Page 16 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)

Chapter Fifteen

Iris

W armth is the first thing I notice—I’m leaning against something that is radiating heat—and I start to pick up on other details. A soft heartbeat sounds in my ears, as well as a quiet inhale timed with the slow rise and fall of whoever I’m leaning against. It’s not Ciaran, no, I can feel him close by. Instead, I sense an ancient presence surrounding me, peaceful yet protective at the same time. The pleasant scent of fresh hay is the final clue I need to figure out just who is caring for me—Estrella, the gorgeous white mare of legend.

Taking a deep breath, I rest against her and absorb the calm she exudes. When I first met her, I knew she was special, but I thought that was due to her being a fae horse. I had no idea she was mythical.

“We should take her to the castle.” Ciaran’s voice is quiet and full of concern, the sound shifting. He’s pacing back and forth.

“Not yet,” the queen replies, her voice still regal and commanding but nothing like it was earlier. She sounds more relaxed, as though she’s speaking with an old companion. “We have more to discuss before we move her.”

A low growl fills the air, and I can imagine Ciaran’s expression, his usually neutral face twisting. “This is too much for her!” he snaps. “You saw what happened. What were you thinking?”

The shock of how he’s talking to his queen has me fighting through the claws of unconsciousness to force my eyes open. This could be taken as treason. I don’t know many royals who would put up with being accused of anything. I see them glaring at each other just before the throne. The queen stands in a powerful stance as she stares Ciaran down, but it’s an expression he’s mirroring back at her.

“You could have filled her in first, that might have helped,” the queen scoffs, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest.

Okay. That was not the reaction I was expecting from her. I must make a noise, as the two of them snap their heads in my direction. Ciaran’s gaze scans me, checking for any signs of injury or distress before moving on to my living pillow. It’s only now that I realise she is not my only protector. Estrella is behind me, cushioning me and keeping me warm, but to my surprise, the black stallion is lying in front of me, the two of them creating a protective circle around me. There’s probably some significance to it, and my mind stashes all of these details away for later when I can properly assess them. In this moment though, I just focus on the here and now.

I gather my energy and try to stand, but my body is weak, my limbs feeling loose and powerless. I need to stand, to be strong and show the Unseelie that I’m not feeble. Fainting in front of the entire court was not part of the plan, so I need to pull myself together. The only thing I can be grateful for is that Nyx didn’t show up in a flash of rage. Ciaran is watching me, hovering as he tries to decide whether to come over. I need to do this on my own.

Turning my attention to Estrella, I lower my forehead to hers. “Will you help me up?” I whisper to her, knowing she can understand me. Without any hint of hesitation, she nudges my hand over her back, the black stallion doing the same. They stand in unison, and I brace myself as I’m righted to my feet. My heart glows with gratitude and affection for the beautiful creatures. “Thank you,” I murmur, my voice quiet but full of gratitude.

“Iris, are you okay?” Ciaran hurries towards me, but the mounts won’t let him near, the stallion going so far as to position himself in front of me. Ciaran’s expression turns pleading as he looks between them, all traces of the suave lord gone, showing me the true male beneath the mask. “Please, let me pass. I won’t hurt her.”

There’s a heavy pause as they stare at him, judging if he’s genuine or not. I’m about to speak up, but they step aside. Ciaran doesn’t waste time swooping in, his arms wrapping around me as he buries his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent deeply. I cling to him, the half bond in my chest humming at his touch.

Wait. We shouldn’t be showing affection in front of everyone, should we? I have no doubt that many of them see love and warmth as a weakness, which is exactly what he warned me from showing. I jerk back in panic, glancing around frantically, except… we’re alone. Only the queen, Ciaran, and I are left in the court. I often feel like I’m being watched in the fae land, even when I can’t see anyone. Here, though, I don’t even have that feeling.

“Where is the rest of the court?” I ask, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end, still half expecting someone to jump out from behind a pillar.

“I sent them away,” the queen announces, reminding me of her presence. “I have certain appearances I have to keep up around the masses, but now we can talk frankly.”

Remembering how familiar the two of them seemed to be with each other, I quickly jump away from Ciaran. I have no idea what he told her about the two of us, and although she seems far more relaxed than she did earlier, I haven’t quite decided if she is on our side or not.

As I have learned with the fae, appearances can often be deceiving.

Ciaran lingers nearby, clearly unhappy with the distance I put between us. His eyes are bright, his hands raised palm out as though he’s trying to calm a startled animal. “Iris, are you sure you’re okay?”

If I’m honest, I want nothing more than to be back in his arms, but it feels wrong to be pressed up against him in front of the queen, especially when I’m still trying to figure out their relationship. I’m not sure how to answer his question, so I ask one of my own. “What happened?”

“You passed out.” Ciaran closes the space between us and places his hand on my chin, lifting my head so he can examine my face. “The Unseelie magic was too much for you. You’re not used to being surrounded by it.”

This piques my interest. Their magic was too much for me? I’ve always been able to feel fae magic when I’m close to it, but I hadn’t considered the fact that being around so much of it in a concentrated space might overwhelm my senses. Perhaps I wasn’t weak after all, and it was the effect of their power.

“I fainted because of the magic?” I attempt to keep the eagerness from my voice, but from the twitch of the queen’s perfect deep red lips, I’m not sure I pass it off.

Clasping her hands in front of her, she nods her head. “Yes, it was quite common for the humans to pass out when they were around too many of us. It overpowers them.”

Although I get the answer I want, she left me with more questions. In fact, that whole comment has confused me. “What do you mean?” My brow furrows as I try to pick through the limited information I have on the Unseelie. “You speak as though humans used to interact with the court.”

“That’s because they did.” Smiling, she stalks back over to her throne, perching on the edge. Her smile is bordering on a smirk, a hint of something sour in her voice. “The humans and Seelie have been very good at changing the narrative of our past.”

Bitterness is what I’m picking up from her. She’s angry about something she considers to be an injustice towards her people. It’s becoming abundantly clear that nothing is black and white with the fae—add the centuries of fighting, and you have a giant tangled mess.

The Unseelie are the worst of the worst, the ones who would wipe out the humans if they had their way, or at least that’s what we’re taught. The queen is now implying that the stories are wrong. Of course she will be biased, but that would apply to the Seelie as well. From what I’ve experienced of the Unseelie Court so far, I find it difficult to believe that the stories are untrue, but the Seelie weren’t the perfect fae they made themselves out to be either. I owe it to Ciaran to give them the chance to show me what they are truly about.

The sudden influx of new information has me floundering and confused. My head is pounding, throbbing with the beat of my heart, and I press my fingers to my temples in an effort to stave off the headache. “I don’t understand…”

The queen purses her lips, determining how much to tell me and if I’m genuine in my questioning. Thankfully, she seems to take pity on me and clucks her tongue as she shifts into a more comfortable position. “The Unseelie have been trying for peace for centuries, but the Seelie stop us at every turn.”

This makes no sense. What benefit would the Seelie gain by extending the conflict between the two courts? My eyebrows pull low, and I take a small step forward. Estrella stays close, butting her head against my arm. “Why would the Seelie want war between you?” I ask, absentmindedly stroking the gorgeous horse.

Ciaran moves towards me without seeming to realise what he’s doing and forces himself to stop at the last moment. He’s acting odd around the queen, and I don’t know how to take it. Clasping his hands behind his back, he clears his throat. “It fits their narrative,” he explains with a shrug. “They are the perfect, beautiful Seelie fae. If we were to work together, then it would destroy their superior image. We are not perfect, but the Seelie have their dark creatures too, they are just better at hiding them.” Ciaran seems to put a lot of effort into acting as though this is merely an inconvenience to him, but I can see that it bothers him. No, that doesn’t convey the depth of his feelings either. Looking into his eyes, I can see that he’s angry and resentful of the Seelie. He’s just better at hiding it than his queen.

“When they worked with the humans to curse us, we were confined to our territory.” The queen takes over, continuing her explanation. “Occasionally, when the magic is weak, we are able to break out for a few hours, but mostly, we are trapped.”

Stunned, my hand stills on Estrella’s soft coat. I wait for this new piece of information to sink in, hoping it will make more sense if I give myself time to process it. “Wait, the Seelie and humans cursed you?”

The corner of the queen’s mouth pulls up into a smile. “Who did you think was behind it?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. She has a fair point though. If it wasn’t the Seelie or the humans, then that doesn’t leave many more options. Somewhere deep in my mind, I thought they had always been confined to their land as penance for their actions. While I don’t necessarily believe in a higher power, I can acknowledge that there is much I don’t know and the fae clearly have gods they worship.

“Why would they do that?”

“Humans are gullible sheep…” The queen trails off as she realises she’s talking to one of the flock, and she gives me a flash of a smile. “Sorry.” I might have believed her if she didn’t show so much of her sharp fae teeth.

“Anyway…” She waves off her mistake and continues. “The humans listened to the Seelie and heard their version of the truth—that they were harmless, and it was us, the Unseelie, who were to blame for all the attacks on their settlements.” She rolls her eyes, showing just how stupid she thinks those humans were with a single gesture. “At this point, the two courts had been fighting for several centuries, and a lowborn Seelie female fell in love with one of our lords. The two of them were trying to stop the conflict and bring peace.” This time as she pauses, I see a genuine flash of pain and regret in her gaze, her eyes misting as she thinks back. “She was killed during the fight, and it drove the lord mad. She was his mate, and he was grieving.”

My heart aches. I’ve never heard this story before, and it’s bringing up strong emotions within me. What would I do if one of my mates were killed, especially during a time of conflict? Knowing the depths of my feelings towards my own mates, I feel my stomach sink. I can only guess what happened next. Death only ever brings more death.

“He slaughtered a whole human village.” Ciaran is completely sombre now. “That’s when the Seelie came up with the plan to curse us. The humans were mourning their own loss and didn’t need much convincing.”

So that’s how the Unseelie became trapped on their own land. What a mess. It sounds as though there were casualties on both sides, and the mates who could have brought peace to the courts suffered the dire consequences of war. Emotions were high and a poor decision was made.

“You can break our curse.” The queen’s sudden declaration brings my attention back to the present situation.

This isn’t new information to me, but I still feel just as stunned and overwhelmed as I did when I first discovered I was part of their curse. I don’t really want to ask, but I need more information. “How?”

“You would need to bind yourself to one of our lords and rule at his side.” The queen’s gaze flicks over to Ciaran and then back to me. It was so quick that I almost missed it—almost.

There’s something about her comment that makes me pause. I assumed I’d bond with Ciaran, but one word in particular stands out to me. “Bind myself… You don’t mean…”

“Marriage.” Ciaran’s gaze bores into me, and I can’t stop myself from meeting his eyes. “You would have to marry one of the Unseelie.”

The world falls away until it’s just Ciaran and me. The intensity of his expression is almost crushing with its magnitude. I’m vaguely aware of my other bonds in my chest, but my thoughts are primarily locked on Ciaran.

Marriage.

The implications are clear, at least to him. If I want to break their curse, I have to marry Ciaran. It makes sense he would be the one when he’s also my mate.

How will this affect the others and my relationships with them? Is ruling the Unseelie Court at Ciaran’s side something I want? There is no denying that a part of me is thrilled at the idea of marrying him, but there is so much baggage that comes with it from both sides. I’m also still not sure if releasing the Unseelie from their confines is a good idea or not.

Squeezing my eyes shut for a moment, I absorb this monumental piece of information. My mind is spinning, and I can’t think when he looks at me like that. With slow, deliberate breaths, I calm my racing thoughts and open my eyes. Ciaran is still watching me intently, but I turn my gaze back to the queen. “What about the Seelie? What would happen to them if I were to bind myself to Ciaran?” I’m amazed at how even my voice is, not showing any of the turmoil I feel inside. The stakes are too high to be selfish right now, and there is something important playing on my mind. “Would releasing you escalate the war?”

There would be so many casualties, both to the fae and humans if that were to happen. Being trapped for so long isn’t fair, especially if what the queen said is true, and I want to help if I can, but only if it’s not going to cause more death. They openly admit that many of the Unseelie are evil and will harm others, so unleashing them seems wrong. Then again, who am I to say who should be locked away, especially after the Seelie king’s behaviour.

“We’re not sure,” the queen admits begrudgingly. “It is their curse, but know this, Iris—we don’t want to fight. All we want is to end the war and be free. You can help us do that.”

Now it’s my turn to raise an eyebrow, sceptical at her reasoning. Binding myself to an Unseelie fae is not suddenly going to stop the war between the courts. In fact, it will probably cause more conflict. “You think that marrying Ciaran will accomplish all of that?”

The queen leans forward on her throne, her fingers gripping the arms, and I see how much she wants this. Looking between me and Ciaran, she remains silent, lost for words, something I get the impression is very rare.

“You are clearly meant for more than just this, Iris.” Ciaran finally closes the distance between us and takes my free hand. “Bonded to the Seelie heir and the reappearance of the mounts… It has to mean something.”

Alaric and Blaise spoke of this when I travelled with them. They said I was special to the Seelie, and not just because keeping me away from the Unseelie would keep them trapped. They believed I would help them grow and prosper. Is it a coincidence that both fae courts would benefit from having me reside with them? My mates’ positions of power would so easily make changes actually happen.

The warmth of his hand spreads throughout my body, making me feel complete. I’m still brushing the side of my mare’s neck, and she doesn’t seem at all bothered by Ciaran’s presence now. The black stallion watches on with far more intelligence in his gaze than should be possible for a horse.

“He’s right, and we shall return to this,” the queen announces, slowly rising to her feet. “For now, we have a visitor.” Smiling widely, she clasps her hands in front of her. She may sound welcoming, but I would not want that smile aimed at me. Whoever this visitor is, they just interrupted a very important meeting.

“Death, are you going to show yourself or just hide in the shadows?” she calls in a singsong voice, staring out of the crumbling entrance.

Did she just say Death? My heart races, and my stomach flips with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Nyx is here.

“She is my mate, so do you really think I’m going to leave her in the hands of the Unseelie?” His familiar dark voice floats in on a breeze, the ruins of the hall suddenly shrouded with shadow as a dark mist seems to roll down the aisle. A hooded figure appears in a blink. His presence has always been intoxicating to me, but it’s as though he turned it up to the max, making me lightheaded.

Gritting my teeth, I hold my ground. I will not faint again. Not today.

All of a sudden, I feel him appear behind me, my bond fluttering and giving me a brief warning before he rests his hands on my shoulders. Estrella doesn’t move or seem bothered in the slightest at his abrupt appearance, just flicks him with her tail.

Turning in his arms, I look up at Nyx, searching for his face in the darkness of his hood. I cup a pale cheek, letting my thumb brush over his soft skin. “This is all a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” I ask in a whisper, my stomach flipping at his small smirk. “I didn’t think you could get involved.”

Nyx’s expression softens. “I can’t do anything that might show favour to one of the courts. I was simply following you in the shadows.”

My hand drops from his face, and I press it to my chest. “I didn’t know you were there.” I should have known he was close, but I didn’t. Was I so focused on the court that I didn’t notice? He also didn’t show up when I fainted, only when he was called out by the queen.

“Yes, you did.” He gives me a soft smile and presses his hand over the top of mine. “I know you could feel me.”

He’s right. A part of me knew he was close by, I simply put it down to me carrying a piece of him with me. The logical part of my mind might not have recognised it, but my soul did. For some reason, that makes me feel better, not that I even realised I was upset in the first place.

“This is all lovely,” the queen interrupts, reminding us she’s still there, “but could you please tell me what you’re doing spying on a private meeting and why I shouldn’t have you hanged for treason?”