Fates Fulfilled: Halven Rising

Garrin covered Lex’s mouth, drugging her with his kisses. Not that Lex was complaining. “Fae men take care of their women, do they?” she managed to get out.

His lips slid to her neck. “Always.”

“Em and the other women in your court seemed pretty competent at protecting themselves.”

“They are.” He nudged her chin up with his nose, giving him better access to her neck. “I trained them.”

Warmth filled Lex’s limbs and her mind went blank. When she caught her breath, Garrin’s hands were sliding down her sides, his palms causing heat to flare up wherever they touched. “I’m not a part of your court,” she said. “I’m not one of your women.”

“You are my only woman.”

She was done for if he kept talking like that. “You sleep with other women too,” Lex said, trying to keep her head on straight and remember her place in all of this.

His expression turned to one of chagrin. “Not all of them. And not in years. I’ve been too busy searching for you.”

“But you would have slept with them if you could have.”

“I could now. I choose to be with you.” He guided her to the ground and the coat he’d laid out. “You’re the only woman I think about. The only one I wish by my side. My father raised me to believe it my duty to expand the royal family. Until I met you, I saw no reason not to. But my father’s actions have caused my mother a great deal of pain. I see that now. I will not hurt you. Not for anything. Not even for duty.”

His eyes were dark inside the cave, his pupils nearly covering the iris. But she sensed his sincerity.

She pecked him on the lips. “I would mind, you know. If you were with another. But I do admire your court women. They are brave.” She glanced up at the ceiling. “Maybe a little too obsessed with you, but I can’t blame them. I might be slightly obsessed too.”

“Only slightly?” Garrin resumed kissing her neck and nudged the top of her tunic until his soft lips pressed against the tops of her breasts, his hand cupping the bottom. “Hmm. We’ll have to work on that. I want you as desirous of me as I am of you.”

Lex exhaled on a shaky breath while her heart pounded in her chest as though she were sprinting. No need to unnecessarily stroke his Fae ego, though. “I could be persuaded.”

“You are so beautiful… And so mine.”

Lex looked down skeptically. “You keep saying that.”

He laughed. “You doubt it? Human women are strange. I’ve never given this much attention to another, and yet you question my feelings?”

Presently, she was pushing her chest into his palm, so clearly, she wasn’t stressing about it. Still… “First of all, I’m Fae, in case you’ve forgotten. Second, attention is one thing. Emotions are another.”

His talented fingers continued their delicious torture of her breast. “Do not doubt my feelings for you, Lexandra. Whether we give in to desire or not, you are mine.”

Garrin would wait centuries to be with Lex. Thankfully, it appeared he wouldn’t have to.

Lex sank her fingers into his hair, pulling his head up from where he’d been showering her decolletage with attention and delivered a kiss of her own. “You’re mine too.”

Garrin fit himself more fully over Lex, his hands running over her body, kissing her with a passion he’d never experienced. He ran his nose along the soft skin of her neck, moving his lips up and across her cheeks and seeking her mouth. Until a surge of energy filled him, and a loud crack sounded.

Garrin had just lifted his head when ice rained out from behind. He threw his arms over Lex.

“What the…” Lex wiggled and tried to escape his hold. “What just happened?”

Garrin looked back and saw the faces of their friends, their chests rising and falling as though they’d run at the sound.

The ice seal he’d created at the entrance of the small cove to provide privacy had burst into a thousand pieces.

The crook to Amund’s mouth indicated he knew exactly what Garrin and Lex had been doing. “Is everything okay?”

Garrin rolled off Lex until he crouched in front of her, his protective instincts revved. “Yes, but…” He looked at Lex. “It seems Lex’s powers are growing.”

“My powers?” Lex was sitting up and staring at him now.

“Did you not feel it?” he asked.

She blushed. “I felt…something.”

His lips twitched. “The ice wall should have held. Most cannot detect when another uses their ability, let alone define that energy and re-create it. Earlier you said you sensed my power when I made the wall. I felt you push the energy back at me before the wall shattered.”

“But I wasn’t trying to do anything.” She bit her lip. “I might have touched it when we…”

Garrin waved off the crowd. “You may go.”

Isle remained, ignoring the command. “She sensed your power and mimicked it, breaking apart the ice. What I wish to know is why you felt it necessary to put up a wall separating my daughter from the rest of us? Are you attempting to ruin her?”

“Oh my God!” Lex said. “I’m an adult, Mom.”

Isle huffed out a sigh. “You are a powerful Fae who could rule a kingdom. You must think of your future.”

Lex scrambled to her feet. “I don’t want to rule a kingdom, Mom.”

Isle murmured something about back in her day, but she cut off her words. “In any case,” she said, and stared at Garrin, “my daughter consciously drew on your ability like a true puppet master.”

Lex shook her head. “I wouldn’t exactly say consciously. I wasn’t thinking about taking down a wall.”

“But you felt Garrin’s power—were ‘touching it,’ as you said?”

Lex glanced at Garrin, and another blush swept her face.

Isle caught the exchange and rolled her eyes. “You can use your senses to manipulate others’ powers.” She paced the alcove, and Garrin’s annoyance grew. He wished to be alone with Lex, not lectured. “You simply don’t understand what you are capable of.”

Garrin’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know so much about Lex’s ability? Few in our history have ever possessed it.”

Isle straightened, her chin tilting up in the same manner Garrin had seen Lex do. “I’ve known of my daughter’s power from when she was very young. I am her mother; do you truly believe I would not understand it? And no one is capable of puppet mastery the way Lex is.”

He looked at Lex. “You would have shown signs at a young age. We all do. Do you have memories of your ability?”

Lex shook her head. “Nothing. My memory is spotty at best.”

“You don’t need to,” he said. “In time, we’ll do everything we can to recover your memory.” Garrin would get to the bottom of the magic Isle had used to keep her daughter in the dark. His parents had their faults, but any Fae capable of wiping her child’s memory and abandoning her could never be innocent. “For now, we will focus on your power if you are beginning to draw on it. It should be safe here, away from the castle.”

Isle stepped forward and grabbed Lex’s hand. “Darling. What were you doing when you drew from the Dark Prince’s powers?”

Lex looked at Garrin. “Uh…”

“We were talking,” Garrin said. “Intimately.”

Isle glared at him. “I can imagine.” She turned to her daughter. “But what were you feeling?”

“Mom, I’d rather work with Garrin on this.”

Isle dropped Lex’s hand and took a step back. “I see.”

Lex stumbled forward. “Please don’t be offended. It’s just that I’ve spent a lot of time with Garrin.”

Isle’s gaze slid to his. “That is what I’m afraid of.”