Chapter 21
TAUREN
Her scream cuts through me like a dagger. Horse rearing, I twist Claren’s mare around and kick her into an urgent gallop.
She can’t be far. I’ve been following Velvet’s tracks while my guards scout the rest of the forest in case my horse has bucked her off. Hell only knows how she made it this deep into the woods without being attacked sooner. Perhaps my horse is smarter than he looks.
A flash of white peeks through the trees. Her wedding gown lies against a rock by the river.
When another scream cuts through me, I leap out of the saddle and race towards her. I spot Pumpkin first, mostly because my wife is covered with snarling wolves.
Soon-to-be-dead wolves.
Power rumbles through me, but I can’t use it yet without risking her. Grabbing the two nearest wolves, I tear them off her by the scruff of their necks.
“Tauren?” she squeaks. Pushing her to safety, I kick the other wolves away before one dives for me. I hit him with a burst of magic from my palm. His spine cracks against a tree trunk.
One down. A dozen more to go.
The wolves ignore Dahlia and charge for me, but I deal with them quickly, their teeth and claws no match for my power.
Three more are sent flying. Then another. And another.
Whipping out my dagger, I slit the throats of another five when I hear something leap behind me and Dahlia screams, “Don’t hurt him! Tauren, look out!”
I turn, expecting to find a wolf inches away from tearing into my face, when I freeze. There’s a wolf, yes, but his body is lowered and his ears are tucked back. With a drooping tail, he watches Dahlia submissively, almost as if he’s waiting for her to speak again.
“Get out of here!” she yells. Her blood-stained body cowers against a tree. “Take all your friends and go!” Her voice splinters.
The wolf bows its head, then disappears, bolting through the trees along with any stragglers from its pack that I hadn’t yet dealt with.
I stare at the scene, my mouth hanging open. Dahlia’s good with animals. My usually unfriendly horse loves her, and she’s got that puppy wrapped around her fingers, but to command a wolf…
“How did you do that?” I breathe.
Dahlia glances at me, chest heaving. “What?”
“You just told them to leave, and they listened.” Morning sun streams through the woods, the only sound now being leaves rustling in the wind and my pounding heart in my ears. “How did you do that?”
She’s not a demon, and she can’t be a glamoured faerie. I would’ve sensed her magic. Then again, there’s always been something different about her.
“I didn’t do anything. That was all you. They were probably just scared after you came along and decided the fight wasn’t worth it. They’re not stupid.”
“They’re animals, Dahlia,” I bite out. “They don’t think like that.”
“You underestimate them. Dogs are clever.” Somehow, my horse trots over to her and huffs, as if offended. “Horses too,” she adds, grinning at him.
Dragging a hand through my hair, I suck in a breath. I must’ve hit my head during the fight. This conversation is absurd. Dahlia is a human. My wife is a human, no matter how monstrously she acted at the wedding.
The wedding. Anger thrums in my chest. The taste of pond water still lingers on my tongue. I’m about to demand an apology when Dahlia squeaks in pain.
“Careful, girl,” she tells Pumpkin, who’s settling in her lap. It’s then that I notice the blood soaking her corset and bloomers.
“Shit.” I drop my weapons, racing to her side. “Where does it hurt? Tell me.” I search her tiny body.
“Everywhere,” she groans. Red bite marks are already forming along her arms and shoulders. Her lower legs are scratched, but it’s nothing serious. It’s her right thigh that worries me. Blood coats the top of her leg, seeping into the lace of her bloomers.
I squeeze her hand to stop mine from shaking.
“I need to treat this.” I try to keep my breaths measured as I lay my cloak on the floor for her. I’m still dressed in my wedding suit, but my crown must’ve fallen off somewhere in the woods.
Lifting her gently, I place her onto my cloak. She’s freezing. I’ll make a fire soon. But I can’t think about that now. All I can focus on is the awful red puddle growing below her thigh.
“It hurts,” she whimpers as I examine the wound.
“I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.” Wiping away the blood, the tightness in my chest eases when I see the wound isn’t major. Thank fuck. “I have healing supplies on my horse.” I squeeze her hand again. “You’ll be fine. Just stay still for me.”
Dahlia nods. I hate the way her lower lip trembles. I’ll be having words with the faeries about dealing with the wolf population on their lands. If there’s so much as a whisper of a scar on my wife’s skin, I’ll be holding their lord personally responsible.
After applying a medicinal paste, Dahlia hugs my arm as I bandage her thigh. I’m being gentle, but she still winces in pain with every new layer of the bandage.
I swallow thickly. “You know, you wouldn’t be hurting this badly had you not run from me after the wedding.” I keep my tone light. I still have every intention of punishing her once she’s calmed down, but right now she doesn’t need anger.
“I wouldn’t have needed to run from you if you hadn’t kidnapped me in the first place,” she grumbles into my arm.
“You know why I had to do it—”
“I don’t, though.” She pulls back to meet my gaze.
“You haven’t told me anything! All I know is that you’re using me as a pawn to buy someone called Maeve back.
But clearly I’m not worth that much to Elheart, or he would’ve just given you what you want by now.
” Averting her eyes, she wrinkles her nose.
“I’m worth as much as his favourite whore, apparently. ”
“You are worth far more than that.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Clearly not considering he thought Lady Urma would be a fair trade. I’m sick of these stupid games,” she scoffs.
“I just want to go back to my old life, to ride my horses around the stables, to dance with my sisters – all my sisters.” She scowls.
“But there’s no point. Father will just send me to Elheart’s again, then I’ll probably end up back here anyway.
I was stupid for even trying to escape.”
Pumpkin licks away her tears while my jaw tenses.
I’d forgotten until just now. One of the twelve dancing princesses was murdered a few months ago.
I’d heard the news from my spies at King Sol’s palace.
It was the eldest, if I’m remembering correctly.
Princess Amaryllis. She was killed in the bedchamber of the prince she was due to marry.
Guilt pulls at my heartstrings. All this time I’ve been using Dahlia to bargain for my own sister while forgetting that she had lost a sister of her own.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” My voice strains. “You must miss her a lot.”
Dahlia rolls her eyes. “Ami isn’t dead. She just abandoned us.”
My next words come out very gently. “I know it can be hard to accept these things, Dahlia, but your sister—”
“Ami isn’t dead!” she says loud enough to make my brows fly up.
“She just ran off with an assassin. Trust me, I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true.
He staged her death so she could live with him in Night Alley.
It’s a long story, but it’s the truth. I was there when we broke Kasimir out of the dungeon. ”
Confusion tugs at my brow, but I believe what she’s saying.
“I do miss her though.” She chews her lip.
“A lot. I almost ran away on the night of Blossom’s party so I could go and live with her, but I was too much of a coward to go into the forest.” Pulling Pumpkin into her lap, she strokes her long fur.
“It was probably for the best. I can see now I’d never make it on my own. I’m terrible at running away.”
Glancing at the trees, I shrug. “You made it a lot farther than I thought you would. Somehow you made it all the way into the faerie woods.”
“Only because of Velvet,” she grumbles. “He took me on a safe path. The wolves only attacked me because I made him stop.”
When the beast huffs smugly, my lips part. There’s definitely magic at work here.
Before I can push it, Dahlia speaks again. “I didn’t even pack any water or food. What kind of idiot doesn’t pack anything when she runs away?”
“A princess,” I tease.
“You’re a lord and you at least packed healing supplies,” she snips back. “I have no excuse.” She buries her face in her hands.
“You were desperate.” I pull her hands away gently.
“We do stupid things when we are desperate.” Memories of Dahlia with her legs spread on my lap in the throne room turn the guilt in my chest into a throb.
I was desperate then. All I could think about was Maeve and putting on enough of a show to get her back.
I didn’t think about what I was doing to Dahlia until it was already too late.
“Dahlia,” I start, voice heavy, “about what happened in the throne room…”
Her eyes narrow. “If you’re just going to say sorry again, I don’t want to hear it. Besides, we’re even after I humiliated you at the wedding.”
A muscle pops in my jaw. That is not how this is going to work…
Dahlia speaks again before I can argue. “I know you only did it for Maeve anyway.” She says the name as if it hurts her. “Who even is she? I know you said she is not your lover, but did you want her to be? Was she your fiancée and Elheart stole her from you? Claren wouldn’t talk about it.”
I shake my head grimly. “She’s our sister.”
“Your sister?” Dahlia breathes. “Oh…”
“He took her from me while we slept. One night she was there, and the next her bedchamber was empty except for a note telling us we’d find her in Elheart’s palace. He built that salt barrier so quickly, I had no chance to get her back.”
She thinks for a moment, chewing her lip.
“It doesn’t matter now anyway.” I flex my palms. “Another letter from Elheart arrived just before the ceremony.”
Dahlia blinks at me. “What did it say?”
I pull my knees to my chest. I didn’t want to talk about this tonight. But we’re married now, and that marriage becomes official the second I take her virtue – which I will be taking as soon as I get Dahlia warm and lay out the bedrolls.
“He has accepted that we are to be married and is disappointed that we could not come to an agreement.” Reaching for nearby kindling, I gather it into my arms. “Maeve will not be coming home. Your father and sisters will be informed of your new living situation.” He didn’t actually write that last part, but I assume he’ll have to let Sol know eventually.
I’ve heard stories of Sol’s heartlessness, but surely the man cares about his daughters.
Then again, he did ship her off to marry a prince she’d never met.
Dahlia’s quiet for a moment before her eyes light up. “So he doesn’t want me anymore? That means I can go home!”
“You are home.” I continue gathering enough wood to build a fire. “Or at least you will be when we return to my castle. You’re my wife now, Dahlia.”
Her smile falls. “But if he won’t give you your sister back, why even keep me here? Just send me home to my family. If I’m married and Father believes you have taken my virtue, then he won’t be able to marry me off to anyone else. No other prince or lord will want me.”
“I want you,” I say as her lips part. “By the laws of my court, once a female is married they are the responsibility of their husband. Therefore, as your husband, I will be taking you back to my castle and you will be staying there permanently.”
Her face pales. “You haven’t taken my virtue yet. We’re not officially married until then.”
“I am aware.” I stand up, hating the shiver that rocks over her. “You don’t need to fear me, Dahlia. I will be gentle.” But she doesn’t stop shivering. Even as I carry her into the now-empty cave, lay out the bedrolls and light a fire, her two poison-black eyes watching me through the embers.