Page 45 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Now

I choked on my cry of shock as Kaede peered over the vampire’s shoulder and his gaze locked on me.

Once again, the manor had brought me to him when he was consumed by the darkness growing within him.

Maybe it was loyal to the royal family—maybe it was performing Kaede’s will by bringing me to him so he could exact his revenge.

He clamped his teeth down on the creature’s neck. My stomach churned as blood flowed, dripping down his chin. The vampire’s body spasmed and struggled, but Kaede held fast, his hands like vises as he drank.

“Kaede! She’s in danger!”

My voice made him stir, pulling back and letting the vampire’s body drop unceremoniously to the floor. My blood pounded in my ears as Kaede’s fathomless dark eyes met mine. He licked at the scarlet staining his lips, and I swallowed the bile slithering up my throat.

“Is this a dream?” Kaede’s voice was so deep his words rumbled in my chest. He stepped closer, his eyes devouring me in a way that I wished was flattering, but was only terrifying. He was like a predator sizing up his prey. “Or a nightmare, where you’ve come to torment me again?”

“Laura,” I said, my voice firm. I fisted my hands, refusing to back down or flee. I had to bring him back to himself, to remind him of someone he cared for so he could intervene before more people were killed. “She’s in danger. You have to save her.”

He stopped a foot away, and I gritted my teeth. “Kaede,” I repeated. “You must listen to me. Lives are in danger.”

The prince moved with grace and speed, so quickly I blinked and he was only a breath away, his hands around my waist and his lips against my ear.

“Indeed, thanks to you.” His low tone made gooseflesh rise at the back of my neck and along my arms. “I think this is both a dream and a nightmare,” he continued in a whisper, lips tickling my jaw.

His nose brushed against my cheek. His mouth caressed my shoulder. My throat.

I swallowed, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. “You care about her, and she could die. You must focus. Go to her before it’s too late.”

Kaede stiffened, holding himself very still as his mouth lingered near my collarbone, his every breath stirring chills that rippled through my entire body. “Care about her? Laura,” he muttered, as if coming to himself.

“Yes, the brave young lady you rescued from the maze. The one who is even now wielding your magic and facing down a monster of your creation to save others. Because she is courageous and kind and determined and sure. Because she trusts the goodness in you and your magic. Go to her.” Every word hurt, making my throat burn, but I forced them out.

Kaede pulled away abruptly, scanning me wildly.

His pupils were blown wide, and I didn’t know if it was from desire or bloodlust. Then he blinked, and clarity spread across his features.

He was the prince I’d known and loved again, his brow scrunched in worry—in horror.

He glanced over his shoulder at the form behind him, then reached into his mouth, feeling his incisors.

Miraculously, they weren’t pointed anymore.

I blinked, my gaze flicking back and forth between the vampire he’d killed so gruesomely and the prince before me.

Other than his tousled hair, he looked like himself again.

“Come,” he said, voice stern, and I followed obediently.

He waved his hand and, to my shock, we went from walking to flying—though that wasn’t quite the right word for it.

Instead, it was as if we were walking through the air, our steps never touching the floor and gliding gracefully and swiftly.

It felt almost like swimming, or being pushed along a current, as if the air were cradling us in its arms, ushering us gently forward so that our every step took us further than normal ones could.

We descended the stairs effortlessly, and in mere moments, we’d wound through hallways and stopped before the bolted double doors of the great hall.

With a flick of his wrist, the manor submitted to his will and the doors swung open wide, permitting the crowd of terrified fae and women an escape.

They flooded out like a swollen river, rushing through the hallway to find any refuge they could within the shadowy alcoves or other open rooms, nearly trampling one another in their fear and haste.

That left only Hattie, cowering beneath the table; Florian, who clung to a sword as he searched the corners of the room, likely trying to discover where I’d gone; Bentley, who looked as if he’d just climbed back through the window to help more people to safety; and Laura, pale-faced yet determined as she faced the vampire.

A growing wind rippled through her curls, rushing toward the monster. She’s doing it, I thought.

And then—

The vampire leapt for Laura, who staggered back in fear, the wind dying. She moved just enough for the creature’s fangs to miss her neck, tearing into her shoulder instead. Blood sprayed. Hattie screamed.

Kaede landed and shoved at the air, sending it roaring toward the pair of women. It dislodged the vampire, sending her flying across the room, but Laura was caught in the gust. She slammed into the floor, her head cracking with a sickening thud against the gleaming boards.

“Laura!” Hattie shouted, sprinting across the room with her skirts in her hands, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. She slid in a growing puddle of blood that encircled her sister, who lay still.

Also safely on the floor again, I joined Hattie. “Wait,” I cautioned her as gently as I could as she reached for her twin. I pressed my fingers to Laura’s wrist, sighing with relief when I felt a fluttering pulse. “Don’t move her just yet. You could injure her further. We need a healer!”

“I’ll fetch one,” Bentley volunteered, sprinting from the room.

As he vanished, I turned to one of the tables, seizing a dagger and slicing off a piece of the tablecloth. Florian was at my side in an instant, so I turned to him, trusting he would be more reliable in this moment than Hattie, who was dissolving into tears. “Help me wrap her shoulder.”

Florian held Laura’s arm steady while I worked, applying as much pressure as I could and wrapping tightly in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood.

Across the room, there was a snarl cut short. I didn’t lift my eyes from my work, but I knew it meant Kaede had ended the vampire’s life—if whatever existence it had led could be called a life at all. His footsteps approached, and as I finished tying off the fabric, I finally dared to glance up.

His jaw was taut, his brow furrowed with concern. For a long moment, he stared at her in silence before his dark eyes flitted to me. “How is she?” he asked, voice gruff.

“Alive, but she has lost a lot of blood, and she appears to have struck her head quite hard.” I swallowed thickly. I could not help but feel a measure of responsibility for Laura’s condition, since I’d been the one to urge her to wield magic and stop the vampire.

Before anyone could say more, Bentley darted back into the great hall, followed by Azalea, who carried a leather bag slung over one shoulder.

She knelt beside Laura, checking her pulse and doing a careful study of her condition and wounds, especially the bleeding gash on her head.

“You may move her,” she announced at last. “If someone could carry her to the infirmary, I can tend to her injuries and monitor her.”

“Will she be all right?” Hattie choked out.

Azalea’s mouth was pursed. “My magic can do many wondrous things, but blood loss and injuries to the head are complicated. I cannot replace the blood she’s lost, and as for the head wound.

.. It involves more than stitching skin and muscle back together—sometimes the memory is affected.

Or worse. Those types of wounds are harder to heal, and more taxing for the patient, as it takes more of their body’s energy as my magic works with it.

It’s...hard to say what will happen to her right now, especially since she’s mortal. ”

Kaede’s face was pale as he stooped, lifting Laura effortlessly in his arms. Against my wishes, my stomach tightened at the sight of her tucked against his chest. Even wounded and unconscious, she was beautiful, her golden curls tumbling in a curtain about her face, her delicate features highlighted in the dancing candlelight as Kaede strode toward the hallway.

Bentley, Hattie, and Azalea trailed after them, but I hesitated.

Florian lingered near me, noticing my discomfort. “You thought quickly and did well with wrapping her wound,” he commended. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened. Her recovery will be in no small part thanks to you.”

If she recovers, I thought darkly.

Florian offered his arm, his mouth twitching in a half-hearted smile, like he wanted to encourage me but wasn’t sure how. “May I help you find your sister and then escort you both to your rooms?”

I drew in a shaky breath as I took his arm, finding a measure of comfort in his steady presence as he escorted me out of the room and outside, where we found the escaped fae and contestants huddled nervously in the gardens.

I ran to Callista, throwing my arms around her. “It’s safe to go inside,” I told her.

She sniffled, wiping at her nose.

“This test is over,” Ji announced, glancing about nervously. “We will...ah, announce the next round of the competition tomorrow morning.”

My mind swirled with questions. The pain from being exposed to Kaede’s magic had worn off, making me hope that meant the effects were gone for the other contestants too.

As Florian led Callista and me back to our quarters, I resolved to visit Laura the first chance I had tomorrow.

At our door, Florian hesitated, clearing his throat and searching my face.

“Tonight could have gone much worse without your quick thinking,” he said.

He lifted my hand, pressing a gentle kiss to it. “Sleep well tonight, Aurelia.”

Bidding him goodnight, I followed Callista into our rooms and locked our door. I leaned against it, closing my eyes.

“Is he courting you?” Callista asked, tilting her head curiously. “When we are all competing for the prince’s hand?”

“I...suppose he is.”

Callista shrugged, heading for the wardrobe, where she rifled through the clothing to find a nightgown.

While she prepared for bed, I went to the washroom, drawing myself a steaming bath to scrub away the day, trying to remove the memory of Kaede’s touches.

Trying to focus instead on the way Florian’s kiss against the back of my hand had felt.

It was nice. He is kind, and he sees your good qualities. I sank back into the water, finger combing through the tangles in my wet hair. And he isn’t trying to kill you.

What if I let myself consider Florian as a match? Maybe his attentions would soothe the ache in my heart, help me to forget the love I had for Kaede. Help me move on and heal at last.

Maybe.

If I wanted to remain in the fae world, and Kaede chose by some miracle to spare my life, being the wife of an influential member of the court would provide me with protection.

More than that, it would provide for anything I could possibly need—maybe even anything my family would need as well.

We would never have to worry about money again.

From that standpoint, it was a logical match.

My family could continue to live in the human world while I sent them funds.

I focused on that, telling myself that was the sort of future I should plan. Not waste time dreaming of something that could never be.

And yet, each time I closed my eyes, it was Kaede’s dark eyes, flashing with emotion, that filled my imagination. It was his tousled hair, his sharp cheekbones, and his chiseled jaw that made my heart skip.

It was the memory of his lips that haunted me.