I coughed and immediately winced at the sharp pain in my head. “Ow,” I groaned. “Who hit me?”
“The mountain,” Faris said in a teasing voice. “She’s okay, Vaerik.”
Opening my eyes, I stared up into Lukas’s dark ones. “You guys really know how to throw a party.”
Male laughter came from nearby, and Lukas’s mouth softened into a smile that made me forget about my throbbing headache.
“A healer will be here shortly, Jesse,” Faris said. “Do you hurt anywhere besides your head?”
“No.” I moved my arms and legs, and everything worked. “All good. Can I sit up now?”
Lukas gently picked me up. I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. Faolin, Conlan, Iian, and Kerr formed a barrier between us and a curious audience, but I heard people talking excitedly and a few crying.
“Let’s get you out of here.” Lukas stood and spoke to Faris. “Send my healer to me.”
“I can walk,” I insisted, but he ignored me. “I thought you were done carrying me around like this.”
His chest rumbled with laughter as he turned to Conlan. “Tell my father I will talk to him after I see to Jesse.”
Conlan moved away, giving me a clear view of the onlookers. At the front was Dariyah, who looked close to having steam come out of her ears. The thought made me giggle, and I covered my mouth with my hand. That movement brought the pain back, forcing me to close my eyes as Lukas carried me out of the room.
I didn’t say anything when he took me to his quarters instead of mine. He laid me on his bed and went to admit the healer, who cleaned the cut on my head and gave me something sweet to drink.
I didn’t protest when she helped me out of my torn dress and into one of Lukas’s shirts before tucking me into bed. By the time she began to pack up her bag, the pain in my head had receded to a dull ache.
“Your head wound will heal by tomorrow, and you have no other injuries.” She smiled at me. “I hear you were hurt saving someone’s life. That was very brave.”
“Thank you.” I smothered a yawn. “Did you give me a sleeping potion?”
She shook her head. “Menak is strong, and it can have a sedative effect on the young. You are a new faerie, so it will affect you the same way.”
“Oh.” I closed my eyes and listened to the soft murmurs of her talking to Lukas in the other room.
“Jesse.” Lukas’s hand touched my cheek, and I forced my eyes open.
He smiled, but his eyes were troubled. “My father has called an emergency meeting, so I have to leave you for a few hours.”
I lifted my head. “I’ll go back to my room then.”
“I’ll feel better knowing you are here.” He tucked the blanket around me. “Elva will stay until I get back in case you need anything.”
I assumed Elva was the healer, so I nodded.
Lukas leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against mine. “Rest. I’ll return soon.”
“Okay,” I said groggily.
I heard him leave the room. A minute later, the bed dipped slightly, and a warm weight laid across my stomach. I reached down to pet the furry head. “Hey, Kaia,” I said before I drifted off to the sound of her purrs.
The next time I woke, I was curled against Lukas’s warm body with my head in the crook of his shoulder. He was still wearing his formal clothes, minus the coat.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said softly. “Go back to sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“Early.” His fingers played with my hair that had come partially free of the pretty braid Gelsey had done for me. “How do you feel?”
I did a self-inventory. “Better. Was anyone else hurt?”
“Minor injuries. It could have been much worse.” He drew in a breath. “I have always admired your bravery, but when I saw you push Delphine to safety and almost get hit by that boulder, my heart nearly stopped beating.”
I laid my hand on his chest. “You have to know by now that it’ll take more than a storm to get rid of me.”
His other hand came up to capture mine, holding it over his heart. “If you had been with me at the dinner, you would not have been in danger. That was my father’s doing, and I’ve let him know it will not happen again.”
“There was no way he could have known there’d be a storm,” I said as my heart soared at his words.
Lukas’s voice hardened. “I don’t blame him for your injury. But he went too far when he arranged for someone else to escort you to dinner and tricked me into taking Dariyah. I’ve tolerated his interference for too long, and I made it clear I am done with it.”
I wanted to believe the king would stop trying to match his son with a suitable mate, but it was a futile effort. I wondered if Lukas knew that, too.
I tilted my head back to look up at him. “You were in the meeting for a long time. How did it go?”
He pressed his lips together as if he was formulating what to say next. “My father and Queen Anwyn agreed to a temporary travel ban between the realms. Faeries in the human realm will be notified that they have three days to come home before the ban.”
The air squeezed from my lungs. The one thing I was trying to prevent was happening, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“It’s a temporary ban, Jesse.” The hand in my hair moved down to rub my back. “You’ll see your family again soon.”
“But they’ll be alone if your men come home. Who will keep them safe from Davian?”
Lukas gave me a reassuring smile. “Faolin has been working with a security firm he hired to track down Davian Woods. These are ex Special Forces, and they’re trustworthy. He’s going to arrange for the firm to take over protection detail until we return. It’s not a matter of if but when the team will find Davian. If that happens before the travel ban ends, they will take your family home to New York, unless your parents wish to remain on the island longer.”
His confidence in the security team eased my fear, and I relaxed against him. I rested my head on his chest, and the steady rhythm of his heart coupled with his fingers in my hair soon began to lull me back to sleep.
“I should probably go back to my room,” I murmured.
Lukas stopped toying with my hair. “Do you want to go?”
“No. I don’t want people to talk when they see me walking back to my quarters in my dress.”
Chuckling, he tugged the blanket up to my shoulder. “You’re already the talk of the court after that dinner. What’s one more rumor.”
“Ugh.” I groaned into his shirt. “You’re not helping.”
He wrapped his arm around me. “Will you stay if I tell you it will help me sleep having you near?”
Warmth spread all the way to my toes, and I snuggled against him. “Yes, I’ll stay for that.”
* * *
When I woke, I was alone in the bed, but the spot beside me was still warm. I slid out of bed to go find him, and I made it to the open bedroom door before I realized I was wearing nothing but Lukas’s shirt. I was looking around for my dress when King Oseron’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I like the girl, Vaerik. She has many traits I admire, and the service she did Faerie can never be repaid,” the king said. “But that does not change the circumstances of her birth. She is neither Fae-born nor royalty.”