24. Leashes and Tears
24
LEASHES AND TEARS
T he canopy fluttered around Luella as she sat on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet as she waited. The doors to the balcony were cracked open, and it let in a gentle breeze, chilling her exposed flesh.
Ina and Osa had just left after preparing her for the night’s court. The silent maid had dressed her vigilantly, and Osa had ordered Luella to take better care of her gowns before the pair had left.
Luella drummed her fingertips against her thighs, the ruffly silk of her gown scratching her sensitive skin where it hugged her waist.
Her gown for tonight’s court was the color of winking lights of stardust. The same shade as the iridescent swirls of light that had sparked from the embers of the chandelier. White swirls that caught the candlelight—a shifting moonlit-hued array of dark purples and inky tones.
The top of the gown was a halter style, clinging tightly to her neck with strands of silk while leaving her arms exposed and back bare.
She wore no corset. The skirt was a thin layer of rougher material made to look like silk but itchy and stiffer. And there were no slits in the layers this time—thank the gods. The fabric fell to her feet gracefully, hiding her bare toes. Ina and Osa hadn’t supplied her with shoes, and she was too afraid to look into the wardrobe for any and accidentally mess with the order of clothes and evoke the red-haired maid’s fury.
Without the bones of a corset keeping her wrapped tightly and posture perfect, Luella felt vulnerable and exposed.
But—
A small part of her whispered it felt nice to not be so caged by the rigidness of formalities. To be free and wild and untamed. Like the shifters.
Growing up in Solis, she had become accustomed to the reserved nature of the fae, but maybe—just maybe—the shifters had it right with their unfettered revelry and love for life. She still could not fathom their hedonistic traits, but the way the shifters loved who they loved and lived how they wished to live sparked her interest.
She had always loved nature and life and found herself fascinated with babbling brooks, whispers of air, scorching infernos, and small, often overlooked, animals. The way the shifters held dear to these things made her wonder if perhaps the fae had been wrong all along. Perhaps they put too much emphasis on propriety and status that they missed what was truly important.
No .
Luella growled and tore herself away from the bed, bare feet padding along the cool, stone floor as she paced back and forth, back and forth, deep in thought.
She would not allow herself to fall prey to this new world she has been thrust into. Wouldn’t give her captors the satisfaction of knowing she found interest in their lands, in their ways.
Her pacing was interrupted by a swift knock on the door.
And entered Bastian.
A blush warmed her already-rouged cheeks at the sight of the vampire, who was decked out in maroon-encrusted finery, inky dark lapels of his coat gilded with red swirls and shimmering, golden buttons. His black hair was pulled back elegantly off his forehead, revealing his perfectly manicured brows and red-tinged eyes—a deeper red than she remembered they had been last night.
What made the color shift? Was it a hunger for blood? His mood?
She wanted to ask him. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she bit her lip. She had indulged enough.
Last night, when she had so unabashedly curled herself around him.
Luella had slept like a baby all night. She did not even remember waking up, not even once. Her sleep had been dreamless and peaceful—just the way she liked it.
"Luella," Bastian greeted. His voice made her knees weak. He smelled divine. The bergamot of his scent was more pronounced and so enticing.
Her throat worked.
"Bastian," she replied.
The vampire smirked as if he heard her thoughts, one hand holding the door slightly ajar behind him. Curious, she peeked around his shoulder, trying to see as she stood on her tiptoes. Bastian blocked her view, tutting under his breath. "Pet, King Vale has a solution to make you more agreeable in court and?—"
He was interrupted by the door giving way under his hand, making him stumble back.
Tharen strode into the room, Graves on his heels. Both were dressed in black and golden variations of the same style Bastisan wore but with a personal flair. Graves, with laces done snugly up to his collarbones and almost every bit of skin covered, a silky hood fixed over his head and a cowl pulled under his chin, ready to cover his face once he pulled it up. And Tharen wore a shirt this time, though the laces were undone. It was billowy and large, hanging off his shoulders like an opened coat.
"Something to keep you obedient," Tharen interjected. The dirty soles of his boots tracked splotches of mud and debris on the floor, sullying the edges of the carpets he stood on. A hand was behind him, and Luella could make out a chain peeking from the shadows, wrapped around his wrist like the end of a leash as it disappeared into the hall behind him.
She sighed.
Wonderful. Another night in chains.
"I do not need to be kept on a… leash. I learned my lesson." Luella looked down, chagrined. Her next words were hard to say, but she forced them past her lips. "I promise I’ll stay by your side."
They didn’t have to know all the promises she made were pretty little lies, delivered with a tongue of deceit.
"That one isn’t for you," Graves said. He pulled an untethered chain from his pocket and dangled it in front of him, taunting.
Luella arched a brow. "Then…?" Her eyes flicked to the one Tharen had wrapped around his wrist, and the mage’s grin grew impish as he gave a light tug on the end of the chain.
"Come, beast," Tharen called.
The door creaked open, and Luella followed the golden links of the chain as the candlelight exposed more of its length and what was at the end of it.
She realized a few things at once: these links were thicker than the ones Graves held, the metal pulsed with a dim white light from some enchantment, and the chain was already tied to someone, or something else.
All sound in the room ceased, it grew so quiet she could hear her ragged breathing in her ears as a large, imposing form, radiating warmth and security, was tugged into the room.
Luella’s hands shook as she stared and stared at the demon before her.
Amber eyes burned bright with emotion, and the few specks of dirt that had marred his tanned cheekbones in the dungeons had been scrubbed clean. The demon wore a clean pair of simple, tan breeches and nothing else—no shoes, no shirt. The golden links of the chain were attached to a pair of thickly welded iron manacles that secured his wrists, pulsing with that same white light from the spells keeping it reinforced. The links diverged where they were secured to his manacles, another length hooking to an identical collar that was cuffed around his neck; it moved as he swallowed, his shoulders thick and stiff as he waited for her to say something—to do something.
But she was frozen, scared.
Red-painted lips parting, Luella could do nothing but stand completely immobile, amber eyes fixing her to the spot, her feet heavy. She scrunched her toes, staring at him, and he took in all of her, watching the movement of her feet from where her toes peeked out from under the thick skirt of her gown.
Something akin to awe made his features soften. It reminded her of the very first moment she had laid eyes on him in the dungeons—the way he had seemed crestfallen and reverential, all at once. Lamenting the fact she was in the situation she was in, but glad to be near her, regardless.
Now, in this room, with the others watching and no iron bars keeping her and the demon apart, she was nervous—that somehow it was all a lie or a dream. In her fear, maybe she made it all up, and maybe he wasn’t as soft to her as she had imagined.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one with reservations. With a bated breath, the demon was stone, horns curling high atop his unruly mop of dark brown curls. His hands clenched by his sides so forcefully that his knuckles turned white. Chest heaving with shaky inhales, and those beautiful amber eyes never once left her wide golden ones.
Az made to step forward, but Tharen pulled back on the chain. The action jerked his hands and the collar around his neck at once, causing his jaw to pulse in anger from being forced to stay away from her.
“I don’t think so, beast,” Tharen tutted.
Az looked at the mage with such anger it made Luella quake where she stood. Even if that fury was not directed toward her.
He growled something low under his breath, and it sounded like that language he had used to soothe her to sleep with hushed lullabies. But where those murmurs had been whispered softly, this word was a grumbling curse.
Tharen poked his tongue in his cheek in response. "Remember who owns you now, Azgorath. Do not try me."
Bastian cleared his throat, mumbling, "Give them a moment, Tharen."
Luella was beyond grateful for the vampire…
The corded muscles on Az’s forearms grew more pronounced as he gave one last test of the strength of his manacles, attempting to pull his arms away from the enchanted iron keeping his hands captive in front of him.
But it was no use. It wouldn’t give.
The demon grew resigned, amber sparks in his eyes dimming with sadness, and his brow downturned as he waited for Luella to come to him. The way he watched her spoke of all the things left unsaid between them—lullabies and gentle hands; soft words and comforting whispers.
She hesitantly stepped forward, bare feet padding along the cool floor. They all watched her: Bastian, Graves, and Tharen— Az . A soft puff of breath escaped from her as she walked, the hem of her dress brushing along the ground behind her; she was careful not to trip, eyes trained down on her steps instead of the gaze boring holes into her.
Wary, she came to a stop a few steps from the demon, head titling up, up, up to finally— finally —take him in.
This close, she could see the haggardness of his features. Maybe it was the flickering candlelight that cast shadows over his face, but the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced. Or maybe, in her absence, he had worried about her…
“Lu,” Az breathed.
And she melted.
Her lower lip wobbled, eyes growing blurry with unshed tears.
“I thought—“ Her voice broke. “I thought I would never see you again.”
Az stepped forward, closing up the last little bit of space between them, his chains clinking and growing taut as Tharen threatened to force him back. The mage’s hardened, ice-blue eyes tracked every little shift in the demon’s movements, just waiting for the opportunity to pounce and punish him for a misstep.
Manacled hands rose, and Az reverently brushed his fingers against her cheek. Leaning into the touch, her eyes fluttered shut. “Nothing could ever keep you away from me, my angel.”
Her lids drifted open, surprised to find a watery, crystalline sheen to Az’s eyes.
Tears.
This demon was crying… over her?
The brush of his calloused fingertips against her cheek brought a rush of memories barreling to the surface of her mind. A soft whimper, so quiet it was hard for her ears to pick up the sound, escaped from her lips. The males in the room grew rigid, their hearing much more sharp than hers.
Az clenched his jaw, a shudder wracking through his large frame.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Tharen jerked back on the chains, forcing Az away from Luella. The demon’s warmth left her, and Luella’s shoulders curled inward. Even in this room full of breathing bodies, with Az still so close she could touch, she felt more alone than ever.
Tharen’s features were pinched, the sharp lines of his jaw and the hollows of his cheeks severe in the candlelight. He caught her looking at him, and his eyes narrowed, the corner of his lip curling up. The mage tapped an absent finger on the hilt of his dagger that was strapped to his hip, and she looked away quickly, disturbed by the state of sharp, basal fear he seemed to evoke from within her.
"We should go." Bastian stepped toward her, ignoring the warning growl Az let out. "King Vale is waiting."
Bastian started to take Luella’s wrist to wrap the chain around it, but Graves stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Let me," the raven shifter grumbled.
Graves took the chain, delicate links pooling like water in his palm—made to cage a magicless princess, and not at all like the thick iron of Az’s enchanted shackles. He carefully wrapped the end around Luella’s wrist. Fitting a finger underneath, he tested the tightness, keen blue eyes shining as he gave it a slight tug to ensure that it was not too constricting. The action warmed her chest.
Graves offered the end of the chain to Tharen, who took it with a wicked half-grin.
"I have you tonight, little lamb. Let’s hope you don’t stumble into trouble. I won’t be as forgiving as Graves was."
The mage did something Luella didn’t expect. Instead of tying off the end of the chain to his belt loop, Tharen welded it to Az’s manacles with scorching flames flickering from his fingers—heating the ends of the gold and making it malleable, fitting the flame-softened substance to the side of one of the iron cuffs, before whispering an unnatural breath of cold air over it, turning it solid once more.
Luella was now tied to Az, who was secured to the mage. She tried not to think of what that might entail for the night to come.
The taut length of the chains forced her closer to Az; the golden links were shorter than the night prior from how little space Tharen had left to dangle between them. The demon’s heat warmed her side, and she wasn’t sad to be in forced proximity to him—only fearful to be so near to Tharen.
She was utterly beholden to both males—one sworn to protect and the other, with no such vows made. Ultimately, she was at Tharen’s mercy—with how the demon was chained, she doubted Az could truly follow through on his oath to protect her with his life, no matter how the King may believe so—and she wouldn’t be surprised if the mage took advantage of it.
A tug against her wrists, and she stumbled into Az’s bare chest.
"Come, pet," Bastian called, Graves following after the vampire’s retreating form.
Tharen tugged on the chain with unhinged glee. "We don’t want to keep the King waiting."
And Luella entered her second night in court.