Nine
CHAPTER
Iwas abruptly awoken in the middle of the night. Groggy and half awake, I felt familiar hands cup both of my cheeks.
“My Darling Dove, you aren’t hurt, are you? I came as soon as I heard. What were you thinking, leaving my Manor? I specifically told you not to leave the grounds.” His tone was stern, and his fingers dug into my flesh.
“I—” I parted my lips, yet I couldn’t seem to find the right words.
“Use your words,” he whispered.
“I’m okay, Neil. Nothing happened. I don’t know what Acheron told you, but I’m okay.” I leaned forward to rest my head against his shoulder.
He froze for a moment, snaking his arms around my waist and embracing me in a warm hug.
“Don’t scare me like that again.” His tone shifted, pleading just barely above a whisper.
One hand rested on the small of my back, the other slid into my curls.
“He told me that you left the grounds and when you came back, you locked yourself in your room and you haven’t come out since. That was almost three days ago.”
Silence.
“Aerilyn.”
Silence.
“Aerilyn.”
“I’m tired.” I closed my eyes, burying my face into the crook of his neck.
He sighed, his breath warm against my ear. “Go back to sleep, we will discuss this matter in the morning then.” His lips grazed my cheek and by the time he planted a soft kiss against my flesh, I had fallen back into sleep.
The next morning, I woke up feeling well-rested. The smell of cinnamon rolls filled my nostrils, and I sat up to see Neil sitting at the edge of my bed with a breakfast tray of all my favorite things.
I smiled. “Good morning… For me?” He reached out his hand to cup my face. “Of course. Good morning, Little Dove.” He carefully sat the tray between us. Neil grabbed a single strawberry and dipped it into the cream before he held it out to me.
“Open your mouth,” he urged.
“Are you asking or ordering?” I quipped.
He rolled his eyes. “Ordering. Now open.” He pushed the cream-covered berry against my lips.
I took a slow, juicy bite, and then another. I chewed and swallowed, listening to him while he spoke. “Did you sleep well?”
I nodded. “Mm. I did.” I reached for the fork and helped myself to a bite of the cinnamon rolls caked in a warm, sugary sweet glaze.
“I’m glad to hear it.” He noticed the glaze that I managed to get on the corner of my lip. Leaning forward he gently licked it from my lips and kissed me right after.
My heart skipped a beat, and the butterflies within me awoke from that unexpected kiss, which I quickly reciprocated.
He slowly pulled away, and the silence lingered for a moment. “You know I only want to protect you.”
“I know,” I replied.
“If you know that, then why would you leave?” he questioned. “Do I not do enough to please you?”
“Of course you do, Neil. I’m happy here. I-I would never want to leave,” I quickly protested, placing the fork down.
Neil reached for both my hands with his, holding them gently in my lap. “Then tell me why you left when I specifically told you not to.”
My stomach sank, I had nothing to say.
“Aerilyn,” he coaxed.
I chewed on my bottom lip.
He reached his hand out, his pointer finger hooking under my chin. His thumb gently tugged on my bottom lip to stop me from chewing on it. “Aerilyn.”
“I was bored. I just wanted to see your Realm with my own eyes. Beyond the fence… like you promised I could,” I admitted.
He clicked his tongue. “Ah.” He paused. “I see… Acheron and Aradia did not keep you occupied?”
I shook my head.
“Curiosity isn’t a bad thing, but there are dangers beyond the fence. How am I to protect you if I am not there?”
“I—”
“You simply can’t leave. Please do not force my hand. I do not wish to cage you like the pet Zathrian says you are.”
I cringed at those words. I picked up my fork and continued to take small bites, with Neil’s fingers combing through my hair as I ate.
“That’s my good girl.”
My face heated at his praise, and a smile crept across my features.
“Now, finish eating and get dressed. There’s something I wish to show you.”
“Something you wish to show me?” I questioned with a mouthful of cinnamon roll. “What is it?”
“Hurry up and I’ll show you.” Neil stood up, leaving my bedside. “Meet me in the drawing room when you’re finished, and wear something nice.” He left my room and disappeared down the hall.
Excited, I laid back against my silk pillowcase and squealed, daydreaming of all the possibilities for what lay ahead.
“I think you’ve truly outdone yourself this time, Aradia!” I stared at my reflection in the mirror, at my ivory and pastel pink dress with delicate floral embroidery laced in gold. It fit me perfectly. My hair was tied back into layers of intricate fishtail braids and ivory ribbons.
“Thank you, thank you. I take pride in my craft, what can I say,” Aradia replied, quite satisfied with my praise.
“What do you think he wants to show me?” I turned to Aradia, who shrugged.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” she replied.
“Well…” I peered around Aradia, seeing Acheron at my door. I huffed, crossing my arms and purposely looking in the other direction.
Aradia said nothing, her milky eyes shifting between us. She didn’t need to say anything due to how thick the air suddenly became with tension.
“Aerilyn, please.” He was about to set foot into my room.
“Don’t you dare.” I was still upset with him regarding the other day. “Acheron, please.”
“It really can’t wait. I—” Acheron pleaded.
“Please,” I repeated.
“Aerilyn,” Acheron begged.
By the time he said my name, I was already halfway out the door and making my way to the drawing room, as per Neil’s request.
Acheron stopped me, gently grabbing my arm and pushing me toward the wall. My back pressed against the marble, and I tilted my chin up to look up at him.
“What?” I whispered.
“Please, let me explain,” he repeated loud enough only for me to hear.
I said nothing, but my eyes locked onto his. Biting the inside of my cheek, my posture loosened. “Fine, go on.”
Acheron exhaled deeply. His eyes shifted to ensure no one was around. “It’s not what you think.” He paused. “I haven’t betrayed Neil or the Realm or anything of the sort.”
“Then what is it?” I asked. “Why him?”
Acheron paused, leaning in closer. “He’s my Mate, Aerilyn.”
My eyes widened, saying nothing at all, but I listened to what he had to say.
Acheron continued, “We do not pick who our Mate is. The Gods decide as such… When a Mate Bond snaps in place, it is hard to ignore. I simply cannot stay away. We are drawn to one another, a fate the Gods themselves created.” He paused.
“Mate bonds are sacred and while I know how it may look, it wasn’t by choice.
I do love him, Aerilyn. I really do. And I wish that things were different, but you must understand why it is kept a secret, don’t you? ”
I nodded slowly.
“I need you to understand that I love him with all that I am. Please, I beg of you, do not tell anyone of this,” Acheron pleaded.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I reassured him.
His features softened, lifting his hand to my chin to tip my head up slightly higher.
“One day your Mate Bond will snap in place, and you will understand what it is I feel… but… with Mateo and I, things are… very complicated. It’s more than just being in different Realms. He is the right hand to Zathrian as I am to Neil. ”
I nodded again, finally understanding.
Acheron pulled away. “Thank you for giving me a chance to explain.”
“I’m sorry for being angry with you,” I replied, feeling guilty about accusing Acheron of betraying Neil and the Realm.
“It’s alright. I understand how it must have seemed. Now, go on before Neil wonders where you are,” he said, urging me to go.
“Okay.” I exhaled, pulling away from him and heading to Neil’s drawing room.
My smile grew the moment my eyes met Neil’s. He looked handsome. He always did, wearing his usual white and golden attire. “High Lord.” I hummed sweetly.
“You look exquisite as ever.” He reached his arm out for me, and I took it perhaps too eagerly. I was smitten with him and had every reason to be. He must be my Mate. I was sure of it.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I will ever be.” He pulled me close to his chest. I could smell his cologne, that sweet smell of citrus and cinnamon, as he pulled out a handful of stardust. Before I could ask where we were going, we were already gone, as our surroundings shifted from the drawing room to the village from before.
My smile grew. He pulled away just enough to take my arm in his.
“You told me you had a desire to explore, and I promised that we would, so let me explore with you. This is the village you passed through the other day.” He quietly observed me as we continued walking side by side.
Many eyes drifted to us, reasonably so given I was walking with their High Lord. It was still uncomfortable, the way they stared at me. I kept my head high, admiring the architecture around us.
We slowed to a stop, and Neil tugged me toward a nearby cart.
“High Lord!” the white-eyed man said as we approached.
“Greetings,” Neil replied. “We will take one, please.” He handed the keep more money than what was needed. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you, High Lord. Thank you!” the man said, his tone laced with nothing but good tidings as he handed over what appeared to be cotton clouds on a stick. Neil took it with his free hand before moving it toward me.
“Try it,” he said with a smile.
“What is it?”
“Try it.” He nudged the stick closer for me to take, and I did.
I hesitated, carefully holding the stick. When I took a bite, it melted on my tongue; sugary and far sweeter than I imagined, and my face lit up. I took another bite and another. “Mmmm! This is the most sugary treat I’ve ever had!”
He chuckled. “I’m glad. It’s made with cotton candy grapes. But we just call it cotton candy.”
“Mmm.” I nodded, still stuffing my face as we walked. He reached for a bite or two here and there.
“This village is much like the others within my Realm. Honest work. Peaceful, quiet, serene and—”
“Beautiful?”
“Beautiful.” His eyes met mine.
“It’s a safe place, within the villages. What lies beyond is what is not so safe.” He paused. “The creatures here aren’t always as docile and peaceful as us. Pegasi, for example.”
I went pale. Does he know about the other day? About Zathrian? I nodded. “Ah, I see…”
“And that is why I do not wish for you to wander off. This village is filled with good people. You aren’t alone. If you wish to explore, then let me or Acheron accompany you when the sun is high and the day is young.”
I nodded. He took the empty cone from my hand and disposed of it. Continuing down the path, we softly conversed with one another and some of the villagers.
The remainder of the day was like that. Neil showed me around the village, pointing out all the places he loved the most while he spoke of the history, tradition, and ways of the Realm of Clouds.
Truthfully, the day came and went far quicker than I desired it to.
The hours felt like minutes and before I knew it, we were sitting across from one another in a secluded area of the village’s diner, enjoying dinner together, just the two of us.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
I was in love with Neil, and I simply couldn’t find the words to tell him. I hoped the tug I kept occasionally feeling was from him, and not from another. It had to be him. It just had to. I bit down on my lip as we smiled at one another, occasionally speaking between bites.
Everything about the day had been perfect.
We ended the night by kissing under the moonlight and retreating to my bedroom.
We couldn’t keep our hands off one another.
He kissed me all the way down the marbled hall and to my bedroom, blindly closing the door behind us with his foot.
Piece by piece, our clothing came off, scattered across the floor, the overwhelming desire to consume one another at the forefront of my mind.
My eyes drifted toward my desk, where I noticed a letter that wasn’t there when I left. If it wasn’t for the way Neil was nibbling my earlobe and down my neck, his hands fondling my bare breasts, I would’ve further investigated. Later. I would worry about that later.
I turned to face Neil as he pushed me back against my bed.
“Take me,” I begged.
“As you wish, Little Dove.” He suckled and nibbled against my flesh, leaving little love bites.
He took me that night.
All of me. Every part of me. For hours. Until our legs shook, and we were panting and out of breath.
Until we were caked in glistening sweat.
Until neither of us could go any longer, and we instead collapsed into one another beneath the sheets and drifted off to sleep in one another’s tender embrace.