Chapter 30
Delphi spent the following day alternating between the library and the crypt. Tenebrys had finally been convinced that she wasn't about to disappear and had gone to track down his shifters.
She could remember what had happened the previous night, but not the words that she had spoken out loud to complete the ritual. She had heard music and whispers of a woman's voice, and the knowledge of what she had to do had flowed through her like wine.
She could now see why Tenebrys had never wanted to show the heart of the house to her father. This kind of power, the strange nature of the magic, would have been even more tempting to Narcisse than it already was. Despite that, he had still managed to destroy it somehow.
"And I was the key to bringing it back," she mused aloud. "There has to be a way to break the rest of the curse."
Delphi looked back over her notes and added in a few details about how her parents had summoned a fae lord, and not a demon after all.
Had he told him how to syphon the heart's magic? There was no way Narcisse could have come up with it on his own. If Delphi could figure out how they had destroyed it once, she could ensure that it never happened again.
Obsessing over the wards and the heart stopped her from standing in front of a mirror and staring at all the changes that mating with Tenebrys had wrought.
Delphi had been feeling self-conscious about it when she had awoken that morning, wrapped carefully in Tenebrys's arms. She had become less so when she had felt a rush of longing, adoration, and a healthy dash of lust from him.
She didn't know how she was going to get used to being tied to him in such a way.
Magic was the only explanation she had for her new set of horns and the fangs and claws that seemed to come out when she was angry.
One thing was certain: Delphi would never be accepted in the human world again.
It didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.
For one thing, she had never really been accepted anywhere she had lived.
She had always been afraid of her witch blood, of being different, and was tired of having to hide who she was.
At least she now had a home, a place to belong, and a lover who adored her.
The magic had been restored to the chateau, and the wards reactivated. What came crawling out to try and kill them, they would face it together.
That was the thing about Tenebrys. Delphi knew that she now had someone to watch her back and help her with whatever obstacles got in her way. It was a strangely wonderful feeling.
The rose of fire that had bloomed in her chest the night before was no longer shining, but her magic did feel different. What had always felt like a little ember was now a blazing hot core. She was no longer afraid of it and wanted to learn about this part of herself so desperately.
Mid-afternoon, she gave up on her books and her pages and pages of writing about what her new magic could do, what her blood could do, and how she could figure out how to use it.
Instead, she went to the kitchen, where she knew how to cook. It felt good to do something practical after being stuck in her head all day. Tenebrys was summoning all his shifters back to the chateau, so Delphi thought the best way to make them feel welcome would be to cook for them.
How long had it been since these males had been fed a proper meal? If they were anything like Tenebrys, they would have gotten excited over a simple stew. Delphi wanted to do better than that.
The magic slowly returning to the chateau should have been an indicator when she had first found the flour, just like it shouldn't have surprised her to step into the kitchen to find that the pantries and the cold room were now stocked with ingredients.
Delphi hurried to the back door and opened it up to the vegetable garden. It was as if the earth had cracked open, and new life had sprung forth everywhere. The weeds were gone, the trees were trimmed back, and everything seemed to be in full bloom.
"I really need to learn how the heart works because this is incredible," Delphi murmured to herself.
It was a wonder, and at the same time, all she could think about was all the fairytales she had read as a child, warning her never to eat magical food.
She supposed that she could now be classified as a magical creature, and if there was any danger to it, it was far too late to worry about. She had been eating from the garden since she arrived.
That thought made her pause in her picking. Was it because she had been eating magical food that her own power had awoken so strongly?
Goddess Rosemerta only knew. She was starting to think that maybe focusing on how to use it, rather than where it came from, would be a better use of her time. Magic was mysterious and did what it wanted. She thought again about her blood and the flowers that Tenebrys said it grew.
"One way to be sure," she murmured and bit the pad of her thumb with one of her fangs.
When she tasted blood, she knelt down and let it drip on the dirt.
Nothing happened for a long moment, and then the dirt shivered.
Delphi stared in wonder as shoots rose from the ground and blue flowers burst free. In her chest, her magic sang.
Delphi slowly stood, sucking at her wound. What else could she do now that her magic wasn't being smothered anymore? She was almost scared to think about.
"Cooking. That's all you need to think about now," she said, shaking herself out of her stupor and picking up her basket.
She turned and spotted a tall shifter standing in the shadows by a tree. He was watching her carefully, a confused expression on his face.
"Oh, hello, I'm Delphi," she said, giving him a little wave.
The shifter came towards her, carrying a heavy-looking sack.
"I'm Syn," he said, his voice deep and a little shy. "I was sent to give you some meat and keep an eye on you while the king is busy."
"It's nice to meet you, Syn, and thank you for the meat. It's perfect timing." She smiled brightly. "I'm making everyone dinner tonight. I figure there has to be some kind of big table or feasting hall in this place that I haven't discovered yet that we can use."
Syn cocked his head in a curious gesture. Like Tenebrys, he was clearly a cat shifter, but she wasn't sure which type and didn't know if it was rude to ask.
"You want us to all eat together? With cutlery and things like that?" he asked, brow furrowing. "Like civilized people?"
Delphi laughed at him. "Yes, I do. The magic in the chateau has returned, and I don't see why we can't celebrate that. And the fact that I have finally taken Tenebrys off the market." She gave him a big wink that seemed to confuse him even more.
"I'm going to have to tell the others to make sure they wash in the lake tonight," Syn said finally. "They have spent a lot of time out in the woods. It's a long time since we have tried to act civilized."
"Don't you have rooms inside? If none of you can leave for a while because of the fae, why don't you pick a room?
I'm sure the bathrooms all work now." Delphi dared to reach out and place a hand on his large forearm.
"I know you have all suffered, and that my family was responsible for a lot of that.
I'm truly sorry for all the harm they did, and I want to ensure that I start on the right foot with everyone…
and I'm babbling, so I'm going to stop now. "
"I'm starting to see why Tenebrys is so besotted with you." Syn's smile was unexpected and a bright slash against his black fur. "Felix already speaks highly of you, so you don't have anything to worry about with the others no matter how surly they pretend to act, my queen."
"Oh, dear goddess, please don't start with that. I'm Delphi, and Delphi is who I'm going to stay," she declared, her cheeks flushing
Syn smirked. "Good luck with that."
"Why? There are only eight of us. Seems ridiculous to stand on any kind of ceremony."
"You'll find that some of the others are old-fashioned and will think it rude to address you by your first name.
We follow our alpha, and you are his mate," Syn replied matter-of-factly.
"If you are determined to pursue this mad idea of eating together, make sure to include a vegan option.
Eiran is a stag shifter." Syn laughed darkly.
"I can't wait to see how long it will take before Tenebrys tries to kill him tonight.
Eiran might appreciate a good final meal before that. "
And with that mysterious pronouncement, Syn disappeared into the kitchen, still chuckling under his breath.