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“Fucking Fates it’s cold,” Viktor griped, joining me beneath the falls and scrubbing dirt off himself in a hurry. I could barely hear him over the rushing in my ears, which meant if we spoke softly we might have a few private words.
I waited for Endre to join us before I turned my back to the Crystal Fae and dropped my tone. “We need to ditch our escort. Any thoughts?”
Viktor responded first. “That’s all I’ve been thinking about since they picked us up, but I don’t see a way out of it.”
Endre interrupted him. “You wanted to visit the Day Realm for the new princess’s announcement, so we might have to play nice for the moment.”
I scoffed, annoyed that the greatest strategist in the Night Realm had nothing better than ‘I don’t know’ to offer up and that my sensitive friend felt the need to remind me of the purpose of this trek.
Gritting my teeth as I scrubbed my skin with some moss I’d found growing nearby, I replied, “Fine. We’ll tolerate them.”
Viktor and Endre both dipped out of the icy falls before I did. The freezing water cooled me off in a way I so desperately needed if I was going to keep my shit together for the foreseeable future. Finally shoving off the slippery rock, I waded back through the pool toward the Crystal Fae who stood in matching arms-crossed, stone-faced stances. As I walked – fully nude – to the line of tethered horses, I grinned at the males following me, ensuring they each got a nice good look at the crown jewels. From my bag, I grabbed decently fresh clothes, then winked and pulled them on. Rather than lose the semblance of inner peace I’d found, I disappeared into my tent for the rest of the night, trying to pretend the Crystal Fae weren’t feet away and ready to run me through.
I didn’t even think of Taya as I drifted off to sleep beneath a layer of warm blankets.
13
Creatures fell from the skies around me, dropping like rain to the battlefield below. Whipping around, I searched for light-sucking black and iridescent blue among the skies, but found none. The roar of soldiers around me couldn’t stop the panic that clawed up my throat, and I tried to sprint away from the fray and to higher ground. Each step felt like I was moving through quicksand, and tears burned my eyes as I fought to run.
“Please, please please,” I begged anyone who would listen. But it was no use. My limbs were nothing more than stone while the leather-clad soldiers surrounding me moved like the wind. Suddenly, the sun was blotted out by a thousand black dots, and movement returned long enough for me to observe the new addition to the battle. A thousand pairs of black feathered wings circled above, most carrying longbows with arrows already notched. It was only then that I realized a circle of soldiers had formed around our group, and we backed together, defenseless from all sides.
“Why!” I screamed, tearing my throat with the force of my agony as the first arrows twanged into the air.
With a gulping gasp, I bolted upright, throwing Ruslan’s arm off my waist in the process. I clutched my chest, my heart being out of control as the absolute terror from my nightmare carried over into my waking existence. Ruslan was upright within a breath and yanking me into his embrace. The gentle rocking motion he offered still did not soothe me. “You’re safe, here in our bed. I’ve got you.”
Twisting my fingers in the white sheets beneath me, I tried to ground myself to the present, but the lingering bits of the nightmare clutched at me until I used my other senses to regain control. The sun set behind the sharp peaks in the distance, darkening the room that smelled of sex and wood and roses. Ruslan’s warmth at my back relaxed the tense muscles there, and finally, I sank into his hold.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he murmured, his raspy voice gentle, but through our bond I felt his worry.
“It was a battlefield… we were surrounded.” I shook my head as if I could banish the last of the violent images. “Everyone was going to die.”
“We have the advantage, Izidora. I won’t let that happen,” Ruslan promised, and I believed him. Wholeheartedly. After witnessing the Dragons in the sky today, in addition to the ferocity of the Iron Realm’s army, and Rares’ continued experiments with non-magic weaponry, I couldn’t imagine a way in which we would lose. Nothing the Night Fae could conjure would match the might of the Iron Realm.
Blowing out a breath, I nodded. “Especially because of the Dragons.”
Nuzzling the top of my head, Ruslan responded, “Especially that.” We remained locked in the tender embrace until the dying sun disappeared behind the mountains. “Do you still want to go to Steel tonight?”
My cheeks and core heated at the thought. “Yes,” I whispered. “Should we invite Liliana and Drazen?”
“Why not? Though I’m fairly certain they’ll be there given that it's one of the busier nights of the week at Steel,” Ruslan murmured, planting a tender kiss on my hair.
Extracting myself from Ruslan’s arms, I yawned, stretching my stiff limbs and working movement back into my body. “Do I have time for a bath before we go?”
“Absolutely. You stay here and I will draw it for you.” Ruslan hopped from the bed, making his way to the bathroom. I raked my eyes across his naked form until he disappeared around the corner. Turning over, I sprawled out as I rummaged through the bedside table in search of something to read while I bathed. I was still slow, especially since I’d had a chunk of time without reading at all, but Ruslan had been working with me every night, just like we used to before Béke.
Water splashed into the deep soaking tub, and the earthy scents of lavender and rose wafted to the bedroom, enticing me to wander to the bathroom. Candles floated in the water and lined the sides of the tub, Ruslan lighting them one by one with his magic. It was a peaceful oasis, and just what I needed after the nightmare of nearly dying on the battlefield.
“I’m going to shower and look over some paperwork while you bathe,” he commented, straightening when he noticed my entrance. “I’ve got to take care of a few things before we leave for the Day Realm. And I’ll definitely be too busy after our wedding to do them.” He smirked suggestively, and I grinned in response, my belly fluttering under his heated gaze.
“How many days?” I asked, padding toward him and running a nail down the center of his muscled torso.
“Too many,” he growled, capturing my finger and nipping the pad of it. “You will be my mate, my wife, and my empress. All will bow before our might and our wrath.”
“The two most powerful Fae to ever live,” I repeated his words from so long ago back to him.
“That’s right. Now, hop in and relax, sprite. You deserve it.” He released me, and I stepped lightly over the lip of the tub, groaning as the heat soaked into my body. Sighing, I leaned my head against a rolled up towel on the edge.
Ruslan thought of everything.
