Chapter 19 Raith
RAITH
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was darkness. The smell of damp grass tickled my nose from where my face was pressed against the cold ground. My entire body ached, and I groaned as I pushed myself up on my arms and tried to figure out where I was.
The moon was hidden tonight behind thick clouds. I cast a quick light spell, but the illumination did little to answer my questions. I was in the middle of the forest with nothing around me but trees and dirt as far as I could see. How had I gotten here?
I rose to my feet and stumbled a little, my head bursting with pain and weariness. I pressed a hand to my temple as I dragged up the memories from the depths of my mind. Kissing Rose. Teleporting to the village. Fighting back the darkness encasing it. And then…nothing.
I must have tried to teleport back to Varlock Castle and ended up here somehow before passing out from exhaustion.
Normally I made it back to my study before that happened, but tonight had been especially taxing.
The darkness had returned to Haversham and I’d barely been able to expel it.
Next time I wasn’t sure I’d be successful.
I glanced up at the dark sky, trying to gauge the time. How long had I been lying here in the middle of nowhere? Was Rose waiting up for me?
Why in the world had I kissed her?
I sucked in a breath to steel myself, then gathered the shadows to teleport to my study. As the darkness receded, I spotted her on the chaise lounge, but this time her nose was in a book, though her eyes were half-closed.
“Raith!” she cried, as she jumped to her feet.
I took an unsteady step toward her and she threw herself at me, knocking the air from my lungs.
She buried her face against my chest, her fingers gripping my shirt, and I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight against me.
I pressed my face into her dark hair and closed my eyes, breathing her in while savoring the feel of her soft curves against my body.
It had been so long since I’d held a woman in my arms like his.
I knew I should pull away, to stop this before it went any further, but I couldn’t.
I told myself it was exhaustion and nothing more, but that was a lie.
Finally, she looked up at me. “I was so worried. You were gone so long.”
I stared at her lips, those lush, beautiful lips I’d tasted only hours earlier. It had been foolish to kiss her before. It would be doubly foolish to kiss her again now. But Sun and Moon, how I wanted to.
I forced myself to pull away from her. “I’m fine.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to fight off my pounding headache. “The darkness was stronger than ever before. I could barely hold it back. But I did.”
“And now you’re exhausted again.” She stepped toward me, her eyes burning with determination. “This is why you need my help.”
“No,” I repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but then stopped and took my hand instead. “Come with me.”
With her fingers clasped tight around mine, she dragged me out of the study. I stumbled after her, trying not to show how weary I was.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“To bed.”
My eyebrows darted up at that very alluring thought. “I suspect I won’t have much stamina right now, my dear wife.”
She gave me a sharp look. “Not for that. You need to sleep. You’ll be useless to everyone if you pass out in the middle of your study, and I need you to teach me more spells tomorrow.”
“Is that all you want me for?” I asked, my exhaustion making me loose with my tongue.
“Tomorrow? Yes. Tomorrow night… We’ll see.
” She gave me a smoldering look that made me instantly hard, before shoving open the door to my chambers.
She led me through the sitting room and into the bedroom, where she cast a spell that instantly lit all the candles inside, without using her hands at all.
Sun and Moon, she’d learned to do that quickly.
It had taken me months, much to my father’s dismay.
If Rose had been trained from childhood as I was, she might even rival the High Queen in power.
“We should get you out of those damp clothes,” she said. “You look like you went rolling in the gardens.”
Not far off, I thought, as I unclasped my cloak. She took it from me and draped it near the newly-lit hearth, while I kicked off my shoes. “I could dry these clothes myself,” I muttered.
She snorted. “You’re not fit to cast any spells, and I don’t know the rune for that one. We’ll have to dry your clothes the old-fashioned way. Now get them off.”
This had gone far enough. I was definitely not taking my clothes off in front of her. And if she stayed in my bedroom much longer, I wasn’t sure I could resist taking hers off, no matter how tired I was.
I moved to the connecting door and threw it open. “It’s time for you to return to your room. You need some sleep as well.”
Her brow furrowed, but she didn’t budge. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Perfectly fine,” I said, standing a little taller.
“Very well,” she said, her voice doubtful. “But there’s something I should tell you.”
“What is it?”
She glanced at the covered window with a frown. “I saw the Shadow Lord again.”
“Where?” I asked, striding toward her. “When?”
“While you were gone. I spotted him through your study window.” She wrapped her arms around herself like she was suppressing a chill. “He was closer than before.”
I couldn’t help myself—I pulled her into my arms, both worried for her safety and relieved nothing had happened. “What did he look like? What was he doing?”
“He was skulking through the gardens. He looked like a giant man made of living darkness with massive wings. As I watched, he took to the air and flew away.” She shuddered, and I tightened my hold on her.
“I’ll stop him,” I said. “I’ll find a way.”
“I know you will. I believe in you. I simply want to help however I can.”
I sighed and pressed my forehead against hers. “Right now, you can help me by staying safe inside the castle. And getting some sleep.”
Her hand cupped my cheek, her touch so tender it made me lean into it. “Sleep I can do. But I’ll never give up on trying to help you. I’m your queen and your wife. I want to be your partner too.”
With that, she pressed a quick kiss to my lips before leaving the room. As the door shut, I could only stare after her, while longing tore me apart in ways the darkness never would.