Free Faery Kissed by Lacey Weatherford

shared the whole truth
yet.”
    My heart fell with sinking dread. “Then tell
me why the king speaks of me as if I am nothing but a stud to
service you, instead of your husband? And what are these Blood
Wraiths you speak of? Why will I be numbered with them?” I resisted
the urge to grab her and shake the answers from her.
    Eirian suddenly looked very tired—all her
sparkle had been drawn from her. “I never expected him to speak to
me of such matters. I wanted to reveal things to you myself, in my
own way.” She crossed the room to sit on the bed.
    “ Reveal what? We are
bonded, yes?”
    She sighed heavily. “Yes, we are, but only
for these seven days. When they are over, I’ll send you back to
live with your people.”
    “ What?” the word exploded
out of my mouth in a ball of frustration.
    “ Shhh. Please, Bran, the
guards will hear you.”
    Once again, her voice caused an erotic
tremble to course through me, and I gritted my teeth against it.
“Don’t speak my name. I don’t want any more traps. I want the
truth.” I held my breath, staring at her while I waited to see if
she would come clean.
    She sat there, silent for a few moments. “My
people are at war against an enemy we can’t defeat on our own. In
all our existence, the Fae have always had dalliances with humans.
Sadly, what you said before was true, the Fae enjoyed manipulating
them with their words. Humans were like playthings to my
people . . . a sport of fun so-to-speak.”
    I went to the window, grasping one of the
stone pillars so hard that my fingers turned white. “So, is that
what I am to you? A plaything?”
    “ No!” she blurted out,
wisely remaining where she was. “I’ve always loved you,
Br . . . I’ve always loved you. That’s the truth. My
people are in trouble though, and it’s my duty to help
them.”
    “ How does being with me
help them?” I asked, my mind was a muddied mess as I tried to
understand what she was saying.
    She clenched and unclenched her hands in a
nervous gesture. “Those creatures you dreamt of—the ones attacking
the Fae they are called Blood Wraiths. They were made during those
centuries of human dalliances. The biting and exchanging of blood
is very sensual for us, but it alters humans.”
    “ What do you mean?” I was
sure I didn’t want to hear her answer, but I needed to
know.
    “ It makes their blood run
cold, something about us changes them. They begin to crave our
blood, any blood really, but especially faery blood. It’s something
you already noticed when I gave you the drink which contained my
blood. It was sweeter than anything you’d ever imagined,
correct?”
    “ Go on,” I said without
acknowledging her comment.
    “ Midsummer’s eve is the
only time humans can penetrate our realm. They cannot stay any
longer.”
    “ That’s not true. I’m
human, and I’ve been here well-past Midsummer’s eve,” I
contradicted.
    She shook her head. “Time moves differently
here in Faery than it does for you. We have seven days to your one.
It is still Midsummer’s eve in your realm—only a small amount of
time has passed since you’ve been here. Your people still
celebrate, and no one even knows you’re gone.”
    My teeth clenched harder as I tried to
maintain control. “Why did you bring me here?”
    “ I need the child you will
give me. We’ve discovered the mixed race children hold the powers
of the Fae and the strength of the Blood Wraiths. They are stronger
than we are.”
    “ And why do you need such
strong children?”
    “ The Blood Wraiths have
found ways to penetrate Faery during Midsummer, and they are
attacking us and killing off my people. We need the children to
fight them.”
    I was so confused. “So
you’re creating more Blood Wraiths by mating with them so you can have their
children to destroy them? How does this even make sense?”
    “ I told you. Time passes
differently in Faery. In three of your years we can raise a soldier
of twenty-one