Page 14 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)

Chapter Thirteen

Iris

W alking through Unseelie territory, I follow Ciaran closely, not able to trust my own senses. Once again, I feel completely turned around, my sense of direction thrown off. Sometimes it feels like the world slows around us as we move on, while other times I feel as though I’m moving in slow motion. Strange noises call out to me, and although I can’t understand them, I feel drawn to them, as though I’m in a hazy dream. Ciaran doesn’t appear to be affected by any of this, so I suspect it has to do with magic, most likely to turn anyone around who isn’t supposed to be here. It would be so easy for me to stumble off the main path and into the trees, following the mystery siren call. Thankfully, all I need to do is look at Ciaran, and it helps clear my mind, reminding me of my true purpose here.

Although we’re silent as we traverse the forest, the quiet between us isn’t awkward. He seems lost within his own thoughts, and he probably understands that not only am I shaken from almost being eaten by a water wraith, but also the effects the forest is having on me. Every now and again, he glances over his shoulder at me, no doubt checking that I’m okay, his expression serious.

Staring at Ciaran’s profile, I examine his handsome features. He always seems so put together. Even now, with his clothing dishevelled and his hair a mess, he still somehow manages to maintain a quiet dignity that makes him stand out as nobility. In fact, his ruffled hair only makes me want to run my fingers through it, which is something I’ve never thought before. I think that seeing him like this is making him seem more approachable, not to mention he’s saved my life twice now.

My mind drifts. Ciaran assured me that nothing would dare to attack us, especially now that we’re on the main path through the territory. This is something he also promised to my grumpy god of a mate, and he must have meant it, because Nyx eventually agreed. My mate really hadn’t wanted to separate and argued his case well, but it’s becoming clear that Ciaran is the male I need to be with for answers.

What I really need to do is find my other mate. The constant ache in my chest that’s linked to Alaric seems to pulse. Something isn’t right and hasn’t been since I died and was brought back. He’s a fae prince and incredibly strong, but he’s my mate, and I worry something’s happened to him.

“If you’ve had enough of admiring my beauty, we need to make a stop here,” Ciaran calls, catching me staring at him as he gestures to a building that just appeared in the distance.

Honestly, even if we were beside it, I still would have missed it, my mind far away. I could blame it on the strange effect the forest has on me, but even I know that would only be part of the truth.

Examining the building, I see that there are actually two separate structures, one on either side of the road. A stable is on our left, and what appears to be an inn is on the right. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see in Unseelie territory, but a cute inn with white smoke puffing from the chimney wasn’t it.

I suppose in my mind, the Unseelie Court is ruled by one powerful fae, and the rest of the creatures roam freely within the territory without any responsibilities or anyone to keep them in check. Evil things cannot create beauty, right? How can a creature that commits unspeakable acts on the innocent also have businesses? That implies knowledge and a desire to serve, and that their service is reciprocated.

This revelation is almost beyond my comprehension. Everything I’ve grown up learning is turning out to be wrong. Well, my encounter with the water wraith shows there are still some who are capable of awful things, but the inn and stables ahead are making it harder for me to believe that all Unseelie are evil.

What I hadn’t considered about them was the fact that they have a whole system of nobility and rules, as well as a functioning court, much like the Seelie. It appears that just because these are creatures who can cause great harm, that doesn’t stop them from having a system of diplomacy and rule.

“We will be expected to arrive in a certain way, and appearances are everything in the Unseelie Court.” He glances at me over his shoulder, oblivious to my internal crisis. His gaze travels down the length of my dirty, mud-stained dress and scuffed boots. I don’t even want to know the state of my hair, his grimace telling me everything I need to know.

“We can’t do much about your clothes, unfortunately,” he continues, a frown pulling at his handsome face.

I suddenly feel self-conscious. I was almost drowned and eaten, and my leg is injured and bleeding onto my hem. I should be focusing on making sure I can clean the wound so it doesn’t get infected, but now I’m stressing over my clothing. The way he’s speaking spikes fear in me, his emphasis on certain words making me think that a clothing faux pas could end disastrously for me. What exactly does he mean when he says appearances are everything to the court? Will they not take me seriously because I look as though I’ve taken a bath in a pool of mud?

He realises his words have terrified me and steps closer, his expression softening as he places his hand on my shoulder, his touch tender. “You will be safe with me, I promise.” His expression is earnest, desperately needing me to believe him. “Trust me.”

“I do,” I assure him, surprising myself that I actually mean it. Trust is such an odd thing, something that I struggle to understand, especially in this case. Our mate bond probably creates a familiarity between us that makes it easier for me to trust him, but it doesn’t automatically earn him my full faith. No, it’s his actions and sincerity that have gained my trust. Twice now he has saved me, so despite his background and the court he belongs to, at some point, he became someone I can rely upon.

He’s frowning softly despite my reassurances, examining my face closely. He looks as though he’s struggling to decide if he should say something or not. There’s clearly something playing on his mind, and if it’s something that might affect me or my meeting with the Unseelie queen, then I would rather know it and go into the situation prepared. “What is it, Ciaran?”

He still looks torn, his frown deepening as he presses his lips together. I wait, letting him work through whatever is troubling him. Thankfully, my patience pays off as he sighs and scrubs his hands across his face in a very down-to-earth gesture.

“There is one thing we could do that would be guaranteed to keep you safe,” he begins, watching for my reaction. I don’t understand why he’s being so hesitant. “If we completed our mate bond.” The words seem to fall from his mouth, and he holds his hands up in a stop gesture, hurriedly continuing his explanation. “You would smell like me, and no one would dare hurt you.” His eyes flare, and I know it’s his instincts kicking in at the thought of someone trying to hurt me.

Wow. I was way off with my guesses, and once again, I am floored by this information.

Is he attempting to frighten me into binding us together out of fear? I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to do, but the pressure has certainly been added now that I know this is something he fears. Should I do this? Binding myself to another fae, one with ties to the Unseelie, will change everything. I am also already mated to the heir to the Seelie Court, the Unseelie’s mortal enemies.

Ultimately, Ciaran is my mate, so we will eventually bond, but it shouldn’t be like this.

He must be able to sense my feelings, or he’s just really good at reading me, because he releases my shoulder and takes my hand in his. “I don’t want you thinking I’m trying to push myself onto you. It’s why I haven’t said anything until now. However, after the water wraith…”

He trails off, not needing to explain further. I almost died trying to get to him. As the heir and a lord of the Unseelie, he has enough sway and power to protect me, but he might not always be around. If I smelled of him, I would be protected wherever I was. I understand his reasoning, and in all honesty, I’m tempted, but ultimately, this is not how it should happen.

I’m unable to meet his gaze and drop my eyes to our joined hands. His warmth is comforting despite the stress of the situation. “I don’t want to rush into this, Ciaran. I don’t know you, and your court…”

“Look, there are many terrible creatures in the Unseelie Court, but there are others like me who don’t believe in hurting others just for the sake of it. Yes, I wouldn’t hesitate to attack if I were threatened, but I don’t go out of my way to cause pain.” Reaching out his free hand, he lifts my chin so our eyes meet. His passion for his people shines back at me. “The Unseelie Court has developed a bad reputation, and all the horror stories are so much louder than the stories of the good deeds we do.”

Good deeds. Those words don’t match up with the vision I have of the Unseelie. Frowning, I shake my head as though the action might clear it of my confusion.

“The Unseelie kill.”

“I’m not denying that.” He releases my hand and crosses his arms over his chest. “There are bad fae here, but the Seelie are not as squeaky clean as they would allow you to believe. They killed you on order of their king, Iris.” Expression hard, he’s remembering every second of that awful day. “I held you as you bled out. I pleaded to everyone to save you. When death took you, I thought that was it, but I felt your spark ignite in my chest, awakening the bond.” He stops and squeezes his eyes shut to fight off the memories. Slowly, he opens his eyes and meets my gaze, pain written into his expression. “That is the only thing that kept me going. The Seelie are perfectly capable of causing harm.”

He’s bitter—not at me, but at the reputation the two courts have. He’s right though. The acts of a group of fae shouldn’t taint the rest of their race. Ciaran has the capacity to cause great harm, but he chooses not to. All the fae have that choice, including the Seelie. If the Seelie king is capable of damning an entire race by having me killed, then that shows they are willing to do awful things to suit their needs.

“I don’t blame you for wanting to keep your distance from me and my people, but please, hear what the queen has to say.”

He thinks I don’t want him, that I don’t want our bond. There was never any part of me that was going to shy away from this meeting. I’m frightened, but I know I need to hear the Unseelie out. I need to know more about the prophecy before I do anything. I could potentially free this court from the confines of the forest. There will be consequences, so I have to discover what those would be. This is the right thing to do. I listened to the Seelie, and now it’s Ciaran’s court’s turn. I will do that whether I am bonded to him or not.

“I don’t want to keep you away,” I start, reaching out and touching his cheek. Something about physically touching him makes my words feel more meaningful. “You are good, I believe that.” He flinches, but I keep my hand gently on his cheek, showing him I’m not going anywhere.

“I have done terrible things on my queen’s orders.” His voice is rough with his confession. “I am not the hero in our story, Iris.”

I could tell him he was acting under orders, or I could try to coddle him, but that wouldn’t be honest of me. Instead, I step closer, my voice low as I speak once more. “What if I’m not looking for a hero?”

Death, heir of the Seelie Court, heir of the Unseelie court, and a human. That seems like a very odd and specific mix. We are destined to be together, meaning there is a reason we were chosen for each other.

“The Fates brought us together, Ciaran. I’m not going to fight that.” We are so close now that my chest almost presses against his. “I just want to know you better, so when we seal our bond, it’s because we want to rather than because we felt forced into it.”

My words clearly have an effect on him, his hazel eyes darkening with arousal.

“Iris—”

I can’t deny that the idea of bonding with him sends a thrill through me, but I don’t know how much of that is the mate bond. When we do fuck for the first time and complete our connection, I want both of us to be a hundred percent consenting and in control of our bodies.

The pull between us is like a siren’s song, drawing me in with the soft glow of our bond. Everything else falls away until it’s just the two of us staring deeply into each other’s eyes. All of the issues and the severity of our situation seem to become numb. I want him, that much is true, but I feel more in control thanks to my strong desire to know him. One little kiss is harmless, right? Showing him that I’m not running away feels like a really important clarification that needs to be made.

“This is not a rejection,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. I lift up onto the tips of my toes and put my lips against his, not quite sure what his reaction will be.

The world shifts as Ciaran wraps his arms around me and spins us, pressing my back against the stable wall. I have no idea how we managed to get here so quickly, especially as I didn’t move an inch, but there is no time for thought as his lips slam against mine.

His warmth surrounds me, his arms on either side of my head, pinning me in. Oh yes , my soul cries out, finally being close to our final missing part. Our kisses are deep and passionate, my body tingling with sensation that steals my breath away. Everything about this just feels so right . We were made to be together, to be one. The urge to take this further is screaming in the back of my mind despite my determination to wait. My hands slip under his shirt and over the hard planes of his abs, his smooth skin making me moan into his mouth. His body feels so familiar, like I already know him, so is there any point in waiting longer to complete this inevitable step?

We need to stop now, I know that, but trying to tell my body that is something different altogether. My earlier terror from the wraith still lurks in the recesses of my brain. When I’m wrapped in Ciaran’s arms like this, I feel invincible, like no one will ever hurt me again. That is a heady feeling and a difficult sensation to give up. In a world of fae and monsters, I am just one weak human. Although, not in the eyes of my mates.

“If we don’t stop soon,” Ciaran murmurs against my lips, “I’m going rip these clothes off your body and show you exactly how perfect you are for me.”

His words send a thrill through me, and the primal part of me whines at the thought, wanting to give in. However, my logical brain wrangles back control, and I’m filled with gratitude that he stopped us when I couldn’t. I meant what I said, I do want to share that moment and bond with him. What I don’t want is to rush into it. Such a moment should be cherished, and we deserve that. It might make me safer in the Unseelie Court, but I shall just have to prove that I am stronger than I look.

Closing my eyes, I blow out a slow breath and nod, biting my lips as he pulls away from me. Pulling my thoughts back together, I remind myself why I’m here—answers. I open my eyes and find him watching me from a few steps away, his smile giving nothing away about how he’s feeling.

I glance over at the inn, and my stomach suddenly rumbles, breaking some of the tension between us. Chuckling, I meet his gaze once more and return his smile. “Let’s go get ready to meet the queen.”