Page 38 of Winter Unleashed
When I came out of the bathroom, he was dozing on an armchair in front of the fire. I moved to stand between his knees. “Liam,” I whispered, “was Celeste the woman you told me about when I asked about your dating history?”
His eyes opened. They were clear but tired. I didn’t care.
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was Celeste,” he said.
“Not telling me is one thing. But I had straight up asked you if you were lovers and you shook your head. That usually means no.” I took a step away from him when he tried to take my hand. “You lied to me.”
“We were only together a short while, then when I wanted to leave, she cast a spell on me to make me stay.”
Aggravated with him, I crossed my arms and glared. “Are you trying to justify your lie with a technicality?”
“No.” He pushed himself to stand. “When she first approached me, I was around your age. As the Vinur’s son, women threw themselves at me every day. At first, I enjoyed as many as I could, but after a while I realized I was using them. They were looking to land the Vinur, and I was looking for an easy lay. It was unfair of me to use my position that way, so I only slept with women who knew there was nothing in it for them afterwards.”
“How nice of you,” I muttered. It was stupid to be jealous of women he’d been with over a thousand years ago, but I couldn’t help it.
He gave me a knowing look. “No one could ever come close to you.”
I snorted. “Of course they can’t. Astrid made me just for you. No one could ever beat that.”
He stepped toward me but stopped when I backed away. “Red, I think we’ve proven there’s more to us than the bond. Regardless, you’re upset over things that happened centuries upon centuries ago.”
“I’m upset that you lied to me a few days ago.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off. You were just getting to know me all over again. I was afraid you’d push me away if I told you about it.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
I nibbled my lip while I studied him. “Tell me about it now.”
“Will you sit?” He motioned to the armchair where he’d been sitting. He took the other one after I sat. “Celeste has always been horrible. Even thousands of years ago. And she has always hated humans more than any other fairy. She would stroll through villages in the dead of winter just to see them starving. Her favorite days were when she got to see one drop dead in front of her.”
“Wow.”
He nodded. “She decided she wanted me. We slept together, and she told me I was the best lover she’d ever had. Fae or shifter. She thought if we worked together, we could take over the world. When I refused, she cast a spell on me. She made me do terrible things. For a while I thought I was with her willingly. I hated myself because of what she’d make me do. The depression and self-loathing made me agreeable to things I’d never dream of, and I’d despise myself even more. It was a vicious cycle until Astrid found me, reversed the spell, and took me home with her to heal.”
“That’s it? It was that simple? You fucked her because you were under a spell, you hurt others because she made you, then the magic lifted, and you walked away… That’s it?” I repeated.
He frowned and shook his head. “You’re oversimplifying it. The things she made me do… She loved seeing humans in pain. It excited her in every way. Some of the things she made me—” His voice cracked, and so did my anger.
“Okay. Stop. You don’t have to tell me those details.” The pain in his eyes had my heart breaking for him. I moved to sit on his lap. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. Just tell me what happened when Astrid found you.”
He wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer. “Astrid reversed Celeste’s spell. I nearly died, but I would have taken death over living under Celeste’s rule. When she realized what Astrid had done, she went mad. Madder than she’d been. That’s when she teamed up with Cybil. I’m not sure if she found Cybil, or it was the other way around, but I know Cybil turned Philip because I’d left Celeste.”
“Oh… You blame yourself for what happened to him.” Liam let Philip get away with a lot. He overlooked Philip’s smart mouth and had even let him bring a bloodlust-crazed Stella home without argument.
“Yes.”
“You know it’s not your fault, right? That’s on Cybil. I highly doubt Phil blames you.”
“He doesn’t. That doesn’t make it any easier. If it weren’t for me, it wouldn’t have happened.”
I ran my hand through his hair. “It’s still not your fault.” He shrugged a little but didn’t respond. “Celeste’s hair was brown in my dreams. Did the stress of losing you turn it gray?”
“Either that or Astrid did something to her. She won’t tell me, but I have a feeling it’s the latter.”
“She loves you. In her own sick way, Celeste loves you. That’s why she forced those horrible dreams on me. She wanted to poison any memories of you that may have lingered after the spell… I think… It’s got to be something like that.”
“No. She doesn’t love anyone but herself. She’s fascinated by me. It’s more my power, not me as a person.”
“So, an insane fairy is obsessed with you and plans to make our lives a living hell until one or both of us give in to her or we kill her. Do I have that right?”