“You see?” she asked, pulling Maeve in close. “You will turn the tides of fate in our favor. Not only for us, but for them. For your children. For the lives of those not yet brought into this world.”
Ceridwen released her and Maeve sniffed, one hand instantly going to her stomach.
“Your heart is not a weakness, it is your greatest strength.” Ceridwen stepped back. “Use it.”
Then the High Princessfadedfrom the shore.
Maeve stood alone for a moment longer, but all she wanted to do was go find Tiernan. She wanted to feel the strength of him as he held her, she wanted to kiss him, and love him, and tell him she would find a way to save this world they loved. For them. For their future.
Following the bond of the witch thread, Maeve wandered through the winding pathways of Niahvess until she found herself standing in front of a tavern.
Her brow furrowed and she peered up at the sky. The sun was not much past midday, but then the sound of raucous male laughter filled her ears, and she shoved open the door. She walked inside and stumbled to a stop. The corner of her lips twitched.
Sitting at the bar, their eyes glazed from overindulgence, were Tiernan and Aran. They were ridiculously drunk.
Chapter Fourteen
Tiernan’s head was throbbing, a consistent ache that began in his temples and spread all the way down to the base of his neck. His entire body was heavy, each limb felt as though it had been filled with compacted sand. A dead weight he could barely move of his own accord. The world was spinning beyond his control, and he swore he was stuck in a violent whirlwind of alcohol and pink smoke. Groaning, he slowly slid his left leg off the edge of the bed to cease the dizzying momentum that left him feeling like he was going to fall over even though he was already lying down.
Never again, he warned himself.
He was far too old to partake in drinking such copious amounts of alcohol in one sitting.
At some point, Maeve had found him and Aran drinking in the Merrows Lair. He remembered dancing with her, spinning her around, and laughing until his cheeks hurt. By then, however, he’d barely been able to stand up on his own, and he was fairly certain Lir had carried his ass home. Day drinking had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Tiernan was regretting his decision.
Mistakes had definitely been made.
All he wanted to do was try to tumble back into oblivion in an effort to sleep off this blasted hangover, but the scent of coffee, crispy bacon, and biscuits lured him awake.
Tiernan squinted his eyes open, expecting the glare of the sun to blind him, but instead, he was met with a soft, dim light. Night had already fallen, and in the hearth a fire crackled, casting his room in a wash of gold and shadows.
He rolled over and his stomach revolted.
Swallowing the burn of acid in the back of his throat, he blinked and refocused on his surroundings.
There was Maeve, sitting on the bed, with a tray of food before her. The fire behind her highlighted the golden pink of her hair as it tumbled freely down her back. But what drew his attention the most was what she was wearing. In place of a cotton nightshirt, she wore a deep red nightgown. Tiny black diamonds were scattered across the sheer material, not nearly enough of them to disguise the swell of her breasts or her nipples protruding against the delicate fabric. It barely covered her upper thighs, and the straps were so thin, he could probably snap them in half with his teeth.
His cock pulsed to life, straining against the confines of his pants, and he eased himself into a sitting position, ready to devour her. There was only one cure for a hangover, and it involved delving his tongue between her thighs, the sweet taste of her on his tongue damn near euphoric.
Maeve smiled, gesturing to the tray between them. “I thought you might wake up hungry.”
He grinned in return, wolfish. “There’s only one thing I want to eat right now.”
Surprisingly, she blushed, and it only made him want her even more.
“Food first.” She trailed one finger idly along the tops of her breasts. “Then maybe I’ll let you have dessert.”
It was all the motivation Tiernan needed.
He grabbed a piece of bacon. “Did Aran return to Kyol?”
“He didn’t make it that far.” Maeve laughed, stirring the contents of a teacup. “He’s sleeping off his hangover in one of the guest rooms. I believe Brynn offered to help nurse him back to life once he wakes up.”
She handed Tiernan the teacup. “She also told me to give you this.”
Tiernan winced, shrinking away from the wretched concoction. It was a product of Brynn’s own making, a tea that was more like a sludge. He had no idea what she tossed into the mixture. All he knew was that it was an instant remedy for overindulgence and was the most foul tasting thing he’d ever had in his life.
His lip curled. “Do I have to?”
