Page 7 of Of Pixies and Promises (Fae Guardians)
Chapter
Seven
N yra had never felt so helpless in her life. No mana. No strength left. No hope. The spider was in kill mode as it crawled its broken web toward her—she could feel its need to end her before she ended it.
When they’d fallen from the robin, and Sid had told her to save herself, she’d almost had a heart attack. She couldn’t lose him.
On the flight over, he’d pinned her wings to keep her safe, and she’d tingled.
The sensation had continued for hours, shivering through her body—making her desperately hot despite the cold.
Her wings tried to make pixie dust, of that, she had no doubt.
Biology didn’t understand appropriate times or logic.
It didn’t care that he was the enemy. It wanted him as her mate, and it had wanted him then.
If she hadn’t resisted, hadn’t held a piece of her heart back, she would have made dust and maybe even gone into heat.
There had been too many wrong things about that situation. Sid hadn’t consented. They were flying on a bird, and he had no wings. They were from different worlds.
But as she watched him claw closer, fiercely cutting the web, furiously aiming for the spider—not her, she thought she might be wrong. He might not be fae, but he knew how to survive in Elphyne.
Sid was ruthless as he attacked the spider.
Like his lethal digging machine, his arm dropped on the creature’s face, the rock destroying.
Then he zeroed in on the spider’s weak legs—the ones her fire had scorched—and wrenched each from its body.
He didn’t stop pulling apart limbs until none were left, until manabeeze popped from its carcass, and he was kneeling, chest heaving, covered in some kind of bug fluid.
He’d saved her.
Sid barely caught his breath before dodging the spider’s manabeeze exiting its body.
Even he, a human Reaper, knew to avoid the magical life force as it rejoined the Cosmic Well.
Each dangerous ball of light had the power to intoxicate anyone it hit.
He crawled back to her on the thready web leftovers.
“Hold still,” he said, hacking the web around her wings.
They managed to unstick themselves enough to lower to a branch below. Nyra launched into his arms and buried her face in his chest. It was the only way to stop her emotions from bursting.
“It’s okay,” he crooned and cupped her head. “You’re safe.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and couldn’t speak. From how he repeated his words, she thought he felt the same way. Like his insides would boil if he couldn’t get closer to her. Like his heart would shoot out of his ribs. Like he would die if he couldn’t be with her.
Both heaving in lungfuls of air, they dropped to their knees and continued embracing.
“You let go,” she accused.
He stroked her hair with a trembling hand. “You know why.”
“The bargain.”
He pulled back and stared hard, his eyes searching hers.
“I don’t know,” he confessed.
“What?”
Sid’s thumb brushed a rogue tear that ran down her cheek. Concern filled his gaze.
“Nyra, I…” His lips closed, and he looked away. “I don’t think it’s all the bargain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before the bargain, I had the urge to protect you. And there are moments when I feel this compulsion to keep you safe. It’s like my limbs move on their own. But other times, the compulsion comes from somewhere else.”
“Sid?” She searched his anguished, handsome face. “Where?”
He brought her hand to his heart, then a cheeky smirk as he briefly lowered it to his groin before sliding it back up to his sternum.
She stopped breathing and flattened her palm against the thudding muscle beneath.
When she braved lifting her lashes, she found wonder and affection staring back at her.
“When you pinned my wings,” she whispered. “Up on the robin. I started making pixie dust.”
“For me?”
Was that hope she saw flickering in the captured shadows of his gaze?
She nodded. “I had to use every ounce of control to stifle the urge to release.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Sid,” she breathed. “You’re not?—”
“Fae.” His expression shuttered. He averted his gaze and stood, brushing his hands against his pants. “We should find that power source. It mustn’t be far.”
“Sid,” she protested. But he was already hunting for a way down the tree. She scrambled to catch up and yanked on his shirt. “Sid, look at me!”
He reluctantly met her eyes, but every line of his body was tense.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” she snapped.
“What can you say?” He threw up his hands. “I’m human. You’re a fae princess. You need a pixie in your harem, not someone like me.”
“But… do you want that?” she asked. “If you had the chance, would you be with me—in my world?”
His resistance melted, and defeat bled into every line of his posture. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Why not?” She scowled. “My wings wanted to dust you. You, the human enemy. You, my protector. You, the only male I’ve ever wanted to… well, you get the picture. Maybe I don’t need a harem. Maybe I just need you.”
“Your people would never accept me.”
“You leave that for me to worry about.”
“Fangs,” he whispered, shaking his head.
Her scowl deepened, and she tested her wings.
They felt stronger and healed faster with each passing second.
This was the effect of being close to the ceremonial lake.
Mana soaked into her from nature at an alarming rate, especially now they were close to the ground.
The sooner they went to the water, the quicker it would be.
She let her wings work until she hovered in the air, grabbed his collar, and shoved him off the branch.
He growled and snapped his hand over her wrist, ensuring her connection held while she flew them as best as she could to the ground.
She couldn’t fully carry his weight and probably never would, but it was enough to lower them safely.
After that, it was as simple as following the bioluminescence toward the lake.
They emerged from the forest an hour later.
Neither had spoken. It got to the point that Nyra thought her emotions had been high because of the danger.
She’d seen warriors overcome with that frantic adrenaline.
Seen them come back from a battle and fuck, drink, or get into brawls.
Maybe she’d imagined her wings about to make dust. Maybe none of this was meant to be and was instead a coincidence.
She wouldn’t know for sure until the bargain ended.
“What now?” Sid asked as they walked across the vast shore to the lake’s edge.
Nyra sighed as she placed her palm in the warm water. Effervescent life zinged into her being, filling her with energy and meaning.
“Touch it,” she whispered. “Can’t you feel it?”
Sid crouched and lowered his hand. Nyra held her breath, waiting for him to respond. When he withdrew his hand with a shrug, her stomach dropped.
“You truly feel nothing?” she asked. “Not even a tingle?”
Sid’s eyes skated over the lake, and he cocked his head. For a moment, Nyra thought he might hear the whispers from the Cosmic Well itself. But he shook his head and stood.
“It’s just a lake,” he answered.
Nyra’s shoulders slumped, but she didn’t stand to join him. She stayed on her knees and crawled a little further into the water. Her dress was in tatters. The leaves and flowers were either bruised or gone. All that was left was the gauzy silk wrapped around her torso and wings trailing behind her.
“What are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“I’m refilling.”
Silence.
“So you just sit there? How long will it take?”
She shrugged. “An hour, maybe two.”
The crunching of sand indicated he walked away from the water’s edge.
But then she heard boots thudding to the ground.
She glanced in time to see him drag his shirt over his head.
Broad shoulders, defined muscles, and a tapered waist. He had the body of a warrior, protector, of a…
consort. And when she looked at him, half covered in spider blood, all she could think was how he’d fought to keep her safe.
How he’d wanted to give up his life for hers.
Bargain , she reminded herself and snapped her gaze back to the unending waters.
He returned to her side and sat in the shallows. Every ounce of her being urged her to look at him. Her fingers curled in the wet sand and she stared ahead.
He didn’t really want her. This was a relationship of convenience and need; one that would end soon.