by Skye Horn
“You’re so different from the rest of your kind,” Ainé said, quietly examining Thea. “Most would fear asking me such a direct question, but you ask without fear.”
“I didn’t mean any offense,” Thea said honestly.
“I know.”
Ainé seemed to contemplate what she would say next for an agonizing amount of time. Thea thought she already knew the answer to her question, but still, she ached to hear someone say it.
“Yes, Kieran is your soulmate.”
The peanut-butter dryness returned to Thea’s mouth, and she couldn’t make herself speak. She just stared at her feet, repeating the words over and over again in her head, hoping to the heavens she would not forget them.
“You knew that already, though, so why did you ask?”
“He says we can’t be together.” The words hurt to even speak, but she said them. “So, I guess I thought if…”
“If I said it then they would allow it?” the Goddess asked in an overly kind voice. Thea nodded. “Unfortunately, I don’t control the laws of your land. I have very little control over anything anymore.”
“Oh…”
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be together.”
Thea chewed on her bottom lip while she thought about that. If she and Kieran were soulmates, which according to Ainé they were, then they were meant to be together no matter what some archaic law said.
However, no matter how clear that seemed to her, she did not know if Kieran would ever agree.
“Why did you bring me here?” Thea asked.
“To remind you that no one is born evil.” Ainé looked back toward her younger self and her sister. “It may be too late for my sister, but I don’t believe it’s too late for yours.”
“Amara…”
“She needs you to protect her. And you will need her.”
“Protect her? From whom?” Thea looked around, wondering if someone might jump out of the bush at her.
“I can’t tell you everything, but you’ll soon see. I wasn’t able to protect my baby sister…” Her words were full of ancient sadness that made even Thea’s heart ache. “But you can still protect yours.”
They both watched as young Ainé and Morrigan disappeared laughing and smiling into the woods. They were nothing more than a memory now that would haunt the Goddesses for the rest of their lives. Thea didn’t want the same fate for Amara and her. She was still angry for what Amara had done, but she hadn’t been born evil, as everyone kept reminding her. Their father had sculpted her into a monster, but she was still young, possibly young enough to save.
“You have a hard journey ahead of you,” Ainé said, and Thea knew their time was ending.
“That’s why you gave me the gift of the elements?”
The Goddess smiled and stepped into the lake, her dress growing wet at the bottom.
“I gave them to you because you have been without magic for too long. Use them with respect, and they will assist you on your mission.”
A million more questions sat on the tip of Thea’s tongue, but it was too late. As Ainé’s feet entered the water, her body sank and Thea awoke from her dream alone in the tent, feeling as if she had not slept at all.
Thea’s voice drew Kieran’s attention away from the rabbit he’d been hunting. He knew they couldn’t survive on the sandwiches Ethel had packed for them forever and figured Thea would not want any part in the actual scavenging for food. So, after making sure no one waited to ambush the princess, he’d set off to hunt. He’d been listening for her, just in case, so when she called for him he immediately abandoned the lucky rabbit and started jogging back. Normally, he would have flown, but just in case anyone was watching the skies, he figured he’d better stick to the ground.
When he arrived, Thea was standing in only her night shirt, shivering in the snow, with no shoes on. He lifted an eyebrow at her strange appearance and then watched as a stranger look came over her face.
“Why aren’t you sleeping? I wasn’t going to wake you for at least a couple more hours.” He walked toward her and reached inside the tent to grab her cloak, draping it over her shoulders. “And why in the world are you out in the cold looking like this?”
He watched as Thea looked down at her own appearance and blushed. Whatever had driven her out of the tent had obviously been important enough to cause her to forget that it was the middle of winter. Kieran looked down at her bare feet once the cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and shook his head, laughing.
“You’re going to catch your death. Come on.” Before Thea could reply, he picked her up and carried her back into the tent, carefully maneuvering himself and his wings through the small opening and gently setting her back onto her blankets. “Are you asleep still?”
This seemed to remind her that she hadn’t said a word since he arrived, and her cheeks grew a shade darker. He didn’t know what was going on with her, but all the thoughts he’d banished from his head earlier returned as he looked at her bare legs peeking out from beneath the cloak. His heart sped up, beating loudly in his ears, and he hoped she was actually sleepwalking so that she wouldn’t hear it.
“I’m making you nervous,” she said suddenly. Her gray eyes sparkled mischievously, and she shrugged out of the cloak, having followed his eyes to her bare legs. He bit his lip. “I had another dream.”
This distracted him momentarily. He looked at her for any sign that the Goddess had told her of oncoming danger, but she only shook her head to reassure him that it was not that type of dream. He didn’t know how she read him so easily, but apparently she knew what he thought without him saying a word now. This both enthralled and terrified him.
“What did she say?” Kieran knew by the way Thea had said it that she’d definitely spoken to the Goddess again, but something about the way Thea avoided eye contact made him want to know desperately what had happened.
“Well, she wanted to tell me not to give up on Amara,” Thea said, but Kieran sensed that there was more. He looked toward the entrance of the tent, thinking about what could lurk in the woods just waiting for them to be vulnerable, and then sat beside her. He couldn’t be on alert at all times, and even if he could, he’d walked the perimeter enough that he was sure there was nothing there. They were safe, which meant he actually had a chance to sit down and talk to Thea, something that he both wanted and was terrified of at the same time. She looked surprised that he was sitting with her, but also pleased.
“And?” He elbowed her with a gentle playfulness. “I know you’re not telling me everything.”
“I asked her a question… about us.” She said the last two words just above a whisper, and his heart nearly stopped.
“And?” he repeated, this time at almost as low a tone as she had spoken.
“I wanted to know if we were soulmates.”
He stared at her, unable to make himself ask any further questions. A million thoughts raced through his head, but he didn’t know if he wanted to know the answer. On one hand, he thought that he already knew the answer, but on the other, what if Ainé had told Thea that they shouldn’t be together? What if she was about to break his heart? He couldn’t speak.
“Don’t you want to know what she said?” Thea asked, suddenly looking as nervous as he felt. She watched his facial expression, carefully reading his reactions, and he took a deep breath. He wanted to know what the Goddess had said, but more than that, he wanted to kiss her for even asking such a question. If Thea wanted to know if they were soulmates, it was because she felt that they were, and that made his heart soar. If he was being honest, he didn’t care what the Goddess had said in that moment, because all he heard was that Thea believed they were soulmates—and so did he.
“Kieran?” He heard her say his name, but never in his entire life had he felt so compelled to kiss someone. It was as if his body’s survival depended on her touch, so without another second of hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers and let the world explode around them.
Chapter 1
6
Thea’s nerves melted away when Kieran’s lips touched hers. The same electric passion that she’d felt the last time they’d kissed sent shivers down her spine. Her eyelids fluttered closed. She remembered the dream. She remembered Ainé confirming Kieran as her soulmate. That was what she’d wanted to tell Kieran, but this worked too. Her entire body burned hotter than fire as she let him pull her into his lap the same way he’d done before. It felt like the moment in his bedroom had been paused and someone had just slammed the play button in the middle of their conversation.
“Kieran,” Thea mumbled against the kiss, but she wasn’t sure if he even heard her. He rested one hand on her lower back, while the other twisted into her already tangled hair. Her breathing quickened as his lips left hers to kiss along her jaw, leaving a gentle trail down her neck to her collarbone. Her own hands rested on his chest, clutching at his shirt tighter after each new touch of his lips. Every kiss left her a little more breathless and a lot less in control. She cupped his chin, pulling his lips back to hers, and he rewarded her with a breathless groan of approval as she traced her tongue across his bottom lip, tangling her fingers into the back of his hair.
When his hand moved from her back to rest on her bare legs she thought she might lose it. She wanted to be closer to him, and the entire world was fading away around them. She no longer thought of the journey ahead or behind. She didn’t think of where they were going. The only thing that mattered was Kieran and how much she needed this moment here and now. She knew the road they travelled would likely lead to their deaths, and that was why she was done caring what anyone else said about them being together. She needed to be with him as much as she needed oxygen or water to live.
Thea’s mind swirled as they kissed, and when he began to lay her onto her back she whimpered in protest at the growing space between their bodies, reaching up for him. He hovered over the top of her, propped up on his hands, and she quickly wrapped her legs up and around his waist, pulling him back down against her with a triumphant grin. She could feel how much he wanted her, even through his clothes. She felt like her heart might beat right out of her chest as he kissed her again, this time more gently, and brushed the hair away from her face so he could look at her. She didn’t mind, though; she wanted him to see her.
After a moment of nervous contemplation, she reached down to grab the bottom of her nightshirt. He raised himself up just enough for her to pull it over her head, watching her with a deep-rooted animal hunger. When she lowered herself back beneath him her hair fell away from her shoulders, leaving her completely exposed. She watched as his eyes travelled over her body slowly and let her legs fall from his waist to settle on each side of him. His wings unfurled above them, stretching to the edges of the tent.
“You are perfection,” he said. His voice was rough, lower than Thea had ever heard it. It raised the hairs on the backs of her arms and made her lick her lips. She reached up to trace the bottom of his black tunic and saw him smile. “It’s a little more difficult with the wings.”
She watched as he expertly unbelted his baldric, setting his sword to the side, and then pulled the tunic off with perfect ease. She wondered if she would ever be able to do that for him as quickly and gracefully. As soon as it was gone, her hands dropped to rest on the hard muscles of his chest and examined the lines of abs he’d been hiding beneath it with appreciation. She saw the scars along his skin, as well as a tattoo just above his heart, and traced them with a light finger, looking up at him with questioning eyes.
“It’s Ivandor’s crest,” he said looking slightly embarrassed. “I got it when I joined the king’s guard to remind me what and who I am fighting for. I will always be a soldier of Ivandor at heart.”
Thea traced the crest delicately. She could make out a dragon, a bushel of thistles, and a set of swords, all held together by the dragon’s tail.
“You’re amazing,” Thea said quietly, and then pulled Kieran’s lips back to hers.
At some point during the kiss, Thea’s hands found Kieran’s wings, her fingers tracing the velvet feathers with gentle fluidity. She felt his body tremble beneath the touch and moved her kisses from his mouth down his neck and chest. He groaned in response, his fingers digging into the blankets beneath them, and Thea smirked. She was beginning to understand just how sensitive his wings were.
As she pulled his body down closer to hers, she kissed his earlobe gently.
“We are soulmates,” she said quietly. “I am yours, and you are mine, forever.”
Before meeting Kieran, Thea would have run for the hills if someone had said that to her, but everything about them felt right. She knew Kieran would not run. In fact, she wasn’t even scared to be the first one to say it out loud. She needed him to know that this was what she wanted, that she wanted to be with him.
“I love you,” Kieran said in return. The smile on his face was unlike anything Thea had ever seen, and the passion in his eyes was unmistakable. With every second that passed by, Thea felt the need to be closer to him growing more unbearable. She traced the tops of his pants with her fingertips, letting her nails graze his skin gently, and smiled back at him.
“Show me,” she whispered, and his wings came down around them, cocooning them in warmth until his body met hers.
Kieran watched Thea sleep against his side for a long time after their energy had depleted. She’d collapsed against him and exclaimed through her ragged breathing that if they didn’t take a break she would be asleep for days. Despite both of their bodies being coated in sweat, she’d fallen asleep shortly afterward, her chest rising and falling more slowly the closer her dreams came. He noticed she smiled in her sleep and kissed her forehead every so often, as if to confirm she was still there, still his.
He stroked his finger gently across her arm, enjoying the view of her naked body against his. It was difficult for him not to wake her and make love to her all over again, but he knew she needed rest. If he were being honest with himself, he also could probably use the rest, but the memory of their bodies connected as one was enough to raise his spirits, among other things.
Watching her sleep this time felt completely different to when she’d been recovering. He didn’t worry about her fragility or that she might not wake up. Instead, he enjoyed the fact that she slept safely in his arms. He rested his head against hers, playing with her hair between his fingers, and listening to her steady breath. He believed he could do that forever.
A rustling in the trees outside drew his attention away from Thea, though, alerting him to another presence. He used his foot to nudge the flap of the tent open, just enough that he could look out. It was late in the afternoon now; they’d spent plenty of their day in the tent, much to his liking. The high sun made it easy for Kieran to recognize a smiling face staring directly at him from the opening in the trees: Mirielle.
He quickly let the tent shut, knowing full well she’d just seen more of him than he wanted her to, and slipped a pillow under Thea’s head in place of himself. She stirred slightly in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible.
“Get your rest, Princess. I won’t be far away.” He kissed her cheek and watched her fall back asleep while he pulled his clothes on as quietly as possible. By the time he slipped out of the tent, Thea’s breathing had dropped low and steady once more. Mirielle was sitting on a log near the lake’s edge, watching the water and waiting for him.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said without looking at him as he approached. He was glad, because his cheeks felt warmer than normal.
“How did you find us?” Kieran looked around anxiously. The whole point of telling no one that they were here had been to keep Thea safe. If Mirielle could find them, then what if someone had followed her? What if the Princess was in danger again?
“Ainé told me,” she said, meeting his eyes.
“You came alone?” Kieran asked with an edge of panic. He didn’t know why Ainé would have told Mirielle where they were, but he feared
the worst. “Did something happen? Did Malachi come?”
“No, no.” She set her hand on his shaking knee, meeting his eyes. “I took the children to a safehouse, and Iris has been patrolling the village with Gwendolyn since you left. There has been no news from Malachi or Amara.”
“I don’t get it,” Kieran frowned. “Why would they attack like that and then just back off? We must be missing something…”
“I don’t know, Kieran, but Ainé sent me to speak with Thea.”
“About what?” he asked, but she met his question with a silence that made his eyes narrow. “Mirielle, I can’t protect her if I don’t know what I am protecting her from.”
Instead of answering, Mirielle folded her hands into her lap and continued to look out over the water. “I haven’t been here since I was a child. They used to say that if you stared at the water’s edge long enough, you would see both the Goddesses playing on the bank.”
“Both of them?”
“Yes, as children.”
Neither of them said much else, but Kieran looked out toward the other side of the lake, wondering what two Goddess children might look like playing there. He couldn’t picture it.
“Please tell me why you’re here,” he pleaded. “Please.”
He wanted to return to the tent, to be with Thea and pretend Mirielle hadn’t shown up to ruin their moment, but he needed more information.
“Kieran, I need you to trust me,” she spoke in a level tone as she looked back at him. “The goddess was clear about my instructions.”
Then she looked toward the tent with a smile that didn’t match her age. “So, I see I was right about you two.”
Kieran’s mouth fell open. He wanted to respond but the words wouldn’t come. The argument died on his tongue at her next words—as did his questioning of her intentions here.
“I knew you were soulmates from the moment I laid eyes on you two.”
“You did?”