34. Chapter Thirty-Four
34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ELODIE
I was almost certain my ribs were going to crack from the pressure the unknown was wrapping around me. Assessing the room I had walked into as quickly as I could, the layers of rugs covering the floor muffled the sound of my steps.
Flame lights cast a dim glow, enhancing the rich colours of tapestries that adorned the walls. Adding to the ominous weight that pressed down onto me, as I made it a few steps further.
Dark leather armchairs were grouped together on one side; one was occupied, but the muted light wasn’t enough for me to make out who. Before the doors had closed behind me, they stood. Stepping into my path, my stomach swirled as his presence was enough to fill the entire room.
Eyes that glowed almost white were locked on mine, a predatory hunger in them I couldn’t look away from. I didn’t want to. Faint whispers floated to me, whispers that reached into my, teasing at the intimate corners of my mind.
Someone else moved in the room reminding me we weren’t alone.
Marcellus was dressed all in black, the same dark cloak that he wore when I first saw him was wrapped across his shoulders, the swirling patterns woven into it almost pleading for my attention, but I kept my gaze on his.
“Hello,” I breathed, barely breaking the silence that loomed around us. A moment passed before he inclined his head, a small sweep of wind blowing through my hair that had my body alive with energy. I wanted to cross the distance between us, feel his hands on me like they were yesterday. But yesterday he was saving me— or stopping me .
No matter how much I would have preferred it just be us in this room, I knew I was here for a reason. With reluctance, I turned away and willed each step to remain steady as I headed towards the person I wanted to see least.
Bastian’s eyes blazed in the dim light as they followed me. Staying focused on my face despite the fact the dress I was wearing highlighted every dip and curve of my body. His mop of golden ringlets looked a little wilder than the last time I had seen him, the circlet of rubies he wore practically obscured, though I could still feel the pull of the precious gems sat atop his head. I stopped as I made it to the centre of the room, keeping the biggest threat directly in sight.
The prince shifted slightly in his seat, both his hands resting on the arms of the large chair, and I fought the urge to twine my fingers through the bands at my wrists as his silence gnawed away at me. I waited. Waited for him to pass the sentence, to say this time I was being sent to the dungeon.
I would need something else to wear, this dress wasn’t suited for dungeon life.
The stillness dragged on, and he didn’t speak, ramping up the nerves that had me clenching my fists against the trembling that had begun in them.
Marcellus stepped to my side, his hulking frame a strangely comforting presence in this moment of uncertainty.
“Let’s get this over with then,” Bastian drawled lazily, and I tensed as his voice cut through the air. His hands were gripped on the dark wood though his face remained passive.
I was ready to argue my case. I knew what I had done was justified, but would he listen to my reasons? Did he care the guard had attacked me?
The lack of other people in the room was unnerving. Was this where he swept me away like I never existed in the first place?
What sort of sentence would it be? I’d read some crazy stuff in that Faerytale book I’d had in my room, but surely they were just stories.
They didn’t really boil people alive in vats of honey or find a wind witch to pass a concentrated whip of air through your skull to smash your brain. Did they? At that last thought, my eyes flicked to Marcellus.
Was he my executioner? Is that why he’s here?
My mind was running away from me, and I let the sting of nails digging into my palm help keep me focused.
“You will now be guarded at all times by Alouette, or another member of her team. The corridor is clear of remains, and you are still permitted to use the garden courtyard if you wish to,” he recited coolly, as if he was reading a scripted notice.
The world spun as I struggled to process his words, each one taking a direction I hadn’t expected. Bastian had said remains. He was dead—gone. Was this some sort of trick or test?
Where were the dungeons, the death by snake bite?
Where was the ‘off with her head’?
“But I killed him.” It came out in a whisper, like I was trying to keep the truth an unnecessary secret. There was panic thick in my throat at the confirmation of what I had done, but a bigger— almost scarier —part, remembered how good it felt to wield my power against him.
My pounding heart was surely visible through the thin silk of my dress, as my mind barrelled through any reason why they were letting me off. Big Man didn’t exactly scream kind, benevolent ruler .
“No, Little One.” A voice like boulders sliding across each other cut through my thoughts. My head whipped to Marcellus, brown eyes meeting blue. “I killed him.”
My shoulders sagged in equal parts relief and disappointment, and that was all I needed to confirm I was ok with the thought of killing him. But it looked like I wasn’t a murderer after all.
“ You may not have struck the killing blow, but after you smashed his head into the wall, he wasn’t going to live, now, was he? Marcellus just decided to do a little… redecorating, shall we say.” I winced at the mental image, remembering the tempest that had been at our backs as Alouette walked me to my room.
My eyes were still on his, that pull in my chest aching to close the few feet of space between us. The symbols of his cloak swirled beyond my gaze, and as my focus dipped to them, my mind filled with images flicking past faster than I could follow.
Bodies touching, hands stroking, mouths moving against each other.
Heat spread within me, pooling between my legs as I stood there in front of him. Knowing my body would find no relief in this room.
“You can go now, Marcellus,” Bastian commanded from his seat, ripping me from the onslaught that had no place at this strange sentencing. The flush of my cheeks was surely visible as Marcellus scowled at the order, stepping towards me as Bastian’s voice cut between us.
“You can go . Marcellus.”
Tension quivered in the clench of his jaw, and the danger that vibrated from every fibre of his being skimmed lines of want along my skin.
The seconds stretched on as I watched him, unsure of his next move as he searched my face, a question in his eyes that I answered with a fraction of a nod. He reached out, his olive hand covered in tiny white scars and stroked the line of my jaw, before he turned and stalked towards the door. It slammed behind him, the sound bouncing through the room. It was just me and Big Man now.
Not my ideal situation.
Keeping every breath measured, I turned to him, the silence enveloping us both. Bastian’s emerald eyes glinted, and I locked myself in place, trying my hardest not to fidget under his scrutiny. There was still a chance this would all go to shit, and I was growing tired of the constant whiplash on my emotions.
I broke the silence first. “Why do I need Alouette as my guard? It’s not like I can go anywhere.”
“Do you not like her?”
“Yes, I like her, but?—”
“Then where is the issue?” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands spread in question.
“There is no issue with her.” I frowned.
“Then, it’s settled. You will stay with Alouette or a member of her team.” There was a dark edge in his voice that should have signalled the end of the conversation.
But I didn’t give a fuck what he wanted.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“And what makes you think I need to?—”
Whatever shit he had planned on saying was cut off as the door crashed open, wood shuddering in protest as it was thrown against the wall.
Energy flared from my body in reaction to the intrusion. I spun in time to see the paintings rattle, threatened with destruction from the impact. A blast of heat radiated close behind me for only a moment before it dropped away.
In seconds, the tall figure who had burst in was before me, hands gripping my arms tight enough to bruise. My body recognised them before my mind had a chance to catch up, and the magik that had flown from within me pulled back.
An entire storm was trapped behind Kaius’ eyes as he assessed me from head to toe, and my breath left me in a whoosh as I let him hold me up. How long had it been since I’d seen him?
“Why was I not told, Bastian!” Anger transformed him; he was no longer the beautiful Fae whose face transfixed me. Now, he was an avenging angel who had been sent for me.
“You were busy, were you not? I didn’t think you would have appreciated being called away to deal with something like this. Plus, Princess here is just fine.” Bastian settled back, crossing an ankle over his knee as we both faced him, his face of cool indifference fixed on Kaius.
A growl resonated in Kaius’ chest, and I pushed myself slowly away, ignoring the look of hurt I caught. I didn’t need to look any weaker than I already did. I hadn’t seen him in days, and now he wanted to swoop in and be my knight in shining armour.
Not today.
“Where is he? It’s my job to question him,” he demanded, as the shadows in the room deepened.
His job?
“No one can question him or find out who he was, thanks to Princess and Marcellus’ handywork.” He frowned as he looked at me, like I had totally inconvenienced him by fighting off my attacker.
“Find out who he was?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why would you need to find out who he was?”
Something I couldn’t catch flashed across Bastian’s face for a moment, before his mask of mild annoyance was back in place as the pieces fit together.
“He wasn’t a guard, was he?” Anger filled my chest as I looked into his stupid, pretty face.
“He wasn’t.”
“Then who the fuck was he?!”
“And that is my point, he can’t exactly talk, now can he?”
I rounded on Kaius, redirecting my rage, which had been fixed on the prince sat so casually upon his seat, onto him. Stood by my side, again facing off against his friend. For me .
“I told you about him, about him coming to my room. You said you would find him.” It felt wrong putting that on him, but it was the truth.
“Goldie, I?—”
“It’s not his fault you caught the attention of some strange man. Plus, he was busy, and he has more important things to do than be on the lookout for someone just because they made you cry.”
Anger bloomed within me in a powerful surge and with it my magik sprang forward, dancing across my fingertips.
Bastian’s eyes glinted as I stalked towards him. “Made me cry? He fucking attacked me!”
“And now, he’s dead .” Voice low with the edge of threat, one I knew he could easily carry out, he stood slowly from his chair as the room began to heat. “What more do you want, Princess ?”
He was right; he was dead . There was no denying that I was relieved by that fact, but I would have been more relieved if he had died before he had the chance to attack me. We were only a few feet apart, I could practically hear magik crackling across my skin. What I was going to do when I reached him, I had no idea because this was reckless. But right now, I was reckless.
Wild excitement lit his face the closer I came, ignoring the heat that beat at my skin with every inch I made towards him, until a large figure stepped forcefully between us. Breaking the connection as the heat was sucked from the room. Hands closed gently on my arms as I was guided backwards, my magik faltering slightly as Kaius filled my vision.
“Enough, both of you . This isn’t helping. She’s right, I should have done more to find him. This should never have happened, and I know you know that Bas, otherwise you wouldn’t have called her here.” I stepped around him keeping Bastian in sight.
“Why did you call me here? I was expecting to be thrown in a dungeon for murder, but all I’ve managed to get out of you is that I’m getting a personal guard because a man that no one knows attacked me.”
“Would you like to be thrown in my dungeon, Princess? I get the feeling you might like it.”
“No, I really wouldn’t. And stop calling me that,” I snapped as he smirked, lounging back in his chair, large body leaving little of the dark wood to be seen, except the ornately carved top. Kaius stood by my side watching warily.
“What do you want? Name something. Let’s call it a goodwill gesture for this… inconvenience.”
“Inconvenience? That’s what you call being attacked by someone in your own castle?”
“I’m trying to be generous here.”
“Generous?” I parroted in disbelief.
“Are you broken? Have you lost your ability to form words of your own creation? Yes, generous. I am my people's beloved prince after all.” He held his hand over his heart in mock reverence. “You, yourself, are already reaping the benefits of it. Now stop repeating what I’m saying and ask for something.”
He was right, and I fucking hated it. I came here preparing to be chucked in a dungeon, not to have a request granted. It was unnerving, and my mind was spinning in every direction in an attempt to decide what I could ask. What he would agree to.
“A phone.”
Unlikely.
“Obviously not.”
I rolled my eyes at him, though I already knew that was coming.
“Answers.”
“Another no, Princess.” I ground my teeth at that little nickname, earning me a small laugh of amusement at my annoyance. “One more chance before I send you on your way.”
“Fine,” I all but growled. Running out of time, and obviously ideas, I cast my eyes around for inspiration before they touched on something at the far side of the room.
“Books!” I blurted out, feeling Kaius’ head turn at my exclamation. Hope flared within me; this was what I wanted.
“Books?” Bastian’s eyebrow raised.
“Yes, books. I’m sure you must have read one at least once in your privileged life.”
“I know what books are. I just don’t know why you would want them?”
Too eager. Fuck, I’d been too eager, and now he might say no.
He was definitely the type to do shit like that.
“Because, you might be unaware, being your captive is ridiculously boring, as are the books already in my prison. I need something to occupy me before I die of boredom, and then I’ll never be able to help you like you so desperately need me to.”
I doubted he was going to be offering up a Netflix account anytime soon.
Did Fae have Netflix?
Stop rambling.
I needed this. If he gave me access to actual books, then who knows what I would be able to learn. Maybe I would be able to find a way out of the castle. A way home. I schooled my face into indifference, desperate for him not to see how much I wanted this. Yet desperate for him to agree.
“Fine, you can have your books.” His long legs were stretched out in front of him as he watched me, eyes glinting as much as the circlet of rubies nestled in his golden curls. “You can leave. I’m done with you. For now.”
A fresh wave of anger swept over me at his dismissal, it was almost enough to douse the excitement at the promise of books and the relief of being able to walk away from here. Energy pricked in my fingertips, and forcibly turning my back to him, I walked to the door. Kaius moved with me, and I looked at him, noticing the shadows that darkened his eyes, but I was too angry at them both to care right now.
“Alouette will take me,” I said, as I reached for the door. Grateful that when I opened it, she was indeed still outside, leaning against the opposite wall twirling a dagger in her fingers and smirking at the guards who were doing their best to ignore her.
Without a word, I headed the way I was pretty sure we had arrived from, and she fell into step next to me, leaving Kaius behind.
It wasn’t long before we left the corridor behind, and I relaxed slightly as we walked, me in a stunned silence of disbelief that I was headed back to my room.