Chapter 69
Mora
Pine wrapped her in a warm embrace, hints of mint and petrichor caressing her skin, though Mora knew the Fae wasn’t there.
Not yet. She was well and truly alone, wrapped in a golden glow, protected by a massive canopy of gilded leaves.
Even Dother let her be; it had been many nights since he’d chased her through the forest only to stop at the meadow’s edge, and now she couldn’t feel the burn of his eyes through the bramble.
Warmth pulsed around her heart whenever she inhaled the stale remnants of the Fae’s aroma, a gentle song on the winds. Calling to her. Coaxing emotions to the surface.
Stubbornly, she pushed back against the worst of them, swallowing the lump in her throat. Clinging to fragile stems of hope and awe. Of the safety and comfort she’d found here, in this place, with him.
When she opened her eyes and faced the world again, Mora knew the hell she’d face. Tonight...
Tonight she wanted to pretend that somehow, somewhere, she’d have a happy ending. The chance to run away to a better life and live out the rest of her days here, in peace, with the Fae from her dreams.