Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #5)

“There’s your fire.” Teague said appearing beside her.

She turned, fist raised and tried to hit him for being away so long, but he caught her wrist mid-strike. Mina fell into Teague and buried her face in his chest, fresh tears surprising her. Maybe because they came from a well of relief rather than worry. She clung to his jacket.

The shift from attacking to clinging took Teague aback. He didn’t know how to fight her.

“Please tell me he’s still alive. Please just tell me he’s okay. Even if he’s not, lie to me and tell me he is,” she gasped out between sobs as she held onto his shirt.

His grip on her wrist loosened, and he let go of it, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. He didn’t push her away, but paused a few moments. Then Teague very slowly wrapped his arms around her and touched his chin to her head.

“He’s alive,” he answered.

Mina gasped in relief. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she repeated into his chest. She could smell the scent of his clothes, the faint smell of the soap he used. As she looked up along his jaw, her heart raced. It had been so long since she had human contact, she didn’t realize she craved it.

It was so easy to pretend he wasn’t evil, but she knew so very much of him was. Even as her ear pressed to his chest, she could hear the heartbeat pounding softly, quickening in excitement. Her hand was pressed ever so softly over his chest, right over where she knew the scar was, and she wondered just briefly if she could use her power to lure the poisoned tip out.

But that could destroy him if she wasn’t careful. Maybe what she could focus on was slowly pulling the poison from him. But clearly, she couldn’t do that from within this warded prison. She needed to be free. She needed to earn his trust, but he’d see through her if she lied. So she couldn’t lie to him, ever.

She let her fingers brush against his chest and thought about her feelings for him—for Teague—back during the choosing ceremony. They were conflicted, but when given the choice at the time, she did choose to stay with him. And right after she had had chosen him, someone else had come in and ruined things, poisoned his heart against her. Why should she not fight for what they could have had? Shouldn’t love conquer all?

Mina lifted her gaze to Teague, only to see he was already staring down at her, his eyes half-closed, his face a mask. She ached to know what he was feeling. Was it in any way similar to her feelings? He swallowed, and she did the same. He leaned forward, his head bent low, so she closed her eyes and lifted her mouth.

“What are you plotting?” he whispered into her ear. It wasn’t said in anger, but in a teasing tone.

“I’m plotting my own demise,” she teased, keeping her eyes closed. “Because I know that falling for you will be the death of me.”

She heard a swift intake of breath, as his hands dropped from her shoulders.

And then she was left standing alone.

Chapter 21

The next morning when she woke up, Teague was sitting there watching her. “Would you like to come with me?” There was a twinkle in his eye, and he looked like an eager child.

“Where to?” she asked hesitantly.

“Does it matter if you get out of the cell for a while?”

“I guess it doesn’t,” she said, moving toward the exit. “Yes. I’d like to get out awhile—anywhere.”

He blocked the door with his body so she almost ran into him. “Not so fast. I can’t let you out without a warning.”

“A warning?”

“Promise me you’re not going to run away. Not now. Not ever,” he said softly.

She hesitated at his tone. It wasn’t a command. Teague wasn’t demanding it of her. He was asking her, needing her reassurance.

“I promise.” She had to press him, find out how much he was softening toward her. She lifted up her iron cuffs.

“No, I can’t.” He looked disappointed in himself.

“It’s okay.” She shrugged it off and looked back to Teague. “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you the eager one?” He offered a rueful smile. “Well, come along.” He held his hand out in front of him.

For the first time in weeks, Mina left her prison. Outside her cell, the floor moved beneath them like an escalator as it carried them up and then left along a passage. The bricks continued to move out of their way, opening up for them and closing behind them after Teague passed through. Finally, they were deposited in the main hall. She turned to watch as Teague stepped through the wall after her, and their passage disappeared.

The palace looked nothing like she remembered it. Gone were the elaborate tapestries, statues, and sparkling marble columns. Instead there were fragments of burned cloth, scorched walls and columns, and headless statues. Cobwebs and layers of dust had laid claim to the place. She was looking at the destruction Teague caused the day he was reunited with Jared. That day, the Fates lost the war. He had banished them to the swamp. No hand, human or Fae, had restored the palace to its glory.

He led her up the winding stairs to the second floor and out onto a balcony that overlooked the lake. She glanced across the water, imagining the invisible veil that sat midway. One of the griffins flew low over the water. But something was wrong with the picture.

The surrounding lands—now as brown and ugly as the swamp where the Fates hid—used to be green and flowing with life.

“It’s dying,” Mina stated.

“I know,” Teague snapped.

“Can you stop it?”

He turned to her, his mouth an angry line. His nostrils flared, and she could see that he was barely keeping it under control. “I’m…I’m not sure I want to.”

“This was your plan all along, to destroy everything you loved?”

He looked pained, and his hand kept going to his chest and scratching. “I’m not… I don’t… I…” He hissed between his teeth and pulled away. Turning to give her his back, he leaned over the balcony and caught his breath.

“Teague, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No,” he growled. A few seconds later, he straightened and turned to look back at her. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Teague.” Mina walked over to him. “Does this hurt?” She touched his chest.

He turned away and mumbled. “It’s been hurting more and more lately. It’s enough to drive someone mad. But I ignore it. The pain makes me weak.”

“No, ignoring your feelings is weakness. Listening to your heart is a sign of strength.”

“That being said from a girl.”

“I may be a girl, but I can kick your butt…in a game anyway.”

He snorted. “I know how uncoordinated you are.”

She shrugged. “Okay, I’ll cheat. That’s the Fae way, isn’t it?”

He grimaced. “Yeah, it is our motto.”

Mina reached for his hand. He immediately stiffened.

“Why am I here, Teague? What do you want with me?”

“I don’t know anymore,” he said simply, and he walked off, leaving her alone on the balcony. She waited a few minutes, gazing out across the dying land, but he didn’t return.

This was a test. It had to be. She wanted to believe he really didn’t know, that he was changing. But part of her feared he was waiting somewhere to see if she’d run away, so he’d have an excuse to kill her on the spot. The poison in his heart wasn’t his fault, but it certainly made him dangerous to try to predict.