Chapter Seven
No. No no no no no. This couldn’t be happening. I jerked away from the prince and shoved myself behind my assassins. The king perched on the edge of the dais and started commanded his son to return to his throne. The prince kept trying to push past Whist and Sky, but they refused to move. Princess Indigo laughed so hard tears streamed from her eyes and the queen stared at her temper tantrum throwing husband with malicious disgust in her eyes. Interesting. Perhaps the king didn’t have the support or respect of any of his family.
Chaos surrounded us and I was suffocating, drowning. It was one thing to choose to accept the bond with my assassins, to choose to take a step back from my political protests, to start a new life with my new family. It was a whole other thing to join the royal family I’ve spent most of my life protesting against. And that was if the king still didn’t decide to execute all of us anyway.
The prince finally realized he wasn’t getting to me and finally heard his father. “Enough.” He barked out the word in a sharp, deep voice.
It did the trick.
The king shook with rage. “This is unacceptable, Aster. There is no way this... this girl is your kindred soul. You must be joking.”
The prince moved to stand in front of us. “It is no joke, Your Majesty. She is my kindred soul. You cannot kill her. She is my only kindred soul. It would be against your laws.”
“We cannot have a seditious musician who stands against everything we are join the royal family.”
Princess Indigo arranged her face into a placid expression. “Your own laws make it so, Your Majesty. And think of the positives to this. Those who have agreed with Rhapsody’s songs will be silenced when she joins our family. And we can take into account her ideas and beliefs to better run the country. Perhaps it’s time for some changes.”
“What changes? Our country is thriving and perfect. And everyone but this girl here and a few other outliers are happy with our laws.” The king sounded like a petulant brat.
Princess Indigo shrugged. “Then why does it matter so much about her songs?”
“Because it makes our citizens think and some start to believe there’s something wrong with Faligrey.”
“And if we have citizens who disagree with our laws, we should take their concerns seriously to show we care about them. This is the perfect solution. And you cannot keep Aster from his kindred soul. Since she has four, she’s clearly his only one. It would be cruel and he would be unable to continue our line.”
The king’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. He can have his kindred. If she can prove her allegiance to the crown, give up her music, and go through etiquette and royal history lessons.”
“And if I refuse?”
Everyone jumped when I finally found my voice. Watching them talk about me like I wasn’t there had stolen my words, the shock too strong for anything to break through until the king said I had to give up my music.
The king’s eyes glittered with malice. “If you refuse, you do not get your new kindred.”
I refused to hide my disdain for the man. “Then I refuse.”
A nasty smile spread across his mouth. “Then enjoy your last remaining days with your other kindreds in the dungeons.”
Saber stepped up to my back to whisper in my ear. “Go with it for now. We’ll figure something out.”
It felt like I swallowed barbed wire. “Fine. I accept your terms.”
“Excellent. One more thing. You and my former assassins will be put under house arrest. You will go nowhere without a squad of my royal guards. Wouldn’t want you trying to escape your fate.”
Damn.
“Fine. Your Majesty.” The words barely made it past my gritted teeth.
“Excellent. You can return to the assassins’ rooms. Maybe once you’ve bathed, you’ll look a little more human.”
He was such a dick, even worse than I had ever imagined. And I’d imagined him as a baby-eating monster.
Saber and Whist took each of my arms and after bowing to the King, they ushered me out the door. Whist remained behind to speak with the prince. I overheard him telling Aster to give me time.
He was going to need a lot of it. Several lifetimes worth.
There was no fucking way I was agreeing to any of it. Especially not bonding with the damn prince. The king could not be my father-in-law. I’d rather slice my own throat.
It pained me to leave Whist behind. I hadn’t had that problem in a while, but the stress and worry must have brought it back. I rubbed my chest as Saber and Sky dragged me along, guards trailing behind us, confused and shocked murmurs passing between them. My mind whirled as I tried to figure out a way out of this. My chest grew tight with panic. I shouldn’t have waited so long to flee to Havisam and start new lives instead of chancing remaining in Faligrey since I didn’t want to give up my music.
“It’s going to be okay, love. We’ll take care of this mess. Somehow.”
I held in the snort, not wanting to hurt Saber’s feelings. They’d sacrificed a lot for me and all I’d done was get them in trouble. And we were even deeper in it with the prince as my kindred because no way in hell was I joining with the family who caused my family’s deaths.
No. Way. In. Hell.
We halted in front of a door and Saber pushed it open. A woman flew at us and I stumbled back, my pulse skittering in shock and alarm.
Sky and Saber broke into massive grins and wrapped her between them in their arms. “You idiot boys. Where’s the biggest idiot?”
“He’s talking to the prince for a moment.” Saber smiled down at her.
“Introduce me to the woman you abandoned me for.”
What? They didn’t tell me they had someone they were leaving for me. Why didn’t they tell me.
Sky chuckled. “Of course. Rhapsody, this is Sarta. Whist’s mother and the palace chef. Sarta, this is our kindred.”
Relief and understanding left me weak and dizzy. I smiled tentatively at her and she yanked me into a hug. “I am so glad they found you.”
“Uh... me too.”
“How’d you hear about it already?” Sky asked.
Sarta chuckled. “News like that spreads fast. I also already heard she’s the prince’s kindred as well. That will certainly make things interesting.”
I bit my tongue to keep from screaming out how much the prince was not my kindred.
“Something we haven’t really had a chance to discuss yet.”
She nods. “Understood. I’ve got a meal in the oven for the four of you and you three look like you could use a bath and a rest. We’ll catch up more tomorrow.” She hugged Sky and Saber again. “So glad you’re alright. Though I wish you’d been able to stay gone. You’ve returned to a right mess, and it’s only getting worse.”
Her words hinted at something more than my kindred drama. Especially based on the look she shared with Sky and Saber.
What didn’t they tell me?
My eyes narrowed with suspicion at the two as Whist slid through the door and his mother attacked him. The special smile of his that always made my stomach lurch lit up his face as he swept her into his arms.
Saber and Sky hustled me through their ridiculous home to a bathroom. “Let’s get clean, love.”
“What was that out there?” I asked.
“What was what?” Sky’s face was pure innocence as he turned the faucet of the bath. A bath which could fit at least seven people.
I didn’t buy it for a second. “The mess we’ve returned to. What don’t I know?”
“We’ll talk everything out later, doll. Let’s get this grime off us, eat some food, and get some sleep before we take it all on, yeah?”
I sighed. “Fine. Your home in ridiculous by the way. Why the hell did you need a bath this massive?”
Sky smirked. “So we can all fit.”
My mind blanked, and I shuddered in delight at the picture his words brought to life.
“Like the thought of that, don’t you?”
“Maybe.”
Part of me wanted to lose myself in them, but the main part of me was tired, filthy, stressed, and starving. Saber and Sky were after nothing more than caring for me. They sat me between them and poured warm water over my shoulders, coating my slick body with soap. Whist slid inside and stripped, taking over for them while they focused on each other.
They spread soap on each other with languid strokes and soft eyes.
“Your mother seems wonderful.”
Whist’s eyes smiled at me. “She is. I’m sorry we’re back here in this shit, but I am glad to know she’s okay and to see her again.”
“I’m glad you didn’t have to give her up. I never wanted that.” I spread soap across his chest, eying the defined muscles on his torso.
Whist massaged shampoo into my hair, turning me away from him and tucking me between his legs. “I know, gorgeous. But it’s what she wanted for me. And what she wanted for those two. And we definitely didn’t want this for you.”
“What the hell are we going to do?” The sponge flopped from my hands and splashed into the water.
“I’m not sure yet. And I’m not saying you should choose Aster as your other kindred, but he is a good man. He’s nothing like the king.” He tilted my head back and rinsed the suds from my hair.
I opened my eyes to see Sky and Saber kissing lazily, their slick and soapy bodies sliding against each other.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t align myself with that family. I can’t.” I didn’t speak the rest of my thought out loud. I’d already turned my back on so many of my beliefs for the men in this room. I would not go further.
“That’s fine. Aster would never force you.” Whist twisted my hair, ringing out the water from my dark strands.
“It may not matter if he doesn’t. I’m sure his father will.” And if the king pushed it, I’d do it if it would save my assassins. Even if I hated myself for it for the rest of my life.