Chapter Seven
I ’ve never been a calm and delicate creature.
However, this new whirlwind of emotions is truly giving me whiplash.
Blood roars in my ears, and rage sets my skin on fire. I want to punch the elf woman in the face. It’s not her fault, really, and I know that. But...
I turn away from her and look at Blake.
And now all I can think about is punching him in the face. Ok, well, good to know that my irrational anger shows no favoritism. It’s ok. I should be fine. As long as he doesn’t open his–
“Yeah, babe. I don’t think that this look is going to be very incognito for sneaking around the castle.”
And there it is folks!
My fist flies through the air and hits him square in the chest.
He wheezes a bit, and I find the sound… strangely comforting.
Wow. Look who is becoming a real psycho. Maybe my hormones are out of whack a little, and my moon cycle is starting?
I try to think back to the last time I bled, but I can’t seem to recall. That and Blake’s dramatic whining are seriously distracting me.
Oh well. I have heard human women chalk their random acts of aggression up to impending cycles, so I will simply concede to that theory as well.
Although… I have always had my cycle with the new moon and if we have been here for two weeks, I should have bled last week. Or was it the week before? My brain begins to fixate, and I don’t understand why this seems so important.
My anger calmed at some point during my sudden obsession with deciphering my fertility cycle. Even my shifted features have receded. It just feels like there is something important that is just outside of my reach. Something worrying in the back of my mind that I can’t quite decipher. Something I need to–
“What the fuck are you thinking about that has you looking like you are about to shit your pants? Is the food messing with you or something?” Blake rubs his hand across his chest and looks at me with concern in his eyes.
Guilt floods me instantly, and my bottom lip sticks out firmly, my pout set in place, and tears welling in my eyes. I open my mouth, and words just start spewing out of it.
“I was just thinking about my moon cycle, and I don’t know if it’s come yet, but I guess it’s going to be here soon because I’m a mess, and I hit you again, and I feel like I’m crazy because one minute I’m happy, then sad, then really fucking angry and being a complete bitch and I’m so sorry Blake, but at the same time I kinda want to hit you again!“ When I stop to take a breath, I start hiccuping.
He comes close, wrapping his arms around me, and I melt into his embrace. All of my confusion and irritation just melts away. Logically I know it’s all still there. Hiding in the back of my mind. But for one blissful moment, I relax.
Blake continues lazy strokes up my back as his words vibrate against my cheek. “You aren’t crazy, and you aren’t a bitch. Well– any more than usual.”
He lets out a small yelp when I let go, just enough to give his ass a firm smack.
Cheeky asshole.
He pulls me in tighter. “As I was saying, you aren’t crazy, Sythia. You’re just–”
“I am sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving if we want to arrive before the ceremony starts.” Midori’s voice is gentle, but her words instantly make the room cooler.
Blake seems increasingly agitated about something, but Lucian needs us. We simply can’t waste any more time.
I pull out of his embrace, and Midori helps me into a very pretty hooded robe. I’m about to comment on how the large hood partially obstructs my view, when I see Midori and Blake adjusting their own hoods and obscuring most of their faces.
Oh yeah. Blending in.
That makes sense.
Midori moves to the front of us, and Blake takes his position at my back. When she opens the door, we clearly see that the halls are filled with bustling elves. I hesitate but quickly realize that they are all so focused on their own tasks that no one spares us a single glance. We exit the room and close the door behind us and still have yet to garner the attention of anyone around.
After a quick tap to the door– some type of redirection magick as it works on me instantly– Midori gently moves down the hall, leading us in the same direction that most of the other elves are moving as well.
We descend stairways and wind through hallways that all look far too similar to one another. More stairs. More hallways. The pattern repeats for what seems like seven levels worth. How fucking tall is this castle? And why does it seem like the next set of stairs is on the opposite end of the hallways every time? It would take you ages to get anywhere on a regular basis.
An eternity later, the stairs widen, and we step onto a flower-lined grass walkway. It’s like the entire castle was built on top of the most beautiful garden. Flowers bloom in what should be overly crowded clusters, but instead, they simply compliment the soft open grass of the winding path.
We pass through a trellis of bright blue leaves and come out into a vast open courtyard lined with hundreds of types of flowers, all in various shades of white and ivory. Flowers in groups surround the area, and small ones line a path down the middle of the space.
When I glance up, I see that the entire area is actually carved right out of the center of the castle. Almost as if the castle was simply built around this massive garden. It would seem that the ruling family responsible for the castle’s creation wanted to pay homage to the nature they were beginning to lose touch with.
It’s both beautiful and sad.
Midori keeps moving, and I gently grab her cloak so as to not lose her in the crowd. Blake does the same. She keeps pressing forward, moving us as close as possible to the very front. She hits a roadblock when we reach the third row. The lines of elves further ahead are dressed in more opulent clothing with thin robes and hoods that do not obstruct their faces.
Nobles.
As irritated as I am at our distanced view, we won’t be able to blend in with the nobles, and it’s much more likely that we will be identified.
So we stand. And we wait.
It isn’t long before a tinkling sound fills the air. Everyone quiets and watches as the royals enter from the side.
The king enters first, all tall wide strides and arrogant confidence. His face would be handsome if not for the hard lines and tight set of his lips. From the look on his face, I’d wager that he’s permanently got his asshole clenched as tightly as possible.
A man rushes from the other side and meets the King when he stops in the middle and faces the crowd. This new guy is very drab looking for an elf. Not an air of confidence about him. He quickly brushes off the King’s hood and bows before him a million times before resigning himself to the only shadows in this entire room. This must be his personal servant.
A beautiful low hum fills the air around me, and I quickly realize that it’s coming from the elves. The sound is mesmerizing and seems to appease the King. It ends as softly and swiftly as it started, and the next royal enters.
The Queen is literally everything you would expect. Perfectly poised and with slightly sharp features. She walks with more grace in her pinky toe than I could ever hope to possess in my entire being. In fact, her glide and near-glowing complexion make her look as though she were a ghost.
If ghosts were real and came in the form of the most beautiful creature in existence.
She stops beside her mate, and at his pointed glance, she moves slightly behind him. Keeping him the center of attention. I expect the same type of sound from the elves. A musical bow to their Queen. But there is nothing.
Clearly, this kingdom has warped views on being honorable to anyone other than the King. The elves around me all turn their attention to the end of the pathway we just walked up, and I follow suit.
We all watch as the two beings begin their journey towards the King.
The Princess glides with the same elegant grace of her mother, and her appearance is a near duplication of the woman. Her gown is crested with tiny sparkling green jewels, and the white shimmery fabric is so thin that she might as well be completely naked.
I mean, I love my body and all its curves. But the near nakedness and blasé confidence of the Princess makes me truly appreciate all of the covers I can hide under right now.
As they move closer, I finally get a glimpse of the Princess’ escort, and my heart stops beating.
Lucian.
My love.
My stoic giant.
My soulbond mate.
Do you know that saying ‘seeing is believing’?
Apparently, my heart didn’t believe this was all true until I saw him walking side by side with her in his own fancy clothing. To the untrained eye, he would seem just as calm and reserved as the rest of them. But I see it clear as day.
Pain.
My heart starts beating again and speeds up faster and faster.
Fuck this blending-in shit.
Fuck this ceremony.
And fuck these elven bastards who think they can destroy my soulbond.
Over my dead body…