“Twenty years—you’ll never find me, Robin,” she sniffed as the tears came out harder.
His fingers jerked on Crispin’s hair even harder. His brother still wouldn’t stop laughing, because even though he’d been caught, he knew he’d won. Crispin’s final act of vengeance was to take away any joy from Robin’s life.
“I’ll never stop looking. I vow it upon pain of death.”
The wind that’d calmed for a moment now picked up violently, whipping around them, between them. Tossing up stones and twigs, lashing her in the face, but she didn’t dare move or blink.
“I love you, Robin Hood.” She whispered the word that’d been imprinted in her heart from the very beginning of eternity.
“And I you, my beautiful Maid Marian.”
Like a cannon had shot off, the world exploded with one final pounding clap of thunder, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Her heart exploded with joy and wonder.
“Two souls—” she whispered.
“—have now become one,” he finished for her.
A love that transcends the stones…
Nixie finally understood. They’d not needed the trading of Veritas Stones for Kingdom to bind them.
A legend had just been born.
“What is your heart’s wish?” Robin’s voice was a tender caress.
The woods came alive with the sounds of men’s shouts and the clanging steel of swords. Clearly the knights had found them, and come in search of their king.
“To never be used again.”
Soon the knights would be upon them. Time was swiftly running out for them.
“Then my final wish—”
Nixie’s body flooded with the genie power, fueling her limbs, her blood, making her body snap and crackle with energy.
“—is that until your curses release, you would never be found by another…again.”
She sucked in a sharp breath as the power surged through her, coursing like ten million volts of lightning. Her hair stood on edge, her dress whipped violently around her ankles as the lamp he’d hidden within the folds of his pocket rose slowly in mid-air.
“Robin.” She reached for him with fingers that’d grown translucent. His blue eyes gleamed like unholy fire.
“I love you,” were the last words she heard as she was snatched, with the incredible speed of an arrow shooting out of his bow, back into her lamp.
Chapter 19
Nixie blinked, gazing at the world around her. She knew she was in her lamp. But there was no darkness this time. It was sunny and beautiful. The world sparkling and dancing with a dazzling array of colors.
A glistening field of poppy flowers danced in the gentle breeze. Their lush red color sparking like jewels amongst the velvety blue of the horizon and the jade-green blades of grass.
Ancient looking trees rose up like steeples all around her. The air was redolent, and even shivered with a trace of magic that made her skin prickle. A few feet in front of her was a placid pool with water so clear it looked to sink down into eternity.
The golden flecks of fish scales flashed by, cattail reeds swayed back and forth with a rhythmic, watery motion upon its bank, and there were even several dragonflies and lightning bugs dancing above its surface.
“Where am I?”
Because always her lamp conformed to her mind, to places she’d been. She’d never seen a place quite like this before. It was lovely and surreal and—
“His home,” Danika’s voice intruded on her thoughts.
Nixie twirled in surprise, heart banging hard against her ribcage to see her friend fluttering inside her lamp.
“A little warning might be nice,” Nixie said with a stuttery laugh. “Just about gave me a heart attack.”
Danika grew from fairy size to woman, landing gracefully on her feet. She wore a gown of orchids painted a colorful yellow and pink. On her head rested a hunter-green laurel wreath. Her nut-brown curls cascaded like a waterfall down her shoulders.
Nixie raised a brow, giving the fairy a knowing grin. “You’re looking very pretty today, Dani. Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with the fact that it’s a full moon out, would it?”
She tried hard to keep the jealousy out of her words, because she was happy for her friend, but right now all Nix wanted to do was to get back to Robin.
The blue-eyed fairy touched the nape of her neck. “Perhaps. And just so you know, I love you dearly. That I would take even a second of my precious time away from my husband to stop by here and speak with you.”
Nodding as the last traces of humor left her, Nixie sighed. What was Robin doing now? What had happened to Crispin? Had the guards caught them? Those thoughts came rolling in like a flood. “I’m sure you want to be with him.”
With every step Danika took, blooms of wildflowers sprouted up. The fairy touched Nixie’s hand. “He is well, lass.”
Her gaze jerked to Danika’s, never swerving or blinking as she asked, “How do you know? Did you see him? Is that how you knew I was here?”