The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,115

laying the gown over the slab but keeping it on the garment bag so my blood did not reach it.

“You see, this gown is very special.” Aric slipped his arm away from me, and I exhaled raggedly. Reaching for the delicate material, he traced the deep v-neck of the dress. “It is not of this world, but a token of mine. It was to be a wedding gown. Mathing,” he said, speaking fae. I thought the word meant mating. “You would not be the first to wear this, but I believe you will be the last.”

Stepping back, I wrapped my arm over my waist as I followed his fingers down the center of the dress. The material seemed to respond to his touch, darkening into a slate gray.

“Do you know who wore this gown last?” he asked.

My throat dried while my suspicions threatened to sink me.

Aric glanced over his shoulder at me. “Answer me, my pet, or I’ll make you.”

Even though I wanted nothing more than to disobey him, I couldn’t risk being glamoured or fed on. Not when I needed to remember that dagger. Swallowing hard, I lifted my chin. “Who…?” I cleared my throat. “Who wore it last?”

“Thank you for asking.” He refocused on the dress while the female slipped silently back to the doorway. “Siobhan wore it on her wedding day.”

Oh, God.

I closed my eyes.

“Well, she wore it to her wedding. I caught her before she arrived,” he added. When I reopened my eyes, Aric was staring down at the dress. “Caden never saw her in it, but he’ll know it was hers when he sees you in it.”

A jolt ran through me as my arm unfurled.

He tilted his head to the side, his pale eyes opening to meet mine. “Funny how history repeats itself.”

“I…I don’t understand.”

“You don’t?” He faced me fully, and I tensed. “You don’t remember, do you? What you told me the last time I was here.” A smirk graced his perfect lips. “You’re strong, and you’ve held on longer than any mortal should’ve. All those lovely moments when I’ve taken your essence from you have done their damage, but it should’ve fried that little brain of yours. If you were fully mortal.”

Part of me wondered if my little brain was fried since I knew I couldn’t have heard him right. “I am fully mortal.”

“You were fully mortal,” he replied. “But that all changed when Caden gave you the Summer Kiss.”

The Summer Kiss? “I—”

“Have no idea what I’m talking about? You don’t remember our conversation? About how he saved your life after we first met? After I was positive that I’d killed both you and your mother?” he explained, and a shudder rolled its way through me. “He placed his lips to yours and, instead of taking your essence, he gave you his. That is the Summer Kiss, and only an Ancient can bestow such a gift.”

“What…what kind of gift?” I asked, wondering if I could return or exchange it.

One side of Aric’s lips tipped. “The kind that will make it extra hard to kill you, and one that will ensure you will have a very odd lifespan by mortal standards.” He took a step toward me. “You’d figure something out as the years went by and you looked the same as the night I tore into your flesh with my teeth and nails. You’d begin then to realize something had been done, as would the Order. They’d either make damn sure you were put down, or they’d study you to figure out what was done. But you, my pet, are no longer simply mortal. You’re not a halfling either. You are something else entirely.”

My mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t be saying what I thought he was.

“It’s rare for a fae to bestow the Kiss upon another. It’s an ancient practice used only in the direst circumstances, but it is unheard of for one to do so with a mortal,” he continued, his eyes gleaming. “A great offense, one punishable by death. If we were in my world, you’d be dragged before the Court and slaughtered while Caden watched—something he witnessed the few times a fae gave the Kiss to a mortal. So, for him to do that with you can only mean one thing.”

Through the fog of memories, Caden’s lack of reasoning for his actions came back to me. I’d believed… “I did something for him,” I said. “I think…I helped him somehow. That’s why.”

Aric approached me, placing his