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EMBER
My stomach burns. Warmth on my forehead has me opening swollen eyes. In the center of the room, a fire has reduced to nothing but ash and embers. The mattress I lay on is comfortable beneath me, the blankets heavy on top.
I know where I am. What world, anyway, because, for the first time in days, I don’tfeellike I’m dying. Sore, tired, sure, but other than that—I sit up to scan the room for any other signs of life, but I’m alone.
Memories continue to come back to me, and I’m reminded that Wally—one of the few people in the world I trusted—is an ancient. Some kind of fae that had even Rafferty concerned. And little rattled. My hands tighten into fists around the comforter. Wally killed my mother. Made me an orphan. That much I remember quite clearly.
Sullivan had said—Sullivan! Shit! Did he get out before Wally lost it? Throwing the covers off of my body, I swing my legs over and stand—a futile effort because, the moment my weight is on them, I’m tumbling to the ground.
“Oh, dear!” a familiar feminine voice calls out as muted footsteps carry her over toward me. She kneels in front of me and yanks me up as if I weigh nothing before depositing me back onto the bed. The scent of jasmine fills my lungs, and I inhale deeply. “Are you okay?” she questions.
I meet Bea’s familiar eyes and all but cry out. Tears welling in my eyes, I lean forward and wrap my arms around her. The last time I saw the woman, Rafferty and I were escaping from the castle after she’d freed him from the dungeons. “I am so happy to see you.”
“And I, you,” she replies, gently rubbing my back. “I, you,” she repeats, then pulls back and cups my cheeks. “You are far too pale. How do you feel? Can you eat?”
“Where is Rafferty? What about Taran—”
“Taranus is not going to be a problem, dear,” she assures me. “He’s out searching for Rafferty, but with the Veil open, we can get you out of here in a moment’s notice if need be.” Her smile eases my nerves.
“Rafferty.”
Bea’s smile widens. “He’s been an even larger pain in the ass while looking for you, sweet girl. A beast, to be sure.”
“He came for me.” Warmth spreads through my chest.
“As I understand it, he promised he would.”
Guilt settles heavily upon my shoulders. I thought I was doing the right thing, that I was being selfless, but it seems to me I might have been selfish because loving him would only bring me more pain. “Did he tell you what I did?”
She arches an eyebrow and props a hip on my bed. “You mean sneaking away in the middle of the night and convincing Fin to help you escape back to your world so you could die and hopefully take Taranus with you?”
I wince. Hearing it out loud makes it sound far worse than it felt in the moment. “Is Fin—”
“Bloody fine.” Her expression softens. “Or, at least, as fine as he can be given the circumstances. The bond with his mate, it grows weaker every day, and soon—” She trails off and shakes her head. “He’s all right, dear.”
Swallowing hard, I smooth the blankets over my lap. “Where is Rafferty?”
Feeling far more awake than I have in quite a while, I want to see him. If only to convince myself I’m not dreaming. Funny, the first time I came here, I clung to that belief, and now? Now I want nothing more than to prove it wrong.
“He’s outside training. Come. Let’s get you into a bath. I don’t want to be crude, dear, but you stink.”
Laughter bubbles within me, a warmth that spreads through my body. “I appreciate your honesty.”
“Anytime, dear.” She wraps an arm around my waist and hoists me up against her side. Then, together, we move—painfully slow—toward the only partition in the room. Just inside, an elegant copper tub is filled with scented water.
Petals float on top of the crystal surface. I nearly weep with relief. It’s been far too long since I had a proper bath. Shit, I think the last time I did was before Taranus forced me into marriage.
Bea helps me sit back against the side of the tub as she reaches behind and undoes the ties holding up my hospital gown. It falls to the ground, and she sighs then clicks her tongue and shakes her head.
“We’re going to need to put some weight on you, girl. You’re barely alive.”
When I was here only a few days ago—my time—I’d actually put on weight. So when I look down and see that she’s right, I want to scream. To throw something—if only I had the energy. I look a hundred times worse than before I ever even came to Faerie.
My hip bones are jutting out, ribs clearly visible, my paper-thin skin giving me an even stronger skeletal appearance. I look like a walking corpse.
It’s no damn wonder my legs couldn’t support me—they’re roughly half the size I remember them being. Tears blur my vision and I close my eyes. I’d felt like less than a woman before. But now? Now I don’t even look human.
Sobs wrack through me, I fall forward, and Bea wraps her arms around me. “It’s going to be okay, Ember. We’ll get you some proper food.”
