Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
This place looks like a volcano, and I would literally love to be anywhere else.
Lava flames the floor, smoke curling around the air in waves, and high walls of ash are everywhere.
There is no fire, and my heart slows as I search for flames that don’t exist here.
I’m standing on a platform of hardened black lava in the middle of a river of lava, and there are other little islands like this one.
I look around, knowing he’s here but waiting for him to speak first.
“Hello, wife.”
I grit my teeth as I turn, the red dress I have on in this place moving with me. “Stop calling me that. I’m hardly your wife when I never agreed to be one.”
“The mark on your neck would definitely challenge that statement, and so would I.” His voice is closer.
“You are my wife, mine. I will wait out the next hundred years for you to forgive me…but I won’t apologise for it.
” His hand brushes my neck, and I move away from the contact, even as heat spreads down my spine from his touch.
“Blackfire. You even wear the mask when we’re in this dream state.
” I stare up at him, all in black as usual and just as imposing.
The giant man towers over me like he does everyone else, but somehow he makes me feel so tiny in his presence.
Like an ant. Although, maybe he wouldn’t want to fuck an ant.
His eyes glow orange and red, like the colour of a sunset, through the dark wolf mask and even darker locks of hair.
“You’re the one who brought me here, not the other way around. Even though I leave my mind open to you every night,” he taunts with a slight turn of his lips. “This is an interesting power you got from the goddesses. Did you have it before? Have you tried going into minds without being asleep?”
“In truth, I have no idea.” I shake my head. I do not want to be in anyone’s head, thank you very much; my own is fucked enough.
“Tell me—is Orion and his court looking after you?” He stares at me for the answer. “We’re coming to you now… The bastard will pay for taking you from us.”
“He’s Orion…but yes, he is, err…good to me.
” My cheeks burn. What would Blackfire think of Orion kissing me, claiming me as his, and overall being possessive?
It’s hardly cheating when I’ve never so much as kissed Blackfire before even though he might technically be my husband.
Urgh, no, still in denial on that one. “I brought the bat and your friend with the red hair who refused to not come with us. And Reed, of course.”
“Of course,” I reply, edging my tone with sarcasm.
I walk across the platform to another part. This one has higher walls around it and feels less warm. He follows me and I can feel his eyes all over my back like they are heated themselves. “When did you decide that I was going to be your wife?”
“When that stone cat attacked us.” I am surprised enough to turn around.
“When my guardian was standing over you, about to kill you, something snapped. That was it for me. I knew I wanted you and I wasn’t going to back down.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted exactly between us, but then you started accepting food from me, and my wolf loved that.
He bred the idea of a marriage between us.
The deep, possessive part of me knew exactly what I was doing, giving you that food.
I knew exactly what I was doing when I took you out into the forest with the gloves and marked you. It was the best night of my life.”
“Shame I wasn’t awake for it,” I mutter. “I would have stabbed you with something.”
“You would have fought me tooth and nail not to put that mark on you if I’d done it while you were awake. It’s better this way.” He shrugs.
“No, it is not,” I snap. He just grins, and I shake my head. He is still just as psychotic as always. “You always call me Hopeless. Why?”
“Because it’s hopeless to want you. Hopeless to feel like this.” He touches his chest. “I have never felt it before, and I didn’t have a name for this feeling.”
He thinks love is hopeless.
Blackfire’s chest rises and falls fast as he stares at me.
“And what happens when you find a mate? Your true mate. What happens for all of you when you do this? As much as you, Reed, and Orion seem to have some claim on me, what happens when someone else comes along? I don’t think any of you have really thought this through.
You can’t just choose me.” He goes to answer, likely to tell me more bullshit, but I speak first. “You told me once that you’d do anything for your mate on our forest walks.
That there was no distance too great. I know you want your true mate. ”
“I was thinking about putting a mate bond on you. That speech—it was for you.” He steps closer.
My heart tightens in my chest. It can’t possibly be true. “You’re insane.”
“About you, yes. But I think that’s how all men should be about their wives.
They should want nothing more than to be with them and destroy anything in the world that is a threat.
They should want them desperately, like I want you.
” He walks towards me—so huge, so overwhelming.
That’s always how it is. I want to fight him back every bit of the way.
“My powers don’t work in this place,” I warn as he closes the space between us, “or I’d throw you again with my powers. ”
He shrugs his shoulder. “Do it again when I get to you. That was the most turned on I’ve ever been in my life.”
He picks me up against the wall and slams his lips against mine.
As much as I hate him, I end up kissing him back, pouring all that anger and frustration into the kiss.
Blackfire kisses me like he wants to stake a claim on not just my body, but my soul too.
We’re both breathless, staring at each other when he stops the kiss and looks over his shoulder.
“You are being woken up. I will see you soon, my wife.”
The dream dies away as fast as smoke, leaving me falling through it—noting that’s the first time I ever kissed my husband, even if I never agreed to marry the secretive bastard. But hey, my tally of men I’ve kissed is getting higher, and Tannith would be proud.
Cold, bony hands shake my shoulders as I wake up and open my eyes to stare into the empty ones of a brown-haired human woman with a rune drawn on her forehead.
She straightens, saying nothing. They never talk.
I don’t really understand the rune well enough to know how they communicate, but I know they don’t speak. They just do as they’re told.
There are four humans waiting for me, all women and all wearing the same outfit.
I let them lead me out of bed, and I do what they want, not wanting to make their lives any more difficult than they already are.
They watch me eat breakfast in silence, even as I try to talk to them.
It doesn’t work. They’re all in light green gowns, the same scratchy material covering each of them.
I want to figure out how to get them back—if that’s even possible. I’m going to try to figure it out.
Eventually they lead me to a side room attached to my bedroom that I didn’t even know was there.
It’s a huge walk-in wardrobe full of clothes, but one wall is lined with beautiful gowns.
They smell like Orion—maple syrup coming off each of them.
I walk down the row, and I notice they’re all similar.
Long sleeves, floor length and stunning.
Beautiful gowns, woven corsets, full skirts that will have none of my skin showing and making me uncomfortable.
How could Orion have known this?
I stop in front of the darkest green dress.
The one that reminds me of Orion’s eyes—a dark green and black.
The top half is a long corset, making almost bat-wing lines around the chest, laced all the way down to the stomach at the front.
A sheer cover hangs over the chest and arms, dark enough to hide any of my scars, before falling out to a green and black skirt that brushes the ground.
“This one,” I say, turning to them. They nod, one by one, almost like it’s a shared thought. “Thank you. I don’t know if you can hear me or understand me anymore, but I won’t forget any of you. I want to help, and I will.” None of them respond, they just move around like they didn’t hear me at all.
I smile tightly at the humans as they help me into the dress.
The corset alone takes at least twenty minutes to get tied up, and I’m already dreading getting out of this dress.
When they’re done, they start on my hair, pulling my gold locks up into a braid and swirling it into a bun, leaving wavy, curly pieces hanging around my face.
When they finish, they apply a light touch of makeup and stand aside for me to walk to the mirror.
I barely recognise myself. Calling myself a princess to help Elizabeth was strange, but this—looking like this—makes me actually feel like one.
“Tannith, I don’t know if you can even hear me anymore, but you’d love this dress.
I would have chosen something for you to wear, and we would have had fun.
I’m going to have fun for you…or try to.
I’m trying, Tan. It has to count, right? ”
Only silence responds. Only an emptiness in the pit of my stomach that won’t go away easily.
I turn from the mirror, only to come face to face with one of the humans.
She is slightly older than me, her face covered in freckles, and her hair is dark brown with red strands.
Her eyes are green, and her hands snap out, grabbing my cheeks.
She suddenly smells of rotten fruit, and her mouth opens wide as I freeze in shock.
A voice that’s familiar echoes out of her throat, but I know it’s not her.
Her eyes glow brightly, like green stars.
“Do not give him the weapon, for if you do, all will fall. Your destiny is to hide them, not to give them to him. There will be nothing left if you do. You must find the warriors born to be the three once more. Only they will be able to stop what is to come. The weapons—the keys—belong to them. You are meant to be their protector. The Champion of the elements must not fall for darkness…”
The human stops speaking. That voice—that female voice—is so familiar, and I finally realise who it was.
The Mother goddess. Leaves fall from the human’s hands, scattering around in the air and floating.
Her green eyes open wide. “Help me,” she whispers.
Her voice, her accent, reminds me of Orion’s.
I reach for her, but she collapses at my feet, blood pouring from her mouth.
“Wait!” I kneel down, touching her face, but she isn’t moving.
She’s dead. The other humans move as if it’s normal, picking up her body from my hands and taking her away before I can do anything.
I stare at the blood on the floor for a long time before I walk out into the bedroom.
Orion is waiting in the doorway. His eyes travel down my dress, then back up, and I look at him too.
The stubble has been shaved off. His hair looks like he’s actually washed it—slightly longer and wavier than usual, tipping into his forehead but styled beautifully.
A green crown is nestled in his hair. He’s wearing a dark green suit and matching tie.
He looks every bit the heir. Every bit so beautiful that it’s terrifying.
“You look like you should be my mate, Meredith.”
“I’m not sure your pack is for me. It’s too pretty, like its heir.” I half joke, my mind still on the human that just died in front of me. I think the Folkland has desensitized me to death, because it should have shocked me more than it did.
“It’s good to know you like my pretty face.
” I feel him looking at me, trying to figure out why I’m not arguing with him.
“Are you ready?” He offers me his arm, seeing that I don’t want to walk into this ball alone.
I slip my arm into his, letting him walk me out.
He doesn’t say a word. I feel him watching me while my mind goes over and over what just happened with that human.
Why would the goddess warn me? Am I meant to do what the dark god asks?
I don’t for a second think he was just threatening to take me.
I don’t know what to do. I almost turn to Orion to ask for his advice, but at the same time, the truth is staring at me—those goddesses sped up Tannith’s death.
They can’t be trusted either. I can talk to Orion about this when the others are here and get everyone’s opinion.
Besides, there are too many listening ears to talk here.
“Heir Orion and Princess Meredith of the fourth pack!”
I barely register Orion leading me into the ballroom until the announcer shouts our names out as we step onto a balcony overlooking a giant ballroom.
For a second, all I can see are the colours of all the people’s clothes, of hundreds of people’s dresses and various green or grey suits below.
No one is wearing black. I look up, my eyes drawn to a sphere that hangs in the middle above the ballroom.
There are dozens of spheres with random things inside them, but the one in the middle holds two swords.
Green blades that glow in a way that feels familiar, the same as what I saw in the Folkland.
I look at Orion. “How on earth are we meant to get that?”