Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Beatrice bounced on her toes, eager to join the group of young, unmarried fae gathering before the doors to the Great Library.
She stood with her family in the middle of the bustling Hall of Anywhere Doors while, beyond the double doors on the opposite end leading to the castle, the strains of the ongoing party continued as the merriment became more and more raucous.
Anyone with any sense had left long before, including the king and queen.
Meg hugged her before she took a step back, her gaze searching Beatrice’s face. “Are you sure you want to do this? Revels can get…wild. I’m sure this one won’t be as bad as the Revel in the Tanglewood, but it’s still bound to get out of hand. Things involving the fae generally do.”
“I’d feel better if you could take iron along.” Brigid rested a hand on her baby bulge and grimaced.
Taking along iron would mess with the magic of the Revel.
Not that Beatrice planned to actually find a mate at this Revel.
But she didn’t want to risk that her taking iron would hurt the Revel overall and undo King Theseus’s hard work.
If this Revel was going to replace the Tanglewood Revel, then the inaugural one needed to go off without a problem.
“I’ll be fine. It’s the Library. It won’t hurt me.
” Beatrice trusted that truth down to her bones.
She wouldn’t have joined the Revel in the Tanglewood.
While that enchanted forest was generally benevolent, especially to those with pure motives and possessing a good heart, it was still a far more capricious host than the Great Library.
“That doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be hurt.” Meg shared another look with Basil. “There’s always a chance of a rift opening or that the Court of Revels will take this chance to attack us and break the truce.”
Beatrice resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Meg had a valid point, and it wouldn’t do to sass her, much as Beatrice wanted to.
Basil wrapped an arm around Meg’s shoulders. “King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta have the Great Library well-guarded tonight. If you want to return to the House to rescue Buddy from the children, I’ll stay here until the Revel ends to see that Beatrice gets back safely.”
Beatrice couldn’t help the warmth that filled her chest, even as she crossed her arms in an outward show of annoyance.
Basil had been the first person to take her scared, broken family and make them feel safe again.
First, he’d gained Meg’s trust, then he’d opened his House to all of them.
He’d become the big brother Beatrice hadn’t known she’d needed, back when she’d been a frightened child who had lost both of her parents and the place where she’d grown up.
Still, she couldn’t let him know that his protectiveness was appreciated. She was eighteen years old. It was time she stopped being the baby of the family and asserted herself as an adult.
Besides, he was correct that the Library was well-guarded.
Even now, King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta had taken up station near the doors to the Library, both of them armed.
Swordmaidens from Queen Hippolyta’s Court strolled around the Hall, and Beatrice had heard that more swordmaidens also patrolled the Library itself.
Munch shifted, glancing from Brigid to the others. “Normally I’d stay, but…”
“Guarding Brigid is more important.” Basil waved from Munch to Brigid.
Now Brigid was the one rolling her eyes. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”
“But still more vulnerable.” Munch glanced around before he lowered his voice. “It would be just like Claudius to strike at the Wild Fae Primrose tonight with everyone distracted by the Revel.”
“Claudius doesn’t even know who the Wild Fae Primrose is.” Brigid, too, kept her voice down.
“Except that Lord Chauvlyn was just returned to the Court of Revels.” Munch eased a little closer to Brigid.
“While he’s kept your secret for his own reasons all these years, he might decide to use that knowledge as a bargaining chip to get back in his king’s good graces. We can’t take any chances.”
“You’re right.” Brigid sighed. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”
“I am, occasionally.” Munch rested a hand on her lower back with a gentle smile as he, Brigid, and Meg headed for an Anywhere Door.
Beatrice glanced around the emptying Hall. If she didn’t hurry up, she’d miss the Revel. “I need to go if I’m going to join. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Basil nodded, his black hair matching his black Master Librarian coat. “Just be careful. I’ll be waiting for you here once it’s over.”
A part of her was tempted to hug Basil. But she squashed the childish instinct. She was just participating in a Revel. It wasn’t like she was moving to a whole new island like Sebastian and Viola had a year ago.
Beatrice didn’t bother replying. Instead she merely waved and hurried the last few yards down the Hall to join the cluster of others waiting for the beginning of the Revel.
She wormed her way into a spot next to Rosaline, which also conveniently put her on the far side of the group from Tybalt, Borachio, and, most importantly, Benedict.
She’d barely gotten herself situated before Philostrate, a thin fae male who served as King Theseus’s steward, stepped forward and proclaimed in a surprisingly loud voice, “Let the first Midsummer Library Revel commence!”
The swordmaidens on either side opened the double doors.
The knot of people surged forward. Beatrice had just enough time to share a grin with Rosaline before the two of them dashed forward into the Great Library’s atrium.
At this time of night, the Library was shadowed, the stars twinkling through the skylight and little faerie lights dancing among the shelves.
Shrieks and laughter filled the space as the young fae darted down different aisles, letting the Library swallow them.
Beatrice dashed to her right. If she continued down this path, she’d end up at one of her and Brigid’s favorite reading nooks, one that had a small pond and a waterfall. Somehow she lost Rosaline. She wasn’t even sure when it happened.
As she raced down the shadowed aisle, it seemed to twist and turn in a way she’d never seen before.
She skidded to a halt and pressed a hand to the wooden shelf, catching her breath. “I trust you, Library.”
One of the bookwyrms, a little green one with an extra frilly leathery ruff around its neck, poked its head out from the shelf. It stuck its forked tongue out at her.
“Hello, Benito.” Beatrice held out her arms for the bookwyrm.
Instead of slithering into her arms as it normally would have, the bookwyrm flicked its tongue once more before it ducked out of sight.
“I guess there’s no cuddling bookwyrms during the Revel.” Beatrice shrugged and set out once again, this time at a walk instead of a dash. There was no reason to keep running around insensibly.
Although by the sounds of the shrill laughter and noisy shouts filling the Library, most of those participating in the Revel had given up on sense entirely.
A burst of laughter came from just behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder, she couldn’t see anyone. But as the laughter rang again, seemingly closer this time, she leapt into a run once again. While she’d wanted to participate, she didn’t actually want to be caught by anyone.
The path before her seemed to darken, growing more winding. Yet the laughter kept pace behind her, growing closer any time she slowed.
Beatrice found herself racing blindly around dark corners, twisting through pathways between the shelves that she’d never seen before.
The occasional bookwyrm poked its head out from between the books, but other than that the Library was dark and foreign, utterly unlike the warm, vibrant Library she knew during the day.
As she dashed around yet another corner, she smacked right into something. Or, rather, someone who gave an oof in a masculine voice a moment before he grabbed her to steady her.
Beatrice jerked against the grip, nearly falling backward. “Let go.”
Her nemesis—the Horribly Handsome Benedict—let go of her shoulders but grabbed her hand instead as she stumbled. Immediately, a bright golden glow surrounded their hands.
He stared down at their hands. “It seems we’ve formed the beginning of a binding.”
Beatrice gaped as, within the golden glow, a golden swirl appeared on the back of her hand as if a part of her skin. She’d seen the golden glow of a half-formed binding many times before but never a mark on the skin like this that wasn’t a completed marriage binding.
She gaped from the golden glow up to the blue eyes and blond hair of the man facing her. “No. No, I’m supposed to be able to say no.”
Benedict held up their glowing hands, his grip warm and firm, a golden swirl appearing on the back of his hand as well. “It seems the Library and the magic of the Fae Realm had other ideas.”
“No.” Beatrice shook her head again. This was wrong. All wrong. The Revel wasn’t supposed to end this way.
She absolutely, positively couldn’t be bound to Benedict.
“Fated mates?” Beatrice couldn’t help the screech as her voice went up an octave. If anyone deserved to engage in a little screeching, it was her at that moment.
Perhaps she should have tempered her outrage somewhat. She stood before King Theseus’s desk in his study with Basil at her side. Benedict and his parents also stood before the desk, but the two groups had left several feet between them, a clear demarcation.
Then again, Benedict’s mother screeched even louder than Beatrice had, with his father adding in an even more horrified tenor, “To a human!”
“She certainly wasn’t my choice.” Benedict’s derisive drawl sliced into her. He had his arms crossed as he leaned languidly against the back wall.
“Well, you weren’t my choice either.” Beatrice glared right back. Bad enough that she was stuck with him. But did he have to look so handsomely nonchalant while being so awful about everything?
“Surely there is some way to break it.” Basil stood stalwartly beside Beatrice, despite facing enraged noble fae. “It’s just the beginning of a binding, even if it’s a mate bond. It isn’t fully formed yet.”
“No, it isn’t.” King Theseus rubbed at his temple, as if this had already been far too long of a night.
“But given the way it was begun in a court-organized Revel, it’s far from tenuous.
Not to mention, fated mate bonds are trickier to break than even normal bindings.
There is a way, I’m sure. We’ll just need to find it. ”
“I’ll search the Library. There will be information on how to break a mate binding somewhere.” Basil’s declaration held a staunch determination. If anyone could research a way to breaking a mate bond, it was Basil.
So maybe having protective older brothers wasn’t so bad.
“You’ll need to hurry. While I can’t say for sure, I suspect that you’ll need to break the beginning of the binding before the next Midsummer Night is over.” King Theseus swept his gaze over them. “Otherwise, the magic of the dual Midsummers will make the binding permanent.”
Permanent. Beatrice’s knees wobbled. There was no way she could be permanently bound in marriage to Benedict of all people.
Lady Jonlius screeched again, while Lord Jonlius began arguing with King Theseus, as if the king had any power to change the Laws of Bindings of the whole Fae Realm.
But it seemed the lord needed someone to blame for his son potentially marrying a human, and he’d decided that since King Theseus had held the Revel, he was the one to blame.
Beatrice shot a look at Benedict. Strangely, he was already looking at her. Instead of a sneer, his expression held something closer to longing. The sight sent a flutter through her chest.
But that couldn’t be right. This was Benedict. A human-hater from a line of arrogant fae human-haters. She must have misunderstood. That was the only explanation.
She ruthlessly squashed the flutters.