Page 15 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

“You’re stuck with me forever, sprite.” He grinned, raising his left hand to show me the tattoo had continued down his hand and around his ring finger.

I raised mine, finding the same marks, though I hadn’t felt the burn like before. “I could say the same for you,nightmare.” Without the nightmare, the two of us wouldn’t be here.

He smirked and pulled me into his arms, anchoring me to his chest, but my head turned fuzzy, like something was off.

Tavish’s voice popped into my head.Lira, what’s wrong?

Before I could answer him, somethingyankedme from the present and tossed me into oblivion.

5

LIRA

Darkness surrounded me, similar to when I’d been injured, but it wasn’t the same. My stomach churned with unease. I gathered my bearings, knowing that physically, I was next to Tavish. The faint buzz of our bond pumped through my blood, constricting my throat.

There was no telling how Tavish was reacting.

I needed to talk with him, but there was only silence around me.

Then the darkness around me changed into a vision.

I stood in the center of a forest with green, leafy trees all around and a sun twice the size of Earth’s beaming on me.

I lifted my head, enjoying the heat on my skin, when I heard a familiar voice call out, “Lira, you know that’s not fair! You’re using your magic to hide your scent.”

My heart thumped as I spun around and flew deeper into the thick treetops.

I looked forward to my semiannual visits with Tavish. Even at nine, I’d felt a kindred spirit in him, and ever since I’d been able to fly, we’d played chase. It had started by accident whenI was young and shy around him and tried to get away. Now, I enjoyed the thrill of him chasing me.

I’d cut a sharp left when arms wrapped around my waist. Tavish’s boyish face beamed, the sharp edges that were so clear on the man I’d gotten to know since my capture not yet present. His silver eyes sparkled like the weight of the world and future hadn’t crashed onto his shoulders, and my younger heart squeezed with an echo of the magnitude I felt today.

“That’s not fair!” I squealed, trying to scowl but not succeeding. “You used the darkness to cloak you.”

“And you used your water to hide your scent.” One hand released me, and he booped me on the nose. “All’s fair in a chase, sprite. You should know that by now.”

I rolled my eyes, pretending I was annoyed, but I didn’t pull it off. The best I could muster was mashing my lips to hide my smile. “And that’s why your name should’ve been Thorn and not Tavish.” I wrinkled my nose at him to look more menacing. “Because you’re prickly and cause pain.”

“Ah… but that’s more fitting for a Seelie than me,” he teased.

An unfamiliar voice called his name.

His smile dropped, and he released me, fluttering his wings. “I must leave. It’s time for us to head home, but one day, we won’t have only hours but forever to chase one another.”

My little heart skipped a beat, though I didn’t comprehend why. Instead, I straightened my shoulders to appear composed. “We’d better go.”

The two of us flew back toward the voice that had called him, and we reached eight people standing together, four on each side, facing each other.

My breath caught as understanding of who they were washed over me.

My biological parents stood in the middle on one side, and the two people flanking them had my mind tensing. Even thoughthey didn’t look quite the same, there was no doubt they were my adoptive parents on Earth.

Dad’s and Mom’s skin was the same shade as on Earth but with a faint golden glow that made them look otherworldly, especially with their pointy ears.

Across from my two sets of parents stood Tavish’s parents, flanked by Torcall and Finola. Two of the eight I had known in my human life, but the Unseelie and Seelie royals were just returning to my memory.

“It was an honor visiting with you again.” Tavish’s mother bowed her head, her long white hair slipping over her slender shoulders and almost blending in with her skin, which resembled the color of the snow that covered their kingdom.

The Seelie queen returned the bow, her hair the same shade as mine—medium blonde. It waved down her golden dress, emphasizing the golden freckles on her cheeks and her emerald-green eyes.

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