Page 20

Wynter

“ T his is the Lake of Spirits,” I say, letting the pride in my voice ring clear.

“What’s so special about it?” Summer asks, her toes sinking into the cool mud on the pebbled shore.

I gesture to the shimmering surface. “At the beginning of time, four sisters—our mages—sprang from the water, creating the rivers that are named for the elements they represent: Aer, Serpent, Fire, and Terra. The fifth sister, Ether, is connected to the lake. Some say she’s the goddess of life itself. ”

Summer squints at me. “Cool. Is she gonna mind if I skinny dip in her beautiful lake?”

Seven hells, she sets one toe in that lake and I’m a goner. No chance in the realm I’ll keep my hands to myself. “You can stay here while I bathe. Right at the edge where I can see you. Don’t move.”

She mock-salutes. “Yes, sir.”

I can’t help but laugh. Damn her.

I wade in. The water clings like silk, magic tingling under my skin as the glamour peels away. The cold bite grounds me. The heat in my chest does the opposite. I glance back and find Summer’s eyes on me, watching. Of course she is.

Water sluices down my chest, and her gaze trails the droplets like she wants to follow them with her tongue.

“Stop thinking that,” I say, unable to hide my grin.

She freezes, a blush rising up her neck. “Thinking what?”

“You know what.”

“I was admiring the scenery,” she mutters. “Maybe your ego needs a good rinse while you’re at it.”

I laugh and sink deeper, letting the water hide the evidence of what she’s doing to me.

“Wait.” Her eyes narrow. “Can you actually read my mind, or are you just creepily good at guessing when I’m thinking inappropriate things?”

I tilt my head. “Bit of both. It’s an intermittent and unreliable skill of mine. Only works in Faery, where strong thoughts and emotions are amplified.”

She groans. “Of course mine would be particularly loud.”

“Right now , yours are shouting.”

She does a little jog in place, clearly trying to kill her wicked thoughts, which, unfortunately for her, are now mine . Then she changes the subject. “Is that all you have to do? Just get wet, and then your powers recharge?”

“Essentially. The Lake is the source of our land’s magic, as well as the power the Elemental mages draw on to control the five elements.”

“Five?”

“Earth, air, fire, water, and ether—which is spirit.”

She shades her eyes from the sun with one hand. “So if I went for a dip in there, would I come out glowing and speaking in tongues? ”

“Come in and find out,” I say before I can stop myself—because that’s a brilliant move. Just invite temptation in and watch my self-control sink like a stone.

After folding her cloak of woodland scraps, she strips off her shorts and T-shirt.

I spin around fast—too fast, the opposite of playing it cool.

I hear water lap as she steps in. I focus on the horizon and not the fact that my mate—the only girl I’ll ever want—is now in the water with me and possibly naked .

“What happens after this?” she asks.

“We’ll camp near the river and wait for Ivor and Tier.”

“Who’s Tier?”

“Don’t worry. Only my horse, and he doesn’t bite… often.”

I steal a glance, drinking her in. That pale, perfect skin begging for my touch. My breath catches. Fuck, I want her so bad.

She’s close. Too close. Her scent hits me like wet earth after a storm. She stops, barely inches away, and I want… No. I clench my fists, arms crossed tight. Unconsciously, my thumb strokes the inside of my bicep as if it were her arm, her smooth, delicious skin.

I’m not touching her. I won’t. But my gaze is stuck on her collarbone. Then her lips. Her lovely eyes. And the wolf inside me fights for control. Demands that I claim her.

I hold my breath and move an inch closer. Her gaze moves to my mouth. Then closing my eyes, I force myself to lean back a fraction, creating space before I do something I’ll regret. The chasm of cool air between us feels realms deep.

She’s likely still in shock, her teeth chattering and body trembling. After being hunted through the woods and yanked into another realm, she has every reason to be terrified.

“Wyn,” she whispers. “I could really do with a hug right now.”

My resolve crumples like wet parchment. How can I deny her anything? But if I touch her…

“It’s just a hug,” she adds, noticing my hesitation. “I’m not asking you to ravish me underwater or declare undying devotion.”

“Just a hug?” My voice cracks. “There is no just with you, Summer. If I touch you now, I won’t be able to stop.”

“Fine. Don’t stop.”

“You must know I’d give everything, anything , to hold you... But the one thing I can’t risk is you getting hurt. I promised…” My words drift away like leaves on a breeze.

I tear a hand through my hair, and before I can change my mind, I yank her into my arms. Gods. She fits perfectly, like she was made for me. Her cheek against my chest, her scent in my lungs. She sighs, melting against me. My arms lock tight, anchoring us both.

The words come unbidden—ones my mother used to say when I woke from nightmares as a child: Don’t worry, my love.

You are safe. You are loved . I whisper them over and over in the old language, stroking her spine, ignoring the less noble part of me currently pressing against her soft stomach.

She doesn’t flinch. She leans in. She wants this too.

She pulls back to study me, her gaze grazing over my face like she’s memorizing every line. I hold still, even as her fingers tremble and brush my cheek, setting off a lightning storm beneath my skin .

Close the gap. Please. I want more . I feel the words bouncing off her skull into mine, torturing me.

I tilt my face closer and whisper her name. “Summer… I…” And then my lips brush hers once, twice before pressing more firmly, tenderly teasing her open. She hangs suspended in my arms. As lost in this as I am.

My arms tighten around her as I deepen the kiss, my cock hardening to the point of pain, my next breath filled with the earthy, human scent of her wet hair and damp skin.

My breathing is a mess, caught in an erratic, ragged rhythm.

She clutches my shoulders like she’s drowning and I’m her only hope for survival.

The wolf rages beneath my skin, snarling with need. It doesn’t care about vows or consequences. It wants her. And not gently. Not carefully. It wants to take and keep and mark her forever.

My control thins to a bare thread. The wolf claws at it, fangs bared, wanting, needing, demanding .

A deep sound, wild and desperate, rumbles in my throat, then a heavy splashing noise erupts nearby, and I let Summer go, turning toward the middle of the lake.

“Sounds like the ulaid is waking for her nightly hunt,” I say. “If we don’t want to be on the menu, we’d better move fast.”

“What’s an ulaid?” she asks, still breathless and shivering.

“Water dragon. They usually leave fae alone, unless the creature is injured or starving. Not sure about humans. You okay?”

I check her over, taking note of every inch. My body hasn’t calmed down in the slightest, and her being mostly naked isn’t helping .

Back on the bank, she dresses quickly, her gaze fixed on me as I rise from the water, my glamour curling into armor. Her green eyes devour every inch.

“Wyn,” she says, bending and wringing water from her hair. “Can ghosts follow people across realms?”

“Don’t think so,” I reply, flopping beside her and unhooking my water pouch. “We’ve got plenty of wraiths. They’re born of magic. But I’ve never seen a human ghost in Faery. At least not so far.”

“Good. My mom doesn’t need to see me clinging to you in the lake like a barnacle on a whale.”

I take a sip of water and choke on a laugh. “What’s a whale?”

“Giant sea creature. Similar to a kraken. Some are the size of boats. Bigger even. Don’t worry, you’re much more attractive than a whale, Wyn.”

“Right. Thanks… I think. Do you always let your thoughts flow so freely?”

She shrugs. “Yeah. I have no filter.”

We follow River Terra downhill until we find a small clearing. I summon bedding with earth magic, gather branches and moss, spark a fire. Then I conjure a spear and head to the river to catch our dinner. Or breakfast. Whatever the hells our next meal will be.

“How does shifting work?” Summer asks as my glamour dissolves and I wade into the water in something similar to Kurt’s silky boxer shorts. “Can all fae do it?”

“Every royal male of Talamh Cúig can. My sister, Merri, thinks it’s highly unfair, and she’s not wrong. But as consolation, she rules the Unseelie fae with her husband, Riven. And still, she can barely forgive me my accidental birthright.”

From the outside, it might sound as if there’s a great rift between us, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I would do anything for my sister. Even lay down my life to keep her safe.

“Wyn,” Summer says softly. “How did I get here eight years ago? What did I do while I was here? Tell me anything you remember.”

I freeze and turn my back on her. “As you might have guessed, the Hunt stole you when you were seventeen. They kept you in Landolin’s court for nearly six months before, Draírdon, the High Mage of the Unseelie Court bought you as a pet for the Merit Kingdom, where my sister is now the queen.

Although, she was a mere visitor at the time. ”

“A pet? That doesn’t sound good.”

“At the time, the Merit Court was cruel under Riven’s father’s rule.

During the four months you spent there, you were treated poorly.

My sister rescued you, brought you back to Talamh Cúig, to my home, the place I first saw you.

You stayed two months before she convinced Ether to remove the last of the Shade Court spell and return you to the mortal realm. ”

“What exactly happened to me at the Merit Court?”

Frowning, I look at her over my shoulder. “I don’t think you need to hear all of the details. Not yet. But you were enthralled, ridiculed, and spent most of your days and nights dancing until you dropped.”

“Right. How… horrid. That explains why, at times, I feel like my mind is a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. At least the recurring nightmares with weird music and existential terror make more sense now.”

My heart breaks for her, for everything that she went through. One day, someone will pay dearly.

She starts whispering. “Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen—”

“Summer? What are you doing?”

“Counting. Makes me feel better.”

I blink. She’s counting. Maybe like a charm, or a ward. I don’t understand or know the rules of her human coping rituals—but whatever this is, I’ll let it stand if it keeps her from falling apart.

“And you and I… we were friends?” she asks.

“Not exactly. I was an admirer. A stalker, as you’ve charmingly called me. But I had your best interests at heart. My sister ordered me not to speak to you.”

“Why?”

“Because our family harbors curses and secrets, and she was afraid I’d run away to your realm, where she couldn’t keep me safe, and I’d never return.”

“Will you tell me those secrets one day, Wyn?”

“Eventually. When I’m sure you can handle them.”

She stands on the river’s edge, searching for signs of fish glinting gold and green in the burnished light. “Can you shift easily anytime you like?”

I throw the spear and miss. Dammit.

“Not always. I can usually shift fast when needed. But in your realm, I struggled to stay in my wolf form. Certain… triggers.”

She raises a brow. “What triggers?”

I flush and look away. “None you need to be aware of.” My arm thrusts downward twice, and I skewer two fat, spotted fish on the end of my spear.

“Dinner,” she yells, clapping like she invented fire.

As I step onto the muddy bank and summon another glamour, I grin. “Let’s hope these fine specimens will satisfy your appetite. Your stomach’s making more noise than Ivor during mating season.”

“What’s the plan after we eat?” she asks, mischief dancing in her leaf-green eyes.

Stepping closer, I lean in and murmur next to her ear, “I plan to rest. If you can keep your hands to yourself.”