Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
W arm candlelight flickered and bounced off the walls of the bathroom before catching in the reflection of millions of tiny bubbles. The air was soft and thick with steam, while the bright, cheerful scent of white florals and crisp fruit poured out of the bathroom. It should’ve been a joyful escape from the pressures and expectations of life at court, but Callie’s attempts to comfort her friend only made Novi cry harder.
“How could she not tell me? I thought we were better friends than that!” Novi wept from the water. Even though there were scented oils and candles and an abundance of warmth, there was an ice cold crack running through her heart. Her insides were as frosty as the nearby windowpanes.
“For whatever it’s worth, Lady Jennae didn’t look very happy about the arrangement,” Callie said from the bathroom counter where she sat. A fluffy towel and a matching robe were sitting beside her.
“I don’t care! She should’ve told me,” Novi insisted. “I don’t want to talk to her ever again! I can’t even be in the same room as her. Not after this!”
“Give it some time. Perhaps you’ll feel differently once things have settled down. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for Jennae, either.”
Novi’s eyes flashed an angry shade of dark red.
“She’s been scheming behind my back to marry the father of my child, and you want me to have pity for her?”
“I’m just trying to point out that she might not have had much say in the matter. Her father is the scheming one. Not her.”
A fresh round of tears streamed down Novi’s cheeks, making her face glisten from the reflection of the candlelight.
“Oh, Callie! This is so humiliating. What am I supposed to do?”
“Don’t let anyone at court see you falling apart,” Callie advised. “You know that’s all these chimeras want, is to have something or someone to tear to shreds.”
“Well that’s exactly how my heart feels, is torn to shreds!” Novi buried her face in her wet hands. “I’m never leaving this apartment. I can never show my face again!”
“That’s exactly what they want,” said Callie. “You have every right to be upset. Let it all out where no one from court can see you. But don’t let them know how much they’ve hurt you. People like that absolutely thrive on the pain of others.”
“I just don’t understand how Fallon could do this to me.”
“Talk to him when he returns. I know he’ll have a reasonable explanation for this. Perhaps he has a plan that we don’t know about?”
Novi shook her head emphatically.
“Ohhh no. I’m not going to tell him that I know he’s engaged. He lied to me, too! I’m sure Jennae was right, and that he hasn’t told me because he doesn’t want to upset me while I’m in this ‘ delicate condition .’ Seven hells, Callie…if I hear him use that phrase one more time, I’m going to punch him in the face!”
“He worries about you.” Callie offered a sympathetic smile. “I think it’s endearing.”
“That’s the problem,” Novi grumbled, rolling her bloodshot eyes. “If I tell him that I know about him getting married, he’ll only worry even more about me than he already does. He’ll probably put more restrictions on what I can do and where I can go. Too much kissing might hurt the baby,” she said sarcastically. “Walking too far down the hall might hurt the baby. Breathing too much fresh air might hurt the baby. He’s so controlling!”
“Oh, come now! He’s not that bad.”
“Yes he is!”
“He’s concerned about you and the baby because he’s afraid of losing you both.” Callie slipped off the counter and brought the towel to Novi. “My elder sister’s husband was the same way with their firstborn. He’s completely different now that she’s pregnant with number four.”
That seemed to get Novi’s attention. She was silent for a moment before asking, “How’s he different?”
Callie stifled a grin.
“In the last letter my sister sent, she told me that he left home with a hunting party…for two weeks.”
Novi’s eyes flashed in surprise.
“Are you sure he’s still alive? If my husband left me at home with three kids and another on the way so he could drink and shoot pigeons with his friends, I’d kill him!”
Unable to conceal her grin any longer, Callie let go and laughed.
“Who knows why men act the way they do? That’s why you should talk to Fallon when he gets back. He’s not the impulsive type. I’m sure he has a plan.”
Novi groaned and leaned back to rinse her hair one last time. Callie sighed, knowing that her best friend was incredibly stubborn. Cheering her up was going to take a lot more than a few words of encouragement. All she could do was be there for Novi and listen, and make her as comfortable as possible.
“I take it you probably don’t want to go downstairs for dinner tonight,” she said once Novi was out of the tub and bundled up in a soft, warm robe. The blonde gave a rueful smile.
“And be humiliated all over again? No way. Honestly, I think I’d like to be alone for the rest of the night.”
“Shall I send up a tray?”
Novi shook her head.
“I’m not hungry.”
It took a lot for Novi to not be hungry, but Callie didn’t argue. Instead, she gave her friend a quick hug, then headed for the door.
Novi settled into one of the two overstuffed chairs near the roaring fire, although she didn’t even have time to finish the current chapter of the book she’d been reading when Fallon came into the room. Instead of ringing for Cedric to come and undress him, he pulled off his sash, unbuttoned his jacket, and sank deep into the chair beside her. His eyes closed and he appeared so relaxed that it looked like he might fall asleep right then and there.
“How did the interrogation go this morning?” Novi coolly asked, wondering if he’d spoken to Jennae.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve sent Talvi away. I’ll know more when he returns…if he returns at all.”
“Why is the woman he was with still here? I heard you gave her a room in the East wing.”
Fallon’s eyes snapped open and flicked over to hers.
“Who told you that?”
“I have my ways,” she said, although she wasn’t smiling. “What’s her name?”
“Annika.”
“Well?” Novi prodded. “What’s she like?”
Fallon snorted in both contempt and amusement. He glanced down at his hands, smiling to himself as if recalling a private joke.
“She’s infuriating.”
Novi bristled at his response, at his body language. Nobody else but her got under his skin so deliciously, and now someone else clearly had.
She wanted to be the one to make him smile to himself like that.
She wanted to be the one to amuse him.
She knew Fallon well enough to know that she wasn’t the person who’d put him in such an affected state.
“How is Annika infuriating?”
Fallon turned back to stare at the fire, unaware of the subdued smile on his lips.
“She plays the part of a pretty little idiot, and yet I can’t quite figure her out. Can’t read her thoughts. Can’t be sure if she can be trusted. Although …” He let out a long sigh and shut his eyes in pleasure. “I have to admit, she can play guitar astonishingly well. And her voice…”
Novi waited a few moments for him to finish his sentence, but it was clear he wanted to be done speaking. It wasn’t like him to be so relaxed or tired so early in the evening.
“What about her voice?”
A wide yawn took over Fallon’s body, and he stretched his legs out in the warmth of the fire, nestling deeper into the chair.
“It’s sublime. It’s like hearing a siren and yet somehow knowing in your soul that she won’t lure you close and drown you in the abyss. I could listen to her for hours.”
The longing in his voice was impossible to ignore.
Tears stung in Novi’s eyes while a strange, foreign emotion crept into her mind. She’d hoped to ask the father of her child why he hadn’t told her about being engaged to her friend, and now he was captivated by a guitarist who infuriated him, yet made him smile. He’d called her pretty and sublime. True, he’d called her an idiot, but he’d compared her to a siren…a woman who lived in the sea and drove sailors mad with desire.
Sailors like Prince Fallon...Admiral of the Royal Navy.
“Maybe I’ll go to the East wing and listen for myself,” Novi suggested.
That was all it took for Fallon to snap out of his daze and look at her.
“Do not go anywhere near Annika until I say otherwise! Do you understand? The East wing is off limits to you and Callista until we know more about her.”
Novi narrowed her gaze at Fallon. “You said she was a pretty little idiot, so how can she be dangerous?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem,” Fallon admitted, then turned back to the fire. There were so many thoughts in that head of his. Thoughts that would never be shared, no matter if Novi asked or not.
“Is she some kind of witch?”
“I don’t know exactly what she is. She’s from Earth, so her knowledge of magic is next to nothing. She was human until Talvi used elemental faerie magic to change her into something else, although what that is, I cannot say. Annika is probably no more dangerous than a stray cat. Mauricio is verifying the information she gave me. Until we know she’s telling the truth, I need you to stay away from her.”
“Okay.” Novi glanced at her book, then back to her lover. The fire was getting warmer, yet it didn’t soften the expression of turmoil on Fallon’s handsome, troubled face.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” she cautiously ventured. “Whatever it is, I can handle it, Fallon.”
He let out a soft sigh, and a wistful smile passed briefly across his mouth.
“Everything Talvi told me about Dillon has been verified to be true. The only question I have is why he came such a long way and at such risk to share this information.”
“Does that mean you believe him?” Novi pressed gently. “You think he’s telling the truth, and that your brother’s actually alive?”
Fallon took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
“I do. It’s the only reason I agreed to?—”
“Marry Lady Jennae?”
Fallon closed his eyes, frustrated by his own slip of the tongue. He let out a bitter sigh and cast Novi a painful grimace.
“You weren’t supposed to find out the way you did. Jennae told me what happened earlier today. She feels terrible.”
Novi recoiled in righteous indignation.
“ She feels terrible? How do you think I feel?” she argued. “Fallon, I know I’m a few hundred years younger than you, but you have to stop treating me like a child and start treating me like a partner! You might think you’re protecting me by keeping secrets, but that’s not the kind of person I want to spend my life with.”
He lifted a curious black brow at her remark.
“I’m surprised you still want to spend the rest of your life with me now that you know I’m engaged to marry someone else.”
Novi glared at him, but only for a second. The hopeless grin on her face had poked through like a sunbeam through the darkest of clouds.
“I’d smack you if it wasn’t so much effort to get up.”
Snickering to himself, Fallon stood up and let his jacket fall down his arms. Then he stepped in front of Novi and sank to his knees before her. He grasped the arms of her chair, learning forward until his hard, flat stomach was pressed against her enormous round belly.
“What’s wrong?” He lowered his head close to hers and cast her a seductive smile. “Have you lost your nerve to strike a Sacred Son of Sinaryos?”
“No, I just decided I’d rather conserve my energy for other things,” she teased. Her hand reached for his belt, but he maneuvered just beyond her grasp. “Fallon…it’s been so long. I’m starting to think you don’t want me anymore.”
A low growl rumbled deep in his chest, and he brought her hand to the hard heat that lay trapped by his clothes.
“What sheer and utter nonsense. I want you more now than ever before.” He let go of her hand and caressed the dome that held their unborn daughter. “As soon as Lucia is born…as soon as you’re healed, I’m going to put another child in you. I love knowing I did this to you.”
“There are other things you can do to me in the meantime,” she suggested with a coy little grin. Her arm draped over his shoulder and her fingers twirled around his wavy dark hair. When he shook his head, she whimpered as if in pain.
“I’ve already told you…not until our daughter is born, and not until the Royal Physician says you’re fully healed.”
Novi’s bottom lip began to pout.
“You’re so mean to me…teasing me like this.”
“Think of it as foreplay,” he said with a seductive wink. He clasped her hand and gave the back of it a soft kiss. “You’re not the only one with unmet desires.”
“I was in the library this morning,” she admitted, and pointed to a small stack of books sitting on the bed. “I found a few books on basic charms and housekeeping spells, but there’s not a single book about Kaos magic.”
“They’re restricted,” Fallon answered. “I told you that it’s forbidden to practice Kaos magic. Only a handful of the top mages have access to those books. Why are you so determined to go poking around where you have no business?”
“I want to find the spell that changes how you look!” Novi replied with an exasperated groan. “If you’re not going to fuck me anytime soon, the least you could do is stop torturing me and make yourself look less attractive.”
Fallon’s brows knitted together as if he’d been struck in the face.
“What, being engaged to your friend hasn’t done the job?”
Novi gasped at the comment, and Fallon put his hand on her shoulder.
“I didn’t mean that. You don’t understand the magnitude of what I’m dealing with right now, and I’m not at liberty to tell you everything. I love you, Novi, but I’m not altering my appearance to make the next few weeks easier for you. Even if I wanted to, the Royal Council has very strict rules about the use of magic…what types can be practiced, who can practice it, and what circumstances allow for it. That’s why we have mages in the first place…so that the general population doesn’t inadvertently unleash mayhem into the kingdom. Since changing my appearance isn’t for the betterment of society, I’m afraid the council would turn down my request to use forbidden magic just to please you.”
A contemptuous little snort escaped Novi’s lips.
“Do they grant any of your requests?”
“They agreed to let me dismiss my harem after Lucia’s born,” Fallon said with a rejuvenated brightness in his eyes. “Part of the deal I struck in marrying Lady Jennae is that you are to be my only lover.”
“I suppose that’s something,” she reluctantly muttered. “But I don’t understand why you agreed to marry her in the first place. You don’t have those kinds of feelings for her…do you?”
“Certainly not,” Fallon answered with a sympathetic smile. “She may be the most practical choice within the entire empire, but she’s like a sister to me. I only agreed to the engagement because it’s far easier to placate the council for now, and then change our course along the way. That’s why a mutiny happens once you’re at sea. It doesn’t happen when you’re still ashore. Not effectively.”
Novi’s lower lip began to tremble. She’d been so silly to think that Fallon didn’t have a plan. Of course he had a plan.
Fallon always had a plan.
“You think if Dillon comes back it’ll be enough to change our course?”
Fallon gave a rare hopeful shrug, then dipped down to kiss her neck.
“How could his return not be enough? He is the true heir to the throne, after all,” he whispered between soft kisses. “He sired a bastard a hundred years ago and was engaged to King Alexio’s daughter when the Battle for Veselle happened. He’s already fulfilled all the requirements to take what’s rightfully his. In theory, he could step right into my place.”
A crafty gleam filled Fallon’s black eyes as he lifted his head and began to kiss the other side of Novi’s neck. “He could even marry Lady Jennae. She ought to make for a satisfying homecoming gift, seeing as how they used to be lovers. I’ve already had her wrapped up in the finest gown.”
“She’s a person, not a consolation prize,” Novi argued, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the effect Fallon’s lips had on her.
“Why can’t she be both?” Fallon hummed, and trailed a warm fingertip over Novi’s mouth. “I can pass her off to Dillon along with the throne and the crown and claim the real treasure—a life with you as my wife. Without the fate of the entire kingdom weighing on my mind, I’ll have enough free time to rekindle things with my poor, neglected mistress.”
Novi’s eyes snapped open wide.
“What mistress?” she demanded, which only made Fallon laugh.
“The sea, Novi. Only the sea could compete with you, and she’s definitely in second place.”
He rose to his feet and offered his hands to the mother of his child, helping her out of the cushioned chair.
“I can’t even imagine how different our lives might be a year from now,” she said as she looked up at him with teary eyes. “It seems next to impossible.”
Fallon caressed her cheek and gave her a tender smile.
“How does one climb a mountain?”
Novi blinked away the tears and grinned.
“One step at a time?”
“That’s right. And we’ll do it together, because you and I are partners.”
Novi gave him a tight hug before excusing herself to pay Callie a visit before dinner. She hadn’t been gone more than five minutes when Cedric and Mauricio came into the room.
“Is there any information about Annika’s mysterious amulet?” Fallon asked his secretary while Cedric helped him out of his military jacket. “The one with the two fish swimming in opposite directions?”
Mauricio shook his head.
“Loric and his apprentices need more time to study it, sire. From what we’ve gathered so far, it’s a protective amulet made with Druid magic. I didn’t sense anything sinister about it, although one can never be too careful.”
“No, one cannot,” Fallon agreed. “Until we know what magic it contains, I don’t want Annika leaving her chambers for any reason. She can have meals brought to her. Nothing else.”
“Very good, sire.” Mauricio gave a nod of approval while making a note in his leather-bound folder. He put his pen away and cleared his throat, waiting for Fallon to notice.
“What is it, Mauricio?”
“There’s been another murder. About two hours ago. I’ll spare you the grisly details, although I will say it’s by far the worst one yet.”
“I’ve seen the photos,” Fallon said with a cautious look of concern. “How could it be worse than the others?”
Mauricio shook his head with an unenthusiastic sigh.
“The killer somehow managed to pull out the victim’s entrails through her mouth.”
Cedric stopped polishing the medals on Fallon’s jacket and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“How could that even be possible, when I can’t fit my hand in my own mouth?”
Mauricio shrugged.
“Well, the victim’s jaw was ripped off. I suppose that made it easier to reach down and grab a handful of intestines. The good news is?—”
“There’s good news?” Cedric interrupted.
“Yes. The good news is that our efforts to keep this out of the newspapers has worked. Our killer is becoming more and more careless with every unsolved murder, and has left more clues than before. With Your Highness’s permission, I’d like full access to the Caldera girl.”
Fallon’s head jerked over to Mauricio. “You think Callista’s involved?”
“I’ve seen her fall to pieces over a burnt cake,” Cedric chimed in as he brought over a less formal jacket for dinner. “There’s no way she could be involved in such a gruesome string of murders.”
“True,” Mauricio gave a stiff nod. “But I know her mind rather well after ridding it of all the spells clogging it up for the better part of last year. If you want me to verify the information we learned about Annika this morning and find a homicidal maniac using Kaos magic, I need more resources.” He hesitated just long enough to drive home how frustrated he truly was.
Fallon didn’t flinch.
“I’ve already explained this to you,” he coolly replied. “The last thing the city of Sinarya needs is a breakout of mass hysteria if the newspapers get hold of a murder scene photograph before the crime is solved. It has to be carefully managed. The same goes for Annika.” Fallon’s pupils widened, making the blackness of his eyes even more endless. “Nobody but the three of us and Loric know about the unicorn magic woven around her veins.”
“So it’s true, then?” Cedric asked. There was softness to his voice that hadn’t been there until now. “She has unicorn magic?”
A low hum rumbled through Fallon’s chest, causing the demon within to stir.
“Her magic is so strong I could almost taste it.” He shook his head and cast his secretary a rueful grin. “What’s even better is that she hasn’t the faintest idea of what power she holds, thank the gods. How long will it take you to verify the information she gave us?”
“That depends on if I have your permission to employ Callista’s help or not,” answered Mauricio. “There aren’t many in the Blackwood Court I can trust to carry out this type of work. She is one of them. As Novi’s personal handmaiden, she holds a high enough rank that she’ll be quite useful for what I have in mind.”
Cedric slipped the black jacket onto Fallon’s shoulders, not bothering to hide his grin. “She’s Novi’s best friend. If anything happens to her, you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Fallon glanced at his valet, then at Mauricio. “Which mean’s I’ll never hear the end of it, either. What exactly do you have in mind?”
Mauricio set his planner down on Fallon’s desk and traced the binding with his fingertip.
“I want Callista to keep track of Her Majesty.”
A current of cold blood shot through Fallon’s bloodstream as he heard his trusted advisor speak the words out loud. If Mauricio had uttered those words in front of any other member of the Blackwood Court, he would, without question be accused of plotting against The Crown. But because his audience only consisted of Prince Fallon and his faithful manservant Cedric, the risk of being dragged down to the dungeons and beaten to a pulp for speaking against Her Majesty was minimal.
Still, it was one thing to have suspicions about the queen. It was another to speak them out loud.
“You think my mother is connected to a demented butcher running loose in the slums of Sinarya?”
“I’ve been sniffing out the Kaos in the castle, and other than Prince Tristan, the scent is always quite strong around her chambers. Callista served The Queen in the past. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to have her do it again.”
“Then who’s going to look after Novi?” Fallon pushed back. Mauricio fought to keep from rolling his eyes.
“You have an entire harem of girls perfectly suited for the task. For the sake of the gods…have her pick one of them.”
“The Royal Council is disbanding my harem as soon as I’m married.”
“Are they?” Mauricio asked with a skeptical expression. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Mauricio was old enough to be Fallon’s uncle, yet the lines in his face didn’t budge as he watched the young sovereign soak up the information.
“Let me worry about my harem,” he told his secretary with a look that said he was through discussing the matter. “You can do whatever you want with Callista. Just get to the bottom of whoever’s committing these murders.”