The Moon Garden
Rhazien expertly avoided any new conversations as we made our escape from the ballroom. He swiftly ushered me down a hallway, through a set of double doors, and into the awaiting night.
I was greeted by a brisk wind and gasped at the sight of a thriving and beautiful garden atop the mountainous towers of the Hive.
“Stunning, isn’t it?” Rhazien followed through the door and placed his hand on the small of my back.
The more I looked, the more the garden revealed. Perfectly shaped hedges lined a pristine gravel walkway. Torches illuminated the twists and turns of the path but didn’t distract from the stunning flora which glowed under the waning gibbous moon.
“Is that...monkshood?” I was drawn to the poisonous, violet blooms. I’d only read about the flower and didn’t think it was possible to grow in the temperate climate of the Irriset Mountains.
“Good eye.” Rhazien offered me his arm and gestured toward the walkway.
He made small talk about the history of the garden while he led me down the manicured path. Decorative stone walls were laced with thriving greenery. With each turn, the hedges rose higher, giving us plenty of privacy.
We strolled until we reached a clearing in the garden.
The rectangular opening was lined with benches in front of stone planters, each plot home to a different brilliant flower.
And at its center, lived a small, beautiful fountain spouting a modest, calming babble.
Its water trickled into a shallow pool filled with out of season lily pads.
Beyond the fountain was a rounded balcony overlooking the dark expanse of Atoris that stretched for miles before us.
Rhazien’s body behind mine shielded me from the cold. His hands rested on my shoulders as he said, “This is my favorite place.”
“I can see why,” I said, appreciating the fresh air, quiet, and privacy.
When I grew up hearing tales of the Hive and its horrors, I didn’t expect to one day be escorted by vampire royalty through his private garden.
The blooms leaned in my direction, vying to steal my attention from the dark, vast landscape.
I made a note to return during the day. The view faced the south and maybe, just maybe, I could even see Illica from here.
I thought of my past home with Hollis. Of my prickly sister and my secret daughter.
Cova wasn’t aware of the danger she’d escaped when I’d chosen the Hive.
That Dommik had threatened to take her, or Lydia instead.
A selfish part of me wanted her to know it wasn’t just a sacrifice for our family reputation.
Now understanding the needs of the Hive, it was better that I was sitting wrapped up in Rhazien’s arms than my sister. Or young Lydia.
Imagining either of them as a vampire queen was even less believable than the future I was beginning to envision for myself. While I was warming to the idea, I still mourned my life back in Illica, and the unsaid things between me, Beau, Cova, and Lydia weighed on me like the Irriset’s boulders.
“Reyva.” Rhazien turned me to face him, his hands moving to cradle my face. The pad of his thumb wiped away a tear. “What is it?”
“I miss my garden,” I lied.
Rhazien’s dark brows furrowed. Slowly, he interlaced his fingers with mine and coaxed, “Tell me about it.”
I scoffed through an embarrassed smile. “You don’t want to hear about it—”
“Yes.” He guided me to a nearby bench. “I do. Please tell me.”
It was a welcome distraction from my prior thoughts.
The details flowed from me. How I kept rosemary by the garden gate.
How no matter what I tried, rabbits always found their way into my vegetables.
How my mother taught me everything I knew, and so much of my time getting too much sun or getting dirt under my fingernails made me feel closest to her.
Reminiscing on my prior life made my heart ache for a place that was never really my home. He listened intently to every word until I ran out of them and I was surprised how much I shared.
Rhazien held my hands the entire time, rubbing the back of my thumbs with his. And when I was finally quiet, he lifted them to his lips and placed a gentle kiss before saying, “I will build you a new garden, Reyva. If it would make you happy here. I will build it for you.”
“Thank you, but you don’t—”
“I know I don’t have to,” he interjected, eyes filled with sincerity. “I’m the ruling regent. I don’t have to do anything, but I want to. For you.”
It was more than Hollis had ever offered. The garden at my late husband’s estate had already been established when it became my new residence, but I’d learned at a young age that everything comes with a price. A gift is never just a gift.
“Well, that’s very kind.” I stole a glance at his perfect lips, appreciating their welcoming words and wondering how they would feel pressed to mine. When I lifted my gaze to Rhazien's, he wore a similar expression.
“What are you staring at?” I tilted my chin as an invitation for what every molecule in my being knew would be a perfect kiss, but it didn’t come.
The regent held strong, staring at the curve of my willing mouth. “I just…love seeing your lips untouched. I don’t know if I’m ready to mark them just yet.”
Please, mark me, I thought.
There was an undeniable sense of power from having the attention of a man in his position, one most women would be susceptible to.
I wish I could have said I wasn’t like most women, but I craved that attention just as much as a young maid.
There was something potent and gratifying in being chosen.
I wondered if he felt it too. When it came to becoming bound, to becoming his queen, I had a choice.
Just as I’d had with the axe. Did he yearn to be chosen too?
Or was this simply a political arrangement for him?
Whatever the situation, he was staring at me like I was the sun he hadn’t seen in hundreds of years, and I liked it.
“You wouldn’t prefer to see yourself on them?” I cooed, “Wouldn’t that mean every other vampire could see it too?”
“Mmm…but they already know you’re mine, Reyva.” He leaned in, teasing me before sitting up straight again and asked, “What else?”
I looked up at him from beneath my lashes and asked through a heavy, frustrated breath, “What do you mean, what else?”
How is it possible that we are not kissing right now?
“What else can I do to make you feel more comfortable here?” Rhazien nestled in closer to me. Our bodies touched from knee to shoulder and we might not have been lip-locked like I wanted, but I welcomed his warmth.
“Honesty,” I blurted, then snapped my mouth shut from regret.
“Honesty?” he echoed, adjusting himself next to me.
I looked down to our joined hands. “Tell me why I’m here.”
He leaned forward and planted a featherlight kiss on my cheek. “Because, you’re exceptional.”
I closed my eyes and reveled in the heat of his closeness but was determined to not give into such a lazy attempt at distraction.
“I’m starting to think you say this to all of your mortal guests…” I pressed my fingers to his chest creating space between us.
“Reyva, I’m wounded,” he groaned with a brilliant, sarcastic smile.
My cheeks hurt from holding back a smirk of my own. “I’ll fetch you a healer.” I motioned to stand but he pulled me back down to the bench by my hips.
“You’ll do no such thing!” His chuckle echoed through the garden.
“Then tell me. Why did you send Dommik to Illica to retrieve me?” I recaptured his hand.
The gesture ignited a spark of surprise in his forest green eyes.
I wondered if his subjects didn’t insist on things from him all that often.
Well, besides Gorvin. I was sure he made a daily habit of bossing Rhazien around.
“The other night, you mentioned an item. You need something found. What is it?”
“Mmm.” He pursed his lips, a thought lingering behind his pause.
Thin clouds floated overhead, veiling the moonlight as they passed.
“Rhazien…tell me.” A glimmer streaked through his gaze at the sound of his name.
“One moment I’m awaiting an execution in Illica and a week later I’m being presented as your prospective future vampire queen to your court.
I’m not to be touched or tasted. I’m attending lessons in your library and wearing priceless diamonds. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
Rhazien’s features were steady as he listened to my cascading feelings and questions.
I couldn’t even believe what I was saying despite living it.
Maybe I’d been thrown from my horse during the ambush, hit my head, and was lying in a lifeless dream state somewhere on the side of the road.
Maybe I’d died and was sentenced to a life of wandering this plane as punishment for my transgressions.
I considered pinching myself but instead, Rhazien squeezed my hands.
He felt real. The warmth of his skin contrasted the chill of the brisk autumn wind.
And my heart, the way it pounded when he looked at me like that.
I’d always had a colorful imagination, but if this was in fact some kind of dream, it would be the most vividly detailed illusion I’d ever created.
The clouds parted and moonlight illuminated Rhazien’s rugged features as he spoke. The curve of his nose, the fullness of his lips. Status and riches make some men more attractive, but he would have been handsome no matter what his station.
“Gorvin cautioned me. Said it’s too much too soon.” He let out a calculating exhale. “But you’re right. You’re owed an explanation.”
A small victory. I sat up straighter, ready for answers.
“The four original vampires, the Eldritch sisters, created the first Hive together. As a place of peace and balance. It was a haven for the forsaken. The castaways, the outsiders, to become something more. Over the years, as their numbers steadily grew, they expanded. Created lines of commerce, built hidden safehouses across Atoris, and even forged the additional Hives.”
“How many are there?” I interjected.