Page 69 of Night Meets the Elf Queen (The Elf Queen #4)

HEL

I f he’d been furious going into the underrealm there wasn’t a word to describe what he felt now. An insatiable heat was eating away at him. It wasn’t just anger or dejection. It was the center of a sun ripping through him.

He marched with Valeen in his arms, his magic curled around them, casting shadows, curling like vipers ready to lash out.

With a snap of his fingers, her ripped and bloody clothes had been replaced.

There wasn’t a trace of dirt or black muck from the underrealm on her.

Her thick raven hair flowed out in clean waves.

She was radiant and lovely and good. Too good for him.

Sometimes it was still a wonder that she was in love with him.

There were times he thought she should be with Thane, that she might be better off, but he was too selfish to even consider it.

The wound Varlett had given her was healed as if it had never happened.

Her heart beat steadily. A lovely song to his ears, but she had been on the edge of death.

It had been within reach of her, beckoning her name.

He’d felt the coldness all around them like frost on an autumn night as winter threatened.

He’d seen death enough times to know what it looked like.

He curled her tighter to his chest and pressed his lips to the crown of her head. Sleep still claimed her. Before he’d picked her up, he’d pushed his way into her mind to make sure she was indeed there and found her dreaming in the gardens of what was once House of Night.

Even if he was on the verge of collapse, he should have been the one to push her through the door first, then Varlett would have stabbed him through the back and not her.

Pain and aching still throbbed in his shoulders and back. He hadn’t used his magic to heal himself. He’d heal quick enough, but the pain was a punishment for what he allowed to happen. Even his wings were still out, bent and bloodied.

“What happened?” Thane’s voice broke through his thoughts. Hel had nearly forgotten he was there. Slowly turning his head, he only looked at him and said nothing. He pulled Phantom along behind him. The sound of the hooves hitting the ground had become background noise.

“Hel.”

“She almost fucking died, that’s what happened.”

“Where is Varlett?”

“She’s a demon now, and the connection between them is severed,” he said through clenched teeth.

It was all he could manage. His magic was raging within him.

He prided himself on control but right now he felt like he could explode.

Part of him wanted to go back to make Varlett suffer.

To inflict pain like she’d never felt before.

He glanced down at Valeen... but he had to think of her first. The only thing that mattered right now was getting her immortality.

Varlett’s sword wouldn’t have gone through her if she had her immortal strength.

No bite from a demon hound could kill her.

Death couldn’t steal her away. Except with the fucking sword Synick still had. He needed to get that too.

“Varlett is a demon? How?” Thane put a hand on Hel’s shoulder and his magic flared on its own. Hissing, Thane jerked back and shook his palm. “You shocked me. What was that for?”

“Don’t touch me right now. It’s because of the ring.”

“You could at least tell me if Val is going to be alright.”

“She’s fine until something else fucking happens.

We’re making a move. I’m done playing fucking footsy with the council.

I’m going to invade Pricilla, and I need your help.

Get your dragons and Ravens ready.” Walking back to the castle was taking too long.

As much as the sun was a welcome gift after the horrid underrealm, he wanted to sit in a dark room and contemplate killing every council member and how he was going to do it.

In a flash, he stood outside Valeen’s room and pushed through the door.

His boots slammed on the stone floor, and he set her on the lavender quilt on the bed.

Pressing his palm to her forehead, he slipped into her mind again.

Valeen was sitting cross-legged in a bed of moss, plucking the petals off a white daisy.

Blossoming trees and blooming flowers were the backdrop behind her.

The three moons in the sky were fully intact.

It was their connected dreamworld. The place he’d spent all those years while he waited for her to wake him.

It was almost comforting. There was nothing here that wanted them dead.

She lifted her chin and smiled at him. Gods, that smile could bring him to his knees. He would crawl to her right now if she asked.

I was waiting for you, she said softly.

It’s time to wake up, love.

She frowned. I had to come here so I wouldn’t forget you. I felt myself…slipping away. I don’t want to ever forget you again.

I know. You won’t. And I’m going to make sure of that. He held out his hand to her.

She tossed the flower aside and stood, brushing off bits of moss from her pants. The moment her hand clasped his, he was pushed out.

He stared down at her face in her bedroom at Castle Dredwich.

Moments passed.

Why wasn’t she waking?

His heart started to pound and squeeze. As soon as he was pushed out, she should have woken.

“Val.” He caressed her cheek. “Wake up.”

She wasn’t trapped there. It couldn’t happen.

“Valeen.”

Then her eyelids fluttered, and a wave of relief hit him in the chest. It took a moment, but her eyes flashed open, and his crashing heart slowed. “How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?”

She reached up and touched his face, curling her fingers against his cheek.

“My Zaurahel.” Goosebumps peppered his skin.

Hearing his full name on her lips always sent a tingle down his spine.

“I feel just fine. No pain. Thanks to you.” She looked down at herself then inspected him.

“Why are you still bloody and dirty?” She sat up against the headboard and tucked her legs to her chest.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“And your magic is… suffocating.” Her blue eyes sparkled as she glanced around the room. He didn’t even realize how dark it was here. His magic had taken the form of darkness to match his mood and shut out the sunlight from the windows. “You’re still very angry. What happened after I blacked out?”

“Nothing.” He’d only just about lost his mind at how close she came to dying.

“Well, you stink like the dead.” She scrunched her nose, and that pulled a chuckle out of him.

That raging anger fueling his magic began to simmer and the sunlight filtered in. Frowning, she reached up and touched his broken wing. “Hel, why haven’t you healed yourself? Do you need my blood again?”

The bones were almost back as they should be, but it was still obviously misaligned in a few places. “I deserve to suffer.”

That frown turned into a scowl. “Are you out of your mind? Heal yourself or I will, and I know you don’t want me cutting myself and driving a dagger to inflict pain to do it.”

That was something he simply wouldn’t allow her to do for him. With a snap of his fingers, his dirty clothes were replaced with a crisp black suit. His wings vanished and any injury he had was gone. He ran his hand through his clean hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “Better?”

She smiled and crawled over to softly kiss him on the lips.

Then she straddled him and positioned herself nicely on his lap.

“Yes.” She surprised him by suddenly wrapping her arms tightly around the back of his neck.

“I was so scared. Not even of death but of leaving you, forgetting you.” She nuzzled her face below his ear and inhaled.

“I just got you back and I never want to forget, not even your smell.”

The tension coiled in his body relaxed and he rubbed his hands up and down her spine. His throat was uncomfortably tight. Only she could ever get him emotional like this. “I’m sorry I let that happen. It shouldn’t have happened.”

She started to breathe easier. “Remember the night you confessed you loved me?”

“The first or second time?”

She pulled back, smiling. “The first.”

“Certainly.” He brushed a stray piece of her raven hair off her forehead.

He’d known long before he ever spoke it aloud, worried that if he said it, it would all slip away.

He’d never really truly loved anything before her, and it scared him that she had such power over him.

“I half said it the day at the restaurant when you grabbed Lily by the throat and threatened to turn her into an empty shell.”

“Yes, but you said ‘I think I’m in love with you’.”

“I know what I said.” He’d wanted to say he was in love with her, every part of her beautiful mind, soul, and body but he didn’t just yet.

“You looked stunning in that tight silver night dress. Your hair was up in a loose bun, and I’d thought about pulling the ribbon and letting it fall a hundred times.

We’d stayed up all night playing cards on top of your bed.

Every time one of us lost a game we had to confess something real.

You’d confessed your dream of opening an art gallery with art from the best artists from every realm, but you weren’t ready to open House of Night to the worlds yet.

You were scared of what could happen. You’d never told me you were scared of anything before that.

Then I lost the next… On purpose. Because I wanted to say it, but I needed a reason in my mind to confess.

See, I was scared of that goddess, of the power she wielded to crush me in a moment with a few words. ”

He heard Valeen’s heart skip. He’d never told her he lost on purpose.

Hel thought back to that exact moment. He had been sweating, his heart was beating so hard it was like he’d been sparring for hours. Every muscle had been taut, but he also felt like he could float into the sky.

“I leaned closer to you. I think I just couldn’t help it.

‘Come on, you lost, confess something’, you teased.

‘Fine, if I must confess something, it will be that… I’m in love with you, Valeen.

I’ve been in love with you. And I can no longer picture my life without you in it.

’” Hel chuckled to himself remembering the look of surprise on her face.

Even now at this moment Valeen had that same expression. “And you said?—”

“You love me? You’re in love with me?” Valeen said and nuzzled her nose against his. “And you said,” she lowered her voice trying to mimic him, “‘yes, I love you. Why do you think I call you ‘love’?”

“I never used that term for anyone else then.”

“And you better not now.”

He chuckled. “ Never , love.”

“And then what happened after? Remind me.”

Hel smiled. “Well, you made me sweat. You stared at me for a good minute or so. I thought I was about to leave heartbroken until you climbed onto my lap, lips inches from mine and said, ‘My heart has been closed for a long time, but you made me see that it was safe to love. I love you too, Zaurahel.’ Things got hot and heavy after that. I wanted you so much I felt like I was on fire, but you said I had to wait to have you to test my devotion. Even though I know you wanted me.” He squeezed her thighs and let out a low growl.

She giggled. “I did. It was hard to deny myself of you that night, and all the others until our wedding day. But you made it worth waiting for. These are the things I never want to forget again.”

“You won’t. I won’t allow it.”

A knock on the door, then it opened. Katana came through.

Valeen pulled back and twisted out of his arms. Her sister flew across the room and threw herself at Valeen. “Oh, thank the All Mother, you’re safe. I’ve been worried. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Pulling back, Valeen shook her head. “I’m alright. We’re alright.”

He fell back on the bed, pulled out a civar and watched the silver smoke rise in little curling wisps.

“Where is Thane?” Katana asked, the worry clear in her voice. Hel glanced over at her. Something about her was different, her smell or maybe the shimmer in her hair.

“He found us at the portal. He’s probably riding back and almost here as we speak.” The civar eased the burning fire in his chest a little more, though it didn’t change his mind. He was going to make a move against the council. A monumental one that would shift the tide of this war.

“So he never went to the underrealm?” she nibbled on her lip.

“No.” He blew out smoke and rose off the bed. He was going to need Thane for the plans his mind was working up. “But I do need to speak with him. Are you alright if I leave for a few minutes?” He brushed Valeen’s arm and kissed her cheek.

“I’m fine, Hel. Take your time. I’m just going to bathe and then get something to eat.”

With a finger to his temple, he said silently, I’m right here if you need me.