The hooves came to an abrupt halt. Ned couldn’t see us on account of him not having a head and all, but he would be able to sense we were near. Did Aveen know of the Dullahan? Had she heard the stories of the way he fed on a human’s life force and consumed their very essence?The Queen did the same, but her victims needed to be newly dead.
The Dullahan needed his alive.
Ned came around the corner, his uneven footsteps lumbering and stilted, dragging his spine whip in his free hand. He really needed to get a new head. The one he held aloft like a feckin’ lantern had seen better days.
Aveen whimpered, trembling against me.
“Whatever you do, do not tell him your name,” I whispered. If he knew your name, he owned your soul.
Aveen’s body began to relax, like she trusted me to keep her safe.
How foolish. How naïve. How . . . strange. When was the last time a human who knew who I was had found comfort in my presence? They usually ran and hid. An odd tingling began in my chest, spreading through my limbs.
Aveen relaxed a bit more, her muscles uncoiling and heartbeat slowing.
Then she slumped.
Too late I realized that it wasn’t trust but Ned’s magic that had made her relax. Her face was so feckin’ pale, and I could barely hear her heart. I needed to go to Eithne, demand the monster take her instead, but once he’d started draining, there would be no deterring him.
“He’s not here for you. Fight it.” Even as I said the words, her fortune hung in the frigid air between us.
For the only way to save him was at her own expense.
Was this her fate? If I gave her up, maybe it would lead me one step closer to ending the Queen.
All I had to do was let Aveen go.
Who was I to deny destiny? I wasn’t a hero. I was willing to lie, steal, and cheat to get what I wanted, and all I’d ever wanted was to be free of the Queen’s control.
Let her go, the darkness inside me roared.
My arms tightened.
Let her go!
How? How could I let her go? How could I let her die for mistakes I’d made centuries ago?She is good. She is kind. She doesn’t deserve this fate.
“Think of something else,” I begged, my voice cracking. Panic like I’d only ever experienced once in my life seized my core, crushing my lungs. “Anything else. Distract yourself.”
Aveen couldn’t die. I couldn’t let her.
“Don’t go to him. Stay with me. Please.Please.” My freedom wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t worthher.I removed my hand from Aveen’s mouth, her face ghostly pale when I turned her in my arms.Come back to me.Please.
She was cold and stiff as a corpse. I needed to warm her up. If only I could light a fire without being seen.A fire. That’s it.I eased forward until my lips skimmed hers.Please let this work. Please.Sparks shot through my veins. I willed them toward her.
She remained cold. Unresponsive. Silent.
Please. Please. Not her. Not yet.
I kissed her harder, deeper, forcing the panic from my mind, praying there was some way to save her from this. To bring her back to me.
Aveen’s eyes burst open, and the relief I felt at seeing her pupils dilate left me clutching her against me as if she had been the one to save me.
Her mouth opened, welcoming my tongue, tangling and tasting of life and light, kissing me as if this kiss were her last. Her back arched, thrusting her glorious chest against mine. My hands skimmed her ribs, the underside of her breasts, begging to move higher, to take anything she was willing to give.
Only, to be with me meant certain death.
And now I knew that I couldn’t let her die.