by Sophie Stern
But being wrapped up in this moment means that I have a very specific need and he’s the only one who can help me, so I reach for him and pull him close to me.
“Please,” I whisper, and I’m not even really sure what I’m asking for.
Please give me more.
Please make me forget.
Please make this moment last forever.
I don’t want to think about anything from my past, or anything from tonight, or anything at all beyond the two of us together. I don’t want to think about the fact that I’ve never felt a need so strong. I’ve never experienced anything like what Edward is offering me now, so I reach for him, and I ask him for more.
“Oh, pretty girl,” he says. “I can do so much more than that.” He leans down and whispers in my ear, “I’m going to make you fly.”
Edward is gentle as he maneuvers himself around the bed. He moves expertly, smoothly, like he’s done this a thousand times before. He situates himself between me, and then gently, carefully, he slides inside of me.
And that’s it.
I’m full.
I’m sore and I’m tender, but oh, am I full, and I don’t know what to do now, but he does, so I hold on and close my eyes, and I enjoy every single sensation he’s offering me.
Joy.
Peace.
Contentment.
He whispers sweet nothings to me and for a little while, the entire world is just as it should be. For a little while, I’m totally, completely at peace.
For just a little while.
When he comes, he fills me, and my heart feels like it might absolutely explode. And when he pulls away, and he lies beside me, and he looks at me, suddenly I think I know why dark fairies are supposed to mate for life.
Because when I look at Edward, I suddenly can’t imagine there ever being anyone else. I can’t imagine taking anyone else as my lover, as my mate.
I just can’t even picture it.
“You were incredible,” he whispers.
“I think that was you,” I giggle, touching him, because apparently, losing my virginity makes me giggle.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asks gently. “You aren’t too sore.”
“No, I’m fine,” I tell him, and I am. It wasn’t over quickly, by any means, but he was tender. Kind. Besides, I think dark fairies are a little tougher than ordinary faes. If anything, I’m ready for another round, but Edward seems tired. I just hope he feels a little sated, the way I do.
All of this happened so fast and now, suddenly, I wonder if it’s actually what he wants. I don’t want to feel completely insecure, but we’re both dark fairies. We both know what it means. Maybe we were willing to do this because we might be marching to our death tomorrow or because we don’t know how much time we actually have to live. I’m not sure.
But I’m also not sure what I’m supposed to do now.
“Dark fairies mate for life,” he whispers.
“I know.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with that?” He says, stroking my arm.
“With being yours?”
He nods. We’ve only just met. This entire thing is crazy, but if the mating call is true and real and the luck of the fairies is that we only mate once, then I suppose everything’s going to be just fine. There’s a lot Edward doesn’t know about me, but then, there’s so much I don’t know about him, either.
And so much I’ve already figured out.
“I am,” I tell him.
“Me too.”
Then he sighs and looks at me and I wonder what he’s going to blurt out. We’re dark faes. This isn’t some one night stand that can just be over and done with. Even if we walk away, our bodies will be called back to one another until one of us dies. It’s quite the bond, and perhaps it’s something we should have thought through a little better, but it’s much too late for going back.
“I need to tell you something,” he says, and I know what he’s going to say, but I also know that it’s going to change everything. I’m more than happy to continue on for a little while just not knowing, just pretending that I don’t need to know.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You don’t have to tell me.”
I do not need to know.
I do not want to know.
“We aren’t going to find the king tomorrow,” he says.
“I know.”
Please don’t say it.
Don’t say it.
Do not say it.
Silently, I wish for him to just keep his mouth shut and not say anything because the moment he does, everything is going to change. Suddenly, we’ll have to stop pretending that this is just some casual experience and we’ll have to admit that everything we’re doing is so very, very real. It’s going to have real consequences and there will be real feelings involved and I just...I don’t want to do that right not.
Not tonight.
Not when everything else we’ve done has been so perfect.
But Edward is who he is for a reason and there’s only so much self-control one man can really have on a day like today. He’s already given up so much today. He’s lost so much in his life and today, he’s lost more than any one man should ever have to say goodbye to.
Today, he’s lost a kingdom.
So when he tries once more to speak, I silence him with a kiss and I hope that it’s enough. I hope that this gesture of intimacy will distract him long enough that he’ll forget what he wants to tell me and that we can just keep pretending that this thing between us, whatever it is, will work itself out.
I don’t know how being mated works.
I don’t know if we’re supposed to exchange promises or if we’re supposed to live together or if we’re supposed to confess our undying love.
I don’t know any of that.
But I do know that as soon as he speaks, it’s going to change my entire world.
He pulls away and looks at me, confused, obviously not understanding why I don’t want to listen to him, but then he blurts it out, anyway.
“I’m the King, Rose. It’s me.”
I look up at him and my heart shatters because I don’t want to face the reality of who he is. The Fairy King is more than a ruler. He’s a legend. He’s the man who lost everything. He’s the man who lost his son, and his wife, and his sisters-in-law. He’s the man who lost everything and continued to rule the world without anyone to have his back. He’s the man whose reputation was tarnished by his best friend and closest advisor. That’s him. That’s Edward. It’s always been him.
But I can’t hide the fact that I realized this hours ago.
I can’t hide the fact that I figured out who he was.
And I know that anything I say after his confession is going to be the wrong thing, so I don’t say anything at all for a long time. Finally, he reaches for my chin and pushes it up, forcing me to make eye contact with him. He looks at me, questioning me.
“Did you hear me, Rose? I said I’m the King. It’s me, Rose.”
I sigh.
“I know, Edward. I know.”
Chapter 13
Edward
I feel sick.
She knows.
She knew.
That’s what she says to me when I tell her my greatest secret. She just says, “I know,” and the look in her eyes says that she doesn’t want to talk about it. My stomach aches and my heart feels like it’s going to burst into a thousand pieces.
Not in a good way.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to feel like I was important, like I was magical, like this entire moment had been some sort of wonderful destiny, but it was all fake. It was a lie. It was nothing more than a wish.
She wanted me, but it wasn’t because of who I am inside. It’s not because she met me and thought I was incredible, or special, or worthy of being her mate. It couldn’t have been that simple. That’s not why she gave me everything. Nope. It’s not because I’m a good person or a handsome person or a kind person.
I
t’s because I’m the Fairy King.
“You knew,” I say. My voice drips with venom and she tenses beside me. Yeah, she knows exactly how pissed I am right now. I’m not about to hide that from her. We’re mated. Dark faes mate for life. It’s a bond I doubt she even could begin to understand. She might be my fated mate, and we might be bound together now, but that doesn’t change that she deceived me. Tricked me. It doesn’t change the fact that she knew, and she didn’t say anything before...
Well, she didn’t say anything before.
“Of course,” she whispers. “It was obvious.”
“How?”
“You didn’t seem concerned when I mentioned I wanted to get to the King in time to save him. Neither did Luther. You both seemed completely content not to try to rescue him. Besides, you’re the only one who didn’t really have an explanation for being in the dungeon.”
It all makes sense, but I’m not happy about that.
“What about Peter? He never told you why he was locked up.”
“Just look at him,” she says dryly. “Peter wasn’t exactly a pleasant person. I’m sure he irritated someone along the road.”
“So that’s it, then. You just guessed that I was the king.”
Rose looks up at me and she seems to realize what I’m getting at. She shakes her head, as though the connotation disgusts her. Great. What a wonderful way to spend our first night together. Fighting isn’t something I’m particularly good at. It’s not something I enjoy, but it’s something I rarely get to engage in because no one wants to go head-to-head with the king. Rose doesn’t seem to have that same fear, for some reason, and I’m not sure why. This isn’t part of the mating bond. Cheryl and I were mated and she never dared to raise her voice to me. She never fought with me.
Ever.
Not like this.
Rose doesn’t seem to have that fear because she bristles as she looks at me. Then her eyes narrow and she fucking glares at me. She glares!
“You think I got caught on purpose,” she says. “You think I did it to be close to you, to trick you somehow.”
“Did you?” I ask, and my voice is cold when I do.
This is it.
This is the moment it all ends.
This is the moment I scare her away, and I should, because love isn’t something I’m ever going to feel again. I opened up to Rose in a way I’ve never opened up to anyone. Not even Cheryl. It feels wrong to admit it. It feels dark and morbid and sad, but it’s the truth, and now I know it was all a lie. Now I know that everything I felt, everything I thought I felt, was all because Rose wants something.
I just don’t know what it is.
Power?
I don’t have any of that anymore.
Money?
I suppose that’s gone, too.
So why is she here?
What is it that she wants?
Does she want to valiantly rescue me and lead me back to the castle? Does she want to showcase what a hero she is? Does she want everyone to see that she is an incredible warrior? What does she want?
“My King,” she whispers, and she cups my face, pulling me back to reality the way that only Rose can.
“What?” I snap at her, but she’s patient. She doesn’t yell. She doesn’t recoil. She doesn’t do anything.
She just...waits.
“You make assumptions of me, King,” she says. “They’re false.”
“I make no false assumptions.”
“You can’t trust anyone,” she whispers. “So you think you can’t trust me.”
“I can’t.”
“I’m not telling you whether you should or shouldn’t, but I am telling you that I have no intention of betraying you. I meant what I said. I came to Dark Falls to save my sister. I came for the potion. Then I came to bring Luther his book and you...I came to warn you, Edward.”
“How can I know what you’re telling me is the truth?”
“Did it feel like a lie?”
“No.”
“Then trust,” she whispers, placing her hand on my chest. “Trust this. Trust this thing between us. Or don’t,” she whispers. “And I’ll trust enough for the both of us. Now let’s get some sleep,” she says. “This will all look different in the morning.”
I should listen to the little fairy.
I don’t want to. I want to scream and yell and throw things, but I know that she’s probably right. It probably is best to just wait and see and rethink things once I’m not completely exhausted. That’s what I am right now.
Exhausted.
Every part of my body hurts and is tired and maybe, if I close my eyes, I’ll be able to just get a little rest. I don’t argue with her anymore. Instead, I lie down on the bed and I cross my arms over my chest the way I always do when I’m angry. I’m almost asleep when I feel her curl up next to me and drape her arm over my waist.
It shouldn’t make me feel happy.
But it does.
“THE TOWN IS ON FIRE,” Luther stands in the doorway, telling us urgently.
Rose is already out of bed and pulling her clothes on. Luther blatantly ignores the fact that we spent the night in the same bed. I suppose he’s an old wizard. It’s not his first time being around young people. It’s not his first time being around people who, apparently, don’t have any self-control.
“What do you mean?” I ask groggily. I stand and reach for my pants. Yanking them on, I try to focus on what he’s saying because what happens next is going to change everything.
“Dark Town,” he says. “And word is that Dark Village is next.”
“But why?” Rose asks. “Why burn the town?”
“You think it was Wyatt?” I ask her. She looks at me like I’m stupid. Okay, so it was obviously him.
“His first assertion of dominance, perhaps,” Luther said. “Perhaps he thinks you’re hiding there. Surely he knows by now that you’ve escaped.”
“He wants to destroy his enemies,” Rose says carefully. “What better way than by creating chaos? No one there knows you aren’t the king anymore. He can easily blame you for failing to act or blame you for failing to stop the fire. Then the people will have no choice but to turn to him when he offers safety.”
“And he will,” Luther says. “He will do exactly that.”
“Where have you two been the past ten years?” I grumble. I’ve never had straightforward advising like this. I’ve never had anyone I felt was really and truly on my side. Perhaps that’s the problem. Wyatt has always looked out for himself. I’ve never gotten the impression that he cares about anyone except him. Even when he advised me in the past, he always held back. I never really knew what he was withholding from me. I suppose now it’s obvious. He wanted my position, my power, which is a shame, because if he’d only just come to me, I would have given Wyatt anything he wanted.
I would have given him the world.
“It’s time to act,” Rose says, looking at me.
Luther does, too. “She’s right,” he tells me. “There’s no point in waiting any longer. He’s made his move. Now it’s time to make yours. What’ll it be, King?”
I look from Rose to Luther. Suddenly, the fact that I’m king doesn’t seem to matter quite as much. The pain and anguish I felt from being betrayed really doesn’t matter because when Rose turns to me for guidance in this moment, I don’t think she’s looking at me because she wants something.
And that’s what I’ve been afraid of.
She wants to offer something to me. Instead of taking from me, instead of being selfish, she wants to give me something truly incredible. She wants to offer me the world: her world. She’s offering me her life.
Whatever happens next is going to change everything. No matter what move I make, it’s going to cause a chaotic ripple effect that’s going to impact my people for years to come.
Am I ready for that?
Well, I suppose I don’t really have a choice.
“Luther, how many wizards are in Dark Falls?�
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“Half a dozen, I suppose.”
“Witches?”
“About the same.”
“Take them,” I tell him. “Guide them to the town. Take them and put out the fires. Send a few to Dark Village to protect it and cast a barrier to keep Wyatt out of those areas. Talk to the vampires in charge of the city. Make sure they know that I’m still king and that they’re going to have to answer for terrorizing my citizens and failing to protect them from the demons.”
“And you?” The wizard asks, raising an eyebrow.
I turn to Rose and I smile.
“The fairy and I are going to storm the castle.”
Luther sighs, but nods. Then he hands me his magical book.
“You’re going to need this,” he says. “Mark my words.”
Chapter 14
Rose
Magic isn’t so hard to read, apparently, once you know how. That’s what this really comes down to. Luther’s book was impossible to understand before. I couldn’t even see the careful handwriting on the inside pages, but he gives Edward and me the incantation to read the leather book. We whisper the spell, which reveals the words to us. Then Luther issues some protective spells to keep us safe on our journey. I’m not sure how well they’re going to work or how much protection they’re going to offer.
We are essentially walking into the lion’s den, but right now, it doesn’t feel like we have a choice.
Right now, it doesn’t seem like anything is ever going to be okay again unless we do this. Together, we can stop Wyatt. We can end his very short reign of terror and we can keep the damage to a minimum. Together.
But we have to go now.
There’s no looking back. No stopping. No second-guessing. That’s the problem with being in a situation like this. If we second-guess anything, then people will die. I don’t want to be responsible for that. I don’t want to be the reason that the world falls apart. If it means sacrificing myself on the day after I finally offered myself up as a mate to someone, then so be it. At least I’ll die knowing that I was worshipped, body and soul, even if it was just for one night.
We start walking, and I try to clear my head. It’s important to stay focused during this time. I know that. I understand it. Any anxiety I might be feeling needs to be pushed down. It needs to vanish. I don’t have the time or the energy to worry about anything right now except for our mission: futile as it might be.