The Divine and the Cursed (Fae of Alastríona, #1)

by J.E. Reed

For some reason, Rion wanted to erase the emptiness in those eyes. He wanted to make them shine. He wanted to know what they might look like if—

His lips parted as she picked one up, speaking to it in hushed tones, and for the first time in his existence, Rion found himself believing in fairytales.

“You just have to trust me.” He let out a breath, showering her in his scent. “You ask the one thing I find impossible.” His eyes remained locked with hers. Hungry. Full of desire. “But I can try.”

“The Divine and the Cursed. How fitting.” He stepped back and started toward the cabin, glancing behind to see if she’d follow. She did, her entire body flushed from their brief, yet intense encounter. Arianna couldn’t help but smile. Rion. The general of Brónach’s army. Her greatest enemy and the most feared warrior in Alastríona had just kissed her.

He clenched his fists. Someone had taken her from him. Someone had taken his Arianna. And he’d ensure their suffering rivaled his own.

Rion’s feral gaze slid to hers and his eyes, usually so filled with hate, softened. Softened for her. Arianna felt like someone had struck her. Anything, she realized. Rion would give her anything.

She felt like every color, constantly spinning, never settling in one place, because this feeling, this love was too strong to be confined to a single color. It was infinite and ever-growing, stretching beyond the veils of space and time, and she’d never, ever tire of it.

“Tell me why,” she demanded. He’d been so adamant about finding this female and now, all of a sudden, he was willing to die? “Because life isn’t worth living without her.”

“No, Saoirse. There’s not a way. Not this time. She’s The Divine. She’s royalty and I’m,” he laughed to himself, “nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’ll always be nothing and I don’t have the strength to watch her from a distance.”