Chapter 48
Hours later she was still laying on the bed in silence, Kaden next to her reading through the notebook they had brought back from the room earlier today.
She refused to train, her mind such a muddled mess that she could hardly speak to Kaden when he checked on her periodically.
Mavros had killed her people and then turned them into nightmare creatures in a war to kill his brother.
The image of the creature on the table, her mother, haunted her vision and she already threw up a few times because of it. It was not a fate she would have wished on anyone, and to see her carved apart made her instantly sick.
“There are records of these creatures going back a few years.” Kaden whispered next to her, his body pressed up against her back as he sat against the headboard.
“You think Ermis was trying to hide it until he got too overrun by them?”
“Most likely.” he shifted next to her. “Would explain a lot over the last couple of years.”
She turned to him, curiosity getting the best of her and he glanced down as soon he could see her face.
“Emris all of a sudden got more aggressive with patrols with no evidence to us why it was needed. He also pulled troops away from Obsidian Mountain's borders” Kaden’s hand gently stroked the side of her face, anxiety crumbling away inside her.
“So basically, Emris found out about what his brother was doing and instead of warning his people, he caught them to research them.” she sighed. “I hate Fae kings.”
Kaden set the notebook down on the nightstand and laid down next to her. She adjusted herself so her head was on his chest, his rhythmic heartbeat soothing her even more.
“At least from what I read, the creatures are re-aminated but nothing seems to carry over from their host. The magic used seems to summon a soul from another dimension entirely.” Kaden mumbled.
“Another dimension? How would they be able to know that?”
“There are certain Fae that have unique abilities to trace magic and it seems Emris found one to help with the research.”
“So Mavros is taking dead corpses along with the Book of Trenches and summoning souls from another dimension to create an army to destroy his brother, who killed his mate and stole his kingdom.”
It sounded utterly absurd to her, but considering all the facts it was exactly as it sounded.
“Pretty much sums it up.” Kaden signed.
“Maybe we should just go hide in Mydalsa and let them fight this war on their own. Sounds like they are both at fault.”
“As much as I would love to go home and keep the trouble away, innocent people are going to die and if Mavros wins, Mydalsa could be at risk.” Kaden squeezed her against him tighter and she let out a long breath.
“I know.” she groaned.
“With what the notes said, you can at least find peace that your mom’s soul is in Valhalla and wasn’t still tied to her flesh.”
“I will make Mavros pay for everything he has done, along with whatever rat is in Emris’s court.”
It wasn’t just words but a promise, one she would make sure she would follow through with even if it killed her.
- - - - - - - -
Over the next few days, she concentrated on training and stayed quiet the rest of the time.
She mentioned to Kaden what she had read about Emris wanting to marry. He nearly exploded the entire room in his ebony flame. Luckily she was able to pull enough of her own power to counter it.
Training stayed the same, though the new rush of power she got from Kaden’s first kiss seemed to help boost her confidence and she needed that.
It was now the day of the ball, the last day she had to be in this horrible town and she sat on the edge of the bed looking at the dress Oak had dropped off for her.
“This is disgusting.” she gagged, the dress made with less fabric than anything she had ever seen besides nightwear.
“I mean, I would love to see you in it for a private show.” Kaden smirked and bent down to give her a kiss.
“I can’t believe he really wants me to wear this. I wonder if Raine was given the same dress.”
“Wear something else.” Kaden smiled, “I know you brought something else to wear.”
He was right, she had brought a dress she had worked on in her free time back in Elnora, knowing at some point she would need a dress for a fancy ball again.
With a sigh she got up and walked to her stack of clothes and dug through it, finding the ruby red dress and laying it out on the bed. Kaden walked up next to her, his hair pulled back into a messy bun and he kissed the side of her head.
“Well I won’t complain about the color.” He chuckled.
“I picked it before I knew your favorite color.”
“Still, I want to see you in it.”
They had only a few hours until the ball and she still needed to bathe after training. She would have Raine help with her hair like before, but she wasn’t sure how she wanted to style it.
“I need to bathe.” She smirked. “Want to join me?”
He glanced down at her, his face schooled into a blank stare and figured he was trying to decide if he wanted to gamble his sanity. His sudden movement startled her, scooping her up into his arms and heading for the bathroom.
“Are you going to crumble the mansion down?” she teased.
“I have patience.” he smirked. “Plus I’d rather rip that red dress off you later.
A small chuckle escaped her as he carried her through the threshold of the bathroom and set her down softly next to the large tub. Silently he started to fill the tub with the hot water waiting and even added some bubble bath that started to foam.
“Being fancy are we?” she teased.
“Figured it would help keep my desire under control if I can’t see you most of the time.” he groaned and started to undress.
They both turned from each other, not wanting to spoil the anticipation and when she turned to step into the nearly full tub, he was submerged, looking the other way.
She stepped into the water and situated herself next to him, his head turning towards her as soon as the water reached her shoulders.
“I will miss this tub.” she smiled and lifted her hands to his hair, undoing the tie holding it in place. It fell around his face and brushed the top of his shoulders.
“I’ll build you one similar.” he smirked.
He gestured for her to turn away from him and cupped water in his hands before wetting her hair. She leaned back, letting part of her hair sink into the water to make it easier for him and let out a long breath when his fingers started to massage her scalp.
They stayed silent as he finished washing her hair and then she returned the favor, a quiet intimacy that seemed to help ease the tension from the day.
After the last rinse of his hair, he rotated them both so she was situated between his legs, her back against his chest and she instantly melted into him.
“Can we go home tonight?” she asked quietly.
“I doubt it,” he whispered, “I will make sure we leave first thing in the morning though.”
His arms wrapped around her, keeping them away from any sensitive spots that might send them both on alert. They made her feel safe and she wished that this war was already over, but unfortunately it has just begun.