“All right.” Kirian nods, hopping off his horse to open the carriage door and help me down. “Thirty minutes only. Stay between the carriage and Kai.”
“Got it.” Leaning from side to side, I stretch my back and thank my lucky stars I declined Zella’s offer to wear her slippers. I still have on the sneakers I came here with yesterday, and I don’t care if they seem out of place with my outfit. Arch support is important.
Here, women’s shoes are almost like socks—soft and not great for hiking. I should know. I danced in a borrowed pair for hours last night.
“Protect her.” Kirian barks the order at Damon as he mounts up again.
Damon gives a mock salute before joining me in the road. “I’ll protect her as if she were my own mate.”
“She’s not your mate.” A possessive growl rumbles in Kirian’s chest and he looks like he’s about two seconds away from jumping back down to the ground.
Someone’s sensitive. I wave him on.
“It’s fine. We’ll just be right here.” I motion to the place behind the carriage.
He bites his lip as he hesitates, and it’s seriously sexy. His straight white teeth dig into the pink flesh of his bottom lip, and I remember the way they scraped against my tongue when we kissed.
Shuffling my feet, I try not to get turned on. Kirian said other fae don’t have heightened senses like he does, but I’d bet Damon’s ability to smell is just as good as Kirian’s.
From the way Kirian’s acting, I’m not sure if he’d let me walk with his cousin if Damon caught a hint of my ‘arousal.’ The undergarments Zella brought me this morning are thin. Basically see-through mesh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for clean underwear, but it’s almost as if the fae don’t like panties. I’m all for a breathable crotch, but I might as well not be wearing anything down there.
Reluctantly, Kirian goes back to his place behind Torius, and we get moving again. The pace is faster than I thought, but it’s preferable to sitting still. My muscles feel better already.
Plus, it’s nice being out in the open. There’s a sweet essence in the breeze and I’m not sure where it’s coming from. White wildflowers grow in the grass on either side of us. Maybe they’re just super fragrant.
Breathing in the fresh air, I look up at the sky. So many bright orbs glow against the dark-blue background. It’s like the Milky Way took over the entire sky. I can see why Kirian loves it so much. It’s stunning.
“It’s said that the stars are our ancestors shining down on us,” Damon drawls, pulling my attention to his bright green eyes. They’re unfocused, blankly staring ahead.
“Oh? Do you believe that?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out when I die.” His response is nonchalant, like the idea of death doesn’t bother him.
“Guess so.” The wind picks up a little, and it cools me off. Not that it’s hot. The temperature is actually perfect. “Is the weather always so nice in Valora?”
“Depends on what your definition of nice is. Here in the Night Realm, it’s a push and pull between autumn and spring. The harvest turnover is quicker, and I think it’s to make up for the lack of solar exposure. The Day Realm is warmer, like summer. And the Dream Realm is so far north, it’s cold most of the time.”
“Do you like that?”
With a half-smile, he shrugs. “We’ve cornered the ice market and we have all the stardust. It’s not a bad deal.”
“So, what’s your story?” I ask, a little breathy from exertion.
My yellow skirt swishes violently around my ankles with every rapid step I take. Since Gia’s taller than me, the dress is almost too long, and the hem is dragging in the dirt. Gathering fistfuls of the silky material, I lift it a little to keep it clean.
“My story? What do you mean?” Damon hasn’t even broken a sweat, and I’m guessing just like all the other fae, he’s in way better shape than I am.
“Your curse,” I elaborate. “It’s the same as Kirian, but you got different clues about your mate, right?”
He grins, and I can see why all the women swooned when he made his entrance last night. The pretty boy image isn’t really my thing—I can’t imagine wanting anyone but Kirian—but the reason Damon got that nickname is obvious.
“She’s surrounded with buttons and strings. You’ll find her in someone else’s dreams.” As he recites the rhyme, there’s a sad undertone to his words. His laidback attitude slips for a second, and I suspect I just found Damon’s weakness.
I make a thoughtful sound. Kirian’s already told me about Damon’s ability to dream walk, which is pretty freaking cool. It eliminates the issue of not being able to see his mate, but he has to find her first.
“A seamstress, maybe?” I suggest.
He shakes his head. “I’ve already invaded the minds of every seamstress in Valora. Their family and friends, too. I’ve never felt anything of significance.”
“That sucks.”
“It does,” he agrees, serious.
Yep, Damon’s sight and solitude are definitely his Achilles heel.
It makes me wonder if Kirian’s sure about all this. About me. If I had to go over two thousand years without ever having sex, I might settle, too.
“I think Kirian’s making a mistake,” I whisper. “With me.”
“How so?”
I definitely don’t want to explain that Kirian might be thinking with the wrong head, so I take a different approach. “Wouldn’t you give anything to break the curse?”
“Yes,” Damon replies, certain. “I’ll wait for my mate forever, if that’s what it takes. Being able to see through someone else’s eyes is a blessing and a tease. My only view of the world isn’t up to me. When I go into someone’s dreams, I don’t get to choose
