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Her sisters pursed their lips and Anin knew how much it had upset them.
“Do not ever do that to us again, Anin. Neither of us had ever been devastated like that in our lives. Sometime you must tell us where you ran off to, and why you didn’t think you could trust us,” Lyra said as Kes let out a particularly horrid bellow which had all three of them flinching.
Anin promised she would explain when she came back with Etain.
“You must also tell us how you came to meet the bird beast bellowing away out there,” Panella said with a grin.
“Well, the two are connected.”
Her sisters shared a look with each other.
“I have missed you both horribly,” Anin said as she hugged Lyra. “And, I love you both,” she said as she hugged Panella. She made them promise if it ever got too dangerous at the coven, they would flee to the Night Court palace. She knew Etain would protect her fellow witches no matter the cost.
The gate opened and she nearly laughed at the sight her mate made. He was scratching himself like a beast with fleas. He had been preening his feathers until he noticed the gate opening and immediately stopped. It looked like the little witch had been correct once again when she referred to him as a “bird beast.”
The second he laid eyes on Anin, he adopted an air of arrogance and a cocksure smile graced his dirty face. When she reached him, she grabbed his hand, turned back to her sisters, and waved one last time before Kes ported them back to his chambers.
Thirty Seven
Etainwascompletelydrained.She let Ciaran lead her into the bathing chamber and undress her. There was nothing heated about it, they were both desperate to be clean, warm, and in bed. He guided her under the delightfully warm falling water. She let him scrub her hair and scalp using a couple of the bottles in the little alcove next to them. Neither of them said anything, content to be with each other in comfortable silence.
Etain let Ciaran rid her of all traces of Seamus and her trek through the woods. He traced the “H” Seamus had carved into her skin with anger flaring in his eyes. When Etain had released her explosion of power, it healed the injury, but it hadn’t removed the reminder.
Etain grabbed his hand and said, “It’s okay. He’s gone and it’s behind us now.”
“I can remove it completely, little witch. You should not have to be reminded of your torment every day,” Ciaran said as he tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear and brought his forehead to hers.
Part of Etain felt she should keep it, but the bigger part of her agreed with Ciaran. She gave him a slight nod, and he placed his hand over the mark. Within moments she felt a warmth tingle under his hand before he pulled his hand away; the mark no longer marred her body. She sighed in relief and tipped up on her toes to give him a soft kiss hoping it would convey her gratitude in a way words never could.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment longer while he cupped the side of her face and gently caressed her cheek. Then he kissed the top of her head and moved himself under the water. She watched as he quickly and efficiently cleaned himself. He then used his magic to dry them both before they quickly dressed in their night clothes. She was in another gauzy black shirt dress, and he was in a pair of the softest fabric pants. Etain thought she might have to steal them at some point.
They both crawled under the blankets of the bed. Etain was mesmerized at the way Ciaran shuffled and tucked his wings in such a way as not to crush them. It didn’t even seem like he needed to think about it; it was second nature to him. She found herself wondering what it would be like to have wings. She realized there was a great deal she didn’t know about her mate, but she supposed they would have time to get to know each other over the years to come.
Once Ciaran was situated, Etain found herself scooting over towards his side to rest her head on his shoulder and place her hand over his heart. They laid there in silence for a few more moments before Ciaran spoke.
“I feared I had lost you, little witch, when I had only just found you. It was the single most terrifying moment of my life.”
“Was it because we are mates?”
He thought about her question for a moment as he slowly ran his fingers up and down her arm.
“Yes, but it is not that simple. You are the other half of my soul I never knew I was missing. To lose you now would be to suffer a half death. If you were lost to me, I would be lost to me, too.”
Etain felt her eyes begin to water with emotion, and she knew exactly what he meant, because she felt it, too. “Ciaran, I am only a human and my life is much shorter than yours. I do not wish to be the reason you suffer for the rest of your nights.” It was something Etain had been thinking about ever since Hecate had told her Ciaran was her fated mate. She had another sixty years if she was lucky, and that was nothing to a fae.
“My love – you are no longer in the Human Realm. Here your life span is connected to your well of power. The more power you have, the longer your life will be, and you have more power than I do at the moment. I can feel it. As soon as we ascend the thrones, we will also inherit the power of the Night Court and our lives will be even longer. We can, of course, still be killed, making it of the utmost importance that you learn how to use your power to protect yourself as soon as possible.”
Etain was stunned at how easily Ciaran talked about her taking the throne beside him. She had yet to wrap her head around it. She had known it was her future, but it was still a lot to process.
“I must admit, I am having a difficult time coming to terms with the idea of being Queen. Though I think the beings of the Night Court will have an even more difficult time with it.”
“Leave them to me. I think at first they will be openly hostile, but that is their way with anything. Mostly they will be pleased to have me come fully into my power. It’s been generations since we have had atrueking and queen on the throne.”
“Your parents were not the king and queen?”
“In title only. A true king and queen of the court would not only inherit more power, they would in turn replenish the power of the court as a whole, making us all stronger. I’m assuming this is why the Day Court has been able to pull off things like they did the night of the Lunar Ball.”
“I don’t understand. Why were they king and queen in name only? How does one become a true king and queen of the Night Court?”
