Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,31
mimicked my motions. I made sure to keep my gaze averted. He was a distraction I didn’t need. I could feel Domitia and Aurelia’s eyes on me as I stepped into the pool. The water was cool, fizzing against my legs though I saw no bubbles. It gleamed an inviting blue as I waded deeper down the stairs.
“Now just think of your intentions,” Aurelia said.
“I’m familiar with the drill.”
“You’ve used a pool of truth before?” Interest piqued her voice.
“Something similar.” The protections on the chamber beneath our house operated on the same principle, but a pool of truth would just be too much construction work. Not to mention, an obnoxious slowdown when we were in a hurry.
I caught a glimpse of Tarron next to me as I finally submerged. I jerked my gaze away. The last thing I needed was the distraction of his naked body when I needed to be convincing the Vestals I was legit. I banished the memory of his broad shoulders and filled my head with thoughts of my intentions towards the Guardians and the Eternal Flame.
Cool water caressed me, pulling me deeper into the pool as if it had a mind of its own. I submerged, the water seeming to carry me away. It seeped into my mind, the influence of truth swaying my thoughts.
Time passed at a mysterious pace, but my lungs never felt tight. At one point, my hip pressed against something warm and solid—Tarron. I turned toward him, drifting in the current.
We barely touched, but the magic wrapped around us, pressing us closer. I could feel the depth of our connection, the pull of fate and destiny. Warmth flowed through me, the heat of his skin and my own desire.
I drifted toward him, wanting nothing more than to wrap my arms around him. He seemed to feel the same, because he moved toward me and held me tight to his chest. My mouth found his, lips to lips. His strong muscles pressed against me, hot and firm.
Need like I’d never known surged through me. I wanted him. Now.
No.
A little alarm went off in the back of my head. This was a strange time to be kissing. A strange place.
I pulled back, resisting the magic that pushed us together. Tarron clutched me to him, but I pushed harder. Seeming to get the drift, he released me immediately. Through bleary vision, I saw him shake his head, as if trying to drive away the magic in the pool.
A flash of light exploded in my mind.
A premonition. Truth flared to life within my head.
Knowledge.
Only I could save the Seelie kingdom.
And the Unseelie kingdom.
The two of them, together. Neither apart nor the same. My destiny.
Something about me—about my magic—made me the one to do the job.
I gasped, sucking in water. The trance was broken. I surged to the surface, panting and panicked.
9
Tarron burst out of the water next to me, his eyes wide. His dark hair was slicked back from his face, and water droplets glittered on his broad shoulders, gleaming like diamonds on the broad swath of chiseled muscle. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” My mind raced, memories flaring. Had we seen the same thing?
“You’re meant to save the Seelie Kingdom. The Unseelie as well.”
I nodded. “I did see that.”
I turned to Aurelia and Domitia. Both leaned forward, their eyes wide and on us. They looked like they were watching the climax of their favorite soap opera.
They very well might have been.
“Does that pool also show the truth about the future?” I demanded. “Premonitions?”
Aurelia and Domitia both nodded.
“It can show the truth about the future, if someone has the ability to see,” Aurelia said. “What did you see? You saving the world?”
For fate’s sake, I was sick of seeing the future. I appreciated getting a head start on problems, but I was seeing nothing but misery and responsibility.
“Not the whole world,” I said. “And I don’t know how it happens. But I did see myself as the Savior of both Fae kingdoms.” I shuddered at the weight of the task.
“What does she save them from?” Tarron demanded of them. “The fire? But what will attack the Unseelie Court?”
Domitia shrugged. “We don’t know. We put you in there to make sure you weren’t lying to us. The premonition is a bonus because she has the sight.”
“You’re not lying, by the way.” Aurelia grinned. “Or you’d be dead.”