Page 53 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)
Now
D im light suffused my vision, comforting as it dispelled the cold that had sunk into my bones.
My pain had vanished, along with the cold and the river’s violent current.
The noise had abated as well, leaving nothing but the sound of a gentle breeze ruffling my hair and birdsong somewhere close by.
I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scents of warm earth and fresh air.
Grass tickled the back of my neck, and as I opened my eyes, I became aware of fingers tangled with mine.
Turning, I found Kaede lying on the grass beside me on the riverbank, with no other soul to be seen.
Overhead, early morning painted the sky in shades of pink and gold and violet, a beautiful new beginning. Soft rain clouds hovered overhead, bringing gentle droplets that kissed my cheeks.
“Are we dead?” I whispered. My chest no longer ached; my head was clear.
Kaede’s expression was tranquil, his dark eyes drinking me in with a tenderness that nearly broke my heart.
This was not the stony-faced man I’d encountered in the hallway only a day before, nor the man who’d wanted to tear out my throat before that.
This was the kind prince I’d fallen for, the one who’d seen and known me and loved me for who I was.
The one who had encouraged me to embrace all the goodness and joy of life and dance in the rain.
“Unconscious. My magic brought me back to you, to heal your pain.” His thumb painted soft circles over mine, and I shivered.
I squeezed my eyes shut. My sister’s soul-cutting selfishness. Florian’s use of me. My impending death. It all came back to me like a stab to the heart, and I nearly broke down weeping.
Instead, the comfort of this place swept in, Kaede’s life magic replacing the pain with peace.
Then, a new wave of worry assaulted me, and I sat up, pulling myself to my feet. Kaede stood with me, his brow furrowed.
“Why are you asleep? Is the poison killing you?” I asked frantically.
Kaede shook his head. “No. Azalea brought me the antidote. When I realized how you had obtained it, through a bargain with Allvar of all things, I raced to meet with him and demanded to know what his price had been. I wanted to run to you, but the antidote affected me much like any healing magic would, tasking my energy and forcing me instead into sleep.” He drew an unsteady breath.
“I...I owe you my thanks, Aurelia, though I hardly know how to go about it. I’ve treated you abominably, threatening your life.
Carrying this anger and vengefulness in my heart.
Perhaps the demon’s breath was the catalyst, but it wasn’t the only reason my magic had transformed into something so ugly and deadly.
I blamed you for the deaths of my people, but that wasn’t right. ”
My eyes burned. “Kaede, what I did was unforgivable. I knew the consequences—not only to you, but also to your people. It was selfish of me.”
Kaede reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
The rain was falling faster now, catching in my eyelashes until I could hardly tell if my eyes were blurring from droplets or tears.
“You did it to save your family. You’ve always given of yourself for those you love, without thought of getting anything in return.
Your heart is generous and kind, and what happened.
..what you did to me...I understand what it cost you.
I know why you did it, just as I know that you sacrificed everything for both your sister and me, all to save me.
” Tears sparkled in his beautiful eyes. “I forgive you.”
A tendril of hope unfurled in my chest.
But then he stepped back, a shadow passing over his face.
“Florian is more deserving of you, and I don’t blame you at all.
I’ve treated you abominably... threatened you.
..” He shook his head brokenly, horror in his eyes.
“But even when I thought I hated you, my heart was yours.
Even when I wandered in death, lost and angry, I belonged to you.
My soul is tethered to yours eternally, for even death did not break the bond we formed—not for me, at least.
“There was a time when I feared the woman I fell for did not exist, that everything had been a cruel trick, but every moment with you, as your true self, has proven to me that you are the one I fell for. The glimpses of your heart that you showed to me when you were disguised as Princess Briar...they shine even brighter now, when you are fully you , Aurelia. You are the most enchanting and lovely and pure soul I’ve ever had the honor of knowing, and I’ve only ever loved and wanted you.
Not Princess Briar, save for when I thought she was you.
” He laughed, though it sounded nervous.
“Not Laura, though I fear I gave that impression to many. Only ever you . Please, if I have even the smallest chance of winning back your heart, tell me I do not ache for you in vain.”
For a moment, I could scarcely breathe, let alone speak. He forgave me. He loved me.
“You’ve chosen Florian, haven’t you?” The pain in Kaede’s face was more than I could bear, and I finally managed to speak.
“No, no! Florian is a friend, nothing more. But...Kaede, what I did to you...” My throat ached, and I struggled to speak through the tightness, fighting back the urge to sob.
“It broke me. I couldn’t let you die again, even if I couldn’t stay in the world with you.
I couldn’t leave you to suffer like you were, and for your people to suffer because of that. ” A tear slipped free.
Kaede brushed it off my cheek before lifting his other hand, cradling my face so tenderly, I closed my eyes to soak in the moment, to bask in his love.
“I love you. I always have. Not a day has passed that I have not regret what I did with every ounce of my soul.”
“Then let us agree never to be parted again,” Kaede murmured, pulling me close, “and only to forgive and love one another from now until death tries and fails to separate us.”
When he kissed me, I forgot about all my fears, forgot about the rain dampening my hair and skirts, forgot about the pain.
He tasted of the spring rain and fresh beginnings, of a love both familiar and new.
Moving his hands to my hips, he held me against him, cradling me in his arms as I buried my own hands in his hair and parted my lips for him.
He traced them with his tongue, tasting me, revering me, in a way only he had ever done.
No one else’s love had ever been as pure as his, the only soul who’d ever loved me for me, never wanting anything in return but my own affection.
He groaned, pulling back just enough to whisper against my lips. “You are still my sweetest torment, but you were worth every moment of agony.”
Blinking away tears of joy, I pulled him closer and kissed him harder. My prince. My love. My betrothed.
Suddenly, he jerked back with a sharp inhale. “I’m waking up. You must too. I’ll find you, Aurelia. It will be all right. Hold on and wait for me.”
And then the world was dark again, but no longer silent.
Somehow, I could still hear and feel everything.
It was full of frantic cries, churning water, and biting cold.
My chest and throat ached and burned—and I couldn’t breathe.
I was drowning, even though my sodden back was on grass. Florian’s voice was crying out my name.
“Failed!” Ji shouted gleefully.
Weakness and pain were all I knew. Sounds began to fade. I was slipping away, succumbing to unconsciousness, to death.
Hold on and wait for me.
I tried. I had to. Kaede would find me. He’d chosen me. His magic would tie me to him and to the land. He’d save me...
Something stirred against my face. A breeze.
Desperation clawed through me, but also hope, sweet and powerful and intoxicating.
Magic burned through my veins, yet this time, it didn’t hurt.
I reached for the wind as someone pressed against my chest. I coughed up water and opened my eyes, lifting my hand and calling on the wind to whip around me.
It tore at my sodden dress and hair, sending droplets of water flying back toward the river.
“Th-that’s not...that’s not possible,” Ji stammered.
He and some of the other fae were pressing in around me, gaping like I was a strange creature on display for them to ogle.
The sweetest sound I’d ever heard broke through the chaos: a deep, rumbling voice full of power and confidence and fire.
“Step away from my bride.”