Chapter 12

12

I t was my turn to wait at the gates. When Lugh returned almost two hours later, I was chilled to the bone. In more ways than one. I'd been half-afraid I'd never see him again. Quentin took the spear for a reason. The most likely was that he planned to use the powerful magic contained within to bring someone back from the dead.

That meant breaking the spear in half. That meant Lugh's soul drifting away into the darkness. That meant Lugh would no longer be himself. He'd be a wraith.

But I'd also been trying to come up with an explanation as to how and why I'd let the enemy take his spear. It all came back to the same answer every damn time.

I should have done more. I shouldn't have let it happen. I should have been faster, smarter, stronger.

Uisnech, of course, was beside himself. He ranted and waved his little fists, angry that I'd saved his life. I was no longer his noble warrior to which he would follow until the end of times. Noble warriors didn't bring on the end of the world. Noble warriors didn't allow the enemy to steal the most important object on the planet.

When Lugh finally strode through the gates, he looked as tired as my soul felt. Dark circles lined his eyes, and blood splattered his cheek. He moved as if a heavy barbell sat on his shoulders, slow and unsteady. What the hell had happened tonight?

"Lugh." I rushed toward him and grabbed his hands. My fingers raced up his arms, across his chest, and up to his neck. I couldn't get enough of his skin beneath my hands. He was real and steady and strong, and I needed to feel every single part of him. I'd been terrified he'd never return.

He flicked his eyes up to meet my gaze. "My soul has been taken from this place. I can feel it. It's draining my energy."

I pressed my lips together. So that explained the exhaustion. "I'm so sorry, Lugh. Let me get you to bed. I'll fill you in on the way there."

He didn't argue, another sign that he was not feeling himself. Otherwise, he'd probably be ordering me straight back to my healing ward bed. I slid beneath his shoulders, trying my best to support his weight, and helped shuffle him back to the palace.

On the way, he explained that he and the rest of the team had fought at least a hundred angry vamps while they'd searched for the fae in charge. And I told him what had happened when Quentin showed up. He didn't seem particularly surprised.

"We should have known he was going to find a way to get inside the castle," he huffed as we reached the door. I pushed it open, and we shuffled into the hallway. "There was always a plan behind the Sapphire scheme."

"You think he used the Sapphire to get us to seek out the sorcerer so that…what?"

"It was a trap," he said, sighing as we finally entered his room—with its millions of books. "He wanted me to go to Jezebel. Most likely, he didn't expect you would come, too. He must not have realised your strength as a warrior."

"Of course he didn't." I rolled my eyes. Everyone underestimated me. "That said, we kind of underestimated him as well. I don't know about you, but I really didn't expect him to be teleporting around the castle."

Lugh frowned. "That is a very rare gift. And I don't doubt he'll use it again, for whatever he has planned."

We reached Lugh's bed, and I eased him onto the mattress. Only a few hours earlier, he'd been tending to me and not the other way around. My heart ached as I watched him close his eyes, settling onto the mound of pillows. It felt like I had a rock stuck in my throat.

"Lugh," I said quietly, reaching out a hand toward his face and then pulling it back. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't answered that text message, I—"

"Then he would have gotten to the spear some other way," he drawled.

A snake squeezed my heart. "How? No one else inside this castle knows where you keep the spear."

"Uisnech knows. So does Saoirse." His eyes flicked open. "Please don't blame yourself for this, Moira. He was going to kill Uisnech. You didn't have a choice."

"But your soul…"

"Yes, my soul." He sighed and shut his eyes once again. "Uisnech is the only reason I even have a soul. If it weren't for the goblin, I'd be lost in the nightmares. I'm glad you saved him. I wouldn't want him to sacrifice his life just to give me more time."

I sucked in a sharp breath at the resigned tone of his voice. He was so very tired, and he spoke as though he'd given up all hope. I'd never seen him like this before. Lugh was a lot of things, but a defeatist? Never. Not until this.

Not until I'd failed him.

"I could have stopped him some other way," I argued, balling my hands.

"And how would you have done that?" Eyes still shut, Lugh arched a brow. "He can teleport."

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't know why you're so calm about this. Quentin stole your spear. The very same fae who was working to bring Nemain back from the dead. You know what this means, right? He probably has the cauldron. He'll use the spear's magic to bring her back, and your soul will be gone forever."

"I have lived a very long life as Lugh." Sighing, he sat up in the bed, reached out, and wrapped his hands around my shoulders. His forehead pressed against mine, and Lugh breathed in deep, as if pulling my scent into his very soul—the one he still had, for now. "And I met my mate."

I shivered, curling toward him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Surely he hadn't given up. We could fight this. We could track down Quentin, fight him until he bled out on the ground before us. Find the spear and take it back.

"Lugh." Closing my eyes, I breathed him in and wrapped my hands around his. "Please don't talk like this. We're going to fight this. Together."

"Is it really so different than everything you've been saying all along?" He pulled back and searched my eyes. "You've been convinced that Caer's prophecy will come true, and the proof is before you in dazzling lights. This is our fate, Moira. You were right."

Frowning, I pulled away from him. "What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Caer. If anything, it's the total opposite."

He gave me a sad smile. "When I lose my soul, I'll become the king of the real wraiths. I will have the power to unleash nightmares upon this world. That is why you will end up killing me, Moira. To protect the world. From me."

"No." I hissed the word as tears burned my eyes. Taking another step away from him, I shook my head hard.

"It makes sense," he said softly. "You would never kill me as long as I'm Lugh. The prophecy only adds up if I've become something else."

My hands ached from where I clenched them so tightly by my side. "I refuse to let that happen."

"Moira." He sighed. "I'm afraid we have no other choice. If I become what I fear the most, then I don't want you to spare me. I don't want to see this world destroyed, least of all by my own hand."

"Stop this." The tears began to fall now, hot and heavy onto my cheeks. "Stop talking like this. It isn't you. You're the king of the Court of Wraiths. Stand up and fight."

His eyes flickered with that spark I knew so well. "Tell me you'll stop me when I transform into a wraith, and I will speak of this no more."

"No!" I shouted the word and closed the distance between us. "I'm never going to kill you, Lugh. I don't care what you say. I don't care how much you beg. I'm not going to do it. You're not Angel, and I'm not Buffy. If you tear down this world, then I'm going down with you."

The words poured out of my mouth, heavy with fear, pain, and an intense energy that pulsed beneath my skin. Lugh stared up at me, exhaustion gone from his eyes. A heat had replaced it, and a ferocity that made my toes curl in my boots.

"You hate nightmare wraiths," he murmured .

My heart tripped. "But I love you."

As I gazed down at Lugh, a sudden realisation washed over me. The truth was on my tongue and hanging heavy in the air between us. All this time I'd been terrified that Caer's prophecy could come true. I'd thought up crazy scenarios to explain why I would suddenly turn my blade against my mate. I'd tried to imagine how I'd feel, what I'd do, how I'd act.

But there was one thing I'd missed. I hadn't taken into account my love for him. With the reality of the prophecy staring us down, I now knew that the prophecy had never stood a chance of coming true. I didn't need to go trekking through the snowy mountains of Faerie to find a "cure" for this. We didn't need to scour the ends of the earth for another druid who might have the answers. And we certainly didn't need to tap into the dark arts or any of the other magical solutions I'd considered over the years.

The truth was…I could never bring myself to end Lugh's life, nightmare wraith or not. I'd been running from him…for nothing.

"Lugh." I pressed my palm to his cheek. "I should have stayed here with you instead of running. I feel like I wasted so much time."

That was the thing about being a fae. Sometimes you don't think about a week or a day or a month the same way a human would. We aren't immortal, but our lives are practically endless. There is always more time.

Until there isn't .

"Then don't waste any more of it." He growled and pulled me onto his lap, spreading open my thighs. I shuddered in response, a desperate desire ripping through my core. "We don't know how much more time we have left. Let's make the most of it."

A slight smile played at my lips as his hands began to trace lines up my back. "I thought you were exhausted."

"Oh, I was." He ripped my shirt over my head in one fluid motion. "But no amount of exhaustion will ever stop me from touching you."

His eyes flicked across my bare chest, and a delicious smile curled across his lips. He pulled his shirt over his head, and then yanked me toward him. I fell onto his chest, my breasts pressing against his strong pecs. An ache spread between my thighs, a need that I couldn't ignore any longer.

Reaching between us, I pushed down my panties and slid down his pants. He groaned as I slipped my fingers around his shaft, stroking the hard length of him. Fire danced in his eyes as I guided his pleasure toward the peak. I kept my gaze focused on his face. I wanted to see him when he fully lost control.

As his cock hardened even more, he growled and flipped me over, pinning my arms to the bed. He hung his head low, his tongue dancing along my neck. I squirmed against him, desperate to touch him even more.

"That's not fair," I whispered. "I was busy down there. "

A wicked spark lit his eyes. "Not so fast. If we keep going like that, this will be over far too fast. I want to take my time with you. I want to be inside you when you scream."

I shuddered, arching toward him. I couldn't say I didn't feel the same.

His hands slipped down my waist, and his fingers gripped tight around my thighs. In a slow, exquisite torture, he pressed his length against my core. And then he dipped himself inside of me. He slid between my wetness, and sparks lit up in his eyes.

I gasped, my body shuddering from the length of him. It was all I could do not to scream right there and then.

He tightened his grip on my hips, his fingers digging hard into my skin. His body rocked against mine. Lugh moaned as he hit the back of me, and I spread my thighs wider to curl my legs around his back. My entire body felt abuzz, the hot magic of our bond whirling through the room like a magnificent hurricane. I was barely in control, but I didn't care. I'd dreamed of this moment, I'd yearned for it. Being away from him had proven one important thing. I could run from him as fast as I could, but I would never escape how I felt.

I was in love with King Lugh.

This was it. Everything I wanted. Everything I needed . If I kept running, not only would I hurt myself, but I'd hurt him, too. I didn't know what the future would bring. Maybe one day we would come face-to- face with the prophecy. Maybe we wouldn't. All I knew was that I had to try .

We were in control of the future. Not some magical fate-like force that would guide my hand to do what I didn't want to do.

Lugh's eyes went soft as he gazed down at me. His lips found mine, and he kissed me fiercely, like he would never kiss me again. I sighed in his arms, moaning as he pulsed into me, again and again, guiding my pleasure to an almighty crescendo.

I clung on tight as the pleasure pulsed through me, as my body rocked with delicious spasms that shook through my core. He came only seconds later, his seed pouring into my body. We had come together, and this time, nothing could tear us apart.

Casting me a smug smile, Lugh eased his body off of mine and propped his head on the pillow. His eyes sparkled with a delicious wickedness I hoped he'd never lose. "So."

"So." I smiled.

"You sure you haven't been drugged with Sapphire?" he asked with a wink.

"I don't need Sapphire to want you."

"Does this mean you've changed your mind?" He arched his brow.

"About the prophecy?" I nodded. "I'm not going to let some random words from a druid control my future."

"It's about damn time," he said in a low growl, reaching out to pull me back to his chest again. Wow. He was ready for round two, and round one had only just ended. Fine with me!

Lugh suddenly gasped. His eyes went wide. Arms falling limp to his sides, he stumbled out of the bed. Shock flickered across his face, his eyes lined in horror.

"Lugh." I rushed toward him, catching him just as he slumped against the wall. Eyes rolling back in his head, he fell, his muscular body ripping out of my grip. I dropped to his side, catching his head so that it didn't bounce against the hardwood floor.

I swallowed down my panic but shouted out the open window at the courtyard. "Help!"

I turned back to Lugh, cradling his head on my lap. My heart pounded so hard that I could barely think around the force of it. "Talk to me, Lugh. Come on, you're stronger than this."

Footsteps padded on the floor, and a twin pair of green toes edged into the corner of my vision. Uisnech let out a little gasp, and then moaned. "No, no, no."

Tears filled my eyes at the sorrow I heard in the hobgoblin's voice. "Uisnech, tell me what to do. No, wait. Call Axel, the sorcerer. And get all the healing nurses in here. Now."

A soft hand landed on my shoulder. "It is too late, my noble warrior. Lugh is gone."

"What?" I whipped my head toward Uisnech, my entire head full of swarming bees. "He's breathing. He's alive. We just need someone to get here and—"

"His soul is gone," the goblin whispered, his ears flicking. "You need to step away from him, my noble friend. The Lugh you know is no longer there."

Swallowing hard, I shook my head, staring down at my mate. His face was slack, but those sharp, cutting features of his still remained. Lugh wasn't gone. He couldn't be.

"I know you care for him, Moira, but he will not be himself when he comes to…." He skittered back on his oversized feet. "And you do not want to be quite so close to him when he opens his eyes."

At that very moment, those twin dark, soulful eyes suddenly stared right up at me. But instead of the fire, the warmth, and the intensity I knew so well, there was nothing. His gaze was empty and unseeing, as if I weren't there at all.

Then his grip tightened on my hands, so hard I swore my bones nearly cracked. And then he threw me across the room. My body slammed into the wall. Everything went black.