60. The Beginnings of a Tempest
60
THE BEGINNINGS OF A TEMPEST
T he earth called to her.
Bare feet sunk into the lush grass. Evening dew drops clung to the fronds, tickling her toes and dampening the hem of her gown.
The air was crisp and fresh, but there was a tang of something heavy and thick lying underneath it. The scent of lightning bolts and seafoam, metallic and clean, humid and teeming with promise. It clung to her hair and dripped off of her bare arms.
The gardens were full and vibrant, even though the nip of winter was in full force. Luella bent down and ran a pale finger over the edge of a white rose. Her fingertips tingled, her soul swelling like she had taken the first breath of fresh air in her entire existence.
"So pretty," Luella uttered. "Untouched by lies."
She wanted to be a rose, too. Forever blooming, even while the seasons changed and the air grew still and frigid. Never wilting.
A thick swallow made her throat clench. She wouldn’t cry. Not anymore. Luella did not have space for tears. Only a grim acceptance and heartbreaking resentment.
They had lied.
All of them had.
Even her Az…
She resented their secrets. The lies and deceit that she still didn’t quite understand.
Luella knew she had a powerful magic. A fact that would have been evident without their words. She could feel it inside her, taste it in the air, and sense it all around her. And she belonged to them—as Tharen had so crudely phrased it.
She still hadn’t shared what she saw in her sleep: the Fate’s lair—a secret she would keep to herself for now. She could play their game of deceit.
As evening shadows fell over the gardens, Luella shivered. She would be the destroyer of shadows and darkness, they had told her. But how could Luella save anyone when she couldn’t even save herself?
The Tenebrae, the darkness that plagued the kingdoms, infected those with his shadows, the Umbra, who would do his bidding. Bastian had told her the Tenebrae took over Luna, her ho?—
" No ," Luella said aloud, knowing that they could hear her. "That place is not my home. It never was, and it never will be." Her fingers clutched the stem of the rose, and she did not even flinch as the thorn pierced the tip of her thumb.
A small, peculiar smirk stretched her pink lips. "Good." She watched red blood bead on the tip of her too-pale finger, a small trail that dribbled down her wrist.
Let the pain remind her.
Luella’s home was nowhere and everywhere. But not Luna. Even though she looked in the mirror and saw the image of a Luna fae staring back at her, Luella felt no kinship with them. In her mind, she was still the golden-haired and golden-eyed shunned Princess of Solis. Not the pale heirus that stared back at her. One with white hair and blue eyes filled with sorrow.
Standing, Luella gave one last glance at the beauty of the rose before turning her head back to the confines of the castle. The walls stood tall and unmarred by the destruction of battles past. The grand glass doors to the throne room were cracked open, like the five bodies within could not stand to be without her in their vicinity.
They were all there. All watching her.
Luella tried to ignore their prying eyes, even while the threads within her tugged and tugged.
She could almost see them. Five golden chains of the most delicate weave twined around her soul, leading to five different males that stood within the palace.
Their silhouettes were visible, five forboding impressions.
Though Luella couldn’t make out their expressions, she knew from the evening glow of the sun behind her that they could see her every movement. Every shift of her face as she stared at them, the slow rise of anger that made her brows turn down, the vibrant and unnatural shade of blue that shone like beacons in the dimming light, the gales of wind that whipped her stark white hair around her pale face and fluttered the hem of her dark green gown.
Her arms were bare. The gauzy material fell in open sleeves on either side; the neckline scooped low, revealing the way her chest rose and fell with every sharp inhalation as she desperately ignored the ache in her soul, the tug in her belly that led her up the stone path, right to the cracked open glass doors.
They were always watching her, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore them, Luella couldn’t.
It had been five days since she had awoken, and not once had she been left alone.
But yet, Luella had never felt more alone than she did now.
The hands that smoothed down the ruffled skirt of her gown were a strangers, the eyes that stared back at hers in the mirror were unfamiliar, and the hair she brushed and combed with hesitant touches was not the usual shade of golden blonde.
And the stirring of magic within her was the most unusual of all. Something had awakened inside her. Something she still didn’t understand.
Luella only knew she felt an intense call to… everything .
A low-hanging branch brushed the crown of her head like the soothing touch of a friend, and the tumultuous feelings inside her were quelled slightly.
Everything had changed, and the grandest change had been her.
One of the shadows shifted behind the glass, and the door creaked open further, a tall, imposing figure stepping out onto the beginnings of the courtyard.
She squinted, trying to see who it was. As the male stepped forward, Luella could make out the faintest image of a crown—King Vale then, come to call her back to her cage.
Luella scowled, refusing to answer his silent beckoning. Even as the thread tugged her toward him. She almost had to dig her heels into the ground to stop herself from going to him. From going to all of them.
She felt them deep inside her, could smell the faint twinge of their scents mingling in the air and urging her into their arms, coupled with that roaring swirl of power within her, and Luella felt torn into little pieces—may as well be scattered in the wind.
Ignoring the King’s summons, Luella ventured further into the gardens. Rose bushes, stone benches, and curving pathways made of dirt and rock turned to a dense canopy overhead, with the sweet scent of apples doing fairly little to block out the enticing scent calling her back to the castle.
The air darkened around her as she entered the copse of trees.
And Luella let herself breathe .
That once vacuous hole of nothing, now filled with pieces of everything. Relishing in the grass under her toes and the rustle of wind through the air, every breath taken filled her lungs fully.
She didn’t know how long she stood there, but when the length of the threads within her grew smaller, and gravel crunched under heavy, booted feet, a slow exhale rocked through her. The disruption of quiet made her angry, that storm of everything inside her knocking against its cage.
"You cannot even leave me alone for this long?" Luella asked, not bothering to turn and face them.
"Come back inside," the King said—demanded, rather. Luella knew King Vale did not merely ask for things.
"Not yet," she whispered. "Just let me exist here for a while longer." She refused to beg.
A sharp gust of air carried the scent of rich bergamot to her; she wasn’t surprised when Bastian spoke. "You’re bleeding."
Rubbing her pricked thumb on the skirt of her gown, Luella ignored him. She hoped the scent of her blood made him as desperate and hungry as she felt.
The wind kicked up, ruffling her hair around her. White strands whipped as thunder cracked in the distance.
A storm was coming.
"Inside," Tharen barked.
She wanted to turn, wanted to look at them so badly. The rapacious need inside her hadn’t stopped since she had awoken. It had only gotten worse every time Luella denied herself.
Leaves rustled, and Luella could feel the countless fronds of grass giving way as boots stomped without care. A heavy presence hovered behind her, and crisp snow stung her nostrils.
"When we ask you to do something, you do it."
Then, Luella turned. She allowed herself to look up at Tharen with all the sorrow she felt, unfettered emotion shined in her bright blue eyes. "I know." She swallowed down the tears. "You own me now, and I won’t be able to escape you."
The mage seemed as burdened as she felt. His jaw was still unshaven, and his eyes had grown wilder with every passing day Luella denied the call to fall into their arms. The bond that tied them all together, forcing her to find solace in their touches when all she wanted was to run far, far away.
Wind roared, rustling through the canopy of trees in the orchard, and she was glad. The tempest was as wild as she felt inside. Maybe it came from her—after all, she was powerful.
A loud caw made Luella’s head whip up toward one of the branches above Tharen’s head.
An inky black raven with eyes of the deepest of blues stared back at her. The feathers mingled with the shadows, just as she knew the male’s hair and cloak would have.
Luella hummed and quietly uttered, "You always watch me."
The raven rustled his wings in response.
Four .
Four were here.
That left one unaccounted for.
Not gone, just out of sight. Az was the most protective of her, especially so since she had awoken. He was never far from her.
It was the demon who had hurt her the most. An ever-present sting that throbbed in her heart.
The King stepped closer, hand raised as if he wished to touch her. "It’s going to storm."
"I know, King Vale." She met his eyes.
"Call me Vale. You belong to us." The King paused. "I will not have you call me the same as everyone else like you are below me."
That crown on his head, Luella wanted to knock it off. "But am I not?" She arched a brow. "Below you?"
At that, the King did not respond.
He knew she was right. He wanted to forget. To sweep away the ways he had manipulated her. Used her.
But Luella would never forget. Every time she took some pleasure in going against them however she could, she reminded them of that fact.
"We may be Vincire ," she sneered the word, unused to its sound on her tongue. "But I do not have to do anything I don’t want to do. You say you want me?"
Luella stepped closer, ignoring the way Bastian’s nostrils flared at the scent of her dried blood that clung to her finger and left a small, red stain on her gown. The raven hopped along the branch, a strong gust of wind making the stark black feathers rustle much like her stark white hair—two different beings. They would never work.
King Vale stared down at her, and Luella touched .
As she placed a palm on his chest, the thread snapped, and she bit her lip— hard —to stifle the pleased sigh that threatened to tumble from her and give her away. She may act impervious to their bond, but it chipped away at her walls with every passing moment.
If she stayed with them, forced to endure their placating words and touches and scent, she knew one day she would give in. It was the knowing that made her so resentful.
She tilted her head back to look up into his eyes—bright blue met deep green. She saw his throat bob and knew it was because he wasn’t yet used to the change; the glamor forced upon her by some unknown being had dropped away and left her changed. But at least she wasn’t the only one reeling.
"You will never have me," Luella hissed.
The slight vulnerability that had shone in his eyes shuttered at her words, leaving a cool and calculated cruelty that she had come to know so intimately.
King Vale stepped away from her, breaking their sole point of contact. Her hand fell to her side, and she watched the King turn and head back to the castle. "Come inside," he called, not even bothering to look over his shoulder like she was of no importance to him.
It hurt.
Tharen shot her a look, his eyes like ice chips as they pinned her to the spot, before he, too, went inside.
He would not beg either, then.
The threads inside her grew taut as they lengthened, and she rubbed her chest as she watched them go.
Bastian stood silently, quietly. Where was the playfully sensual vampire?
"Luella, please. Come inside. It’s cold out, and the storm is approaching." Bastian stayed rooted to his spot, and she was so grateful to him at that moment for not leaving her bereft and unmoored.
"Being outside, it helps," Luella revealed. She fisted the bodice of her gown. "It hurts so bad. All the time. I just want it to go a-away." A sob clawed against her chest, and she moved her hand up to rub over her breastbone to quell the sound. The ache in her soul was ever-present, and she felt it grow from his nearness.
The raven cawed overhead, and Bastian’s red-tinged eyes flicked up before he stepped closer. "Give in to us."
Luella stepped back. " Never ."
Through the trees, Luella saw a shadow standing just outside the glass doors of the throne room. The candlelight inside illuminated the figure, revealing two curving horns poking above a head of unruly curls.
Bastian tracked her gaze. "He misses you."
And I miss him . The words were frozen on the tip of her tongue.
But how could she fall into the demon’s arms and let him whisper quiet words of comfort over her when those same lips had uttered such lies?
Thunder rumbled, growing closer with every passing moment. The air was thick with electricity and the promise of rain.
"Come inside," Bastian tried again.
Luella shook her head. "Don’t make me." The memory of his soft cheek under her lips made her pale cheeks pinken. The mark of the deal that bound her to him burned on her chest; she promised him a kiss and would have to follow through eventually. She stared at those sinfully lush lips and uttered a soft, "Please."
"Very well." Bastian stepped back, and the raven cawed in indignation at the vampire giving up. "Being out here, it helps you?"
"So much. The earth…" she trailed off. Words weren’t enough for what she felt. "Everything. It helps." Luella touched a hand to her stomach, just above her navel, and Bastian followed the movement with soft, almost heartbroken eyes. "It hurts all the time—the only time it’s bearable is when I’m not trapped. When I’m free. Out here."
She didn’t include that freedom meant being away from their watchful eyes. He knew. It was just there, lingering under the surface of her candor.
"I’ll be inside." Bastian gave her one last lazy look. Committing her to memory, taking in all of her newness. "When you’re ready, pet. We’re waiting."
Somehow, the sobriquet didn’t make her as angry as it used to. When before it sounded possessive and demeaning, now it made something inside of her flutter like the delicate wings of a butterfly.
"Graves!" Bastian called. The raven fluttered his wings before hopping off his perch, lapis lazuli eyes boring holes into her as he flew away.
Just before Bastian breached the expanse of apple trees, Luella felt a heaviness inside her. Her mouth opened before she could think it through, words bubbling over. "Thank you," she whispered.
The vampire didn’t turn to look at her, but his fingers clenched by his side as he walked away, as if wishing he could turn around and hold her.
The orchard grew hushed in their wake. They weren’t gone, Luella knew. She could see them still… inside the throne room, watching her. Az was outside, sitting on the ground, head bent as he watched her. His pain called to her just like the forest did.
Thunder cracked, leaves rustled, and the sky burst with the perfect storm.
It was raining.
Water, falling from the sky.
It started off small. Little droplets hit the crown of her hair and plinked off the leaves before falling to the ground. But, like all powerful things, it quickly turned violent and unstoppable.
A deluge fell from the clouds above, soaking her head and deep green gown. The dress stuck to her frame, molding to the shape of her curves. Water glanced off her chest and arms, and she relished in the cold wetness on her skin. Her chest heaved as she sucked in air greedily. Luella couldn’t get enough.
It helped.
She didn’t lie to Bastian. Being outside, under the cover of trees and even higher still, under the cover of the sky, made something inside her calm.
The ache inside her swelled and swelled with every crack of thunder and drop of rain and swaying of the tree limbs. Until the magic within her couldn’t be contained any longer, the raging storm fed into her raging feelings, and her limbs shook with exertion as she tried to contain whatever it was that yearned to break free.
She… loved it.
The most pure and precious of smiles graced her lips.
This was her home. Not Solis. Not Luna. But here. Amid everything.
Great, fat drops pinged off of the top of the gazebo nearby, the metallic top clinging as it slid off the curved top and splattered to the ground. The ground grew muddy, stones turned dark grey, and her hair plastered to her forehead and shoulders, the pure white turning to a darker silver from the heavy wetness clinging to the strands.
Luella stayed utterly still and quiet amid the storm. Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the trees around her. The very ground under her bare feet seemed to quake, and birds squawked, seeking cover in the thick foliage overhead.
The appearance of water reminded Luella of the change inside her. Where magic was once gone, now filled to the brim, near bursting inside her.
She was so full that it hurt.
The way the elements seemed to swirl in her gut like an amalgamation of being nearly brought her to her knees.
Luella recited the line of the prophecy that they had shared with her shortly after she had awoken—the part that had been on the torn-away pages inside the Compendium and offered an explanation for the roaring mass of power that resided within her once magicless soul.
" She will be one over all elements, the sun, and the stars ." The storm gobbled up her words, keeping her secret safe. But how long would that secret stay a secret? Luella feared what was coming.
And the call of the earth beat against her skin, wearing her down.
Could she resist it?
As the rainwater soaked her, Luella couldn’t help but feel this was only the beginning.
To be continued…