Chapter 18
The moment his lips met hers, it wasn’t magic he felt but something older, purer.
Heat blooming through his frozen veins, thawing centuries of loneliness in a single heartbeat.
Light burst from the Well, not gold but searing blue-white, scouring the shadows from the tree line.
For the first time in an age, Caedon felt the world hold its breath.
In his arms Serena trembled, the golden runes flickering and dimming on her skin. The Well growled, a sound like stones grinding in a deep chasm, spitting threads of gold as it tried to recover what it had stolen. But its grip slid off her like water.
Caedon realized then the kiss was not only love. It was a choice. His choice. His first true act of freely given magic.
The Well emitted a long, low growl. It rumbled, growing restless, trying to belch out the golden magic to get what it wanted. Her.
You tried to take her from me, prince, but she is still mine. And I will have her, the Well raged. I will take her true name and make her forget you.
“You won’t,” he snapped. “You can’t. Because I’ve already said it—Serena Windriver.”
The world shivered around him.
The price must be paid!
“Bargains built on cruelty and theft are not binding,” he snapped.
He understood. More deeply than he ever had. Love was the only magic stronger than the Well’s hunger. And though the golden magic swirled upward from the deep, dark chasm of the well, it could not latch onto her.
Or him.
The Well railed against this.
Because he felt love and admiration for her—this small girl he held cradled in his arms.
“You cannot break this bond we have,” he said.
It sneered. And what is that, PRINCE?
“She sacrificed herself to release me, as I gave myself to her freely. That is the only bond stronger than you and your hunger.”
The frost that had coated the rim of the well thickened. The golden tendrils trying to escape dissipated, snuffing out. And beneath him, the mountain shifted. A loud crack. The stone well split down the center, creating a deep fracture. It groaned one last time and then…there was silence.
Only the sound of the wind fluttering the treetops remained. And somewhere, in the distance, the twitter of a bird.
He had not heard birdsong in a century.
Serena stirred as she drew in a breath and then her eyes fluttered open. She looked at him in confusion. A breath escaped between her lips as she blinked, understanding and awareness lighting there. A smile tipped the corners of her mouth.
“Caedon.”
The laugh bubbled up from his lungs and escaped before he could stop it. He cradled her against him in a hug, inhaling her deep scent—of snow and horse and leather. When he pulled back, he kissed her again.
This time, she kissed him back.
A deep, sweet kiss that stole his breath and made his heart tumble in his chest. A kiss of forever. A kiss that meant he would never let her go. She was his.
When they broke, she pressed a hand against his smooth cheek.
They both noticed, then, the golden light of the runes had faded from her skin, leaving behind faint scars. Proof she had paid the price. She sat up, leaving the cocoon of his arms as she examined her skin. Her gaze snapped to his.
“It happened, then, truly. I was—” she started, then pressed her lips together, as though unsure what she wanted to say.
“The Well tried but did not succeed.”
“How?” Her brows drew together in question.
He caught her hand in his and delighted in the way her fine-boned fingers fit into his palm. “You saved me, Serena. Once by speaking my name.” He lifted her fingers to his lips, pressed a kiss there. “And once by reminding me how to love.”
He said this so simply, it sent heat coiling through her belly. He was not jesting. He meant it. Her mouth turned dry as she swallowed but she found she could not look away from his blue-green eyes.
“Oh.” A breath shuddered out of her.
She didn’t know what else to say. So instead, she tugged her hand from his and pressed it against his smooth cheek. From the moment she decided to find his true name, she never imagined she would end up in his arms on the top of the mountain wanting to kiss him again.
“I give it to you freely, Serena, if you will have it.”
The words were sweet, endearing, and made her heart thump. “Can a Fae prince truly love a mortal girl like me?”
“He can. And he does.”
“Then this mortal girl will take not only his love, but him as well. As he is.”
He smiled. It was the first time she’d ever seen him smile. And for the first time she noticed he wore no gloves. When she looked at his hands, they were devoid of the golden runes. Like hers, they had the marks that he, too, had once paid the price.
She glanced at the well, then. “Is it…?” Her words drifted away.
“No more.”
“Good,” she said and meant it. “No more wishes. No more bargains.”
He helped her to her feet. They stood together, for a long moment, looking at the well. Then she saw the book half buried in the snow and bent to pick it up. She held it out to him, the gold embossed letters still glittering in the faint morning light.
“I found the answer in this,” she said.
He peered down at it. “The Hidden Courts: Folklore and Forgotten Histories of the Fae.” His gaze lifted back to hers. “Where did you get it?”
“In the king’s library.” As she said it, the blood drained from her head. “I took it. And…” She sucked in a breath, blew it out. Her nerves jangled. “I left in the middle of the night. I’m sure the king’s men will be looking for me.”
“Because you took a book?” He sounded confused.
“Because I healed the crown prince and…I think he was going to ask for my hand.”
It sounded absurd even to her own ears. But she could not stop thinking of what the prince said to her. I have something I’d like to ask you.
“Oh,” he said.
Her head snapped up to him. “I would have said no.”
He grinned. “I’m glad. But, Serena, they will want to know why you ran in the middle of the night.” There was a hint of worry in his words.
“Yes. That’s why I must see to my father and sister.” Her gaze drifted toward the village nestled against the base of the mountain. “The king’s men will look for me there first.”
Caedon moved closer to her, his warmth radiating from him. “I worry for you.”
She looked up at him, a smile pulling at her mouth. “I will be fine. I have to face it. At least now I know I am not alone.”
“You’ll never be alone as long as I have breath.”
Without thinking, she stepped to him and placed her head on his chest. The steady beat of his heart was beneath her ear. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.
“Whatever happens?” she asked.
“Whatever happens.”
Warmth swept through her and coiled low in her belly. She wanted to stay there forever, but she knew, she could not. She moved away from him and turned toward the village. Toward home.
“I will find you again,” he said, and it sounded like a vow.
“You better.” And that was her vow.
As weariness pounded through her, she began the long descent home.
Caedon watched her vanish into the white silence, each step stealing a piece of him with her.
A piece of his heart.
When at last the mountain hid her from sight, he turned to the wind, letting it hear his vow to the only soul who would ever truly matter.
“No more bargains. No more cages. Only freedom. I am yours, Serena Windriver. Always.”
And the vow carried, echoing through snow and sky, binding him not to a curse, but to her.