Chapter 2 #2
“No, I just didn’t want to touch it. I’m still curious, and I want to know more.
” Already, I was itching to search the books in the library, my favorite place in the castle.
I found nothing more relaxing than curling up by the fireplace with an enthralling read, surrounded by the smell of ink and parchment.
Alone and unbothered. Just how I liked it.
Azure’s eyes flared wider, and I could have sworn she was rolling them at me. “Fine. It will be easy to steal that bag away from you anyway. I’ll give you the day to research and then snatch it tomorrow.”
I laughed, knowing it was an empty threat. The cinched opening of the bag was too small for her talons to pry apart. “We can inspect the stone together. I promise. But I’ve been away for too long. Father has probably already sent guards to look for me.”
My father knew about my fae ability, but he didn’t know I often snuck around caves in search of new gemstones. If he knew, he would have me locked in my bedroom. He wouldn’t risk anything getting in the way of my lessons, not when they would help prepare me for becoming the Wraith King’s bride.
“Don’t forget to write to our mutual friend about this discovery,” Azure reminded me.
I nodded. She was referring to Eira, the princess of the Winter Court.
I had met her at a ball in the Fire Court years ago.
Like me, Eira was half fae, but in a court of mostly fae nobles, she was looked down upon because of her human bloodline.
Azure had spent some time in the Winter Court before settling in my court, so she was acquainted with the Winter Princess, too.
Already, a smile tugged at my lips at the thought of how I would compose my next letter to her. Eira and I often wrote to each other in vague references that only the two of us would understand, in case our letters were intercepted.
“I won’t forget,” I promised, playfully flicking Azure’s ear. I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her scaly neck. “I mean it—be safe.”
When I withdrew, she fixed her wide blue eyes on me. I touched my amber stone, and she murmured, “Don’t worry, Sybelle. I am always careful.”
I offered a small smile before I started down the gravel path. When I glanced behind me, Azure had already disappeared into the caves.
My heart sank just a fraction. Oh, how I longed to bring her home with me.
But it was too dangerous. For centuries, the dragons belonged solely to the Summer Court.
But over the last decade or so, the creatures had been spreading out, finding homes in other courts.
Azure was young when I first found her, and I was too afraid someone would cage her or kill her.
So, I kept her to myself. And even now, with her large size and ability to defend herself, I loved her too much to risk it.
Father would weaponize her and try to use her against the Shadow Court, even at the expense of her life.
No, Azure was much safer kept away from the politics of my family.
So, with a heavy heart, I left her to the safety of the caves as I made my way back to the palace.
As expected, Gerard, the captain of the guards, was pacing in front of the outer gate. Four other soldiers patrolled alongside him. He scrubbed a hand down his clean-shaven chin, his expression agitated.
At my approach, his dark eyebrows drew together, a muscle feathering in his jaw. His blue eyes swept over my form, taking in my dirty tunic and stained hands.
“Again?” Gerard muttered, running a hand through his bronze hair. “My lady…”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll go inside and get cleaned up.”
Gerard leaned closer to me, glaring as he hissed, “Protecting this kingdom is hard enough without wayward princesses to chase after. You would do better to stay within the palace walls where you’re meant to be. The king has already made inquiries into your absences. ”
I narrowed my eyes at him before taking a step back, putting more distance between us. “How about you mind your own damn business, Gerard?”
His lips flattened with irritation, but he said nothing else before waving me through the gate.
Despite my barbed retort, my heart thrummed with anxiety. If Father was suspicious of my frequent outings, he might start investigating. He could discover my trove of gemstones. Or worse, he might find out about Azure.
Shit. If Father was already looking for me, then the library would have to wait. I needed to face him to smooth things over.
But first, I had to change. I was filthy from my time in the caves.
Perhaps Gerard was right. Perhaps I needed to stay away from the caves for the next few days, just until Father’s temper cooled.
But I promised Azure we would study the new stone together. And what if it ended up helping us with our plans to take down the Shadow Court?
I hurried through the outer bailey and took the back entrance toward the inner gate. Keeping to the rear side of the castle, I entered through the servants’ quarters. It was the longer way to my chambers, but it ensured I wouldn’t encounter my father or my sister.
Four corridors and three flights of stairs later, my legs were throbbing. My face and neck were coated in sweat as I finally reached my bedchamber. Gasping for breath, I stumbled inside, then leaned against the closed door, shutting my eyes for a moment while waiting for my pulse to slow.
A low chuckle drew my attention, and I stiffened. “I can’t believe I beat you here. You took the servants’ route again, didn’t you?”
I sank against the door in relief as a figure stepped out of the shadows, drawing closer to smirk at me .
“After your dire warning , can you blame me?” I teased.
Gerard’s smile widened as he closed the distance between us. His hands went to my waist as he pinned me to the door, making the frame rattle. “Nice deflection, by the way, snapping at me like that.”
“We wouldn’t want your men suspecting anything, would we?”
“Certainly not.” His hips ground into me as he brought his mouth to mine.
I moaned, arching against him as his tongue ravished mine. I was filthy, and he reeked of sweat, but I didn’t care. The moment his hands were on me, my body ached for that sweet release.
Gerard seemed to be thinking the same thing. In a swift movement, he tugged at my trousers until they were down to my knees. Then, he flipped me around with my chest against the door. I heard the rattle of a buckle as he loosened his belt, then felt his hard length press between my legs.
Without preamble, he plunged inside me, and I gasped at the suddenness of that singular hard thrust. His hips jerked as he drove into me further, and my eyes closed, my body quivering from the friction of his movements.
He pumped again and again, each thrust more wild and feral than the last. His grunts became more strained, and I found myself clenching around him as I drew closer to that edge, closer to tumbling off the cliff…
He let out a loud, hoarse groan as he came, and I gasped, following after, the pleasure firing down my body in violent waves. For a long moment, he held himself there, still inside me, allowing our bodies to settle.
Ever so slowly, he withdrew, turned me back around, and buckled his belt again. Sweaty locks of hair clung to his forehead as he offered me a roguish grin, his face flushed .
“I would offer to pull your trousers back up, but I think you need a wash,” he teased, still breathless from our intercourse.
I shoved his arm playfully. “You ass.”
Truth be told, if I hadn’t been worried about my father, I would have invited him to share a bath with me. Lately, my appetite had become more insatiable, and I found myself wanting more than the few minutes of bliss Gerard offered.
I probably shouldn’t have even paused for this quick shag with him, but my muscles were so tight with apprehension that I had been desperate for a diversion. This had been exactly what I needed to calm my nerves before facing the king.
“You should leave before Ramia catches you,” I said, sliding out of my trousers and stepping away from the door. My maid had an uncanny sense of when to intrude on us. I had a feeling she already knew about my relationship with Gerard, but she was mercifully discreet about it.
Gerard grunted in agreement, smoothing back his hair. “I wanted to see if you’d found any new gemstones.”
I cut him a sharp glance. “Perhaps,” I hedged. I didn’t want to share about the mysterious dark stone Azure and I had found. Not until I knew for sure what it could do. I didn’t want to get Gerard’s hopes up. “Any news on the shadows?”
“Four men were found dead at the border.”
“The border?” My stomach dropped. “You mean they didn’t even cross over before the shadows infected them?”
Gerard shook his head, his expression grim. “The shadows are now close enough that the border is too dangerous to patrol. We had to pull our soldiers back to ensure they are a safe distance away.”
A knot formed in my throat, and I closed my eyes to ward off the grief that threatened to drown me. If humans inhaled the toxic shadows for more than ten minutes, the poisons festered inside their bodies, killing them almost instantly .
My kingdom would endure the same fate, if the shadows got much closer.
Now, we couldn’t even reach the borders of our own lands without the risk of death.
“You know the Wraith King could come for you any day now,” Gerard said, his voice strained.
“I know that,” I snapped, opening my eyes to glare at him.
“Do you really think your diamond dagger will be enough?”
“Yes, I do.” Diamonds were hard to come by, but the few I had experimented with gave me the strength of five fae soldiers when wielded properly. I was confident my dagger with diamonds fused into the hilt would be enough to kill the Wraith King.
“Have you tested it on an unseelie fae before?” Gerard prompted.
“Of course not! Even if I could find an unseelie to try it out on, I’m not so heartless as to take the life of an innocent stranger.”
“The unseelie aren’t innocent,” he said darkly. “Half a dozen of them were spotted attacking the village of Pruitt yesterday. They are a scourge that should be purged from the realm.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, even as my insides tightened at the thought of more unseelie creatures attacking my people.
Gerard said unseelie , but I knew he meant fae.
Even though I was technically seelie, I knew my magic made him uncomfortable.
His blatant distaste for all things fae often raised my hackles.
The very magic he despised ran through my veins.
But it was also the key to saving our people. Even he couldn’t argue against that.
“I have more than just Wraith Killer,” I said, using my name for the diamond dagger. “There’s also the enchanted rose. If I find that, I can cut off the source of his power.”
Gerard gave me a flat look. “Stones, I still can’t believe you put your stock in that fable.”
“All fables came from somewhere. And all magic has a source.”
“I only trust what I can see. And I’ve seen what your dagger can do, so I’ll put my trust in that.”
I shook my head, unwilling to argue with him about this.
I had studied the ways of the Shadow Fae much more than he had.
My entire life had been spent preparing for the day the Wraith King would come for me, so my schedule was packed with combat training, history lessons, instruction in the ways of the unseelie fae, and linguistics studies.
I had read every text available on the history of their people and how the poisonous shadows had come to fruition.
Father was hopeful it would prepare me to survive whatever brutal conditions the Wraith King had in store for me.
But my studies had revealed the key to the Wraith King’s power: the enchanted rose.
Legend told of a garden within the Shadow Court that had sprouted a lush rosebush.
Within the rosebuds had blossomed a kernel of power.
Once touched by the unseelie, shadows had erupted from it, coating the earth and spreading like wildfire.
It had consumed the garden, causing it to decay and rot, leaving nothing but a lone rose in its wake.
The stories claimed that one remaining rose was the source of the king’s shadows.
As long as it lived, so did the magic that threatened my kingdom.
If I could cut off the source of his magic, not only could I destroy his shadows for good, but I could end his life, too. And then my people and my land would be free.
As unpleasant as it would be to live in the Shadow Court as the Wraith King’s bride, I would endure it to save my people. I would do anything to protect my home.
“You really should go,” I said as I removed my tunic. “They’ll be looking for you. At least until I face my father.”
Gerard’s hungry gaze roved over me once more. Despite my dirt-stained skin and the band over my breasts, I was revealing an awful lot of skin to him. His eyes darkened with lust, but he nodded before opening the door.
“Don’t forget our goal, love,” he said before shutting it.
I sighed as he left. How could I forget? My entire life had been devoted to this cause.
If I failed, my kingdom was doomed. I was our only chance of survival.
With that bleak thought, I removed the rest of my clothes and headed toward the bathing chamber, dreading the looming confrontation with my father.