Faery Kissed (6 page)

There was the glimmer of tears sparkling in
her eyes. I leaned in to kiss her, wishing I had more to give, but
this was all I had at the moment. Our mouths met, brushing softly
together, and Eirian lifted her arms, intertwining them about my
neck. The kiss was a gentle one, tender, sweet, savory. I broke
away when I noticed her tears falling against my skin.

“
What’s the matter,” I
asked, concerned.

She stared at me, tracing over my features,
before placing her finger to my lips.

“
I love you,
Bran.”

My body trembled in response, though I
didn’t know what to say.

“
Don’t speak,” she added,
saving me. “I know you aren’t able to say it back. There are just
times I want to share it with you. I’ve waited so long.” She took
my hand, and pulled me up the path toward the bridge once
more.

I wanted to ask her more about her feelings,
but being so unsure of my own still, I didn’t want to embarrass
her. Whatever was happening between us, I was sure it bode well for
our future. The more time I spent in her company, the more I wanted
to be with her. I might not agree with the means she’d used to get
me, but the reality was I did feel something for her. I just wasn’t
sure what that was.

We walked in silence until we arrived at the
giant edifice. I marveled over the stone, the carvings upon it, and
the way it stretched out across the water in its repetitive arching
pattern.

“
How long did it take to
build this? The craftsmanship amazes me. I’ve never seen its equal
in my life.”

She laughed heartily; the melodic sound
broke into the air like crystal. “I don’t know. It has been here
for my entire existence and many centuries before, I would
imagine.”

“
Are you saying you never
ponder on such things?” I couldn’t believe how nonchalant she
seemed.

“
No, I haven’t. It would be
like asking, ‘Why did someone build a road?’ A road was needed so
it was built. It’s the same with this bridge.”

“
I do wonder who built
roads,” I grumbled.

She laughed again. “Maybe it’s a male thing
then. I’ve never questioned my surroundings. They’ve always been
here, so they’re what I consider to be normal. Have you ever
wondered about your own house, or the village you grew up in? Or
were they just there because they always have been?”

I shrugged. “I considered much about the
surroundings I grew up in. I was always planning for my future and
how I would like things of my own to be when I grew up. What the
house I built for Ceridwen would be like, and where it would
be.”

The smile left her face at the mention of
Ceridwen.

“
Sorry,” I apologized. “I
didn’t mean to upset you.”

“
You didn’t.” She released
my hand and walked away. “I know you had a life before. I try not
to let it bother me, but it seems I’m a little . . .
jealous.”

“
Why?” I asked, curious as
to why a Fae would ever be jealous over me. I followed after her
across the bridge.

“
I told you before—I’ve
been watching you for a long time, since your youth. I guess I
became a bit possessive. I always felt like those kisses you
gave . . . her . . . were stolen from
me. I wanted to be the one pressed against those lips, in those
arms, under those hands.”

“
And now you are,” I
reminded.

She turned and smiled. “And now I am. But
for some reason, I’m still envious.”

“
You shouldn’t be. I’ve
done much more with you than I’ve ever done with her. Those are
pieces of me she will never claim.”

“
But she would’ve had I not
interfered.”

“
Yes, she would have,” I
agreed, there was no doubt about that.

“
Do you regret that she
won’t now? Be truthful.” She stopped walking, staring
intently.

I looked away and moved to the bridge’s
edge, placing my hands against the stone railing. I gazed across
the water. “Of course I regret it. I love her. I had planned my
life with her—a life that will never happen now.” I glanced over my
shoulder to see her standing still, unmoving, her face blank of
emotion. “You must understand. When you stole me, you stole some of
my dreams too.”

“
That’s why I’m resentful.
She has your heart, your dreams, and if you had a true choice, she
would be the one here with you.”

I didn’t speak. There was no way I could
refute her words because they were the absolute truth.

“
Did you think of her, just
now, while we were together under the tree?” Her words came out as
if they were painful to speak.

I walked over and placed my hands on her
shoulders. “For a brief moment before and after, but not even one
breath during. When I am with you, I am here, only with you. It
will always be so, I give you my word.”

She relaxed and slid against my body, laying
her head against my chest as she wrapped her arms around me. “I’m
sorry, Bran, for stealing your dreams.”

I groaned and embraced her.

“
As selfish as it is, it
never occurred to me the pain I would put you through. That was
never my intention.”

“
I know. What’s done is
done, though. Let’s not keep reevaluating it, but try to move
forward instead. I think that will be best for both of us.
Rehashing things will only bring more regret.”

She tilted her head and looked at me. “I
will try not to. Will you ever forgive me?”

I chuckled. “I think I already have. I’m
still here, aren’t I?” I brushed my lips lightly against her
forehead. “You need to realize that even though I’ve lost some
dreams, I’m getting to experience others. The Fae are real, this
place is real—you are real.” I frowned. “Unless I’m still sleeping
next to the tree in the glen and this is all just some fabulous
dream made up by my honey mead sodden mind.”

Her face brightened at my remarks. “No. You
aren’t dreaming. I promise you that.”

“
Good to know.” I tweaked
her nose. “So let’s continue getting to know one another. Are you
going to show me this fabulous city, or are we going to continue
standing here the rest of the night entwined on the bridge? Not
that I’m complaining.”

“
Let’s go,” she said
excitedly, grabbing my hand and hurrying away at such a quickened
pace I had to run to keep up.

I loved watching her hair and skirts flying
about, noticing the slim turn of her ankles as she moved. It was
exhilarating to run, and I could feel her sneaking into my heart a
little more.

She stopped suddenly, and we would’ve
collided had I not been staring at her. “There it is,” she
exclaimed, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She pointed
ahead, into the crevice. “Àillidh. It means beautiful.”

I think I may have gasped at the sight it
was so breathtaking. The actual city was carved intricately into
the walls of the canyon. There were stairs and pathways chiseled
into the rock face everywhere, leading into different structures.
Glass orbs, suspended by what looked to be metal rods, lit the city
with an unnatural glowing blue light that reflected off the small,
thin waterfalls that cascaded over the edges of the cliffs.

The water fell into a river, rushing along
to an area where the walls widened, giving enough room for a small
island to rise out of the middle. On the island sat a tall castle
with many elegant spires that jutted high into the air. The canyon
walls narrowed around the far side of the castle again and the city
continued on as far as the eye could see.

“
Ah’lee,” I said, repeating
the foreign sounding name she’d spoken. “I understand why the
bridge is meaningless to you now.” I took a step forward. “There
are no words for this. It’s just . . .
just . . .”

“
It’s beautiful. And it’s
home,” Eirian stated with a sigh.

“
Home?” I questioned,
confused. “I thought you lived in the castle on the hill above the
canyon.”

“
I do. I live in both
places. Actually, they’re technically the same place. They are
connected underground with a myriad of tunnels and rooms. It would
probably take a lifetime to show you them all.”

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what she was
talking about. “I hope you will show me some of them at least.”

“
Of course, I will. You’re
my mate, after all. It would seem strange not to.”

“
Let’s go,” I said, eager
to begin my explorations.

“
Wait. There is one thing I
must caution you about.”

“
What’s that?”

“
I am the princess of the
realm. Even though you are my chosen, you’re new here. My people
will expect you to be besotted with me, and defer to my every whim.
It is custom for those who have been brought here to remain under
enchantment. I have broken the rules by releasing you from yours. I
could actually get in trouble for doing so.”

“
Why would you release me?”
I asked, puzzled by her actions.

She sighed heavily. “Because I’m greedy. I
wanted all of you. I can enchant any person and make them want me,
but I had truly fallen in love with you. I wanted to see if your
feelings for me could become real too.”

I was surprised to hear her admit this.
“What would you have done if I’d stayed angry or refused to have
anything to do with you?”

She shrugged. “Enchantment is easy to
replace.”

“
And could you have lived
with yourself that way? Knowing that deep down I hated and resented
you?”

She stared at the ground. “I wanted you
badly, Bran. I’m sorry to say, I would’ve done anything to have
you.” She looked up. “You talked to me of your dreams. Well, being
with you is one of mine. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

I didn’t know how to reply, but I didn’t
want to lay blame with her, so I moved on. “What else will I be
expected to do? I don’t want you getting in trouble, and I don’t
want to be enchanted again either.”

“
Like I said before, they
will expect you to be besotted, unable to keep your hands off
me.”

I couldn’t help my small grin. “That really
won’t be that difficult. Anything else?”

“
They’ll expect you to
eagerly do what I say.”

“
I think I can pull that
off as well. Just try to go easy on me. Is that all I need to
know?”

She shook her head, but she seemed hesitant
to speak.

I reached for her hand, squeezing it. “What
is it? You can tell me.”

She lifted her chin slightly, as if daring
me to argue, and I braced myself for whatever she was going to
say.

“
They will expect me to be
with child within these first seven days.”

Chapter Six

I wasn’t really surprised with her
announcement—given what she told me prior—but I was surprised that
it was in such a tight time frame.

“
Seven days? How is it even
possible to know if one has successfully conceived in that amount
of time?” The idea seemed preposterous.

“
Everyone will be able to
tell. I’ll begin to glow if I am.” She was wringing her hands
together.

“
Excuse me?” I wondered if
I’d heard her correctly.

“
I’ll begin to glow.
Certainly you’ve heard this saying in your realm. When a woman is
with child, she gets a certain glow about her, like her appearance
brightens.”

“
Yes, I’ve heard of that.”
I stared at her curiously.

“
Well, it’s the same for
the women of my race, only we actually do get a pale shimmer to our
skin, as if we’ve been lit from the inside.” She was blushing
again. “I know you find it odd to rush into childbearing, but it is
the custom of my people.”

I laughed slightly. “Actually, I’m beginning
to be intrigued. I want to see what you look like when you glow,
because I already thought you looked that way.”

“
You do?” Her eyes were
wide, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, hauling her to
me.

“
I do,” I whispered then
kissed her lightly again. “And I will agree to all your demands,
the public displays of affection, and even the child.”

“
Why?” she asked,
amazed.

“
Because I like it when you
smile and when you blush. I like hearing you call out my name and
what it does to me.” I hesitated, considering my feelings before I
spoke my next words. “And I think
 . . .
I like that
you are mine.”

She closed her eyes. “Will you please say
that to me again?”

“
I like that you are
mine.”

She threw her arms around my neck and kissed
me with wild passion, her tongue meeting my own as I pushed her
over to the canyon wall, leaning her against it. She clung to me
with a fierceness I’d never known from anyone before, and I knew in
that moment she really did know what love was, and she was in love
with me.

“
You’ll never realize how
much your words mean to me,” she said when we broke apart. “I will
never forget them.”

But I did know. She’d shown me, and I hoped
that someday—for both our sakes—I’d be able to give her even
more.

She laced her fingers in mine, pulling me
after her. “Come on! I want to share everything I can with
you.”

I laughed, and we raced to where the walkway
split into two, dividing toward each side of the canyon.