AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sure, I had fought against it. In my hubris, I had thought I could control myself and take just a little from Beth. It had been a spectacular failure. I had lost myself in the act right up until she gasped out her orgasm and stopped breathing.
Her life spark had slipped from her body into mine. If I had not pushed it back as hard as I could, I would have watched her die and then followed her into dark oblivion by my own hand.
Because what was left for me in a world without her in it?
Afterwards, I dragged myself out of the king’s bathhouse into the gardens. Looking back, I said a silent goodbye to my mate. Then I stumbled away from the palace, away from Beth.
I knew if I stayed any longer, I would be tempted to feed from her again. To save her life, I put distance between us, far away from Emlyn. I had no specific destination in mind. All I wanted was to find a place where I could die like a sick animal, accepting my fate rather than harm my mate.
Hours later, when my legs refused to carry me any longer, I collapsed onto the forest floor, hidden from the path, and closed my eyes. This was it. I could go no further.
The night air caressed my fevered skin, and the crickets seesawed their song for me. I looked up at the night sky, hoping Beth shared the same view.
I hardly flinched when a branch cracked nearby. Maybe a shadow creature had found me. I did not care what finished me, as long as it was fast.
Voices grew louder, and soon, a group of armed Fae marched past me toward an orange glow. What were they doing here? Were they Prys’s soldiers? It was unlikely, though. Their statures were small, like the malnourished ordinary folk. The palace elites were much taller.
My curiosity got the better of me. Forgetting my exhaustion, I scrambled to my feet and followed them. They joined a group of men and women milling around a campfire in a hidden clearing.
“Give me a reason I should not run you through, spy.”
A spear poked me in the back. I turned around to face a group of fierce-looking Fae, armed to the teeth. Before I could explain, they had forced me into the clearing.
A male stepped forward. He bore the hallmarks of the Haf Kingdom, the summer territory. Sun-bronzed skin, golden hair, and fiery orange-red eyes denounced him as a fire wielder.
“Speak now or you will meet your end here. Who are you? Why are you here?”
There were more warriors in this place than I could count. At a quick glance, there were winter Fae mingling with summer and spring Fae. What was going on? I had never heard of the territories meeting like this.
In the middle of the clearing stood a large tent with no banners to announce which Gwerin nation it might belong to. Was this a war party violating the Cysgod borders?
My curiosity got the better of me, and I spoke with honesty. “My name is Daeary. I wished to find a quiet spot in the forest to meet the Goddess on my own terms.”
The man stepped back, his expression weary. “Are you sick?”
Quickly, I raised my hands, warding off his suspicion and potentially the sharp end of a sword. “No, not that. But I am mated to a woman in Emlyn, and because of a magical impediment, I cannot be with her. So I came here instead to die in peace.”
An athletic woman, dressed in living armor of interwoven vines and bark, with emerald-green eyes, laid a hand on the man’s arm.
“Jared, he is an incubus. He holds no loyalty to anybody other than his mate. I can feel the weakness upon him. He has not fed and will die soon.”
Jared’s eyes grew large. “Is that true? I cannot have a starved sex demon in this camp, causing havoc. Maybe I should kill you now.”
I barked a bitter laugh. “There is no need. I left my mate behind to spare her and have no desire to feed from anybody else ever again.”
The woman stepped closer. “My name is Calla. Who is your mate, incubus?”
I waved my hand vaguely, my head suddenly spinning. She moved so quickly, I could not avoid her touch. Lifting my arm over her shoulder, she kept me upright. Her face was so close to mine, I saw her pupils enlarge as my body roused her desire.
She shuffled sideways, but kept her hold on me. The little injection of her lust was all I needed to get my balance back.
“Thank you,” I said, and she winked.
Then she moved away, her cheeks aflame, and her lips parted. Jared looked at her suspiciously, but said nothing.
“Anyway, my mate is a half-human, King Rhys’ granddaughter.”
The moment those words left my lips, the Fae fell silent.
