Chapter 40

"*What*?" Damion growls, "Why on earth would you think that?"

I'm babbling now, I know that, but I can't seem to stop myself. Panic is making black spots dance in my vision, "Please, I can't go back home. They'll just send me back to the Unseelie. If it's too much trouble having me in your castle, you can drop me in one of the nearby human villages, I'll be fine. Just please don't send me home."

Distantly, I notice Damion tug on the reins, slowing the horse enough so that he can grasp my chin in one of his overly large, calloused palms and tug my gaze to meet his.

"Lily, listen to me. I'm not sending you anywhere-- Not anywhere I can't follow. And there's no way in hell I'd ever take you back to your father. That bastard doesn't deserve to be in the same country as you after the way he's treated you. Do you understand?"

I swallow hard as his words sink in. As the reality that he's not taking me back to the Seelie Court begins to settle, my heart rate begins to slow and my ragged breathing starts to even out. In answer to his question, I dip my head in a shaky nod.

Hearing him say those simple words bring hot tears to my eyes that I try my best to blink away, but one still manages to escape. He moves the hand that had been holding onto my chin so he can brush the tear away with one of his fingers. His hand is cold after holding the reins for so long, whipped by the icy wind.

His smooth face tightens, the muscles in his jaw working as if pained, "I didn't mean to upset you," He says, voice strained, "Please, don't cry---"

I blink away the heat in my eyes, staring up at him with blurry eyes, shocked, "You didn't upset me," I say, "Not at all. I'm not sad, I'm*relieved*."

I don't think relieved quite covers what I'm feeling. The tightness in Damion's expression slowly softens at my explanation. He tucks me closer to him, pulling me into his leather-clad hard chest almost unconsciously. The warmth of his body against mine is a comfort in itself. I let myself lean into his soothing presence absorbing that foreign feeling like a drowning man seeking oxygen.

After a few moments, I force myself to pull away so I can look up into his face again, "If you're not taking me home, then where are we going?"

Damion's mouth settles into a tight grim line, "Orm has a theory of what he believes will cure your illness. So I'm taking you to test his theory."

My heart thumps unsteadily, shock and disbelief making my entire body go rigid. A cure? I can't wrap my head around that single word.

I have so many questions, but before I even get the chance to open my mouth, the thundering sound of horse hooves approach us and a voice calls out to us over the wind, "Everything alright there, Commander? We thought something might be wrong with your horse-"

I recognize the voice instantly, sitting up in the saddle so I can see over Damion's arm, "Xavier?"

"*Princess*?" Xavier sputters. His head whipping over to meet my shocked gaze with his own, "What in the gods name are you doing awake?!"

His blatant show of shock, something so wildly uncharacteristic for him, has a grin breaking out over my face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I laugh, "I was *sleeping*, not dead. Why do you look like you're seeing a ghost?"

"He's just relieved and doesn't know how to show it," explains a female voice from our other side.

My head whips in the opposite direction to see the rider who's flanking our other side, "Arden!"

"It's good to see your eyes open, Princess," there's exhaustion lining her expression, but the relief on her face is obvious.

I grin at her over Damion's shoulder, "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to watch your back of course," Arden says with a smirk, "What else?"

"I have a feeling these two would have followed after us whether I agreed to their presence or not," Damion murmurs into my ear. The feel of his warm breath against my cheek sends shivers up and down my spine, heating my skin and my stomach flutters.

"We were just about to pick up our pace again," Damion leans back up to say to the two shifter guards, "We have a lot of distance to cover before nightfall."

Both Arden and Xavier's faces return to serious masks.

"Whenever you're ready sir," Xavier says.

Damion's eyes drop down to me, flitting over where I'm leaning against him as if reassuring himself that I'm still seated safely in the saddle, "Are you ready?" He asks me.

When I nod, Damion kicks against the stirrups, bringing his horse back up to the breakneck speed we'd been riding at when I'd first woken up. I settle back against Damion's sturdy chest.

When we've gotten to a breakneck speed that he's satisfied with, he leans down close enough that I can feel his warmth against my cheek. Close enough that I can hear him over the wind whipping past us, "You should try to get more sleep if you can," he murmurs, "Orm suggested that you sleep as much as possible to keep your strength up."

I'm so tired of sleeping. So tired of missing out on things because of this fever that's controlling my life. But I can't deny the fact that my body is begging me to close my eyes again, pulling me back to the world of unconsciousness. I force my eyes to stay open as long as I can, staring at the blur of passing mountain terrain.

It's dark, but I can make out dark smears of pine trees and rocky cliff sides. I watch them pass by until I can't force my eyes open any longer. Then I turn my face into Damion's chest and breath in his familiar scent of leather and pine and heat. When I tuck myself closer into him, his arms flex around me, keeping me close.