Freed: A Supernatural Prison Romance (Imprisoned by the Fae Book 3)

by Jessica Lynch

  I just wish I could lift him on my own. Jim’s not exactly a big guy, but he’s got a head on me, a ton more muscle, and I’m running on fumes at this point. At least I can help, though.

  Once we’ve laid him out in the safety of Riley’s shadows, Rys murmurs that I should get some sleep. I know it’s pretty obvious that I’m meant to stay in Jim’s tent with him and I don’t argue. What else can I do? He’s snoring now, so I know Jim’s doing a bit better, and it’s not like I can go and sleep in Rys’s tent.

  He slips out into the night with barely a glance behind him.

  I curl up on the ground, my back to Jim’s side. I can’t stand looking at the marks on his face, knowing that I’m almost as responsible for them as the fae who used the diamaint gloves on him.

  No surprise, then, that it’s fucking impossible to fall asleep. I’m still wired, way too overtired, and every time I close my eyes, all I see is the shocked expression on Dusk’s face right before Rys went after his neck.

  Yeah. I’m so not ready to sleep yet.

  Scooting away from Jim, I crawl out of the tent, hoping that maybe Rys is still awake and I can talk to him. I know for sure that I’m not going to have the chance any time soon, not with the mated couple around, and Jim… well, Jim.

  As soon as I exit the shadows, I find Rys sitting about fifteen feet away from our camping set-up.

  “What are you doing?”

  The tiniest flame is bouncing in his palm. As soon as he hears my voice, he closes his fingers over it, extinguishing it. “Keeping watch. Go back to sleep.”

  “I will. Just… not yet.”

  Rys glances up at me. Since he’s returned from the jailbreak, he’s kept his hood hanging down his back. I like him that way. I like being able to see his face and tell what he’s thinking. I like looking straight in his golden eyes and running my gaze over his beautiful, long tawny hair.

  I left my own cloak back in the tent with Jim. Why? Good question. I guess, honestly, it’s because I was hoping for something just like this. I could never get too close to Rys while wearing it since the shadow cloak would only weaken him further. It’s one thing to stand beside him, but, right now, I want to do so much more than that.

  As if he can read my mind, Rys holds out his hand. He doesn’t get up from his spot on the icy ground, but he doesn’t need to. Taking hold of his hand, sighing softly when the barest touch feels so good—so right—I let him tug me down so that I’m sitting on his lap, my back pressed against his chest.

  He wraps his arms around my middle, a silent concession that, for a few moments at least, I can just use him for his heat—and my comfort.

  I need them both desperately.

  “Can’t sleep, Leannán?”

  “No.” No point lying to Rys. It’s pretty obvious that I’ve got way too many thoughts running through my head. Call them freaking Usain Bolt, because they’re not just running, they’re sprinting. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Mm. About what?”

  About us.

  I can’t say that, though. Not now.

  So, instead, I say, “What happened at Samradh.” I pause. “That was Samradh, right?”

  “It was. And, before you ask, yes. I did remember that Helix sent Dusk to this prison. Did I know he would be there when I went for your Jim? No. Was I hoping to see him during the escape? Of course. He deserved his fate. I only hope you agree with me.”

  Is that what’s been bothering Rys?

  “Totally. Hey. You told me from the beginning you were a soldier. You killed people. Do you want to know if I’m upset you killed Dusk? Fuck no. He would’ve killed you first.”

  “You have such little faith in me.”

  “Not at all. I believed you’d bring Jim back.” And I did. I knew that Rys would do it because he told me he would. “You did.”

  “A little worse for the wear,” Rys admits. “When Nine and I slipped into the prison, we pretended I was a vagrant prisoner, that Nine was a new Unseelie guard come to throw me in a cell. It didn’t take long for us to find where they placed your human. At least three guards were taking turns with the diamaint, trying to get him to agree to the touch. He’s strong, Leannán. Stronger than I gave him credit for. He didn’t break. He’ll survive this, though he might scar.”

  I turn slightly, looking over my shoulder so that I’m meeting his eyes. “I’ve never minded any scars.”

  If my goal was to make him smile, I fail. Miserably. Rys looks way too thoughtful to find any kind of humor in my flirting.

  I sigh. “Okay. I guess we should talk about this.”

  “Mm.”

  First things first. “Can we bring him back?”

  “Back where, darling?”

  Darling… I want to be his ‘darling’ so bad. And I notice that he doesn’t ask me who I mean. It’s obvious.

  “He hasn’t had any faerie food. He can go back to the human world. He doesn’t need to be mixed up in this.”

  “I wish I could tell you that he isn’t.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  After a moment’s hesitation that seems super heavy for some reason, Rys drops his hands to my hips. As strong as I remember, he lifts me easily, twisting me so that I’m still sitting on him, but now I’m actually facing him.

  Following his cue, I split my legs, straddling him. I put my arms on his shoulders.

  It’s our pose. Our position. Whenever he was giving me permission to touch him, he would sit just like this, inviting me to climb on top of him. And though I know he can’t possibly mean for this to lead where it usually does, I take total advantage of this situation, scooting as close to him as I can while still being able to look up at his face.

  I’m waiting.

  It’s Rys’s turn to sigh. “Before we started out for the Unseelie Court, I went to see Oberon. You know that. I tried to convince the Summer King that I could take this trial on my own. At least, even if the Shadow and her mate had to come with me, I wanted you to stay back at my home. I thought it would be too dangerous for a human”—thankfully, Rys has the good grace not to say I told you so—“and I didn’t want to risk you. But he said no. You had to be here.”

  “I wish you weren’t so unhappy about that,” I whisper.

  He lifts his hand, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. Is it a coincidence that it’s one of the teal streaks that’s really begun to grow out? He used to be so entranced by the blue hair when we were in Siúcra, which… kind of makes sense now that I know about his prophecy.

  “I’m not. If I could have you by my side always, I’d forever be content. But not if anything can happen to you. What if Dusk found you before we did? What if he caught you when you were lurking outside of Samradh and we were still working on freeing your human?”

  I wince. “You know about that?”

  “I could sense you as soon as you drew close to the prison. Nine was even more aware of Riley’s shadows. Why do you think the alarm went off when it did? Or we were chased by so many guards? Instead of sneaking Jim out, we grabbed him as soon as we could and made a run for it.”

  You know, I thought it was weird how that all seemed to happen when we were there. Now I feel even worse that it was because of us. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You were worried for your human. And you should be.” Rys’s tone goes flat. “Oberon didn’t just agree that he should join this mission. He insisted on it. He said that, like you, Jim would have his part to play before we were done. It’s been fated.”

  I can’t even begin to imagine why that could be. But, if Rys believes that the Summer King is right, that fate’s controlling Jim, too, then there’s no sending him right back to the Iron, is there?

  I shimmy closer. As I do, I notice the hard bulge underneath me. Can’t miss it, actually.

  Oh.

  Oh.

  My voice comes out a little breathy as I confess, “I wasn’t only worried about him. When you rode off on that horse… you were all I was
thinking about.”

  “Leannán…”

  I roll my hips, purposely brushing up against his erection. My rough jeans rub against the silky fabric of his Faerie clothes, the contrasting materials giving just enough friction that it feels amazing.

  Or maybe that’s just because it’s Rys.

  He goes still. Not what I was hoping for, but he doesn’t quite stop me, either.

  I miss him.

  I miss his teases. His laughs. His smiles.

  His touches.

  His caresses.

  The way he makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world by just tracing the petals and curves of the daisy chain tattooed up my side.

  And. Okay. I miss his dick.

  Like a lot.

  I hold onto his shoulders, bracing myself as I roll my hips again, riding him. Sure, we’re both still dressed, but we could fix that pretty easily.

  I don’t even care that the others are in their tents not too far away from us. This is my exhibitionist side peeking through again. Just like when we were trapped in our cell in Siúcra, the idea that one of the guards could stroll into our wing at any moment, catching me and Rys in the middle of the act… it only heightened my desire.

  This is the closest we’ve been in weeks. The whole situation is fucked up—we’ve both made mistakes—but I don’t care. For as long as Rys will let me be with him, I’m not walking away from this.

  I angle my head, stealing a quick kiss, trying to encourage him to do more. He groans, swallowing the sound before he grabs my hair. It’s a gentle yank, pulling my head right where he wants it before he gives me such a deep kiss, I’m panting as soon as he breaks it.

  Yes!

  I release his shoulder, going for the gold button at the top of his shirt. For one second, I really think this is happening. That, if only for tonight, I can enjoy his body and share my touch with him. But, before the button is undone, Rys circles my wrist with his long, slender fingers and presses it to his thigh.

  “We can’t.” He sounds as hot as I feel, even though he’s putting an end to this. “Not now.”

  Why the hell not?

  “Hey. We don’t have to be mates for you to touch me. Remember? We touched in the oubliette, and we… you know”—I don’t want to say ‘fucked’ just in case Nine or Riley is still awake, though I’m sure they’ve figured it out by now—“even after you sacrificed your ffrindau to Siúcra. Nothing is stopping this.”

  “I am. I must. If I continue to touch you, I’ll want more.”

  “I already do,” I confess. “I want you to give it to me.”

  He tightens his jaw and I know, no matter how much I plead, my stubborn Seelie won’t give in.

  “You never told your human who you chose.”

  I draw away from him. “What?”

  “When he told you ‘choose’. I know the Unseelie took him before you could. Still.”

  Is Rys asking me to choose? As sexually frustrated as I suddenly am, I feel a tiny niggle of hope spring to life. Why would he want to know… unless there was a chance that, just maybe, I could have him back?

  “You,” I murmur, making sure to look him dead in the eye as I tell him so. “I choose you.”

  “But he doesn’t know that.”

  And… Rys isn’t even a little wrong.

  Damn it.

  I squeeze his shoulders, wordlessly admitting that he has a point, before slowly shifting off of his lap.

  I shuffle my feet back toward the tent. As I go, I hear Rys murmur, “I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

  Yeah?

  You and me both.

  The raven is following us. Or maybe chasing us is a better way to put it. Either way, every time there’s a break in the trees, letting some of the weak light in, I can make out the black speck against the purple sky, circling high overhead.

  At first, I hoped I was seeing things. Even though I finally got to get some sleep, it was probably nowhere near enough. On the plus side, though, Jim’s doing much better when he wakes up. His face is tight, and most of the more shallow cuts have started to scab up, but Rys was right. Those were the worst of his injuries. In fact, part of the reason he was so out of it was just from the shock of the shadow travel Nine dragged him through during their initial escape before Rys carried him off on the rider’s horse. Rys was right. Jim will be okay.

  We’re all on foot now. After a quick breakfast and an even quicker agreement of what we should do now, the five of us are off. Except for Dusk, we haven’t seen any sign of another Samradh guard chasing after us.

  At least that’s something.

  The consensus is that we should do what we planned on doing before Jim was captured. Even if he’s doing way better physically, mentally he’s done. He’s up my ass almost as soon as he’s fully conscious again, going so far as to follow me when I went off to find the little girl’s bush after breakfast.

  It’s super annoying. I get it. I do. But I still want to shove him away when he gets too close.

  And that’s one huge, honking problem.

  Anyway, because it’s the best plan we have, we decide to go to Morgan’s cottage. I’m still hoping that my friend will give us shelter for a while which, if you ask me, seems like a great idea just in case the Unseelie guards pick up on our trail. I’d feel better, too, if Jim could wash out his cuts.

  Rys leads the way. Not surprising, especially with the return of my shadow, that he’s keeping his distance.

  I wish I could.

  The mood is somber. Jim doesn’t want to talk about what happened to him for the night he was imprisoned. I was terrified he’d want to return to the blow-out we were having right before that Unseelie prick snatched him, but he doesn’t mention that, either.

  His quiet rubs off on the rest of the group. Nine and Riley hang back, murmuring to each other, and Rys keeps his distance in the front, following his brand on my skin toward Morgan’s house. Because I have no idea what to say to Jim, I just about swallow my tongue until I can’t take it anymore.

  After telling Jim I’ll be right back, I close the gap between me and Rys. “Hey. I know we’ve been walking for a while, but I was wondering if you can tell me if we’re getting any closer.”

  Rys purses his lips, concentrating. “Yes. The trace has been growing stronger all morning, and I can sense… something in the distance. I think it’s your friend. It won’t be much longer now.”

  “Oh, good. I can’t wait to see Morgan again.”

  “What did you say her name was?”

  He’s leading us to her cottage and he doesn’t remember her name? “Morgan.”

  Rys stops. He tilts his head just enough that I can tell he’s confused, even if I can’t see his face. “Say that again.”

  I do, then I add, “I’m not sure if it’s her true name or not. Doubt it. But it’s the name she gave me so that’s what I call her.” When Rys jerks his head, looking at Nine who has quickly caught up with us, I shrug. “What? I’ve talked about Morgan before.”

  “That’s true. And you also spoke of a solitary Dark Fae who hid out in the thick of the Shadow Realm,” Nine said. “Human-friendly, which was strange to me.”

  I kind of get that. When Rys was imprisoned, calling him a “human lover” was the nastiest insult some of the guards hurled his way.

  “Is that really so rare? I mean, you like humans, Nine.” Obviously. He’s clearly devoted to Riley who, though she’s half-fae, is still half-human. I gesture to Rys, still thinking about the true meaning of Leannán. “You, too.”

  “I hate to challenge your perception of me,” Nine says, with just enough amusement to the harsh edge of his voice that I don’t get offended at what he says next, “but I could care less about humans. I tolerate them because of Riley. That’s all. Though, to be fair, I could care less about most creatures so long as I have my mate. And Rys…” Nine lets the end of his sentence trail to a close.

  He doesn’t have to say it. I know what he’s imp
lying. Nine will stand up for humans because Riley is his mate. When it comes to Rys, I’m supposed to be his. After my talk with Riley, I’m sure they both know that.

  Okay, then. Time to change the subject.

  “Anyway. I don’t really remember where her house is, but I know we’ve got to keep an eye out for a really big bunch of shadows. Like, a ton. She hides her cottage behind them.”

  “That must be what I’m sensing. The darkness… I can feel it. What about you, Nine?”

  He nods. “So can Riley. Whoever wove the shadows is very powerful.”

  I don’t deny it. Morgan’s a whiz when it comes to building things out of shadows, just like Riley.

  “But that’s a good thing, right?” I look from one of the fae males to the other. “We’ve got to be pretty close.”

  We are. After we start walking again, it doesn’t take more than another half an hour before we walk up to a section of forest that is so black, it’s nearly impenetrable.

  The shadow barrier is… different than I remember. And, okay, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been here last, but I’m absolutely positive this is right. I doubt I’d ever have stumbled upon it on my own, but now that Rys has led us to the wide, thick patch of black, I’m sure we’ve found Morgan’s hideaway.

  It’s just way more foreboding than it once was. Seriously. If it looked like this the first time I saw it, I would’ve laughed at Grimly and run the other way.

  It’s taller, for one thing. The shadows look like brambles and thorns, though, when I test them, they don’t hurt. It’s still a big ol’ warning for stray travelers to get the hell away.

  “Come on.” I try to keep upbeat so that the others don’t know how thrown off I am. “Morgan won’t mind.”

  Riley gives it a side-eye. “How sure are you?”

  I don’t blame her for being suspicious.

  Nine approaches the shadow, his hand outstretched. As soon as he makes it to the notable edge to the barrier—the line where it’s so much blacker than the shadows surrounding it—he presses the flat of his palm against it… and stops. He just can’t go any further.