Chapter 14 Ivy #2
Before the sentence leaves my lips, he’s upon me, pinning me to the tree behind me. I don’t think he means to corner me; it’s a genuine misstep. Off-balance, he can barely walk straight.
Now, as close as we stand, I can smell the pine and woodsmoke on his breath. “Don’t fear, little Ivy. I’m Fae, I heal fast.”
We gaze into each other’s eyes, and I can’t rid the image of him dying from my mind. I don’t know what he must see on my face because his own countenance cracks, and then he moves away. “I’ll be all right. Luckily, that bald bastard stopped him in time.”
My eyes sting, and I can’t explain the emotions that come over me. I almost saw him die, and it disturbed me.
Even now, his eyes have lost their wicked shine.
“What did he do to you?” I whisper.
Tegwyn narrows his eyelids, scrutinising me carefully, looking for the right way to explain.
“Please, I can handle it.”
He sighs, breath clouding as he stumbles through the forest. “He stole my lifeforce.”
My heart cleaves in two. “Your lifeforce?”
“That’s right. If I had been human, I’d have died in seconds. He only took a few centuries from my lifespan, so there’s no need to worry. Fae live an awfully long time. Far too long, for my liking.”
I pause, and he glances over his shoulder. “Ivy?”
My heart pounds. Lord Valent can steal someone’s lifeforce by merely touching them? But he had touched me...
Does that mean…?
I shiver.
“W-what was he?”
The faerie gives me his full attention, and once again, he falters. But then he answers, his voice crystal clear on the cold wind, “He was a leannán sídhe.”
My blood runs cold when I hear the strange name. Dare I ask what a leannán sídhe is?
“They feed off the lifeforce of their victims. Usually humans, but they have been known to turn on other faeries, too. As you witnessed.”
My stomach sinks lower and lower, and I throw my arms around myself to shield my skin against the biting wind.
“Would he have fed from my lifeforce?”
Tegwyn cocks his head, weighing up his next words. “Yes. But he wouldn’t have done it so quickly. Your suffering would have lasted weeks, months, maybe years. You would have died when he was tired of you.”
A frigid claw scratches up the length of my spine, and I shudder, wishing I could bury myself in the ground.
How easily I had fallen under that monster’s thrall. I have never felt so ashamed.
Mama would be so disappointed with me. And to think I had told him my darkest secrets, my most wanton desires…
Something passes through Tegwyn’s eyes. If I’m not mistaken, it almost resembles guilt.
He steps forward, going to place a hand on my shoulder, but then he thinks better of it, shoving it into his pocket, instead.
I don’t meet his eyes.
“You wouldn’t be the first human to have fallen prey to his kind.”
I inhale a shaky breath, lifting my face. Tegwyn’s eyes glow like embers once again.
“Yes. But he almost succeeded. At one point, I truly was prepared to leave with him.”
The memory flashes through my mind, and I grip myself tighter. I don’t have to explain. Tegwyn was there.
What terrifies me the most is that a large part of me actually did consider leaving with him.
He promised me endless riches in his expansive castle, a place where I could paint to my heart’s content.
He even promised he would make me famous beyond my wildest dreams, a world-renowned artist in all the realms, and I almost took the bait.
Tegwyn stands close, and he’s at a complete loss for words.
I bet he doesn’t even know how to say anything kind, but it’s okay; I know he cares deep down.
It was why he lashed out and attacked that monster.
He was protecting me. I guess in his own messed-up way, he has always been protecting me.
I just had to make a bargain with him first—my necklace for his protection.
But there was truly something primal about him tonight. The way he went for that creature, eyes burning with lethal rage. He went above and beyond the terms of our contract.
Finally, I try to change the subject, smiling tightly. “So… how long have you been carrying my iron cross?”
The faerie blinks, distracted for a moment. Then he scoffs, turning back towards the forest. “What iron cross?”
He can’t be serious? I saw it in plain sight—the whole tavern did. I’m pretty sure he left a scar on Lord Valent’s cheek.
Well, I guess that’s one thing I can be glad about. The Unseelie lord didn’t leave completely unscathed, and I can make peace with that gruesome fact.
I just hope I never have the misfortune of meeting him ever again.
The moment we return to the mountain, I head straight for my room/cave, hoping to get some sleep. No doubt I will be waking in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
“And where are you going?”
I stop, peeking over my shoulder. Tegwyn leans against the arch of the main chamber, bathed in shadow. If it weren’t for his glowing eyes, I wouldn’t even know he was there.
“To bed. I’m tired.”
Tegwyn gives me one of his crooked smirks, and his fangs glint in the faded light. “The night’s still young, princess. And it’s still your birthday…”
Somehow, I get the feeling he doesn’t want to be alone. I know he has trouble sleeping; I hear him talking to himself at night.
Unable to bear the thought of him being alone, I finally join his side, letting him lead me into the kitchen for a night of merriment.
I thought I’d sobered up, but it turns out that I’m still pretty drunk. We both are, and I would have assumed that Tegwyn would have had at least some level of tolerance where alcohol consumption was concerned.
He throws me down into a splintered chair, disappearing into an alcove inside the wall. He curses inside, tossing out various pots and pans of shining bronze, and when he re-emerges, an impish smile etched on his face, he lifts a bottle of blood-red wine.
My head swirls just looking at it. “No. No more Fae wine.”
He chuckles, grabbing two ceramic cups despite my protests. “Relax. It’s just human wine, unfortunately.”
While that does make me feel better, faerie wine or not, I’m still too drunk to drink any more, still too sick.
“I stole this bottle off a cargo ship two years ago. Imported from the south. So, it should be good.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Is there anything you own that isn’t stolen?”
He barks a laugh, leaning down to poke my nose. “My, you really are on fire tonight.”
Tegwyn pours the wine into a cup, handing it over to me. I meet my reflection inside.
The wine almost reminds me of the red of Lord Valent’s eyes, and I whimper, spilling my drink.
Tegwyn steadies me by wrapping his gloved fingers around my wrist, and he doesn’t pry or judge. He actually appears… angry. But not with me.
His teeth grind, as if he’s trying to restrain himself a great deal. His claws are drawn, yet they never cut me.
“Ivy…he won’t ever find you again.”
I shut my eyes, and I can’t help it this time. A tear slips past my lashes, and I wipe it away, not wanting him to see me cry.
“How…how do you know that?”
He looks at me pointedly, yellow eyes boring into my soul. “Because if he does…I will kill him...”
His irises glow at the word kill, making the breath whoosh from my lungs.
And he would, too, and I dare not think about what those claws of his are truly capable of.
As if sensing my thoughts, he lets go of my wrist, raising his drink. “A toast to Lord Valent. May his face be forever charred...”
The faerie goes to sip his wine, but I take his hand, squeezing it tightly. “Thank you for fighting for me. No one has ever stood up for me like that before. You were so brave, so…selfless.”
He blinks in utter confusion, and if I’m not mistaken, his cheeks redden. Then he yanks on his silly cravat and mutters, “Just holding up my end of the bargain.”
I smile this time, grabbing my own drink. “If you say so.”
Tegwyn hikes a brow. “What are you implying?”
I give a discreet shrug, and soon the cave starts spinning as I sip the wine.
We laugh at nothing, and at one point we twirl around the kitchen, crashing into various things. It turns out that faeries really are as useless as humans when drunk. Tegwyn can barely function.
By the night’s end, he’s tucking me into bed, placing me down onto the soft mattress. The heather twigs crunch beneath my weight, bringing up a lovely smell, and I sigh.
The bed is really comfortable.
When I shut my eyes, drifting off to sleep, I swear I hear the ocean.
“Go to sleep,” he demands, sounding far away.
Panic leaks through my veins, and I open my eyes, searching the cave. “Tegwyn, come back!”
“I’m right here! Holy shit, Ivy…”
His face swivels into view, and I’m so happy to see him again.
Tegwyn’s face shines buttery gold beneath the soft light of the flickering lamp, and I can’t look away from him. He’s breathtaking.
Once again, he’s the beautiful Fae from my mural, and I reach up, brushing my fingertips along his sculpted cheek. His skin may be coarse, yet he’s still a work of art. Smudged watermarks and charcoal… one day, I will paint him again.
I smile. “Don’t listen to a word they say, Tegwyn.”
He exhales, lifting yet another brow, and for someone so otherworldly, his facial expressions are rather human.
“And what do they say?”
“That you’re evil and you like to eat small children, but you’re not evil. You’re… beautiful…”
He stares at me in stunned silence. Then he throws his head back and guffaws. “Fuck! You really are drunk.”
He rises to his feet, but I yank on his sleeve, bringing him back to the bed. “No. Don’t leave...”
No smart comebacks this time. The faerie gazes at me wide-eyed, lips forming the words that his brain so desperately seeks.
His pupils dilate, and he almost looks sweet when they swell up like that.
I lose myself in his yellow eyes, and they’re so full of life.
This Fae male has enchanted me from the very moment he appeared in my dreams, and one day, I really am going to capture his likeness on canvas.
My eyes rest on his lips. He still has that prominent Cupid’s bow, and I wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
I tug gently on his cravat, bringing him closer, and as our lips brush, he jerks away, increasing the ever-growing distance between us.
For a moment, he looks at me baffled, a myriad of expressions flickering across his face. But then confusion soon gives way to anger, hurt, and finally, regret.
Before I can call out his name, he vanishes into the shadows, leaving me totally bereft.
My heart breaks. He rejected me...
And I only have myself to blame.
I was a fool to think he would ever feel the same, and I bury myself beneath my blankets, hoping I never wake again.