Dark Fae by Shannon Mayer Read Free Book Online Page B

, ” Ashling said, pulling back so she could look up at me. Her green eyes spilled over with tears. “I want to believe that you can save me, Quinn. I want to. But . . . “
    I shushed her. “No, we won’t end up apart. I promise you that. I won’t give up.”
    “Say hi to Luke for me ,” she said, her eyes brightening. “ I stayed with him, while he floated in between life and death.” Then s he nodded, and flinched. “I have to go, she’s waking up. I’ll try to come again. And , Quinn … T hank you for stopping Card . Chaos has been rewarding him by . . .” she swept her hand up and down her own body. “Even though it’s not really mine anymore . . .” her voice broke and she stepped back , she lifted her hand and disappeared.
    Anger like I’d never felt before ripped through me. Card had been using Ashling’s body for a play toy.
    “SON OF A BITCH!” I yelled, wishing I could kill him all over again. Any regrets I ’d had were washed away in that moment of rage ; it was enough to ma k e me believe that I was one of the dark Fae. There was nothing righteous about this anger, only bright pulsing fury that left me shaking , and sick to my stomach.
    I paced the bower until I began to calm. He couldn’t touch her anymore . That was the only upside I could see.
    Moving slowly, I went back to my b ed. Staring straight up at trees that covered us, I couldn’t see the night sky or the stars. Tears trickled out the corners of my eyes and down the sides of my face. Bres shifted on my one side and pulled me into his arms, cradling my body against his. He said nothing, only held me against the warmth of him. Reaching out, I touched Luke’s hip and urged him closer, tucking his back against my belly. I tucked one arm u p under Luke’s head , and reached back with the other hand to pull Bres tight against me .
    Held between the two men, I fell back asleep, my tears drying , fading into determination with the knowledge that Ashling was st ill waiting for me to save her; that for the moment, she was still there inside her body.
    And if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that while love might not always conquer, it never gave up.

8
     
    Morning dawned cool ly , and I was even happ ier to be pressed between my two Fae men , their body heat fending off the chill of the early dawn . Not to mention it was a damn nice sight to wake up to the two impossibly handsome guys .
    “Morning.” Bres rumbled in my ear, his lips taking advantage of their proximity to my sensitive lobes. Luke cradled my hand over his heart, but there was no heat there, not like what I was receiving from Bres. Still, it was very nice to be stuck between them.
    “Mmm.” This was too good to be real. I had to still be dreaming.
    “I think we’d best get moving , ” Luke said, breaking the spell, as he let go of my hand and stretched out on the ground, his vertebrae popping and cracking . I let out a sigh and sat up, looking down on my grubby clothes. Scrubbing my hand over my face and into the tangle of knots that had once been my hair I let out another sigh. “What I wouldn’t give for clean clothes and a shower.”
    Bres laughed. “What’s the point ? W e just have to go deeper into ta forest to find ta three Smiths . ”
    “You’re a guy, you wouldn’t understand , ” I grumped, stretching as I stood up, feeling several vertebrae of my own pop. Despite sleeping on the ground and dreaming of Ashling, I was completely refreshed. Glancing over my shoulder at Luke and Bres, I had no doubt they were the reason.
    They had their heads bowed together, dark and light nearly touching. Luke nodded, “That seems to be the best course of action.”
    I frowned. “What does?”
    Both of them looked over at me, their eyes far too innocent for anything good. “We were trying to figure out who should go to Nuadha , ” Luke said.
    Bres dusted his hands off on to his pants. “We were thinking that you and Luke should go to Nuadha, speak to