Faery Kissed (13 page)

I naturally moved from her mouth to bury my
face against her throat, feeling her blood pounding there, calling
for me to partake. I felt my teeth lengthen against her skin in
anticipation of the bite. I inhaled that sweet scent, my mouth
watering with longing as I kissed and licked over her skin. I was
going to do it. I was going to bite her.

Drink the honey
mead
.

I had no idea what voice spoke into my head,
but I shoved Ceridwen away, stumbling backward in my hurry to put
some distance between us. I rushed to a table, grabbed a pitcher
that still held mead and downed the contents before I slammed it
back to the roughhewn wood. A few people milling about stared at me
from their tasks.

I turned to face Ceridwen, lowering my
voice. “You need to go home. Lock your door, bar it against me,
even.”

“
What’s the matter?” she
asked. Her face was flushed, and her hair cascaded wildly about
her. She looked wonderful and delicious.

I walked past her, not wanting her to see my
fangs.

“
Something did happen to me
in the woods, something terrible. I don’t even know how to tell you
about it, because I’m not sure I understand it myself. I don’t
think you’re safe around me. I don’t think anyone is.”

Her hands slid up my back before resting at
my shoulders. She squeezed them slightly. “I’m not really sure
what’s going on, but I trust you, Bran. I’ve always felt safe with
you. Now come with me. It’s clear something is bothering you. We’ll
find a quiet place and you can tell me what’s wrong.”

She slipped her hand into mine, tugging it
gently as she stepped away. I hesitated only a moment before I
moved, following after her as she led me home.

Chapter Twelve

Midsummer’s Eve

Three Years Later

“
Come give me a kiss then,
and hurry up so you can meet me there.”

“
With pleasure,” I replied,
pulling Ceridwen into my arms and kissing her heartily. “You know
I’ll never get sick of doing this, right?”

She smiled, and tweaked my nose. “You better
not, or I will stake you myself. Now hurry and finish your chores
so you can join me at the celebration. Vampire or not, you should
never keep your wife waiting.”

“
I like it when you’re
feisty,” I replied with a grin, and kissed her again.

She was breathless when I released her. “I
need to go before I’m late and the women start teasing me about
rolling in the hay with you again.”

I shrugged. “Not my fault if you can’t get
enough of me.”

She slugged me in the shoulder.

I laughed. “Better be careful. You’re gonna
hurt yourself, or you may land up flat on your back again.”

“
You would like that,
wouldn’t you?” she accused.

“
Very much, I’m afraid.” I
pulled her against me and kissed her again.

“
Bran, I need to go. We’ll
have to finish this later.”

I sighed and released her. “I’ll be there as
soon as I’ve finished putting the horses up for the night.”

She hurried toward the open, giant barn
doors—the dying rays of the sun giving her honey colored hair a
burnished tint. “And no biting me in public tonight either. Someone
is going to see you doing that one of these days and it will scare
them to death.”

“
I’m always careful with
that. You’d be surprised how little people pay attention to
things.”

“
Even so, you need to be
cautious. Things are changing, Bran. We’ll probably need to move
soon.”

I nodded. “I know. Go to the festivities. We
will talk about it later.”

She waved, and I watched her go until she
was out of sight, and then I turned to finish feeding the horses.
They came to nuzzle against my hand, a simple thing that I was
quite proud of. It had taken them a while to warm up to me since
they were able to sense I was a predator. I had to work hard to
regain their trust, but eventually they came around.

I continued to ponder over Ceridwen’s
remark. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right—we would need
to leave this place soon. I wasn’t aging anymore and everyone
around us was. Ceridwen was now the same age I’d been when I was
turned, and it was a great source of controversy with us about what
would happen from here on out.

I reconsidered her suggestion that she
become like me, and while I liked the idea of being with her for
the rest of eternity, I also balked at the idea of messing with
perfection. I loved Ceridwen just the way she was, but I guess in
the end the decision would need to be hers. She had the right to
choose what was best for her.

I wasn’t sure about how my parents and
Fergus would take to her decision, though. They knew my secret, but
were constantly reminding me to be careful in the things I did to
acquire blood so I wouldn’t harm anyone else. While they supported
me, they weren’t exactly thrilled with the change.

Someone caught me unaware—a feat not easily
done—and walked into the barn behind me. I stiffened when I smelled
the scent because it was different—not human, but yet it was. A
definite puzzle.

Turning to look, I found a tall man about my
height and age standing there. His clothes were finely spun—even
regal looking—and a bow with a quiver full of arrows was strapped
to his back. His silver-blond hair was caught up in a queue at his
neck, and he held himself like some type of warrior.

“
Can I help you?” I asked,
looking him over warily.

“
Forgive my unannounced
arrival. I’ve come in friendship, eager to meet you.” He extended
his arm in greeting. I paused for a moment before I stepped forward
to clasp his in return.

Immediately, I recalled everything—the veil
that cloaked my memories fell away—being taken by Eirian into Faery
and all that we shared flooded over me. My emotions threatened to
consume me as my feelings about her overwhelmed me. I remembered
all that I lost because of her betrayal. She’d left me abandoned to
my own devices, and stolen my child in the process. I should’ve
been angry with her, but I wasn’t—I loved her. She’d given me my
life back the best way she knew how, by wiping my memories, erasing
my guilt and creating a way for me to return to the ones I’d left
behind—losing her own heart in the process.

“
How old are you?” I
managed to croak out.

“
Nearly twenty-one
summers.” A small smile played on his face. “But that’s in Fae
years. If you’re counting in Earth time, then I’m only three.” He
chuckled. “My name is Shay.”

“
You’re my son,” I gasped,
unable to believe it.

“
I am.”

I embraced him in a hug so fierce I worried
if I was hurting him, but he was strong and returned the
gesture.

“
I’ve waited long to meet
you, Father. My mother has been forever talking about you, filling
my head with stories. We’ve often peered through the water
together, to see how you are.”

Releasing him so I could look at him better,
I studied his face, noticing he had his mother’s coloring, but his
features clearly resembled mine.

“
I’m glad you came. How is
your mother?”

“
I am well too,” Eirian
said as she slipped inside the door.

My heart stopped in my throat as seeing her
threatened to break me. I took two joyful steps toward her, ready
to sweep her into my arms. But I stopped, remembering my vows to
Ceridwen, and looked at her apologetically.

Eirian’s eyes filled with tears, and she
lifted her chin proudly. “She still holds your heart.”

“
Yes,” I replied, knowing
how much she wished for ownership of it. “But I would’ve given you
everything.”

“
I didn’t want everything.
I only wanted you to love me.”

I stepped forward and allowed myself to
caress her face once—her sweet blood calling out to me
intoxicatingly. “I do love you. More than you will ever know.
You’re the mother of my child. You sacrificed your own happiness to
give me mine. How could I not love you?”

She threw her arms around my waist, leaning
against my chest. “I miss you, Bran.”

It was curious for me to hear her speak my
name and not have desire course through me at the sound of it, but
there was still attraction between us. I could feel it vibrating
strongly. I hugged her back briefly before forcing myself to let go
and step away.

Our son stood watching us silently, and I
suddenly felt overwhelmed. All my sins had come back to haunt me.
Ceridwen must be told the truth. I found myself struggling with the
fact that I was in love with two women and wondering how to sort
this out so I wouldn’t hurt either of them.

Eirian read me perfectly. “Don’t worry.
We’re not staying. I just wanted you to meet our son. He’s wanted
to meet you for a long time. He is noble and strong, just like you.
I raised him like you wished—with a mind of his own and he’ll make
a good king someday because of it. Hopefully, he’ll be able to
bring peace back to our lands.”

“
I’ll do my best, Mother,”
Shay replied, bowing his head toward her before he looked at me.
“And also to honor you, Father. What my people have done to produce
children is preposterous. I intend to stop it. The Fae created this
war, and they will have to fight to end it—by themselves. No other
human should have to suffer or die because of these
dalliances.”

He really did have a mind of his own, and
suddenly I felt very proud to have him as my son. It was then I
noticed the charm hanging around his neck, the moon and the stars.
I reached to finger the matching one hanging from my own. “Your
mother gave this to you,” I said, pointing to his. “We picked these
on the day we found out you were going to be born.”

“
Yes. I see you still wear
yours as well.”

“
I do. I didn’t remember
where it came from, but for some reason I couldn’t ever bring
myself to take it off. Now I know why.” I glanced at Eirian. “That
was a good day.”

“
One of the best in my
life,” she whispered. “I relive it in my head
constantly.”

“
I’m sorry for the way
things turned out. Truly, I never meant to hurt you.” I wished
there was some way to comfort her, but I wasn’t sure how. I felt an
overwhelming ache begin to build inside me.

“
I know you didn’t. If I
hadn’t messed with your life there would’ve been no hurt to feel at
all.”

“
We all make mistakes,”
Shay said, stepping up beside us. “You two need to forgive
yourselves for your past and move on. You’ll never be truly happy
unless you do.”

I chuckled, trying to swallow at the ball of
emotion that was growing in my throat. “And he’s wise too. You’ve
done a very fine job of raising him.”

“
It wasn’t all me. He
carries you inside him. What else could he be?” She smiled,
reaching to rest her hand on Shay’s arm.

My heart felt like it was going to rip into
pieces as I watched. The longing to be near my child was more than
I could bear. I wished for a life with the two of them, knowing it
wasn’t possible. I looked away and walked to the doorway, glancing
up to where people were gathering for the celebration on the
hilltop. Their figures were silhouetted by the setting sun.

“
We should go. You have
others waiting for you,” Eirian said.

“
No!” I almost shouted
turning to face her. “No,” I amended, softer. “Don’t go yet. You
just got here. I want you both to stay—I’m just struggling with how
to make the pieces of my life fit together.” I glanced back toward
the hill. “She’s been a good wife, given everything she had—stayed
with me when no one should’ve. I don’t want to hurt her any more
than I already have. I’ve always loved her, and she has always
loved me.

Eirian came to stand next to me, lifting a
quivering hand to stroke my face. “Everything will be all right,
Bran. I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never have
you.”

“
You’re wrong,” I replied,
running my hand through her luxurious silver hair, the simple act
stirring many memories to the surface, and I realized I missed
touching her. “You already have the best part of me.” I nodded
toward our son, Shay.

A sob escaped Eirian. She threw her arms
around my neck and kissed me, sharing a lifetime worth of passion
and loneliness in that one single short moment. I trembled in her
embrace, but before I could even truly respond, she stepped away,
locking gazes with me.

“
Forget,” she
whispered.

I blinked and found myself standing near the
doorway of the barn with no recollection of how I got there. As I
watched the bonfire on the hill burst to life, a feeling of
completion and satisfaction swept through me, stronger than
anything I’d felt before. I didn’t know where it came from—I only
knew I was happy and filled with contentment.

I turned back to look at the unfinished
chores I had left. They could wait. Tonight I just wanted to be
with the love of my life, Ceridwen.

About the Author

Lacey Weatherford is the bestselling author
of the popular young adult paranormal romance series, Of Witches
and Warlocks, and contemporary series, Chasing Nikki. She has
always had a love of books and wanted to become a writer ever since
reading her first Nancy Drew novel at the age of eight.

Lacey resides in the beautiful White
Mountains of Arizona. She lives with her wonderful husband and
children along with their dog, Sophie, and cat, Minx. When she’s
not out supporting one of her kids at their sporting/music events,
she spends her time reading, writing, blogging, and visiting with
her readers on her social media accounts.