Authors: Anna Keraleigh
His mate!
Keyn forced himself to his feet. He took big gulps of air and
searched the horizon for Trillian. The world was blurring. His knees buckled.
There. He saw her, his woman. She fought awkwardly with his heavy sword.
Trillian screamed as a blade sliced at her arm.
Keyn reached out but his body would not obey. He fell face-first
into the dirt, the scream of his mate the last thing he heard.
Chapter Nine
Keyn gasped. It was a full gulp of fresh air. His eyes popped
open. “Trillian.” A raspy sound came from his parched lips. Sunlight hurt his
head as it streamed in through the windows and he stared at a familiar face.
“King Carrick.” He swallowed hard. “Is Trillian...” Panic filled his soul.
The king held his frown. “She’s alive.” That was his only answer.
Carrick, his long-time friend, turned his back with a disgusted expression and
walked to the glass walls.
Keyn realized he was back in the palace.
“She is untrained, a precious mate that you refuse to claim, and
yet she picked up your sword and risked her life to keep you safe,” he said
harshly.
Keyn shuddered. If she hadn’t shown up, those trolls would have ended
his miserable life.
Carrick spun on his heels before pacing to the couch to stare down
at Keyn. “She was struck several times, deep but not life threatening. A troll
managed to push her to the ground where she hit her head. Whisper heard her
scream and arrived in time to fight them off. Brielle is healing her now.”
Keyn released a shaky breath as tears filled his eyes. Trillian
was alive.
“Are you going to tell me what happened out there? How did you
become so compromised?”
Keyn took a moment to calm his racing heart. “I kissed Trillian,”
he whispered.
“Oh, Keyn.” Brook moved from the doorway to his side. “You love
her?”
“I always have.” He stood. “The moment our lips met, I broke down.
Sir, I cannot face my past. I am a burden and, as such, request my leave of
this kingdom.”
The queen spoke and she looked less upset, more pissed off.
“You’re abandoning her?”
“I am useless around humans!” Keyn yelled.
Brook took a step toward him, fire in her eyes. “We all have a
past. Some are more horrifying than others. You can’t be a coward.” She bunched
her small fists up. “If Carrick had abandoned me, I would have lost out on so
much happiness.” She pressed her hands to her stomach. “If Thame had left
Breena...” The end hung in the air. “You have to fight! You are not permanently
broken, just torn at the seams.”
The words struck his soul and he had to turn away. When had the
human queen become so intuitive?
“You can run away. You can let whatever nightmare plagues you win
or you can take a single step toward your mate,” Brook said as Carrick moved
beside her. He gave a proud smile and placed a hand on their unborn child.
“She’s two doors down on the right.”
Keyn nodded. He left the room, his breaths heavy with indecision.
After the short walk, he stood at the door, staring at the knob as if it were a
deadly snake or a flaming sword. His heart was so conflicted by the past but
still holding onto that one small light that was Trillian.
temporary fix. Could Trillian be a permanent solution?
The knob turned. The door opened.
****
Trillian stopped mid-step. The hulking fairy that made her want to
tear her hair out stood there. Just what she needed. Her head felt like a
two-day hangover and now he was scowling at her and looking sexy as a model.
“You’re welcome for saving your life. You’re still an asshole. Now get the fuck
out of my way,” she blurted, but meant every word.
Keyn’s lips parted.
“No need to speak, just move.” She stepped forward.
Keyn flinched and moved aside. “Trillian,” he called out.
She rushed around him, not interested in a single word he had to
say. If the bastard thought she was disgusting, if he got violently ill from
kissing her, he could very well avoid her. She marched away from the king and
queen who were kissing like a bunch of horny teenagers on the couch. Sunlight
blinded her as she opened the outer door. Her side still ached but when she
woke moments ago, she was completely healed. Sure, she wanted to know how but
the memory of Keyn and that damn fight with those creatures left her with one
conclusion: she intended to leave. “Go away,” she directed the words behind her
as she stepped out into the day. The sun was just starting to sink into the
horizon.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.” She waved to Breena who sat nearby talking with the
golden fairy, Thame. Trillian glanced back at Keyn. “I hate men and I fucking
hate fairies!” she yelled, fists bunched, and she turned away to flee the
palace.
“Wait. Please.”
“Fuck you,” she stated flatly. Her anger simmered to the surface
as Wick flew toward them. He landed and winked at her. She ignored him, walking
onward.
“Let me explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain. When a guy kisses you and gets
physically sick, I don’t think words are necessary.”
“Is that what you think happened?” He hovered beside her.
“Um, I was there. So yes, I know that’s what happened.”
He landed before her and she stopped short. “Your...our...touch
triggered memories from my past. It wasn’t you.”
Well, she hadn’t thought of that. The queen did say they had
baggage. What if he was telling the truth? Forget it, didn’t matter. “I’m still
leaving. I have a life to get back to.”
She sidestepped him, her stride eating up the path. Trillian was
done with the fairy kingdom. Keyn dropped off and she lost sight of him. She
made it to the edge of the city and found herself at a tall wall made of rock.
So the city was half-sunken into the ground? The dome must protect whoever was
on the top side from falling in or even seeing this place. She shook her head.
How was she going to get up this? With anger still fueling her adrenaline, she
kicked the barrier, winced, and then followed the trail. She’d walk a million
miles to get home if she had to. There had to be an opening somewhere.
“Ever wonder how he got that scar?”
She spun, gasped at the intrusion, and ground her teeth when she
saw that damn golden fairy. He landed next to her, as she answered, “I don’t
care.”
“Yes, you do.” He smirked, so sure of himself.
“Nope.” She kept walking.
“When he was a boy, he fell out of the sky.”
Trillian stopped. “Fell?” She made a diving motion with her hand.
Thame nodded.
Against her better judgment, she listened to her wildly beating
heart. “And?”
“Did you know every night he dreams of those events and every
morning for the past year he flies to your home? I followed him one morning and
found you. He watches you and it’s the only time I have ever seen him smile.”
Her hand covered her gaping mouth. “Why, me?” she asked.
“You’re his mate,” Thame said with gusto.
There was a flutter of wings and Keyn landed, the usual scowl on
his face. Thame glanced at him briefly before taking to the sky. That
revelation played in her head and made the silence between them awkward.
“I did not mean any insult toward you,” Keyn began, “but it’s not
safe to leave.”
“I can’t stay.” When had emotion taken hold of her voice?
“I will try to be less...annoying.”
Trillian snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Shall I make it a promise?”
She shook her head. “What happened to you, the scar, I mean?”
He frowned but revealed teeth as if he intended to snarl. “That
matters not. I will stay out of your way if you agree to remain here.”
This was his first attempt at not being annoying–epic fail.
Trillian turned on her heels.
“You’ve got to be the most stubborn female in the entire species!”
Keyn shouted.
Trillian gritted her teeth but managed to ignore him. She spotted
a steep winding pathway up the wall of rock that would, hopefully, lead her out
of this city.
“If you’re intent on ignoring me, why did you save my life?” Keyn
asked as he flew beside her.
Trillian opened her mouth, but hesitated.
Eh, the truth was supposed to set everyone free, right?
“I thought
our...contact made you sick and I might have felt guilty leaving you vulnerable
to those things.”
“Sick?” He looked absolutely stumped.
Idiot. “Our kiss. You went down afterward,” Trillian blurted.
He landed on his feet with a thud. “I had a moment of overwhelming
desire and that led to a weakness in...”
Trillian lifted a brow. “Do you really believe all this shit you
spout?” She took a breath. “Tell me how you got that scar and I’ll stay one
more night.” She had that luxury since Cameron wouldn’t be home for another few
days.
Keyn’s eyes widened. He absently touched the scar on his face and
pressed his lips together. There was a short heavy silence before he spoke.
“You may not have noticed but I hate humans. You’re all filthy creatures, and
when I was a child, your kind did this.”
Filthy creature? With that, Trillian showed him the chipped nail
polish on her middle finger and took off down that darkening path.
Chapter Ten
Trillian’s feet felt like falling off. Still she walked over
hills, past a pond, and into a collection of trees. This had to lead her home.
She saw the remnants of the first battle with those trolls. After sidestepping
that mess, it wasn’t long before she came to the main road. She smiled. A
five-minute walk would bring her to the driveway and finally home. She shivered
slightly. Winter was mild and almost done with but there was still a chill in the
night air. Trillian glanced behind her. Nothing. Then she looked up to the sky.
Empty.
Excellent.
She quickened her
pace and made it to her front door.
The smile faded.
A certain black-and-red-winged fairy stood in her way. He sat on
her crumbling stoop with his wings folded against his back. “Don’t you have a
war to fight?”
“I may have been a little...harsh back there.”
Trillian snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
He sighed like he was tired and hadn’t slept in days. “I have
anger issues toward humans.”
“Because they scarred your face?” She was really trying to
understand him though she didn’t know why she even bothered.
Keyn nodded.
“Fine, you’re forgiven for being an ass. Now, please, leave me
alone” She trudged around him, found her door unlocked. “I want to forget ever
meeting a fairy.” Trillian shut the door quietly.
It felt so good to be home. Regardless of that adventure, Trillian
wanted nothing more than to get back to normal. First, she called the bar. She
was, in fact, fired.
Fabulous
.
Trillian then called the hospital. It took a few bad elevator songs before an
operator directed her to Cameron’s doctor. The man didn’t waste time and
Trillian’s hand collapsed over her mouth to keep from crying out. Apparently,
Cameron had taken a turn for the worst. Tears sprang to her eyes as she grabbed
her car keys. The doctor said Cameron refused to stay there a moment longer and
he wanted his sister. Trillian glanced outside. The sun had set but a few rays
were still scattered through the sky. Thankfully, that’s all that was out
there. There was no fairy in sight. She opened the door and ran to her crappy
car. It was time to bring Cameron home too.
****
“You look like crap,” Cameron said from the passenger seat.
He went into a coughing fit that brought out his sunken eyes and
cheeks. Her brother looked so pale. Trillian couldn’t bring herself to reply to
the lighthearted comment.
“What’s wrong, little sis?” He was gasping when he finished the
short question, pulling air into his lungs violently. “I’m going to be fine.”
That simple statement was a lie. They both knew it but it brought
her fragile mind to a dark place. A deadly, lonely area she didn’t not want to
be. “I’m just tired. The bar fired me.” She tried to be normal.
“What? Why?” He coughed into his hand, a hacking sound that made
her cringe.
Trillian pulled the car into their driveway as she thought of a
white lie. “They’re not making as much money as they were, needed to trim some
workers, and I was on that list.”
“Well. That. Sucks,” he said between breaths.
“Save your strength. It’s chilly today and spring is another few
weeks away. Let’s go into the house and I’ll make you some warm soup.”