Page 44 of A Court of Ravens
“It’s…a kind of persuasion,” he admits, his fingers trailing down my arms to grip my wrists. “I didn’t mean to. It was instinct. I was trying to protect you.”
I yank my hands free, the worn leather of my fingerless gloves dragging against my skin. “You messed with myhead?”
“It wasn’t like that?—”
“Bullshit!” I snap, taking a step back. “You don’t get to decide what I can or can’t handle, Niall. You don’t get to rewrite my mind like some kind of?—”
“I regret it,a stór. I do, but I can’t change it. All I can do is explain.”
“Oh, this should be good.” I gesture for him to continue, my anger boiling below the surface, ready to explode worse than it already is.
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look away. “You saw me that night. Truly saw me. As a púca. I thought it would terrify you, so I?—”
“You made meforget,” I finish for him, my voice shaking. “You violated my mind, Niall. You had no right.”
“You’re right,” he says, surprising me. “I didn’t. And I’ll never do it again. But you need to understand that there’s more at stake here thanus.”
Ceangal.It rings through my mind.
“Close your eyes,” Niall demands.
I eye him sceptically. “Why?”
“Do you trust me, Shadow Witch?”
I pause. Well, Ididtrust Niall. Despite what my half-sister said, I wanted so badly to believe everything would work out. I sigh. “Fine, whatever.”
Niall smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You still haven’t closed your eyes.”
“Right.” I inhale, reluctantly closing my eyes.
When I do, his fingers wrap around my wrist, his thumb brushing the pulse point. His touch is gentle. My heart kicks against my ribs, and the bastard’s thumb presses down, tracing the rhythm like it’s a song only he can hear.
It hits me hard and fast. Images flash through my mind. Niall shifts before my eyes. His body twists into a dark stallion with magic in his veins. I’m on his back, clutching him like my life depends on it as we tear through the night. Town streets blur, fields stretch endlessly, and the world tilts as we reach a stone wall.
It’s raw. Wild. Dangerous. His lips crash against mine in the next flash, searing and unapologetic.It feels like the end of everything.The thought in my head—was it mine? Or his? It’s all-consuming. Ihatehow much I want it.
And then I’m walking away. Leaving him. Standing there in the field, bare as the night around him. My eyes snap open, breath ragged, chest tight like I’ve run miles. “You…”
Niall, damn him, stands there, calm as ever like he doesn’t have my world falling apart at his feet. “I’m not sorry. I’d be lying if I said I was. You don’t have to forgive me, but we need to work together like the world depends on it because it does.”
“Of course it does,” I shout, holding back the urge to break things or hit someone, mainly him. “Let me guess. The fate of your magical Narnia hangs in the balance?”
His lips twitch. “Again. It’s calledTír na Scáil. And yes, there’s a prophecy. Our bond?—”
I throw up my hands. “Oh, fantastic. I’m the key to saving your world? Or do I get to play the sacrificial lamb?”
“Felicity,” he says, stepping closer, his voice dropping. “It’s not only my world. It’s about yours, too. The balance between them is fragile. And our bond?—”
“Could destroy everything,” I finish bitterly. “What a surprise.”
“It could also save it,” he says, gaze locking onto mine. “If we figure this outtogether.”
Our bond could save everything. It’s suffocating. Then I see the fear in his eyes. His hands tremble ever so slightly. He’s as terrified as I am.
I take a shaky breath, my anger giving way. “So what do we do?”
Niall exhales. “We start by trusting each other.”
