He curved a hand around the nape of my neck. “Tip your head back,” he coaxed, and I obeyed. “The King wouldn’t unless he was forced. After all, he would do anything to protect his mortuus. The Summer fae can bring me the King’s weakness, and with that, I will be able to make him do whatever I want.”
The cold water pouring over my head wasn’t as much of a shock as it had been when I first climbed into the tub, but it still caused me to jolt.
“And as more younglings and Summer fae taste the Devil’s Breath, the Order will be too busy wrangling them as I force the King to open the doorway.” He picked up the other pitcher, rinsing the remaining soap from my hair. He placed it aside. “When that happens, this world will finally become the Queen’s, and nothing will be able to stop her this time.”
Drops of water blotted his white shirt as he slid his hand to the front of my throat. “You’ll most likely be dead by then.”
His fingers followed the stream of water coursing down my shoulders and then lower. His gaze tracked his hand. “Perhaps you will make me a liar. You are strangely resilient, and I have yet to bore of our time together. I’m not ready to silence your screams.”
I sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden pinch.
“You’re surprisingly…pleasantly developed for a mortal,” he murmured, the coolness of his palm branding my skin. “I am starting to understand why the King became interested. Then again, he was, how do I say? Always virile before he was mated to Siobhan. His escapades were rather legendary.”
The pale gaze remained fixed below my shoulders, as did his hand. “Your skin here is soft. Unmarred. We shall have to fix that, won’t we, little bird?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Chuckling, he slid his hand down my stomach and then under the water. I jerked at the contact. His smile grew as his gaze finally lifted to mine. He held my stare for a moment and then looked at the female who waited behind us silently. “Finish with her.”
Aric withdrew, and the female fae did as ordered, making sure the rest of me was clean. Then I was guided from the tub and dried off with a small linen that did more to irritate the numerous cuts than it did to soak up any of the water. A clean slip was tugged over my head, and when I looked down, I saw that it only reached to mid-thigh and offered little coverage or warmth.
Still shivering, I waited where I had been left as the female went back to the door, and both male fae returned, taking the tub and exiting. Suddenly, I was alone with Aric.
“Much better,” he commented, lifting a hand. He crooked his finger. “Come to me.”
I went to him.
His touch against my cheek was almost gentle if not for the pressure against the tender skin there. “I think it’s time to let you free, don’t you?”
Unsure, I nodded.
He bent, picking up the band and securing it around my neck. His eyes caught mine again, and he whispered something. The icy brush of fingers retreated from my consciousness. It was like a retractable leash. Free will snapped back into place with such force that it drove me back away from the Ancient. Slamming into the edge of the slab, I stared at him, gulping air.
“Welcome back, little bird.”
Chest heaving, I pushed off the slab. “Fuck you.”
He smirked. “Oh, how I missed that mouth. But I wished you knew what I missed”—his gaze dipped in a way that made my skin crawl—“most of all.”
I knew what he missed. I could still feel his hands on my skin, touching me. And what he didn’t realize was that I remembered everything. What I did. What he said. I didn’t know how or why, and while there was a whole lot I wished to forget, I now knew how he planned to free the Queen.
So I smiled.
Chapter 10
Fingers brushed my cheek, drawing me out of the abyss of nothingness.
“Open your eyes,” a voice beckoned, one painfully familiar. “I need you to open your eyes, Brighton.”
I knew that deep, smooth voice.
Gasping, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into eyes a shade of pale blue—eyes and a beautiful face framed by blond hair. I couldn’t believe who I was seeing. “Caden?”
The King smiled. “There’s my sunshine.”
My sunshine….
“I don’t…I don’t understand.” I blinked, thinking he’d disappear, but he was still there when I reopened my lids, those full lips curved. “You…you came for me?”
“Of course, I did.” He touched my cheek again, his touch so gentle that I barely felt it. “How could I not?”
Confusion clouded my thoughts as I stared at him. “How?”
“I’ve been looking for you. We’ve all been looking for you. We didn’t give up on you,” he said, dipping his head. “I didn’t give up on you.”
Caden kissed me, and the touch of his lips against mine was a jolt to my system. Not because it caused the swollen, torn skin to sting, but because it was like a rush of fresh air. And because it tasted like the sun.
“We need to hurry.” He lifted his head as his fingers found mine. “We have to get out of here, now.”
Stunned by his presence and the kiss, I didn’t resist as his hand folded around mine and he pulled me up. I stood on shaky legs, throat burning and eyes stinging. “You…you came for me.”
“I will always come for you,” he replied. “I love you, Brighton.”
Tears filled my eyes as I stared up at him. He…he’d come for me, and he…he loved me.
Caden let go of my hand and went to the door. The hinges creaked as he opened it. The faint glow of dusk crept into the chamber. Inhaling deeply, I caught the faint scent of roses reaching me. He turned back, stretching out his hand—
Wait.
His…his eyes weren’t a cool blue the last time I saw them. They were a warm, fiery amber, but his eyes were now blue. I didn’t understand.
“Come,” Caden urged. “You must follow me. Quick. Before we run out of time.”
Realizing that he was right and the whole eye thing wasn’t important, I started forward, hurrying toward freedom, toward life—
Jerked backward by the neck, my feet slipped out from underneath me. I went down hard on my ass, grunting as a bolt of pain jolted up my spine. My hands flew to my throat. Cool, hard metal greeted my fingers.
“What…?” Confusion swamped me as I twisted toward the stone slab.
The chain….
The tether was still there, bolted to the floor, and the chain was still…. It was still connected to the band around my neck.
Why didn’t Caden take that off? He had to know that I couldn’t leave with it still attached. Rising to my knees, I turned back to Caden—
He wasn’t there.
Where he stood was now just the wooden door—the closed, locked, wooden door.
I fell back onto my ass, my hands dropping to the floor. “He’s not here,” I said to the empty chamber.
He was never here.
Realization slammed into me, punching a harsh cry from my chest. Caden had never been here. The door had never been opened, and I was awake. This wasn’t a dream. This was a…this was a hallucination. I lifted a hand, touching my lips. A very real hallucination because I could still feel the press of his soft kiss.