Page 63 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“No.” His answer was too fast.

“Look at me.” He couldn’t disobey. Her brow furrowed with concern. “Do you not want children?”

“I want to make you happy.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I—don’t know.”

She rested a hand on his and threaded their fingers together. “Then I’ll ask you again in a few centuries.”

“And if I still don’t know?”

“Then I’ll ask again in a few more.”

His jaw clenched again. “I want to give you everything, but—”

Arianna set the plate on the floor, then scooted onto the mattress. She beckoned Rion closer and he rested his head against her chest. “Do you feel me down the bond?”

Rion clutched her shirt. “Every minute.”

“Then you already know it’s okay.”

He nodded, then kissed her, helping her scoot under the blankets before settling in. Rion curled Arianna’s body against his and held her, thanking the gods for the mate they’d granted him. He prayed they’d get those centuries just so Arianna could indeed ask him again.

Chapter Seventeen

Talon

Talon didn’t sleep that night, not that he would have been able to even if he tried.

He’d remained by the cottage door until Rion and Arianna’s heartbeats had slowed enough to tell him both were asleep.

Alive. They were both alive, thank the gods. When Rion had run, Talon feared it might be the last time he ever saw either of them. The Dark Fae had broken through the walls from multiple sides and he’d been determined to go down fighting. Then a familiar horn had echoed across the field. It was a sound that had once triggered his instincts to fight. But right then, it was the precursor to their salvation.

Brónach’s warriors had roared at the sound, their battle cries giving everyone a renewed sense of strength.

None had faltered after that. They’d beaten back the Dark Fae until Brónach’s warriors joined, providing the relief they so desperately needed.

Afterward had been the usual cleanup. The laying out of bodies so they could be identified and put to rest. The burning of their enemy’s corpses, in this case, the Dark Fae. And setting plans in motion to move everyone from the ruined village to a safer location.

Then a group of warriors had arrived claiming to know Arianna’s whereabouts. After questioning them, Talon and the others had followed, praying for a miracle.

Talon circled the last small house, keeping his footsteps silent in the darkness. There were warriors stationed along the border, each watching him with curious eyes. The male whowasn’t quite a Fae. It was a revelation he still wasn’t sure he believed.

A Witch—no—Weaver. But what did that mean? Why hadn’t his mother ever told him? Did she even know?

Talon let his gaze drift back toward the small cottage and imagined he could see the outline of a female in the distance. She blended effortlessly with the shadows, bending them to her will as she saw fit.

Raevina had once told him he’d been nothing more than lucky when it came to his encounters with The Demon. He’d almost believed her. But after sparing with the male over the last few weeks, Talon had reaffirmed his abilities to himself. Now he questioned those abilities all over again.

He’d always been stronger. More adept. He could do things that no one else could at his age. His magic was a force that rivaled many Fae ten times his age. He’d flown through the ranks, rising to take his place as a commander at an unusually young age.

All because he might not be a full-blooded Fae at all.

Talon inhaled the cool air and tilted his gaze to the stars. Wisps of clouds drifted by on a phantom wind. Crickets chirped in the stillness and nocturnal creatures scurried beneath the bushes and trees, trying to hide from his presence.

He saw an owl not far off, its large eyes watching the night sky with far too much intelligence to merely be an animal.

---