Chapter 8
FINN
I’m restless as I look across our meager camp at Arden.
My dangerous feelings from earlier resurface with a vengeance. How could they not? She’s a beauty in sunlight, but firelight? It casts her in harsh shadows, adding a wickedness to her lovely face.
Our accommodations for the night are no more than an assortment of silky pillows atop the plush grass. A dwindling fire keeps predators at bay. The remnants of dried fruit and oats lay forgotten beside the flames.
Try as I might to avert my gaze, it returns to Arden.
Rolling onto her side, her thin gown sags, revealing the inner swells of her breast. The hem rides higher on her lush thighs.
I had asked if she was cold, praying I could give her one of the silk blankets as additional covering. To my eternal torment, she had said no, the fire was all she needed.
The flames snap and crackle in the quiet night. Her woodland creature friends have scurried into their dens for the night, leaving us alone.
Leaves thread through Arden’s curls. Grass stains color her small feet. She is wild and untamed and utterly perfect. A fact the beast inside me roars in agreement with.
I don't know which incessant need is becoming harder to ignore: him or my cock.
The heat from the fire is nothing compared to the inferno in my veins. I feel her eyes on me like a touch. The scratchy fabric of my shirt pulls tight over my chest. I readjust on the small pallet to no avail.
Despite my body's urgings, I've sworn to behave.
It was not an easy decision, but one I had to make after she healed me. Her touch had awoken something dangerous. Feelings and desires I'd rather stayed buried.
A tryst, even a brief one, would be unwise.
Arden was the Fairy Queen of a world only accessible through a portal. I am a treasure hunter, determined to return home once I have procured my wish. We’re on borrowed time.
Once the mission is complete and my side of the bargain is satisfied, I will leave. Never to return. My time with Arden will fade into a distant memory.
There is no reason to make our parting more difficult.
I haven't even kissed her, and the thought of never seeing her again makes my stomach cramp. It is her goodness, her pure perfection, that tempts the wretched parts of my soul.
If things were different, I'd lose myself in her. Allow her goodness to absolve me of every bad deed I've committed. I'd be reborn, with my only desire in life being to serve her.
As a protector or a lover, whatever she wished.
It’s a beautiful fantasy, but one that is not to be. Once I am free of this curse, I will be gone from this land forever. I must make peace with my decision.
It’s what's best for both of us.
"You need to sleep," I say from across the fire.
Pink lashes tickle her round cheeks as they flutter.
I should be resting as well, but with her being so close, it's proving difficult to relax. Under her gaze, my insides feel shredded apart. Perhaps if she were sleeping closer to me, I would—
"Fairies don't need to sleep. We can stay awake for days at a time."
I tuck that kernel of information away. Stretching my arms beside me, I roll onto my side. Stars twinkle between the thicket of trees. The Queen is framed by grass and glowing bugs that buzz between the tall strands.
"As thrilling as you gazing at me all night is, I'd prefer you dreamed of me instead, Queenie."
A dark green flush breaks out across her face.
I have to curl my fingers into the ground to stop myself from hauling her towards me. My mouth waters at the thought of tracing her flush with my tongue. Of discovering exactly where that coloring leads.
She and Elwood may not be together, but she has certainly been with other males. It would be a crime for a female like her to be ignorant of wanton pleasure.
Bringing her said pleasure would be a privilege. If things were different, I have no doubts I’d be a better man for the job than her guard.
He'd be too eager to please, asking for reassurance instead of just knowing what she needs. I’m confident I could make Queen Arden scream. My treasure hunting skills are only marginally better than mine as a lover.
My cock stirs in agreement. The beast in my stomach snarls his approval. I will them both to calm and push my hedonistic thoughts aside.
"Will you tell me a story?" Arden asks.
I choke on a laugh.
"What kind of story?"
"With your startling amount of accolades—"
"All well earned, Queenie. I promise you."
Her smile is indulgent.
"Surely you have good tales of adventures." Her eyes blaze from the flames of the campfire. "Tell me more about you. Whatever you're willing to share."
The levity bleeds from our conversation like an open wound.
"Is that wise? Given our time together will be short-lived."
Would it really be so bad to stay? A small, pleading voice whispers in my mind.
Yes, I growl back.
The lengths I've gone to in order to procure this wish cannot be ignored. All I've ever wanted is my freedom from the gnawing inside me. It would be a waste to throw it all away.
Besides, this realm is no place for a human, even one as capable as me. Once I’m cured, I'd be wise to make haste in my departure.
Arden doesn't answer my question.
Rolling onto her elbows, she gazes upwards. Starlight swirls between the gaps in the trees. Night air mixes with Arden's sweetness and the dew coating the ground. Meadowmist is quiet save for the crackling of the fire. The moment stretches before Arden's head turns towards me.
The determination in her gaze makes my heart pound.
"If you wish for me to dream of you, Finn, tell me something that will ensure it’s a pleasant one."
I can’t stop the smile forming on my lips. When she looks at me with that determined line between her brows I can deny her nothing.
I’m in so much trouble.
"Who am I to ignore my Queen's command?"
Turning towards her, I prop myself up on an elbow. The slick grass soaks into my shirt.
"Very well. Picture this, Queenie, a roaring sea, as far as the eye can see. Me, younger than I am now, but no less handsome—"
"Or less humble?"
I love sparring with her. She enjoys it too. Meeting my teases with maddening ones of her own.
"I've always been an exceedingly capable man, Queenie.
You should be well aware of that fact by now.
" Her smile threads through my soul, tying me to her.
"Where was I? Oh yes, roaring sea, me at sixteen with a skeleton crew.
We only have one chance to reach the Gods' Fork.
Whirlpools were springing up everywhere we looked.
Sirens called to us, and thunder clapped overhead.
What riches could be worth risking our lives for? "
Arden hangs onto my every word.
"Only the greatest treasure known to man. It was a myth for decades. The drowned St. Killian, a merchant vessel from the Radiant Isle carrying unfathomable amounts of wealth. Jewels, gold, and the legendary Blue Pearl."
"Did you find it?"
I grin at her eager question.
"Hold on, Queenie. First, I have to explain how we navigated around the brackish water of the Lowtides…"
The fire burns low as I recount tale after tale to her.
Arden listens intently, asking questions when needed. If she gleans that some of my details have been embellished, she doesn't let on. With each tale, the way she stares at me shifts.
We cover every topic I can think of. High stakes heist on the seas, dangerous treasure that nearly claimed my and my crew's lives, tales of card games with powerful lords, and bets made and bets lost. Each story makes me feel lighter.
Her quiet presence allows me to shed the burdens of my past.
It was not a mistake to share these things with her. It is a startling realization that makes me realize I want her to know me. Every part of me, even if our time together won’t last. I want to bare my soul to her. All the broken, wretched pieces of it, and let her make me whole again.
Her goodness is a balm. One that pulls the next confession from my lips with one heavy bat of her lashes.
"I was born an orphan. Whoever my parents were, they left me at a brothel and never looked back."
Sadness creeps through her emerald eyes.
"Finn—"
"Gree found me as a toddler, trying to stowaway on his ship. He took me in. Raised me as his own and taught me everything there was to know about the world. He’s a wonderful sailor and an even better man.
" My eyes trace over her face. "He is the one who discovered the portal to come here.
Knew the old stories and taught me the legend of a fairy wish, knowing it was the thing I had always sought. "
"He sounds wise," Arden whispers.
"He is. When we parted, it was with the finality that we may never see each other again.” I rub at my aching chest. “I've made peace with it if we don't. He knows what he's always meant to me."
Arden swallows soundly but doesn't refute my statement.
I appreciate that she doesn't lie to try and placate my feelings.
It's very likely I will die in this forest. Tonight, or tomorrow, or the following day. Danger lurks behind every tree and slithers in the grass. I’m not afraid to die, but to come so close to finally being free, just to perish in some rotting fairy meadow, seems unfair.
But that’s life. Besides, there will be honor in my sacrifice.
Dying for Arden doesn't seem too big an ask.
Not when I feel a tendril of her magic press against my cheek. Rosewater fills my lungs at the gentle touch. I stare at her in the dark, our fire having dwindled to embers. The emotions shining in her eyes surely reflect mine.
The touch, her face, the feeling she elicits in me are far more dangerous than the horrors prowling this realm.
I am a weak man, as I greedily take the comfort she offers. Leaning into her magic, I let it wash over me. Arden's eyes flutter shut. It's not long before her breathing turns deep and even.
Her magic remains against my cheek, grounding me throughout the night. Only dissipating at the first rays of dawn.