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“I won’t think twice about kicking you in the balls if you’re lying to me.”
Talon laughed. It wasn’t his usual dark, condescending laugh, but boyish and authentic. It made my chest warm. “Violence looks good on you, firefly. If you took half the anger you showed me and directed it at Aeron, you’d be untouchable.”
My head spun from his intoxicating scent as we strolled the narrow dirt path, his muscled arm like steel. I felt safe—like I instinctively knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I bit the inside of my cheek. “And here I thought the fae couldn’t lie.”
“Oh, we lie all the time. We can’t tell direct lies.”
I blinked at him. “That makes no sense.”
“Sure it does. A lie is saying something you know to be false. However, some fae, the malevolent type, can be extremely deceptive. They’ll play on your words, find loopholes, and mislead you, but they’ll never directly lie to you.”
“That’s not reassuring.” I shook my head. “How is anyone able to determine what’s true and what’s not?”
“Ah, that’s the point. We’re not all like that though, most of us have good intentions. Still, your human fears of us aren’t unwarranted.”
“You mean to tell me capturing humans and making them fight to the death doesn’t scream welcoming?”
Talon laughed again.
I continued, “How do I know you haven’t lied to me?”
Only the crunch of twigs beneath our boots responded, and my hand grew clammy around his arm. I didn’t know what I wanted to hear, or why it mattered. Half of me hoped he had. Maybe then it’d shake whatever those festering sensations were that fluttered in my belly every time I was near him.
“A long time ago, firefly, I made a promise to a very powerful faerie to do everything in my ability to protect Faerway.”
My neck twisted up at him, surprised. Talon kept his focus ahead, but I swore his lip twitched with amusement. I rolled mine and waited for him to speak again.
“It may not seem like it currently, but I’ve made good on that promise thus far, and I don’t plan on screwing it up by sabotaging myself now. So, like I said before, I have nothing to gain by tricking you.”
We shared a look, one with no malice or suspicion—just pure sincerity—and I loosened a breath. I didn’t know why, but I wholeheartedly believed him. Trusted him. He hadn’t given me any reason not to; he’d only proved time and time again that I could. A blush crept up my cheeks as we fell into a peaceful silence, my hold on his arm never wavering until we reached a small glade.
The golden forest gleamed in the sunlight, specks of light escaping in between the leaves. It was a vast difference from the Cursed Forest that I’d found myself in the other day. This was serene. Peaceful.
I let go of Talon’s arm and sat on the moss-covered floor, the fuzzy plant providing the perfect cushion. I soaked it all in. A light wind brushed my hair, and I swore a tendril of faint giggles chimed in the distance.
“Oh, my. This is breathtaking. What is this place?”
Talon took a seat next to me, his leg brushing mine, and I tensed. “Once a month at dusk, all the adolescent sprites gather here to get their wings and take their first flight. We call it ‘The Flight of Lumen.’”
The moss cradled me as I lay back, taking in the large ray of light coming in through the center of the glade and savoring the cool air on my flushed cheeks.
Magic showered over us kindling my soul. I inhaled the soft pine. Home. It was the closest I’d felt to it since crossing the Dolorem River, maybe more than I’d ever experienced, if I were to be honest.
The moss bed dipped to my right, and I lolled my head to the side to watch as Talon lay down. He tucked his hands leisurely behind his head.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He licked his bottom lip, thinking. “It wasn’t always like this, you know—Faerway. It was once a harmonious realm where you didn’t have to fight for your freedom. Feel trapped.” His jaw muscle feathered, and he turned to me.
I itched to touch him, feel his soft skin under the pads of my fingers, and finally give in to the temptation that lurked beneath the surface, but I kept my arms firmly across my middle.
He sighed and looked away. “I understand what you’re going through more than you realize, firefly. I’ve lost people important to me as well. This is where I come to escape and clear my head. Thought it might do you some good, too.”
My gaze drifted along his sculpted jawline and straight nose to his hooded eyes, trying to find the slightest hint of deception, but I came up empty. “How can you possibly understand what I’m going through?”
Talon’s lip twitched into a frown.
I couldn’t help but wonder what haunted those emerald gems, but it disappeared as swiftly as the wind, replacing it with a tight grin.
