Chapter Twenty-Two #3
Arianna looked up to see the half-breed glance toward Saoirse, then back to Zylah.
Her head dipped a bit, as if she were so used to bowing that she couldn’t help herself.
“I served her for a long time. My previous owner wasn’t …
kind, but Lady Saoirse freed me even before the command came from our queen.
She’s been teaching me to read and write and I just started learning to play piano last month.
” Her face lit up. “I never imagined I would get to do more than clean those beautiful keys. The melodies on it are so grand. I’ve been rotating other work to see if there’s anything else I’d enjoy, but nothing has compared to working for Lady Saoirse. ”
Saoirse inclined her head. “You flatter me.”
The half-breed laughed. “You gave me everything.”
Zylah’s face twisted at the comment. Gave her everything. No, Saoirse and people like her had taken everything. They’d purchased her, kept her in chains, treated her as lesser.
But the smile on the half-breed’s face gave Arianna pause. Saoirse had made changes. The palace had made changes. Shouldn’t those changes be recognized? When did the fighting and animosity stop? It wasn’t as if everything could reach perfection overnight.
It took someone like Saoirse, willing to admit their faults and change.
Someone like this half-breed, willing to accept said change and not to harbor ill intent.
People like them would carve out the foundations for their future.
The pain could never be erased; it went too deep, but perhaps, someday, they could learn to move past it.
After several more turns and another flight of stairs, the female pulled out a ring of keys. She tugged one off and inserted it into the lock. The female let the door swing open then stepped back. “For you, my Queen. Lord Alec wanted you to have the grandest guest room available.”
Arianna stepped over the threshold and peeked inside. A low fire already crackled in the hearth. Somehow, the interior part of the palace was cooler despite the warm air outside. She’d welcome the burning embers and likely the plush blanket draped over one of the armchairs.
Talon entered with her, inspecting every inch of the space while the half-breed waited outside.
If she were offended, the female didn’t show it.
Arianna leaned against the door frame, her body angled so she could watch both Talon and The De—Rion.
Rion. She needed to start calling him by his name.
Her mate. Her heart rate spiked at the very thought.
Talon finished with the bathroom and paused just inside the room. He furrowed his brow and addressed the half-breed. “Where is my room, exactly?”
The female gestured. “Right down the hall.”
Talon grimaced. “I think I’d prefer us to be closer.
” Arianna couldn’t really blame him. “Would it be too strange for you if we shared a room?” Rion’s fists clenched, and he stood straighter, his jaw tightening as he looked Talon over.
Some part of her felt as though they’d fought before. She remembered … something.
“I think—I think I’d just like some time to myself.”
Talon shifted on his feet. “Are you good?”
Arianna wrapped one arm around her middle, feeling the heaviness of the world crash down around her. “I’m not sure ‘good’ is in my vocabulary right now.”
She felt so at odds with herself, but she couldn’t put it all into words. Who was she really? What secrets from her past had been locked away from her memory? How many of the feelings running through her were actually her own?
Talon ran a hand through his messy hair. They all needed a night to clean up, rest, piece everything that had happened together, and prepare for the events about to unfold.
“Okay,” he relented. “Did the iron at least help to ease your mind? About all of us?” He gestured in a small circle, but she knew what he meant.
Arianna held her midsection tighter and stepped further into the room, wanting to retreat. “Yes and no.” Sadness flickered across his face. “I trust you,” she whispered.
Talon’s shoulders relaxed a little. “But you don’t trust him.” Gods above, did they have to talk about this right now in front of an audience?
Anger rose through her again. Anger at the situation. Anger at her own faults. Anger that she was being cornered when she’d done nothing wrong. “Can you honestly tell me,” she bit out, “that he’s never hurt me? Not one time?”
Talon’s lips parted, but another voice, this one far darker and seductive, answered for him. “He can’t.” Rion stood with one arm on the threshold, staring at her like his life depended on the next few moments.
“Why?” she demanded, tone icy. She hated this anger, too. Hated that she didn’t even know if it was her own.
The Demon didn’t answer. She turned to Talon, brows raised, waiting, but Talon stepped around Rion, effectively trading places with the male. “I should probably let you two have this conversation without me.”
Panic spiked through her and Arianna let her arms fall to her sides, magic already sparking at her fingertips. “You’re just going to leave me here with him?”
Talon gave her a sad smile. “You’ll be fine, just … hear him out, at least.”
“And try not to tear up the room,” Saoirse added. “I rather like this one.”
They walked away. All of them, even Zylah, though the half-breed gave her a backward glance as she moved down the hall. She offered Arianna a reassuring smile before turning away.
And just like that, she was alone with the monster.
Rion remained leaning against the wall, his arms relaxed, though she could tell from his body position that he was just as worn out as she felt. “Do you want me to close the door?”
“No.” Her answer was quick and breathless. No, she couldn’t be trapped with this creature. This was his domain. His home. He likely knew every inch of this place.
Rion remained still, even as Arianna’s eyes darted to the hall beyond his body. She couldn’t get around him. She was trapped. Her magic. She could shove him aside and run to her father. But would her father demand she hear Rion out, too? Was everyone determined to force her to speak with this male?
Rion pushed off from the wall slowly. She backed away, her magic flaring in her chest. She knew he noticed, even if he didn’t show it. The Demon moved along the outskirts of the room, leaving her exit wide open. Arianna inched toward it, never turning her back on the predator before her.
Rion slowed beside the bookcases and ran long fingers delicately over the spines, examining each in turn.
She swallowed again, peering at the exit, but something kept her in place.
Did she want to hear him out? He’d freed up her escape route.
She could leave anytime she wished. And he’d put on iron, which meant he wasn’t being controlled by Vairik, at the very least. Gavin had put on iron, too.
That ruled out his influence. And the council had been taken care of.
Arianna tried to convince herself she was safe, but she hadn’t felt safe in such a long, long time.
She was so confused. Her mind reeled, struggling to figure out what was real and what had been fabricated.
Arianna clenched and unclenched her fists.
He didn’t turn to her. Didn’t hurry her along, as if, despite her question, he was waiting for her to decide.
You’re in control.
“Tell me one real thing,” Arianna finally said. “Tell me something that will make me believe any of this.”
Rion didn’t move. He just studied the books, then his arm finally fell away.
“You were thrown at my mercy by subordinates who’d discovered you possessed magic.
They hoped I’d perceive you as a half-breed meant to serve me and that, given you were from Móirín, you would try to kill me yourself.
But I knew what you were the moment I set eyes on you. ”
“So why not kill me?”
His brow furrowed, and he turned slightly, one hand reaching up to rest over his heart.
“I think I knew what you were. Not consciously, but some instinctual part of me knew. I’d never,” Rion cleared his throat.
“Before you, females weren’t something I …
desired.” Arianna’s cheeks heated. “And yet my magic lunged for you. Not to kill,” he quickly added, “but to touch you, claim you. But you were rightfully terrified, and it snapped me out of whatever trance I’d fallen into. ”
She glanced at the door again, but part of her had relaxed. “No love at first sight then?”
He laughed to himself, the sound bitter.
“No, nothing like that. I came and went for a while and you kept the place clean. Prepared meals. Got yourself strong again. Then I met Talon on the battlefield. I don’t know what happened exactly.
I was distracted. I always thought about you.
Your scent was intoxicating in a way that infuriated me.
I hated being around you and I hated being away. He got past my defenses.”
Rion stopped moving. “I don’t know what was going through my head.
Looking back, it doesn’t make any sense.
I should have run back to Nàdair, to Saoirse.
I doubt I would have made it, but still—I knew I was dying and instead, I ran to you.
Maybe that was part of the bond, telling me exactly where I needed to go.
” He met her gaze then, eyes swimming with emotion.
“You saved me, then, despite everything, and took care of me afterward.”
Arianna’s jaw feathered. She’d saved him? Just like that? Talon had already told her part of this story, but hearing it from him was different. Deeper.
“What happened afterward?”
Rion turned away again, his gaze focused on a lamp situated in the center of a desk.
“Life returned to normal, or as normal as it could get. We seemed to have an understanding for a while, but I returned one evening to find you gone. I thought you’d run, but instead I found you at the river’s edge with the Fairy Folk at your feet.
You’d decided to stay and when you spotted me, you approached.
” He smiled. “Cautious of course, but still, you approached where so many others had fled. You had the entire river to your back. I thought you were plotting something, planning to lure me in. But then you told me the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. ”
“What?” she pressed, far more intrigued than she thought she’d be.
“You told me I wasn’t a monster. You weren’t lying, and it was like, a force, maybe the bond, drew me to you.” Rion looked at her then. “That was our first kiss.”
Arianna’s cheeks heated. “And we just kissed?”
Rion chuckled and turned away. Was he being … bashful? “Yes, that’s all we did for a time. I wasn’t … I’m still not particularly fond of touch. Aside from you, of course. At least the you with your memories.”
Arianna cocked her head. “Are you scared of me?”
He smiled, but she couldn’t discern why. “I’m afraid of you doing something you’ll regret when your memories do return. Rest assured, I won’t make any attempts to push myself on you, if that’s something you’re worried about.”
“And yet you kissed me.”
Rion ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, well, you did have a blade to my throat.”
Right. Fair enough. She fidgeted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. How was she supposed to feel? To act? This male felt like a threat and the center of her universe all at once. Part of her wanted to kill him and part of her wanted to run into his arms.
“What did you mean earlier, about hurting me?”
Rion grimaced. “Where to begin.” He sighed. “Vairik and Niall both have apparently made it their life’s mission to inflict as much pain on me as possible. When we were in Ruadhán, Niall attempted to convince us the bond wasn’t real.”
“How?”
“He started small at first, but things escalated. He—there was an incident. I thought you were in trouble and ran to your aid. Niall made me believe I encountered your attacker when it was actually you.” Rion’s jaw worked, and he nodded toward her arm.
“The scar there,” she looked down at the thick mark.
“I broke the bone and the one on your neck—” She reached up instinctively.
“I nearly tore out your throat. It’s part of the reason you’re afraid of my magic. ”
He’d almost killed her? That was a step beyond simply hurting her. “Why didn’t you?”
“I tasted your blood. No matter what kind of sick hold they had on me, they couldn’t mask that.”
“Talon said you ran.”
“Because you commanded me to.”
Commanded. And the way he was looking at her now told Arianna he’d listen to almost anything else she commanded.
Arianna rubbed her temple, feeling the headache from earlier pulsing. “I think I’d like to be alone now.”
He bowed slightly, lower than she expected. “Of course. There’s a bell flower by the door, just ring it, and a servant will come to assist you.”
Rion started for the exit, but she stopped him. “Where is my sister?”
“In the infirmary. Your father is with her.”
Silence again. His lips parted as if he wanted to say more, but Rion ducked from the room, his nearly silent footfalls disappearing down the hall.