Chapter 26 – Vale
Chapter 26
VALE
I grabbed Neve’s hips, pulled her close, and nuzzled her neck. Her hair smelled so good—floral, like the bubbles in last night’s bath.
“Don’t tell me you’re waking me up to get lucky,” she groaned, her hand cupping my jawline and stroking in a way that made my cock jealous.
“I doubt I’ll ever get my fill of you.” I teased aside that curtain of silvery-white hair and kissed her neck, which, despite her rather weak protests, made her wriggle her plump, perfect arse into me.
I went rock-hard.
“Stars, Vale!” She twisted to meet my eyes. “I didn’t know male . . . parts got hard that fast.”
“ Parts ?” I burst out laughing. “Who knew your mouth could be so chaste?”
Neve gaped. “Excuse me, but I am a lady!”
“A lady who had her lips all over my?—”
She slapped a hand over my mouth but grinned devilishly, as if she was remembering last night as fondly as I. “Stop ruining a pleasant morning with this attitude!”
She looked simultaneously so indignant and cute that I laughed again. “Very well, little wife.”
I twisted her so that her whole body faced me and traced a line from her lips to her right nipple, then tugged at it gently before taking her lips in mine.
She moaned. I would bet a thousand golden bears that if I had put my hands between her thighs, she’d be soaked, ready for me, wanting.
A low growl rose in my throat at the thought of burying myself into her, of hearing her cries of pleasure.
“Vale.” Neve pulled away with a breathy whisper. “I want you, but I’m tender.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
“Well, yes, but still tender.”
“As long as you can only sing my praises, I’m happy with this.” I pulled her closer.
She scoffed. “Sing your praises! It’s not like I’ll be bragging openly!”
I grinned, loving getting her worked up in more ways than one. “And why not, wife? You can’t deny that I used those fingers oh so well . More than once, if I recall right.”
Her cheeks tinged pink too, probably remembering how, after we’d had our fill of cuddling, I’d made her come a second time with just my fingers.
“So you do remember,” I teased.
She scoffed. “If I’d known you’d be like this, I would have thought twice about seducing you.”
“I very much doubt that.” I captured her lips in mine. “ You were a female with a mission. I’ve never seen anything so sexy.”
A lazy smirk spread across her face. “Happy to please.”
I ran my hand up and down her side, relishing how her hips were the perfect handful. I’d never been more turned on, more attracted. I’d never wanted someone more.
Stars, I wanted her to be my soulmate.
Amongst the fae, once soulmates mated, a mark appeared on their skin. A twin mark signifying they belonged with one another.
That their souls twined together within the web of Fate.
Before sex, the stories claimed that one would feel strongly drawn to their soulmate. I felt that way with Neve, but perhaps that was only because she was so beautiful, so strong, and, because of her past, so unlike the ladies I’d been brought up to see as potential wives.
Plus, soulmates were rare. I didn’t know a single faerie who had met theirs, and it was possible that I never would either.
Would I be willing to give up searching for my soulmate for Neve? Would Neve even want that? Posing such a question required more courage than facing down a horde of orcs.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“About last night,” I admitted. “About us.”
Her eyes widened. “What about us? ”
“I—”
A knock at the door startled her, and I groaned as the bell tower outside tolled the ninth bell. I swore as my father’s orders came rushing back to me. I was supposed to be in the yard, preparing to lead soldiers into the city to yank rebels from their hiding places.
“Prince Vale!” the Clawsguard at the door called out. “There’s a soldier here telling me they are waiting for you in the yard.”
“I’ll be right there!” I yelled before brushing back her hair and drinking in her beautiful face again. “I have to go.”
“Right.” Neve nodded. “Maybe we should talk later?”
“I’d like that,” I agreed and, frustrated in more ways than one, rolled out of bed.
I changed into my royal blue army uniform and went to my personal armory to retrieve Skelda , my sword. Once I was ready, I peeked into the bedroom again.
Neve sat on the bed, now covered in a silk robe, her feet tucked beneath the fur I kept over the foot of the bed as she drank from the flask filled with the Mind Rond potion. Once she gulped down her daily dose, she waved.
“Be careful out there.”
“What are you going to do today?” I pulled on a black fur cloak and teased my wings through the slit so they remained free. Just by looking outside, I’d need the extra warmth. The snow was falling thick and fast.
“I might skip training. I feel like I could use the rest.”
“Take it then. Until later.” I yearned to kiss her but held off. We needed to talk about how we’d taken our relationship—a fake marriage—a step further last night .
And I needed to decide if I was going to be transparent with Neve about the depth of my feelings.
“Good luck,” Neve replied, and though I hated to turn my back on her, I left my room to hunt rebels.
Five bells later, my toes ached from the cold. Not only was the snow making it difficult to see, but the winds screamed off the Shivering Sea, souring everyone’s mood. I shivered, scanning the street and considering ducking into a shop to question the shopkeeper. Not that I expected any valuable information.
I was beginning to think the rebels were far more intelligent than we’d bargained for.
The night before, the search parties had discovered a paltry three rebels. And that was only because the rebels had been trying to recover the bodies of their dead.
“Prince Vale,” a voice called out.
I turned and squinted through the veil of falling snow to find a young female soldier dressed in a royal blue uniform running our way. She wasn’t in my search party, though I recognized her as a soldier who often worked in the city.
“Yes?” I asked when she skidded on the ice to a stop before me.
“Soldier Barisia, my prince.” She bowed. “We have a rebel building surrounded and think you should come.”
My spine straightened, and I waved for my squad’s attention. “Everyone, follow her. ”
We ran through the city and soon enough, the buildings changed. They became more run-down. Dirtier. The fae watching us as we carved through the street wore thin clothing.
Rall Row. I’d been here only a few days ago. With Neve.
The look on my wife’s face when she’d seen the poverty still sent chills through me. Though she hadn’t said as much, for the first time in the city, Neve had seen fae who had lived somewhat like she had in the Blood Court. And she hadn’t liked it.
Neither had I.
And somehow, even though the area had been bad for some time, lately it seemed worse. More destitute.
I caught the eye of a young male dwarf as we passed, sadness heavy in the lines of his face. I might have saved many fae in the villages from orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls and other monsters. But these people? I’d failed them.
“It’s right there.” Soldier Barisia took a sharp turn and pointed.
In the distance, the House of Wisdom towered above the shanties, but Soldier Barisia was drawing my attention to something much closer.
Bleeding skies, it can’t be.
But it was—the same run-down building Neve had asked about the other day. The one with the sign of the rebels loyal to House Falk.
“How are they still there?” Flabbergasted, I stared at the red hawk drawn across the boarded-up door. “It’s been sealed off and?—”
“They must have built a tunnel that we missed when we searched the place before because you’re right,” Soldier Barisia interjected, interrupting a prince, a testament to how excited she was to share the news. “There’s no door or window that isn’t boarded up. It was done so well that they felt safe sleeping in there.”
A tunnel. That they’d dug a tunnel was astonishing. Even if they had earth and fire fae at their disposal, the ground here was often frozen solid. It might have taken many moons to form a tunnel that fae could squeeze through.
“If you didn’t enter, how do you know it’s them in there?”
“The boards have small cracks, so while we can’t get them off easily, we can see through. One of us snuck up and did so, and no one inside caught us. Their guard must have fallen asleep or something, but there are about a dozen fae in there. One closest to the wall had a rebel insignia on their armband. We haven’t moved in to wake them because we know the king wants you to be here.” Her tone soured. “We’ve stayed quiet and kept our distance.”
“Your party will be with me when we root them out,” I assured them, wanting them to share in the glory they’d earned.
The line of her jaw softened a touch. “Thank you, my prince.”
“Who has what magics?” I asked the band of soldiers who had found the rebels.
They rattled off their powers, or lack thereof, as was common with fae affected by the blight. Quickly, a plan formed. Soldier Barisia had water magic, another soldier had air magic, and I possessed winter magic that manifested in the ability to produce powerful, icy gales. Between the three of us, we would force the rebels from the building. Soldier Barisia would use the frozen water in the ground to flood the area, effectively rendering the tunnels—if they existed—useless. Simultaneously, another soldier and I would work to blow down the shanty. Two other soldiers would make sure the street was clear of civilians. The rest would wait to capture those who ran by any means necessary.
“Ready?” I prompted the two fae helping me with the initial assault.
They nodded, and I gave Barisia the signal to go. Though I couldn’t see her magic, I recognized the strain on her face as she melted ground frost, snow, and ice, turning it to water to flood any tunnel inside the shack.
Her assurance that she could manage a feat such as this one indicated she was powerful. Still, it took Soldier Barisia a good ten minutes before she let out a long breath. “There was a single tunnel. It’s flat in places but now those should be flooded. They’ll think twice about using it to escape.”
“Keep it up for as long as you can,” I said.
She couldn’t hold the water stagnant. Eventually, it would move downward. Her priority was to continue flooding the tunnel with water to deter rebels from using that means of escape.
“We’ll take care of the rest.” I called air .
Streams of frost-filled gales coming in off the sea bent to my magic’s will and with a wave of my hand, they slammed into the house. Beside me, the other soldier did the same, though with less power behind his strikes. Still, between the two of us, the boards shook, and the glass that remained in the windows rattled.
“There’s movement inside,” a soldier who claimed to have better-than-average hearing spoke up. “Better hurry.”
“Continue bombarding,” I said to the other soldier. “Let’s blow it down.”
His eyes narrowed in concentration as I pulled more power from my depths.
Snow-saturated wind swirled above me, gathering, making the soldiers shiver as it whisked away their body heat. When I felt as though I couldn’t control any more air, I released the wind.
The first gale struck, and wood flew off the building, slamming into surrounding homes. Another strike. More wood ripped off. I sucked in a breath and gathered strength before hitting the building again. At the fourth gale, the door blew off, two shutters too.
“Hold.” I held out an arm for the other soldier working air to stop. He did, dropping trembling arms to his side.
The other soldiers braced themselves, waiting for the rebels to rush out. For an attack.
“Two ran out the back!” a soldier cried.
“Go!” I wound up to send a fifth gale. Sweat froze on my brow, but I didn’t falter, didn’t hesitate to use my power to the maximum as I sent a torrent of wind at the shanty.
Wood creaked, and the entire structure, already so unstable, shuddered.
“Assistance,” I ground out, and the other air worker stepped in, giving it his all.
The combined efforts proved enough, and before our eyes, the building began to crumble.
“Be ready!” I gave the order a second before a rebel fled out the front.
A barrage followed, flowing from the building like water as I continued to batter the shanty with wind, ensuring its destruction. We would leave them no place to hide, no alternative route.
Soldier Barisia was red-faced, as was the other air worker, and as other soldiers chased rebels, some felling them quickly, pride welled inside me. We would be victorious. This would be enough to cool Father’s fury.
Mere minutes later, the building collapsed. Screams came from within, and a few more fae ran out the door, some soaking wet. They had tried the tunnel and found themselves in water.
As the structure came down, I released the gales under my control and gripped my sword, preparing to chase. And that’s when I spotted her.
A female faerie with long black hair and blue eyes. The one who had tried to kill my wife.
When she saw me, she pivoted and raced around the downed shack.
I thrust my sword at the fleeing female, already rushing her. The clanging of metal disappeared as I raced after the black-haired female. Down one street of shacks, then another.
Fates, this female is fast. I put on as much speed as I could muster after expending so much magical energy.
She ran like the wind. And when the rebel tossed yet another glance over her shoulder and saw me slowly but surely gaining, she took a chance and leapt into the air.
I had to admire her guts. Flying was faster than running, but with the high winds, it would be difficult and left her with no cover.
My wings spread, and I was about to follow her when a person ran into the center of the street a half-block ahead of me. The flicker of motion distracted me, but that wasn’t the only thing to catch my attention.
His hair was long and white, and his eyes were red, as was his attire. On his breast grew a thorn-choked rose.
Red Assassin.
I stumbled, and in that time, the fae female dropped out of the sky, disappearing some blocks away. My heart sank at the realization that I’d lost her.
And that she wasn’t the only person I’d lost.
The vampire was gone too.