Page 75 of Fae Unleashed
Rhoan rose, pressed a kiss under my jaw. He brought another wave of pleasure out of me from that small touch alone. When he stood and went to the closet, I wondered if I could handle a life without his touch.
My eyes fell on the cauldron. It could hold the answers that I needed, but we’d been gone for almost a week, and I still hadn’t been able to find just the right brew for what I wanted to do. If I couldn’t do it in this week, then I wouldn’t be able to do it in an afternoon.
Would I?
Determination solidified in my core. I stood and threw open the cupboard.
“Cerri,” Rhoan said softly, almost pleading.
I knew what he wanted. He didn’t think I should put all of my time and energy into him when I had a kingdom to put back together. For a moment, I faltered. A sense of duty threatened to cut my resolve in half. I gripped the cabinet doors and stared the herb jars down like they would tell me what the right answer was.
No one had a right answer. The very concept was made up. There was no right and wrong, only good and bad. Helping Rhoan and working for my Court were both good things, so what did it matter if I put one ahead of the other?
Helping Rhoan would take a fraction of the time, then I would go back to the court and make my last push against Beryl. She wouldn’t even see it coming. And Rhoan would be free of the obstacles holding him back.
“Let’s go home,” Rhoan said as he looped an arm around my stomach and pulled me into his chest.
I couldn’t shrug him off, but I hoped my sigh said everything. I had to try.
He spun me around and cupped my chin. “We need to go back. This took too long. While we were dealing with this, Beryl and Faust had time to recoup and come up with another plan.”
I scowled at his chest because I couldn’t find it in me to be truly angry with him. This was something we both had to do, but I raged against the obstacles that fate put in our way. It didn’t seem fair in the least.
Fate always had been a fickle bitch. I’d watched everyone around me suffer because of the greater duty that fate had in store for them. At least they all had a happy ending. I looked up and met Rhoan’s lavender eyes only to have my heart break because I knew we were dangerously close to losing.
Even now, we were treading a fine line. One wrong move, and he would say those words. I should trust him to stay quiet. He was a grown man. He could handle himself. But his lips parted, and I could see them on the tip of his tongue.
I pressed a finger to his lips and gave in. “Let’s go home.”
30
CERRI
Rhoan and I walked out of the forest and onto the castle grounds. The wild tangle of growth gave way to manicured gardens. Someone waited for us in the private garden.
“Oh, thankfuck,” Vi nearly shouted when she threw her arms around me.
Behind her, Morgan gave a soft nod in greeting. I always wondered how the serious man had ended up with the world-ending prankster, Vi.
Rhoan stepped forward and clasped hands with Morgan. I’d forgotten that the two had met already. They’d fought side by side in Faust’s domain, even. I wondered if Morgan recognized the forest beyond us. Was that where they’d been trapped while Faust tried to play mind tricks with me?
“I’m so glad you’re back!” Vi put her hands on my shoulders and leaned back to look me up and down.
Fear sliced my heart with an icy knife. I grabbed Vi’s arm in a panic. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”
Vi grimaced. I knew that whatever she said next, I wasn’t going to be happy.
“We have good news, and we have bad news. What do you want to hear first?”
Rhoan touched the small of my back and grounded me. I lifted my chin. I could do this. Even though it felt like the world wanted to crumble beneath my feet, I knew that I had no other choice. No one could fill my shoes.
I looked back at Rhoan.No one could fill my shoes.
He and I worked well together, but only because he wanted to keep me safe. If I left him as king, would he be the same person? Would he enjoy ruling?
I shook myself. “Give me the good news first.”
Vi tilted her head. “Well, we caught the elf that stabbed you. She’d in a holding cell. Did you know that the castle has a dungeon? I had fun exploring it, but I’m kind of disappointed there aren’t any torture devices.”
