Chapter 5 #2
“Looks that way.” I felt guiltier and guiltier with every passing second.
My intention had never been to lead Viper on, to make him think there was a chance of us having more than the fling we’d shared in that warm cabin.
When I’d pleaded for his help, I’d dismissed his affection, but that didn’t seem to be enough to stomp out the flames in his heart.
I owed that man everything, and that was an awkward position to be in.
My mother didn’t press the conversation further.
In happier times, she would have had a joke or a taunt to share.
“Well, we owe that man everything. Make sure he has accommodations here in the castle until he’s well enough to return home.
We’ll make sure his men are taken care of and provided accommodations in the meantime. ”
“They’re vampires,” Hawk said. “So I’m not sure how he’ll feed them.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about them preying on our people,” I said. “They wouldn’t have sailed all the way here to help us, just to eat us instead.”
“Unless that was their motivation all along,” Hawk said. “Under the guise of…affection.”
“No, I believe this man’s sincerity,” my mother said immediately. “When a man loves a woman, all of his intentions become purely unselfish.”
I sat at my father’s bedside, his expression relaxed and impassive like the last time I’d seen him. A battle had come and gone, and he remained bedridden, his sword hanging on the wall where my mother had placed it.
My hand reached for his on the bed, my fingers resting on his knuckles.
His body gave a slight twitch at the touch, like a transfer of energy took place. Then his eyebrows furrowed in unease, and his hand slowly turned over before his fingers weakly closed around mine. It seemed to take all his strength to do it, but the moment he felt me, he couldn’t resist.
“You know it’s me,” I whispered.
He lay still again, like he’d used whatever energy reserves he had to show me affection.
At least he knew that I’d survived the battle. That we were victorious. That the kingdom he protected was still safe from the monsters that wanted it for themselves.
“Hawk and I are going to find the cure to bring you back, Dad. I promise.” I stared at our hands, his palm so much bigger than mine, immediately reminding me of Callum’s…
His fingers slowly tightened around mine and gave one single, weak squeeze.
Like he knew I would keep my promise.
A knock sounded on my door. “Your Highness, General Viper requests an audience.”
After the battle and the cleanup, I’d showered and slept for nearly an entire day. I ate the meal that the servants brought to me then took another shower. Now I sat in my black robe with damp hair in front of the fireplace, my broken mind trying to process everything that had just happened.
And the fact that Callum hadn’t been there.
That he still hadn’t come to me.
That an entire week had passed since he’d told me he loved me.
I should feel only grateful that the Southern Isles had survived the attack by the Barbarians. That my family was still alive. That Khazmuda and the others hadn’t been shot down and turned into monsters.
But I was utterly devastated that Callum hadn’t returned to me.
I still possessed his strength, so I knew he was still here…still somewhere.
Was he trapped and needed my help…or was he really just delayed?
“Queen Lily Rothschild?” the guard repeated.
I snapped out of my thoughts. “Yes, let him in.” I didn’t change out of my robe because Viper had seen me naked in his bed.
Had tasted every part of me. Already knew me in a way only a lover could.
And our affair had been just a few months ago, basically a heartbeat.
While it was passionate with blazing flames, I’d fallen in love with Callum so quickly afterward that I wondered how real it had ever actually been.
The door opened and Viper entered, dressed in his full uniform and armor like that was the only attire appropriate for a visit with a queen. The only thing missing was his large two-handed blade. He must have left that behind in his quarters because he assumed the guards would confiscate it.
They wouldn’t have, not when I trusted him.
He stopped at the edge of the living room before his eyes gazed over at me. “Is this a bad time?”
“No. I’m just…tired.” And fucking devastated.
He stared at me for another moment before he stepped into the living room. He chose to occupy the armchair next to the fireplace and faced me head on. His forearms moved to his thighs, and he stared at me just the way he always had, with dark, slitted eyes that told their own story.
“I slept for an entire day.”
He gave a slight nod. “After watching you across the battlefield, I’m not surprised. I’ve never seen a human woman fight like that.”
He didn’t ask for the source of my strength, so I let his silent curiosity go unanswered.
“I’ve never seen a woman with that kind of strength. That comes from the fuse with your dragon?”
I’d shared some of my life beforehand, when we were lovers in front of the fire. He seemed to remember those stories. “Yes…partially.”
“Now I understand why the Barbarians wanted to claim your kingdom.”
I gave a nod. “Have you recovered?”
“Yes.”
“How are your men? Is there anything else we can do for them?”
“No. You’ve been very accommodating.”
“And…what of their hunger?”
“We’ve brought our own food on the ships.”
“Oh…” Human slaves and vampire enthusiasts.
I remembered him mentioning this before.
That he had women who wanted him to feed on them willingly.
That it was intimate and sexual, even if no sex was actually involved.
He’d never asked or tried to feed on me when I stayed with him.
Probably already knew what my answer would be.
“I think they need a few more days of recovery. Then we’ll return home.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
He stared at me with eyes that never left my face, regarding me with an endless depth. “You mean that?”
“After what you did for us, you could stay here forever.”
He occupied the chair that Callum usually sat in, filling the seat well with his large size. But while muscular and handsome and irresistible in a different scenario, he wasn’t Callum, the man I loved beyond the veil that separated the living from the dead.
Viper’s hard stare continued across the room.
It was so intense I almost felt like I needed to address it. “What will you do about Kingsnake?”
“Meaning?”
“I imagine he’ll be angry with you when you return.”
“That’s my problem, not yours.”
“But perhaps there’s something I can offer to dull his rage—”
“I want nothing from you, Lily.” His voice remained gentle, but there was a command in his tone. The very tone that earned the respect of his army that followed him across the sea to a battle that was none of their concern.
“I would still like to compensate you for your trouble.”
“What I want from you is something that can only be given freely.”
A sledgehammer flattened my heart. The guilt oozed out like blood from a wound.
He was so straightforward about it that there was no room for misinterpretation.
Last time he’d propositioned me, Callum had been present, and I was so uncomfortable by both of them being there that I didn’t know how to handle the situation.
And now that Callum wasn’t here, I was so devastated I still didn’t know how to handle it. So I let his words hang there in the air between us…unreciprocated.
He continued to stare at me like he wasn’t offended by my silent rejection.
“When you came to me, you asked if I knew where to find platinum. After speaking with both of my brothers about it, I think there’s a chance it could be located where my other brother Aurelias lives, far out to the west. I sent a missive to ask him about it, but he lives so far away that I didn’t receive his reply before you called for aid. ”
My heart trembled several times in my chest before I could form words with my mouth. “Why do you think that?”
“Because it’s a very cold place. There’s snow almost all year-round.
When I spoke to our blacksmith, he said different elements are formed under specific conditions.
Something iridescent with a diamond-like quality would probably be found in a cold climate.
It snows in my kingdom, but we’ve never come across what you speak of, so I can only assume it’s not there. ”
I immediately got to my feet and left the room. “Wait, let me get a map.” I moved to the desk in my bedroom, snatched the world map, and came back to him with a quill. “Can you circle it on this map?” I kneeled before him, my wet hair still slicked back from my face.
He stared at me for a hard second when I was so close to him.
His eyes eventually dropped to the map that I’d extended to him.
“Your map is incomplete. It only shows your immediate area, and there’s so much more out there.
” He grabbed the quill from my hand and spread the map across the armor of his muscular thighs.
“But it would be here.” He marked an arrow in the corner of the map.
“I can take you there myself if that would be easier—”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“But as I said, I don’t know if it’s there. I never got my brother’s response.”
“But you think it’s there?”
He gave a slight shrug. “When I went to war there, I noticed the king and his men had steel-like weapons that were different from ours. I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but I suppose it’s possible they could have been platinum.”
“Then you need to take me.”
“Alright, but as I said, it’s very far away—”
“We can fly. Get there in a fraction of the time.”
His eyes scanned mine, searching through all my desperation and optimism.
“I have to save my father, Viper. Please help me.”
A slight smirk moved over his lips. “I betrayed my brother and my king to fight for you. You really think there’s anything I wouldn’t do for you, Lily?
” The smile faded the longer he looked into my eyes.
“My army can wait until I return before heading back. They deserve the reprieve. I’m ready to leave whenever you are. ”