Page 15 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Then

I dreamed I was shedding tears, cold and wet and flowing in rivulets down my cheeks. I shivered, reaching up to brush the wetness from my face when something clammy and cold clamped around my throat. Heart throbbing in my temples, I thrashed about, kicking and swinging my legs as my eyes flew open.

Something the same murky green of the Willow’s depths, dripping with water and algae, hovered over me, its huge yellow eyes gazing at me hungrily.

Before I could fully process what was happening, Junseo threw himself at the creature, falling to the ground with it in a tangle of arms and limbs.

Steel flashed—the glint of a dagger. As he drew his weapon, he continued to fend off the creature’s blows with his other hand.

Despite its lanky form, it seemed unnaturally strong, nimble, and fast. I sat up, greedily choking down air as I fumbled for my own weapon in the shadows.

I’d tucked it beneath some leaves and moss before burrowing into my bedroll, but in the darkness, I couldn’t find it.

A splash drew my attention back to the river, where Junseo and the creature were tumbling in the current.

Before I could cry out, his guards were racing to the bank, one of them stringing an arrow to a bow and shooting.

The arrow sank harmlessly as Junseo and the monster disappeared beneath the surface.

I held my breath, searching the water for any sign of them as they wrestled.

Even in the moonlight and the obscure waters, the sudden burst of blood staining the water red was impossible to miss. Several long seconds passed, my pulse matching the ragged rhythm of my frenzied breathing as I rose and stood beside the guards.

Then their captain emerged, shaking water droplets from his hair as he traced a path back to shore, his long, muscled limbs fluid and sure against the swiftly flowing current.

When he pulled himself onto the shore, his white shirt clung to him, the moonlight highlighting the toned planes of his chest and abdomen.

I sucked in a sharp breath and glanced away, praying no one had noticed my awkwardness.

Junseo’s bare feet were before me in mere moments, forcing my gaze up to his face.

A lock of sodden black hair fell across his forehead and water droplets clung to his eyelashes.

He reached for me. I pulled back instinctively, hurriedly masking my surprise with a scowl.

“Are you all right?” he demanded, studying my neck.

I lifted a hand and ran my fingers over my throat, remembering the chilling grip the creature had trapped me in. A wave of dizziness rushed over me, and I teetered on my feet.

Muttering something under his breath, Junseo caught me, his arms warm and comforting despite the fact that his shirt soaked into my nightdress.

Lifting me, he carried me toward our shared space beneath the willow.

“Patrol the riverbank while I tend to the princess,” he ordered his guards with a look over his shoulder. “No one sleeps anymore tonight.”

Black spots flecked my vision as the captain gently laid me on my bedroll. I blinked blearily at the tree’s swaying leaves, noting the way weakness stole through my limbs.

“That was a water wraith,” Junseo murmured, his dark eyes darting over my face, his brow pinched in concern. “They haunt the waters of the Willow, and their touch is poisonous.”

My stomach dropped as I absorbed his words. “Poisonous?” I lay my head back. My entire body was heavy. “Then why...why did we sleep along the riverbank?”

Junseo barked a humorless laugh. “Because normally, the water wraiths are only attracted to humans.”

Even in my weakening state, my mind snagged on his words, sending alarm shooting through every vein as my heart pounded out an erratic rhythm.

But Junseo went on, seemingly not suspicious of my illusion. "However, your scent would be just as unusual to one, given that you come from across the Bittertide."

My blood chilled even as beads of sweat formed on my brow and the back of my neck. "W-what does the poison do?" I managed to croak.

Junseo laid a surprisingly tender hand against my forehead. "It chills your blood and organs, essentially freezing you from the inside out."

As if in response, a shudder wracked my body and my teeth chattered.

"Don't worry, though;" Junseo went on, "I won't let you die."

If I'd been fully in control of my faculties, I would have made some wry reply about how he didn't have a choice, being that he was duty-bound to deliver me to his prince.

Or perhaps I would have questioned how he would prevent me from slowly freezing to death.

But I couldn't even form a coherent thought anymore, my mind growing sluggish as my vision grew hazy.

Wordlessly, Junseo cradled me in his arms and helped me back into the bedroll, laying me on my side. This time, he climbed in with me, tucking me against his chest and curling his body around me. I was too overwhelmed by violent chills and growing weakness to have the energy to be embarrassed.

I sank into a listless sleep, half-comforted by Junseo’s warm, steady presence and half-tormented by the relentless chill sneaking through my body, slipping through my veins and sinking into my bones.

I dreamt of transforming into ice, of watching helplessly as King Wystan and the true Princess Briar murdered my family.

It could have been days or only hours later when I awoke.

Sunlight glanced off the river and stung my eyes as I blinked and tried to make sense of where I was and what was happening.

After a night of terror and cold, I was cradled in warmth, settled and at peace.

I drew a deep breath, relishing the fact that somehow, I was alive.

That was when I realized I was enveloped in a pair of arms, with a muscled chest pressed against my back.

It rose and fell to the rhythm of Junseo’s steady breaths, reassuring me that he was, at least, still asleep.

I wasn’t sure I could feign anything but shyness at being found in what human society would consider such a compromising position with a young man.

And what had he been thinking? He’d comforted and protected me, surely, but what would the prince think? Surely there could have been another way to keep me warm and stave off the poison. I’d heard that there were fae who possessed healing magic, after all.

Junseo had claimed he wasn’t attempting to woo me, and yet he certainly had no qualms about being in close quarters with me despite the fact that I was betrothed.

Heart in my throat, I cautiously slid my hand toward where Junseo’s rested on my waist, trying all the while to ignore the way his splayed fingers sent heat through the thin material of my nightdress. Gently, I started to pry his fingers off me, hoping not to wake him.

His fingers curled around mine, locking my hand in place as my breath caught in my lungs.

“Good morning,” he said, amusement lacing his tone. His breath caressed my neck, and I repressed the urge to shudder. The chill that skittered down my spine was entirely different from the ones that had gripped me last night. “Were you annoyed to wake in my arms?”

I swallowed, hoping to project confidence into my tone rather than the uncertainty I felt.

Praying no blush suffused my cheeks, I sat up, and this time, he released my hand and didn’t resist letting his arm fall away from me.

“I was. It hardly felt dignified...as if I were a child who needed comforting in the night.” I lifted my chin, thankful that I needn’t worry that Junseo would see the lie on my face, since he would never suspect I was capable of doing so.

Junseo chuckled, the rich sound practically vibrating through my entire being. “Well,” he said, sitting up beside me so our shoulders touched, “that undignified position saved your life. Our combined body heat kept you warm enough to stave off the wraith’s poison.”

I slid from the bedroll and stood, smoothing out my nightdress. “Thank you, then,” I said primly.

When I dared to meet Junseo’s eyes, they were dark and unfathomable, his expression entirely too serious. “I thought we had agreed that pretending did not suit you.”

For an awful moment, my heart skipped a beat and my mouth went dry. I couldn’t afford to grow attached. “You were the one who said so, Captain. I did not.” I let a mask of somberness settle over my face. “I have not forgotten that I am here as part of my responsibility to my people.”

“Ah, so you fear you’ll develop feelings for me.

” Smirking, Junseo stretched slowly, languorously, so that the muscles of his arms and abdomen shifted as he did.

Realizing I was watching him too closely, I focused my eyes on the surrounding forest, pretending to be searching for the campfire I could smell cooking breakfast.

“If that were true, it is hardly a matter to jest about,” I insisted. “As you said, I was sold to your prince. How can you be so careless?”

That serious look crossed Junseo’s face again.

Somehow, it made his features even more achingly handsome, and I hated it.

I cursed the way I noticed the richness of his eyes, the sharpness of his cheekbones and jawline, and the unexpected gentleness in his demeanor.

Most of all, I cursed the way he looked at me.

..as if, despite yesterday’s proclamation that he was in no danger of developing feelings, something integral had shifted between us last night.

Between our confessions and our closeness, between waking curled up in his arms and knowing he’d stayed with me through the long, dark hours to keep me alive, there was a growing intimacy there.

A long moment passed before the captain sighed and then spoke. “We shouldn’t tarry. There may be more goblins lurking in the forest, ready to avenge the ones we slew yesterday. Besides, if we hurry, we will be able to stay in an inn tonight.”