fae prince became someone I trusted.

Chapter Nine

Adistant part of my brain whispers to me that I need to wake up, my instincts firing to life and dragging my unconscious mind slowly back into the present. The first thing I notice is that my neck is stiff and aching, indicating that I must have slept strangely. A gentle breeze blows on my face, and my head rolls back, bumping against the warm chest behind me.

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