Page 43 of His Dark Delights

The fae wine flowed so easily, and it helped me forget. It flowed through my veins like liquid gold, enhancing every sensation. I tasted colors, saw the wind, and heard the cacophony of music that the fae wild made.

Three days passed, maybe four… or it was a week. Gods, maybe it was two?

If I didn’t stop, I’d forget myself entirely. In a moment where the wine receded enough, I dug deep, searching for my name.

My name… what was my name?

The Queen of Flowers?

No. That title belonged to another. That title was a wonderful dream crafted by a man who refused to give me back my heart .

“Lilly.” My father’s voice found me in the darkness. The voice I’d known all my life, relied upon in my weakest moment and strongest day, whispered to me through the mystical woods. In the trenches, drunk on fae wine, his ever-gentle hands reached into the unfathomable dark and scooped me out.

I was Lilliana Faelynn, and I needed to… to what?

Stop drinking .

Start there, then move forward.

One foot in front of the other. I stumbled away from the music and dancing, forcing my shaking legs onto solid ground.

Fresh air swept into my nose, golden rays of light broke through the boughs and kissed my skin with reinvigorating warmth.

I followed the rippling tune of trickling water until I found a pool of clear water.

Three water nymphs were braiding each other’s hair. Two more were kissing, entwined, with hands moving between the other’s legs beneath the water. I’d seen as much and more over the past several days—weeks—and I’d grown numb to erotic acts performed in the open.

Many fae men and women had tried kissing me or touching me since the first night.

For a long time, I couldn’t remember why I turned them down.

After all, I was a flower nymph. It was in my blood to love and make love, but every visceral ounce of my body refused to accept another—refused to accept anyone who didn’t have dark hair and a wickedly sensual mouth.

I sank into the water alongside them, cleansing myself from the effects of the fae wine. Dunking my head under the water repeatedly, refreshing waves washed over my head. Gods, it helped exponentially to clear out the addictive drink in my system.

Names filtered back into my thoughts, names I hadn’t thought about in weeks, and it pained me to think of them now. Millie, Rhydan… Soren.

Jaunty footsteps crunching along the bank of water. The nymph’s braiding hair perked up, smiling seductively at the figure casting a long shadow over the shifting, sparkling water.

The Prince of Fairy stood behind me, hands on his hips and a confident smile on his mouth. His coppery-pink hair caught the light with brilliant red strands, and his wings fluttered delicately, hanging like a luxurious cape at his back.

“Ah, brave girl. Have you been enjoying the pleasures of the Fae Wild?” he asked.

“Lunaric? Where have you been?” I crawled from the water, fighting the mangled hem of my dress clinging to my legs. The prince offered me a hand, gallantly helping me up to my feet. When he gestured down the path along the water, I nodded, silently agreeing to walk with him.

“After the first three nights of celebrating my safe return, I had to return to my responsibilities. With Mother absent, I’m the head of the fae. Courtly duties and all that.” He picked an invisible piece of lint off his vibrant coat and flicked it into the passing grass.

I trekked after him, sopping wet, but glad of the clarity.

“I would have appreciated more guidance on the wine. I fear I nearly lost myself in it. How long have we been here? Where is the fae who can help me?” I rattled off the returning questions.

“Slow down, brave girl,” Lunaric sighed. He paused, thinning his lips as a dryad passed with a pixie playing a tiny flute on his shoulder.

I lowered my tone. “We made a deal, Prince of Fairy. Remember?”

“Aye, I remember.” He tossed his arms out. “Look, I am sorry about the wine. But you had a good time, yes? You got to forget your problems for a while. I gave that to you.”

“I don’t want to forget everything. I want my essence unlocked so I can live up to my full potential.”

“Well, she’s not back yet. There’s nothing to do but wait until her return. But it’s been two weeks, and she’s been gone too long. I’m considering sending scouts to search for her regiment.”

Two weeks? I’d lost two weeks .

A nervous energy radiated off Lunaric, causing a spike of alarm to surge through my insides.

“Something’s happened.” It wasn’t a question.

Lunaric dipped his head. “Yes. A week ago, the Fairy Butcher returned to battle. He’s crossed further into the Mistwood than ever before. It’s kept the Queen away.”

A white-hot knife gutted me, and bile rose in the back of my throat. If my stomach wasn’t so empty, I might have spilled the contents. My knees weakened, and the world swayed around me.

He caught my arm. Only his gentle, reaffirming grip on my elbow kept me upright. “I… I am sorry, brave girl. Perhaps it would have been better to forget some things.”

“No. We should never forget the things that make us feel—good or bad.” I groaned against a wave of nausea.

“I suppose you’re right. Let’s get you into the palace for some food and a proper drink. You need water, and lots of it.”

After helping me back into the forest palace, Lunaric had a plate of food and water summoned.

I changed into another air-light dress and joined him for a meal.

He offered me a seat at the high table in the grand hall.

I was too busy filling my empty stomach to pay attention to the natural opulence or the noise outside.

Halfway through my third flagon of water, a sudden clamor echoed outside.

Magic flickering lights on the silver hued wooden walls raged higher and brighter.

The wisteria chandeliers bloomed, releasing a stronger floral scent into the hall.

The two doors burst open, banging against the walls so hard I thought they’d shatter.

Lunaric dropped his chunk of bread before shooting to his feet.

An indomitable, striking figure garbed in an armor of crimson rose petals sauntered into the room. Ruby droplets dripped onto the ground with each assertive step she took—blood. And more of it drenched the ends of her vibrant pink-red hair and the crown of roses on her head.

Her features were poised, sharp, and stunning. A beacon of power for the fae and a testament to nymph greatness. The smile on her full lips was assertive, wild, yet glamorous. She carried the air of victory and fury—life, death… and flowers.

“Mother,” Lunaric crossed the corner of the table, drawing the Queen of Fairy’s attention.

The Fairy Queen’s eyes landed on her son, and they lit up from within with a silver light. Her lips parted in a smile, and I noted the slight gap between her front teeth that mirrored mine .

“Lune,” she said to him with a voice like the wind, like honey, like the chime of bells. A voice that I knew deep in my heart—a voice that I’d heard whispered from the flowers all my life. A voice that had reaffirmed how much she cherished me from the expanse of a never-wilting meadow.

My shaking legs lifted me from the chair, leaning over the table as if drawn to her. A sharp breath passed my lips and goosebumps flared over my limbs.

Her wonderfully long, pointed ears heard that soft gasp. And her head tipped as she looked past her son.

The entire world tipped on its axis and a crackle of wild, chaotic magic pulsed around the chamber. Even the air thinned as I floated on a cloud of brittle suspense.

“Lilliana?” The Fairy Queen spoke my name, voice cracked and distraught. She spoke it with reverence, like it was a name she’d whispered to herself for years in the long nights.

If not for the table braced under my hands, I would have crumbled to the floor.

Lunaric glanced between his mother and me before arching his brow. “Oh, I think I’m missing something here. Something very important.”