13. Lira
13
LIRA
T avish gasped and lunged away from the pillows, back to his side. His wings spread out, and the edges brushed my arm due to their massive size.
“Aw.” Finnian placed a hand on his chest while his other arm remained at his side with some sort of clothing. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your cuddle time.” He gestured to the closed door behind him. “Should I come back later so you two can finish up?” He waggled his brows.
My face heated, and Tavish froze like he might have turned into a statue.
Finnian smirked and turned toward the door. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He paused with his hand hovering over the doorknob. “Maybe there needs to be a sign for when you two don’t want to be interrupted. Torcall or Finola could inform me that you’re ‘getting prepared for the day.’ Then I’ll know to come back in five minutes … since I’m sure, with Tavish’s history, it shouldn’t take him long to climax.”
Heart skipping a beat, I clung to the last part of the sentence. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but he made it sound like Tavish was either a virgin like me or didn’t have much experience.
“Blasted abyss.” Tavish shot upright. “Don’t you dare leave. Nothing like that was happening.”
“Oh … so you’re a cuddler.” Finnian pivoted to face us again and leaned against the door. “You know, I never expected you to be that way, but now that I ponder your actions here lately, it makes sense.”
Tavish’s eyes widened, and his jaw clenched. “I’m not a cuddler . You know better than that.”
“So you weren’t trying to have sex with her, nor were you cuddling with her?” Finnian scratched his head. “What exactly were you doing with her?”
“ Sleeping,” Tavish answered but closed his mouth like he should’ve known better than to say anything.
If I thought I’d seen Finnian smile before, I’d been so wrong. For Unseelie, his expression turned very bright … almost on par with the sun. “Clearly. You didn’t think that through, did you? I love seeing the noncalculating side of you. Still, anyone could’ve walked in here. You’re lucky it was me and that I like the Seelie princess.”
I snorted darkly. “Oh yeah. I’m sure you do. You threw me under the bus at dinner the other night when Eldrin didn’t want me to be treated like a guest.”
“Threw you under a bus ?” His forehead wrinkled. “I most definitely did not throw you, and I’m not sure what a bus is.”
Damn the cultural differences in our languages. I supposed I was fortunate enough that they spoke English, so I could understand and communicate with them … sort of. “You told Tavish to treat me more like a prisoner, so I’m having a hard time believing that you like me.”
“That’s a bus?” He shook his head, but before I could correct him, he continued, “And though I may like you, my loyalties lie with Tavish. I said all that for his benefit because he’s my closest friend and king.”
Unfortunately, that made me fonder of the charismatic Finnian. Still, he’d made one thing very clear. He would do what was best for Tavish and not me, and even though I wished he was more empathetic with my plight, I understood what to expect from him.
“Why are you here, and why can’t you knock like everyone else before entering my room?” Tavish tossed the comforter off, threw his feet over the side of the bed, and stood.
Drool puddled in my mouth as his messy hair framed his face and the dark scruff on his jaw made him look more rugged. Through his thin shirt, his muscles were pronounced, and I wanted to trail my fingers over every curve.
I needed a very cold bath … pronto.
“You were supposed to join us for breakfast ten minutes ago, and Eldrin is upset. I figured you’d rather I come get you instead of him.” He arched a brow. “And I believed you would be walking out the door. I hadn’t expected to come in and find you still in bed … with Lira .”
Tavish’s face paled even more. “What time is it?”
“Nine fifteen.” Finnian strolled to the end of the bed. “Which is unheard of for you. You’re normally down there barking orders by eight on a late day.”
“I don’t know how I overslept.” Tavish marched toward the bathroom. “I will change and come down.”
Finnian’s gaze landed firmly on me, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “You comfy in that bed?”
As a matter of fact, I was, but I refused to admit it to the pompous ass. I tried not to scowl as I climbed out, my feet touching the cool floor. I doubted Tavish would let me sleep with him again, especially after the cuddle mishap and Finnian walking in on us. Oh well, maybe I could sneak back in for a nap after the two of them left. They’d be none the wiser.
He snickered and strolled over to me, dropping a pair of pants and tunic on the bed. He then turned his palm over and opened his hand, revealing two mushrooms nestled there.
I glanced at them and back to his face, staying in place. My stomach grumbled, but I kept my face indifferent. “You didn’t finish breakfast?”
“I saved some for you.” He shrugged and closed his fingers over them. “But if you don’t want them—”
My stomach growled even louder, answering for me. On Earth, I probably would’ve passed on food handled by someone else, but down here, food was scarce … at least, for me.
His face softened, and he held out his hand again. “Here. Eat. I’ll bring you more later.”
I didn’t hesitate this time and took the mushrooms from his hand. I hadn’t eaten anything yesterday after my escape attempt. Maybe that was Tavish’s way of punishing me, but I didn’t think so. I’d been in so much pain that I hadn’t been hungry.
As I took a bite, I noticed that Finnian had two swords on his belt. Normally, he carried one around like Tavish, but last night must have put everyone on edge. Fear had a way of making people irrational and causing more strife, but I knew better than to say anything.
Or did I?
“You think one sword isn’t enough if you’ re attacked?” I arched my brow.
He rubbed his hands together like he was preparing to fight. “Oh, Lira. You have no idea what’s in store for you.”
My mouth went dry, and my bite of mushroom lodged in my throat. I coughed, choking, just as Tavish hurried back into the room, wearing his normal black tunic, leather pants, and boots. His unique, intricate sword was back on his hip, and I was relieved to see he had only one.
He glanced at me, then at Finnian, and asked, “Are you coming down again with me?”
Finnian mashed his lips together as if he wanted to hide his real expression. “I have some things to attend to, but you’d better hurry. When Eldrin learned Lira wasn’t back in the holding cells, his shadows started to get the best of him. We don’t want him to come here and see her in yet another one of your mother’s gowns and me sneaking her mushrooms.”
“Fine.” Tavish exhaled and opened the door. “Just make sure you’re there for dinner.”
My head tilted back. After Tavish’s last interaction with Finnian and me alone in his room, I’d never expected Tavish to leave us alone here willingly. Granted, my dress had been stuck around my waist with both my ass and vagina on display.
“Don’t worry. I will be. Nothing will get in the way of food and me.” Finnian rubbed his stomach.
“Okay.” Tavish stepped through the door and faced us. “And if she gets stuck in any sort of compromising position, let her figure a way out of it herself. I don’t want to walk in on anything like before ever again.”
“Oh, believe me.” Finnian laughed. “I learned my lesson. I had to special order the blasted chessboard to replace the one you broke. That’s why I brought her clothing, so there’s no chance of her dress moving to expose something you’d find inappropriate.”
Now, the two of them were talking as if I wasn’t in the room. I fisted my hands, allowing my nails to dig into my palms. “Excuse me, but if Finnian and I want to be in any sort of position, that is none of your concern.” Not that I wanted to sleep with Finnian, but it was the damn principle of it! I made my own choices, not some arrogant Unseelie king who wanted darkness to cover the world.
Tavish blurred, flying toward me. He landed right in front of me, placed his hand around my neck, and pushed me against the wall. Darkness circled us, blocking us from Finnian.
This was the moment he’d kill me … but he didn’t choke me. Instead, he moved his hand and my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“You won’t be with Finnian or anyone else,” he growled. “I couldn’t handle it, sprite. We have enough stacked against us—don’t make things harder than they need to be.” His face softened, and he released his hold, his hand running down my arm. “Please.”
All my anger vanished because, for a moment, he looked broken. Instead of an arrogant king, a man stood before me, close to baring his heart. I wanted to prod and get him to open up to me, but we’d both regret it later. The last thing I needed was him acting cold and distant because I’d pushed. “I’m not, but don’t talk about me as if I’m not in the same room.”
“You should go to breakfast. You’re taking way too long. Eldrin is probably on his way as we speak.” Finnian cleared his throat, making his presence known. “Besides, what happened was innocent, and I understand what’s going on, so I won’t do anything to make either of you feel uncomfortable again.”
Tavish took a step back, and the darkness that surrounded us eased. He took a deep breath. “I know. Just be careful with her. All right?” He looked at Finnian.
“Of course I will.” Finnian bowed his head.
Tavish nodded and met my eyes before leaving Finnian and me behind.
The moment the door shut, a void filled my chest, and I wanted to go after him. The nicer he acted toward me, the harder it was to remember all the bad things he’d done.
None of that was my priority. I would be heading into the gauntlet, and I wasn’t sure how to survive a battle with one flying fae, let alone a full-on war.
“All right, Lira. Go change.” Finnian gestured to the clothes on the bed.
Not wanting to argue and curious about what he had up his sleeve, I quickly took the clothes into the bathroom and changed into a tunic and leather pants.
When I came back out to join him, he removed one of his swords and tossed it onto the bed. “Show me what you know.”
My head tilted back, and I took in a shaky breath. This had to be a trick. “You expect me to fall for that? Are you trying to make Tavish look kinglier somehow?” I wasn’t sure how getting caught with a sword would help. In fact, every scenario I considered would make him look weaker if I got my hands on his best friend’s sword. But I understood where Finnian’s loyalty lay. He’d been clear not even ten minutes ago.
“You’re a smart woman.” He crossed his arms. “You know that touching that sword would actually make people more upset with Tavish. ”
“Which means you must have a motive I haven’t considered since you wouldn’t want that to happen. In fact, you left no question that you would turn your back on me for him.”
Finnian closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he clasped his hands in front of him. “You dying in the gauntlet would impact Tavish a whole lot worse than someone catching you with a sword in your hand.”
“Why? Because he needs my death to be by his hand?” He believed he needed to be the one to kill me. My chest ached at the memory, but I pushed the strange sensation aside. I didn’t have time to dwell on something that wouldn’t change. Either way, my days were limited.
“No, that’s not why.” Finnian shook his head. “I wish it were, but we must have done something to upset Fate. The only way you’ll actually die is in the gauntlet. Tavish’s wings are bound on that. Your connection with him won’t allow him to actually kill you.”
And here I thought Finnian was a smart flirt. Oh, how he was proving me wrong. “I hate to break it to you, but Tavish will kill me. Fae can’t lie, and he’s told everyone his plan.”
“He wasn’t lying when he said it, but the more time you spend together, the more I see what’s brimming between you. Fate won’t allow him to kill you, especially with his own hands.” Finnian pointed at the sword. “But enough of this. We need to focus on preparing you as much as possible for the gauntlet.”
I blinked and wrung my hands together. I needed to make sure this wasn’t a trick. “You’re going to spar with me?”
“Yes, but let’s try not to actually wound one another.” He gestured at his outfit. “I couldn’ t come in here in armor without getting questioned, and I couldn’t bring you armor for the same reason. So we’ll need to fight like this. You seem comfortable with a dagger, so that’s a start. We just need to practice with a long sword so you can adjust before the battle.”
With nothing to lose, I reached over and lifted the sword. It was over two times larger than my dagger and twice the weight, but other than that, it didn’t feel foreign in my hand.
“If it hurts your chest, let me know.” He removed his sword. “We’ll take it easy at first.”
I jerked my head down, having forgotten that my chest had been hurt last night. I moved the material of my shirt to see that the wound was just a scab. “How is that possible?” The water had made it much better, but this wasn’t even a deep scab anymore.
“Fae heal fast, but I have to admit I’m surprised you forgot about it.” He rolled his shoulders, preparing for our fight. “At least it won’t hinder our training.”
We moved into the center of the room, and he held his sword to the side. He gestured to me and said, “You attack first. Remember, the sword is longer, so account for the distance.”
I swung the sword around to get used to the way it felt in my hand. The blade sliced the air, making a swishing noise, and my jabs were off balance as I compensated for the extra weight and dynamics. After a few more adjustments, I managed to balance it a little better.
I lifted the sword in front of me and swung at Finnian. Our blades clashed, and the impact vibrated painfully in my hand and arm. I gritted my teeth, trying not to make a noise, but I hadn’t been prepared for that.
“Again.” Finnian readied his sword.
For the next while, we sparred. I wasn’t swinging hard but rather using the time to learn where to strike his sword and how to move more gracefully. My muscles burned from the exertion, especially since, for the last several days, I hadn’t done much of anything but sit around.
My body was slick with sweat, and Finnian made suggestions and corrections. Soon, I was swinging harder, and we danced around one another more in tune, though I was not extremely skilled with the sword.
“Now, let me attack.” Finnian straightened. “You need to know how to handle that the best you can.”
I wanted to keep practicing my attack, but he was right. Our time was limited. I wouldn’t perfect anything. I nodded, holding the sword in front of me.
Quicker than I expected, Finnian swung his sword down toward my right. I reacted, adjusting for the attack, but my sword didn’t move as quickly as I was used to. I couldn’t move it before he turned his blade at the last second to avoid stabbing my right arm.
Dammit, I would’ve been injured, and my dominant hand would’ve been taken out. I’d just gotten comfortable, and now he’d shown me how little I’d learned. I wasn’t foolish—I knew I’d be more on the defense than the offense in battle. I hadn’t seen the other prisoners, but they were likely hardened and knew how to use their magic and wings.
I had to learn and fast. “Again.” I prepared for another attack.
A knock pounded on the door, and we froze, staring at one another.
Eldrin’s voice called out, “I’m coming in.”
Finnian rushed toward me, taking the sword from my hand just as the door opened. Eldrin stepped inside the room.
“What’s going on here?” Eldrin scowled, glancing at Finnian and me.
My heart thundered. Eldrin stared at me with such hatred.
“I figured Lira might want to know what a sword looks like before tomorrow.” Finnian raised both. “Now she does. You know how she doesn’t remember the fae and likes to play with toys.”
Eldrin arched a brow, but instead of responding, he stalked over to me. He gripped my arm tightly and dragged me across the room toward the door.
“What are you doing?” Finnian called out, his voice strained.
Cold tendrils of fear tightened around my heart. I didn’t want to go anywhere alone with him.
“Something you won’t want to miss out on.” Eldrin smirked as maliciousness danced in his eyes.