That was how Rafferty found Bree.
“Well,” he said with a smile as he strode up behind her. “You have certainly kept yourself busy. Maybe you do not need my assistance after all.”
“Rafe.” She whirled and launched her arms around him, remembering the very next moment that she was a mess. And probably a smelly one at that. She needed a shower before she went throwing her arms around gorgeous fae.
Blushing, she pulled back. He didn’t look as though he minded though. Instead, he gave her a broad smile. “You look good. Strong. Powerful.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said and then cleared her throat. “I mean, you don’t look like you just survived a deadly attack against you or anything.”
In fact, he looked healthier than ever. His skin glowed and those silver eyes sparkled with life. Power radiated off his muscular body in waves, so much so that Bree felt as though she could get lost just staring at him.
“Did you have to do a lot of shifting? How did Prince Taveon get you back to the castle? How were you able to shift that first time? Did you get a good look at who attacked us?”
“Whoa there.” He held up his hands and laughed. “Yes, I did a lot of shifting. The Prince flew me back and got me some...healing ointment. It was enough to bring me back from the brink of death. At that point, I was able to shift myself. And no, I did not see who attacked us. I wish I had.”
“I was terrified for you, Rafe,” Bree said, unable to hold her tears back any more. “I thought you were going to die.”
“And yet you saved me,” he said with a soft smile. “Taveon told me what you did. You found him, even when you could have used that chance to escape. Do not think I do not understand the full gravity of what you have done. I know how much you wish not to be here. For you to stay—for me—well...”
“I wasn’t going to leave to let you die.” Bree’s heart thumped in her chest.
“Do you not understand what you have done?” Rafe said with a sad smile. “Your wish. The volcano granted you what you wanted. A chance to go. A chance to escape. That was your one shot to get out of here, and you squandered it, just to save me.”
Bree shook her head, and a tear leaked out of her eye. “If that was the only way I could leave Underworld, then I’d rather stay forever. Your life isn’t more important than my freedom.”
Bree almost couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Weeks ago, she would have never thought it possible she would feel this way about one of the Dark Fae. She’d hated them all with a fiery kind of passion that felt impossible to douse. She would have fought every single one of them to escape, including the Prince and all of his supporters.
But now...things had changed so very much.
It hurt her heart to think she wouldn’t have another chance to leave this place, but another part of her felt strangely relieved. She wouldn’t have to make that decision to go. She wouldn’t have to see Rafe’s face when she walked into that Faerie Ring, disappearing from his world for good.
“You know I will do everything in my power to protect you, Bree,” he said, his voice catching. “The Prince is still insistent that you will fight for him. I want to find a way to get you out of it, but I see the strength in you now. I believe you can win. I will train you every hour of every day if that is what it takes.”
Bree wanted to push up on her toes, wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him with everything inside of her. She had almost lost him. She had given up a chance to escape just to see those silver eyes full of life once again. But the truth was, nothing had changed. Not truly. She still wanted out of Underworld, and she had to hope another chance might come her way. Even if Rafe was here and not there.
Bree did not want to be Taveon’s slave, his champion, or his assassin against the humans for the Tithe. And nothing would change that.
Perhaps she had ruined any opportunity the volcano had given her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get another chance sometime soon.
Bree wanted to leave, which meant she couldn’t do the one thing her body wanted her to do: open herself up to Rafe and give herself wholeheartedly to him.
Because not all of her heart was in this realm, even if part of it was now standing right in front of her.
Chapter 33
Rafferty
Bree and Rafe trained together for hours after that, and he could see her fire was burning even brighter than it ever had before. It was as if what had happened at that volcano had given her a stronger purpose, more determination, an intensity that she’d been pushing down as hard as she could.
But he also hadn’t missed that look in her eye when he’d been so tempted to kiss her. She may have given up her freedom to save his life, but she still wanted to leave this place. He couldn’t blame her, of course. Nothing had changed. Her life was still the horror it had been before their little trip to the volcano.
He wished she could be happy here. He wished she could see that her life could be a good one, if she just opened up to the idea of it.
Of course, he’d have to talk the Prince into ending this whole slave nonsense first.
“You seem to be getting a better handle on shifting back and forth between your wolf and your fae form.” Rafe couldn’t help but grin when Bree shifted one hand into a claw and then back again.
“I’ve been practicing,” she said, and he could have sworn he heard a hint of pride in her voice. “Plus, it’s like something strange unlocked in my mind at the volcano. Because I had to keep control, I did. And now I understand what that feels like. I know that sounds crazy but...”
“It does not sound crazy, Bree,” Rafe said.
She sighed and plopped onto a bench, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead. Her face was pale, and her breath ragged. Had she been training too hard? As pleased as he was to see how far she’d come, he did not wish to see her work herself into the ground.
“Have you been getting much sleep?” he asked quietly.
Bree shuddered and shook her head. “Every time I close my eyes, I see—” She cut herself off and glanced away. “I see you, Rafe. Broken and bleeding. In my dreams, I can’t save you. There’s nothing I can do but hopelessly watch you drift away from the world.”
“They are just dreams, Bree,” he said, though his heart beat a little faster at the look on her face. Did the idea of him dying truly hurt her this much? “Because you did save me. And I am standing right here in front of you.”
Bree sniffed, glanced up, and met his eyes. “You are. And I truly hope that doesn’t change for a long time to come.”
Rafe felt his body move instinctively toward her, and the desire to wrap his arms around her body was almost overwhelming. He did not know what it was about this girl, but he was completely unable to get her out of his mind. The way she smiled. The way she looked at him with that fierce fire raging in her eyes. The way she stood tall, no matter what horror came at her next.
But then he stopped when he remembered exactly where she had come from and where she wanted to go. Bree had made a wish. A wish to leave this dark place. She wanted to go home, despite knowing that it might mean she would never again see Rafe. And if that was how she truly felt, then she must not want Rafe at all. Not the way he wanted her.
So, he held himself back, and not for the first time.
Instead of pulling her close, he stepped back across the cold stone floor. “You know, the time for the Battle for the Crown is drawing close. We should up your training intensity.”
“What?” All the blood rushed from Bree’s face in an instant, leaving her as pale as the silver moon. “Already?”
“It has been weeks, Bree. The Prince has made the formal announcement to the Courts.” Rafe reached up and ran a hand through his long, silver strands. “The funeral will be in a few days. After that, the champions will begin to arrive. We do not expect many, but we do expect some. A couple of the King’s bastards will attempt to make their move.”
“A fe
w days,” Bree repeated. “But I’m not ready.”
“You will be,” he said as firmly as he could manage. Rafe would not accept anything but Bree’s total confidence. If she doubted herself in any way, it would get into her head during the battles. She could lose, just by believing she would lose.
Rafe no longer cared if Taveon kept hold of the crown. Yes, he wanted his friend to rule the realm, but over the past few weeks, Rafe’s priorities had changed. Now, he wanted nothing more than to get Bree through this. He wished he could take this burden off her shoulders completely, but he also knew Taveon would never allow it. This was how things had always been in this realm, and he did not see them changing anytime soon.
Bree’s face was still pale and she dropped back her head to stare up through the small square window at the top of the domed ceiling. She did that a lot. There was something in that moon that called to her, and it always seemed as though she was constantly seeking out its light.
“So, there will be just a couple of them, right? One or two?” She blew out a breath, her shoulders sagging forward. “I won’t have to fight more than that?”
“The Prince is the son of the King. Very few will want to challenge him.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Bree said. “If he’s the King’s son, shouldn’t he just automatically become the ruler? No battles or challenges allowed?”
“That is not how things work in Underworld, I am afraid,” Taveon said. “The throne goes to the most powerful male fae in the realm. He rules because of his power and might, not because of his birthright. It just so happens that Taveon’s family has historically been the most powerful fae family, and it is a gift that is passed down from male to male. But if there is another stronger male out there, the crown becomes his. If he brings forth a champion to fight for him.”
“But then it’s the champion’s strength that wins the fight, not the Prince’s.”
“No, Bree.” Rafe gave her a tight smile. “There is a little more magic involved than that. When you begin your fight, you will be infused with the Prince’s strength. Your might will mix with his might to become a cocktail of pure raw power. The two of you will become one in a way.”
Rafe could tell by the look on Bree’s face that she wasn’t quite thrilled by that little detail.
“Do not worry. You will not feel anything strange. His power will merely be swirling through your blood. It will help you win the fight. Taveon is...well, he is the strongest fae I have ever met.”
Bree blew out another breath before she finally looked away from the window to meet Rafe’s eyes. “Alright, I guess. I don’t suppose I have any choice in the matter, do I?”
“No. It is a requirement of the battle.”
Rafe hated this. He truly did. Bree was visibly uncomfortable with the entire situation, and she had no kind feelings toward the Prince. He wished that there was some other way. He wished there was another champion with her kind of strength. But there wasn’t, and the Prince was dead set on using her for his fight. Bree was stuck, and Rafe was stuck, and there was nothing he could do but get her as ready as he could.
“As much as I wish things could be different, they are not,” he finally said. “But I will make certain you are prepared. You can trust me, Bree, even if you do not trust the Prince.”
Her eyes shone as she made a small, timid step toward him. And then she froze in place, her body tight, as if she were afraid to move any closer. “I actually do trust you, Rafe. You’re the only one in this entire Court. Why do you think I stayed when I could have left? Surely you see that you...mean something to me.”
Rafe could barely breathe. Surely Bree was not saying what he hoped she meant. But he knew that mean something to me was a lot different than want. Friends mean something. Teachers and trainers do, too. She might care for him, but he did not think it was the same way he cared for her.
“Then, let us move on to your next stage of training.” He held out a hand. “You have mastered how to shift. Now, I will teach you how to fight.”
Chapter 34
Bree
That night, a scream ripped through the hallway outside of Bree’s quarters. Heart hammering, she jumped up from the bed and flew across the floor. She didn’t even think about what she was doing. She just did it. And when she ripped open the door, a crumpled body tumbled toward her.
She bit back her own scream and jumped back, hand pressed tight to her chest. The body belonged to a fae she recognized. He was one of Prince Taveon’s council members. Seath, she thought was his name. One of the fae who had supported King Midas.
And he was dead.
His eyes were vacant and hollow as they stared up at her. His chest was still. And his skin was bone cold. She didn’t need to check his pulse to know his heart was no longer beating.
He had no wounds, not that she could see.
He was just gone.
Footsteps pounded on the floor, and several figures hurtled through the open door. Her guards, she realized, as they quickly surrounded her. They’d been gone again, she numbly thought, as they wrapped her hands tight around her back and dragged her away from the body.
Prince Taveon strode through the door and stopped short when he spotted the fallen fae. He paled, and then glanced up at where Bree was being held by the guards.
“Why are you holding her?” he barked.
“My Prince, Lord Seath was found dead inside the girl’s quarters. She was standing over him.”
Taveon narrowed his eyes, and Bree’s heart jumped. He was going to think she was behind this. He would throw her back in her cell, and she’d never again see the light of day. Or worse. She kept hearing about all the heads that landed on stakes just outside the castle walls. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, terror running through her veins.
She had been set up, she realized. This had been purposeful. The body had been dumped on her door precisely for this reason. Whoever had done this wanted to make Bree pay for the crime.
“She is innocent. Let her go.” The Prince’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp as a knife.
Her eyes flew open, surprise flittering through her. “You believe I’m innocent?”
“Of course.” He gestured at the body and winced. “Seath has clearly been poisoned. You have no access to anything that could do this, not to mention that you would use a much different kind of weapon if you wanted to kill someone. I also imagine you would not be stupid enough to do it inside of your own quarters with the door flung open wide.”
Relief poured through her, but it was only short-lived. His belief in her didn’t change the fact that one of Taveon’s council members was dead. Poisoned. And the murderer had tried to pin it on Bree.
Rafe appeared in the door, worry creasing his handsome face. Lord Dagen was just behind him. They all stared in at the scene, faces pale, eyes locked on where the guard still held tight to Bree’s wrists.
Rafe was across the room in an instant. “Let her go. She did not do this.”
The guard grunted. “Prince Taveon has already given the order. Otherwise, I would not be letting her go, no matter what you said, you Wilde bastard.”
Rafe tensed, and his eyes filled with fire. “Throw my past in my face, Merrow, and I will throw your past in yours.”
Merrow, whose name Bree had not heard until this night, loosened his grip. Bree pulled away, striding halfway across the floor to get away from the sight of the body.
“You are shaking,” Dagen said as he crossed the room. “Let us get you out of here while the guards take care of the situation. You do not have to stay here tonight, of course.”
Bree shivered at the thought of falling asleep two feet away from where a body had been dumped into her room.
“And you plan on giving her more living quarters, Lord Dagen?” The Prince’s voice was razor sharp as he strode over to the two of them, his body radiating pure tension. “Or are you finally going to go for what you really want and put her in your own bed this
time?”
Amusement flickered in Dagen’s eyes at the Prince’s clear anger. “Would that be a problem? She is just your servant, after all. Why should it matter to you whose bed she shares?”
“I have a better idea,” Rafe said as he breezed in between the Lord and the Prince. “There is a spare bed in my living quarters. What if Bree stays there, just for tonight while the guards get this place cleaned up? It is better than sending her back to that dusty cell. Do we not all agree?”
Taveon clenched his jaw, and Dagen let out a low chuckle. Bree thought it seemed as though they might both object to the situation, but neither brought up an argument otherwise. She was tempted to point out that no one had asked her what she wanted to do about the situation, but she was too tired, weary, and upset about Seath’s body tumbling through her door for her to argue.
Instead, she followed Rafe out into the hallway. He quietly took her hand, squeezing tight as he led her to the safety of his quarters. He didn’t say a word the entire way, almost knowing that she needed some time to sort through her thoughts. She’d known it would be dangerous in Underworld, but the realm had turned out to be far different than she’d expected. Even with all of the attacks, it wasn’t the horror-filled, chaos-fuelled orgy of violence she’d imagined in her head. The Dark Fae were...well, they were as normal as Dark Fae could be. They had hopes and dreams and ambitions. They punished murderers. They valued loyalty. And they were driven by lust and power just as much as anyone else.
They were not monsters, not even Prince Taveon. She wished he was. It would make this entire thing so much easier.
“Here we are.” Rafe flashed her a grin as he held open the door. His quarters were only a short walk away from hers. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. The moon would not rise for another several hours, so there was no light to illuminate her surroundings. In the corner, there was a fireplace, but it didn’t even hold a glow of embers. Two beds sat side by side with only a small table situated between them.
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