Page 56 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Later

Unable to hold back my laughter, I closed my eyes and held my arms out wide, relishing the way the wind twined around our bodies, as soft as silk.

Each step we took was buoyed by Kaede’s magic, lifting us so high off the earth that we were among the bats and owls soaring through the night sky.

Floating above Willowbark, the air gently pushed us along so that the landscape rushed by in a blur of green.

Kaede took my hand in his, twirling me in his arms.

“It’s like dancing among the stars,” I declared in amazement.

He grinned, leaning closer to nuzzle my neck.

For a moment, I was dizzy with the knowledge that I was motionless, suspended high above the earth in my new husband’s arms as he kissed me.

The sensation of his fingers tracing patterns down my arms, of his mouth claiming mine, both tender and devouring, was all-consuming.

His hands were on my hips, in my hair, and then clasping my face.

Rising up on my toes, I threaded my fingers through his hair, and then, feeling more daring, I trailed them over his biceps, feeling the muscles through the fabric of his jacket.

His tongue traced my bottom lip; his teeth gently nipped at my earlobe. I was breathless, lost in the taste and feel of him. My gasps would have been embarrassing, if anyone had been around to overhear us.

At last, Kaede dipped me backward, as if we truly were dancing, deepening our kiss. When he pulled away, his smile was playful, and my cheeks were flushed.

“As fun as this is,” he said, playing with a strand of my hair, twisting it round and round his finger, “I really do have somewhere to take you.”

“I thought you just wanted me to experience this,” I murmured as he took my hand and we continued walking.

I stared upward, searching the stars, picking out constellations.

It felt as if I could reach up and touch them, then catch a glittering handful to bring back to earth with me as a keepsake.

Like we were both larger than life and infinitely small at the same time.

“Of course,” Kaede said, “but we aren’t spending our honeymoon in the palace. I have somewhere more special.”

A short while later, he leaned close to my ear. “We’re getting near. Close your eyes.”

As I obeyed, he scooped me into his arms. I bit back my cry of surprise as the air whooshed in my ears and my stomach lifted into my throat.

We descended rapidly but smoothly, our speed gradually decreasing until I felt Kaede land gently.

He set me down carefully, holding me securely as I adjusted to standing on still earth.

Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he whispered, “Open your eyes.”

When I did, I clasped my hand over my mouth to cover the unladylike way my jaw gaped. I was standing in a lawn I knew by heart, with familiar gardens bathed in moonlight. The place I’d wandered during my childhood. My favorite haunts with my mother. And beyond that—home.

Tears swam in my eyes, and my shoulders shook with sobs.

“Are you all right?” Kaede asked, his hands tightening on me as if he could protect me from my own emotions.

I laughed through my tears, which tracked down my cheeks. “Oh yes.” I sniffled, my sobs devolving into hiccups. “But how did you know? How did you...?”

Kaede ran a hand through my hair, his fingertips caressing my scalp and brushing through the locks in soothing motions.

“I had a couple days to do my research. You’d spoken of your mother once.

..and your memories of her. So I asked your sister about where you’d lived before your recent move, and she shared about your estate and their need to sell it.

She said it must have hurt you, to return home after your time away and find strangers living here. ”

I wiped at my tears, sniffling again.

“She does care for you, in her own way,” he went on.

“Just not well enough. But, with her help, I arrived at the estate. It might have taken a rather large offer of money and assistance from much of the palace staff—those Mother agreed to spare from the wedding preparations—but the new occupants were moved easily enough. It’s all yours now, Aurelia.

Not just for our honeymoon, but always.”

Another tear escaped, and I found myself at a loss for words.

“Anytime you want to escape the fae world,” he continued. “Anytime you need a refuge. This estate is yours.”

Dissolving into joyful tears again, I let Kaede take me into his arms, rubbing my back and holding me through the emotions. Months of worries, of guilt, of grief—they melted into a wonderful sense of peace and happiness I’d once not even allowed myself to dream about.

“Thank you,” I whispered, finally composing myself and pulling back to study his face.

His eyes memorized this moment, drinking me in. “Of course, princess. You are long overdue this joy.” Then his grin turned mischievous as he lifted my hand to his mouth, brushing a kiss against my knuckles. “And I think we are both overdue a real honeymoon.”

This time, there was no twinge of guilt, no twist of my stomach at the vague reference to our first wedding night and its awful events. There was nothing but the heat of Kaede’s gaze, the anticipation coursing through my blood, and the sweet confidence that I was cherished.

THE END

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