Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Helaina clutched a clean change of leathers to her chest as she walked alongside Theodon.
He appeared to be offering an olive branch, and she was in no position not to take it.
But even in his moments of genuine sincerity, her suspicions were at the forefront of her thoughts.
She possessed the mark, he possessed the dagger, their relationship was merely a transaction. She needed to remember that.
Every bit of her was sore from what he had put her through. Her leg was burning so intensely, she had to stop and lean against the cave walls regularly. Her pace earned an eye roll from her escort at every pause. She wasn’t being lazy, she was injured, for gods’ sake.
He was responsible for her aching muscles, but he had also helped her feel true control over her magic for the first time. She wanted more of that, to have complete authority over this shadow like these warriors clearly possessed over their own gifts.
“Your lieutenant, Callum . . . I haven’t seen him since I woke.” She gazed ahead down the hall at the groups of soldiers congregating.
“All our magic has limits. It drains him entirely to take a passenger when he teleports. He’s been asleep since the night Lionel healed you. He’ll probably be useless for another day, maybe more.”
“He used that much power to get us out?” The one who had threatened to cut out her tongue the night she was taken.
“He understands the gravity of things.”
She supposed she owed the teleporter a thank-you the next time she saw him.
Theodon was hard to keep up with, so she couldn’t help lagging a few steps behind.
It gave her the opportunity to examine the intricate designs up and down the skin of his entire back.
Deep-red patterns twisted and coiled down his spine, fanning outward in all directions.
It reminded her of some sort of floral design within a four-pointed star.
She noticed matching scars etched within the pattern, raised above his smooth skin, a matching set just between his shoulder blades.
“Is that . . . are those where your wings come from?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “In a way, I suppose. The scarring is from the weight of them.”
That wasn’t surprising; those immense wings towered behind him when they appeared.
“And the red markings . . . are they permanent?”
He turned and looked at her curiously. “Yes, it is permanent. Have you never seen a tattoo before?”
She searched her memory for any others in her life who possessed markings like his. “The king of the fae. I saw the crown symbol he wears, is that a tattoo?”
He scrunched his brows. “How did you come to meet Matthias?” He spoke his name so casually.
“He was the one who told my father to shield me. He created the protection around Oakmire.”
“Why would he do that?” he murmured.
Helaina shrugged, as she had never had a chance to ask.
Theo looked lost in thought, contemplating her nonverbal answer.
A roar of laughter broke his focus, and he started walking again.
She followed as more bodies passed them by, coming and going from accommodations that resembled her own.
Many undressed with the doors wide open, having no sense of modesty.
She covered the sides of her face so she wouldn’t accidentally get a look at something she did not want to see.
A bald male with slit eyes and curved fangs brushed past her shoulder. His pointed serpent eyes gave her a once-over, followed by a wink and a suggestive flick of a forked tongue.
Helaina’s lip turned up in repulsion.
The snakelike humanoid instantly regretted his gesture as Theodon’s arm lunged directly in front of her, grabbing his shirt. Theodon yanked his body off the ground without an ounce of strain, like he was picking up a small sack of coins. He let out a low growl of warning.
“I—I didn’t realize she was yours, Captain. I saw a new face, that’s all,” the soldier hissed out in a panic.
Theodon pulled his face in close. “She belongs to no one. You’ll remind everyone of that before the night is through.” It was a command, not a question. Theodon let his eyes blacken for a split second.
Horror took over the male’s expression, his skin leaching of any remaining color. “Yes,” he offered rapidly.
A crowd began to gather, their eyes looking back and forth between their captain and her.
Helaina wasn’t quite sure what to do or how to react.
On one hand, she sort of felt bad for the soldier, as Theodon was making a pitiful example out of him.
On the other, she was glad a line was being drawn that would prevent any unsolicited advances.
Theodon released him, and he dropped down on all fours. It took barely a breath for him to slink off in the opposite direction.
With one panned look from their captain, everyone in their audience fell away. He continued their walk as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t threatened one of his own back there. So she did the same.
“The bathing chamber is past the Azure Chasm. You can rest your leg soon,” he said.
She couldn’t remember the last time she properly bathed. Helaina craved soaps and oils and pretty bath salts, all the amenities she had at home.
Home.
She kept using that word like it had a meaning she understood.
The familiar sparkling radiance of the Azure Chasm came into focus. Rows of tables were no longer bare. They were filled with warriors. She didn’t have time to take them all in, as he led her down an adjacent tunnel.
Was her family searching for her? Were they assembling troops?
No, she doubted very much that her father’s men would even think to come here. She shook her head, sighing softly, pushing away any hopes of rescue.
She realized Theodon was looking right at her, analyzing her face.
“Did you want to fuck him?” he asked casually.
“what?” Her shout rang out. No one had ever spoken to her this way. “Who?”
“My soldier.”
Her face grew hot. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You seem disappointed that I sent him running.”
She stumbled through her reply. “I’m not! Not for that reason . . . He was only walking by, he wasn’t interested in . . . that, and neither was I.”
His face remained neutral. “His scent suggested otherwise, as does your reaction.”
Scent?
“I can tell Orm it was a misunderstanding and that you—”
“No.” Her face was pink all over, she didn’t need a mirror to tell her so. “I don’t want to . . . fuck Orm.” Her gut tingled at the discomfort of this conversation. Between the soreness in her leg and aggravation of his company, she was about ready to give up on the bath and head back to her room.
“You can smell that on someone?” she asked instead, trying to move the conversation past this point of mortification. Had he smelled what she felt when she got a glance of his bare, rippling chest?
“Yes.” She caught a knowing look on his face. He understood the dots she was connecting.
They reached the entrance to another carved-out space.
The stone walls were saturated from dripping cracks and crevices, spilling into small pools.
The air felt more humid here. Firelight from the sconces reflected off the jagged edges of crystals that gleamed a yellow so deep it reminded her of a yolk from an egg.
“I never knew rocks could sparkle like this.” Everything down here was so strange and new.
“The moisture helps them form over time,” Theodon explained.
Before she could inquire further, her focus redirected to the many bodies before her. Her breath hitched. Everyone was naked in various copper tubs, laughing, flirting, and splashing one another from the cave pools.
“Well?” Theodon arched a brow at her, gesturing to go ahead. “What are you waiting for?”
“I . . . um.” Another flush of pink migrated from her cheeks to her upper chest. What did he expect her to do? Disrobe among all these strange eyes?
She couldn’t.
Not happening.
“I . . . I can wait until everyone’s done.”
Theodon looked genuinely confused. Then he pieced her apprehension together. “There is a more private space if you prefer?”
She exhaled in relief. “Please.”
To her surprise, he placed his broad hand on her back and ushered her forward. For a split second she wanted to shake his touch away. She reconsidered as deep heat coursed through his fingertips. The warmth felt good, comforting even.
He guided her to the back of the chamber. At first it looked like a dead end. As they grew closer, the illusion fell, and a hidden entrance revealed itself to the side. It formed a narrow hall, perfectly concealed by the pattern of the stone unless you were aligned at the perfect angle to see it.
They turned the slender corner to find more water trickling down through thick cracks from above.
She walked toward one alluring stream, allowing her hand to brush under the water’s flow.
It felt like ice cascading over her fingers.
Even with her intense desperation to bathe, she wasn’t sure she could stand it.
Theodon tapped her shoulder and pointed to the cavern’s edge, where a small steaming pool of water was visible.
She walked to the inviting spring, set aside her fresh clothes by the stack of clean towels on the rocks, and kicked off her boots and wool socks.
She gingerly dipped a toe and let out a sound of satisfaction at the warmth she found.
Carved-out shelves in the rocks displayed assorted colorful bottles.
She opened one that smelled of flowers. She inhaled the fragrances repeatedly, trying to place their origin, but couldn’t.
“Moonvine and mother’s lace,” Theodon said.
“Those aren’t real flowers.” None that she recognized anyway.
“In Azaros they are very real.”
“You’ve been there? To Azaros?”
“Many times,” Theodon replied. “The fae supply us here with food and other comforts. Our fliers can get there and back in half a day.”
That’s how he was familiar with Matthias. The fae not only knew the Divine Allura existed, they helped them thrive out here.
“Fliers?” She let her hand roam over the selection.