Prince of Passion (9 page)

Nay! I can no’ lose her. I willna lose her.
 

Keiran shook her. “Senga! Wake up, love.”
 

“You’ll never wake her,” Saynarra said, the glee evident on her lovely, evil face.
 

“Aimery,” Keiran begged.
 

There was movement behind Keiran as his family gathered around. Their comfort helped, but it wasn’t him in need, it was Senga.
 

“Help her,” he pleaded with the Fae commander when Aimery knelt in front of him.
 

Aimery pressed his lips together in a flat line and ran his hand over Senga. He inhaled deeply and sat back. “Saynarra has put her into a deep sleep where she will stay for eternity.
 
There’s nothing I can do.”
 

“Nay,” Keiran said with a shake of his head.
 
His throat tightened with emotion and the…love he had for his mate.
 
“How? You said the pact was broken.”
 

“It is, which is why you have her now. The other wasn’t part of the pact.”
 

Keiran caressed Senga’s cheek, silently begging her to wake so he could look into her gray eyes and see her beautiful smile. He refused to live without her. A Sinclair never lasted long once his mate was gone.
 

A hand grasped his shoulder. He turned his head to find his father above him. “We can no’ force Saynarra to break the spell. Bring Senga to the palace, son. We’ll figure out what to do, but you can no’ stay here.”
 

He knew his father was right. “What will happen to Saynarra?” he asked Aimery.
 

“I’m going to take her back to the Realm of the Fae. She’ll be punished for what she’s done to your family and Senga.”
 

Keiran turned his gaze to Saynarra and lost his breath as he watched her turn into the Tnarg. The once beautiful Fae was now the hideous beast every Sinclair had tried to kill.
 

The Tnarg looked at Aimery.
 
“You think to take me where I don’t wish to go?
 
Think again.”

“Gods,” Sorin exclaimed behind him.
 

Lucian took a step toward the creature. “I want a piece of her hide.”
 

“Lucian,” Keiran said in a flat tone he knew would halt his brother. When Lucian stopped, Keiran lowered Senga to the ground and rose to his feet.
 

He longed to plunge his sword into the creature, but instead, he kept the weapon in the scabbard at his hip and walked to the Tnarg. “It’s been you all along. You no’ only cursed us and moved our mates to different times, you hunted them.”
 

“And nearly succeeded in killing us and our mates,” Sorin stated angrily.
 

Keiran took in a steadying breath. “Why? Just because my ancestor didna return your love? Are you really that petty?”
 

“I’m Fae,” the beast ground out in a voice unrecognizable as Saynarra. “No one chooses a mortal over a Fae. No one.”
 

“No’ without consequences, aye?” Keiran asked. “After all these centuries when we’ve beaten the odds and returned to Drahcir with our mates, even escaping you, you won in the end. Senga did the most courageous thing a person could do. She sacrificed herself for the happiness of the people of Drahcir.”
 

“Exactly!” the Tnarg shouted. “She wanted the curse lifted for the people, and she didn’t care that she left you.”
 

Keiran didn’t believe her for a moment. “She wouldna have made you promise to wipe all my memories of her if that were the case. Right now she could be carrying the future heir to the throne, but you doona care. Now you’ve gotten your final revenge and hurt the Sinclairs like never before.”
 

He raked his gaze over the ugly beast. “This form you take, this is what you truly are, no’ the Fae you claim to be. You want to know why my ancestor toyed with you? Because he saw this inside of you, he saw what you really were. And you paled in comparison to the women we are bound to.”
 

“Do you hurt, prince? How does it feel to know Senga is with you, but will never be yours?” Saynarra asked as she reverted back to her Fae appearance. She glanced at Aimery when he approached. “Good luck finding me,” she said before she disappeared.

“Shite!” Aimery said as he disappeared.

Without another word Keiran turned and walked to Senga. He gently lifted her in his arms and stepped past his brothers to his parents.
 
“Senga is from Drahcir,” he said to them. “Aimery bade her leave days after I did to await me in the world beyond our gates. Her family is here.”
 

His father gave a nod. “I’ll send for them immediately.”
 

Keiran looked at his mother to see her beautiful eyes full of sadness.
 
He held Senga tighter.
 
“I’d hoped to be celebrating this day and planning our wedding, no’ to be mourning her loss.”
 

“Oh, son,” she whispered as more tears spilled down her face.
 

Keiran let her shed the tears he was unable to.
 
In the short time he had with Senga, he had experienced the most joy in his entire life.
 
He glanced down at her as he started down the long, winding road to the palace high in the cliffs. He could almost imagine she was simply sleeping and would wake at any moment, embarrassed that he was carrying her.
 

Gods, how can I live without her?
 

Chapter Nine

For three weeks Keiran sat beside Senga, refusing to leave her side and barely eating. The entire kingdom mourned the loss of their future queen, but none mourned her more than Keiran.
 
He had talked to her, yelled at her, and begged her to wake, but she never moved. Not even a flinch to let him know she heard him.
 

It was the worse kind of torture imaginable.
 

Movement behind him drew his attention. When he looked over his shoulder it was to find all three of his brothers standing shoulder to shoulder.
 
They were good men, his brothers. Good, strong, loyal, and the best warriors he knew.
 

“I can no’ lead Drahcir without her,” he finally spoke into the quiet.
 
He’d come to the decision just days after returning to Drahcir, but he knew it was time to voice it to his brothers. Already he’d spoken to his parents. They didn’t agree with his decision, but they stood by him nonetheless.
 

“I’m abdicating the throne tomorrow. Lucian, as the next oldest, you’ll be heir.”
 

Lucian shook his head. “I doona want it.
 
It’s yours. You’re meant to be king of Drahcir.”
 

“I’m meant to be king with my queen beside me. If I can no’ have Senga, what good would I be to our people? It’s for the best, Lucian. Trust me in this.”
 

Elric’s shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh. “I understand why you think you can no’ rule, but I think you can. What would Senga want you to do?”
 

Keiran looked to his mate and fingered a lock of her honey curls. He felt the stirrings of a smile for he knew exactly what she would say. “She’d tell me to do my duty, regardless.”
 
As quickly as the grin began, it disappeared. He turned to his brothers. “I pray that none of you has your mate taken. The pain is…unbearable.”

* * * *

Sorin elbowed his brothers to get their attention and walked from the room as soon as Keiran had focused once more on his mate. Sorin turned to his brothers when the door closed behind Elric.
 

“What is it?” Lucian asked.
 

Sorin crossed his arms over his chest. “Katrina and I have been up most of the last two nights trying to think of a way the spell can be undone.”
 

“I’ve already looked into it in the first week,” Elric admitted as he leaned against the wall. “Only the Fae who cast the spell on can remove it.”
 

Lucian snorted. “Wonderful. Where does that leave us now? I’ll lead if I must, but Keiran was born to that position. It’s his.”
 

“He’s already set things in motion,” Sorin said. He turned and walked to one of the arched windows in the hallway that overlooked their kingdom. “All we ever wanted was for each of us to return with our mates.”
 

“We thought that would be enough,” Elric admitted softly. “I can no’ imagine losing Marin.”
 

“Nor I Isabelle,” Lucian agreed. “Has Aimery found Saynarra yet?”
 

Sorin shook his head. “Nay. I wanted to go looking for her, but Aimery said if she could elude the Fae, I’d be useless.”
 

“He’s right,” Lucian said with a chuckle.
 

Sorin threw him a black look, but ruined it with a grin that soon faded. “If we could find Saynarra, we might be able to talk her into releasing Senga.”
 

Elric pushed away from the wall. “It willna happen. Even if Aimery and his army find her, she’s to be sentenced in their realm immediately. There willna be time for her to aid us.”
 

“Shite,” Lucian cursed.
 

Sorin couldn’t agree more.
 

* * * *

Keiran was surprised to find night had fallen. The last time he had noticed the sky out the many windows of the chamber it had been day. How had he lost so many hours?
 

He’d relived every second of every moment he and Senga had been together. If only he’d known then what he knew now, he would never have stopped at the cottage.
 
When Aimery had told him of the trick Saynarra had played on them, Keiran’s stomach rolled in disgust. He knew it had been odd to have a cottage on such a mountain, but he had been so relieved to see it he hadn’t thought more about it. Now he knew why.
 

“I’m so sorry, Senga,” he said and entwined his fingers with hers. “I was supposed to protect you. I failed, love.”
 

“Do you love her?”
 

Keiran spun around at the sound of Saynarra’s voice to find the Fae standing behind him. He thought about calling out to his brothers or Aimery but couldn’t work up the notion.
 
There was nothing she could do to him now that would hurt worse that what had already been done.

He sighed and turned back to Senga. “Aye, I love her.”
 

Maybe it was when he’d realized she had been taken from him that he’d known the emotions inside of him were love, not just lust. Senga was his everything, the other part of his soul. Without her, he was nothing.
 

“You should’ve just killed her,” Keiran said as the rage began to build inside him once more. He released Senga’s hand and stood to face the Fae. “What you’ve done to her, to me, is needlessly cruel. It wasna us who damaged your pride. You have bespelled someone so beautiful, so good, that our entire kingdom mourns her loss.”
 

Saynarra’s calm features never moved. “As you mourn her?”
 

He threw up his hands in defeat. He didn’t know why he was talking to her. Nothing would change what she had done. “Of course, I mourn my mate.”
 

“Word has spread that you are abdicating as heir and passing it on to Lucian.”
 

His gaze narrowed. “I have. I’m worthless to Drahcir without Senga. She still lives, so I can no’ die, but I’m dead inside.”
 

“A mate will die without the other?”
 

“Aye,” he said and turned his back on Saynarra. He couldn’t look at her stunning Fae features without seeing the Tnarg. It disgusted him.
 
She disgusted him.
 
No wonder his ancestor never fell in love with her.

Though he should probably be on his knees begging for Senga’s freedom, Saynarra had shown her true self. She cared for nothing other than herself. She couldn’t comprehend the extent of his pain, and to try to make her understand would be fruitless.
 

“Why did you come here?” he asked.
 

When there wasn’t an answer he looked over his shoulder to find her gone.
 
Keiran shrugged and resumed his seat next to the bed and once more took Senga’s hand in his. He scratched his whiskered jaw and laid his head upon the bed, letting exhaustion take him.
 

* * * *

Saynarra gazed down at Keiran and Senga much as she had done when they had been at the cottage. Her all-consuming need to hurt someone as she had been hurt had led her down a path that was as far from the Fae way of life as any. The Fae were supposed to watch over the humans and aid them, not injure them.