by Noree Cosper
Colin cleared his throat and nodded toward the Fae he’d been talking to. "Lance, he’s sort of the head guard here, anyway, he said Dad was taken by a large group of soldiers.”
"Dreamless," I said.
"What?" Colin had looked like he had been derailed from what he was about to say.
"They’re called Dreamless," I said. "Nimue has used her magic on comatose witches to create an army."
"That’s against the rules. An army like that uses too much of our magic." Colin scowled. "Surely, Arcadia wouldn’t just let her create her own army."
I shrugged. "I wasn't in Arcadia long enough to know what they let Fae do and not do."
Gwen returned and held the glass out. “You’re probably thirsty and I don’t think you’ll be able to get up any time soon.”
“Thanks.” I took the glass from her and sipped it. This had to be some sort of trick, right?
Leri shot her a glare, but Gwen only shrugged. Maybe all three didn’t hate me or see me as a threat. There was hope.
Colin crossed his arms. "Nimue has my dad, and I'm going to Arcadia to get him back.”
"You have to be joking," I said. "She has an army. You have three Fae and a handful of witches."
"I’ll appeal to the Prince of Dreams. Her army killed Fae here. She must be held responsible for at least that."
"But Arcadia isn't responsible for Fae and the Wyrdlands, is it?" I asked.
"No," Morphy piped in. "Besides, Nimue has the Prince of Dreams wrapped around her little finger. I heard that's what got your father banished from Arcadia before."
I glanced down at Morphy with a raised eyebrow. "Where did you hear that?"
He wiggled his eyes ridges. "I do talk to other people besides you."
I shook my head and turned back to Colin. "Anyway, you don't stand much of a chance in getting your father back with what you have now."
"You should gather some allies before you attempt anything like that," Morphy said.
A stubborn look grew on Colin's face. He opened his mouth to argue, but Gwen placed her hand on his forearm.
"As much as I hate to admit they’re right," she said. "The odds aren't really in our favor here. Look what happened when they attacked the palace. And that was our home turf."
Collin’s jaw tightened. "Fine. Where am I supposed to get more allies?"
"Bedlam,” I said. “Morphy mentioned something about these Fae called the Crones being able to give us more information. Maybe with you in Bedlam, they’d believe me about Nimue’s army.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Leri said. “Those Fae are Nightmares.”
“Is there really that much of a difference between them and Nimue at this point?” I asked.
“Dad had some deals going with the Prince of Darkness a few years ago.” Colin scratched his chin. “I could try and talk to him.”
“What kind of deals?” I asked with an edge to my voice.
“Trade,” Colin said. “Bedlam doesn’t get much grown food, and we needed certain minerals.”
The tension in my shoulders relaxed. At least it wasn’t witches.
“Why do you have to go?” Leri asked Colin. “Why not send Lance?”
Colin gave a wan smile. “Unfortunately, we all have to leave here soon. I can’t keep the magic up to lock out those Dreamless.”
“How long do we have?” I asked.
“A few hours, at most,” he said.
“That isn’t much time.” Gwen frowned. “Mai and her helpers are already exhausted. We’ll need the sleighs.”
Leri’s jaw tightened. “Fine. We’ll get things ready to head to Bedlam.”
“We can’t take all these witches to Bedlam,” Colin said. “I need the two of you to get them safely to the Respite.”
“What about Lance? If you won’t send him to Bedlam, have him guard the others,” Leri said.
“Lance is a Fae. I don’t think the Respite would want him or the other two to stay,” Colin said. “Besides, I think we’ll need someone to go to Arcadia. We might find someone willing to help us there. Lance and the others are perfect for that.”
I leaned back with a small huff of laughter. Colin had more sense than I gave him credit for. Not only was he willing to brave danger for his father, but he was willing to go alone to ensure the witches were protected.
Well, almost alone.
“We’re not leaving you with just her.” Leri jerked a nod in my direction. “She couldn’t even handle one of them. And now she can’t walk.”
“Yeah, about that.” Colin crossed his arms and looked at me. “Even when Mai gets to you, it will take a lot of magic for her to heal a break. You’re probably better off at the Respite.”
“No.” My voice reverberated off the walls. I took a deep breath and the next words came out softer. “Whatever healing happens, they’ll want me to sleep. If Nimue can break through your father’s protections, she’ll have no problem with the Respite. I can’t risk the witches there.
“Not like here?” One side of Leri’s lips quirked up.
“Not now that I know.” I hung my head and bit the inside of my cheek.
“Well,” Colin said. “There is another way to heal you.”
Leri gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
He glanced at her and Gwen. “The two of you need to gather supplies for your trek to the Respite. Be sure to get extra. They won’t be able to trade with the Palace anymore.”
“But—”
Colin stopped Gwen before she could go further. “Enough arguing. My mind is made up on this and we don’t have time.”
The women shot me parting glowers as they marched off. Colin sat down beside me with a sigh. The brush of his arm against mine sent a warm tingle through me.
“I’m not sure how much you’re going to like this,” he said.
I stiffened. “That’s not the best way to try to talk someone into something.”
His soft laugh traveled to my ears and the tingling increased. “True. Either way, my magic can heal you completely.”
“Okay,” I said. “So, you’re worried that I don’t want Fae magic used on me?”
“Do you?”
I looked down at my knee. The throbbing had faded to a dull ache as long as I didn’t move it. “At this point, I don’t see much of a choice.”
“The thing is, in order for my magic to work, I have to get intimate with the person I’m healing.”
I tilted my head at him with a quirked eyebrow. “How intimate?”
“Enough that you don’t want to be out here, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
“Let me get this straight. In order for you to heal me, we have to have sex?”
“Not completely,” he said. “But we need to get pretty hot and heavy.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “What about the ice? I didn’t see you making out with the wall or anyone there.”
“My magic works off beauty and sex. I told you I switched places with my reflection in the ice.” He stood up, leaving coldness in his wake. “I knew you wouldn’t like it. We can figure something else out, even if it takes a few days at the Respite. Either way, we need to get ready to leave here.”
Colin was like his father. I bit my lip and stared at my hands. The Respite was a horrible option. They’d want me to sleep and we’d have the same problem we had here. It wasn’t like sleeping with Colin was repulsive. I stared up at him, imagining his lips on mine and his hands on my body. A delicious shiver ran through me. But, would doing this betray Dylan?
The look on Dylan’s face when he broke my leg flashed through my mind. For all I knew, Dylan could be lost to me forever. Even if there was a way to bring him back, delaying by hiding behind this virtue wasn’t going to help him.
I didn’t have time to wait for my broken leg to heal.
“All right,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
10
Colin and I ended up in a bedroom on the bottom floor as it was more trouble to carry me
up the steps to his room with my leg. At least, he had found some pain suppressants before he’d attempted to move me. One of the older witches had been tasked to stand guard outside the door in case of another attack at Leri’s command, even though Colin swore he’d be able to keep them out.
He sat me on the bare mattress and stepped back. I gritted my teeth at the twinge in my leg as I adjusted it.
“How is this supposed to work?” I asked. “Are we supposed to get naked?”
The mattress shifted as he sat beside me. “We don’t have to start that way and it may not end that way. It depends on how aroused you get.”
I licked my dry lips. “Where do we start?”
His hand caressed my cheek, sending a delicious shiver through me. “That depends on what you like.”
“What?” My voice came out breathy.
“What turns you on?”
“I…”
I didn’t know. I’d only ever been with Dylan. Most of our sexual experiences consisted of frenzied groping followed by a few minutes of hushed humping. There weren’t many private places in the Respites and out in the Wyrdlands we couldn’t be too distracted for too long.
Colin tilted my chin to meet his eyes. “If you want, I can take the lead.”
I nodded.
He bought his mouth down over mine and his hand moved to cup the back of my neck. His kiss started off soft and tentative, like he was afraid I’d push him away. Instead my lips parted and my tongue met his. The taste of him, citrusy and sweet, filled my mouth. A surge of heat swelled in my belly and spread throughout my body. My hand pressed flat against his broad chest. Under my fingers his muscles rippled in response to my touch. The mesmerizing mix of his scent sent me floating.
His hand slipped under my shirt and he stroked my stomach. Our mouths remained locked as his fingers inched up to stroke my breast. They moved to tweak my nipple. A thrill rushed through me and I gasped against his lips. How could his mere touch drive me this crazy?
I lay back and pulled him with me. He stretched out on the bed so our bodies were flush together. A quiver shot straight between my legs at the sensation of his hardness pressed against my thigh. He pushed my top up to beneath my neck. My nipples hardened as the cool air rushed over them. He broke our kiss and trailed his lips down my neck to the other bud, so aching for attention. He took it in his mouth and rolled with his tongue, teasing it until it was just as hard at the other one. My hands sank into his cascade of hair. The locks, soft and thick, splayed over my fingers liked silver rings.
He raised his head and grinned at me. “Do you want me to go on?”
“I’m not healed yet.” I said softly.
“Looks like we need to get more intense.”
More intense? He had to be joking.
He undid the string on my pants. His hand slid inside and caressed my inner thighs. They parted of their own volition. His knuckles pressed against my slit through my panties which elicited a moan from me. I rolled my hips up to press my sweet spot against those teasing fingers. Within moments, my panties were soaked through. He pushed them aside and pressed his thumb against my clit while one finger circled around my entrance.
A drumming sound filled my head and it took me a few moments to realize that was my own heartbeat. My hands gripped his shirt in tight fists. I raised my hips up as a pleading moan escaped my lips. His breath tickled my ear with his chuckle, husky and soft.
“So wet,” he murmured. “All for me.”
He plunged his finger inside me. I arched my back at the suddenness of it filling me. It was perfect. No, damnit. This was so wrong. I’d never felt this much wanting for Dylan and now I felt it for a Fae, of all creatures.
My hips rose and fell in rhythm with his thrusting fingers. Our mouths sought each other, our tongues entwining in a fevered dance. A pressure built up inside of me, begging for release.
He broke the kiss and stared down into my eyes. “There are so many things I want to do to you, but first I want to watch you come.”
He didn’t have long to wait. Like a tidal wave, my orgasm rushed over me, flooding my senses with euphoria. Warmth spread from my core to my broken knee. The aches and pains that lingered in the background disappeared. My muscles relaxed and I stared up at the ceiling, not really seeing it, as I lay back, panting. He withdrew his fingers from my pants and started to pull back from me, but I grabbed his arm.
“More,” I said and lifted up to crush my lips to his.
At first, he stiffened in surprise, but not for long with my tongue stroking his so coaxingly. He rolled on top of me with one of his knees parting my legs. I ground my hips against his hard cock straining against his pants. His chest rose and fell in swift breaths as he stared down at me, his eyes dark with passion. I yanked his shirt up and ran my hands against those hard muscles. Wrong or not, I no longer cared. I’d tasted the pleasure he offered and I wanted more.
The pounding on the door was like a shock of cold water to my senses. I jerked back from him with a gasp.
A vein on Colin’s temple twitched as he turned his head to the door. “What?”
Leri swung the door open with one hand, and then leaned against the doorframe, eying us. “We’ve got the supplies we need. Shouldn’t we leave soon before your protection on the palace fades?”
Colin’s head drooped and his gaze met mine, his eyes like a stormy sea. With a sigh and a nod, he sat up. He patted me on the thigh before standing.
“You’re all healed up,” he said. “You should grab your stuff while we get everyone loaded in the sleighs.”
He walked out the door. Leri shot me a satisfied smirk before following him. I sat up and rested my forehead in my hands with a groan. What had I been thinking? I hadn’t. I’d gotten caught up in the feeling of everything. A derisive laugh escaped my lips. How very Fae of me.
This was going to make for an awkward trek to Bedlam alone with Colin.
11
After another argument with the witches—no one wanted Colin to go alone with me—we set out by foot across the Wyrdlands towards Bedlam. The three sleighs belonging to the Palace were sent with the remaining witches to the Respite. The good thing about the two-day trek was the snowy terrain was too harsh to have any lengthy conversations. At night, Colin was too exhausted to say much and tended to collapse in his sleeping bag. I took watch. No way in Hell was I sleeping now.
At the end of the second day, the mountain that Bedlam lay in loomed over us. Yeah, the City of Nightmares was underground. The road forked into three paths that wound in different directions around the mountain.
“Which one are we going through?” I asked.
Colin pointed to the one on the right with its cobblestone inlaid with ivory. “That most likely leads to the Ivory Gate. We need to go that way.”
“Why? What about the other two?”
“The Ivory gate is for false dreams and the Horn Gate is for true dreams.” Morphy said.
“Since I’m not a nightmare and don’t belong in the city, I would be a false dream.” The bridge of Colin’s nose wrinkled as he nodded to the third path covered in dirt and snow. “That’s probably for witches. There have been a few stories that witches arrested when trying to enter the Ivory or Horn Gates are forced to pay out their sentence in servitude to the Prince of Darkness.”
“I’m a witch, though.” At least, in all the ways that counted.
“But you’re with me. For now, you’re my witch,” Colin said.
I scrunched my mouth to one side. Even though pretend, the words seemed to grate on my skin like rough bark. I took a deep breath and let it out. This was Colin, who had saved me, not Nimue, not even his father.
“All right,” I said.
The path sloped up and around the mountain, before dipping down again once we’d reached the opposite side. The cobblestone remained free of snow and debris the entire way. They must have kept things pretty for guests.
The entrance lay at the base, a hole in the rock five t
imes larger than me with ivory gate. As we drew closer, I could see depictions of a woman with long tentacle-like hair embossed on the gates. Morphy flew down and settled on my shoulder.
A small guard shack stood to the right with a short Fae leaning against it. Unlike Colin or his dad, there was nothing pretty about this Fae. Two black horns grew out of his head and curled around like ram horns. His nose looked like a potato pressed into his face which sat upon a thick neck and large shoulders. A potbelly hung over his fur covered legs and cloven feet.
He looked at the two of us with disk-like black eyes. “What ya want?”
“With life in general?” Colin asked. “A hot girl, a big bed, and hours to play.”
I gave him a light shove on the shoulder and turned to the guard. “We seek the Crones.”
“Witches should be silent,” a voice hissed from the darkness of the guard shack.
A figure clothed from head to toe in a black cloak with a pointed hood stepped out. A plague mask made of bone covered its face. The thing would have been more intimidating if it wasn’t half Colin’s height. I pressed my lips together and took a step back. Somehow, my time with Colin and the other witches had made me forget how most Fae felt about us.
Colin shot it a dirty look. “Don’t talk to her like that. She told you where we wanted to go.”
The hooded Fae turned in his direction. “Witches stay silent here. Only Fae speak.”
Colin raised an eyebrow. “You really want me to repeat what she said?”
The two guards stared at him.
“Fine,” Colin said. “We’re here to see the Crones. Happy now?”
The first guard, a satyr, I think, stepped forward and scrunched the left sleeve of his shirt. “Show tattoo.”
Colin moved next to him and hunched over so he was eye level and bunched up the sleeve of his long coat along with his shirt. Both their arms bore a row of six numbers with the last two ticking down.
“That not right,” the satyr said. “Number off.”
“Oh, this isn’t good,” Morphy muttered in my ear.
