Chapter 7
FINN
Black blood scorches the blades of grass.
Glittering purple scales lay unmoving as the corpse steams. Venomous fangs drip dark poison from their tips. The viper's eyes are dull as I yank my dagger from its stomach. The stinking blood coats my trousers and shirt.
Fire licks along my arm as I turn from the gruesome sight.
Arden cowers atop a bed of crushed blooms. Her cry of fear rings sharply in my ears. There had been no time to warn her.
The second I spotted the creature, it coiled to strike. Protective instincts I didn't know I possessed moved me. Annihilating the threat to her as if it were second nature.
I stomp on the viper's head for good measure. Blood, both black and ruby, ran down my forearm. The burning under my skin steals my breath, but I shove it down. My primary concern is for the Queen.
"Are you alright?" I ask a trembling Arden, who slowly rises to her feet. "Did it bite you?"
Large green eyes alternate between the viper beneath my heel and me. With a shuddering breath, she shakes her head.
"The rot is spreading," she whispers. "Creeping further into the meadow. My scouts said it was a two-day journey before traces of the Void's treachery were present. It's accelerating."
Arden's full lips quiver. Tears collect at the corners of her eyes. My fingers itch to wipe them away, if my hands didn't feel concerningly numb. I long to offer her comfort and clear away the sadness clouding her gaze.
These odd urges are concerning. If I am not careful, I'll lose myself to them before securing my wish. That can’t happen.
"No creature of my realm can harm me. I've never—"
She breaks off in a shudder. Despite the pain radiating up my extremities, I smile at her.
"Lucky for you, a human with uncommonly quick reflexes fell from the sky.”
Arden's lips lift.
"Are all humans as boisterous as you?"
"Boisterous?" I press a hand to my heart. "You wound me."
"You are wounded."
My smile turns brittle as her eyes travel down my body. Delicate wings flutter, carrying her to me.
"It's nothing. Barely a scratch."
Narrowing her eyes, she gently rolls up the sleeve of my shirt.
Bile swims up my throat at the gruesome sight. Arden's delicate hands glide along my ruined skin. While her touch is a delight, I can't enjoy it while black venom spills from two deep puncture wounds.
The blood along the openings is beginning to fester.
"This is more than a scratch, Finn." The Queen shakes her head. Pink curls tickle my cheek. "You need to be healed. The venom will rot the wound."
Any teasing retort dies on my tongue. She's right, my fingers are already turning white as my muscles atrophy.
With a nod, I give myself over to her. Which is no hardship.
Especially not when she crowds closer. Her lithe fingers wrap tighter around my arm. A line of concentration forms between her pink brows. Green healing magic flows from her palm and spools around my arm.
My instinct to recoil never surfaces. How could it when her power smells as sweet as her and feels just as warm?
The tendrils of her magic seep through my wound. They sink into my blood and purge the rot. Her wings beat wildly, and I count the glowing pink freckles decorating her cheeks. Her power is as gentle as her touch.
How can someone so soft and delicate radiate such strength? I lean into her body and allow myself to be completely consumed.
Her loveliness is greater up close.
Plump white birds land on her shoulders as her healing magic spreads throughout the meadow. A lone doe appears at our side, stepping around the dead viper to nuzzle into Arden's thigh. The Fairy Queen's consecration never wanes, but I see the pleasure these small creatures bring her.
She overflows with affection for her subjects. Arden is love and life. Having spent my days around stinking, greedy men, it’s decadent to be close to someone who radiates pure goodness.
Makes the insatiable man in me rise to the occasion.
Desire stirs inside me, more powerful than a tidal wave. It would be no great feat to give in and drown in her sweetness—in the peace she offers. The dream is fleeting. I have come too far to forgo the one thing I've been searching for all my life.
The only thing I've ever wanted is freedom from my curse. I can't allow a distraction—even one as beautiful as Arden—to weaken my resolve.
Black goo pools from my injury. Arden glows like the sun as her magic encircles the wriggling rot. It evaporates with a sickening shriek. Putrid vapors perfume as her magic purges the venom.
Once my wound is clear, her magic seals over the openings.
"It'll scar," she whispers.
My lips curl at the apologetic look on her face.
"I'll wear them with pride. A badge of honor from protecting my Queen."
Arden says nothing, trying and failing to hide her smile.
She likes me. Enjoys my teasing even if she’s not ready to admit it yet.
Removing her hands, I feel the loss of contact like a physical blow. I want to drag her back towards me. To demand that a new piece of our bargain is that she must touch me whenever we are together.
My thoughts are foolish.
It's as if I've never bedded a woman in my life. When I’m near Arden, I feel as though I haven't. At least not in a way that matters.
My desire for her is far more potent than when I was a young sailor, unaccustomed to the pleasures of the flesh. I have had my share of torrid, drawn-out affairs and heady, one-night encounters with one or several willing partners.
This is different from the fleeting desire I've felt for a woman after too many months at sea. The need to have Arden burrows under my skin and sinks into my blood. I feel her in my heart.
I taste her soul on my tongue.
My fever from the wound is gone, replaced by the heat from Arden's lingering touch. She is slowly becoming my madness. A troublesome discovery as I'll need to keep my wits if the two of us wish to survive the hell she's sent us into.
Our foes are about to get worse than one viper. So much for thinking the biggest hurdle I'd have to undertake for the fairies is reaching items on a high branch.
Though there is still a chance she'll want to see me naked.
Gods, please, just once would be enough. Maybe twice. Three times, if I'm really lucky.
Four, if I'm a good boy—
"Take care, Finn," Arden warns, silencing my heady thoughts. "As the Void spreads, the more my power wanes."
Placing my palm on my heart, I bow low at the waist. She meets my teasing smile with a glint in her eyes that makes me long to see her naked.
I need to bathe in a cold river. Quickly. The stirring in my cock agrees. The last thing I need is my old friend rising to the occasion.
Queen Arden most assuredly wouldn't like that.
"I'll protect you," I vow.
She arches a pink brow.
"I wasn't talking about me. A more grievous injury could prove fatal."
My fingers find a silken curl and gently pull it. It springs back as Arden's lips part. Her tongue is more alluring than any siren's song.
"I'm harder to kill than I look, Queenie."
"I hope so."
Her delicate hand lifts, and I hold my breath. Soft fingers graze my cheek before finding a strand of hair curling over my ears.
She tugs it gently.
Plush lips lift, revealing the tips of her sharp teeth. Need pounds in my blood and my cock presses against the front of my pants.
Arden's smile is more precious than any treasure I've hunted.