Chapter 17 Rose
ROSE
When I returned to my room after the grand feast in the temple, it was already well past midnight, though you couldn’t tell based on the torchlight illuminating every inch of the castle.
Raith and I hadn’t been alone for even a second all evening, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I knew the truth about the darkness everyone was so afraid of, no matter how exhausted I was after the long day.
And unlike most other nights, Raith had retired to his bedroom, instead of disappearing into his study or teleporting somewhere else.
After Loura removed my gown and helped me prepare for bed, I dismissed her with a warm thanks.
Once she was gone, I knocked on the connecting door to Raith’s room.
When he didn’t answer, I banged harder, again and again, growing more and more annoyed at him for avoiding me. “I know you’re in there!”
The door flew open. “What is it?”
He stood before me in nothing but black silk trousers, which hung low on his hips, and I was momentarily stunned into silence at the sight of all that naked skin in front of me.
I’d seen him shirtless when he was sparring, but never this close.
His chest was toned and lean, with a touch of dark hair trailing down his stomach and disappearing into his trousers.
I swallowed hard, trying to remember why I’d wanted to speak with him, and noticed he seemed similarly entranced by the sight of me in my nearly see-through chemise.
My nipples hardened at the knowledge he was looking at them with those intense gray eyes.
I tore my gaze away from his chest and crossed my arms. “Tell me about the darkness.”
“Now?” He ran a hand over his weary face. “Can it not wait until tomorrow?”
“No, it cannot.” I paused and tried a different tactic. “Please, Raith, I can’t be a good queen if I don’t know what is plaguing the kingdom.”
“Very well. I suppose it’s time you knew.” He sighed and leaned against the doorway. “It started almost three years ago when living darkness began to take shape and spread across the land.”
I stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. “Living darkness?”
“Thick, tangible shadows that creep over houses and farms to smother them, along with phantom beasts that attack people and animals. At first it only occurred in the eastern part of Ilidan, but over time it grew stronger and spread across the kingdom. Now it can swallow entire villages whole in one evening, unless I fight it back.” Exhaustion crept into his voice, not just from tonight, but from years of battling this strange enemy.
“Weapons are useless against them, as is water. Fire, light, and magic are the only ways to combat the shadows. Even then, we seem to be losing the battle.”
I’d never heard of such terrible magic before. I had so many questions I didn’t know where to begin, even as so many things began to fall into place. But my most pressing question was, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked away, crossing his arms. “It was none of your concern.”
“Everything in Ilidan is my concern! Especially something this big. How many times must I say it?” I took a step closer, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
“Do you not trust me? Surely by now you know I would never betray you or Ilidan by telling my father about this. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Of course I trust you.”
“Then why?” Another thought occurred to me. “Is this where you go every night? To fight the darkness on your own?”
One of his eyebrows shot up. “Why? Would you rather I spent those nights in your bed?”
“Don’t change the subject,” I said, even as desire flared at the picture he’d conjured in my head. “Is it?”
“Yes, that’s where I go every night.”
I nodded, relieved to finally know the truth. “Then let me go with you next time.”
“No,” he commanded. “Definitely not. The darkness is dangerous, and I want you nowhere near it.”
“But I can help you! You said my magic is strong, and my fire affinity will work on the darkness. Maybe together we can stop the shadows from hurting anyone else.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ve spent the last few years doing everything I can to stop the Shadow Lord from taking over my kingdom.
I’ve cast every rune I know to keep the darkness at bay.
I’ve scoured the library for answers. I’ve asked other fae for advice.
If none of that has worked, what do you think you can do? ”
I was so frustrated with him I could scream. All I wanted was to help him and the people of Ilidan, but he wouldn’t let me. “I don’t know, but there must be something. If we work together, we—”
“No,” he said, his voice leaving little room for argument. “There is nothing you can do. In fact, I order you to stay out of it.”
“You order me?” That was it. I raised my hand to trace a rune in the air, to show him I wasn’t just some helpless princess but a magic user like he was, but he caught my wrist. As he held me, heat flared between us and his eyes dropped to my lips.
The moment instantly changed, shifting from anger to desire, and the air practically crackled between us.
Intense longing flooded me as I waited for him to kiss me, hoping he wanted me at least half as much as I wanted him.
I nearly rose up on my toes to press my lips to his, but I needed him to do it first. I held my breath, waiting, waiting, waiting.
After an eternity, he took a sharp breath and dropped my hand. “I don’t want you involved, Rose. I’ve already lost too much in my life. I can’t lose you as well.”
He closed the door in my face, stunning me with the vulnerability in his voice as much as his abrupt departure. Once again he’d rejected me, but he’d also implied he cared for me as well. That I meant something to him. Maybe there was hope for us after all.
But that didn’t mean I was giving up on this.