4. The Hunting Cabin (2)

Dusk nuzzled the underside of my jaw, his lips trailing lazily across my skin as they made their way to my neck. My eyes rolled back. His blood, thick on my tongue, tasted like silver tainted by blackberry, and as Dusk worked his way down my neck and collarbone to cross my breast, his scarlet kisses stained my pale skin. I smeared one with my right ring finger, bringing it to my lips at the same moment Dusk's tongue lit across my nipple.

My back arched and a gasp tore from me, followed immediately by a small yelp as my teeth bit down painfully on my finger. Dusk looked up at me, his eyes a tempest of desire and his mouth a crescent of amused curiosity.

"It's nothing," I assured before his head dipped again and his mouth closed around the peak of my breast. I inhaled sharply and sputtered as thousands of threads of pleasure shot across my body. I brought my legs up, curling them around his hips, and my left hand secured itself in his hair, pulling in alternating intensity as his mouth, teeth, and tongue learned the texture of my tightening skin. Lust pulsed through me, wrapping around and enhancing the desire Dusk had built up, and when he slid his hand over my clit, my vision blurred and the knot between my legs tightened to the point of pain. 
I clawed at his scalp, at his shoulder, at his neck.  My hips pushed up into his hand, my legs closing tighter around him, and I heard as Dusk groaned into my skin, his teeth closing around my nipple as his tongue worked faster.

"I need you," I managed between the thousands of other sounds I was making. "I need you, now!"

Dusk shifted and pushed into me, and I screamed; I screamed as an orgasm flooded my body, simultaneous to my scream as his teeth ripped into my nipple. Dusk rocked his hips aggressively and every piece of me responded, the sheer ecstasy of his body filling mine quickly overriding the intensity of the pain I'd felt. He released my breast and blood surged down my ribs, both from my wound and from his mouth; I couldn't tell how much was his blood and it didn't matter. He looked at me, feral as a starved wolf, and my legs urged him on faster, harder, while my magic flooded the hunting cabin and sealed out the rest of the world.

A second orgasm shot through my body. I bit into Dusk's wrist, my eyes unfocusing and rolling back, and a burst of magic slammed into him. He gasped, a sound of shocked rapture, and buried himself in me as he peaked, my legs wrapping tight around him.

"You cheat," he groaned between breaths as our bodies convulsed around each other. He laid his forehead against my collarbone, and I twisted strands of his long hair between my fingers.

"How do you figure?"

"I've never been so short-winded in my life. Clearly, trickery is at play."

I laughed and pushed him off me. He rolled onto his back and winced as the bandages roughed his skin. "My gifts aren't trickery. But, if you'd rather I not use them, then you'll need to keep your distance. They've been volatile the past few days."

"You must be quite young then, for your power to be undisciplined," he said casually. I glared.

"I'm not so young that I'm undisciplined," I snapped, "they are behaving unusually, reacting more forcefully than I'm used to."

"Why?" Dusk touched my side, trailing his fingertips along my ribs and through the blood. My body filled with heat again, my breath becoming shallower as I tried not to breathe and give life to the lust.

"If I knew, they wouldn't be erratic." I sat suddenly, my legs over the edge of the bed, facing away from him. "You're well enough to travel, and I really should get you to Holly Heart. The King doesn't like to wait."

"What of your partner and my sister? You said we'd wait to hear from them."

"I know, but I-" He touched my waist and I jerked away as pain shot through my overstimulated nerves. It felt too good to be touched by him. "I just think it might be better. Angering the King is rarely worth it."

"Funny," he murmured as he slowly reached for me again. I watched his hand, choosing not to move as it got closer. "I've found the opposite to be true on most occasions, but, if you think it best to deliver me to him quickly, so be it. I, however, am in no rush to reach the winter's court, and I'd be remiss if I didn't say I'd mourn the opportunity to become more familiar with you."

Dusk's hand curled over my hip and tugged at me gently, and I glanced towards him. His body, long and lean, stretched across the bed invitingly, though it was likely more to do with leftover hormones than true desire, but as my eyes travelled over the shadows and highlights of his legs, his hips, his torso, I found myself curling in towards him and being pulled close. I bent my head to his, my nose brushing along his cheekbone as I whispered, "how long do you think it would take to satisfy your desire for familiarity?"

"At least as long as it takes to hear back from your partner," he muttered, his lips already dotting my jaw with kisses, "King be damned."

***

A thousand smeared red kisses decorated my pale skin as Dusk insisted on tasting every part of me.

Growls filling the air as he squeezed into my ass and brought me to orgasm almost immediately.

His hand around my throat as he kissed me until I passed out.

The light in his eyes as I shot magic into him and revived him for round eleven that day.

The wet sound as a bloody whip lashed into the backs of my thighs again, and Dusk licking at the wounds.

Gentle kisses upon my brow when he thinks I've fallen asleep as he reads to me.

Sighs of pained pleasure as I traced a knife along his cock before taking him into my mouth.

The crunch of breaking bones as we throw each other into walls, trying desperately to invade each other's physical space. 

Screams of pain as Dusk carves into my skin while we bathe, followed by my name groaned in pleasure. 

Bruises on my body. Bruises on his body. Chain marks around parts of us both.

Shivering as he takes me against a tree in the winter forest, pinned to it by his hand at my throat. 

Waking up in his arms, warm despite the blankets having fallen off the bed.

Howls of pleasure as I tear into his clavicle while on top of him.

The wet, slick feel of his seed seeping down my legs as he finishes with me, bent over the kitchen table as I tried to make us food.

Tears of pain as he pulls the knife out from under my ribs and inserts himself there instead. 

Hugs so tender it hurts my heart, given when he notices my tears are for worry over Lark. 

The look of satisfaction as I cut open his chest to watch his heart beat while he orgasms again.

His eyes growing dark as he pulls the rope tighter around my neck at the moment he tips me into bliss.

Screams as he breaks my fingers to stretch and wrap them tighter around himself.

Pain-filled laughter as I stab daggers through his wrists and upper arms into the floorboards so he, maybe, won't move long enough for me to feed him something.

When he later used those knives on me so he could bite chunks from my thighs and breasts without distraction.

How my heart exploded into pieces when "I love you" graced my ears as I woke up.

How uncertain he was when I repeated them back to him immediately and without hesitation.

***

An acorn plunked through the second story window, bouncing off the window sill above my head before landing on my eye and rolling onto the bed off the tip of my nose. My face scrunched as I located it and crushed it in my hand. Lark's voice whispered in my ear.

"Very late, but I'm okay. Meet me outside Holly Heart at high sun to finish with this contract."  

I glanced at Dusk beside me, sleeping curled around my body as had become our habit, and sighed. Two weeks was long enough for our violent, bloody fairy tale, I suppose. Now, reality had come knocking, and I had to give him back; we'd both known our stolen time couldn't last forever. It'd already lasted longer than I thought.

As I eased myself out of his tangled limbs, my name fell from his lips in a sleepy murmur. I kissed his forehead gently, heart aching, and snuck down the stairs to begin preparations for the last part of our journey. 

3. The Hunting Cabin (1)

I shivered fiercely as I fumbled with the lock on the door to the hunting cabin I'd inherited from my mother, an impending sense of dread looming over my shoulder. Beside me, I'd propped Dusk against the exterior of the building. Somehow, he was still alive. Somehow, I was too.

I cursed at my hands as I dropped the key again. They shook so badly, it was a miracle I could hold it at all. Still, I needed to get inside. I needed to get Dusk inside. Summer born weren't meant to withstand blizzards, and as the snow collected on his body, I muttered to myself a mantra of "he's not a corpse yet. He's still alive for now. Hurry before that changes."

Luck smiled on me as I jabbed the key wantonly towards the lock and slid it in. The door opened half a moment later, and I dragged Dusk inside and closed out the cold. Immediately, I strode back into the kitchen and retrieved a jar of acorns from a circular dining table. Popping the cap off a good sized seed, I whispered my message into it, then capped it once more and tossed it lightly over my shoulder. It disappeared completely, as if it'd never existed in the first place. With that done, I sought out the large fireplace in the center of the cabin's main floor and got to work at building heat.

All the while, Dusk lay on the rug in the foyer. I wasn't sure how I was still functional, my muscles were beyond the point they should have given out, but I wasn't prepared to jinx myself and collapse part way up the stairs to the loft while I tried to carry my unconscious companion to bed. No, he'd either have to make it there himself or wait for Mama June to arrive.

A baby fire burned in the hollow hearth now. I blew on it gently and it flared in response. Sure it was stable, I built up around it, then curled up on a loveseat nearby, alert for any sound that didn't belong to the blizzard outside.

***

The door opened ten minutes after I'd decided to try and bathe. Water boiled in pots on the stove, and the wash basin in the middle of the kitchen was only half full when Mama June let herself into the cabin and cursed colourfully as she tripped over Dusk's leg, her blue-purple curls bouncing wildly around her creamy-skinned face. I laughed at her from the dining table, having had a full view due to the lack of interior walls, and she turned her scolding face to me.  

"Aevy, I thought you knew to pick up your toys. Leaving them lying about is dangerous!"

"He's not a toy though. He's the reason I called you." I said, standing gingerly. She eyed me, her gorgeous silver-green irises glinting in the low light, then turned her gaze towards the floor. Dusk still had arrows in his body, though they'd been broken when he'd been tossed off my back, and he was covered in dirt and dried blood.

"Since when do you leave a wounded male in the foyer?" Mama June bent and brushed hair off Dusk's forehead, frowning. 

"Since I can barely move and didn't want to kill us both by falling on the stairs. I was hoping you could make the transfer?" 

"Well, I did come here to heal. Making sure he doesn't get trampled seems like the easy part."

"Trampled? How many people do you think I'm expecting?"

"I never know with you, dear, so I've learned to expect many and get what I get." I smiled as she lifted him into her arms, careful of his wounds, and carried him upstairs as if he was no more than a yearling. Possessiveness grew in me as I watched how she held him, his body tucked close to hers, and reminded myself I'd asked her to come, asked her to touch him. I longed to follow as they disappeared into the loft, but I wasn't much use in healings. My talents were much darker.

"Do you need anything, Mama June?" I called up as I walked back to the boiling water on the stove.

"Just a kettle and the herbs Lark keeps in the side cupboard."

I smiled softly. Somehow, she always knew what her son had tucked away, no matter where we were. Perhaps that was her gift, being a spirit of the land, or perhaps it was something she'd taught him. Either way, I filled a kettle and rummaged through the cupboard for the herbs she claimed were there- herbs I didn't know Lark had left here. I put a familiar woven pouch on a tea tray along with a bowl and two cups, the kettle, and some fresh linen cloth. It was heavy for my overworked muscles, but if she'd carried Dusk up the stairs, I could carry this.

I sucked in my breath as I saw them on the bed; Dusk's eyes closed, his chest moving so faintly it looked still, and Mama June kneeling on the soft surface beside him, frowning as she hunched over his back and extracted the first arrowhead from his shoulder. Blood trickled from the wound, dark and thick black, the wrong colour.

"Set that tray here, dearling, and grab me a knife. I assume you still keep a few in your bedroom?" I did as she bid, handing her an obsidian blade I kept in my nightstand. It was thin but strong, small enough to fit comfortably in my hand but large enough to do damage if need be. I'd killed more than  a few fae with it, but in the hands of Mama June, it became a surgical tool, and she used it skillfully to make incisions around the wound to bleed it of the toxic, poisoned blood. She ran her pinky along the slick edge of the arrowhead, then touched her tongue lightly to it. Her face crinkled as she swirled it about her mouth. "Well, that's just lazy. The Summer Queen isn't ever trying for subtlety these days. Open that bag and hand me the yarrow, the meadow sweet, and the fivepoint."

"What's on the arrows?" I found the herbs and handed them to her, watching as she put generous pinches into the bowl and covered them in steaming water.

"Blood peas and oleander, plants that grow in her courtyards like weeds. Effective, sure, but lazy." I smiled at Mama June's distaste. She'd been the one to teach me that poisons were an art form opposite the art of healing, and art should never be created solely for functionality. If it lacked complexity and nuance, why bother at all.  "Fortunately, her laziness means healing shouldn't be too difficult. However, you are far more a threat than the poison in your current condition. Go have your bath, I don't want you contaminating his wounds further with all that filth."

I scrunched my face, but she'd already turned back to Dusk, a scalding cloth tainted with yellow water pressed into the incision marks. I descended the stairs to the soft sound of her murmuring over him and the feel of her power expanding through the space.

***

Gentle hands shook me awake, and I splashed water all over the kitchen floor as I flailed in the copper basin.  Goosebumps delighted along my skin, and I blinked in the darkness, trying to see who'd woken me. Soft lips kissed my forehead, and the familiar warmth of Mama June's healing enveloped me. I relaxed into the curve of the metal tub, listening as she soothed my skin and coaxed the cuts and bruises all over my body to resolve themselves. I let her work in peace, but as she stood to leave, I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Thank you," I whispered. The night was quiet, and breaking its silence with my voice seemed a blasphemy of the worst kind. She smiled down on me, though the shape of her mouth held a sorrowful line.

"Anything for you, dearling. I have just one favor to ask in return." I nodded and she covered my hand with hers. "Now that you are whole, don't let Lark keep believing you can love him as he wants you to."

I frowned up at her as the glow of her eyes bore into mine. "Mama June, I love Lark as I always have, and he knows that. Nothing's changed."

She laughed the laugh that followed my childhood; a piteous, patronizing sound made by those who knew more but wouldn't share. "Dearling, everything has changed." She bent and kissed my knuckles. My heart squeezed and I felt like somehow, I'd done her a terrible wrong. "We don't control what happens to us, only what effects we have on others. So, no matter what happens between you and my son, I will love you until I die. Just, please, be honest and spare him what pain you can." 

"I will," I promised, though as I watched her leave, the words hung heavy and their weight settled into my heart.

***

I set a cup of tea on the nightstand and lit a candle held by a sconce on the wall. I'd had no luck settling back to sleep, and at nearly two hours past high-moon, it looked like I was done for the night, so after checking the cellar for food and verifying the firewood supply, I decided to waste the night observing the wounded male sleeping off a poisoning in my bed. 

He shifted as I sat on the edge of the bed, murmuring softly to himself. I smiled as my heart squeezed painfully under my ribs. Maybe Mama June was right, maybe things had changed. In all the years I'd spent with Lark, and for all the years he'd been my lover, I'd never reacted to him like this. I loved him, sure, but maybe it wasn't the kind of love I assumed it was. It certainly didn't feel like this.

The heat radiating from Dusk's skin caused me to shiver, and even though I knew I should leave him to rest, I traced a finger along his lips, down his throat and chest, and across his hips. He made small sounds as I did, unconsciously I think, and my magic responded to him all on its own. Desire flooded from my skin into his and as it flushed, he moaned and reached for me.

I pulled away, standing and taking a few steps back, and held my breath, hoping he'd lay back down and fall asleep again. Instead, his eyes fluttered open and he sat, looking around the room in a haze. I stood still and tried to reign in the magic that'd gone wild. His gaze slid over me, his eyes coming instantly into focus, and my pulse jumped.

"I brought tea," I said nervously, "in case you wanted some."

"Was it you that brought such succulent dreams as well?" He let his eyes fall below my face, and I shifted as my blood ignited beneath his appreciation. The corner of his lip lifted, as if scanning my body prompted reminders. "I could do with living those out."

"Dreams are not a power of mine," I protested, "and you're injured."

"So? It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last," he said as he stretched his arms above his head. I watched the curve of his muscles as they rolled and tensed beneath his skin. I wanted to bite him, to bruise him, where the shoulder met the chest. Instead, I clenched my jaw.

"Drink the tea and let me see the wounds, since you're awake." Dusk flung his legs over the edge of the bed as I walked to the other side and settled in behind him. Carefully so to avoid contacting his skin directly, I lifted the linens and the bed of herbs pressed onto the wound. The wound was nearly healed, and the surrounding tissue held a normal colour. I checked the other, the one close to his heart, and sighed in relief as it too was healing well. Still, looks could be deceiving. I knew well that some poison could hide beneath the surface if healing happened too quickly.

"Is everything to your satisfaction?"

"Seems so," I pressed the herbs back in place and repositioned the wraps. "But, I'm concerned the herbs may not have had time to work fully."

"How can we tell?" He turned to me before I could get enough distance between us to avoid reacting. His breath hit my face, the smell of jasmine lingering, and my hand was tracing the line of his jaw before I knew I'd moved it; the hitch in his breath drawing attention to my actions when my consciousness hadn't considered them at all.

"I would need to cut you," I said softly as he leaned closer, the teacup in his hands forgotten completely, "and I'd need to taste your blood."

"Well then," he said, voice thick and low, "be my guest."

He kissed me, soft and sweet and restrained, until his teeth grabbed hold of my lip and tugged gently. The discipline I'd been struggling with left me then and I leaned into him with purpose. My tongue pushed his lips open and snaked into his mouth, toying with his own and prompting a moan from us both as I slid closer to him from across the bed and pressed my body into his. A clatter rang in the night as the teacup fell to the floor, but his hands were on my legs, drawing them apart and winding their way under my pale green spider silk robe, and I found I didnt care about the porcelain dish at all. 

I opened my eyes a fraction as I pulled back for air, his lip trapped lightly between my teeth. He watched me, his eyes alight, and I bit hard into his skin. Instead of a pained wince, Dusk growled, his fingers digging into my skin, his nails leaving lines of crimson as they scratched deeply. I sucked his lip, the blood of his wound flowing freely between us, and my nerves danced at the metallic tang of him, settling deep between my thighs. 

"No more poison," I breathed as I let his lip fall a between my teeth. Blood dripped onto his chest, and I leaned forward to lick it off. 

"Oh good," he murmured, "but now, it's my turn to taste you."

2. The Fringes

The ash layered over town echoed its shades of grey in the clouded sky.  I peeked out the window, but no new footsteps disturbed the path from the main road to the door of the partially ruined house I found myself locked inside of with a male I couldn't stop touching. Still, as I watched the barren scene before me, I wished Lark would appear with Dusk's sister so we could finish our job. As much as my body craved him and my soul ached for his, Dusk was not just another fae. He'd been singled out by the Winter King, likely for the cargo he carried, and the king wasn't known for his patience. If Lark didn't show up soon, we'd have to move on without them.

A rustle behind me drew my attention, and a quick glance assured that Dusk was still sleeping on the floor, curled around the imprint of my body in the thin layer of grime. I smiled at him in spite of myself, and my heart swelled in my chest, ready to break through my ribs at any moment.  Then, I pushed off the wall and walked into the back room.

I had to stop. I had to. How could I complete my job when all I wanted to do was touch him, kiss him, fuck him? How could I keep him safe until we got to Holly Heart if I couldn't function when I looked at him, or stars forbid, he spoke to me?

I ran my hands over my scalp, bunching hair in my fingers and pulling until it hurt. The pain cut some of the clutter from my mind as I paced back and forth, silent as a dream. My body thrummed with energy as it responded to the heartbeat a room away, and as I pulled hair harder to block it out, images of Dusk's hands tangled in it instead of mine drew shudders from my body. I bit my bottom lip, then hissed as I re-opened the bitemarks I'd forgotten were there. Frustration welled in me. I already couldn't control myself, how much worse would it be when Dusk wasn't sleeping anymore?

My eyes fell onto the crate the king wanted. Partially covered by Dusk's shirt, I could make out a portion of the Summer Queen's crest burned onto the side planks, but otherwise it seemed to be an ordinary box for ordinary things. I frowned. Asking questions wasn't part of the deal, but if the cargo was valuable, perhaps he'd be satisfied if I only delivered half of what he'd asked for. After all, he'd known the risks, he knew there was a high chance of failure; that's why he'd contracted Lark and not simply sent someone from the court. I wouldn't have to risk Dusk's safety, or mine, if he wasn't with me.

I set the pale blue shirt on the table beside the crate and pulled at the lid. It didn't move. I frowned, searching for nails, maybe a latch if I was lucky, but found nothing. I made a face. I could just take the whole thing, but it would slow me down. The box was big and awkward, and looked like it might be heavy, but-

"If you try to steal it from me, I will kill you."

"I wasn't- No, that isn't what I was- When did you wake up?" Idiot, I scolded myself as I plastered a polite, friendly look to my face.

"When you left my side this morning to look for your partner," Dusk said as he slid past me and reached for his shirt. My heart pounded at the proximity, and I stepped back to lean on the door frame. "Though, I admit I'm glad he didn't show up in the night. I'd hate to die in my sleep and miss the opportunity to enjoy leaving this world."

"He wouldn't have killed you, we have a contract to deliver you to the Winter King. He'd have waited until that was signed off on, lest his reputation be damaged."

"Lucky me," Dusk smirked as his shirt slid into place around his torso and he ran a finger over the edge of the Queen's crate. I watched, far too interested in the curve of his finger and the way the tip indented along the edge. I wonder if it would look like that running across my teeth- "So, what were you doing with this, if you weren't planning to make off with it?"

"What I said was that I wasn't planning to steal it from you," I focused my gaze on my own fingers, pretending to clean under my nails.

"And leaving with it while you thought I slept isn't stealing?"

"No, not if I was delivering it to the king, like he wants."

"Ahh," Dusk said as he took a step towards me, setting my blood on fire, "but your contract is for me and my cargo, isn't it?"

"It is." Proud that my voice remained even, I tried in vain not to purr as he took another two steps towards me.

"Then why not deliver us together? Surely it would be less hassle for you and your partner later on." He stood close enough now that I felt the heat of his skin, and I shivered as I used every drop of self control I had not to reach out and touch him.

"I was thinking it would be better if Lark brought you to Holly Heart with your sister. Without the box, that trip would be much easier."

"Is that so," he said as he reached his hand towards my face. My breath caught as his thumb ran over my lip, smearing a small patch of blood. I made the mistake of lifting my eyes to his face. Fuck, but he truly was beautiful. "And if I refused to let you leave me, then what?"

"I don't know," I said softly, afraid to break the spell he wove around me, "it didn't occur to me that you'd object."

"How could I not?" Dusk murmured as he bent his head towards mine, lips grazing my jaw. My vision blurred as my entire body responded. I blinked and found a hook in the ceiling to focus on, even as my hands wrapped around his body and my nails trailed down his back. "What fool would willingly let you leave?"

"Many, it turns out," I breathed as his lips brushed over my pulsing throat and my heart skipped a beat. He groaned into my skin and leaned closer into my body, but I drew my hands around and pressed firmly into his chest, resenting myself for making him stop. "Speaking of leaving, we should go. The Wilds are dangerous of you stay too long, and if Lark hasn't made it here by noon, he will expect us to move on."

Dusk stood straight, and I realized just how small I was beside him as the top of my head barely met his collarbone. He turned from me, leaned against the table for a long moment, then walked past me towards the window. Electeicity sparked around me as he drew close, and the feeling of it dissipating as he grew farther away left me wanting. "You're right, we shouldn't linger. However, you'd mentioned food last night, and I could very much go for some now."

"Yes, absolutely," I smiled, avoiding eye contact, and walked quickly behind the destroyed staircase to where a trap door led to a root cellar. As I descended into the dark, I wondered how in the world we were going to make it when he seemingly had no more self control than I.

***

"I thought we were leaving the Wilds," Dusk protested as I led him carefully through the thick brush of the Fringes. Fifty feet to our right, clear, ash-covered landscape sprawled out as far as the eye could see, contrasting sharply with the blurred, verdant hills forty feet to our left, leaving us caught somewhere in between the two where thick, thriving landscapes adopted muted colours and a thin, dusty covering on every surface.

"We are, but if we stick to the Fringes, we can still use the displacement to our advantage and get to Winter Dark much faster than if we left completely." I paused in my step as I caught a footprint in the soft ground. I frowned and crouched lower in the grasses. "Now, shush. We won't be safe until we cross the border."

Dusk's mouth set into a hard line, though whether it was at being shushed or the thought of danger, I didn't know. It didn't really matter. I forced myself to look away from his lips, something much harder to do than necessary, then called a bit of magic up from my core and sent it out into my surroundings, searching for something useful. Ivy, my namesake, pinged in response to my presence, and I shuddered as dozens of plants lit up for me, small glowing spots of green in the dusky landscape. A few, maybe twenty feet ahead, glowed brighter than the others. I moved towards them carefully, noting trampled grass and disturbed dust along the way. When I reached the ivy, larger leaves cradled small drops of blood.

"Someone's been through here very recently," I whispered to Dusk, who leaned over the crate to see what I was pointing at. "The smallest spatters are still wet."

"I can't smell anything in here," he muttered, "so there's no telling who it is."

"Hopefully Lark or your sister. But, just in case, stick close and stay low. If we are attacked, go into Faerie. That-" I gestured to the splash of colour on our left, "- is the Spring Court. The Winter border is north of here."

"If we are attacked, wouldn't it serve us both if I fought instead?"

"No," My jaw tightened, frustration leaking in. We didn't have time for this right now. "You go directly to the king, and if you're feeling really persuasive, ask him to send someone to help. My job is to make sure you get to Winter, and keeping you safe along the way is how that happens. My staying alive isn't required to fill the terms of the contract."

Dusk's nostrils flared. "Your contract wouldn't matter if you were dead, would it? Besides, it's hardly safer to send me alone into a Court I'm unfamiliar with. I've got a terrible sense of direction in the Dark."

I sighed, my head falling to my chest as I pinched he bridge of my nose and took breaths to calm myself. "Of course you do. But, it would still be safer than staying in the Fringes. You said you can't smell anything in here, how are you going to fight if you aren't used t-"

The twang of a bowstring assaulted my ears at the same time Dusk inhaled in pain. My head snapped towards him and landed on the blossoming red in his shirt's shoulder material, an arrow shaft sticking out the back. Rage filled me. I growled, catching sight of the archer over his shoulder, and sprang towards her as another twang crackled through the air. Dusk cried out as I reached her. The bow in her hand, beautifully made and clearly loved, splintered as I slammed her backwards and pinned her bow hand between us. 

"Blood for blood," I hissed, the hilt of a knife sliding into my palm before I registered reaching for it. I brought it down towards a spot on her neck between the hardened leather armor and the lower curve of her helmet. She twisted away, and my blade gouged the leather instead of her flesh.

She sneered as she looked me up and down."You reek of that traitorous monster. I should put you out of your misery before you can regret soiling yourself with him."

I snarled at her, and pulled at the magic still thrumming in the ivies. Vines shot towards us from the closest plants, twisting around her ankles and snaking up her legs. She kicked them off and used the movements to step closer to me, swinging her damaged bow as she did so. I put my arms up, and a wall of green foliage sprang up, blocking my view of her. Her bow struck my forearm instead of my torso, and I grunted, moving through the leaves to break her elbow. She screamed as bone pierced her skin and blood sprayed us both. I kicked out her knee then, and drove my knife into her spine as her neck exposed itself in her attempt to cradle her arm. She sputtered and gurgled, blood bubbles at her mouth breaking and staining her cheeks red. I kicked her forward and her head grazed the ivy wall.

"Go ahead," I told the plants as they reached hesitantly towards her. "Have her."

The wall dissolved as vines wrapped around her body, forcing their way into her through her ears, nose, and mouth. Her eyes widened in pain a moment before her chest imploded, and I smiled as the ivies rustled beneath her skin, destroying organs and muscles along their way to bringing her flesh back to the earth. In Faerie Dark, after all, death wasn't a graceful endeavor.

Death. Arrows. Dusk. 

I sprinted back to him, and my heart raced as I saw a second arrow in his hunched body, buried dangerously close to where his heart would be. Rage emptied from me, replaced now with dread and panic. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I dropped to my knees felt his neck for a pulse. Faint, but there. I tried to sit him up, but he was heavier than he looked, and blood ran from the wound in his shoulder. I cursed, and the adrenaline from the fight encouraged my frantic mind. How could he be dying when I'd just saved him? 

"Dusk, can you hear me?" I turned his head in time to see his eyelashes flutter, but nothing more. I cursed again and slapped him across the cheek. His eyes opened a fraction. Good enough. I smiled, hoping I looked serene and assuring. "Hey, I need you to stay with me, okay? Stay conscious, stay awake, and for all that is good in the world, please stay alive. Don't let go of that box, no matter what. I'm going to get us to Winter real quick."

He groaned, and I looked around frantically. The archer wouldn't have been alone, so how many more hid amongst the grasses waiting for us? We couldn't go by foot anymore. We needed to move faster or he'd bleed out. The thought broke my heart and nearly brought me to tears.

I stripped in record time, tucking my clothes between Dusk and his cargo before closing my eyes and focusing on my most recent lesson with Lark.

Focus on the way the bones shift, on how they are put together. Don't worry about exterior aesthetics- those seem to fall into place on their own. Concentrate on getting the musculature correct, the bone structure, the poise. Those are the things that matter.

My bones crunched and creaked, my muscles popped and pulled, my skin tore and threaded back together as I pushed magic through my body and forced it to change its shape. The first time I'd shifted, I'd been seven or eight and had only wanted to climb a tree like the lynx did. Now, I called on the strength and ability of the tiger to help me, as I'd done nearly a month ago. Pain coursed through me as bones changed shape, muscles elongated and rearranged, organs moved to new places. I squeezed my eyes shut, but somehow a couple tears still managed to roll down my furring cheek.

I shook out my white striped fur and padded towards Dusk. His head lulled, and as I sank to the ground and nudged his body, he seemed to barely understand what was happening. With the last of energy, Dusk flopped clumsily onto my back. I stood cautiously, afraid he'd tumble off, but after a few quick adjustments to my hips and shoulders, he seemed settled well enough, and I took off through the brush, running as fast as I dared do with an injured, barely conscious rider.

Arrows flew past us a few times as we made incredible progress through the Fringes, but none hit their mark. I resisted the urge to turn around and maul the archers for putting Dusk in further danger, and instinct gave me the edge I needed to outrun them. I veered towards the Spring Court, and stepped over the boundary just as Winter came into view. A quick glance behind said our enemies were too far to see us, but even a sub-par tracker would know where I'd vaulted into Faerie proper; I'd not bothered to try and hide my path. The fading life I carried was too precious to waste time.

I strode across fields of wildflowers without my normal care, crushing tulips and daffodils beneath my paws, ignoring bee stings and clouds of pollen. The temperature dropped a few degrees every foot we passed over, the labored breath from my mouth clouding past us as the ground beneath our feet frosted over. I was overexerted, unused to long treks as an animal and how much energy their bodies needed to function.

We can stop once we pass the border. We just need to cross the threshold. Come on, Aevy, you have to make it.

As I leaped for the border, something slammed into my side, shooting Dusk through the flowers and me tumbling after him. I recovered quickly, turning to the large male who'd assaulted me. He held an oaken spear with a blade made of sunstone, one of the Summer Queen's vanity weapons for high ranking officers, and lunged at me as he found his footing. I growled low in my throat as I ducked and sidestepped, circling him as I considered the best angle to kill him from.

"Surrender the traitor, return Queen Lamiales' property, and I'll set you leave in peace," he said, his voice silken but honest. My growl deepened, becoming less of a warning and much more a threat. He adjusted the grip on his spear, then raised it. "The Queen has no quarrel with you, or the residents of Faerie Dark. She simply wants what is hers returned to her."

I relaxed my posture, but kept my teeth barred and my eyes fixed on the male. My mind raced. My clothes and weaponry were scattered, and as a tiger, most of my weapons would be useless. I needed language, I needed my hands. With a warning growl at the queen's officer, I began shedding the tiger's skin and stepping back into my own. Pain lanced through me as my muscles, already sore and abused, became smaller and more fatigued. My body sagged as exhaustion slammed into me, bringing me to my knees in the frosted brush. Small spots along my ribs and thighs stung in the air, highlighting where the arrows hadn't missed as completely as I originally thought.

To his credit, the officer looked away as my unclothed body became clearly defined, but made no move to come towards me. Afterall, no one in Faerie was totally defenseless, and one didn't climb ranks in the Queen's army if you were naive.

"Please," he repeated, "surrender the traitor and the Queen's property, and I promise no harm will come to you."

"May I know you, so that I may report your promises to the next soldier of your banner who tries to harm me?"

"I am Korrin Alzoi," he said, his voice pleasant in light of my cooperation, "captain to the Queen's infantry. May I know you, so that I may know whose name to praise upon my return to Oaken Hold?"

"I am Aevy Iszildan, niece to the King Yorri of Winter Dark and heir to his crown," I responded, using a gambit I hated playing. I watched as his eyes flickered back to me, taking in my face, my body, before they widened and his pleasant demeanor became reverent and stiff. Looking at the captain, my soul sighed.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for assaulting you on your return home. I also ask forgiveness for those under my command who caused the blemishes and injuries you sustained along your way." Captain Alzoi knelt before me, his head bowed. "I would gladly pay the price for your blood, so that there is no tension between Holly Heart and Oaken Hold."

I sighed aloud this time. "I assure you, no payment is necessary. Rest assured, Holly Heart holds no grudge against Oaken Hold on my account. However," I pointed to Dusk laying disturbingly still on the ground ten feet away, "the soldier who wounded him has paid the price for his blood, but he won't survive without medical attention."

Korrin stared at me for a long moment, confusion dancing across his face. "He's a traitor to his queen, my lady. If he dies on the way back, it makes no matter to anyone."

I refrained from grinding my teeth. "This male is under my protection, and therefore by extension, the protection of the King of Winter Dark. I am taking him to Holly Heart so he can be treated. If you insist on claiming him, join us."

The captain tensed, conflict skittering across his face. I almost felt bad for him, but I really just wanted him to leave. Dusk was far paler than he should be, even accounting for the cold. "He is under the Queen's jurisdiction, regardless of who else offers protection. He has stolen a great treasure from her, and such a betrayal supersedes personal agreements. I'm afraid, your Highness, that I will be taking him with me to be tried for his crimes. He will be subject to the Queen's mercy."

I cringed. I knew better than most what that looked like- Lark had, more than once, been her instrument of mercy for particularly important traitors, or those she couldn't locate to bring back to her court. There was absolutely no way I was letting the captain take Dusk.

I nodded to him, the picture of a disappointed and resigned woman, and stepped aside. Relief washed over him as he bowed in thanks, then walked to Dusk. I followed, gathering my clothes and redressing, as Korrin knelt beside the male laying at his feet, pressing two fingers gently to his throat in search of a pulse. I took a deep breath, part in concern and part to steady myself against lunging for the soldier's throat. After all, he wasn't posing an immediate risk to Dusk.

"Faint, but there. His heart must still be intact. Avi doesn't usually miss, but she missed twice here. He's lucky," Korrin chuckled to himself, "or at least he was earlier. Looks like his luck's run out now."

Rage bubbled inside me as the Queen's captain dared mock the impending death of my...charge? Still, I smiled and laughed at his joke, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his cheek. My magic, lust, filtered into him gently, and his eyes darkened. "How lucky Lamiales is to have someone like you fighting for her. What a shame you are wasted on her, running after traitors. How would the price for his life be settled? Would you pay the cost for his life, should he die?"

"He has no family," the captain murmured as I leaned closer to his face, "no one cares if he dies, no one would collect that payment. I'll be fine."

"You're wrong, captain." I leaned forward and kissed him, biting his lower lip lightly. He responded eagerly in kind, sucking blood from my wounded lip as his mouth opened for mine. I breathed magic into him as my tongue explored his mouth. He pulled away a moment later, coughing. I smiled, "you're very wrong indeed."

I watched a myriad of emotions cross his eyes before settling on hatred as he clutched his throat, clawing at it as his esophagus collapsed from the toxins in my blood taking root in his body. Deep green lines spiderwebbed from his mouth up his cheeks and down his throat as my poison thickened his blood and deteriorated the delicate tissues of his veins and soft tissues. He reached for me, and I rocked backwards as my muscles remembered the workout I'd put them through earlier. Glancing around, I assessed my options.

Onward was the only one.

I smiled sweetly at Korrin as I grabbed Dusk under the shoulders and dragged his unconscious body the last few feet over the border of Winter. However, the rage that'd boosted me was fading, and I sat back in the frosted grass, hoping the cold might stall the fatigue.  Fifteen minutes later, I managed to get back up to retrieve the crate of stolen goods, and noted Korrin's now-dead body. I wrinkled my nose at him, stripped him of a signet ring, his spear, and a set of keys, then  forced myself back to Winter, collapsing beside Dusk just as fresh snow began to fall. 

1. The Winter King's Target

I stopped mid-stride as my heart faltered and forgot to start up again. Over the forested hill before me, sounds of battle rang true- clashing metal, painful hisses, grunts and groans of fatal footwork. I flattened my back against a tree and closed my eyes, and after a few deep breaths, ran towards them.

My partner, Lark, was a blur of blonde hair and forest colours as his body gracefully danced around swords and daggers thrust at him by two soldiers. Normally, I loved to watch him fight, but there was no time for that now. Beside him moved a brunette wielding a double-bladed staff, equally as graceful in her dance, as she fended off another two assailants.

I pulled the bow from my back and knocked two arrows. I drew, aimed, and released, and the arrows flew to hit their mark- the empty space left between the female fighter and the Summer Queen's soldiers. Without waiting, I ducked out of sight and moved closer, skirting around a series of ruined stone buildings. The King had said Lark and I were there for a male, but perhaps he was mistaken. All refugees were the same to someone like him, after all.

I took another deep, steadying breath, then rounded the corner, knives in hand. Lark moved wide, allowing me to slip beneath his arm and get close to one of the soldiers as they were committed to a lunge. I stabbed into his extended shoulder with one blade and slid the other across the thin skin of his throat. He fell, and I looked to Lark, who smiled briefly as he nodded towards a ruined wall a short distance away.

"He's there, get him and go! We'll catch up," Lark yelled as he parried another attack, then stabbed into the knee of the closest soldier attacking the female. I nodded and sprinted to the wall, careening over it without thinking, and found a knife at my throat when I landed.

I inhaled sharply and the skin on my neck gave way to the blade, a shallow line of red swelling around the obsidian. I held my hands up, then turned my head to look at the man I was supposed to be saving.

His hair, the colour of hawthorn bark, reflected sun in hues of amber and ebony as it swung from a long ponytail. His skin, paler than most Summer-born, was still the warm, bronzed sand I expected, and much more pigmented than my own ivory complexion. Soft-looking lips pressed together in a near-invisible line beneath wide, adrenaline-tinged eyes. I stared into them, their blue deep and dark as stormy water, drawing me down, drowning my senses until I was left only with the sound of my heart beating in my ears.

Or, maybe it was his heart.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said softly, "I was sent by the Winter King to bring you and some cargo to him."

"Uh huh," he said skeptically, and as his voice hit my ears, my entire existence reacted to it. Goosebumps erupted across my skin, my lungs forsook their need for air, and my chest threatened to open up and expel my soul, which beat painfully against my ribs in it's desire to go to him.

For a moment, the crashing of swords was silent, the chaos of Summer Light's civil war forgotten. For a moment, the wind stopped rushing, birds forgot their songs, and the Sun paused in the sky. For a moment, nothing mattered except the colour of his hair, his eyes, his skin, nothing mattered except the angles of his face, the shape of his soul, the beating of his heart.

For a moment, I ceased to exist, and there was only him.

"Aevy, get the fuck out of here!" Lark's voice cut through the spell, startling us both, and gave me the advantage I needed to twist the knife out of the male's hand and into my own. His eyes widened and he backed away half a step.

"Let's go!" I yelled, grabbing his arm and forcing him through a crumbled arch to the left of us. Either shock or sense stopped him from arguing. He lingered long enough to scoop up a wooden box, nailed shut and branded with the Summer Queen's insignia, and then we ran into the wooded hills I'd vacated only a few minutes before. I glanced behind, loathe to leave without Lark, but more soldiers had come and I could see neither my partner nor the woman he fought beside. I swallowed hard, held back tears, and pulled the shadows around me. Now wasn't the time for sentiment.

I turned to my charge. He watched me with round, feral eyes, his face shadowed with distrust and hunger, though what kind I couldn't say. I reached my hand out to him and he flinched back, taking a half step away. I dropped my arm, putting open hands at my sides. I took a step forward, and to my relief, he didn't move.

"What's your name?" I breathed, unsure how safe the woods were, but needing to dispel his skittishness. He had to come with me, I didn't have the time to look for him if he snuck away, and neither of us were prepared to run into the soldiers that could be anywhere.

"Dusk," he replied, and his voice rang through me with unsettling depth.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Follow close to me. We need to make it out of these woods as quickly as possible, and we have quite far to go after that before we can stop safely."

"I will not leave my sister," he growled, shifting his footing in case I tried to grab him and run again. My jaw tightened, I inhaled slowly.

"The Winter King contracted us to retrieve you and some cargo. She wasn't mentioned at all, and right now, there is more chance of being killed than not if we try to save her and my partner. Their best chance of survival is together, as is ours. If we go back, we will distract them." His eyes flickered to the right, where sounds of battle could still be heard. His jaw clenched and released, his hands drumming nervously on the side of the crate. I took another slow step towards him, reaching my hand out again. He didn't flinch away. "Please, Dusk, come with me, or I will have to force you into it and I'd honestly rather not. I don't really enjoy being the one holding the leash." 

His eyes flickered down my body, a smirk flashing across his face, and he nodded curtly. I let my breath out and offered him my hand. He shook his head. "You said we need to be quick, but holding onto me will slow us down. Instead, I swear not to leave your side by choice."

"And in return, I swear to get you to the King alive and in one piece. Now, let's go, quietly."

***

I collapsed against the oaken door as soon as the bolt slid into place. Dusk turned a corner, and I heard as he finally set the box he'd carried all day down; his groans of painful relief drowned out the hollow clash of wood dropping onto wood.

Ash covered nearly every surface outside, as it did in many towns that were reclaimed by the Wilds, but inside there was little more than a thin layer of dust on the floor. The cottage's roof had caved in at some point, leaving thatching and shingles in a large portion of the space and blocking off what was probably a staircase leading into an attic room that no longer existed.

I closed my eyes, head leaning back against the door, and took several long, deep breaths. Lark and I often used this forgotten town for various purposes, since tracking in the Wilds was extremely difficult. This was one of my preferred houses; it had enough rooms intact that we could move without tripping over each other, and the kitchen and cellar were still useable. My stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours. I sighed.

"Hey, are you hungry?" I called to Dusk as I tried to gather the energy to stand. 

"Yes," he replied, his voice low and husky and much too close. I opened my eyes and sucked in my breath. His face was inches from mine as he crouched before me, his eyes darkened by the same emotion I'd seen earlier. This time, though, with it so close, with the danger far behind us, I recognized it. 

I embraced it as it flared in me and lit my body on fire, caressing my soul in a familiarity. My skin tingled, my heart rate rose, and I felt an ache between my thighs worse than I'd ever had. I bit into my tongue, blood filling my mouth, to avoid acting on the lust that roiled in and around me. 

"I'll make something to eat then," I whispered, and turned my face towards the kitchen. With eye contact broken, it was marginally easier to restrain myself, but my desire suffocated the space around me and I found it hard to breathe. 

"I dont want food." 

I didn't move. I couldn't. He was a contract target, and Lark and I had strict rules about investing in contracts outside the bounds of our duties. I had to keep him alive, deliver him to the Winter King, but nothing more. 

Nothing more. 

Dusk grabbed my jaw and turned my head, smashing his mouth into mine without restraint. His teeth cut my bottom lip as he pulled at it, and when my mouth opened for him, his tongue found it's way in. He growled as he tasted the remnants of blood in my mouth, and the hand at my jaw slid lower to squeeze my throat. 

I bit his tongue, drawing blood and another, different, growl from Dusk. He squeezed my throat harder and I gasped as the ache in my body tightened. Without warning, he broke the kiss and flung me sideways onto the floor. My chest hit painfully, but before I could do more than prop myself up, he was on top of me, biting into the side of my neck and pushing my leather leggings down around my knees. 

I arched my back into him as his teeth found a pressure point and gasped. He fumbled with his clothes for a moment, and then he slid into my body and I exploded in stars as pleasure hurricaned through me, loud and thunderous in my ears, destructive and dangerous in my body. I screamed over and over as he repositioned, arm on my back to keep me pinned to the floor, and pushed himself as far into me as my body would allow. Fluid gushed down my legs with every thrust, but he seemed not to notice as he built himself up. 

"Please, Dusk, I-" 

"Aevy," he groaned as he reached his peak. My name rolled off his tongue like the sweetest, most deadly poison, and my body shuddered soul-deep as he sang to it in the truest language it knew. "Ohh, fuck, Aevy."

I lost my breath again, and like it had when I'd met him earlier, the world ceased to exist except for Dusk. I became aware of exactly where his body was, the rhythm at which it beat, the heaviness of his breathing. I felt him as if I lived for him, within him, and nothing else existed at all. 

I began to shake violently, as if my soul was trying to escape my body by force and find a home in his. My breath started up again, panicked and irregular, and I cried, though tears of what I don't know. Dusk fell to my side, and the loss of him filling me hit my psyche like a crater into the moon. I curled into his warmth, sobbing silently for no known reason, and closed my eyes.  

What the fuck just happened.

Memory

The Lazienki Palace, aka the Palace on the Isle. Warsaw, Poland.

I'm walking through the air, scented with cherry blossoms and sea salt. The thin material of a pale watercolour scarf dances across the skin of my arms and back, while soft silk caresses my legs and torso in a loose-fitted outfit. Laughter can be heard around me, as the ladies in my company enjoy a joke my sister makes. We pause by a column to look out across the pond in our extensive gardens. 

Somewhere ahead, we know our menfolk are waiting for us, likely with a picnic set up in the oak grove on the west of west end of the property. I lean on the column, pausing a moment longer than the rest, to breathe in the spring. Soon, the forced politeness of hostessing will take over, and I won't be able to breathe so deeply until this evening, once the fragrance of sunlight and happiness has passed for the day. 

"Are you alright?" One of our guests asks, concerned that perhaps the sun or the heat is too much for me. I smile at her and open my eyes. 

"Quite. I was simply enjoying this moment of peace."

My sister suggests they move along, and we will catch up in a moment. She lays her head on my shoulder, and I know she feel it too- the nostalgia of a time and place long cut from us. Despite our best efforts, our eden on earth came out as a mockery to the original, though no one knows but us. 

I kiss her forehead, and we walk hand in hand down the path, setting aside the wisps of fading memory in favor of a joyful afternoon in spring.