Rhiannon woke with a start. Nightmares bled into the darkened, waking world, forming shadows on the ceiling and whispers in the wind outside her window. Shaking, she pushed back her covers and stumbled to the bathroom down the hall. When was the last time she’d had a nightmare so bad it made her feel ill? Not for a long while.
A candle lit the room. Rhiannon froze. She’d forgotten to close the door. What if—?
“Are you all right?”
Taliesin. The tension drained away at the sound of his voice, only to return in the form of embarrassment. “I-I’m fine,” she stammered. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you—”
“I was already awake.” He hesitated by the door. “May I come in?”
“Of course.”
Taliesin knelt at her side. He rubbed gentle circles into her shaking back. “Did you have a bad dream?”
Rhiannon forced herself to take a deep breath and still her quaking limbs. Neither worked nor helped. “It’s rather silly, isn’t it? I’m like a little kid.”
“Even adults have nightmares. Would you tell me what it was about?”
“I don’t remember,” she lied. She could still feel Brodrick’s hands on her, dragging her somewhere where no one would stop him.
If he recognized her falsehood for what it was, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he tapped her shoulder and said, “Here, take a look at this.” When she had her eyes on him, he held out his hand. “Think of the most beautiful flower you’ve ever seen, won’t you? Do you have it in mind?” Confused, she nodded. “Wonderful. Now watch closely.”
One moment, his hand was empty. The next, he held a branch covered in soft pink blossoms. She gasped. “When did you get a cherry blossom branch? Where did you get a cherry blossom branch?”
He snapped a twig from the main branch and tucked it into the top of her braid. “It’s only a dream,” he said, “an illusion that will disappear in the light of day. But I hope this one can chase away the one that woke you or that it at least invites a pleasant one.”
His fingers slid down to her cheek. Taliesin looked about to say something, but he stopped himself. Instead, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. While blushing, he said, “You should go back to sleep. There’s a ways yet till dawn.”
Rhiannon shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to sleep.”
“Hmm...” He tapped his chin. “Would you sleep better if I was with you?”
He looked shocked at his own offer, like the words had popped out of his mouth without any thought. At her startled reaction, his face went impossibly redder. “Sorry, that was a tasteless joke,” he said. “I’ll walk you—”
“Okay.” His eyes widened at her shy acceptance. “As long as you promise not to...to do anything. Okay?”
“I swear to not do anything to you tonight without your express permission,” he said in flawless Fae. The words thrummed with magic. Rhiannon relaxed and took his offered hand.
His promise made things a little more awkward than they might have been without, but after a brief game of questions and answers, they settled in her bed with his arm draped around her middle, her back pressed against his chest. His body was warm—warmer than a normal human’s—and a comforting presence. She struggled to fall back asleep regardless. Having never shared a bed, even in childhood, it took some getting used to. His soft humming helped, slowly draining the tension away.
The hum trailed off, and quietly, he asked, “Would you like me to cast a spell on you?”
“What kind?”
“A little sleeping charm. One that guarantees good dreams.”
“I think I’d be okay with that.”
He stroked her hair. Words with little meaning to her ears poured from his lips. The lyrical poetry swirled around them, settling on her skin and tingling wherever it touched. Her eyelids grew heavy with each passing syllable, and while she wanted to give in to the gentle sleep it lulled her into, a part of her fought against it on instinct. She whimpered and sighed when her efforts failed, somewhere between frightened and relieved. The last thing she remembered was the brush of lips against her temple before she slipped away into a dream of a sunny afternoon and a picnic in the shade. Then, she knew no more...
At least not until she woke again with a start much later. Disoriented, she searched the room for Taliesin but found herself alone. Spring sunshine streamed through the half-opened curtains to spill across the polished floorboards and reflect up against the cream-colored walls. Not a single sign of her nightmare remained nor of her nighttime guest. Maybe that too had been a dream? She spotted the pink petals scattered across her pillow, slowly fading in the morning light.
Or maybe not...
As had become routine over the last few weeks, Bellflower’s knock came right on schedule. Rhiannon pulled her robe on as usual, let the silkie inside, and followed her dutifully to the dressing room. Unlike previous days, she didn’t hear the faint plunking of notes from down the hall, and their lack set her nerves on edge.
“Where’s Taliesin?”
The fairy paused while brushing out her braid. She shook her head at Rhiannon’s reflection in the mirror, and the brush started moving again. However, Rhiannon didn’t miss the concern that flitted across the woman’s delicate features. Even when silent, it seemed fairies couldn’t lie.
“Did he go out?” Bellflower nodded. “Did he leave the mountain?” She shook her head. So Taliesin had gone out but not left the area?
The worst possibilities flitted through her mind. Memories of her nightmare clawed their way up, making her feel ill once more. Rhiannon leaped to her feet, snatched a woolen cloak from the armoire, and rushed down the stairs and out the door.