Page 40 of Courting the Fae Captain
“Sure, if you want me to experiment with such a thing on the fucking captain of the Shadow Court,” Portia retorted. “If this goes wrong, it will kill him.”
“If you don’t, he’s going to die. Take your time. Do it slowly and carefully if you have to,” I said with a look at Jaren. “Where is Lord Windaire?”
“Meeting with dignitaries in Soul’s End,” he replied. “It’s our call now.”
I looked at Portia, who had the good sense to seem fearful at the prospect of wielding on the captain. And fair enough. If she failed, there was a good chance we’d be attending an execution ceremony arranged by the Pentad or the lord himself.
“Just think of the goodwill you’ll receive for saving his life,” I pressed as she looked at Raithe. “The Pentad will be eternally grateful. Maybe even forthcoming with protection or coin.”
“You think I want money?” Her long, raven hair spilled over her shoulder as she tilted her head and laughed. “Of course you do. Whyever would you think otherwise? Power, money, territory, it’s all that matters to you Lockharts. It doesn’t matter who’s standing in the way.”
“For my father, yes. We can agree on that. I don’t know what you think I’ve done to you,” I said in a low voice, “but we will settle this another time.”
“Enough,” Jaren shouted as she shifted stance and faced me. “Wield, or leave, but decide now. Whatever happens, I will take responsibility.”
My eyes narrowed as Portia bit her lip and stood rooted to the spot. Her eyes darted to Raithe as she did, until finally she squared her shoulders and straightened. “Fuck it.” She stepped forward, resting her hands over the wound. “Give me some room. Here goes nothing.”
Jaren and I stepped back. I held my breath as she closed her eyes and worked. Her perfectly arched brows pinched together as her hands floated over his body, searching, this time, as if gaining the measure of his health. When she finished her assessment, she made to place her hands on his wound, but Raithe’s shadows snapped up, grasping at her wrists.
She grunted, her fingers flexing and hands shaking as she tried to pull away, but the shadows tightened further. “Do something!” she cried. “He’s going to break my wrists at this rate.Again.”
“What’s happening?” I yelled to Jaren.
He tried to step forward, but he, too, was pinned to the spot by those growing plumes of darkness. The whole room seemed to fill with black smoke, until all of us were consumed by it.
“It’s like his shadows are protecting him subconsciously,” Jaren said through gritted teeth. “I can’t break free, and I can’t wield without hurting him.”
I took a tentative step forward. Then another. I could sense his shadows pulsing, but it didn’t feel threatening to me. If anything, I was almost … drawn to him. My own shadows flooded the floor without thought, stroking at his tenderly as if to say, ‘Come on, let me in!’
Portia shrieked something along the lines of not being able to work in these conditions, but I barely heard her as my power met his. The force of it, the primal strength of his magic, it felt like coming home, like being united with something I’d never known was missing until now.
The shadows stroked against me gently, and as I approached Raithe and set my hands upon his chest, I relinquished myself and let them in. They devoured me piece by imperfect piece until I was riding a wave of magic so strong I felt every inch of myself bow to its might. But I wasn’t afraid. For the first time in forever, I felt wholly in control. His magic ripped through me, tearing me apart as if remaking my very being. It didn’t hurt, but the sheer flood of it was so overwhelming I almost stumbled to the floor. When it was finished, his shadows receded with a soft stroke against my arm. I inhaled sharply as daylight once more filled the room. Raithe’s face had softened slightly, and I’d never felt more inclined to trace his features. To soothe his hurts, inside and out.
“What in hells was that?” Portia said, breaking the silence.
I blinked and quickly withdrew my hands from his chest as reality came crashing down on me. “I … I don’t know,” Ianswered honestly. As I turned to the others, Jaren was looking at me with something like awe and curiosity in his eyes, as if he knew something I didn’t. But he didn’t say anything, and Portia didn’t allow me the time to ask what.
“It doesn’t matter. He seems to have calmed down now,” Portia said with a shrug. “I need some space. I can feel the poisoned blood. I don’t think I can separate the poison and pull it out, but I can draw out the bad blood, leaving only the good blood behind. But I may need to make incisions to give the blood more exit points. I don’t want to risk moving all that bad blood around his body again to pull it out of this one wound, and I have to avoid moving it too close to his heart or he’ll die. Both of you stop hovering and get out so I have room to work.”
“Do what you have to. But I’m not leaving,” Jaren said firmly.
I wanted to echo that sentiment.Strongly.Every part of my being wanted to stay and ensure he was okay. The sheer strength of that feeling of our shadow magic combining had my head whirling.What the fuck had his shadows done to me?!The thought of not remaining by his side made my stomach twist. Like my ribs might cave in and my legs collapse if I didn’t ensure he was alright.
“Out,” Portia snapped at me.
It took every effort, but I forced myself to move and left without a word, almost stumbling into the door on my way out. It felt like the world had shifted axis, like it had changed somehow.Or maybe it wasn’t the world that had changed. Maybe it was me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Pros: He’s handsome, he’s amusing, and he can keep me safe from the Pentad.
Cons: He’s handsome, he’sannoyinglyamusing, and he might kill me himself.
Journal excerpt, Aeris Lockhart
Afew days later, I sat in Raithe’s chambers, drinking in every detail that told me more about who he was. He had been moved here to rest and finish healing after his injuries had been tended in the apothecary. Despite his advanced Fae healing abilities, the toll of the Faebane had proven longer-lasting than expected. The surviving pirates had been hunted down and exterminated since, but all those innocent souls aboard their ships … they had been lost to the serpents and the dark depths beneath. So, it had been all the more surprising when I received a note under my door, asking me to meet him in his rooms for dinner. It had also said tobring a book of my choice, which I took as code for my mother’s journal.
Now, I was dressed in loose cream pants and a cream jumper, my hair braided into a messy bun. Akira would have lamented me squandering my chance to wear something sexy, but fuck it. If he didn’t like this side of me, he didn’t deserve my best. He’d already seen me at my best and worst thanks to the Rite. Besides, who said I wanted to impress him anyway?! It was all very confusing. And I was still a bit bewildered by what had happened with our shadow powers that day in the apothecary. Whether it was some subconscious trust thing or if it was simply the fact that I had the same kind of powers that allowed me to get close to him. I still had no idea what had happened between Raithe and me, but it had taken me a few days to feel somewhat normal again. Though I felt weirdly giddy and excited to see the captain.
