21. Chapter Twenty One Lennox
Chapter Twenty One: Lennox
Sitting at the table in the main room of our suite, I watched as Arryn sipped from his coffee. After being exposed to the human drink for the first time not too long ago, he had since become an avid drinker. Personally, I wasn’t a fan and stuck to our lavender tea, enjoying the bold and sweet flavor on my tongue. Although, I was certain I would much prefer the taste of Rhowyn every morning than this tea.
Smirking to myself at the thought as we both sat in silence, enjoying the calm before the storm, I glanced at Callum, who was standing guard at Rhowyn's door. He might not want to admit it, but he had adopted her.
When we were growing up, he was constantly finding other fae to care for, defend, or protect, myself being one of those fae. He had taken me under his wing, watching out for the scrawny youngling that hadn't grown into himself yet. He helped me learn how to navigate the Courts and stand up for myself .
Unable to bear the weight of those memories, I stared at the table, sipping my own tea. As good as those times were and no matter how much I missed our friendship, I couldn't escape the fact that I was responsible for most of his pain. Usually, I was pretty good at ignoring things right in front of my face, especially if it was something I wasn’t quite ready to deal with them.
Unfortunately, after the first trial, I could no longer avoid the glaring distance and history between us. Yes, he had forgiven me. Yes, he said he didn't actually blame me for what had happened. But I just couldn't seem to quit condemning myself. I should have seen it coming. I knew what Mother was like, even then. I knew how cruel she could be, and yet, I trusted her when I shouldn't have.
Baer rescued me from my maudlin thoughts as he entered, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt rising as he did so. “Morning.”
He was too much of a morning person for me, so I arched an eyebrow at him, not ready to respond verbally. He didn't take it personally, both him and Arryn having improved moods since joining with Rhowyn. I couldn't quite tamp down my jealousy at that thought, more than eager for my chance to be with her.
However, I also couldn't help but feel as if I was the only one of her consorts not pulling his weight, not actually worthy of her affections. The only thing I offered her was the trouble of my mother. A part of me believed she would be better off without me in her group. At least then, she might be able to fly under mother's notice. Since she'd bonded with me, she would remain front and center, watched carefully by Mother.
“Morning,” Arryn said, as Baer filled himself a heaping plate of food. I wasn’t sure where he put it all, but it definitely hadn't hurt him any. His physique was muscular and slim, giving testament to his water nature and swimming.
Arryn set his cup down on the table, his face growing grim as he watched Baer. “Last night at the ball, I couldn't help but notice your reaction to Genevieve's name and person. You realized something at that point. What was it?”
Baer swallowed the bite of food he’d just taken, looking down at the table as if deciding what to say. Having made a choice, he met Arryn's gaze. “The night that Rhowyn was whipped, she didn't fall on her own accord.”
I set my tea down as well, leaning forward. I had an inkling of where this was going, but I needed to hear it from his mouth. “If she didn't fall on her own, then what happened?”
“She was pushed,” he said, his tone indicating no insecurities. He was sure of this.
“Pushed? By whom?” Arryn inquired further, fully focused on Baer's answer.
“At first, I didn't know who it was, never having met her before, but when you pointed her out last night, I recognized her. Genevieve pushed Rhowyn into the servant and caused the scene. The look on her face afterward proved to me that she had done it on purpose as well. I'm just not sure if she knew what would happen, or if she was simply hoping to embarrass Rhowyn.”
“That stupid bitch,” I cursed under my breath. I couldn't say I was surprised, this sounding exactly like something she would do, but it still pissed me off.
Arryn sat there, mulling over this new information. “We can already assume that Genevieve is a threat, and she has it out for Rhowyn. What I don't know is if she is in league with the Queen.” He turned to me, and I knew what he was going to ask. “Do you think you can find out more from your mother? Or if not her, then Genevieve herself?”
I sat there, not exactly happy about the task, but knowing my history and connections made me the best suited to take on the matter. We needed more answers, and it was a way to be useful. I didn't exactly have to like it, but it was something I could do to help Rhowyn.
“I wouldn't be surprised if she was in fact working with Mother. She is Mother's favorite and choice for successor,” I told them, thinking about the best way to go about this. Whatever I decided, I would have to ensure that I did the inquiring in a way that didn't tip our hand. “I'll ask Genevieve first. If she doesn't give me the information I need, then I'll have to find a way to ask Mother without her knowing what we're after.”
“Do what you can. The most important thing is ensuring that more notice isn't brought down on Rhowyn. She's got enough going on as it is,” Arryn said, sipping his coffee, effectively moving on from the topic now that he had the information he was after and deciding on a course of action.
“Speaking of which, how's she doing? We didn't see you guys come back last night,” Baer asked, fishing for details.
I knew for a fact that he could still smell Rhowyn on Arryn. If I could smell it all the way down at the end of the table, then there was no way Baer had missed it sitting right next to Arryn.
Arryn didn't smile, but his demeanor shifted. If he hadn't been a guy, I'd almost call the expression dreamy. “She's better. She just needed to vent, but she knows now that she can count on us.”
“I'll bet she's good now,” I teased him, smiling broadly.
He looked at me from under his brow and continued to sip on his coffee. The door to Rhowyn's room swung open, and Callum stood up straight in response, his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl on his face.
I didn't give him much more notice as Rhowyn stepped out wearing tight shorts and a loose shirt, her bra showing through the holes where sleeves should be. Her hair was mussed from sleep as she stumbled across the room, heading straight for the coffee.
She plopped down in the seat next to me, curling her bare feet up into the chair as she poured herself a cup, her body leaning toward mine. I discreetly inhaled her scent as she went about waking up, closing my eyes as my dick grew hard just from that one small whiff. She smelled like sex.
Yes, she also smelled like Arryn, but that had never bothered me. The most dominant smell was her own intoxicating pheromones, the ones that brought me to my knees with the smallest hint.
We sat in silence, Callum joining us at the table as we all just breathed. The upcoming trials weighed on us all. We took the moment to bask in the presence of our group, the only ones we could fully count on now that we had bonded.
“So, what's the plans for today?” Rhowyn asked, her melodic voice husky from sleep and her extracurricular activities with Arryn and Baer yesterday. I smiled at that thought, knowing that once I was done with her, her voice would be completely strained.
“What's so funny?” she asked me softly.
“I'm just thinking about how you'll sound after I fuck you so hard that you lose your voice from screaming my name.” I smirked, knowing how she'd respond. This was comfortable for me. Our banter comforting and familiar.
She laughed. “Who said you'll ever get to hear those sounds from me again?” Taking a sip of her coffee smugly, she thought she had scored a point on me.
“Trust me, Princess, I'll have my way with you. You won't be able to resist me much longer.”
“That's what you think,” she said, ending the conversation to face Arryn, who was smiling dotingly at her antics .
“There's nothing on the schedule for today, so I thought we'd rest and do some more light training with weapons. You need to be familiar with them all in preparation for the next trials. I have a feeling that the first one was the easiest,” Arryn said now that he had her attention.
She nodded. “That sounds good to me. I don't think I can handle a sword, but I would like to learn some of the lighter weapons.”
Callum chimed in since he would be the one training her. “I'm thinking of showing you the long and short bows. This will keep you at a distance while also allowing you to fight. I know it would give us all peace of mind knowing you were far away from any direct danger. Granted, that's impossible with the situation we’re in, but any precautions and measures we can put in place to keep you as safe as possible, we will.”
“Sounds good,” she said, excitement brimming in her eyes now that she had finished her coffee. Without saying anything further, she got up from the table and went to her room, most likely to change.
She came back quickly with her hair tamed and pulled back in a messy knot on top of her head, wearing light tan leather breeches, leather boots, and a sleeveless tunic. This was the first time I had seen her wear fae clothes without prompting from Juniper. Despite her still human appearance, she seemed to glow in the colors.
“What?” she asked us as we all sat and stared at her.
“Nothing,” Callum and I both said in unison.
Baer had no compunctions about admitting to her, “You seem to be glowing.”
She laughed. “I think that's because of the fae air. It seems to be doing wonders for my complexion.”
“No.” Baer continued, “It's more than that. You look different, but in a good way.”
“Maybe it' s all the sex I've been getting lately. I've been told it's a great stress reliever, and I must say, I agree.” She brushed off his comment with a joke, causing all of us except for Callum to smile.
Arryn stood, prompting the rest of us to follow, preparing to head out the door. “Ready?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of Rhowyn, a hand going to her lower back and hip.
“For you? Anytime,” she replied with a seductive smile. “Sir.”
He smiled at her, leaning down to whisper into her ear, and her scent perfumed the air, causing me to grow hard again. Whatever he had just said to her, she without a doubt enjoyed it. Oh, to be a sprite on that wall. I could just imagine all of the things he would do to her.
“That's the plan, Sir,” she replied saucily, teasing us all further.
He leaned down to kiss her, taking her mouth in his harshly as if in punishment. She pressed herself into his chest, standing on her tiptoes to gain access to him, kissing him back as if her life depended on it.
Watching her kiss another man should make me jealous, and a part of me was, only because I wanted to be involved. I wanted to join in, but she wasn’t quite ready for that. She was only just now sharing a kiss with one of us in front of the others for the first time. How we handled this would dictate how she acted moving forward.
Hell, even Callum knew that much, remaining silent with his eyes glued to her, the soft sounds of her pleasure reaching our ears. He shifted on his feet, and I knew he was just as hard as I was, his own faint scent wafting across the short distance to me.
“Ah!” Rhowyn cried out, jerking away from Arryn's kiss and sagging in his arms, her pain evident.
“What is it?” Baer rushed to her side.
“It's the mark,” she gasped.
Arryn looked at us from over the top of her head. “The next trial must be starting.”
“Already?” I asked, shocked. Usually these things were spread out, more time between trials to rest and recover.
Rhowyn regained her feet, the pain ebbing enough for her to do so. Either that, or she was pushing through her discomfort. Most likely, it was the latter. Arryn kept his hands on her waist, still supporting her while he addressed us. “Seems like that's the case. We need to move quickly.” He turned to Rhowyn and spoke to her softly but urgently. “Go get ready. The pants and boots are fine, but you'll need a thicker shirt with actual sleeves.” His last words were teasing with a halfhearted smile in a poor attempt to lighten the tension that now threaded through us all.
“Okay,” she said, turning to do as instructed.
Once she had gone back to her room to get ready, I looked at Arryn, knowing he was keeping something from us. “What does this mean?”
He sighed. “I don't know, but I'm certain it's not good.”