35. Astraea
35
A straea
I left Nyte to rest, heading down the hall toward the small women’s bathing room of this establishment.
Before I reached it I was surprised to find Drystan leaning against the wall.
“Did you keep my brother in his cycle of torture for a while, at least?”
I scowled at him. “He’s fine now.”
Drystan’s eyes dipped to my neck with that, and my skin heated with his knowing look.
“Pity.”
“What are you doing here?
“I guess he didn’t fit in a moment to tell you of our time together. You’re welcome, by the way. If I hadn’t mentioned Reihan’s deal with Goldfell for your blood he wouldn’t have come so quick.”
“You knew all this time?” I accused.
“I did. It seemed harmless enough at the time. Your blood kept vampire activity against the humans down immensely, and your friend alive. I figured the day you came to know about it, you would have a right to feel betrayed but you would understand why the reigning lord did it.”
My heart ached. “I don’t know what I might have done.”
If I’d had the chance to face him for it.
Drystan said, “Nyte showed you the day we found the dragon, didn’t he?”
My pulse skipped recalling that memory. It was tragic to stand in front of Drystan having seen how close we once where. Now, he could hardly stand my company but he needed something.
Then I realized…
“You know how to hatch the egg.” His unwavering expression was confirmation enough. “It was in the diary and you managed to translate it over the years, didn’t you? Is that why you wanted me to see it?”
“Smart girl. I don’t know if the egg is alive to hatch but yes, I know how to do it.”
“Tell me.”
My palms clammed with exhilaration at the prospect, but Drystan’s hooked brow told me he wasn’t going to give up that information without a gain.
“Meet with me tonight?” he asked.
My chest pounded with the decision. Would Drystan lure me out to hurt me?
“Where?”
“You’ll see. Bring the little rogue, and don’t tell any of the others. I’ll know if you do.”
“Nadia?” Last I gathered she was very keen to hold the ticket for Drystan’s murder.
“You want to mend anything of the past, I’m giving you this one chance of trust,” he said flatly.
He pushed off the wall, passing me, and I twisted after him.
“I’ll be waiting on the rooftop at midnight,” he said before disappearing around a bend.
Shit. I didn’t want to fail him when it could be a chance at getting him to trust me. Yet it could be a trap for something nefarious and it was a secret I had to keep from Nyte.
There were voices inside the bathing chamber, familiar, and when I entered relief relaxed my tense shoulders when I saw the pink hair of Rose first, then Nadia’s flaming red tresses, Davina’s long, crowning dark braid, then one other…
They all turned around one by one, submerged in the large round tub big enough for at least ten people.
“Lilith?” I beamed at the extra unexpected head of stunning green hair and small curving horns.
I couldn’t believe the beautiful, kind fae, who helped me at the manor Nyte had taken me to after I fell in the lake long ago, was really here. I didn’t know how or why, but she was a flutter of tangible joy. Lilith beamed brightly seeing me, her smile stretching her freckled complexion.
“You’re all here,” I said, wondering if I’d fallen asleep in Nyte’s arms and this was a wonderful dream.
“Oh Astraea, I’m so glad to see you well!” Davina gushed, floating over to the side of the tub nearest to me. “None of us could sleep worrying about you after the sight of you at the keep. Rosalind was just about to hatch a plan to barge into your room and steal you.”
Stripping off my robe, I climbed into the bath from the steps. I sighed blissfully at the steaming milky water lapping my skin. Recalling how sore I’d been trying to escape that cage, I guessed Nyte’s blood had nursed me back to full health.
“I’m okay now,” I assured. “Thanks to him.”
“He has a good heart,” Lilith said. “Even if it’s hidden in darkness.”
That caught my intrigue.
“You know him too?”
Was there anyone not in league with Nyte?
Lilith gave a sheepish smile. “My father is the leader of the fae resistance in Alisus. He would have been killed or under the king’s order long before he even claimed the crown if it wasn’t for Nyte saving him and others. My father also sent him to meet Lucinda, my human mother.”
“I didn’t know.” I thought over that for a moment, but it only caused more confusion to surface. “Why are you here?”
“I’m part of the resistance,” Lilith said. It was like she’d grown into a whole new confident person since I’d last seen her. “Or at least, I want to be. My father has been trying to keep me out of it but then I heard a commotion. I met Davina and she said the star-maiden was in trouble and I… I didn’t know who you were for certain when you came to my manor months ago, but I had a strong suspicion. So I knew I had to come find out if you’d made it through the Libertatem after all since Pyxtia was announced the winner.” Her tanned skin crumpled at her brow. “Oh Astraea, I’m so glad to see you.”
I didn’t know what to say. There was so much to get straight in my mind I didn’t know where to begin.
“I didn’t know I was the star-maiden when I was with you,” I admitted quietly.
“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry you don’t have your memories.”
I smiled with sad gratitude.
“That was an unexpected turn of events at the keep,” Nadia said, unbothered.
“How did you get away before they could capture you too?” I asked.
“I’m particularly good at evasion and escape. Davina was already heading here and our paths intersected.”
My look slipped to the fae; Davina gave a sheepish smile. “You told Nyte not to let any vampire follow you.”
I couldn’t be mad. In fact, I was so damned relieved she was here.
Recalling the absolute chaos of events that had unfolded at the keep, my thoughts snagged on the end right before Nyte found me.
Auster had been there. It seemed even more incredible now that I had a calmer mind. Where was he now?
“Have any of you seen Auster?” I blurted.
“Who?” Lilith asked.
“The High Celestial?” Nadia answered with an edge of bitterness.
“No, we haven’t,” Rose answered.
“Should we?” Davina curved a brow.
Though I was so happy in all of their company, the many directions of voices made my head spin.
“He was there just before I… wrecked the place, I guess. Then Nyte came,” I explained.
“Probably ran off then,” Davina said, a little smug. “He’s always been afraid of Nyte.”
“Can you really blame him?” Rose grumbled.
Davina didn’t respond but her mouth stayed with a small curl.
I had to tell Nyte about my meetings with Auster. Despite Auster’s warnings, I didn’t believe he’d start a war over me simply because I was going there to learn. He was far more understanding than the world wanted to believe he was.
“Cassia’s father…” Rose trailed.
My grief pummeled me like a fist in my stomach.
“He’s dead,” I whispered. “It was never him. It was the king this whole time using some enchantment in a stupid hat, which I should have detected sooner.”
“Shit,” Rose muttered. She rubbed her forehead. “Zath and I should have seen it.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’d visited a hat shop during the Libertatem—we didn’t know it was enchanted—and I was tricked into giving a lock of my hair. They attached it to the hat with magick and when they put it on… they stole my whole appearance. Only with brown hair.”
“I wondered about your natural hair color,” Davina said.
“The pink suits you,” Lilith admired, twirling a lock of her own unique green tresses.
Rose was growing comfortable with the new female companionship, and I was so touched to see them all together. The only one who felt out of place was Nadia. Not because of what she was, but even more so than Rose when I’d first met her, Nadia kept her guard high and buried any troubles under a constant drive. But sometimes when I looked at her… I thought she harbored the most lonely soul I’d ever seen.
“My blood,” I said. “It had been keeping Cassia alive for longer than she should have had.”
“The reigning lord used you?” Rose said in shock.
“I never knew. I wish I had, because I would have given it willingly. But I guess he had an agreement with my…”
“Abuser,” Rose inserted.
I winced, dropping my eyes.
“Yeah. And telling me about my blood would have exposed what I was and that would have diminished his control over me. Perhaps given me a drive to leave him.”
A hand took mine under the water and I locked eyes with Lilith’s gentle hazel gaze.
“You’re the most resilient person I know.”
That meant more to me than I could form the words for.
“Yeah, yeah, the star-maiden, our savior and protector. Goddess of Justice and peace,” Nadia drawled sarcastically.
I might have been stung by the comment once, but glancing her way, I didn’t take it personally.
Rose furrowed an angry brow, however. “What is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem,” she said icily. “It seems like no one here has a fucking problem.”
She floated to the steps and climbed out, fitting a towel around herself. I thought about Drystan lingering in the halls as she stormed out, but I figured he had the sense to stay far out of her path.
“She’s… spirited,” Lilith said carefully.
“People lash out when they feel alone and scared,” I said.
“Well it’s not like she’s making a team effort,” Davina muttered.
Lilith looked at her with a soft smile. Davina quickly averted her eyes, turning shy. I’d seen her this way before, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions about her possible attraction to Lilith.
Rose tracked back to the revelations of Cassia’s father. “I have no doubt she would have been outraged by what her father had done even in her best interests. But she was very depressed about her shortened life. You saved her body by providing the blood she consumed, which neither of you knew about, but more importantly, and this is why she loved you, you saved her spirit right until the very end.”
My lip wobbled with that and Davina floated over to me. Her head rested on my shoulder in comfort. “Now we’re going to do the same for you, Astraea. As the Maiden Tribe.”
“The Maidenettes,” Lilith chimed in with a giggle.
“Team Maiden,” Davina countered.
My brow crumpled with overwhelming joy while they went back and forth with more names and laughed about them all. It felt ridiculous, but at the same time, it felt like I finally had a place in the world.
“Mind if I join you?” a timid voice said from across the bath house.
My eyes lit up. It was Katerina.
“Of course,” I said.
She smiled, coming around to the tub, but hesitated with shyness about removing her robe. All of us read it, averting our gazes to allow her to undress, and the waters were milky enough to hide our bodies underneath.
“This is…” she said through a breath of pleasure when she was submerged to her shoulders. “Is it strange to say I think I could orgasm from this?”
The tension eased as we all broke into laughter.
“I thought the same,” Davina answered with a grin.
“I never thought I’d feel a hot bath again,” Katerina admitted.
My expression fell in sorrow, but I smiled. “How is everyone?”
“Healing. It will take time. They’ll be heading to Althenia tomorrow, but a lot will have to travel by land without their wings.”
I’d never thought to ask her before, but now I wondered…
“Why were you in that cage next to me—in a separate room from everyone else?”
Katerina distracted herself with the water. “Because I’m the Bonded of Zephyr, the High Celestial of the House of Luna.”
I was gawking at her now. She was practically celestial royalty.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She couldn’t lift her eyes, like she kept them down in shame while her brown irises glittered with tears.
“Because it doesn’t matter anymore,” she whispered.
“Of course it does,” Davina said gently.
Katerina only shook her head.
“He won’t want me once he sees,” she said. Then she sniffed hard before turning around.
My hand covered my mouth with a cold wave of sickening shock. They’d taken her wings. The magnificent silver pair in Reihan’s office flashed to mind and I was overcome with nausea. They were hers. I could feel it now like connecting an old intuition.
All this time Reihan had been kidnapping my people and keeping them captive for their wings and blood. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or angry he wasn’t around for me to confront. I don’t know what I would have done or how I wouldn’t have survived facing the heartbreak.
“It won’t matter,” I said, reeling back from my initial horror. “He doesn’t get to take a single thing more from you. No matter what, you’re a celestial just as much as the rest of them.”
Two long, thick lines tore like jagged lightning on either side of her spine. The skin wasn’t like a fading scar, it was a deep purple and I didn’t think that would ever change.
“You don’t understand the harsh ways of their ruling. I won’t be worthy of him anymore.”
“You’re worthy of far more than that. If he doesn’t accept what has happened to you against your will and help you heal, then he never deserved you at all.”
Katerina nodded, but she wasn’t fully convinced and I understood the doubt. But I was committed to her. To all of them. Right here and now I couldn’t explain the tether I felt winding around each of them. We needed each other, and I would protect them with everything I had.