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Rion waded into the crisp water, sucking in a breath as the bitter chill lanced through his core. He wasn’t sure what the council’s magic had done to him, but he’d never quite recovered, even with Arianna’s healing abilities. It still felt as though a sliver of ice was trapped somewhere in his body and it left him shivering most nights.

Not that he’d told Arianna about it.

Arianna’s shoulders shook and she’d drawn her knees up, hiding her face in her arms. Steam rose around her body and he knew she’d warmed the water there for his sake.

Rion sat beside her, wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close. “It’s only instinct.” He hated seeing her this way. She felt a sense of obligation to everyone else, but she was the one who needed rest.

“I don’t see you raging at people.” Oh, if only she knew. The sheer restraint he had most days surprised even himself. He wanted to roar and tear through everyone who so much as looked at her.

“Because no one has threatened you. And though I loathe having them around, it’s difficult to be angry when they treat you like the queen you are.” Her people revered her, worshiped her, and some still didn’t even know who she was yet.

Arianna sighed and wiped the tears from her face. “Maybe I’m in over my head.”

He waited for her to say more. When she didn’t, Rion pulled her closer. “My offer still stands.” She tilted her head slightly and he glanced into her red-rimmed eyes, the blue of the irises so bright even in the shadow of the bridge. His heart pulled at the pain reflected there and he wanted nothing more than to ease her burden. Rion tried a faint smile. “I offered to take you away from all this. You declined.”

She huffed out a laugh and turned back to gaze at the crystalline pool before them. It was shallow, only about waist deep, and he didn’t miss the ripples as the Fairy Folk played among the foliage at the bank. “They’d hunt us down.”

That wasn’t a no. Rion swallowed, leaned closer, and whispered, “I’m very good at disappearing.” It’s what he’d done half his life. “I promise it would take them a very long time to find us.” He could take her north into the mountains. The Fae there were darker, more dangerous, but he’d already established dominance over them. They’d steer clear of the harpy’s territory, but the rest—

Rion’s breath hitched when she pushed him back, submerging his upper torso in the water while his head rested on the bank. His heart thundered, fear pulsing at the thought of being pinned. Trapped. But Arianna’s body straddling his own had his blood racing for other reasons. Rion placed his hands on her hips, his mind going from a plan of escape to his mate in a single breath.

She leaned down, her mouth inches from his and Rion zeroed in on the movement. On the way her breath quickened. The way her eyes grew heavy. He’d never get enough of her wanting him. The desire that flowed down their bond matching his own. He still couldn’t fathom how she seemed to need him as much as he needed her.

“Ellie would find us.” She ran her nose down his throat and his heart beat even faster. He no longer cared that his body was submerged, leaving him vulnerable to every Fae in Móirín. Didn’t care because Arianna’s legs were around him, her scent stealing every rational thought from his mind. She was his center now.

“Arianna,” a female voice called.

He sighed at the disturbance and Arianna pressed her forehead to his. “See?” She was right about one thing. Even if they ran to the edges of the world, Ellie would find them long before he planned. The solitude would never be long enough.

“Arianna,” the voice called again, closer and with a bit more force.

“Do you think she’d catch us if we ran?” he asked, hoping to bring a smile to her face.

Arianna gave him a knowing look. “You’re soaked to the bone. She’d have you pinned before you even left the water.”

Chapter Four

Saoirse

Night had fallen, bringing with it those who frequented the old tavern. Some filed in, greeting the barkeep like an old friend. Others stumbled through the doorway, sinking into the nearest table before raising their hand for a drink. She’d happened upon it that evening, hoping to drown away the week in a tankard of ale. To prop her feet up, perhaps chat with a female or two.

Then Saoirse had stopped in her tracks. A female buzzed behind the counter, listening to another who gave her instructions. She took the glasses and placed them on a tray, but before Saoirse could escape, the female’s hazel gaze locked with hers.

Màili.

The same female who had declared them only friends after the happiest six months of Saoirse’s life.

Màili waved, a wide smile breaking across her face that reminded Saoirse of summer nights spent beneath the redwood canopy. A knot formed in Saoirse’s gut, but she forced herself to smile and wave back. Then she found a seat in the rear corner. It was too late to run now, not without it being obvious why.

Thankfully, Màili wasn’t the one who glided toward her table when Saoirse signaled for a drink. It was another female, beautiful and elegant in her own right, with streaming dark hair and a pair of legs she might have loved to appreciate any other time, but Saoirse couldn’t tear her gaze away from the one behind the bar.

Even after three tankards of ale and two shots of whisky, the female still pulled Saoirse’s gaze. She’d look up every now and then and Saoirse would glance away, pretending to chat up the waitress, but after a while her gaze would drift back, hoping beyond hope that maybe one day Màili would give her another chance. Maybe Saoirse could compact her work schedule a little more, give the female more of her time.

She shook her head. Saoirse honestly hadn’t known Màili would volunteer to come, but Màili had always been one for adventure. When they’d called for a supply wagon to aid Levea in the wake of the attack, Màili had likely been one of the first in line.

Friends.

Gods, she’d messed up and she couldn’t just blame it on a busy schedule. Saoirse had missed not one, not two, but three dates they’d planned and the last one had been important to Màili, a showcasing of her latest paintings in a small square with about a dozen other artists. It wasn’t a huge event, but it was the first time Màili had shown her work to the public.