“Are you sure?” I asked. “You’ve already done so much. You must be exhausted.”
“Of course I’m sure. I want to help. Anyway, I’m curious about her, too.” She shrugged. “And if I need backup, I’m sure the FireSouls would step in.”
“Thank you.” I reached out and squeezed her hand.
“I think you need to rest, though,” Claire said. “You all look like hell.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept, so I was sure she was right. Tarron and I had gone straight from escaping hell to rescuing Aeri and him getting cursed.
“Just a few hours,” Aeri said. “Then we’ll take off.”
I looked at Tarron, who nodded. Even he had shadows under his eyes.
“Fine.” I stood. “Claire, Connor, thank you.”
“Anytime,” Connor said.
I gave Claire a small vial of my blood that she could use to open the portal to the Unseelie Realm. As she took it and tucked it into her pocket, I wished I were going with her. I hated the idea that my friends were walking into that dangerous realm alone just to help me.
Claire squeezed my hand. “It’ll be fine. Worth it.”
“Thanks.”
They departed, and Aeri and Declan headed to her apartment.
Tarron and I stood, staring at each other. My gaze dropped to the manacles at his wrist.
I stepped forward, reaching for them. “Damn. I forgot those. I’m sorry.”
He stepped back. “I’ll keep them on while we rest.”
“No. That’s terrible.”
His lips thinned and his brow creased. Pain flashed in his eyes. “You don’t get it, Mari. I can feel her in my soul.”
I strode toward him and placed my hands on his jaw. “You’re strong enough to fight her.”
“Maybe. But I won’t risk you.”
I scowled at him, but my heart softened. “I can’t believe this happened.”
He bowed his head, leaning over to rest his forehead on mine. “I’d rather it be me than you.”
“Don’t you get it? I’d prefer the same thing. I hate to see you like this. Suffering.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
“Fine.” I tilted my head up and pressed my mouth to his.
He groaned low in his throat and captured my lips. I leaned into the kiss, every inch of me heating as he kissed me like his life depended on it. He grabbed my hands with his, pulling me until I was pressed against his front. His bound hands got in the way, but I didn’t care. I pressed myself close and enjoyed every second.
With a pained groan, he pulled away. “I don’t want to lose control. She could slip in while I’m distracted by you.”
Damn it. I didn’t want to let him go.
Still, I respected his wishes, backing up just slightly.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“When we get you fixed and we stop her, we suddenly have two kingdoms on our hands. Neither of us asked for them.”
His gaze turned serious. “We didn’t.”
“You’ve done a great job ever since the death of your brother. But…”
“You don’t want it.”
“No.”
“I don’t blame you.” He dragged a hand over his face. “You would have to give up your entire life here—no question. I’ve been neglecting my kingdom while we’ve been on this hunt. And it is worth it. But the work is piling up.”
I drew in a shuddery breath, trying not to think of all the issues I would face. I didn’t want to leave Aeri. I didn’t want to live in a different realm from Tarron. My time would be split between the Unseelie Court, the Seelie Court, and Magic’s Bend.
That was no life.
And I had no idea how to fix it.
“We need to rest.” His gaze flicked to mine, and the green appeared darker with pain. “I fear exhaustion. If I weaken, her hold could grow stronger. And you need to stop worrying about this.”
Frustration surged within me, but I had to agree. I wouldn’t do anything to risk him. “Let’s go rest. But in the same bed.”
“Not a chance.” His tone was firm. “There needs to be a locked door between me and you. Especially since you’ll be vulnerable in sleep.”
I scowled. But he wasn’t going to budge. “Fine. Let’s go.”
The dream hit me—hard and fast.
Tarron, going for my throat. His eyes flashed with hate as he surged toward me, covering the ground quickly. I darted backward, trying to avoid him.
But the hate in his eyes wasn’t him. No, it was the false queen. As he closed in on me, she stood behind him, a victorious glare on her face.
“I will find you, daughter.” Her voice echoed with frost. “I’d hoped you would join me, but I was wrong.”
“Never,” I hissed, darting out of the way of Tarron’s attack.
He was slow—slow in the way of dreams, when things happen as if you are seeing them through a lens made of water.
“He is mine now, and he will stop at nothing to kill you,” she hissed.
“I will cure him.” I darted left, avoiding his grasp. “And I will beat you.”
“You’ll never be as strong as me.”
“I will. And I will take the Unseelie Court from you. Your reign of terror ends.”
She cackled. “You are half of me, and you have no idea the plans I have put into place.”
I jerked out of the dream, woken by my alarm. Cold sweat dotted my forehead, and I sat up, panting. My heart raced as I searched my bedroom, looking for Tarron. Looking for his attack.
“No,” I muttered. “Just a dream. Just a dream.”
But part of it had been real. That had been the false queen—no doubt. She’d used dreams to send me messages before, and she was doing it again.
But she was wrong. I’d become strong enough. I’d become as strong as her.
Aeri’s words echoed in my mind… You’re moving toward darkness.
But I wasn’t. I just needed to gain power like hers so I could fight fire with fire. Right now, I wasn’t enough.
But I could be. I would beat her and save my people. Save Tarron’s people.
Still shaking, I climbed out of bed and dressed.
I’d only gotten a few hours’ sleep—and they’d sucked—but I was feeling better. Faster, more alert. I changed quickly into fight wear, then yanked my hair up into a quick bouffant ponytail and streaked the black makeup around my eyes.
Grimly, I stared into the mirror.
I’d moved so fast and aggressively with my black makeup that it looked more like a mask than ever. Streaks of black paint winged out from my eyes.
Good.
I looked like a crazed warrior of old, and that’s what I was going for.
I entered the living room to find Tarron sitting up from the couch. His arms were still bound in front of him.
Shadows lingered in his eyes, and his wrists were covered in blood.
“What’s wrong with your wrists?” I asked, even as the horrible idea began to form.
“She’s strong, Mari.” His voice was rough.
“Her influence came to you in the night.” I thought of the dream.