7. THE NATURE OF THIS DISTASTE
Chapter seven
THE NATURE OF THIS DISTASTE
Amira
M y whole body felt like it was burning up as Riordan began to move toward me with measured steps. His gold eyes focused on me with an intensity that made me shiver with anticipation. It wasn’t until he was almost in front of me that I even noticed he had brought food.
“You didn’t knock,” I said quietly, my voice sounding breathless even to my own ears.
“We heard voices and did not think there was a need,” Orion replied irritably. I had a feeling that annoyance was always going to be his default setting with me.
“There is always a need to knock on a woman’s door,” I objected, pinning him with a glare around Riordan.
“You are right. I am sorry,” Riordan acknowledged me quickly before Orion could interject again. The king cast a brief warning glance over his shoulder at his skiá who reluctantly let it go.
“What was Ares doing in here?” Orion asked instead.
“This dress is clearly made for someone with wings. Which you may have noticed I do not possess,” I said.
“And you were unable to work out a few extra strings on your own?” Orion asked drolly as his eyes swept over me again as if to assess the difficulty of the task.
It should not have made my heart give a jolt to have him looking at me, but it did. And it was not the itch of self-consciousness that Helena and Ares made me feel when they were looking at me. This was closer to the shy excitement that Riordan made me feel. I didn’t know why, I certainly didn’t like Orion, but I could hardly stop my cheeks from flushing under his attention. Especially when his question also drew Riordan’s gaze back down to my thinly clad body. And their combined focus on me was so strangely and wonderfully overwhelming.
“Allow me,” Riordan offered, and I managed to nod.
He walked around me to deposit the plates of food on the bed before he turned to look down at the straps that crisscrossed on my back. I tried not to look across the room at Orion who leaned up against the wall near my bathtub, but I could feel his eyes still drilling into me.
After a moment examining our work, Riordan began to make some adjustments. I had to lower my head when my cheeks flushed even harder as he slipped several straps off my shoulders and moved them around on my back. I had never had a man help me get dressed in any way before Ares tried to help me, and it had been a bit uncomfortable. Having Riordan do it was exhilarating. Trusting him with my body and my modesty was very intimate, and it made me feel somehow vulnerable and safe at the same time. Such an incredibly heady sensation.
“I didn’t think you’d be familiar with female attire,” Orion teased my mate who merely snorted in dismissal of the ridiculous insinuation.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely once I could feel that the dress was sitting correctly. There was no more bunching or pulling in places where there shouldn’t be.
“I am sure Rhea is already thinking about it, but I will ask her to find you a suitable handmaid who will ensure your clothing is more to your taste,” Riordan told me.
“That sounds convenient,” I admitted, turning my head to smile gratefully at him over my shoulder.
“Come eat with me,” he invited as his fingers trailed down my arm to take my hand. “I’ll come to your quarters in the morning,” he added to Orion who blinked at him as if Riordan had just asked him to jump out of the tower.
“I am not leaving the two of you alone! It is already scandalous enough with the three of us unsupervised in her personal chambers,” Orion added unwillingly.
Right. Because if things were different, and I was even remotely open to it, then the three of us could have been in a relationship together. And being the naive virgin that I was, I began to wonder how such a situation was even supposed to work. Emotionally. Physically .
Not that I would ever want anything like that.
“Control yourself,” snarled Orion, startling me as he turned away in evident disgust. “Your scent betrays you.”
“My… scent?” I repeated in misunderstanding before his meaning suddenly became all too clear to me.
He meant my arousal. He could smell it.
My cheeks felt like they were on fire as my head jerked in Riordan’s direction, but there was no judgement in his expression. In fact, I thought there might have been a gleam of interest in his eyes.
“Can you smell me?” I whispered in mortification.
“A little, yes, but the senses of Ktínos are far superior to those of Imítheos,” he assured me. That was why Orion seemed to be able to sense my body’s involuntary reaction to my own thoughts. Which was not only embarrassing but extremely inconvenient! How the hell was I supposed to control my every thought and unconscious but natural bodily response all the damned time?
“I would prefer to talk to you about this alone if it is allowed,” I told Riordan honestly, and he nodded.
“You would disgrace him further—” Orion began.
“That is enough ,” Riordan chastised him immediately, his hand tightening on mine in reassurance. “This is an important conversation we need to have, and my mate is entitled to privacy for it,” he added with stern finality.
“Riordan, please, please don’t be stubborn about this,” pleaded Orion in exasperation.
I could tell Riordan was about to double down for me, but if Orion felt so strongly that we should not be alone in my room, then I would comply. I didn’t want to make things more complicated, and I really didn’t want to be a source of contention between them if I could help it.
So I squeezed my mate’s hand to garner his attention and then shook my head to let him know it was fine that Orion stayed.
But he was definitely going to be uncomfortable.
“Nell told me more of the taíri bond between mates and how sometimes it can encompass your skiá as well. Not the way you suggested in a platonic relationship but as a romantic one,” I began, surprising both of the men. “Why did you not tell me about that?”
Riordan glanced at Orion as if to confirm that his skiá really did want to stay despite the private nature of the conversation. But although he was highly unimpressed with the topic of my curiosity, Orion seemed committed.
The king turned and tugged me with him over to my bed where we sat down. He raised my hand to his mouth for a sweet kiss on my knuckles which made Orion exhale softly in exasperation.
“I did not tell you about the potential of the bond with Orion because it is not expected,” Riordan told me as he released my hand and set one of the plates on my thighs.
“But is it usual?” I asked as I began to stack the meat and cheese on the bread like a sandwich.
“It is usual,” Riordan admitted with a glance at Orion who shifted in discomfort. “But again, it is not mandatory, and for Orion, the reasoning for this tradition is irrelevant since he is not Imítheos.”
“What is the reason for the tradition?” I asked before taking a bite out of my sandwich. Whatever the meat was, it was the perfect combination of sweet and salty.
“Well, you know Imítheos do not feel desire until we have chosen a mate, and we are typically bonded to a skiá by the time we do pick a female. Once one male in the pair begins to feel attraction, then it is almost inevitable that his skiá will be impacted with the same craving.”
“Which will not happen for Orion because he can feel desire now,” I confirmed between bites of my sandwich. The Ktínos in question scoffed at my comment, so I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re the one who insisted on staying here while we had this conversation,” I reminded him.
“If you were a griffin, then there would be no need to have this conversation at all,” Orion fired back.
“Well, I’m clearly not a griffin, so I guess that means we will talk about it,” I retorted before looking at Riordan who tried not to smirk at me. “Women don’t have skiá ?”
“Imítheos are not… generally very affectionate before they are bonded,” Riordan admitted unnecessarily. I had seen that for myself when his own mother greeted him so coolly after decades of separation. “But females are better at fostering meaningful bonds of companionship amongst themselves. And, more importantly, we male Imítheos outnumber females significantly. It is much better that two males bond to one female, diversifying our bloodlines, rather than have two females bonding to just one male. Which would stunt the bloodlines,” Riordan explained.
A rather dispassionate approach to what was a very emotional union among modern humans, but I knew his people thought about these things very differently.
“So does this mean that all the mated women in the Metropolis have two men?” I verified. That just seemed so scandalous to me, especially in such a chaste society, but perhaps I was just a prude.
“Most of them do,” Riordan confirmed. “Before this custom was established long ago, Imítheos females were also having trouble getting pregnant. Having two males increases the likelihood of children and means there are more adults to defend and raise their children together,” he pointed out with a fond smile.
Whoa . That smile made me freeze instantly.
“And… is that what you would have wanted?” I asked him even though it was already clear from his expression. Especially when he seemed to remember himself, and his expression grew more serious again.
“I want you to be happy. Whatever it entails,” he said.
“But if you had your way,” I insisted, and I noticed Orion had gone quiet too. Evidently as curious as I was.
“Of course, I would have wanted that,” Riordan told me softly after a moment as his eyes lowered to my hand. His thumb traced mine gently. “I always knew there was a chance Orion would make another choice, but I…”
I could not breathe, not when Riordan was baring his heart this way, and not while Orion was so quiet, his eyes burning into the side of my face.
“It is not usual among witches or humans to share their lovers the way your people do,” I admitted in order to help Riordan continue speaking.
“I understand that. I am not asking you to go against what feels natural, and I know I chose a mate and a skiá for whom this tradition is not normal. It is why I did not bring it up. I would have eventually if I felt like it were relevant, but it was clear very quickly that it is not,” Riordan assured me.
“And you are sure that you would not rather a mate that he actually approved of?” I insisted.
“No, I want you ,” Riordan insisted with utter certainty. “I have never let the opinions of others sway the desires of my heart. I wanted Orion as my skiá , and now I want you as my mate. There were many who objected to my choice back then and there will be many who object now, but I don’t care. I know what I want, what I need, and that is not up for debate,” he declared, glancing at Orion.
His declaration made me emotional, so I kept my face averted from Orion to prevent him from seeing as I leaned forward to kiss Riordan’s shoulder.
“Good,” I whispered, and I heard him snort a soft laugh that sounded relieved. “Are you alright?” I asked, eying the tension in his forehead and around his mouth. Setting my plate aside, I shifted closer to him on impulse to smooth my fingers over his brows until his eyes closed in enjoyment of my touch.
“I will be. That… magic lingers. Like it had barbs that are caught in my veins, and it will not be purged easily. But I feel better every hour,” he assured me, leaning his head into my hands. He was very tired. I could feel it.
“We don’t have to do this now. Are there healers we could call for you?” I asked, brushing my fingers through his hair and revelling in its silkiness.
“I suspect I will be well come morning,” Riordan told me with one of those soft smiles that I was coming to love so much. “I want to talk to you, Amira. I enjoy it.”
It was such a ridiculous admission to make me blush, but I did. The combination of his affectionate smile and the reverence in his eyes was hard to deny.
Then Orion made a rude sound, a scoff that destroyed the moment for me.
“What did you learn at the meeting? Any idea yet what the Autumn Court wants?” I asked.
“I will admit, I was rather distracted with the abysmal state of our military leadership. Once I have restructured and reformed my cabinet, I will feel better discussing the situation with them. In the meantime, Iris is seeing if she can locate any fey who might know anything. And Theo went to see our old contacts from the Autumn Quadrant to see if any would go to Ahnnaòin,” Riordan told me.
“Like spies to see what is happening there?” I verified, and Riordan nodded. “Wow! You work fast.”
“We did learn that many of the watchtowers that I built in the Quadrants were abandoned. There is little military presence beyond the city-states which is why Rian has been able to continue taking fey. We will make sure those outposts are properly manned so we can respond quickly when there are intruders,” Riordan continued. Then he took my hand, his thumb tracing over my knuckles gently. “There is someone I want you to be extra wary of, Amira. His name is Nikos. He is my cousin.”
“Oh! I actually met him on the way up. Rhea hoped the two of you would be able to… work together,” I admitted, trailing off when I saw Riordan frown.
“Rhea has always seen the best in our cousin. She likes to see the best in everyone,” Riordan admitted reluctantly. “It always bothered her that we were at odds.”
“Got it,” I assured him, and then shifted my hand in his so I could thread our fingers together. “Helena mentioned your father is looking into issues somewhere called… E-et-tree-a,” I said, hoping I pronounced it correctly.
“Erétria is one of five city-states. We are in the capital of Kórinthos, but there is also Erétria, árgos, Siracusa, and Thíva,” Riordan explained. “My father oversees the Agricultural Guild. He is in charge of ensuring that all our people have enough food and food has been pillaged.”
“Pillaged,” I repeated in concern.
“Stolen,” Orion supplied drolly, and I glared at him.
“I know what it means,” I snapped before looking back at Riordan. “Do you suspect the Autumn Court rogues?”
“It is unlikely. The Four Courts should be abundant with so much fey magic concentrated there. And besides that, it would seem counterintuitive for them to be taking on more fey from us if they cannot feed the population they already have,” Riordan said. He glanced at Orion as if looking for his thoughts on the matter.
“Unless they really are building an army to attack us, and the rapid increase in their population density has strained their resources,” Orion pointed out.
Riordan grunted in acknowledgement, and there was a moment of silence while he seemed to contemplate.
“Speaking of the theft of resources, are you going to address the fact that she steals your magic?” Orion asked Riordan expectantly. “She easily takes the very power for which that blood witch killed your brother and cursed you without the need for your permission. Magic that holds our entire world together,” Orion stressed significantly.
I glanced nervously up at Riordan, but he was already shaking his head confidently.
“No.”
“ What ?” Orion gaped at him as his arms unfolded and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“Amira used it to protect me. To heal me. I am not afraid of what you did, and I trust you,” he added to me. “You will probably want to understand what this ability means about you, and I will help you find those answers. But if we never know, then I am content with that.”
“Riordan,” gasped Orion, looking as shocked as I felt. “She could take your kingdom fr—” he tried to protest, but the king shot him a sharp look that silenced him.
“I don’t want to use it,” I tried to reassure them.
“And you do not have to if you are uncomfortable with the situation. But I would prefer it if you agreed to use it,” Riordan informed me unexpectedly.
“You… want her to?” Orion verified.
“As you pointed out, my power is the glue that holds the Vale together. If she can use it, then I would rather she knew how to do so safely rather than risk unintentional damage to our realm,” Riordan explained his reasoning.
“You cannot be serious!” Orion shouted at him.
“I am. What is the alternative?”
Orion raised his brows at him significantly, and my mouth dropped open at his obvious insinuation.
“You want to kill me?” I sputtered in utter disbelief, but he merely rolled his eyes at me.
“Do not be dramatic. There are ways to stunt the use of magic in individuals who are too dangerous. And you are dangerous,” Orion insisted.
Before I could even begin to panic, Riordan rose from the bed beside me, lethally graceful and silent except for the faintest ruffling of his wings.
“Orion, I will only say this once,” he said with a deadly calm that sent thrills of awareness down my spine. “Amira is my chosen mate. Do not threaten her.”
“I didn’t. You asked for an alternative. The alternative to training her is to stunt her. Neither option is ideal.”
“Then we are in agreement. I will be training her,” Riordan declared, and then he looked at me before Orion could reply. “There is another matter I wish to discuss.”
“Oh?” I prompted, although my mind was still a little hung up on Orion suggesting they should take my magic.
“The two of you are the pillars between which I will stand as king. I need you to be confident in me, but you should also trust one another. So I would like to know the nature of this immediate distaste between you.”
“You mean besides the fact that he just suggested you should essentially imprison me?” I verified sarcastically.
“I did not say that,” Orion dismissed me and rolled his eyes again as if I were the one being dramatic.
“What you insinuate is close enough to a witch!”
“Please,” Riordan insisted, trying to encourage us to share our thoughts more constructively, and I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself.
“Honestly, I was…” I hesitated, uncertain at first if I wanted to be vulnerable around Orion, but then Riordan turned toward me, and I decided to continue. “You spoke so highly of him that I was initially excited to meet him. But he has made it clear from the beginning that he feels I’m unworthy of you. My very existence is abhorrent.”
“Orion?” Riordan prompted, turning his angry eyes on his skiá , and the other griffin shot me a glare as his tail whipped with obvious agitation.
“I have already expressed the reasons for my distaste. She is not what you need, Riordan.”
“That is not your decision to make,” insisted my mate before I could voice my own angry retort.
“I have only your best interests at heart. You wanted me as your skiá because you trust my judgement, but in this matter you seem blinded. Would you rather I indulge your every whim against my own instincts? That is not the skiá you professed to want,” Orion reminded him.
“Your distaste was clear before you’d spoken to her,” Riordan maintained.
“Riordan, she is a witch . Do I really need any other reason to distrust her? You of all people should hate her!” Orion insisted in exasperation.
“And you of all people should be relieved that I do not allow prejudice to dictate the bonds I choose to nurture,” Riordan responded. His hand rested on my shoulder when I almost lost the battle to keep my mouth shut. He wanted me to let him handle it, but holy gods, it was not easy to listen to Orion spewing hate.
Orion looked incensed by the obvious comparison that Riordan was making between me and the Ktínos.
“This is different! Her kind has actively harmed both of our people while Imítheos have unfounded hatred for Ktínos even though we have never acted against them. This is not the same thing!” Orion reiterated.
“Don’t make this about my kind ,” I spoke up, unable to keep silent anymore. “You are the only one among the Ktínos who seems to feel this way.”
“I am the only one who is permitted to feel this way! Riordan has forbidden everyone else from speaking up,” Orion tried to reassure me.
“That is not true!” I insisted in earnest as I leaped to my feet next to Riordan. “The others have shown me genuine kindness. Ares and Helena even call me thárrosi which I know is a great honour. Not because of Riordan, but because they know I fought to protect him.”
I hesitated in astonishment at myself and then glanced up at Riordan to find him smiling at me in admiration of my self-advocacy. Since Jade’s attack, I seemed to have finally decided that I didn’t care if I was worthy of a king. I wanted Riordan, and I was willing to defend my right to build happiness with him.
But Orion was unmoved. He merely stood by the wall with his tail flicking and his arms crossed impassively.
“You don’t hate me because I’m a witch. You are just afraid that I will take him from you,” I accused him.
It was not a full revelation of his secret, but it was about as close to the truth as I could get with Riordan in the room with us.
“Is that the truth, Orion?” asked Riordan, and his voice had gentled in understanding. Perhaps it should upset me to hear him take such a tone with someone who blatantly hated me. But it didn’t. I felt… strangely hopeful.
Orion bristled and then turned away, but it seemed to be enough of a confirmation for Riordan who sighed as he stepped toward his skiá.
“My bond with Amira changes nothing between us,” Riordan assured Orion in earnest.
“She endangers you. You are already disdained among the Imítheos because of me. How am I supposed to keep you and your mate safe when you always insist on doing everything the hard way?” Orion demanded.
“I was despised before I met you, so doing what they want now won’t make them approve of me. I have always followed my heart. I think I recall you telling me that it was something you admired,” Riordan reminded his skiá , but Orion did not smile.
The Ktínos warrior turned his head away, and I was surprised by the genuine display of emotion on his face as he debated. It changed his whole appearance and made him seem so much more vulnerable and relatable.
“I need you on my side. I need you both with me,” Riordan insisted as he looked from Orion to me.
“I am with you,” I assured him.
“As am I, Riordan, always , but I…” Orion hesitated, seemingly searching for the right words before he shook his head. “Just… Allow me some time to think about this. You need to rest,” Orion reminded the king. “I will stand watch at her door until Helena returns to retake her post.”
It was not the answer Riordan wanted, but he seemed to know there was no more to say until Orion had the time he wanted to think, so he nodded in agreement.
“I will ward the room,” he told me, and he did in spite of both me and Orion protesting that he needed rest before he left me for the night.
Orion followed him out with a final disdainful glare at me from over his shoulder.