Page 158 of The Forbidden Fae King

He physically can’t, not with the blood oath he made to me.

My grandmother watches me closely, examining my reaction. I hold her eye. “Take me to him. I want to speak to Aldrin.”

She lets out a long breath and her shoulders sag. “I will, child. I wish you wouldn't have to endure what I did and see the truth of him, but a bargain is a bargain.”

My grandmother leads me into the priestesses’ sanctuary before I can question her.

It is a natural green bowl carved between tall hills and encircled by dense forest. Dozens of small cottages dot the perimeter of the space, with trails of smoke billowing from their chimneys and flower gardens clinging to the granite masonry. The edges of vegetable patches and orchards peek out from behind the housing.

The temple stands tall in the heart of the Priestess’ Sanctuary, dwarfing all other buildings. It is a hybrid structure, grown from multiple trees with immensely thick trunks and branches that interweave to form walls, with stone blocks filling in the gaps.

Leadlight windows decorate the high reaches of the temple, depicting images of summer, autumn, winter and spring, night and day. Great stone arches and doorways peek out from between barky trunks. A circle of moonstone portals wraps around the temple, connecting priestesses’ sanctuaries from across the kingdom.

It is so similar to a Watchtower Tree in design that pure longing for the Otherworld crashes through me.

There is a crowd around the temple. A ring of priestesses and druids, singing and chanting and funneling their magic into the small aquamarine plinths set into the building at regular intervals. A ward ripples around the temple and I realize this is how they are holding Aldrin.

My stomach turns sick at the thought. Panic grips me at the potentialof him being harmed or mistreated. Could he be badly injured? How else could they contain him?

As we near the temple, my grandmother’s grip around my arm tightens. “Keira, don’t allow him to manipulate you with pretty little lies. Open your eyes and see him for what he truly is, just like you did with Prince Finan. Make your peace with it.”

I nod, far too exhausted to argue with her. “I want to speak with him alone.”

My grandmother releases my arm. “I know. He cannot physically harm you.”

I whip my head toward her. “Why? What have you done to him?”

“Oh, nothing yet, but I have my plans. Go inside and see for yourself.” She turns on her heel and stalks off.

Two priestesses guard the double doors of the temple, opening them as I approach.

The large space within the temple is illuminated with bright slices of color, as rays of sun enter through the leadlight windows high above. They cast colorful patterns across the floors, the rows of long benches and the walls. There are sleeping figures laid out across those pews, hidden under their cloaks.

I freeze just inside the doorway.

At the opposite end of the aisle, Aldrin sits on the steps of the dais leading to the altar. He is hunched forward with his elbows braced on his knees, scowling at the ground. His dark hair is pulled up in a knot, and loose strands hang across his beautiful face.

Deep shadows play beneath his eyes, causing the sharp angles of his high cheekbones and his razor-sharp jaw to be thrown into focus.

Those pointed ears I had become so accustomed to almost seem foreign to me after being in my realm for weeks. I swallow the lump in my throat. No part of Aldrin should be foreign to me.

The doors boom shut behind me, and Aldrin finally glances up. When he sees me, his entire body turns rigid and freezes.

“Keira.” He stands, reaching out an arm but not daring to move. “Is it really you?”

It is as though a spell is broken, and I race toward him, barrelinginto his arms. Aldrin wraps them around me and holds me hard against his chest, kissing my hair and touching my face.

Silent tears run down my cheeks, and I am laughing and sobbing at the same time. I cannot help it. He only crushes me in harder to him, and I finally feel safe wrapped in his strong arms.

“I’m so sorry. Aldrin, I am so sorry I got you into this mess,” I choke out. “I should never have left you. You came for me.”

“Yes. I came.” He brushes my hair from my face. “I heard you calling for me.”

I pull away from him just enough to gaze into his eyes, which soften as they hungrily soak in every detail of my face like a man dying of starvation. “How? How did you hear me?”

He pulls a leather thong from beneath this tunic, and its moonstone pendant glows in the morning light. “I took this from the portal. It is somehow connected to your bracelet. I think.”

I don’t know how that could possibly work, but right now, I don’t care how Aldrin found his way to me, only that he did.

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