2. Lira
2
LIRA
I was drifting in peaceful darkness when discomfort tugged at me. I tried to jerk away, to remain in this comforting abyss of nothingness, but the tugging strengthened to a yank, and pain flooded into me.
Desperate to escape the agony, I tried to fight, but nothing worked. My body began to hurt in a way it hadn’t when I’d descended into peacefulness, a place I was desperate to return to.
My suffering continued to intensify.
A faint buzzing filtered through my brain, taking the edge off. A comforting sensation settled over me, and I stopped fighting.
The sensation was familiar, reminding me of something.
I racked my brain to remember what . It suddenly seemed important, but then the torturous agony strummed through my body, and my head fogged, making it hard to ascertain anything.
“Lira…” A deep, sexy voice resonated from miles away. “Bedchambers… safe… keep… fighting.” The words kept going in and out like I was going through an area with bad cell reception. “Can’t… lose… you.”
Then an image of a man seared my brain.
Hair the color of darkness and eyes a stormy gray that made me feel things I didn’t understand. As if those two attributes alone didn’t make him the sexiest man I’d ever seen, leathery onyx wings spread out behind him, contrasting with his pale skin.
Then a name clicked into place.
Tavish .
He’d stopped the gauntlet to save me, risking his people turning on him because of what I represented to them.
The Seelie.
Despite the agony, I stopped fighting the yank. I would gladly suffer through hell as long as I got to see and talk to him again. He deserved a thank-you for what he’d done for me.
Something stabbed my side, increasing the discomfort on top of the agony. I focused on the buzz, using it as my anchor, but then it vanished.
My breath caught, and I wanted to cry out for him, but I couldn’t form words. I whimpered, but then I faded back into the darkness, where pain couldn’t reach me.
A worried tone tugged at my consciousness, and agony washed over me again, though it had improved slightly. This time, as I tried opening my eyes, my lids fluttered. I stirred, and the warmth in my chest swirled toward the side of me that radiated pain.
What had happened to me?
Memories of the gauntlet slammed back into me. Bran had stabbed me in the side—both he and his sister, Rona, had fought with every intent of killing me. Little did either of them know that they’d succeeded, even though I’d taken the blighted wildlings down with me.
My heart ached as I remembered that I had murdered Rona. I wished I could take it back, but I might as well wish that I didn’t need oxygen to breathe.
Futile.
I would carry her death with me for the rest of my life, knowing I’d killed someone who’d believed they were doing what they had to do to survive. The same as I’d done, but why should I feel justified in taking her life?
“If anything changes—” Tavish’s voice broke.
The heartbreak in his voice shook me. I couldn’t keep doing this to him. I needed to open my eyes and thank him. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here now.
Focusing on stirring, I couldn’t make out what they were saying anymore. I couldn’t believe how hard I had to struggle to do something so simple.
My chest yanked hard, the way it sometimes did when Tavish left my proximity. Everything inside me screamed, and I rasped, “Tavish.”
The entire room became silent, and the mattress dipped on my right side. Someone took my hand. The buzz thrummed back to life. Tavish.
“Sprite?” he whispered, his hand squeezing mine.
I swallowed, but my saliva might as well have been sandpaper. My throat was dry from physical fatigue and the dirt and sand of the arena floor. Yet, with his touch, the warmth spreading from my chest heightened, allowing my eyes to crack open.
Our eyes locked, and his stormy gray ones caused my heart to gallop. There was something in them I hadn’t seen before, though I couldn’t clearly label an emotion.
“You gave us a scare.” Finnian was perched by my feet, giving me an exhausted smile. “And it’s nice to hear your heart beating once again.”
Tavish’s head jerked in his direction, and he scowled. “She just came to, and that’s the first thing you say to her?”
“What?” Finnian’s brows furrowed. “She came back from the dead. I’m telling you, that’s something. No one else here can say that.”
I tried licking my lips, but it didn’t accomplish anything since everything inside me was bone dry. Still, I tried to focus on what Finnian had let slip. “I died?” The peaceful darkness now made sense.
“That’s what it sounded like, but maybe your heart just became very weak.” Finola patted my arm. “But we’re mending you.”
I turned my head toward her, only to see her holding a hooked needle and thread. Golden blood covered the needle, telling me everything I needed to know. Mending me must mean stitching me together.
I lifted my head a little and stared at my injured side. The skin was closed with gray silk stitches, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped. But that wasn’t what worried me. It was the black blood that coated every other inch of my body.
Dammit, I had nightmare snake and Unseelie blood all over me. The ickiness brought up the horror of the final gauntlet.
“What’s bothering you?” Tavish leaned forward, scanning the bed.
I flinched, the pain intensifying for a second. “I’m drenched in blood and in your bed.” He should have put me on the floor. It would’ve been easier to clean.
“Where you’re supposed to be.” His jaw clenched, and his irises smoldered.
My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t know what had changed, but I really liked him saying that.
“Your Majesty.” The dark-blue-haired guard cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt you, but Eldrin…”
Tavish hung his head, and I could see the weight of the guard’s words impacting him. Eldrin had a way of sneaking up and ruining the precious moments we shared.
“I can go in your stead,” Caelan offered.
I located him against the wall next to the bathroom door, and my lungs seized. I hadn’t noticed him until he’d spoken.
Tavish sighed. “As much as I want to accept that offer, I can’t. With Eldrin’s new status, I need to be part of the search.”
New status? I didn’t like the sound of that. I wanted to panic, but before I could ask questions, Tavish bent down and kissed me gently… in front of everyone here.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach, and if I hadn’t been covered in blood, I would’ve deepened our kiss.
“I’ll return as soon as possible,” he vowed, cupping my face. Then he turned to address Finola, Finnian, and Caelan. “You three, stay here and keep guard, and Faelan will join me. I worry Eldrin will attempt to finish what he started.”
A lump formed in my throat, making me more desperate for water. I hadn’t ever been this parched before, not even during the second trial when I’d almost been burned to a crisp.
He released his grip, and I wanted to beg him to stay. But I refused to become the sort of needy woman who couldn’t survive on her own. “Just hurry back.”
The mattress moved, adjusting to him standing, and he paused. “That will be my motto from here on out, sprite.”
He hurried to the door and left with Faelan.
When the door shut, Finola walked around the bed to my other side while Finnian dropped to the spot next to me on my left.
My body jarred, and I hissed as my wound pulsed.
“Easy. She may be mended, but she’s still injured.” Finola tsked and rolled her eyes as she settled by the side of me that wasn’t as brutally injured.
He winced. “I wasn’t thinking. Is there anything you need?”
Two things that seemed equally important leaped into my mind. One took precedence, and my mouth answered based on survival first. “Water.” Some dirt and sand kicked into my airways, causing a coughing fit. Each time I coughed, it felt like my stitches were going to rip, and nausea roiled inside me.
Finnian readied to jump from the bed, but Caelan growled, “Stop moving and stay put so you aren’t bothering her injuries more. The last thing we need is Tavish becoming more unreasonable about her.”
Unreasonable .
That word hurt coming from him, especially since he had more influence than most with Tavish.
I could hear Caelan filling up a glass as I continued to hack. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and I was beginning to believe I would never stop coughing.
“Here, let’s sit you up so you can drink easier, and I can tend to your final injury,” Finola said, wrapping an arm around my back and under my armpits. She helped to raise me up. My sides screamed as she slid me back so the bed’s pillows could keep me upright.
Once I was settled, Caelan handed me a glass. With each cough, a little water spilled from the side and hit Finnian. Instead of getting flustered, he helped guide the cup to my lips. I took a huge gulp, and the relief was immediate. The warm spot in my chest sparked, almost in sync with the sip that eased my chest as it slid down.
I couldn’t get over how miraculous the water was here.
Each gulp made my chest feel lighter, and even though the pain remained, I could handle the agony better. Once I’d drained the glass, Finnian took it from me and held it out to Caelan.
Caelan gritted his teeth then asked, “Do you need more?”
Even if I did, I was certain I didn’t want to ask him for anything else. “No, I’m good.”
“This is going to pinch,” Finola said and jabbed the needle into my side.
I whimpered, caught off guard as the needle broke through my skin. At least on Earth, they numbed people before stitching them up, but I knew better than to say anything. I refused to be seen as weaker than they already considered me.
I leaned my head back, feeling the sticky blood that coated me. I needed a distraction. “What’s going on with Eldrin?” Out of everyone here, he was the one who truly got under my skin, and I hated it. Every time I saw his face, the horrible way he’d hidden in the shadows and attacked me in the tub surfaced in my mind.
Finnian beamed and raised a hand. “Something that I never thought would happen, and I’m so blasting glad it did.”
“Easy.” Finola paused. “Don’t jerk the mattress, or I could hurt her.”
I snorted but covered it with a cough. My muscles screamed in discomfort as if Finola wasn’t putting me through enough torture on her own. A tear trickled down my cheek, and I brushed it away, hoping no one had noticed.
Caelan did, and he wrinkled his nose. He hated me more now than when I’d arrived.
“Okay, I’ll stay still.” Finnian lowered his arm slowly to his side. “Eldrin wanted to kill you, and Tavish stabbed him and declared that he was officially a prisoner. After all these years, I’m thrilled that Tavish finally tired of his antics and did something about it.”
“Don’t celebrate too early.” Caelan rubbed his temples.
Hmm, did fae get headaches like humans? That was my mom’s tell before a migraine came on.
Finola stabbed a little harder with the needle, and I tensed. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to relocate the pain so it wouldn’t overwhelm me. I took in a shaky breath, wondering if she’d be sewing me up for the rest of my life. At this point, it sure felt like it—though I wasn’t trying to be dramatic. “What do you mean?”
“Whether we like it or not, a lot of people here respect Eldrin, and Tavish turned on his own blood, the man who saved him.” Caelan paced in front of the bed. “Between that and interfering with the gauntlet and informing everyone that you’re under his protection, Tavish will have to be careful with his next moves, especially since Eldrin might have escaped.”
My world tilted. “Tavish did all that?” I didn’t remember much after he’d stepped in and protected me. I’d been disoriented. Hearing how much he’d risked for me turned my insides gooey.
“It’s not a good thing for him, though it puts you in a remarkably good position.” Caelan smacked his lips like he tasted something bad. “You get protection while he has to prove to his people all over again that he’s worthy to lead them.”
“Caelan, leave her alone.” Finnian slowly swung his legs over the mattress and stood. His face tensed, and he crossed his arms. “She almost died, and you’re being a wildling. She didn’t force Tavish to do anything, so the issues you have are with him . Not her.”
My heart expanded, and when Finola placed the silk in her mouth and bit off the end, I wanted to cry with relief. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could’ve taken her poking and prodding, and I wanted Tavish to return so Caelan could take his sulky ass out of here. Though I did appreciate his concern for Tavish. That alone made me like him better.
Caelan huffed. “That doesn’t change that Eldrin will use the situation to his advantage like he tried to do twelve years ago, but this time, Tavish is aiding the Seelie princess. Eldrin’s claims could carry more weight.”
“When he stabbed Eldrin?” I asked. Tavish had mentioned a disagreement between them, and he’d had to put Eldrin in his place. “What happened?”
Finnian frowned. “Eldrin claims he’s the rightful heir, even though he didn’t receive the royal magic. Eldrin’s father was the eldest brother, but he passed away before the magic was inherited. When Tavish’s grandfather perished, the magic transferred to the first direct blood descendent—Tavish’s father.”
I scoffed, causing my body to ache a little more. “Eldrin wasn’t passed over. That’s how the royal blood works.” And a part of me believed Fate had intervened. I couldn’t fathom Eldrin as king. It would be disastrous for everyone.
Either way, it was irrelevant and not worth focusing on. There was no question Tavish held the royal magic and was the rightful king.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door, and I froze.
Could it be Eldrin?
“Finola, I’ve brought Nightbane as requested,” an unfamiliar female called from the other side of the door. “Do I let him in?”
A threatening growl had me wanting to rush to the door, but as soon as I tried to move, my sides stung, reminding me that I had a lot of healing to do.
“Yes,” Finola answered, standing and grabbing the hilt of her sword. She lifted it like she suspected an intruder was on the other side of the door.
When the door opened, the cù-sìth came barreling into the bedroom. His glowing green eyes focused on me, and his dark fur with green-tinged ends flattened from where it had risen on his neck. He stalked toward me, taking a moment to look at every person. A deep growl rattled through him as if he were trying to figure out who’d injured me.
The door slammed shut without the woman even saying goodbye, but I didn’t blame her. Nightbane was a huge animal that instilled fear in others.
Now that he was here, there was only one thing I wanted to do. “I’m going to take a bath.” Though it might not be smart with my injuries, I needed to get the blood off me. “Nightbane can come in the bathroom with me to keep an eye out.”
Finola nodded. “Good idea. Finnian or Caelan can grab you a gown and tell a castle maid to come in here and change the sheets.”
“I’ll handle that.” Caelan rolled his shoulders like he couldn’t wait to get out of here. “I’ll be right back.”
I slowly moved to the edge of the bed. My tunic had been ripped into a crop top, and my leather pants were molded to my skin. By the time Caelan exited the room, I was on my feet.
When I glanced back at the gray sheets, I saw the blood smears I’d left all over them. I doubted there was a way to clean them.
“Don’t worry, Lira.” Finnian winked. “We’ll take care of it, and if you need us, just yell.”
Nightbane came to my side, and I tangled my fingers in his fur, breathing in his pine and wet-soil smell. He whimpered, rubbing against my hip as we made our way into the bathroom.
My eyes adjusted to the soft candlelight, and I strolled to the tub with its frosted bottom and stepped onto the elevated platform it was centered on.
I turned the faucet lever, and aqua-blue water poured from the spout. From the closet to the right of the tub, I took out a fluffy gray towel and placed it on the side. Then I slowly removed my clothes, my muscles feeling like they were pulling apart at my sides.
Once undressed, I stepped into the tub, trying to ignore the shadow-hazed wall on my left, which looked like a dark forest loomed behind it. A chill ran down my spine as I searched the shadows for Eldrin. The one comfort I had was that Nightbane lay at my side, unconcerned.
I’d hang on to that.
I sat in the tub, enjoying the way the water made my skin tingle, and leaned my head back, waiting for the tub to fill. A huge dark lantern lit by a candle hung above me, reminding me of a starry night.
As I submerged myself in the water, the blood disappeared like magic, and my skin felt clean and refreshed while the pain disappeared. The warm spark inside me thrummed again.
Once the water had risen past my breasts, I turned off the faucet and got clean. I wasn’t sure how long I remained in the tub, but when I finally got out, I didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as I had before. I dried off then realized I didn’t have the gown. I needed Finola to meet me at the door and hand it to me.
Nightbane suddenly stood and growled, and I jerked to a halt, my muscles moving painfully. I yelped and gripped my injured side, causing the towel to fall from half my body, leaving me naked and exposed.
Terror tried to choke me, but I screamed, “Help!”