Page 11 of Dark Sun (Wicked Lovely 6)

“I can hear you worrying,” Seth murmured, opening his eyes to look up at her. “I had fun, Ash.”

“You have bruises, Seth.”

“I’m fey enough to withstand a drunken Summer Queen these days,” he reminded her, more edge in his voice than either of them likely wanted.

“I just. . . that wasn’t something we discussed and—”

“SummerQueen. Granddaughter of the last Dark King.” Seth shrugged, looking as calm as usual. “Don’t likehimstill, but I do tolerate him for Niall. They get up to things that make these bruises look like--”

“Comparing me to them? Not really helpful.” She crossed her arms.

“Hey?” he said softly.

Aislinn glanced at him, feeling awkward that her tears were creating a small rainfall in the room. Again.

“I hadfun.” Seth stressed each word. “I wouldn’t change a thing, but if you’re interested, maybe next time you use those vines in a way that leaves you atmymercy.”

Aislinn took a deep breath, picturing that in far too much detail. He always knew how to distract her. “Now? Now could be—"

“Ash?” A voice called through the bower of flowering vines. “The Dark Court is here. Are you--”

“Coming!” she called out.

Seth gave her a laughing look, but instead of a predictable teasing retort said, “Low hanging fruit, Ash. I’m not going there.”

“Really? I like you there.” Aislinn smirked and in a blink, vines extended from the remaining pieces on his wrists to the edges of the bed. “We’ll discuss it later.”

“Ash . . .”

She kissed him until he was strained on the restraints for a different reason. Then she looked down at her consort, her beloved, her best friend, and smiled. “Be back in a while.”

“Ash . . .” Seth twisted against the new restraints. “Seriously?”

She was still giggling when she left the room, especially because those vines would vanish in about two more minutes. She would never hurt Seth on purpose—or trap him. That didn’t mean she was above teasing him.

Sometimes it was good to be queen.

ChapterSix

Katherine

Stealing was wrong. In fact, Katherine was certain that it was on the list of rules she kept in her room, probably top ten even, but it didn'tfeelwrong. Causing Aunt Ida stress? That was wrong. Worry her mother? Wrong. Going outside for a drive? That didn'tfeelvery wrong--even though stealing the keys was required for her to do so.

It wasn't like she was off chatting with faeries though. For her, "wrong" was relative to the fey. All questions came back to the fey.

In the giant exercise studio that was why her mom picked this house, Aunt Ida was meditating to some gong and drum cacophony that she thought was "soothing." It was making Katherine feel anxious. The weather was nice, and Katherine had a license. Whywouldn'tshe go for a drive? Drive meant steel. Steel was safe.

Again, it was relative to the fey.

Shoes in hand so the heels made no sound, Katherine strolled through the kitchen, out the door, and onto the tiny sidewalk. She did not look at the prickly faery that seemed more like the landscape than a living person. She did not let her gaze linger on the whisker-thin spikes on his skin or the oddly graceful way his bulbous body moved. There was a sort of beauty in his ugliness that made her wonder if she would ever see a faery she found horrifying. Admittedly she had no pressing urge to embrace the spiny little man creature, but she had questions.

Oh, she had so very many questions! She sighed, and then quickly looked up at the sky.

For all her growing list of complaints about the desert, she could admit that the sunsets were the sort of majestic thing that made her want to paint. If she spilled a handful of bottles of paint in the air, it still wouldn't match the tangle of color that seemed to slide across the sky in some new and wondrous way night after night. The sheer size of the sky in the desert made the landscape look like it stretched on and on, and the moon hovered so near to the ground that she could believe that the land was dry only because the moon had drawn all the water into itself.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Katherine ignored the voice.

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