Midnight End

25

We cleaned up Morgan’s wounds and wiped away as much of the Spriggan blood as we could before resuming our journey. I hadn’t caught up to her until well into the day, and by the time we were ready to continue walking, it was late afternoon. I led us in the direction of a nearby stream where we both drank our share of water and filled the canteen. After jogging most of the day and surviving our brush with the Spriggans, neither of us was all that eager to push ourselves, but we were both motivated to proceed. When we were sufficiently refreshed, we stretched our aching muscles and continued on our journey. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were walking in circles. How big is this damn forest?” Morgan grumbled under her breath. “You know how things change in Faery—walking in circles is not entirely out of the question,” I smirked down at her beside me. “We don’t have long now before we’ll need to camp for the night, and we can both get some rest. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me more about the cauldron? Aside from its powers to restore life, I don’t know much about it.” “Its history goes way back to the origins of the Fae, to a people known as the Tuatha De Danann. When they first found their way to Earth, they were met with another race of magical beings known as the Formorians. The two peoples became instant enemies. In one of their constant skirmishes, the Formorians stole the Cauldron of Dagda and the Spear of Victory from the Tuatha De, who had come to Earth with four magical relics. Now, only the Sword of Light and the Stone of Destiny remained in the Tuatha De’s possession. “Over time, a man by the name of Lugh rose up to become the champion of the Tuatha De. He had some help from his foster father, the sea god, Mananaun who gave him a number of magical tools, such as a horse that could carry him across land and sea and a set of impenetrable armor. When the Tuatha De confronted the Formorians in a final battle, Lugh came riding to the rescue in his golden armor and enabled the Tuatha De to defeat the Formorians. The king took back the cauldron and spear, then banished the Formorians from Earth. As the Tuatha De Danann became known as the Aos sí, then the Seelie, the remaining descendants of the Formorians became the Unseelie. There’s still animosity between the two groups, but a tentative peace has existed for many years.” “A peace you sought to upend, if I recall correctly,” I pointed out. She glared at me and continued. “Which brings us to the cauldron. Initially, it was believed that its sole power was to provide a never-ending supply of food or drink when needed; however, it was discovered it also healed the sick and could raise the dead. Because of its unnatural and dangerous potential, the cauldron was put under an enchantment to keep it protected. Locked away in Castle Corbenic, the cauldron is guarded by the Fisher King and spelled to remain unseen except to those who would use its magic for the purest reasons. Needless to say, not many have proven worthy through the years.” The unspoken question was whether Morgan’s intentions were pure enough to earn her the cauldron. If not hers, then perhaps mine? Was the desire to know who I’d been a sufficiently pure intention? What reasons did she have for the cauldron that had been so urgent to fuel her misguided efforts all these years? The obvious answer was to heal her mother, but after hearing how she still mourned the loss of her lover, I wondered if that might be the true reason. The thought made me want to put my fist through a tree trunk. Would she bring her dead lover back to life? Would he be the same as he had been? Would they instantly fall back in love? Why did any of it matter to me? My thoughts darkened and spoiled the otherwise pleasant Faery evening. Morgan must have been struggling with her own inner voices as neither of us said anything further as we trudged through the forest. When we came across a fallen tree not far from a small creek, I suggested we camp for the night. “If we sleep next to the tree and cover ourselves with leaves, it’ll reduce our visibility and hopefully, keep uninvited visitors away.” She eyed the log with uncertainty, remaining where she stood. “Is there something wrong?” She pursed her lips and sighed. “No, I suppose not. It’s just the log looks so … icky. There’s no telling what lives underneath there.” “Let me get this straight.” My eyes narrowed, and I prowled over to where she stood. “The mighty Morgan Le Fay is scared of a few bugs?” She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. “Snakes, spiders, there could be anything under there.” “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” I offered with a smirk. Instead of the smile my comment had been designed to elicit, Morgan’s lips turned down in a frown. “Actually, I was thinking about that a lot as we walked. The other day, you mentioned your magic needed to be charged. While I’m not a fan of you getting to use magic when I can’t, I realize it was idiotic of me to keep us both powerless. I abhor having to rely on you for protection, but I suppose I have no choice. If that’s the case, you need to have use of all your powers. Dying before I ever reach the cauldron does me no good.” Her eyes lowered for a moment before she met my gaze again. “When the Spriggans had me just before you showed up, I thought I was about to die. It was the closest I’ve ever come to death, and I never want to experience it again. If that means helping you recharge your magic, I’m happy to do it.” As she finished, she jutted out her jaw defiantly. Her speech had been unexpected and took me a moment to cypher through. I liked the idea of being intimate with her—my wolf f*****g howled at the thought. But I wasn’t sure I was thrilled with the circumstances. I didn’t want her to offer herself up because she needed protection. For the first time in my life, the concept of feeding magic with s*x was unappealing. I wanted her to truly want to be with me. I wanted her to suck my c**k like she couldn’t get enough. I wanted her to scream my name as I brought her to climax. I wanted her… f**k. I wanted her. Period. I closed the distance between us and lifted her chin up so she’d meet my gaze. “You sure about that?” I asked in a deep rumble. “Yes.” Her eyes bore into mine, no sign of wavering. The tenacity in her voice made my d**k hard. The woman was unlike anyone I had ever known. She was fire and ice, satin and steel, all in one delectable package. She had me turned around so completely, I couldn’t tell which way was up or down. Turnabout was fair play. She may not be as affected by me as I was by her, but if I was going to feed from her release, I would make it mind-bending. Give her a taste of what she had served up to me ever since the day we met.