Page 63 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

His skin was almost as pale as snow, but it had a healthy gleam that hadn’t been there in far too long. He hurried over and dropped onto the bed next to me, examining me with stormy eyes that held hints of starbursts that I hadn’t seen since he was a young boy.

“Where did the guards take us?” I croaked while trying to make sense of it all.

He set the lantern on a table next to the bed and pulled me into his arms.

A jolt of electricity shot between us, but there was no pain… just pleasure.

“They didn’t catch us.” He kissed the top of my forehead, holding me tightly.We’re safe.

Relief crashed through me, and I relaxed and burrowed my head into his chest, feeling the hard curves of his muscles against my cheek.

How?I swallowed, my throat dry and achy.They were right on us.

We reached the divide of the Seelie and Unseelie lands, though you couldn’t tell anymore. The Seelie have grown plants and warmed up the area since they forced us from our homes. But that didn’t matter because Unseelie magic is still tied to the earth. It rejuvenated Finnian and me enough for us to assist Eiric in handling the guards… though that’s now a point of contention between your sister and us.His displeasure flowed into me.She isn’t thrilled that we killed the guards, but we couldn’t risk them informing the others that we had traveled onto Unseelie soil. They’d have known we hadn’t left the island and would’ve sent more guards to search the area, making it more difficult for us to leave.

My stomach roiled. Even though I understood that Tavish and Finnian had felt it was necessary, the thought of some of my people dying at their hands rubbed me wrong.Killing people isn’t always the right way to handle things, especially if we want to bridge the gap between the Unseelie and Seelie so we can have a future together.

He sighed.They were trying to kill Finnian and capture me. What did you expect us to do? Let them? This is the same conversation we’ve been having with Eiric.

I coughed and winced, the dryness of my throat hurting more than I anticipated.I need water.My magic still hadn’t recovered.How long have I been out?

We just got settled about ten minutes ago, so not long. You didn’t get a good rest because we had to carry you, so I’m not surprised you still feel unwell,he answered, releasing me to stand.I’ll fetch you something to eat and drink. We need to be at full health when we leave here.

I’ll go with you.If Eiric was upset with them, I needed to help de-escalate the conversation. Eiric already struggled with my allegiance with Tavish; the worst thing that could happen was for her to feel alone and uncomfortable. I pushed the covers off me as Tavish frowned.

You aren’t well. You shouldn’t—

Don’t.I climbed to my feet and tried to stand upright without swaying, though the ground wobbled.I need to go out there for E.I had no doubt she was worried about my current state as well, and seeing me would mean more than Tavish relaying the message that I was awake.

His forehead creased with worry, and he rushed around the bed to wrap an arm around my waist and steady me. The jolts of electricity thrummed between us. Though his arms were strong, he exhaled and said, “I despise that I can’t carry you. Despite my magic strengthening here, my body hasn’t fully recovered.”

My heart expanded with warmth from how much love I had for him.This is more than perfect.

We headed toward the white door he’d entered through. I noticed a closet full of clothes and a door to the left that led to a massive bathroom.Where are we?This place was nice, but it also reminded me of a basement back on Earth.

He opened the door and led me into a long, narrow hallway with four doors on each side. The room we’d come out of wasat the end of the hallway. The other end opened into a sizable room. Lanterns hung between each door, lighting the area for us.

This is the Unseelie secret underground living quarters, created in case we needed to hide from an unprompted attack or have our guards use the passage to attack the Seelie without warning.He flinched.Sort of like your secret passageway behind the walls of your castle.

Even though I hated that they’d had a way to attack us without warning, I was happy that Tavish was so forthcoming with me, especially since I could feel his guilt.I appreciate your honesty.I squeezed him, my legs becoming a little steadier.But I’m confused. If you had this, why couldn’t you hide when the Seelie attacked twelve years ago?

We moved down the stark white hall.

The entrance is outside the castle, in the royal garden. We’d been expecting a visit from the Seelie royals, including their guards, to discuss the future. We assumed it was to make official the agreement that the two of us would wed and unite Aetherglen as one kingdom once again. We weren’t alarmed until guards kept entering with no sign of you or your parents. When we understood it was an actual attack, it was too late. We didn’t have time to escape and hide here. Your parents used the goodwill established during years of meetings to skin our wings and take everything from us.

My heart ached. I hated that my parents had done that to his, but something must have prompted it. I’d been so focused on the wrong actions they’d been taking against Tavish that I hadn’t asked why they’d attacked the Unseelie and relocated them twelve years ago. If I could go back, I’d ask for their side of the story.Tavish… I—

You have nothing to feel bad about. A sad smile flitted across his face, and he kissed the top of my head.You saved my life and helped me escape. None of this is your fault.

Even though he was right, I felt as if I had somehow attacked him along with my parents. But that was preposterous. Still, my father’s words repeated in my head—People are responsible for the decisions their royals make. I’d argued with him about that, but here I was, feeling like I was to blame just as much as them. Why was my mind beginning to change, especially since I truly believed that Tavish shouldn’t be held accountable for his parents’ actions?

We reached the end of the hallway and stepped into the gigantic room. There were four oversized dark-gray oval couches and a huge silver chandelier with twenty candles on the intricately thorned vines that spiraled around it. A large table that seated twenty stood behind it, and Finnian and Eiric sat across from each other in the middle, a bowl of sunburst fruit, bread, and water in a clear pitcher placed between them. My stomach grumbled, and my tongue felt like sandpaper in my mouth.

I picked up my pace, untangling from Tavish, desperately needing water. I fell into the seat next to Finnian and snatched his blue crystal glass from his hand.

When the first drop of water landed on my tongue, I immediately felt better, but it wasn’t close to being enough. I downed the entire thing and set the empty glass back on the table just as Tavish sat beside me.

“Better?” Finnian quirked a brow.

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