Chapter 9
FINN
The next morning, we travel deeper into Meadowmist.
The trees grow closer together, making the terrain more difficult to navigate. Heavy branches laden with sparkling emerald leaves blot out the burning tendrils of morning sun. Thick roots sprout from the ground. Soft grass that squelches beneath my boots.
Arden has favored using her wings to hover a few inches from the ground.
With the rising heat and day-old clothes, my scent is less than pleasing. The Queen, by contrast, smells just as sweet as she did the first time we met. Her rich rose and lavender fragrance deepens the longer I'm in her company. My lungs are filled with her.
Each brush of her gossamer wing against my arm makes my knees buckle.
I need a cold soak in a stream to soothe the raging fire in my blood before I do something ridiculous. The impression of her magic lingers on my cheek like a phantom touch.
Staring at her, I take in the leaves threaded throughout her curls and the glistening of her green skin. Her sharp teeth glint in the morning light, digging into her plush lower lip as she navigates the air. My eyes trail lower, towards the exposed flesh of her thighs.
Her hem seems shorter. It would only take a strong breeze too—
My boot catches on an unruly root, and I stumble forward. Dew-soaked grass seeps into my shoulder as I slide along the ground.
The impact radiates pain up my side as I quickly lurch to my feet, praying the Queen didn't see me stumble.
"Finn? Are you—"
"Fine."
Heat engulfs my cheeks as her hand tests my shoulder.
"You fell."
I flash a confident grin despite the bruise forming on my pride.
"No worries, Queenie, I'm in fighting order. One errant root won't bring me down."
Meeting her gaze, her plush lips twist to the side.
"Take care. Horrors greater than overgrown trees await us."
Something passes in her eyes as the meadow continues to darken.
She floats closer to me as if seeking solace in my nearness. Grazing deer with glowing white eyes feed from beds of glistening wildflowers while plump birds flutter between the pulsating overgrowth.
The metallic scent of magic clings to the air, rivaling the floral aroma for dominance.
A few of the small creatures venture towards us, stopping only to nuzzle into Arden's hip or lounge on her shoulders. She smiles at each one, bestowing a gentle pet or soft kiss. The tenderness in her eyes burns me alive. I've never seen anyone, male or female, with such gentleness in them.
My life has been nothing but hardships.
Comfort is only found by those able to pay for it. To think there is a creature that would see Arden's light snuffed out forever makes my heart race. The gnawing inside my stomach lashes out with claws and fangs at the thought of her being consumed along with the rest of her realm.
"My people used to live here." Her soft voice rises over the breeze, as if reading my thoughts. "The Void has made them all seek shelter closer to Glimmerveil, but there was a time when this part of Meadowmist was teeming with life beyond the animals."
A pair of rabbits with sparkling silver eyes scamper in front of our path.
Both pause, lifting onto their back feet to scent the air.
In tandem, they hop over to Arden, who sinks down onto the grass to pet their small heads.
Her graceful fingers splay through their snow-white fur as they push their pink noses into her palm.
"It's beautiful," I whisper. "The human world doesn't have anything like this. If you ever managed to visit, Queenie, you'd be dreadfully underwhelmed."
Arden's lips curl as the rabbits disappear into the tall grass.
"It is fortunate that I am bound to this land. I’d hate to be disappointed."
I raise a brow.
"You can't leave?"
"I have no wish to." Her pink wings whip gently at her back. "This is my home. These are my subjects. I will save them, and if I cannot, I will be with them until the Deadlands claim us all."
I scrub a hand down my face. The skin of my cheek that had cushioned her magic all night burns.
"Most rulers I've met aren't as noble. They'd rather their subject die than ever leave the safety of their castles."
Pink brows pull low.
"No magic, uninteresting terrain, and weak leaders. It's a miracle you humans are able to survive."
I nudge her shoulder, careful not to ruin her skin with my stained shirt.
"Life back home will be boring now that I know a world like this exists." My eyes trace the lovely planes of her face. "That someone like you exists."
Arden breathes through her nose. Shaking her head, pink curls snag on the worn fabric of my shirt.
"Are all humans as fond of flirting as you are?"
My smile stretches until my cheeks ache.
"So you do know I'm flirting with you. I was beginning to think I lost my touch." I shrug. "Or perhaps your kind was not familiar with such attention."
"My kind flirts, Finn."
Arden's wing brushes against me.
"Has Elwood flirted with you?"
Arden frowns.
"I suppose."
"If you have to guess, he clearly wasn't very skilled at it."
"I don't wish to talk of Elwood."
My nod is sharp.
"Me neither. I wish to flirt with you some more."
"Do you speak to all females in this way?" she asks.
I purse my lips, not knowing how much of the truth to give.
My charms have always been my best tool. Whether in bedding a woman or convincing a tight-lipped sailor to tell me where another treasure lay.
I am skilled with my tongue in many ways.
Before it was a means to gain something, information, or attention.
I realize that while I desire a fairy wish, I'm not flirting with Arden because I wish to gain favor with her.
I'm doing it because I like her. I enjoy the way her green skin darkens.
The way she can't look at me for too long when I grin at her.
There is no space in our arrangement for affection. I have no wish to stay here, and she has no desire to ever leave. Whether by magic or honor, it matters not.
Yet, I can’t stop my heart racing when I stare at her or the painful state of my cock whenever I catch her scent on the wind. If things were different, I would've bedded her by now.
More than that, I would've done the one thing I've forbidden my sailors from doing: forsaking treasure hunting in favor of a soft bed and the comforts of a female.
It was an easy temptation to avoid thus far. The desire I felt for women before Arden was powerful, but altogether fleeting.
My trysts would never last longer than a month before the sea called to me, luring me towards another adventure. With the Queen, I would never tire of her company, her nearness, and, Gods spare me, her bed.
If I were ever fortunate enough to have her, I'm not confident I would have the strength to leave.
"Your silence speaks for itself."
Arden's wings flutter as she floats a few feet away.
I don't like the stiff set of her shoulders or the physical distance she's put between us. My hand lifts as if to pull her back, but I have no right to. My feelings will perish from disuse.
I vowed to keep my hands off her, even if touching her is what I want more than anything.
It is not just enough to be close to her. I want to see her interact with her subjects, hear more about her life, and watch her rule over her realm with her quiet authority. I want to learn her every secret and the darkest wishes of her heart.
All of those desires shall not come to pass. I will leave this place, hopefully alive and no longer cursed, and Arden will remain untouched. Our time together will bleed into a pleasant memory in which I saved her realm, and she thanked me with a wish and passage back to the human lands.
Still, I can’t have her believing she means nothing to me. That my words are hollow. I like teasing her even if I have no right to. The need to make her understand spurs me forward.
The gnawing in my stomach intensifies as my feet move with haste over the bumpy ground. She floats faster. Eager to be away from me.
She claims I am her servant, and I follow her like one.
"Arden, it's not like that."
"You don't owe me any explanation," she says without turning.
"I want to—shit!"
My feet snag on a root, and I stumble forward again. I catch myself before I make contact with the ground.
Darkness settles in around us. The trees overlap with darkening leaves blotting out the sun. The gentle forest creatures have dispersed, making Meadowmist eerily silent. A putrid scent wafts from up ahead. The low hiss of steam weaves through the thick trunks and whipping blades of grass
The wind has picked up considerably.
A freezing breeze slices through my thin shirt and trousers. Glancing up, I take in the concern on Arden's face as she wraps her arms around her middle. The tremble of her body lodges my heart in my throat.
"You're cold."
"I'll be fine, Finn. Watch where you step. The Deadlands are closer than before."
I ignore her warnings. Her comfort is my primary concern.
"Here, take my shirt."
Arden hovers to my side, shaking her head. The wariness in her eyes banks as I stiffen under another cold burst of wind.
"You'll need it more than me. I can withstand temperatures better."
I nod, following close on her heels.
Danger lurks in the darkness. I feel dread sink into my stomach, turning it sour. There had been splendor before. Now, the sinking feeling of death surrounds us.
My instincts to protect her rise like a tidal wave.
Arden goes to fly off, but I snag her wrist. Her skin is warm and soft beneath my calloused fingers. Bones more delicate than a bird’s rest under my palm.
Her eyes look between where we touch and my face. I'm sure grasping a Queen is an offense punishable by death.
Keeping her close is worth the risk.
"Finn, what are you—"
"It’s not meaningless to me, Queenie. I don't flirt with you because I want something." My fingers squeeze her wrist. "That's not true. I do want something."
Arden dips her chin.
"Your wish."
A humorless chuckle falls from my lips.
"Yes, but something else. Sometimes I think I want it more than the fucking wish."
"Finn—"