14. Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Leena
M y dress was only partially tied as I made my way to the hollowed tree, where I hoped I’d find Theodora. Holding onto the neckline of the sagging gown, my hopes lifted when I heard the wooden door creak open. But as I saw the small maid exit the quarters instead of Theodora, I instantly deflated. Our eyes met, and Ani paused, eyeing me as if deciding what to do and whether she’d judge me for my current state of partial dress.
“I just need help lacing my bodice,” I said, forcing a smile. Her expression didn’t change, and I had a feeling that she was trying hard not to roll her eyes. She sighed and gestured for me to follow her. “Thank you,” I replied with a long exhale, but the maid didn’t say anything. She wordlessly took the strings of my bodice and started lacing it up.
She was halfway through helping me with the dress when her hands stilled. “Where is your corset? And,” She pulled the back of the bodice open, tugging on the ripped black slip that lay beneath, “what is this? Isn’t this your slip from yesterday? ”
“Yes…”
She grabbed me firmly by the elbows. “You’re supposed to be a queen . Didn’t the servants provide new underthings for you? Where is Theodora? She should have dressed you at the house.”
“I’m not sure—”
“You’re not sure ?” Ani’s voice was loud, and I suddenly wished I had run into any other female in the realm.
“I didn’t have time to look for new underthings or to call for Theodora.”
Ani let go of my arms and let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “But you had time to tumble with His Majesty by the look of it.”
My face burned. “I did not!”
“Enough, Ani,” came a voice that relieved my coiled nerves. Theodora shot a look at her fellow maid and uncurled her hand, to which the smaller female slapped my bodice strings and grumbled as she walked away. “Where are you going?”
The smaller fae whipped around. “I’m not going to sit around while you treat this worthless human like the queen she so clearly isn’t! You may have accepted her wrongful place here, but I never will. She’s nothing more than Bratan’s whore.” The word rang in my ears, and though I should have been mad, I found self-loathing in its place. “Melora will soon hear of it and—”
“Enough!” Theodora shouted. Ani clamped her mouth shut, but there was fury in her eyes as she spun around and left without another word. The awkwardness between the kinder maid and me was thick and palpable. I wasn’t sure what to say to break the silence. Luckily, Theodora spoke first, turning to smile a little too sweetly. “Let’s fix your dress, and then I’ll show you around. Does that sound good?”
I forced a tight smile and tried forgetting what Ani had accused me of being. Is that what all the others would think? Would I start off as a ruler of this realm as nothing more than a bedmate for their king?
I couldn’t allow that.
If I hadn’t been motivated to resist his advances before, I sure was now.
“Yes,” I said. “That sounds perfect.”
Theoroda spent a good part of the morning brushing through my tangled knots and fashioning my hair into a sleek, regal updo. She had guided all of it into an intricate style atop my head, with small curls twirling loose at just the right angles to accentuate my features. The last thing she did was tie a thin band of braided hair from one side of my head to the other in a makeshift crown. Once I was presentable, we strolled into town, Theodora introducing the various townsfolk to their new queen and me giving them slight bows and awkward smiles.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem that Ani’s sentiment was shared by anyone else, but perhaps that was because I no longer looked like I’d just emerged from the act of lovemaking .
I was with one group of woodland beings, some green and some blue, but all with the heights and features of human beings—save their pointed mouths and black eyes—when the mood instantly shifted, dropping like a sudden flurry. Where chatter and laughter had been whistling in the air like the sweep of a breeze, there was now nothing but the sound of rustling leaves.
The air was thick, and a shadow cast over us, eclipsing the small group that had gathered around me. I didn’t have to turn to know he was there.
His achingly deep voice hummed in my ears. “I see your new queen has graced you all with her presence this fine day.”
“Your Majesty,” a female creature said, her voice trembling as she bowed. All others in the vicinity followed suit, including Theodora, who also gave a deep curtsy.
Bratan’s hand found the small of my back, and it took more self-control than I cared to admit not to let it do anything to my mind. I couldn’t control the sensations it fueled in my body, though, especially as his fingers slowly stroked their way to my hip when he pulled me against him like we were indeed a royal newlywed couple to be respected and adored.
“May I steal her for a while?” Everyone knew it wasn’t a request.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Theodora said sweetly. I weighed my options. I could pull away from him now and shatter the illusion of marital bliss in front of everyone, or I could ensure more respect wouldn’t be lost and reject him when we got a moment alone.
I bowed my head in a slight, graceful motion before waving a gentle goodbye. Bratan led me deeper into the forest by my waist, and as soon as we were deep enough in the ocean of trees, I pushed him away.
“I told you I want nothing to do with you!” I glared up at his amused expression.
His fingers found my chin, and his gaze lingered on my lips before lifting to my eyes.
“I only remember select moments from this morning.” His voice was low as he stroked the back of his hand up my jawline and down the back of my neck. It found its way to my sleeve, which hung delicately over my shoulder, and he grabbed it, holding onto my small bicep as he leaned forward and kissed my shoulder. “You’ve stoked a desire in me that can’t be satiated. At least not without you.”
The burning was mutual, but the desire to be seen as more than a concubine was far greater than my lust, even if it was only by Ani. I shimmied away and tried not to think about how he’d gripped me with those same hands in the early hours of the morning. And late last night. The wine-red dress was gorgeous, and I loved how confident it made me feel, but now, with Bratan eyeing me so hungrily, I regretted not asking for more conservative attire. This one fell off my shoulders in thin, sash-like sleeves and exposed the entirety of my back. There wasn’t even a slip beneath. You could see everything from my shoulder blades to just above my backside. It was similar to the dress I’d come here in, but it was more elegant and from finer material.
His eyes went wild, and a wicked thought surfaced in my mind. I could use this to my advantage. It could be fun driving him absolutely insane.
I gave him an impish grin and laced my fingers behind my back. “I’ll admit that I enjoyed our mutual passion last night and this morning,” I said, trying my best not to think of said passion, “but I don’t need any more of it, and as I told you earlier, you won’t get to touch me anymore. Our marriage need not be consummated. We have no use of each other, other than whatever obligatory duties we have to this forest.”
Bratan attempted to close the gap between us, but I gracefully slid away, side-stepping his advances and causing him to trip. He caught himself but heard my quiet snicker. A fire ignited in his eyes. He stalked me, his thick, black boots squelching against a thick patch of mud.
“I have so much more use of you, little dove.” He leapt at me like an animal. This time, I couldn’t trip him. He was too quick. He grabbed me by the shoulders, but I pushed away.
“Get off of me, you brute!”
Surprise widened his eyes, sending his brows shooting up. “Wha—”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the surprised look on his face. I shifted my weight to one side. “What? Did you think I was teasing? That I would beg for you night and day? I’m not playing a game with you.” He still gaped at me, confused, as I walked away. But I had to give him one last dig. One last piece of bait. “You can try if you want, but you will never get to bed me.”
I didn’t look to see his expression, but I could practically feel the wheels in his head turning through our connection.
“We’ll see,” he called out, which only made me snort.
I shot him a playful look over my shoulder, very aware that from this angle much of my body was bare to him.
“I guess we will,” I said with a wink. Red flashed across his face, and triumph soared through me.
This could be fun.
***
I managed to avoid Bratan for the rest of the day, internally reciting a mantra that I didn’t need him in any way and that he was a monster of the worst kind.
I’m better than him. Act like it.
I followed Theodora around as she introduced me to more of the townsfolk and showed me around the innermost parts of the forest. But when we made our way to the edge of the secluded realm, I tensed. “Are we going out there?”
“Not without His Majesty.”
My stomach dropped, as did my patience. “When will he be joining us? ”
“Miss me already, my love?” The richness of his voice pooled through my ears, but his charm was already starting to wane.
I spun on my heels, a sticky-sweet smirk plastered on my face. “How did you know?”
He obviously wasn’t expecting this response, and I swore I saw the side of his mouth momentarily twitch into a smile. “So cheeky.”
“Let’s get this over with.” I shot him an annoyed glare before turning to face the entrance to my old world—the forest that lay beyond.
Why am I so scared? This should be the scary side.
Bratan stepped in front of me and waved a hand around the circular exit like he had when he’d brought me here. I was surprised he didn’t try to touch me as he passed. Maybe he’d grown tired of banter, or maybe he respected me enough to stop trying.
Neither was likely.
As the vines and leaves parted and an entrance opened to the world beyond, Theodora took a step back. “I’ll leave you to it, Your Majesties.” She gave a deep bow, and before I could beg her to stay, she was off. It was obvious that the maid wanted no part of our venture. I couldn’t blame her.
I tried not to look at him, but there was no point dragging this out longer than necessary. I reluctantly looked at Bratan, and when our eyes met, he offered me his hand. I pushed past him, walking through the exit on my own. I was petrified to go through it in case his magic had kept things together the first time in a way I wouldn’t be able to manage on my own, but I couldn’t imagine he’d let anything happen to me. At least not until he’d succeeded in his plan of seduction, which, of course, he wouldn’t. But he didn’t know that.
Holding my breath, I took the first step, wincing and praying Bratan didn’t sense my trepidation. Then I took another step, and then another, moving through the realms with no ill consequence. It was dark at first, but the day was at its brightest, so it wasn’t long before the pitch-darkness subsided, and I walked into the ordinary beauty of my old world. The magic of the forest’s door didn’t phase me. Perhaps it was due to my newfound powers. I didn’t need the Leshy. We were one now. I was connected to him and his powers. I may have even been as powerful as he was, though I didn’t know how to wield my powers, or how to control them, or how much I could actually do.
Was I as powerful as he was? My hope that I was sunk the more I thought about it, especially considering his true form and how easily he could shift into it. All I had done was get overrun by an agonizing force that was supposedly power. So far, all it had done was give me pain and make my body useless until Bratan healed me enough to move again.
Twigs snapped behind me as Bratan entered the human realm. I did my best not to look back at him; I didn’t want to look at him for many reasons, but I was genuinely annoyed with him at present .
We walked through the woods in silence until I realized that I had no idea why we were out there, what we were doing, or where we were supposed to go. I whipped around, catching Bratan staring at me.
“What are we doing out here? Are you supposed to show me around the forest or something?”
His stoic face lifted slightly before dropping again. Like he was trying not to laugh. “Yes and no.”
I groaned. “Please don’t be cryptic. Just tell me what we’re doing out here. I’m too tired for your games.”
He gave me a coy look. “We did have a marvelously frenzied night.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, begging myself not to blush. When I was composed enough to speak, I shrugged and said, “I don’t know about marvelous. It was all right.” I reveled in the drop of his jaw. His offended expression. I stared ahead, striding through the woods. “Tell me what we’re doing here so we can eat supper, and I can get some rest.”
The human forest was duller than I remembered, even though it had only been a day since I’d seen it. The leaves weren’t as vibrant as the Leshy’s realm, and things didn’t feel as alive. When the silence stretched on without a quip from my husband, I finally turned. His face was inches from mine in an instant. Had he been that close the whole time? I hadn’t felt him.
He grabbed my face and leaned forward, his grip tight. “If it was anything less than marvelous,” he said in a near-whisper, his deep voice even lower, “then we should do it again, and this time finish it. I can’t marvel you until I can properly show you what I can do.” He leaned in until his lips were nearly on mine. “I want to please you until you can’t think straight.” His grip on my face tightened, and despite my better judgment, I loved it.
His fingertips curled into my hair, pulling me closer. Strands came loose from the back. My head tilted up, and I lost myself in the intensity of his gaze. “I want to make you writhe for days, unable to think of anything but me and what I did to you. That’s when I’ll know I’ve done my job right, and you will finally know what a truly marvelous, frenzied night entails.”
My toes curled in my satin slippers, but I tried my best not to show it. “You’ll be waiting an awfully long time because I keep my promises.” Something in his eyes shifted, and I knew he saw straight through me. “You can’t get me to break that promise.”
Fire ignited in his eyes. “You will break it,” he whispered, “and you’ll beg for me.”
I bared my teeth. “The only begging I’ll do for you is to beg you to leave me the hell alone.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded, to which he cocked a brow. I would be strong and keep my promise. I would refuse any tenderness from him in any form. Any contact. Any whispers. Anything.
I wanted nothing to do with him.
At least, I had to keep telling myself that until I believed it .
I inched closer, tilting my chin up in defiance. “I don’t sleep with monsters.”
The muscles in his jaw tightened, and finally, our eye contact broke, and he stared straight ahead. “Let me show you around the woods. You need to know every inch of it like the back of your hand.”
“Why?” His quick change of subject was jarring, but I was glad to move on. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep up the facade.
He scanned the trees as if looking for something. “You’ll have to do things from time to time.” I ran after him as he started walking.
“What kind of things?”
No answer.
I leapt in front of him, causing him to skid to a halt. “What are you doing?” he barked. “I almost—”
“What kind of things do I have to do?”
He studied me for an uncomfortably long time. I tried to focus on the sounds around me—the rushing of wind against blades of grass, the swirling of leaves, and the cawing of crows as they made their last calls before sleep—but I couldn’t break from his stare. And my stomach was in knots about what he might say.
He looked down, chewing on his words, then met my eyes again. “If the villagers hurt our animals or any part of these woods, you have to join me in retaliation. ”
The air left my lungs. I staggered back, my knees almost buckling as I violently shook my head.
“No!”
“You have to.” His voice continued to rise. “It’s your duty as the Leshy’s wife.”
“I am not your wife!” I knew it was a childish response and stupidly false, but I couldn’t take it anymore. “I didn’t want this life! I didn’t want to be married to you! I didn’t want any of this!” My chin quivered, and as he took a step toward me, his arms raising from his sides, I pushed him. “Get away from me!” I screamed. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”
My cheeks were hot and wet with tears; they spilled like rainwater down my face, sliding down my throat. I angrily swept away the moisture and ran into the belly of the forest.
“Leena!”
I didn’t look back. I kept running. My legs wobbled, but still, I ran. Faster.
Faster.
I had to get away.
“Leena!”
“Leave me alone!” I screamed, and suddenly, lightning cracked across the sky. The world around us clapped with deafening thunder. The ground beneath us quaked as rain poured down in sheets. I only faltered for a moment and then kept running .
I didn’t look back. I kept going, even after his voice was drowned out by thunder and I couldn’t hear anything but the violent hiss of rain.
Then pain struck me to the ground, and myspine pounded as it made contact with the hard earth. The rain made it too hard to see, but I could make out that I’d run into a man, his shape unidentifiable. But I could tell by the height and shape that it was no woodland creature or tree.
“I told you to leave me alone!” I cried, wincing as I got to my feet. But when I looked up, it wasn’t Bratan I saw. It was a familiar redhead leering at me.
“Hello, Leena,” he said. My mouth went dry. I knew what Casimir had always wanted to do with me, and now we were alone. Everything I’d learned to protect myself against him was out the window in this situation, and I didn’t know how to use my powers.
He grabbed me by the sash-like sleeves and pulled me off my feet. My underarms stung at the pain of the fabric digging into my skin.
“Fancy seeing you out here.”
I thought I might vomit. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t free myself from his grasp. He was deceivingly strong, and as he threw my back onto the ground with tremendous force, I suddenly wished I hadn’t pushed Bratan away.