Crown of Fire (The Forbidden Fae Book 1)

by Linsey Hall

  Except for the fact that they were probably too tired and frightened to bother with it. Constant terror could wear a person down.

  “Her first.” Iain’s words drifted across the room.

  A frown creased the healer’s face, but she nodded and walked toward me, her pale blue robes drifting across the ground. She was small, with a halo of white hair and bright blue eyes.

  I watched her warily, wishing I could heal myself. But this was more than a potion could handle.

  “How are you feeling, dearie?” Her voice was strong despite the fact that her wizened frame looked frail. I’d learned long ago not to judge by appearances.

  “I’m weak from blood loss.” My voice shook annoyingly, and I straightened my shoulders as much as I could.

  She raised a hand. “I’m going to touch your shoulder, all right?”

  I nodded, allowing her to place her hand on my shoulder. Her hand was cold, but not in the delightful way of Iain’s. She was just chilly. Then the warmth of her flowed into me, bringing with it a spark that seemed to jet through my veins, giving me strength and energy.

  I straightened even more, my posture finally going back to normal.

  She smiled. “You look better now.”

  I stretched my arms and shifted my legs. “I feel much better. Thank you.”

  She nodded and then went to Iain, working her magic once again. By the time she was done, the food was set up and the other Fae had disappeared. She left as quickly as she had come, and Iain turned to me. “You should eat something.”

  I nodded, not wanting to argue. But when I reached the table, I inspected the food closely. I still didn’t trust him.

  Fortunately, nothing appeared to be enchanted. I chose a Cornish pasty, hoping for cheese and onion. It was steak and stilton, but I couldn’t complain. Second best was still almost best.

  Iain joined me, and we ate in silence. My mind raced as I stole glances at him. He said we’d need to rest—and I could use a bit of a nap to recoup the rest of my strength—but what was going to happen next? How could I manipulate it to my advantage?

  The flash of gold at his throat caught my eye.

  The key.

  I’d meant it when I said I’d help him—or at least try.

  But I still wanted to free my brother.

  The easiest way to do that would be to steal the key and sneak out while the king was sleeping, then return once Connor was on his way to freedom. If I could steal the comms charm Iain had taken from him, I could even call him to tell him to be ready. He could let me know when the coast was clear around his cell.

  I moved closer to Iain under the pretense of reaching for a tart on a tray.

  My hand brushed his, and icy heat raced up my arm. His hand twitched, and he drew in an unsteady breath.

  I hated to admit it, but it affected me, too. I glanced up at him, wondering what to do next. This wasn’t my usual mode of attack. Violence was my normal game, not seduction.

  This…

  Was harder.

  But I wanted it all the same.

  Not just as a means to an end, but I wanted him.

  Heat shivered through me.

  It made it easy.

  He loomed over me, his size both arousing and threatening. My gaze dropped to his lips. We were close enough that I could smell his unique scent. The ocean and soap and something uniquely masculine. Just him.

  His eyes met mine, and tension tightened between us. My gaze dropped to his lips again, and I leaned forward, as if unable to help myself.

  Hell, maybe I was unable to help myself. I stole a look at his eyes again, spotting an undeniable heat in their depths. He searched my face as if looking for something, then groaned low in his throat and dipped his head to mine.

  He was as helpless against this as I was.

  As soon as his lips touched mine, desire exploded inside me. I’d started this with a goal, but already it was hard to remember. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, moaning into his mouth as I parted my lips.

  His tongue slipped inside my mouth, stroking with an expertise that made my head spin.

  “You taste so good,” he groaned. “So warm.”

  I pressed my body full-length against his, wanting to feel more of his hard strength. He was all muscle and power, and I liked it. His strong hands gripped my waist, pulling me toward him. I went willingly.

  I needed to get him to the bed. If a small bit of my skin made him go wild, he’d lose his mind if I could get my top off. It would distract him enough for me to use the potions I’d pocketed. A sleeping potion to give me time to sneak out, and a love potion to improve my chance of surviving the ceremony.

  An unexpected moan escaped my lips as his mouth moved from mine. He pressed kisses down the side of my neck, leaving a trail of hot and cold that made me shiver.

  I pulled on him. “To the bed.”

  He didn’t hesitate—just swept me up in his arms in one smooth move that made my heart leap. Quickly, he strode toward the massive canopied bed. We reached it in seconds, and he laid me down on the mattress.

  His eyes were hot as they watched me, and desire streaked through my veins. As fast as I could, I yanked my top off, revealing my simple black bra.

  A low groan reverberated in his throat, and I reached for him, forcing myself to remember the plan when all I wanted to do was roll around on this mattress with him. The connection between us was nearly impossible to fight.

  He knelt on the bed and loomed over me—the sexiest threat I’d ever seen. His hands ran down my sides, and heat flushed his cheeks.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he rasped.

  I reached for his cloak and unsnapped the two buckles at the shoulders. The heavy fabric fell away. Next, I struggled with his shirt. He raised his hands to help. Fumbling together, we got it off.

  He was still immensely powerful, but he wanted me so badly that he was shaking.

  I liked it.

  I lunged for him, yanking him down and flipping him over. He was so big that it was clear he was letting me do what I wanted. I’d never manage to actually wrest control from this man—not with strength, at least.

  I pressed myself full against him, my torso stretched out over his hard muscles. A low groan reverberated in his throat, and pleasure shot through me. I’d never felt like this before.

  I took everything I had to keep my mind on the task. I pressed my lips to his chest, and he gasped. A quick glance up showed his eyes tightly shut and his hands fisted in the pillow, as if he were trying to maintain control.

  It was so hot that I’d have forgotten my goal if I hadn’t caught sight of the golden key that trapped my brother.

  This was my moment, though.

  I ran my tongue over his chest, enjoying his shudder, and reached into my pocket to withdraw the vials. I continued kissing his chest to distract him while I unscrewed the tops on the two tiny vials. I held them carefully in one hand, then raised them over his lips.

  My heart thundered as I tilted the vials toward him. He could open his eyes at any minute, and I’d be screwed.

  But he didn’t.

  Instead, I bit his nipple and he gasped. When his lips opened, I poured two droplets of the potion—one from each vial. As soon as they hit his tongue, his form slackened on the pillow.

  It had worked.

  He was asleep.

  I had no idea if the love potion had worked, but I’d find out later.

  Shaking, I drew away from him.

  Holy fates, that had been intense.

  Desire still raced through me, making me shudder hard as I tried to get my mind in the game. He was going to be pissed, but it didn’t matter. I’d still come back and help him find the SoulStone and save his people.

  With any luck, I’d be back before he woke. Though that was unlikely.

  Quickly, I recorked the potions and tucked the rest in my pocket, then removed the key from his neck. Despite the fact that he’d relaxed in slumber, he still look
ed strong as hell. I rustled through the pockets of his pants, finally finding the comms charm. Last, I found one of the invisibility potions we’d brought to Dartmoor but hadn’t needed. I was a walking potions store now.

  I pulled on my shirt and drank the invisibility potion quickly, then ran from the room. There was no one in the hall, so I whispered into the comms charm, hoping Connor was wearing it. “Connor, can you hear me?”

  There was no response.

  Fear shivered down my spine.

  “Connor!”

  He didn’t respond.

  My skin as I ran faster.

  Please let him be okay.

  I sprinted down the hall, moving faster than I ever had. The sleeping potion didn’t work well on stronger supernaturals, and I wouldn’t have long before Iain awoke.

  My heart was thundering by the time I made it to the dungeon. The coast was clear, thank fates, the guards probably in the kitchen once more. I raced toward the cell where the king had first put me.

  “Connor!” I hissed, peering through the bars.

  He was nowhere to be seen amongst the fancy furniture.

  Shit!

  He could still be in there, sleeping. I fumbled with the key, shoving it into the lock. After a few frantic twists, it snicked open, and I stumbled inside.

  The drapes on the fancy bed were drawn, and I yanked them back.

  Connor lay on the mattress, frozen and blue.

  Horror opened up a gaping hole inside my chest, and I fell on him, a scream tearing through my throat. “Connor!”

  His skin was hard and cold to the touch. Terror like I’d never known raced through me, and every inch of me shook.

  “Caera!” The king’s voice sounded behind me, sharp and worried.

  I spun on him, rage enveloping me. I charged, throwing myself at him, then punched and kicked like I wanted to beat him to death with my hands.

  I did.

  My vision had gone nearly black with rage, and all rational thought left my head. Vaguely, I knew this wasn’t how one took out an opponent. I was in the middle of a full-scale breakdown.

  Iain’s eyes widened as he searched for me. I realized he couldn’t see me because of the potion.

  “This is your fault!” I shrieked.

  He found my arms and gripped them, shaking me gently. “Stop it! We’ll fix this.”

  The shake snapped some sense into me.

  I was hysterical.

  This wasn’t me.

  I was a trained killer.

  Not this…this frantic mess.

  And I’d made a blood oath not to attack him. If I’d gone much further I could have triggered it. Yikes.

  I shook myself and stepped back, then reached into the ether to draw a blade. A woman appeared at Iain’s side—a guard of some kind. She raised a cup and threw a pile of glittering powder at me. It coated me, and the king’s gaze focused on me.

  He could see me now. Or at least, the outline of me.

  His eyes riveted toward the blade. He lashed out and knocked it from my hand, then yanked me to him and spun me around, gripping my upper body tightly and pinning my arms to my side.

  “You can’t get out,” he growled against my ear.

  I thrashed, trying to break his hold. He was still shirtless—something I hadn’t noticed before, and his arms were icy hot as they wrapped around me.

  “Let me go,” I hissed.

  “Not until you explain.”

  “My brother.” I jerked my head toward Connor. “He’s frozen.”

  The king’s head shifted, and I knew he was looking at the bed. His posture sagged just slightly, and a breath escaped him. “Damn it.”

  I drew in a shuddering breath, barely processing the fact that he seemed to be upset for me. Maybe the love potion had worked.

  “I’m sorry, Caera,” he said.

  I blinked back tears, my mind racing. These next few minutes were suddenly the most important ones in the world. Connor’s life was at stake. No matter how angry with Iain I was, I had to get him on my side. I needed his cooperation to save Connor.

  The king stiffened, an aura of anger returning to him. The spell was broken. His voice was low as he spoke against my ear. “What did you do to me?”

  “Sleeping potion. But I wasn’t running away. I swear it. I just wanted to release Connor. I was coming back to help. I swear.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Frustration surged inside me, beating at my ribs. “I mean it. I could never let you all die. Especially if there’s a way to help that doesn’t involve my death. And I swore a blood oath.”

  I could feel him waffling. I’d broken whatever tenuous trust we had developed, but he wanted to believe me. And the love potion was streaking through his body even now, I hoped.

  “Whether you believe me or not, I’m going to help you anyway, now,” I said. “My brother is frozen. I’ll do anything to break the curse.” Anger bubbled inside me. “This is actually a good thing for you. So good I have to wonder if you planned it.”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  “Wouldn't you?” I struggled in his arms, trying to break free. “It’s perfect.”

  “I wouldn’t. And I couldn’t. We don’t know how to guess when the curse will strike someone. He was as safe here as anywhere.”

  “He was safer outside your realm.” Tears pricked my eyes. I couldn’t help it. I leaned my head back against Iain’s shoulder. My words were ragged when I spoke. “I’ll do anything.”

  He sighed and set me away from him, spinning me to face him. There was still mistrust in his gaze, but also caring. His grip was gentle on my arms. “I’ll see to it that the healers look after him.”

  I nodded. “We need to go look for the SoulStone. I know where it is, but we can’t waste any time.”

  He released me, and I stepped away. I couldn’t help but walk toward Connor and squeeze his cold shoulder one more time.

  Iain joined me. “He’ll have the best care.”

  “As an icicle.” Bitterness echoed in my voice.

  Iain’s jaw tightened, but there was nothing he could say. There was nothing anyone could say.

  My brother was frozen, and if I didn’t heal Iain’s kingdom, I’d lose him forever.

  12

  Iain and I made sure Connor was taken to the healer. I wanted to linger at his side in the large, airy room, but there was no time. Every second was valuable now.

  I pressed a kiss to Connor’s forehead and turned away, unable to avoid the Fae staring at me as Iain escorted me from the room. There were dozens of frozen people there, each of them a pale blue color. Some were beginning to lose their hair and pointed ears, and I had to look away as we walked by.

  I couldn’t let this happen to Connor.

  Iain led me to a large room nearby. Like his chambers, it was rectangular and situated on the cliff overlooking the sea. None of the ice had been chipped away from the windows, so it was hard to hear the ocean, but I could see the wide gray expanse through the ice. Slowly, it began to turn blue like it had before.

  I turned away form it.

  A massive rectangular wooden table filled the space. There were six Fae already seated in the room, each wearing the gray-blue uniform of the palace guard. They stood as we entered, and Iain gestured for them to sit.

  I shot him a look, brow arched.

  “My inner circle,” he said. “Here, we will plan how to get the SoulStone.”

  “We can’t take so many with us,” I said.

  He frowned at me. “I thought you were serious about this?”

  “I am. But we’re going to be stealing it from the Fire Fae. Unless you want to wage war—which I wouldn’t allow anyway—we’re going to have to sneak in.”

  His jaw tightened, but he gestured at one of two chairs at the head of the huge rectangular table. Both were empty, and it was clear that one was his. It was enormous, made of ornately carved pale wood and set with blue stones that looked like the ocean on a clear day. Ice
dripped from it. Next to it was a slightly smaller chair. No less beautiful, but newer-looking. If I had to guess, it hadn’t been there long.

  It had been added for me.

  A strange shiver raced over me.

  Fated mates.

  If we could break the curse on his Court, we were going to have to deal with that situation. He was clearly already dealing with it in his way…by adding a chair for me at the head of his war table.

  What did it mean?

  Nothing.

  I shoved away those thoughts and took a seat. He took one as well, and turned to me. “What are we looking for?”

  I glanced at the six Fae who looked at me, each with an eager expression on their face.

  I trusted Iain—not with my life, necessarily. But I knew what his goals were, so I could be confident about what he was going to do. Right now, that counted as trust.

  But I didn’t know these Fae.

  “I can’t tell you the details in front of everyone,” I said.

  He frowned.

  “Seriously.” I leaned forward. “We’re going to try to steal the SoulStone from my sacred ancestral lands. If I am caught doing this, I’ll never be forgiven. I can never return home. The same goes for telling a bunch of strangers how to get there.” I gestured to them, a deep frown cutting across my face.

  A scowl flashed in his eyes, then he nodded. “I understand. But we need to know the basic details.”

  “Fine. I can tell you that it is dangerous. I should go alone and—”

  “Out of the question.”

  I glared at him. “You know I’m committed now. I’ll do anything to save Connor.”

  “I know. But you said it’s immensely dangerous. I’m going with you.” His jaw was set, his eyes hard.

  There was no changing his mind; it was obvious. “Fine. You and I will go. If we’re lucky, we’ll have enough time before the solstice deadline.”

  “The solstice sun will rise in just over twenty-four hours,” Iain said.

  A dark-haired guard with pale, sharp features and bright green eyes leaned forward. “It will take nearly an hour to get to the ceremony site.”