Page 53 of Deliverance

“Those of you who brought her here, step forward.”

Once again, they do, following his rules even though the atmosphere is now tense. It won’t take much for it to burst, and when it does, I don’t know how the Unseelie will react. I’m surprised by how thoroughly they are following his orders, though, in exposing themselves as guilty when they know they will face his wrath.

My head is still pounding, and even in the soft moonlight, my eyes are stinging. This isn’t a good sign, especially as everything comes in and out of focus. I’m struggling to think properly and pay attention to everything that’s going on, relying on my bindings to hold me up.

“I said not to harm her.” Ciaran is examining me, his eyes seeing right through me to my damaged soul. Being separated from Alaric, leaving an injured Blaise, and the feeling of betrayal from Ciaran is breaking my heart. It’s too much.

The lord gestures to me, turning his animosity back on the gathered fae. “Does she look unharmed to you?” Without waiting for an answer, he raises both hands and makes the same motion as before. In unison, everyone who stepped forward falls, their throats cut.

He is unapologetically wrathful. Why do I find that thrilling? I think the trauma and blood loss has finally made me crazy.

“This is a warning to the rest of you.” Ciaran spins to take in the rest of the fae, his posture demure and perfect, but his facesays what his words do not. He is furious and will tear apart anyone who dares to defy him. “Iris is not to be harmed under any circumstance.”

He’s at my side in the blink of an eye, throwing up a barrier between us and the rest of his companions. Frowning, I stare at the shimmering barrier as it changes colour and blocks out everything else outside of it.

His face crumples, his expression devastated as he takes in my current state. “Oh, Iris.” The words are whispered so quietly that I almost convince myself he didn’t speak. He quickly but gently removes my bindings, placing a hand out to steady me as I stumble forward. “Here, let me help you. Don’t worry, no one can see or hear us.”

That explains the barrier then.

“Why are you helping me?” I ask as he finishes untying me and helps me sit on the edge of a fallen log.

Assured that I am sitting and not going to topple over, he kneels before me, gesturing to my arm. “I meant what I said, Iris. I believe we are meant to be together, and I promise not to harm you.” The connection between us tells me that he’s speaking the truth, so I hold out my arm and let him examine the wound. Squeezing my eyes shut, I turn my head away and take steadying breaths.

“Your arm needs healing. Can I get someone to heal you?”

I nod in agreement. I’m not proud enough to turn down healing if they are offering it. For some reason, I trust him to make sure I am taken care of, knowing he wouldn’t put my healing in the hands of just anyone. Why I am so sure about this, I have no idea, but a wave of pain almost knocks me back, taking away all rational thought.

A doorway suddenly appears in the shield, and a gorgeous fae steps through. She is beautiful and has the same eyes as Ciaran.In fact, they share many features, including the silver hair, only hers has streaks of turquoise in it.

“This is my sister, Amber. She’s a healer,” Ciaran tells me, waving her forward and confirming what I thought—they are related.

“Amongst many other things,” she says with a smile and a wink as she moves closer. However, her expression drops as she looks over me, her face going grim when she sees the bite on my arm. Dropping to my side, she blows out a breath before placing a hand on my shoulder.

“She’s lost a lot of blood.” Amber’s quiet voice is comforting, and I allow my eyes to close, the warmth flowing from her hand soothing me. “I can’t fully heal her here, but I can fix it enough to stop the bleeding and restore basic function.”

“Do what you can.”

Ciaran sounds tense, but I am too exhausted and in pain to respond.

I am not sure how much time passes, it could have been minutes or hours, but a pair of hands shakes my shoulders firmly.

“Iris, wake up!” It’s Amber.

“What’s happening?” Blinking sleep from my eyes, I look around as fae run in a panic, shouting and battle cries echoing in the sky. It’s sunny now, the spell cast over the moon gone. The Unseelie must be back in their territory so as not to be affected by the curse.

“The king is here. We have to run.” She helps me to my feet, glancing around at those passing by. “I healed you as much as I could in this short time, I’m sorry.”

“No, thank you for helping me.” I squeeze her hand, genuinely grateful for what she’s done for me.

Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I gently shake off Amber’s hand and gesture for her to go while I look around for the source ofthe sensation. The Seelie king sits on horseback, staring at me as his soldiers attack the fae. Alaric isn’t here. I can already feel that he’s far away, yet I can’t stop myself from looking.

Everywhere is chaos, and honestly, I’m torn by what I should be doing next—go to the king and be locked up in the Seelie castle, or go with the unpredictable Unseelie and help break their curse.

The king approaches and holds out a hand, clearly offering to take me away from here.

A body presses up close behind me, a pale hand resting on my shoulder.

Disgust spreads across the king’s face. “It’s too late. They have her, and we have to do something before she breaks the curse.” Shaking his head, he backs his horse up and gestures to the guard at his side. “Kill her.”

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