Chapter Two
Lysander stared at the empty space just feet from him.
He hadn’t imagined things. Stone had been there—half in Faerie and half out.
It had been him, though. The real him with no darkness.
That one had Lysander totally lost in his mind.
Their eyes had met. The longing Lysander saw reflected back at him was crippling.
Lysander hadn’t fed in weeks. Only the magic waters of Faerie sustained him.
His energy was gone. A huge part of him wanted to rush to Frost. It was possible Wulfe’s town healer knew some way to free Stone.
Then again, maybe it was none of his business.
Stone didn’t want to see his face. So why had he been here?
Lysander rolled back onto his side and curled into a ball.
Knowing Stone, he had only been in his realm to fuck a different fairy.
After all, he had been nude. Lysander shivered.
It was always the perfect temperature where he lived. He had no idea why he was freezing.
“You look unwell.”
The appearance of Stellar made Lysander smile for the first time in days. A chiseled face, carved by the gods, hovered over him. His light purple eyes flashed with concern.
“I’m okay.”
A blanket appeared and covered Lysander, tucking him in and warming him. “You’re not okay. I can feel your light fading. When was the last time you fed?”
Lysander’s eyelids grew heavier by the second. The warmth felt nice. Darkness seemed welcoming. “I drank from the waters this morning.”
Stellar nudged him. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. Don’t make me forcibly read your thoughts. You know how I hate that.”
Lysander bit back a sigh. Stellar was his prince. He already shouldn’t be lowering himself to check on Lysander. Lysander was in no position to disobey. “I’m not sure. It’s been a while.”
“Why?” Stellar sounded more confused than accusing.
By his king, he didn’t want to talk about this. But Stellar was not only his prince but also his oldest friend, and Lysander never knew what was a mere inquiry and what was an order.
Lysander forced his eyes open, but he still couldn’t look directly at Stellar. He cleared his throat. It was an uncomfortable sound. “Apparently, a mate has been chosen for me.”
Stellar gasped.
Lysander kept going. “It seems he doesn’t want this match.”
“What?” Stellar practically vibrated with rage. “Who is it? I’ll take care of this immediately. The ridiculous idea that any fairy—”
“It’s a vampire.”
Stellar deflated. “I have no authority over those beasts.”
Lysander couldn’t look away from the changing emotions shifting over Stellar’s flawless face.
After a moment, Stellar’s expression landed on determined. “Scoot over. You need the power of my light.”
Lysander couldn’t argue. He made room for Stellar in the hammock and under the blanket.
Stellar snuggled him. Their faces were inches apart. For a while, they simply stared at each other. They had been friends for countless centuries. Time lost all meaning after a while. They knew each other so well, sometimes they didn’t need to speak at all to tell each other everything.
“I think a small part of me always expected it would be us someday. Who else could possibly love us more than each other?”
The confession pulled a smile from Lysander and lightened an invisible weight on his chest. “Though it breaks my heart to admit it, I’ve always known there was no chance of that.
You’re too high above me. I never let myself dream of that future.
Life would certainly be easier, though. I hate this feeling that’s suffocating me, but neither can I bring myself to feed from anyone other than my mate.
If my light extinguishes, I’m so grateful to have you with me. ”
“Absolutely not. I’m still your prince. You’re not allowed to abandon me.
” Stellar’s mouth covered his. The carnality of the kiss sang through Lysander’s blood.
One kiss from Stellar was hotter than any other fairy could muster within hours of the dirtiest of acts.
But it was still only a kiss, and that wouldn’t hold him for long.
Stellar pulled away a hair before brushing his lips across Lysander’s a final time. “I know that’s barely a snack, but I won’t demand you to betray your mate. Give me a few hours. I’ll move heaven and earth to fix this.”
“Okay.”
Even as Lysander agreed, he knew it was too late.
The combination of starvation and mental pain was too much for his kind.
They were sex and light. Lysander had lost those things.
He had no idea what Stellar would do to fix what Lysander couldn’t.
He couldn’t force Stone to want him. Lysander highly doubted Stellar could get Celeste to change her mind about her choice for him.
He didn’t even know how any of that worked.
Celeste was the goddess who paired souls.
She was the only being who knew how these decisions were made.
Lysander hadn’t even thought about gaining a mate.
Maybe secretly, he, too, had thought he would eventually belong to Stellar.
But he always dismissed those thoughts as quickly as they came.
Stellar would end up with someone as powerful as he was.
That was how things worked. That didn’t dampen the fact that Lysander had never shared such a strong bond with anyone else.
Stellar was a piece of him he couldn’t live without.
Lysander saw the difference now, though.
This ache to be with Stone was unlike anything he had ever suffered. The pain was unimaginable.
Stellar kissed him again. “Hold on.”
Lysander nodded. “I will.”
Stellar vanished.
Lysander stared at the empty spot where Stellar had been. He wondered if he had just told his first and last lie to his prince.
As Stone paced Frost’s home clinic, he freaked himself out a little more by the minute.
Apparently, not only had Frost been back in town for a period of time Stone didn’t recall, but he had also come home with a new daughter.
Stone had less than zero knowledge of all this.
Everyone acted as if he had shown up for every shift and the news shouldn’t be a surprise.
That was terrifying. What the hell had he been doing when he lost track of time? The possibilities were horrific.
A tiny baby sound came from a nearby bassinet.
Frost glanced up from the book he studied.
Stone stole the opportunity to focus on something tangible.
He moved to the bassinet and looked inside.
Frost and Gemini’s daughter, Celina, opened her eyes for half a second before she was out again.
She was the newest of newborns, and it was hard work growing.
No doubt she was exhausted. Staring at her brought him peace in a way he couldn’t explain.
Maybe it was just the fact that she was a baby.
She represented everything good and pure in the world. He was none of those things.
“She has Gemini’s hair and eyes.”
“No.” Frost’s denial had Stone’s gaze snapping his way. A huge grin split Frost’s face. Despite his friendly demeanor, Frost sounded firm. “I know you’ll still be the same player as you are right now in twenty years, so no. My daughter is off limits.”
Stone snorted and shook his head. “I can’t believe you think so little of me.”
Frost eyed him. “You know better than that. What’s going on with you today? I know guarding me is tedious as hell, but you’re not usually a pacer.”
As if Frost’s question triggered something inside him, Stone went back to pacing. “You have a lot on your hands right now.”
Frost didn’t back down. “I always have a lot on my hands. That changes nothing. If you need me, you can talk to me.”
Stone glanced his way. There might not be another time. He was himself right now. Maybe he wouldn’t be in an hour. Who knew if he would ever come back after that? “How do you feel about taking on a challenging case?”
“I’m always up for being tested. Give me the rundown.”
Stone twisted his fingers as he walked from one side of the room to the other. His stride got longer with each pass. “What if someone was losing time with zero memory of what happened between the present and their last memory? How would you treat that?”
“Without knowing anything about the species, all I can say is, likely a series of tests would be performed. Are there any other symptoms?”
He stopped and focused on Frost. “Lethargy, dark thoughts, and randomly spacing out. I don’t know.”
Frost nodded. He looked as if he took the matter seriously. “How close are you to this patient?”
Gemini popped into the room, interrupting them. He headed straight for Celina. “You have company.”
Before either of them could inquire, especially since Stone should have been warned of anyone on the property, a procession of people filed into the room.
Tall and trim guards, with genuine gold and silver armor that accentuated their physique, carried halberds and encircled a blond—for Stone’s lack of any other description—a blond god.
Oddly, Deidra was fluttering around them, looking a mess.
Frost immediately came to his feet. “What’s wrong, angel? Are you okay?”
Deidra ran straight to Frost. They were best friends.
Stone’s issues vanished. “It’s my cousin.
You know, Lysander. He needs help.” Her panicked gaze swept the room before landing on Celina.
“There’s my sweet goddaughter.” She swiped her hands through the air.
“No. I can’t hold the baby right now. Lysander needs help. ”
Everything inside Stone had frozen at the first mention of Lysander. He had already gathered his weapons and was ready to move.
Frost grabbed his bag and quickly kissed Celina and Gemini. “I’ll be safe.”
Stone gave a sharp nod at the promise, lending his reassurances. “I won’t leave his side.”
Gemini smiled. “Dinner will be waiting.”