Page 133 of The Forbidden Fae King

“Grandma, I did everything you told me not to do.” I sob into her chest.

“Are you hurt, my child?” she asks gently. “Did a high fae harm you?”

“He – he was perfect and returning here broke my heart,” I choke out. “I- I?—”

“Only time will heal that, I am afraid.” My grandmother strokes my hair. “You are strong and brave for returning to us,priestessof the Mothers of Magic. You have made usall proud.”

Those words should arise something within me. It was once everything I wanted, but the agony within has scoured me and I can no longer feel anything else.

Chapter 34

Keira

Idon’t know how long I stay in my grandmother’s arms, but she doesn’t hurry me. If anyone understands, it is her. She fell in love with a fae as well.

My father materializes and practically pulls me from her, crushing me against his chest. Those thick arms wrapped around me make me feel so incredibly safe. “Do I need to fight my way through a portal and slice the flesh off whichever fae hurt you?” My father growls, his body practically shaking with rage.

“No, father. There is no fae for you to hunt,” I utter.

He leans his cheek on the top of my head, and I take comfort from it.

When I finally pull myself together and scrub my tears away, I realize we have an audience.

There are pavilions set up in the meadow. Living quarters for the team who powered the portals so we could return, and any loved ones waiting for us.

Gwyneth runs to Caitlin and wraps her in an embrace, kissing her passionately. There is such bliss on her face, her almond eyes squeezed tight, that it is painful to look at.

Prince Finan strides across the grassy field toward me, the crowd practically parting around him.

My grandmother leans into me to whisper in my ear. “Now is not the time for drastic decisions.” Both she and my father pull away to give us a little privacy.

My blood turns to ice and I have to resist the urge to back away when Finan stops before me. A huge, cocky smile dimples his face and his ice-blue eyes light up as they roam over me, appraising my body. How had I never understood the way he looks at me, like a predator sizing up its prey?

I stand there, utterly shocked at facing him again, as unsteady as a leaf in the wind with my support drawn away.

Perfectly manicured ringlets of blue-black hair fall across his forehead, and I realize how pretty he is, in a young, girlish manner. He is at complete odds with the raw sexuality of Aldrin’s masculinity. A boy compared to a man.

I wonder if I was ever truly attracted to Finan, or just the idea of him.

He sweeps me into a hug, pressing his narrow, boney body into me like he has every right, and peppers kisses across my face. My skin crawls like I am covered in insects, and the deepest need builds within me to thrust him away. He pecks my lips in that onslaught, but I don’t give him anything more.

I stand there, limp.

“Keira. I am so happy you are back.” Finan pulls away, his eyes level with mine. I forgot how short he is. “I waited for you, like I promised. You see, I have camped here for weeks, so I would be here when you returned. Can you imagine it? Me, camping?” His obnoxious laugh is like claws running down my spine.

Behind him, there is a massive royal pavilion in deep shades of purple, with servants teaming busily around it.

Finan folds my arm into his and leads me away. “Was it horrible?” He asks, without stopping to hear my answer. “I bet it was horrible.”

My spirits sink to an even further low. This is what I came back for.

I am in a daze as I take the trek up to Lake Mistwater with other priestesses. Nothing feels real, even as I place the Lake Maiden’s seed-stone into the pool that is fed by springs that run from the Otherworld.

I should be immensely proud of this feat. Instead, my hands shake and a vice clenches my heart, winding tighter and tighter with utter agony.

Too many of the priestesses send sympathetic, understanding glances my way, and it makes me wonder how many beloved fae we have left behind collectively.

This final act means my pilgrimage is truly over.

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