Chapter 37 #2
She kept her face turned away from him, even though it caused her neck slight discomfort.
And before them, sat Emarelia. She had barely looked away from Luella since they’d entered the room.
Emarelia’s eyes burned on Luella’s wings, taking in the males scattered around her with protective intent as she said, "You are loved."
Luella was glad her mouth was dry; otherwise, she would’ve spluttered. As it was, she coughed weakly, pressing a hand over her mouth.
Az’s fingers tightened around her ankle.
"I-I am not loved," said Luella, humor and incredulity in her tone.
Emarelia raised a dark, thin brow. "But your wings say otherwise, dear Luella." She crossed her legs, elbow notching on her knee as she rested her delicate chin in her palm. She may appear small, but Luella was not fooled.
She knew power hid best under the guise of fragility. The power she held, herself, filled her fully, consuming her, pressing against the very fiber of her soul—swelling under her skin. Sometimes, she wondered if she touched her flesh, would the power rise to meet her fingertips…
"Dear, if your wings weren’t here, you would not be loved," Emarelia said.
Her words playfully skimmed the surface of her true meaning. Luella had had enough of games.
She leaned forward, mirroring her pose, elbows on her knees and chin notched atop her steepled fingers. Cool air skimmed over her exposed back, and her wings fluttered, the sides brushing both Tharen and Vale, where they sat pressed closely to her.
Luella lowered her voice, feeling her every word punctuated with whispers of air, making the curtains billow out as shadows danced behind them. "What does that mean?"
Emarelia’s lips twitched as she regarded Luella.
"You are stronger than I had envisioned.
You were such a tiny, fragile babe, and your mother was gentle.
Though, you must be fierce in heart to ensnare the attention of five males.
" She sat back against the lounge, rubbing her chin.
"I placed the glamor on you, as I’m sure you have been told? "
Luella nodded, Emarelia’s words harkening a time of deep, crushing panic—aboard the ship, when they’d sat around and shared pieces of information with her, the wind calling to her as she held the Compendium of Fates in her hands and read of the prophecy.
Vestiges of that panic rose again, gripping her and making her dizzy. Vale’s fingers brushed her elbow. She glanced at him, watching as the dragon shifter took her hand and tugged her to sit back, flush against him. The feel of his heat soothed something in her.
"The Tenebrae took my lover, Merath," Emarelia continued. "He used her as power over me, a way to get me to do his bidding. If I did not, he would have tortured and killed her. So, I was forced to glamor a babe. The daughter of my best friend."
Luella had known, but… "So it is true? You and my mother were…?"
"The best of friends. Liana was my other half," the female answered.
Liana, Luella thought—the sweet lilt of the name bouncing around in her mind. The name of her mother. The angel Queen of Luna. It made it all the more real, to have a name for the faceless female who had birthed her.
"I placed two glamors upon you, as they both should have been equally as strong.
The first was your appearance. I changed you into a Solis fae.
I crafted the glamor to ensure you would be hidden well.
I did not give that glamor the ability to unlock through a chain of events, not as the other.
For that glamor, you were the key. When your power awoke, so too did your appearance shift to your natural state. "
All of this had been surmised, but Emarelia spoke so plainly, as if it were of no consequence to tamper with her fate.
Luella stared at her, resisting the urge to lean closer to Vale. "And the other?" she asked softly.
Emarelia sighed, as if reluctant to speak.
Vale urged her onward. "Tell us. It is why we came to you."
The female’s eyes narrowed on him, but she spoke.
"Your wings. I did not want them to unlock at the same time as your appearance.
I feared for your safety, dear Luella. Angels are coveted for their wings and beauty.
For their innocence. Coupled with your magic, I feared for you.
For what he might do to you." They all knew of the he she spoke of.
"Angels are not born with their wings. The Tenebrae did not know of them upon your birth.
But I was able to sense them inside you, so I glamored them and kept it a secret. "
She focused on the feel of Vale’s hand in hers, tightening her grip until her focus narrowed to his rings, cutting into her palm. He never made one word of protest.
"What was the key?" Her wings fluttered behind her. The cloves-and-honey-wrapped thread shuddered inside her soul. She did not look to the one at the end of that tether.
Emarelia smiled. "Love."
Luella blanched, fingers going slack around Vale’s. It grew so quiet that she feared the racing of her heart could be heard, thumping in her own ears.
Tharen broke his quiet as he spat, "Love?" The word was colored with derision.
"Yes, love. And affection." Her smile turned rueful.
"I did not—and still do not—know why the Tenebrae wanted Luella, but I assumed it was for good reason.
He took the Luna throne." Her eyes found Luella’s, and she felt gratitude for the female for refusing to leave her out of this conversation.
"Your birthright, dear Luella. He may wish to use you as a way to claim it in truth. "
"You mean marriage?" Vale questioned, his voice like sparking embers. His hand was the heat of a flame.
"Yes," Emarelia said, never looking away from Luella. "I believe he wishes to make you his Queen."
At that, Luella looked to the King at her side. She stared into Vale’s eyes, feeling like she could both drown and burn in them as she said, "The Tenebrae is not the first that wants to make m-me Queen."
Grey smoke streamed from Vale’s lips, and his pupils shifted from thin slits to normal. "I won’t let him wed you, mate." The last word was a hissed claim. More than the King, but his dragon.
Never, Bastian echoed in her mind, and she met the vampire’s gaze, seeing fury within the scarlet depths.
Az’s jaw was tight with rage, knuckles white; and Graves, the winged liar, snapped his wings out, forcing him to stumble a step closer.
When had he stood? She’d been making a marked effort not to look his way, but had missed him rising and walking closer, standing an arm’s length away from where she sat between Vale and Tharen.
Emarelia’s deep sigh stole their attention. "I glamored your wings to emerge only when you experienced pleasure with someone you cared deeply for. Someone you felt safe with."
Everything stopped. The room tilted, breath locked in her chest, and Luella could not bring herself to turn her head and look at… Tharen.