Page 27 of Black Hearted (Cursed Fae #4)

Zane

Lorelei was quieter than I expected her to be.

It didn’t bother me, but something seemed to be upsetting her, although she clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

I couldn’t stop sneaking side glances at her, enchanted by her beauty, but I worried I might be overwhelming her.

Knowing someone was your mate and then trying to live out that reality naturally felt like two conflicting forces.

Nothing about this situation was natural.

Part of me wanted to pull her down from her horse and kiss her until she was breathless, but the other part knew I had to wait for her to feel comfortable.

That meant letting her make the first move.

When I’d told her I didn’t want to force anything between us, she’d seemed relieved—but then she’d gone quiet again.

I was starting to learn some of Lorelei’s personality quirks. When she was nervous, she chewed on her lower lip. She didn’t talk just for the sake of it; whenever she spoke, it was with intention. She seemed to enjoy companionable silence but also appreciated it when I initiated conversations.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts about her and what she might think of me that I barely noticed when we reached Meadow Village. Lorelei pulled up the hood of her soft blue traveling cloak as we passed fae going about their day. I took it as a sign she didn’t want to be recognized.

After we navigated through the first crowd and ventured deeper into the village, she moved her horse closer to mine.

“I don’t normally travel without an armed guard,” she admitted, glancing around nervously.

Her skittish behavior immediately put me on high alert. “Is everything okay? Is there a reason to fear your subjects?” I asked, scanning the streets for any signs of a threat.

She turned to me, keeping her voice low.

“They all know about my gift. There are so many with ailments or sickness, especially now that we’re housing so many refugees from cursed lands.

The last time I went out in public, I was nearly trampled by fae begging for healing.

I’m incapable of saying no, so I helped as many as I could until I passed out from exhaustion. ”

A knot tightened in my chest. She had such a tender heart that I could easily see her giving to the point of endangering herself. And that terrified me.

A surge of protectiveness rose within me. “Trust me, I would die before letting you be trampled.”

A pink blush crept up her cheeks, and she ducked her head, smiling softly.

“Even so,” I said, “I think keeping your identity hidden is a good idea.”

She nodded, then a look crossed her face, as though she’d just remembered something.

“I hope you don’t think it rude of me to ask, but have you had any difficulties with your magic since arriving in Faerie?”

The comment startled me. How would she know about that?

“I have, in fact, been having some issues. Ever since I’ve come to your world, my powers have been … unreliable.” I hated to sound weak, especially after promising to protect her. “I’m not sure what’s been going on, but I can assure you I’m still capable of protecting you.”

Her eyes went wide at that, and a blush began to darken her cheeks. “No, no, I’m not questioning you,” she said in a rush. “It’s just something Queen Liliana said when I was her prisoner.”

The mention of the queen immediately blackened my thoughts. What I wouldn’t give to have her in front of me right now. Unreliable powers wouldn’t stop the retribution that I’d rain down on her for what she did to Lorelei.

“Please, don’t be upset,” Lorelei said quickly, misinterpreting my anger toward the queen.

I forced a smile, shaking the murderous thoughts from my mind.

“I’m sorry. I’m not upset with you for bringing it up. Only the mention of the queen ignited a spark of my rage. It was nothing you did,” I assured her.

She nodded in understanding. “It’s just that I think I may know what’s going on with your magic.”

I raised my eyebrows, twisting a little in my saddle to look at her more fully. “Truly?”

She nodded. “The queen said that she learned if an Ethereum lord were ever to venture to Faerie, the curse would begin to pull on his magic, weakening him.”

So that was what was happening? The curse was taking my magic?

A furrow appeared between Lorelei’s brows, concern clear on her face. “She said it would eventually deplete you of your magic entirely.”

A rush of alarm shot through me. Was that even something I could survive?

The worry on Lorelei’s face deepened, and she looked close to tears.

Seeing her so distressed was like a knife to my heart.

I forced a fake sense of levity into my voice and a broad smile onto my face.

“Well, I can assure you I still have a deep well of magic to tap into. If that is, in fact, the truth, it will still be some time before I have to worry about that.”

Relief immediately softened her features, and then her gaze shifted to my hands. “Do you mind me asking what kind of power do you have? I heard the Ethereum lords have—” She stopped herself, biting her lower lip as if unsure whether to continue.

A rush of desire shot through me at the sight, and I shifted in my saddle, clearing my throat. Forcing my gaze away from her mouth and back to her eyes, I urged her gently, my voice a little deeper than usual. “Go on.”

She paused for a moment before saying, “Dark powers. Shadow magic.”

Ah, yes. I wasn’t surprised that’s what she thought.

The fae in Faerie had been villainizing Ethereum and its lords for hundreds of years, spreading misconceptions and outright lies to justify killing our lords time and time again.

From speaking with my brothers’ wives, especially Isolde, I knew that many in Faerie believed Ethereum—and especially the lords’ magic—to be dark and evil.

It wasn’t. It was just different from the magic here, and I believed that, in time, Lorelei would start to see the stories she’d been told about my realm for what they truly were:lies.

I glanced at her and smiled, hoping to put her at ease but feeling a bit nervous that I might scare her.

“In relation to your healing magic, yes, mine might seem dark. I can shoot and control black lightning. And I can also manipulate shadows, though not as well as some of my brothers. The lightning is my primary power.”

Her eyes widened at that. “Lightning? From your hands?” She didn’t seem afraid—more curious, and for that, I was relieved.

I opened my mouth to comment, but before I could, we came across another group of fae stocking a barn with hay bales.

I didn’t want to speak so openly about my magic in front of other fae, so I kept my mouth shut as we walked our horses past the barn and up to an inn with a sign that read Meadow’s Inn above the front entrance.

The establishment looked small but clean—at least from the outside.

A sturdy man with broad shoulders, shaggy brown hair, and a friendly smile approached us from the barn. “Want to board the horses for the night?”

I nodded. “Yes, do you own the inn as well?”

The man inclined his head. “Adler’s the name. And we’ve got vacancies.”

“Good. We’ll take two rooms, please.”

“One room. Two beds,” Lorelei interrupted, and I stopped myself from raising my brows despite my surprise.

Adler grinned and stated his price. I dropped some coins into his outstretched hand—coins Lorelei’s mother had given me before we departed, knowing I’d given all my gold to Nellie.

Adler told us to wait where we were while he retrieved the key.

He returned swiftly, and after dismounting and handing over the horses, we stepped into the inn, where loud, boisterous music and dancing greeted us.

Lorelei winced. “I’m famished, but—” She glanced at the overcrowded dining hall.

“Say no more,” I told her and approached a barmaid. The aroma of stew filled the air, making my mouth water. “Can you send some food and drinks for two up to our room?” I glanced down at the key Adler had given me. “Room six.”

The barmaid’s eyes flicked to Lorelei behind me, a knowing grin spreading across her face. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Sure thing, honey,” she said with a chuckle, and I paid her.

After arranging the meal, I led Lorelei upstairs to room six.

Unlocking the door, I held it open for her, and we stepped inside.

The room was surprisingly spacious. Two single beds sat at opposite ends of the room, separated by a privacy curtain.

A door on the far wall likely led to the bathroom, and in one corner stood a small two-person table.

Lorelei glanced over her shoulder at me, her cheeks tinged pink. “Are you okay with sharing a room?” she asked shyly. “It’s protocol when I travel with only one guard, which rarely happens. And … it would make me feel safer to have you here.”

Being near me made her feel safe? Pride swelled in my chest, and a goofy grin spread across my face.

“Absolutely,” I said quickly, then cleared my throat, embarrassed by my eagerness. “I’ll take the bed near the window.”

She nodded, mentioning she wanted to freshen up before the food arrived.

She disappeared into the bathroom, and shortly after, I heard the sound of water running.

When she emerged, she wore fresh clothes: a green-and-pink floral linen skirt with a matching top.

Her long hair was tied into a braid over one shoulder, and she smiled when she caught me staring.

“I don’t feel normal until I’ve had my nightly bath,” she confessed.

Good to know. I filed that tidbit away, wanting to remember everything about her.

I sat at the small table in the corner and gestured for her to join me.

“What else?” I asked as she took the seat across from me.

The light cascading through the windows made her silky hair shimmer in a beautifully distracting way.

Forcing my gaze to meet her purple eyes, I pressed on. “Tell me more about you.”

She seemed to consider the question. “Well, I love flowers, obviously.”

“Obviously,” I agreed with a smile. “And you like to sing.”

Her eyebrows shot up, surprised that I knew that about her.

“The first time we met, when Isolde and I visited you in the palace gardens, you were singing,” I reminded her.

She nodded. “Right. That visit was so unexpected, I didn’t remember that. It was just so shocking to see you and Isolde suddenly appear in front of me.”

“I’m sorry if we frightened you.”

“Don’t be,” she said, reaching forward on instinct to place her hand atop mine in comfort. Just that small touch set my heart racing, but I schooled my features so I wouldn’t reveal that truth to her. She lightly squeezed my hand, then pulled back, and I forced myself not to be too disappointed.

“If you hadn’t come to me that time, I never would have known you were in Faerie, and I never would have tried to reach you in our dreams. And if I had never contacted you …”

Her sentence trailed off, but I could guess what she was going to say. If she had never dream-walked to me, I wouldn’t have known how to find her, and she surely would have died at Queen Liliana’s hands.

The look in her eyes was far away, and the sadness on her face made my own heart ache. I would do anything to wipe that sadness away.

“So you do like to sing?” I asked, grasping for something to pull her out of her dark thoughts and back to the present—back to me.

She blinked twice and then refocused on me. The smile that lifted the corners of her mouth looked forced, but it was a start.

“I do,” she admitted. “But only to myself. I’m not trained or anything, so I’m not very good.”

I shook my head. “That’s not true. Your voice is as lovely as a songbird’s. I could listen to you sing all day long.”

She ducked her head slightly, unsuccessfully trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. “That’s kind of you to say,” she said shyly.

I leaned forward, wanting to get closer to her in any way I could.

“What else?” I asked again.

I hoped I wasn’t overwhelming her, but I couldn’t help myself. There wasn’t a single detail about her I didn’t find completely and utterly fascinating. I wanted to know everything—every small detail, every innermost thought. I was determined to learn her like no one else ever had or ever would.

“Well, I love reading—anything romance. I spend hours in the garden. I hate visiting the Winter Court because snow and cold are dreadful. And I love puppy breath.”

My brows furrowed at that last part. “Puppy breath? Is that a flower?”

She burst into laughter, the sound filling the room and causing my heart to thump wildly.

“That’s cute,” she giggled. “No, like a puppy. A dog. Their breath is amazing.”

I barely recovered from her calling me cute. Now I was laughing. “You just go around smelling puppies’ breath?”

She nodded, grinning.

“That’s weird. I’m going to erase that from my memory.”

“It’s not weird. We’re going to find a puppy after all this is over, and I’m going to make you smell its breath.”

I leaned forward, utterly entranced by her. “Promise?”

She smiled, but then her expression fell. I was about to ask what was wrong when a knock came at the door.

The barmaid arrived with two heaping bowls of meat-and-yam stew, fresh bread, and hot cider. The food looked as delicious as it smelled. As we ate, I tried to get Lorelei talking and laughing again, but she’d retreated into one of her quiet moods. Not wanting to press her, I fell silent, too.

I’d wait years if it meant Lorelei would open up to me on her own terms. She was worth it.