Page 45 of Deliverance

The guards have mostly left me alone, our only interactions happening when they bring me food at regular intervals. After leaving it just inside the threshold of the room, they return to their positions at the far end of the tunnel, giving me the illusion of privacy. None of them will speak with me, and when I’m not looking, I can feel their eyes on me. I can’t really blame them for their curiosity. I am a human in fae territory, so that is bound to cause a stir. Rumours are probably already spreading throughout the whole court.

At first I did try to talk to them, asking what day it was and if Alaric was okay, but I was only met with silence. I don’t bother attempting to talk to them now, instead sitting in silence in the darkness of my room. Time continues to pass strangely, each minute dragging out until it feels like an hour, and I feel as though I’m going mad.

Lying on the bed, I continue to look up at the ceiling, my body aching and mind overactive. The bond is craving the touch of my mate, but without warning, my thoughts shift, and it’s not the fiery red hair and green eyes of Alaric that appear in my mind, but someone altogether different. A pale, handsome face with shoulder-length silver hair and a demure expression flash in my mind.

Ciaran, the lord of the Unseelie Court and their next heir. The fae who needs to claim me to break the Unseelie curse. He is part of a court humans have been taught to fear, our entire lives revolving around keeping away from them. Over time, the humans must have decided it wasn’t just the Unseelie who were dangerous, but all fae. However, I have been assured that the dark court is just as evil.

Day and night. Good and evil. Seelie and Unseelie. It is simple and should be easy for me to keep them defined, but I am struggling to draw that line.

During the fire at the inn, Ciaran saved me, and instead of taking me, he saw I was injured and let me return to Alaric. It would have been so easy for him to take me back to the Unseelie Court, but that isn’t what happened. He is such a mystery to me, but a purely evil being wouldn’t do what he did.

There is no doubt that many of the Unseelie are brutal, I have seen firsthand what some of their creatures can do. Ciaran seems different. Oh, from what little interaction I have had with him, I know he’s sly and scheming, but I am trying to open my mind to the possibility that a few questionable actions doesn’t make you evil. Without having spent much time around them, it is impossible for me to make a full assessment.

All I know is that I feel connected to Ciaran. My connection with Alaric turned out to be a mate bond, but that can’t be the case here as I am already mated. The thought makes my chest tighten and my heart speed up. I can’t possibly be mated to more than one fae, especially not Ciaran. A Seelie fae and an Unseelie fae all mated to a human? I want to laugh aloud at the ridiculousness of it. It would never work. The two of them would tear each other apart.

Or perhaps you are the one who will bring them together?

That unwelcome thought causes my stomach to drop, and I am so disturbed by the notion that I swing my legs off the side of the bed and sit up, dropping my head into my hands. No, that is not happening. I am Alaric’s mate, and I only feel drawn to Ciaran because I am the doe.

I still don’t really understand what it entails to be the doe. No one has given me any answers. When I first met Ciaran in the forest between my cottage and Brine, he made a commentthat I would make a perfect queen. Is that what it is? I would be expected to rule at his side? The idea makes me uncomfortable.

Groaning, I rub my hands across my face, wishing for guidance. All of this is new to me, and I have next to no information to inform me on what I should do or the specific customs of the fae. However, if I could wipe the slate clean and go back to my cottage, with no threat of the fae, would I choose my blissfully ignorant days of sitting amongst my plants in the garden and my forays into the wood to meet with Nyx?

My heart races a little, fluttering at the thought of the male cast in shadow who used to linger in the forest. We built up a relationship over time, and visiting him was the best part of my day.

Even just thinking about him now has a smile pulling at my lips like a teenager who has her first crush. This is a male I know next to nothing about, and I only discovered his name in the last week, but there is an affection for him in my heart that I can’t explain. When he was looking over me, I always felt safe and protected. It was obvious he was somethingotherfrom the shadows that flickered around him, yet I have never thought of him as anything other than himself—not human, not fae, just Nyx. There is no one else like him. He is completely unique.

Leaning back against the wall, I let my eyes slide closed as I think of him, imagining he is here with me, tall and swathed in shadows. I have never seen all of his face before, but from what I have seen, I am able to piece together an image in my mind—smooth, pale skin and a strong jawline, a neatly groomed moustache and goatee, and full pink lips. His onyx eyes would narrow on me as he slowly stalked forward, the movements smooth and effortless. Climbing up onto the bed, he would crawl over on his hands and knees until he kneeled before me.

I squeeze my legs together as arousal floods my system, my body still hyped up from mating with Alaric. Should I be cravinganother male when I am mated to another? My mind screams that it’s wrong, but the connection that’s wrapped around my heart tells me otherwise.

My daydream suddenly shifts, and standing in the arched entrance that leads to the bathroom is a topless Alaric, watching me with Nyx. Instead of raging, he watches with hunger in his eyes, which only fans the flames of my desire.

A cough from outside my cave shatters my fantasy and jerks me back into reality. Blinking my eyes open, I sit upright and look around the small room. There is no one here, so the sound must have echoed from one of the guards. My subconscious was probably feeling jumpy because of the dirty thoughts I was having. Thoughts like that are new to me, and while I’m not guilty about having them, I feel… unfulfilled, my skin too tight over my bones. I’m going to blame it on the recent stressful events and the yearning for Alaric.

Frustrated and feeling trapped, I stand and pace the length of my room. I’m restless, and not knowing what’s happening with Alaric is driving me crazy. Blaise said he would return as soon as he could, and I hope he comes shortly, as I feel like I am losing my mind.

“Psst.”

Frowning, I stop my frenzied pacing and slowly turn. I swear I heard a whispered noise as if to call my attention, but there is no one here.

“Lady, come to me. I can get you out of here.”

Near my door is a small creature with large, childlike eyes and a thin, spindly body. As soon as my attention lands on it, it smiles and gestures for me to move closer. Intrigued but hesitant, I slowly move closer towards the doorway.

I think it is male, judging by the short, almost fluffy blond hair and masculine facial features. Despite this, he still looks like a child, mischief shining in his eyes. His smile is so full ofchildlike joy that I find myself letting my guard down. At his full height, he reaches my knee and is clothed in a simple shirt and trousers. My gaze drops to his large, almost skeletal bare feet, which end in claws, reminding me this is not a small child, but a fae.

Keeping a safe distance between us, I crouch so I am at the same level as him. “Who are you?” I ask quietly, glancing at the guards at the end of the tunnel.

He glances anxiously over his shoulder, indicating he is not supposed to be here. When his large head turns back to me, his eyes sparkle. He’s enjoying this.

“Merely a lowly sprite, my lady.” Sketching a low bow, the sprite looks at me solemnly, his emotions switching so quickly that I’m struggling to keep up. “I see emotions in colours, and you are the deepest blue I have ever seen.”

I don’t have to ask what blue emotions mean, not when I can feel them so strongly. His assessment doesn’t surprise me, so I say nothing, waiting for him to get to the point. Fae don’t do anything for free, so he wants something from me.

“I can help you escape,” he says again. There’s something in his eyes that belongs to someone far older than a child. I have to remember that while he looks childlike, he isn’t and is looking out for his own interests.

“You would just need to do a small task for me in return.”

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