by Meara Platt
She felt small, tingling waves wash over her body as Cadeyrn carried her behind the waterfall, where he made love to her again. This time his lovemaking was slow and gentle, for he took his time, kissing and caressing her, thrusting into her until she was mindless and in the grip of a heightened pleasure so intense she feared she’d burst into a thousand fragments of sea spray and be lost forever.
She cried silent tears of desperation, hoping Cadeyrn would mistake them for errant droplets of water splashing onto her face from the swirling cascade. She also cried for joy and reveled in the taste of his warm, moist lips upon hers. She moaned softly as he lifted her upward to take her nipple into his mouth and tease the hard, engorged bud.
His mouth felt warm on her skin.
The water felt cool against her arms and legs, and she sighed as he drew her against his slick body to embed himself inside her again. Then all she felt was fire and heat and ache as his honeysuckle scent mingled with the icy tang of water spray, a delicious scent she would know and hunger for throughout eternity. She gasped and strained and clung to him until a dazzling explosion rocked her, like fireworks bursting in a spectacle of light across the night sky. Then, as the shimmering bursts of light began to fade, her body filled with a delicious contentment. Her bones felt lighter than air, as though she were a bird gliding through the sky, but she knew exactly where she was … in Cadeyrn’s protective embrace. Possibly for the last time.
Cadeyrn cast her a smug, boyish grin.
She smiled back, trying to dismiss the nagging worries.
If only they could always be like this.
If only.
If only.
“Come, Melody. There’s still much of my kingdom left to see.”
He sounded wistful as he swam them away from the waterfall and back to shore, for the moment had passed like a wraith in the night. He, too, must have known this idyllic respite had to end. He dried her off with his cloak and then helped her to dress, tending her in silence, but his gaze was hot and hungry, and she knew he was as reluctant as she was for this time to end.
Once finished helping her, he quickly dressed himself. His expression was now thoughtful, and by the time he donned his boots, he was King Cadeyrn once more, earnest and serious. When she sighed, he reached out and caressed her cheek. “Let’s return to the punt.”
Soon they were on their way, gliding back to the main branch of the river. Melody heard nothing but the soft whoosh, whoosh of the boat cutting through the water and the soft thump, thump of her still unsteady heart.
Shimmering lights that were the Water Fae soon caught up to them and began to playfully leap in and out of the water beside their boat again. Though she smiled and waved at them, the joy did not reach her heart. How could it? Her time with Cadeyrn could not possibly end well.
“Look,” Cadeyrn said, regaining her attention, “we’re approaching the village of Borrowdale.”
Melody glanced around. “Will we be seen by—” She was about to say my kind, but broke off and asked instead, “Will we be seen by the villagers?”
“No, your kind cannot see us.”
Melody knew that Cadeyrn had once more understood her thoughts. She didn’t mean to insult him, but despite all they’d been through together, the exquisite passion and the terrible demon battles, she was still an outsider.
They were not the same.
They would never be.
“It is you who believe we’re different, Melody. Not I. I have accepted you and wish you to be my queen.” Fortunately, he did not demand a response from her, instead moving the conversation along quickly. “The human residents of Borrowdale are asleep in their homes at this late hour.”
“If they were awake, would they see us?”
“One or two of the children might because children are naturally sensitive and accepting, but most wouldn’t. Our Fae world, our Fae portals are beyond their imagination. Therefore, we don’t exist to them.”
“I saw you.”
She could sense his wistful smile upon her and expected to hear a compliment, but he was Cadeyrn, logical and passionless once more. “A few in the English royal family and their most trusted advisors can see us, as well. Then there are some of those who have given their souls to the Dragon Lords in exchange for wealth, power, and such desires as only you humans know. Lord Bad Cock—”
“Please! Let’s not speak of him. Indeed, you’ve said quite enough.” He’d just said as only you humans know, making the same distinction she had just made between their kind. Only moments ago he’d dismissed her words, claiming he was willing to accept her as his queen, but he knew they were different. Surely he felt the impossibility of their situation.
“Are you angry, Melody?”
“Just at myself,” she muttered.
“Why?”
“I’d rather not talk about it now. It isn’t your fault.” It was hers, for believing Cadeyrn could feel love or passion as she did, that Cadeyrn could fall in love with her … that he could think of her as the mate of his heart and not the mortal queen who would sacrifice her life to save him and his Fae world.
The homes of men were dark and silent on this crisp night, but lights shone within their roof eaves and small gardens, and within abandoned buckets and wheelbarrows left to rust along the banks. Melody heard lively strains of music emanating from the village green. But the music died as they approached and a swarm of light—like fireflies skipping across a meadow—began to swirl about the bridge at the edge of the village and soar upward, downward, and outward until everything was aglow, from river bank to tree tops and thatched roofs.
The bridge, spanning the river in a graceful arch, soon filled with ethereal Fae shapes, tall and slender and modestly dressed, though their clothes were finely cut and the colors—deep blues, forest greens, and silvery grays—were riveting. The women waved delicate white handkerchiefs and men doffed their hats.
Cadeyrn had taken her on a magical ride through the heart of his realm, along crystal waters and flower-filled banks. She’d seen smiling faces, spectacular colors, and shimmering lights more beautiful than any she’d ever encountered before.
She and Cadeyrn were different.
These Fae were superior in every way, save for their ability to feel, which wasn’t necessarily a lack in their character. Her own decisions would be so easily made if she didn’t feel things so deeply. Passion and ache, fear and love muddled everything.
But these were her problems. Cadeyrn was doing what he had to do to save his people … and to make her fall in love with him.
She turned to him, expecting to see his smile, but he was frowning. “I’ve shown you the Fae lands and Fae subjects under my protection. I would like to show you the damage the Dragon Lords have done to my borderlands and will do here, in the heart of my realm, if we don’t stop them. But I fear it is still too dangerous. I’ll take you back to your home.”
“No.” Melody wasn’t certain why she’d refused, but it seemed important to see all aspects of how they lived, the good and the bad. “I’ll go with you to the borderlands.”
“Are you certain, Melody?”
She nodded. “I think it’s important. So do you or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“Aye, I do.” Cadeyrn steered the punt a little farther upstream and then docked. Melody realized they were no longer surrounded by friendly lights, but by a menacing darkness. No silver moon or twinkling stars shone here. It felt as though evil had destroyed all light, save one lone lantern that shone to mark the dock. “Take my hand,” Cadeyrn said, guiding her off the punt once he’d properly secured it to the shore.
She heard a soft whinny in the distance and immediately tensed. “What’s that?” She squeezed Cadeyrn’s hand and gasped.
“Our horses. Yours is called Savior, an Arabian bred from the finest stock. He’s saddled and waiting to carry you into the borderlands.”
“Savior,” she repeated softly, realizing Cadeyrn had known she’d agree to come he
re. He had prepared for it. Would he have forced her had she refused?
“I would not have brought you here against your will.” He frowned. “I chose Savior for you in particular since you’re The One chosen to save my people. I thought it appropriate.”
My people. He’d said it again. She wasn’t the only one who felt their differences, who doubted she’d survive the Draloch Prophecy.
Two magnificent mounts were grazing behind a hedge near the water, one white as snow—Savior?—and the other, black as a raven’s wing. Indeed, so black that Melody made out little other than his magnificently crafted silver saddle and his piercing red eyes. “What’s his name?”
“Dragonfire.”
She inhaled lightly. “Why do you call him that?”
Ignoring the question, Cadeyrn lifted her onto Savior. He secured the reins in her hand and her feet in the stirrups before turning to Dragonfire. He patted the stallion’s neck and ran his hand along its withers. “There’s a good fellow,” he said, and murmured something in his Fae tongue that Melody could not understand. However, it seemed to calm the skittish horse.
“What did you tell him?”
Cadeyrn shrugged. “That we’re not to engage any demons in battle tonight. If we encounter them, he’s to turn and run.”
“Does he mind?”
“Of course he does. He was born to fight.”
“So were you,” she remarked, noting the subtle tension in his stance, the lone twitch of his cheek as he clenched his jaw, the flex of his powerful muscles beneath his doublet.
“So were you. Only difference is that you refuse to acknowledge it.” He whirled Dragonfire away from the stream. “Follow me.”
Melody wanted to protest that it was too dark, that she didn’t know the way … that she didn’t want to know the way and he should take her home. But Cadeyrn was already too far ahead and she didn’t want to shout into the ominous fog of darkness that surrounded them.
Evil was alive within that fog, alive and lurking … waiting for Cadeyrn to make his first mistake.
Her breath caught in her throat as Savior suddenly lunged forward and struck something that let out a sickeningly high-pitched howl. As more howls filled the air and a foul odor she now recognized as demon stench began to surround her, he quickened his pace and fairly flew across the dark expanse toward Cadeyrn. Melody had no choice but to hold on for dear life as they tore across dark meadow and hillside.
A cold wind whipped across her cheeks and stung her eyes, so she kept them shut most of the time. It mattered little since she could see nothing in the shroud of black around her. She opened her eyes again when Savior came to a sudden halt. When she looked about, she was surprised to find herself alone, staring at an unearthly red light, and Cadeyrn nowhere in sight. What is this strange glow?
She recognized the jagged peaks of Friar’s Crag, its massive heights illuminated against the black sky by that fiery glow, as though it were engulfed in a ring of fire. Dragon fire!
How could she have been so stupid?
Cadeyrn hadn’t tried to hide the obvious. His stallion was named Dragonfire … he’d brought her to Dragon’s Hearth, no doubt to signal the Dragon Lords of her arrival … he’d galloped off and left her and Savior alone to ward off those howling demons at the dock … and now brought her here, to Friar’s Crag.
She had believed Friar’s Crag was the Fae portal into his castle, but now she knew better. Friar’s Crag was a demon portal.
Cadeyrn had led her straight to it.
Chapter Seventeen
“Demons have established a foothold in the valley on the opposite side of Friar’s Crag,” Cadeyrn said after riding back to seek her out when she failed to follow. She’d stopped not far from Friar’s Crag, afraid to approach the daunting mountain.
He took the reins of her mount to guide her to the Fae encampment that was just over the ridge. Though Savior was eager to make the climb, Melody obviously wasn’t. “I’m beside you, Melody. You needn’t look so distraught.” He knew it was the damn poison. It wouldn’t let go of her.
Her eyes were wide and glistening with unshed tears. Her face was ashen even against the red heat of Fae fires blazing beside the known demon portals. More were springing up with alarming frequency within his borderlands.
“You’re safe with me,” he insisted.
She responded by letting out a shaky breath.
He had hoped their recent coupling by the waterfall would instill faith in her, a faith that together they could conquer the Dragon Lords, but looking at her now, he saw that she doubted him more than ever … indeed, she somehow believed he had betrayed her. “Melody, let me explain.”
“Don’t! Not another lying word.”
He ran a hand raggedly through his hair, realizing that their shared intimacy had done nothing to forge an unbreakable bond between them, a necessary bond if he was to save her. She loved him, but didn’t trust him.
It mattered little that she had enjoyed their lovemaking … and she had, he understood that much about humans. Her parted lips, soft moaning breaths, the selfless surrender of her glorious body, and lilting cries of ecstasy were wondrous and real. She hadn’t faked any of it. Yet, it wasn’t enough. She needed more from him, more than the exhilarating throes of their entwined bodies. She also needed something he could not give her.
She needed to believe in herself.
How could he convince her?
Damn, he had so much to learn about humans, so much to learn about Melody, and no time left to do it. He glanced up at the moon and saw its pink glow.
By tomorrow night, the moon’s aura would be red … blood red.
He tugged on Dragonfire’s reins to draw him closer to Melody. “The brightness you see behind the mountain comes from our Fae campfires. We keep them lit throughout the night to ward off demons. They’re sensitive to light, so we set our fires wherever we uncover demon portals.”
He sighed and shook his head. “There are so many now within my borderlands that my armies can hardly cover them all. Our Fae world is like an old, pox-ridden man. So many,” he said softly, “that we may never be rid of them all.”
“Unless the Draloch Prophecy comes to pass.”
He nodded. “It is our only hope.”
“Cadeyrn,” she said with an obvious shudder, “do you care at all that I must die for the prophecy to come true?”
He frowned. “I’ve given you my oath that I will protect you with my life. What more must I say?”
“Nothing. You’ve just said it all.”
“If there is something you wish to hear from me, then tell me what it is.” Though he easily read her expressions, for some odd reason he could not read them now. Either she was confused or they were those rare, pure expressions stemming from the deepest recesses of her heart.
He cursed silently. He had yet to unravel the mysterious workings of the human heart, particularly when it came to thoughts attached to the deepest of human feelings. Not even the wisest Fae sages had learned to untangle them.
How could he manage it in the short time left?
“Come,” he said, taking Savior’s reins into his hands and slowly guiding them down the treacherous path from Friar’s Crag toward a cluster of campfires below. He spared hardly a glance at Melody, for each time he looked her way he saw the anguish in her beautiful eyes. He didn’t know what to say to make things better. He doubted she’d believe him.
This journey had been a mistake.
He had meant to reassure her, but how? She obviously believed he was about to hand her into the filthy talons of Lord Brihann and his Dragon Lords. That dark thought was partly the work of the ash of Dragon’s Hearth that she’d ingested, but its poison could not have taken root in Melody unless she believed it held a grain of truth.
Melody began to cough as they rode into the Fae camp, for the air was hot and dense with smoke from the many fires, the thick, wafting heat making it hard to breathe. Strong gusts of wind blew more smoke and hea
t their way.
“I want to go home, Cadeyrn,” she said, struggling to avoid inhaling the foul air. “Take me home.”
“If you wish it.”
“I do,” she said, gazing at him with pleading eyes.
“Give me a moment to hear Beogrin’s report. He commands this quadrant.”
Cadeyrn dismounted before she could utter a word of protest and stepped forward to greet his trusted counselor. “Any activity?”
“All’s quiet, Your Majesty, save a few pesky gnomes by the dock. You must have seen them.”
“We did. They thought to frighten us with their howling, but Savior gave their leader a swift kick and the others quickly backed off. Their leader had a vial of demon stench in his back pocket,” he said with a chuckle. “It broke when Savior kicked him and sprayed all those around him. Now, those little pests reek of demon and the only way to get rid of that foul odor is to scrub it off hard with soap and water.”
Beogrin let out a burst of soft laughter. “Serves them right. Gnomes hate water! Not to mention soap of any kind. I wish I had been there to see it.”
Melody gasped.
Cadeyrn turned to gaze at her. The deep green of her eyes were turbulent pools of confusion.
“They weren’t demons?” she asked.
“No, just harmless gnomes. Did you think I’d ride ahead and leave you defenseless if we were in any real danger?”
Her silence was all the response needed.
He swallowed his disappointment. This was yet another human feeling he was growing to detest. “Give me another moment to walk among my troops.”
“I’ll go with you,” she said and hurriedly dismounted.
He was surprised, but pleased. However, all was far from well, he knew, as they made their way from campfire to campfire. Though her anger had abated, he sensed a lingering uncertainty toward him. Fortunately, that uncertainty did not extend to his Fae soldiers, and he was comforted by her sincere concern for them.
He purposely lagged behind Melody as she stopped to greet each soldier and ask his name, as though making that personal contact meant something to her. She attempted to pronounce each name, but since most Fae names were too difficult for humans to master, she made a muddle of most.