Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MERI
“ O ne of the most powerful witches in the world who gave it all up for love. Excuse me, scorned love,” Cormal taunts her. “You could have ruled the world, but you chose to focus everything on your revenge. Why?”
She presses her lips together.
“For his mate, right? At least that is the story I heard.” I throw it out there to see if she’ll bite. “You were his mistress. He met his true mate and kicked you out.”
I pause. That doesn’t make sense. Cormal’s sister is the queen, albeit a forced one, but she didn’t come along until a hundred years after Leandra and Denir parted ways.
“It’s a lie, isn’t it?” I ask her. “One you made up or him?”
She scoffs and fluffs her hair. “What do you think?” Settling on the cot behind her, she crosses her long legs and waves her hand in an imperious manner that sets my teeth on edge. “Go on.”
There’s a lot to unpack here, and it’s not as if the queen of secrets herself is going to tell me anything. So, what do I know? I hold up a finger.
“Denir and Nyssa became rulers of their respective kingdoms around the same time. Neither was supposed to inherit, but because of the power you stole from Madoc, Denir was crowned king. Talks between Nyssa’s father, the King of the Light Fae, and the Fire Fae began not long after. He supported their independence. Unfortunately, dark Fae killed Nyssa’s father, the king, and her mother, leaving the crown available for Nyssa to grab. Of course, she was behind the assassination of her parents, and since the perpetrators were dark Fae, I assume Denir assisted her. Maybe he thought she would be a less formidable adversary than her father. I’m not sure the reason matters, but it’s the first time the two of them collaborated. With your help, I’m guessing. After the Fire Fae Rebellion, the land was divided, and life resumed for them both.”
For the first time in my entire life, Leandra spares me a look of approval. Guess that means I’m on the right track.
“You spent two thousand years by Denir’s side. That’s a hell of a long time. It would have taken something drastic for you to leave him. Something that also involved Nyssa, who had become the incredibly powerful Prime during that time,” I speculate. “Because you used the essence of them both to create me a few years after you left him.”
Leandra claps her hands. “You learned something while you were queen, didn’t you? Very good. But why? That’s the burning question, isn’t it? Denir knows. Ask him.”
She could tell me, but because she’s a narcissistic bitch, she won’t.
“I learned a lot of things while I was queen. After I gave up my crown, too.” I pull the chair across the floor to sit in front of her cell.
“I learned how strong I am. Stronger than you, certainly,” I coolly inform her. When she scoffs, I smile. “You could never endure the things I did. You were a tyrant, pulling and tugging on my leash when the whim took you. Constantly trying to crush my spirit. I used to think you did it out of sheer joy, but I realize you did it to escape the misery inside you. And no matter how hard you tried, my spirit remained intact. Hell of a feat in itself and a clear victory for me.”
I scan her from head to foot. “Something crushed your spirit, and instead of fighting, you went into hiding. Pathetic.” I sneer at her. “Every day, I got up and faced you. Over and over and over. Hiding wasn’t an option. Neither was running. For someone who had little power, that’s pretty damn amazing. The only thing I regret is not believing in myself enough to find a way to leave you sooner.”
She jumps to her feet. “There would have been nowhere to hide. I created you. Like the shoes on my feet, you were mine.”
Madoc comes striding in, darkness swirling around him. “Shut up. If you speak to her like that again, I’ll let Cormal dump you in The Pit or Below for five minutes. That’s how long it would take to have you weeping and begging.”
He grits his teeth. “Tell us. What’s your price? Denir’s life? Happy to oblige.” At my request, he’d left us alone to chat, but having her within reach is driving both him and Cormal crazy.
Her eyes are distant as she stares at something only she can see. “Soon, I’ll tell you.”
Infuriated, his power builds, but I place a hand on his arm. Torturing her will only piss her off. We need to show her we have options, too.
“You told The Wild Hunt Denir doesn’t have the power. What will they do when he can’t display it at the anniversary of his coronation?”
“End him,” Madoc says with a gleam in his eye. “Too bad you won’t get to rub your revenge in his face.”
Leandra stands and makes her way to the bars. “Clever.” She looks from Madoc to Cormal, who’s been sitting in the corner listening to everything. “Unfortunately for you, Cormal, they will end your sister, too.”
She laughs at his furious roar. “Yes, I’ve known for a long time she was Riona. It played nicely into my long-term plans.” A mocking tone to her voice, she adds another dig. “You’re not very good at keeping the women you love safe, are you?”
Furious, Cormal holds out his hand and aims at the floor beneath her feet. Electricity sparks and rises. With a twirl of his finger, it flows from the floor into her. Leandra’s body jerks as it moves through her body. She raises her hand to stop it, but her magic is gone, stripped by the cuffs on her wrist and the bars surrounding her. Falling to her knees, she spits at him.
Her shoulders slump for a brief second, but something inside her rallies. “I will never surrender. Revenge is the only thing left to me. It is my right.”
The way she says it tells me this isn’t about jilted love. Needing to think, I leave them in the dungeons, torturing Leandra, and go find Rivan in the training room. He takes one look at my face and opens his arms wide.
“Any progress?” he asks, cupping the back of my head and holding me to him. His thumb rubs softly across my neck in a soothing manner.
“I may have to wear this bracelet forever.” My pitiful statement is muffled by his chest, but I can’t bring myself to raise my head from the haven of his arms.
He scoops me up. “Let’s take a break.” He carries me into the elevator, and when the doors open, the sweet smell of roses and honeysuckle fill the air around us. Theron’s garden on the roof. He and Fallon spend quite a bit of time up here close to nature. Their own kind of rejuvenation.
Rivan sits in one of the chairs and stares up at the night sky. “Wherever we decide to call home, I want a place on the roof to escape from everything.”
I smile, thinking of the secret place he showed me on top of the light Fae palace. “Yes, but with comfy chairs. And blankets. And snacks.”
He bends his head and kisses me. Butterflies dance in my stomach as the warmth of him spreads through me. “And lots of kisses.”
“Mmm, yes, lots of kisses,” I agree. My hands skim his biceps, enjoying the feeling of the muscles he’s developed in such a short time. “Why haven’t you added the runes back to your body?”
He’s silent for a few minutes. “I don’t need them around you.”
The words make my heart ache and sing at the same time. He purposely left his skin blank to show me he doesn’t need their protection, because I won’t hurt him like she did.
“I love mine,” I remark, showing him my palm. “And I think I want more of them. They’re beautiful.”
“Dangerous, too,” he murmurs, but a smile lurks in the corners of his mouth.
“The island protected me,” I confide. “When the Phoenix soldier was regenerating on top of me, it shielded me from his faery fire.”
His head tilts. “Really? I knew the runes on your body woke up the old magic, but I didn’t know it protected you, too. Interesting.” He settles back in the chair. “You know. There is a rune that will reinforce your shield. We could start with that one.”
I roll my eyes. “Madoc.”
“Madoc worries about your safety. He talks about it all the time,” he confides, probably hoping it will win Madoc points.
“Maybe he should talk to me about it instead of barking at me all the time,” I say, snuggling further into his arms. Staying up all night, trying to get Leandra to agree to transfer the power from me to Madoc, has worn me out. “Let me close my eyes for a few minutes, then I’ll go back down there.”
It’s much later when I wake, and the warmth of Rivan has been replaced by a darker, earthier scent. I open my eyes and find Madoc staring down at me. His steel-grey eyes are full of worry, and his usual snarl is absent.
I run a finger over his lips. “Hello, friend.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, but he bends down and nibbles on my lips in a sweet kiss. “Hello, friend.” Deep grooves line his face. He appears worn out.
“She has waited almost a thousand years for this revenge,” I remind him. “Why? Not for love scorned. Or power. What did Nyssa have to do with it? She was the Prime. I doubt she even cared about Denir.”
He tilts his head to consider my words. “But she owed him a huge favor, right? For helping her get the crown. Maybe he came to collect. But for what? We continue to circle back to that one point.” He drops his head back with a sigh.
“Do you want to be king?” I ask.
He’s done all this to get his crown back, but is it because his kingdom was stolen from him, or because this is what he really wants?
He stares across the rooftop at the city lights around us. “All my life, I was groomed to be king. Forced to sacrifice friends, spend hours of my day learning diplomacy, military strategy, combat, cultures, and traditions. Riding with my father to meet the people. Hearing disputes in the court. I didn’t really question whether I wanted it or not. It was my duty and privilege.”
“What about now?”
His eyes fall to me. “Yes, I want it. Not because it’s mine by birthright or because it was stolen, but because I’ll be a good king. My people deserve to have someone with their best interests on the throne. With the Lesser Fae rising and the light Fae in turmoil, we cannot let the Dark Fae Kingdom fall to the revolution. There’s more at stake than their rights.”
“There is one way to get this out of me,” I begin, but his mouth cuts off the rest of the words.
Usually, his kisses are sweet and demanding, but this one is hard and tinged with anger. At me or the situation, I’m not sure, but there is a lot of emotion simmering under his surly surface.
He moves us from the chair to the ground, where he’s conjured a fluffy quilt for us to lie on.
“I don’t want to hear you say it, much less think it,” he retorts with a fierce expression. His hands are busy, stripping the clothes off me. “All I want to hear are sweet moans when I sink into your body. Or the word yes, falling from your lips.” He stares down at me. “Take my clothes off.”
I wave a hand and remove every stitch. “Mmm, I like this side of you.” My hands tiptoe up his shoulders and across the many scars on his body. “Are all these from the monsters below?”
He stills. “No. Training to be king isn’t for the weak. Or so my father used to say.” He eyes me closely. “Are you sure they don’t bother you?”
“The abuse bothers me,” I return angrily. “Not the scars.” I rise and kiss the ones nearest his heart, paying extra attention to the ones with the smooth edges.
“Say my name,” he demands, his voice hoarse with emotion.
“Madoc,” I murmur, then gasp as his mouth and hands descend on my body.
“Again,” he demands, plunging his fingers inside me.
“Madoc,” I cry out, scoring my nails across his broad shoulders before reaching down to grip him in my hand. Soft, velvety skin with a steel core. Using a little magic, I make my hand slick to glide up and down his shaft.
Inhaling sharply, he pulls it away from his body and laces his fingers with mine. “Not that way. I want to feel you wrapped around me. Say yes.”
“Yes,” I moan, wrapping my legs tightly around his body.
Instead of thrusting, he slowly sinks into me. “I want you to know every inch of me.” His hand pushes against my inner thigh to spread my legs farther apart. “Mmm. So deep.” He flexes inside, making me gasp.
His eyes meet mine. “I never expected you,” he tells me with a serious expression. “You’ve irritated me from the moment we met. Fae. Human. You act like both. Making friends with every dangerous stray you meet. Me. Lux. Aamon. You show fierce loyalty to those in your circle. Tolerance to those outside it. You live life without absolutes like good and evil. You hate being unique, but you defy the norms. You ask for little, but demand everything.”
Lips suckle as his tongue dips into every crevice.
Arching, I offer myself up to him. “You’re no better. Surly. Content to be in the shadows, yet you yearn to wear the crown. Loyalty to Aamon and the few you deem important. Fae. Monster. You act like both. Unyielding integrity packaged in an uncivilized beast with fierce emotions. You ask for little, but demand everything.”
He pulls out and slowly pushes in again, and I moan at the feeling of us joined together.
“Oh, and you’re an incredible lover.”
“Mm, I especially like that last one,” he drawls with satisfaction. “I can’t get enough of you and your delectable body. You might say I’m obsessed.”
My eyes flick to his. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. I can do casual, but I can’t fall for you and have you walk away.”
His eyes narrow, and he spits out, “There will be no casual between us. Intense. Consuming. Obsessed. Those are your only options. Do you understand?”
I raise an eyebrow at his tone. “Respect. Consideration. Love. Do you understand?”
“So, we’re in agreement?” His body moves in and out as he waits for my answer.
My body quivers underneath his. This certainly feels intense and consuming. He stops, and I loop my arms around his neck and pull him down for my kiss of surrender.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
He continues his slow torture, driving us both to the edge of madness before he lets us fall.
Lying together, the cool night air dries the sweat on our skin, and I reach up to push the dark silky strands back from his scruffy face.
“My turn.”