6. Lira
6
LIRA
M y damn traitorous body heated, though my head told me to escape his clutches. I stood there, my breathing ragged as I fought like hell not to put my lips on his. Being trapped between him and the wall had all sorts of irrational images playing in my head, and none of them would happen.
I lifted my chin, not realizing that would bring my lips closer to his. His breath hit my face, and every cell in my body burned. How could someone as sexy as him be so cruel and arrogant? Granted, if he hadn’t been, there was no telling how far I might have fallen for him.
“Already desperate to kiss me, sprite?” He smirked and lowered his head closer.
Yeah, my dumb ass was, but thankfully, my head decided to scream louder … barely. “I’m not going to kiss you,” I muttered, though I hated how breathy my voice sounded. I hoped he couldn’t hear the longing in it.
He leaned lower, his lips only millimeters from mine. “Who says I won’t kiss you?” His voice was low and breathy too, and I had to clamp my hands together to prevent them from wrapping around his arm and my fingers from threading through his hair.
My lips jolted, remembering how it’d felt when our mouths had brushed not even a day ago. We hadn’t truly kissed, but I wondered what it’d feel like, which had to be what he wanted.
To bait me and prove I was weak and moldable.
That I was pathetic.
That wouldn’t happen.
I’d rather die than allow a man to treat me poorly.
I placed my hands on his chest, desperately attempting to ignore how muscular it felt. I could feel the curves without even trying, and I wondered what he’d look like without a shirt on.
I needed to show him that I wouldn’t kiss him, not stand here like I wanted to devour him. If I struggled like this with him all broody and in clothes, I didn’t want to think about how I’d react to him naked.
I definitely couldn’t wonder about that.
He was my enemy, intent on destroying me on his own terms. He’d made it clear that he wanted the pleasure of breaking me. Still, I’d felt the buzzing between us even on Earth, and I wanted to know what he’d done to cause that reaction.
My head cleared, and I shoved him off me.
He stumbled back a few steps, spreading out his wings to catch his balance.
I growled, “I won’t let you kiss me.”
He grimaced and flinched, tucking his wings behind him.
My heart dropped into my stomach. “Are you hurt?” If protecting me from Nightbane had hurt him, I didn’t want to consider what the wolfy beast would’ve done to me .
“Nothing you should concern yourself with.” His face smoothed back into a scowl while his irises returned to their dark color.
“If you got injured because of me, I want to know.” I moved, limping on my foot. My toes still throbbed, but I managed to put more weight on my heel.
As I moved, I noticed a small cut in his skin. Blood trickled down his wings.
A knot formed in my stomach. “Nightbane injured you.” The muscles in his wings were like the rest of his body—strong and defined.
“It’s nothing.” He waved a hand, folding his wings into his back so they disappeared altogether. “You have more important things to focus on.”
“So that’s how you hid them on Earth.” I squinted, searching for the wings.
“What are you doing?” His face softened. “Is something wrong? Did you get something in your eye?”
“No, I’m trying to see your wings.” I didn’t even question if I sounded crazy. “I could’ve sworn shadows were hanging around you in there with Nightbane, so maybe that’s why I’m not seeing them now.”
He scoffed. “I’m the king of darkness, nightmares and frost. I wield darkness when needed, but I’m not doing it now. Our wings fold into our backs, which you will remember shortly.”
My head tilted back. “But everyone has theirs showing here.”
“Because our wings are like our hands and feet.” He shrugged. “We prefer to keep them loose, but I don’t want you to worry about my wings right now. My two most trusted people are coming here soon, and I don’t need them asking too many questions about you. ”
I ran my fingers through my hair, and they snagged in some knots. I felt gross from being in the holding cell, but I didn’t have a change of clothes. Yet another problem for me.
“You must have the wrong person.” If I had wings, I’d surely know it. “I don’t have wings and definitely no magic.”
“Sprite, there’s no doubt you’re the Seelie princess. I’ve tracked you nightly for years now.” He moved toward me quickly, the distance between us gone before I even realized it. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and whispered, “I watched your dreams before turning them into nightmares. I know more about you than you could ever suspect, and those dreams—they were your memories of your past life in Gleann Solas.”
The small gesture felt so intimate, and my hormones tried to take over from my brain again.
A loud banging sounded on the door.
Tavish dropped his hand and wrinkled his nose while snapping, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Your Highness,” Finnian’s familiar voice answered. “I retrieved Caelan as requested.”
Scowling, Tavish spun toward the door. He opened it, revealing Finnian and another man, who had to be Caelan.
“You’re early.” Tavish moved to the side, allowing the two men to enter.
“Actually, we’re not.” Caelan strolled past Tavish. He was an inch shorter than the king. He was almost as handsome as Tavish and appeared to be slightly older.
Where Tavish was coolly pale, Caelan’s complexion was warmer, though still fair. He had dark-blond hair pulled into a bun on top of his head, which left his pointy ears visible.
He ran a hand over his scruff as his milk-chocolate-brown eyes focused on me. “We’re a few minutes late because Finnian got distracted by the new servant.”
“You blasted wildling.” Tavish shook his head. “What have I told you about fornicating with women you can never be with?”
Finnian shut the door and smiled. “Oh, do you still believe in hierarchy and vengeance? Ever since this morning, I thought your stance might have changed.”
Tavish scowled and crossed his arms. “Why in Ardanos would you think that? All of my actions have been to reinforce the need for rules and expectations. That will never change.”
“Stop goading him,” Caelan scolded and glared at Finnian. “We have much more important things to discuss now that Princess Lira has returned.”
My body stiffened. Hearing him call me Princess didn’t feel completely wrong, which didn’t make sense. Maybe being here had made me more susceptible to manipulation?
“Things we probably should discuss with her,” Caelan added while adjusting the white fur collar around his neck.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I focused on that pain instead of allowing my expression to change. Clearly, Tavish’s plan to destroy me would begin soon. My heart ached.
“She’s not going back to the holding cell, and that talk will have to wait.” Tavish raised his head. “She’s been attacked twice in the last couple of hours. Because of that, she’ll be staying in my room with me, and my most trusted guards will keep watch outside my door. Our important message is to convey that Lira is not to be harmed by anyone. That her fate lies solely with me, and anyone who gets in the way of that will die by my hands.”
Finnian somehow smiled bigger while Caelan blinked .
“You want her to stay in your room?” Caelan swallowed and paused like he needed to search for the right words. “Your prisoner, the Seelie princess , will stay here with you because guards want justice, and you’ll kill anyone who threatens her. You must understand how this looks.”
“It is nothing more than me protecting my prize until the time comes for me to avenge my parents’ deaths and reclaim our rightful land.” Tavish’s face hardened, and darkness crept around his body. The temperature dropped several degrees. “We can’t allow her to alert the Seelie before we’re ready. I couldn’t be sure that I’d locate her on Earth until I actually went there. Now, we must prepare, but her life cannot continually be in danger. Do you understand?”
This version of Tavish scared me. This was the man who had cut down one guard and almost slit another’s throat, and he was staring at me with so much hatred that my chest constricted. He blamed the Seelie fae for his parents’ deaths and the loss of their lands, and that put me in the crosshairs. At least his motives made sense, though he was clearly misguided.
“Right, and if the dragon prince shows up at our door asking for his betrothed, should I bring him to your room as well?” Finnian leaned back on his heels, smiling ever so sweetly. “Then you could have all the heirs of your enemies sleeping in the same room as you.”
Tavish glared. “She still believes she’s human, and she carries a child’s toy as a weapon. I’m confident I’ll be fine.”
“And the dragon prince is not nearly as sexy,” Finnian added, winking at me. “Which also helps with that decision, right?”
My face warmed, and I wanted to disappear. Hearing him call Tavish sexy felt wrong .
A muscle in Tavish’s cheek spasmed, and he clenched his hands into fists.
“Finnian, stop.” Caelan rubbed his temples. “Though I don’t like the plan, Tavish is our king. Let’s resolve the issue of her safety so we can then deal with the Seelie. I’ll retrieve Torcall and Finola and bring them here to watch over her while we’re gone.”
“Excellent.” Tavish nodded. “And take him with you. I can’t swear that I won’t slaughter him if he remains.”
“I doubt slaughtering is what I’d witness if I were to remain.” Finnian chuckled. “You would probably forget I was here if I stayed quiet.”
Caelan’s charcoal wings fluttered as he exhaled. “Come on.” He marched to the door, dragging Finnian along with him.
When the door shut, leaving Tavish and me alone again, tension hung heavy over us. Once the guards were settled, Tavish would begin planning my future and the horrors that would go along with it. My mouth went dry.
Silence thickened, and finally, Tavish cleared his throat. “Why don’t you take a bath while I attend to … business.”
Yes, talking about my upcoming death outright would be in poor taste, though that was exactly what he was going to do.
“I’ll retrieve a gown for you to wear, though you must remain in here.” Tavish strolled to a door directly across from his bed and opened it. “I’ll bring you food when I return. You must be starving.”
I laughed bitterly. “So I can get clean and fat before you slaughter me like a pig?”
“A pig?” His brows furrowed. “I’m assuming that’s something from Earth?”
“Yes, a delicious animal that I like to devour each morning.” I tilted my head, letting my anger bubble out. That emotion I understood, whereas fear would lead me to do something more dangerous. “I’m assuming that won’t happen here, just like, you know, me not dying.”
Tavish flinched before his face turned colder. “I didn’t choose this life for us.” He took two large strides toward me. “You can thank your parents for this. I’m doing what I have to do for my people.”
“Sure, because as long as it’s for your people, that makes it okay.” I needed to hang on to my anger and let it burn inside me. “You do realize that, even if my parents did have your parents killed and your people kicked out of … wherever, I would’ve been only ten years old and not part of it, right?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Tavish shook his head. “Their blood and magic runs through your veins. It’s as much your fault as theirs—that’s the fae way. Never forget that.”
Hell, I didn’t even believe I was fae. But this was King Tavish’s kingdom, and his word was law. I wouldn’t have the privilege of having a jury hear me out.
“Just be thankful I’m protecting you now, sprite.” Tavish strolled to the door without even looking over his shoulder at me. “Take a bath, and I’ll get a servant to bring you clothes and ensure the guards are here before I leave. Do it now before I change my mind.”
Though I didn’t want to listen to him, after sleeping in the holding cell and being around all the blood this morning, I wanted to get clean. Besides, I needed distance from his stupid face.
I spun and marched into the bathroom then slammed the door. I leaned my head back against the wall as my eyes adjusted to the soft candlelight. The bathroom was dark, and a sense of Tavish’s power ran throughout the castle .
Despite all that, I couldn’t lie and say this place wasn’t also hauntingly beautiful. A clear tub with a frosted bottom section sat on an elevated wooden floor. Paintings of lush trees decorated the walls, and a large wooden closet was set to the right of the tub. Directly across from me, shadows hazed the wall as if a dark forest lay behind it.
To the left of the tub was a dark toilet and a matching sink a few feet from it, with a basin like the tub.
I turned a lever in the tub, and aqua-blue water poured from the spout. I glanced around, searching for shampoo, conditioner, or soap, but found nothing.
As the tub filled, I hurried to the closet and opened it to find a robe hanging on the left and several gray, puffy towels folded to the right.
I laid a towel on the side of the tub and removed my clothing. When I was naked, I removed the dagger from around my ankle and placed it within easy reach under my jeans in case someone came in. For some reason, I didn’t think they would, not while Tavish was determined to protect me.
When I stepped into the tub, my skin tingled. I sat in the warm water that was now as high as my breasts. I turned off the lever and leaned back. A huge, dark lantern hung above me, lit by candles.
Despite not having soap, I felt clean and fresh, so I leaned back and dunked my head under. I stayed under for as long as possible, enjoying the way the water rushed across my entire body and seemed to pulse in time with my heartbeat.
Back home, swimming was one of my favorite things to do, and in this small tub, I somehow enjoyed the water even more. It felt like the water … knew me. Yeah, I had lost my mind .
With my lungs near bursting, needing air, I begrudgingly surfaced and took in a big breath. Not wanting to get out yet, I laid my head back and soaked with my eyes closed.
Even in this personal hell of mine, I’d found a slice of peace in the most unexpected place … Tavish’s bathroom.
The hair on the nape of my neck rose as if I were being watched, and my heart pounded.
Opening my eyes, I searched the room, hoping it was the servant Tavish had mentioned would be bringing me clothes. But, no matter where I looked, I didn’t see anyone … until my gaze landed on something faintly lighter than the rest of the room.
It seemed like a shadow, but there wasn’t anything around to cast it.
Maybe Tavish had decided to begin my torture. He’d made me believe I was safe, and I had lowered my guard. Worse, I’d stupidly fallen for it like a dumb, naive girl.
“Tavish, this isn’t funny.” I lifted my chin, very aware that I was naked in a tub. I sat up a bit more, keeping my top half-submerged and trying to ignore my naked vulnerability. I reached for my dagger.
The shadows broke apart, revealing the person behind them. He had a coldness to his white eyes that not even Tavish could match.
His hand revealed itself out of the shadows.
No .