Page 52 of A Heart of Midnight (Dark Fae Academy 2)

Chapter 28

Bree

When Bree awoke,it felt as though she had a hole in her chest. She’d been dead to the world. She hadn’t been able to hear or see or feel anything, but she knew exactly what had happened. In a burst of brilliant light, Bree had seen and heard everything. It was just a moment, a small snapshot in time, but it had been enough to fill in all of the blanks in herhead.

She cracked open her eyes and stared up the Taveon. He was leaning over the bed with a grave expression on his face. The bond between them was no longer there, making her feel as if he were miles further away than hewas.

“Hello, stranger,” she whispered, blinking back the tears that arose from the sorrow she felt. She no longer had that inexplicable link to Taveon’s mind, heart, and soul. She felt as though a part of her head been taken away, as if her soul had been ripped toshreds.

Taveon flicked his eyes to her face, and his entire body sighed in relief. “Thank the forest. I was scared it hadn’t worked. Without the bond...my apologies. I am sure you had no idea what’s happened. I’m afraid I have to tell youthat…”

“I know.” Bree gave him a smile. “I know everything, Taveon. In those last few moments when we were linked, everything came flooding into my mind. Everything I thought I’dforgotten.”

She hoped that he understood what she meant, but he could no longer read her mind as he oncehad.

Taveon stiffened, and his hands tightened around the blanket spread across her body. “Everything? Does this mean youknow…?”

Her heart hurt for him. He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words aloud. Not that she could blame him. If she were him, she would never want a single soul to knoweither.

“I heard your thoughts. I read your memories. I know that you are not fully a DarkFae.”

Part Dark Fae, yes. But not fully. His motherhadbeen King Midas’s wife, but his father...well, he was something else entirely. Something that Bree had no idea even existed until Taveon’s memories fluttered through her mind like pictures he had tried toburn.

“I was going to tell you, you know,” Taveon said softly, grounding his teeth together. “I did not want you to discover it that way. I wanted to look into your eyes and explain it toyou.”

“So, explain it to me, Taveon. I’m all ears. Even though I have seen your memories, I would rather hear you tell it to me. In your own words. The way youwanted.”

Taveon drew in a long, shuddering breath. His grip around her hand tightened, and Bree could read his every thought even if they were no longer bonded. She knew the truth of him now, and he was still scared to share the very darkest parts ofhimself.

“My mother…you know about her,” Taveon began. “She was a good female. And she was loyal to King Midas. Unfortunately, he did not believe she stayed true to him. Not when she became pregnant with me, and I was not his son. But there is far more to the story thanthat.”

Bree nodded, squeezing his hand incomfort.

He continued, “There is another realm, though many do not know of it. Centuries and centuries ago, this knowledge was passed on from mother to daughter and father to son, but somewhere along the way, we let ourselves forget it. This realm may be called Underworld, but there is another realm far darker than ours. It is the Realm of the Dead, and it is ruled by far worse creatures than those found here. Demonic gods. Males and females full of violence and terror. Anddeath.”

Bree shivered at his words, and she couldn’t help but feel a spark of terror in her gut. The fae in the Light Fae realm had always spoken of Underworld in hushed tones of fear. They said the Dark Fae were chaotic and evil, and while some were that way, Bree had realized that the Light Fae had beenwrong.

But maybe they never had been wrong. Not truly. Maybe they had always been talking about another realm, one far worse than thisone.

“The gates between our realm and their realm are shut, but it has not always been that way. We are safe from them now, as are the Light Fae, and as are the humans. Somehow though, one got through. One of the demonicgods.”

Taveon’s voice broke off, and Bree’s heart hurt for him. She know what he would say next. She wished she could take that burden from him. But now that he had begun speaking, it was as if the dam had broken within him, and the words were spilling out from his soul. He needed to tell his storynow.

“He found my mother, the wife of the Dark Fae’s King. And then he raped her.” Taveon’s grip tightened around her hand, and he was clinging on to her so tightly that it almost hurt. But she just let him hold her, knowing that he needed to feel something solid underneath his fingertips. “I am his offspring. I am part Dark Fae, but I am also part demonic god. And I’ve never been able to ask him why he did this. As soon as he got what he wanted, he was gone and no one from the Realm of the Dead has been seen since. Unless you countme.”

“Of course I don’t count you, Taveon,” Bree said as gently as she could. “You may be part demonic god, but your soul and your heart is all fae. You are a good male, Taveon. There is nothing evil about you. You are kind, you’re generous, and you are brave. You care about this realm, and you care about the humans, even though none of the other Dark Fae could give adamn.”

The grip on her hand loosened, and Taveon finally met her eyes. His own were full of unshed tears and pain that echoed years of torment. This was a burden he had carried around with him all this time, like a noose slid tightly around his neck. She wished there was something she could say or do to make that pain go away, but all she could do was accept him for exactly who he was. Her king. HerTaveon.

* * *

Taveon wantedto insist that she rest, but Bree was back on her feet within hours. There was an army of outposters outside of their gates, probably readying themselves to attack at any moment. The other court members had started to wake up, and they needed to gather everyone together in the Great Hall and tell them exactly what was coming. They needed to plan. They needed soldiers. And they needed to gather as many weapons as theycould.

Rafe found her exiting Taveon’s chambers, and his arms wrapped around her so tight that her breath was knocked from her lungs. Relief poured through her, and she snaked her arms around his back, squeezing him just as tightly as he squeezedher.

He pulled back, searched her face with those silver eyes of his, and pressed her hair back away from her face. His lips hungrily found hers, rough and soft at the same time. When he pulled back, Bree was left gasping for more, and a delicious heat rolled through herstomach.

“I really, really wish an army of angry outposters were not two seconds away from attacking this castle,” Bree whispered, leaning into him and breathing himin.

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