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CHAPTER TEN
LILY - MIA
Darkness settles over us like a dream. It hits me for the first time what I'm doing.
I'm getting married.
It doesn't matter that I'm doing it under a false name. It doesn't matter that I'm on a completely different plane of existence than I was born on. I'm getting married tonight, to a man I’ve lied to.
A man I can’t have.
A violent criminal. A terrifying monster to many. A man who is feared. I’m supposed to put him behind bars.
And yet, my body craves his touch in a way that shames me. How can I think of what will happen after the ceremony? Fabien has sworn I'll be his then. There'll be no resisting him.
Even if I wanted to stop him, how would I? I already know my body will betray me. We're in Faerie, in a demesnes the Nightshade clan rules as royalty.
There’s no one to save me here.
They've left me in the darkness. Gabrielle, led me here to this spot and just…slithered off. Willow tree branches whisper in the breeze overhead. Vines fall all around me like curtains. The ground is covered in thin moss like a carpet. The only light to see by is the sliver of crescent moon in the sky. The sight of it sends a shiver through me.
Did I really see a mountain god out here? It was like a visitation from another world. And I’m still haunted by the names they chanted as they led me out here: Nevergrace, Drowsyfire, Loveblot. Ancient ancestors of the clan elevated to gods in the centuries since their passing.
They're like saints, or demi-gods or something.
And they're watching me.
My heartbeat swells until it blocks my ears. All I hear is the blood pumping through me. In this world of Faerie, magic feels so real and so close. These beings, these gods, the mountain god… they seem so real. Like devils that could pull me down through the soft earth to my grave for my sins.
Liar, they call me.
I’m about to swear an oath under a false name before all the gods and whatever else these people believe in. If that's not a sin, I don't know what is.
I’ve called Fabien a thug and a criminal. But would he stand in a church and lie to my face before God and everyone? Somehow I don't think he would. There's something about him that feels above that.
The most beautiful song I've ever heard echoes through the trees in the dark wood. Something growls nearby and I almost scream. But as it stalks out of the trees and strolls past me, I freeze instead. It only spares me a glance as it steps into the moonlight.
A lion. The largest I've ever seen.
It's not anything like the lions in the zoo. This one looks like an apex predator. Something that’d easily eat me.
Lions seem like something you should mention to the bride.That's all I can think of. Maybe no one in the Raidh is scared of lions?
It's followed on its heels quickly by three mice. They chitter at the massive lion. He shakes his mane and stalks on through the woods, growling like they’re having a conversation.
Then the will o’ wisps come, glowing golden orbs floating over the tall grass nearby. They whistle past like fireworks, and slow to a stop in a formation, forming a line.
An aisle.
Gabrielle left me, whispering something to me I couldn't understand. It wasn't English, whatever she said. But she never told me to walk or dance or do anything.
As far as I know, I'm supposed to stand here looking pretty until something happens. I wish Olivia could be here with me, but the Nightshades were adamant. The portals between realms are highly regulated, and only a few illegally.
Just enough for Fabien and I, and Lysander, Zedona and a few of the servants. Somewhere out in this darkness, my fake father waits.
Will he walk me down the aisle?
As if in answer to my question, Fabien appears in the shadows and strides towards me. He looks incredible in his suit and tie. Nothing like the criminal he's supposed to be. Not even like a mafia kingpin, dressed in fancy clothes.
