Page 59 of Endless Terrors
My stomach dropped. Shit. The lube. Earlier, while we were in bed, Collith had gone into the nightstand looking for the lube I kept there. No doubt that was when he saw the documents I’d left for Damon. I swallowed a sigh. Guess there would be no lying my way out of this one.
“I’m an adult, Collith, and I’m sound of mind. I get to make my own choices,” I told him.
His expression was carefully blank—just as I had an Unseelie Queen face, Collith had one from his time as king—but there was a storm in those hazel eyes. “I can’t let you do this,” he said.
It wasn’t a threat, though. There was a shift in his voice, almost pleading. He couldn’t manipulate me this time, or take my free will. But I knew there was a part of him that wanted to, just as there was in Laurie.
I put my hand on Collith’s chest and rose to kiss his cheek. I lingered there for a moment, my lips against his skin, and tried to memorize his scent. His hand pressed against the small of my back, hard, but he didn’t touch me beyond that. Maybe he didn’t trust himself to.
As I sank back down on my heels and met Collith’s gaze, I sensed Laurie moving away. “I made a promise to your mother, did I ever tell you that?” I murmured.
Surprise flitted across Collith’s austere features. “No. You didn’t.”
“I told her I’d have faith in you,” I said. I swallowed down a rush of fear and reached up to cup his face. “And I do. I really do now. You and I aren’t the same people we were in the beginning—if it comes down to it, I trust that you’ll do the right thing. Because you’re good, Collith. I know you think you’re broken, but there’s so much light in you. The cracks just let it shine through that much more.”
I smiled at him, hoping he saw how much I meant it. Slowly, the pressure of Collith’s hand lifted. I knew he was about to pull away. On impulse, I rose on my feet again and put my hand on the back of his neck. Our eyes met for an instant, and then I kissed him with the same hungry, unchecked frenzy I’d experienced during our mating ceremony. Collith gripped me back, his tongue tasting me deeply, fingers raking down my spine while the other hand pulled me even closer. My body came alive again, as if Collith’s touch was my own personal sirensong.
Luckily, he had more self-control than I did. Collith ended the kiss, but he still lingered, pressing his forehead against mine. “I love you,” he said roughly.
Before I could react, he sifted, and my arms fell to my sides. I didn’t move.
“Am I banished, as well?” Laurie asked.
I turned my head, following the sound of his voice. The impish faerie leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Considering his question, I gave Laurie a long, hard stare. “You can stay, but if you interfere with this spell, Laurie, I promise you this. I will hold a grudge for the rest of my life, however long that may be, and I will never speak to you again.”
Laurie stared back at me. His expression gave nothing away, but I knew him—he was searching for weaknesses, evaluating the seriousness of my claim. After a moment, he inclined his head and said, “Shall we?”
He made an elegant gesture, and I walked past him. We finally joined everyone else in the bedroom. Moonlight spilled over the windowsill, casting a glow over the tense stillness. Savannah stood near the bed with an open spellbook balanced on her palms. Everyone else was scattered. Cyrus and Ariel stood with their arms around each other. Nym was curled in the armchair, frowning at his palms. Gil and Seth were seated on the floor, their heads bent in conversation. Apparently some bonding had taken place during their time together. I was glad.
“Fortuna?” a sweet voice ventured. I turned to Ariel, unsurprised that she was the first one to speak. She flashed her dimples at me and said, “It is an honor to serve you again.”
Collith asked you to do this, didn’t he? I thought, searching the faerie’s bright, open expression. Ariel was loyal to her king, first and foremost, and not even Collith’s dethroning had changed that. I also knew why he’d asked her to do this. It wasn’t to spy on me, or get access to me. Collith just wanted someone he could trust at my side.
I smiled at Ariel and told her, “The honor is mine. Thank you for making my friend so happy.”
She grinned at the male at her side and bumped his hip with hers. This brought my attention to Cyrus. He looked back at me without flinching, eyes as clear as a summer sky. Looking at him, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who had changed since all this started.
“You’re a beautiful person, Cyrus Lavender,” I said. “Thank you for giving me a home when I didn’t have one.”
The dragon stepped forward, bent, and hugged me. I recovered and hugged him back, closing my eyes tightly. After a few seconds, Cyrus let go and moved back, putting his arm around Ariel again. My gaze lingered on the two of them, happiness swelling in my chest.
Sensing another presence behind me, I turned to face Emma. This was a goodbye I’d been avoiding, too. Emma knew, of course—her eyes glistened with the sheen of unshed tears as she smiled, cupping my face in her rough hands. “Never forget how strong you are,” she said. “Or that you are loved.”
I blinked rapidly and nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak. Slowly, she let me go, too.
After Emma, I went over to Seth and Gil. The goblin’s eyes were bright with excitement, and I swallowed the words I’d been about to say to give him another chance to back out. Somehow, I knew it would hurt him. “When I get back, we should actually hang out,” I said.
Seth beamed. “Absolutely.”
I forced myself to face Gil. Sparing me from an awkward speech, he sighed and hooked his arm around my neck, pulling me to him. To my relief, the coppery scent of blood was gone. “You’re a pain in the ass, did you know that?” my friend said, the words muffled as he squeezed me.
I uttered a brief, watery laugh. “So are you.”
His hold loosened and I pulled back, taking a shuddering breath. There was more I wanted to say, others I wanted to embrace one last time. But Savannah kept looking at the moon, and I knew we needed to begin. As I returned to the center of the room, I touched Nym’s sleeve in passing, acknowledging him. He just dipped his head in a slow, reverent bow.
Feeling self-conscious about the number of eyes on me, I got into bed and lay down, just as the necromancer had instructed me to. I adjusted the covers, and the future members of my Court stood all around the bed, except one.
Finn arrived just as I was starting to get worried.
