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.His voice had a soothing cadence.“I once loved a girl as much as you seem to love yours.I rearranged the earth to keep her with me.She hated me for more than a hundred years, but I loved her from the moment she hit me in the face.”Laughter burst out of me.Was this guy for real? “You loved her because she hit you?”He shook his head, a secret smile playing at his lips.“I loved her because she fought my compulsion.The harder I tried to woo her, the more she fought to stay separate.”At the mention of compulsion, I flinched.No one should be made to feel or do anything.My own experiences had shown me where force could lead.“How can you do it?”He frowned in confusion.“Compulsion?” When I nodded, he let out a huff.“Where do you people come up with these ideas? Compulsion is nothing more than a heightening of existing feelings.It takes thought out of it and leaves the desires of the heart.”My jaw tightened.“You can justify it all you want, but it’s not right.”“Right is a matter of opinion.”“Right is right, dude.Ask any preacher.”He laughed.“I have no desire to seek mortal sentiments.I know what lies in the eternities.”“Yeah?” I took a sidelong look to gauge his expression.He was totally serious.“Mind sharing some of your wisdom?”He clapped my back before his hand snaked around the nape of my neck.“I cannot disclose anything I know about the afterlife to you or any mortal.If I did, I would condemn my people to an eternity of homelessness and misery.”As excuses went, his was a good one.I shrugged.“It’s no fun knowing how things are going to turn out, anyway.”He dropped his hand to his side.“I can at the very least verify the truth of your statement.”For the first time, I realized it would totally suck to be fae.“I’m sorry, dude.That’s harsh.”“Our fate is just.We have more here than we could have ever hoped for.”“I thought you all were supposed to lose your memories with this whole deal.What’s up with that?”His expression turned serious, the light of the moon casting deep shadows under his cheek bones.Not even a hint of bitterness showed in his answer, “We have not yet proven our worthiness for such a blessing.”“Sounds like a huge undertaking.”“The happiest day of my existence would be if I woke up and didn’t remember the years I’ve lived.Even if all I gained was a reprieve from my wrongdoings, I would be a happy man.”I took a sharp breath, realizing he had more chance of shedding the past than I did.“Well, if anyone can figure out how to free you people, it’s Rayla.”He smiled.“It’s what we’re counting on.”RaylaHEATH LAUGHED AT ME—A COMMON occurrence lately.“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had Ignisian blood within you.”I smirked.“Only you would be excited to go to war … I’m worried.”“Fear is part of the lure.Overcoming terror has been my goal since I can remember.What better way than through battle?”He surprised me often with the depth of his thoughts.When I first met Heath, he didn’t seem to care about anything.I’d learned over time he had done more to free Elementals than any fae.“I prefer to talk out my concerns.Casualties come from war.”He sat up, throwing his long legs over the edge of the bed.“Only for mortals.Strategy is never more important than when engaging an enemy you cannot kill.”I walked to him and leaned down to plant a kiss against his cheek.“I’m glad you’re on my side.”His smile stretched wide.In a swift motion he stood.Somehow, I ended up dipped as if in a dance.My head spun from the movement.He brought his lips next to my ear.“I would never be anywhere else.”Then, he kissed me.Soft yet passionate, my skin tingled to my toes.Just as quickly as he had tipped me back, he righted us.His hand lingered at my back until I was sure on my feet.Into the closet he went, retrieving the shirt I’d given him earlier.The man would walk around without clothes on all the time if he could.Once he was dressed, we left to find the Lords.If there was one thing I had learned since the fae charged into my life, it was that I needed to trust the men who had risked so much to help me.I knew each of them well enough to realize the depth of his commitment to both his people and mine.Going into battle wasn’t an appealing prospect, but it was a heck of a lot easier to contemplate with them in my camp.We found Finn and Cassie first.Cassie gave me a meaningful glance before she looked over her shoulder.I followed her line of sight and found her mother hanging back in the shadows.Amy Lambert had never seemed old to me — until today.The once vibrant woman hunched as if she were ninety years old.She couldn’t be a day past forty-five.Silver streaks shot through her mane of black hair, and the light I had seen in her eyes had been replaced with shadows of sorrow.I moved past Cassie and Finn, partly to get a better view of her, but also because I worried she would fall down if someone didn’t stabilize her wobbly legs.I moved in to hug her as an excuse to keep my hand at her back.“It’s good to see you, Mrs.Lambert.”She gave a weak pat to my shoulder.“I’ve told you to call me Amy, and hadn’t you heard? I no longer go by my traitorous husband’s last name.”“I’m sorry,” I said.“Cassie didn’t tell me.”Cassie had come behind us.Her tone was filled with cool indifference.“As if I could get more than a few minutes with her highness.”I rolled my eyes.“You’ve had better access to me than my husband.Stop your whining.”She laughed.“Only you would take the truth as complaining.It’s about time you took a moment to see Mom.”“Now, Cassie, Rayla has a lot of responsibilities.You can’t expect her to stop running the fae realm to check up on me.Besides, I’m fine.” Amy turned to me.“Rayla, tell Cassie I’m fine.”Lying wasn’t something I was opposed to if it was justified, but in this instance, Amy — “What last name are you going by?”She stood a little straighter.“Campbell.”Cassie made a pfft sound.“Don’t get her started.She’ll tell you how her family conquered Scotland, then America.”Amy smiled.“It’s the honest truth [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]