Chapter 24
Acool breeze hits my bare back from the open window, sending a chill through me to rival my nerves. The mixture of going to the dance with Bastian and facing King Cirrus has me on edge. Never in my life have I worn a dress that only falls to my mid-thigh. The belt, snug around my waist, shows my hourglass figure.
And the boots.
Trying them on in the store was nothing like wearing them with this dress. The bottom of the skirt falls about two inches above the top of the boots, making me feel like the elven warrior Evie said I’d resemble. I’ve never seen one, but I can only imagine. All I need is my bow and quiver.
Evie uses a heated iron rod to add curls to my hair, letting them fall in a cascade over my shoulders and bosom. And in this dress, my cleavage is on full display, and there’s nothing I can do to hide it. While my sister isn’t looking, I yank at the bodice of the dress, trying to cover the top part of my body, but it slips back down into its natural cut.
When she finishes my hair, she lays her hands on my shoulders, having me turn in a circle. “You’ll do.” It’s a high compliment from my sister.
When I descend the stairs, Bastian, Grayson, and Levi are sitting at a table in the dining area of the inn. They’re laughing over a round of drinks until they see us. All three of them stand, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
“Get over yourselves.” Evie plops into the fourth seat and looks at Bastian. “She’s all yours.”
He’s combed his hair back into a tie, which gives me a full view of his eyes. Standing right here, lost in his gaze, I could die a happy woman. He’s freshly pressed his white tunic and cotton pants, and they fit perfectly in all the right places. It’s awkward inspecting him while the others watch, because he’s doing the same thing to me.
“Are you ready?” he asks, taking my hand in his, a finger trailing along the curve of my palm. This means as much to him as it does to me.
“Yes.” I grip his hand tighter, relishing the way I’ve made him sweat.
Cool air attacks my fevered body as we step into the square where it seems the entire town is enjoying the celebration. Children dance beneath the lanterns, holding hands and singing to the boisterous music. Men and women drink and congregate, laughing and talking loudly. This is a gathering the Council would never allow within the city walls.
It provides hope.
Hope of a life where, someday, people can make their own decisions and live the way they desire. In Tenny Rocks, the townspeople have tasted a sliver of this freedom. With the exception of their work schedules, they no longer live under the Council’s thumb.
Holding Bastian’s hand… kissing him… is a punishable offense in the city. Here, I’m free to express how I feel. I can’t let Avren’s rules continue to control me from afar. Either I’m a member of the Kindred Few, or I’m Lady Raven’s pawn.
He stops me, holds up my hand, and spins me around. “I don’t think this dress meets the Council’s approval.”
I slip my arms around his neck and press my body against his. “I no longer care about what the Council approves of.” My lips meet his eagerly. It feels different because the nagging voice of Lady Raven no longer fills my head.
Avren doesn’t own me. I know that now.
He feels my abandonment. Growling, he slips his hand beneath my bottom and lifts me into his arms as I wrap my legs behind his back and deepen the kiss. His tongue battles with mine, trying to win the war of who wants the other one more.
The crowd disappears as he sets me on a rock wall, my dress hiked up almost to my waist. Gravel digs into the back of my thighs, but I don’t care as I take his face in my hands and dive back into our kiss. His hands slip behind me, exploring my bare back before settling on my waist.
He finally pulls away, out of breath. “You don’t need to prove it to me anymore. You’ve earned it.”
I raise an eyebrow, hoping he means another chance to share his bed. “Earned what?”
“Your tattoo.” His fingers trail along my hairline, lifting a tendril of hair behind my ear and tracing the shell, setting my body on fire.
“But I thought I had to prove myself… like, in battle.” My emotions are in a jumbled mess. As much as I want to drop everything and become a bona fide member of the Kindred Few, I want nothing to detract from the fire about to set my core ablaze.
He rests his forehead against mine. “I said you had to prove yourself. I didn’t say how.” Lifting his head, he looks me in the eye. “Avren had a chokehold on you. We’ve watched your progress—your desensitization toward the role the city’s rules and regulations play in your life. When you rejected me the other night, I knew you weren’t quite ready.”
“So, you used me?” Tears well in my eyes as everything comes crashing down. “You pretended to like me to see if you could get past the brainwashing?” Disappointment morphs into anger as I push at his chest, not wanting him so close.
He snatches my wrist before I can shove him again and leans into me. “Not at all, Maribel.”
I wince when he uses my full name.
“This is real.” He touches his chest above his heart. “You make me feel more alive than anyone I’ve met in my entire life.” His voice breaks, revealing his vulnerability. “Before you came home with Gray, my world revolved around eating, sleeping, and training. Susan filled a lonely night here and there, but she didn’t fill what was missing in my heart.” He swallows, gazing up at a stray firework lighting the night sky, then brings his face close to mine. “You, Maribel Windsong. You are the one thing in my life I didn’t know I was missing.” Swollen lips meet mine again, perfect in both words and actions.
A hand tugs on my skirt, and I look down at a little girl with blonde pigtails, an orange kerchief covering her head, and a yellow dress. She holds a hand smeared with dirt out to me, so I slide off the wall and take it, no longer bothered by the beliefs of my past. I keep hold of Bastian as she pulls us into the crowd of people dancing in a chain to the lively music.
By the time our chain weaves through the entire square, we are both laughing and out of breath. Bastian slips a hand behind my back and leads me down an alley, meandering through stone buildings. With his warm hand in mine and the oil lamps on the stoops of this narrow passageway, I feel safe. This man could ask me to jump into the river, and I’d follow him willingly. It’s crazy how a few weeks can change your perspective on someone.
We stop in front of a door without an oil lamp. Bastian raps on the surface with his knuckles, and I can feel his broad smile in the dim light.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, the words magnified in our desolate surroundings.
“Don’t worry.” He gives my cheek a swift pinch and turns to the door as it opens.
“Bastian Hale,” a woman’s voice says. In the shadows, I can’t see her face. “Come for another reading?”
“Not tonight, Reviva.” He drapes an arm over my shoulder, tugging me to him. “This is Maribel, the newest member of our family. She’ll need a tag.”
A tag? What does he think I am? A dog? A cow on his farm?
“Ahh…” The woman reaches out and touches my face. Her long, bony fingers are ice cold as she traces the contours.
I clutch my arms to my chest, unsure if I want to stay very long. The festivities in the town square are much more appealing.
“May I read your palm?” Reviva asks, her hand dropping from my face.
“No.” Bastian’s voice is firm. “That’s not why we’re here.” His hand slides over my lower back, gripping my hip. “Mari needs a tattoo.”
I swallow, my throat dry and my head spinning. He had mentioned that I’ve earned it, but I didn’t think he meant this soon. The Council forbids markings of any kind on the body because they taint the pristine nature of our society. I hate how I’m still conflicted. Getting this tattoo is supposed to be my way to say fuck you, as Bastian would put it, to the Council.
I long for a drink, my throat now feeling like sandpaper. “I’m ready.” This is more than a way to impress a man. This is belonging. This is a symbol of leaving Avren behind and taking my new role—though it scares the crap out of me—as one of the two saviors by the horns.
He lifts a hand to my shoulder, slipping the material of my dress to the side. “I thought it might look lovely right here.” Leaning down, he kisses the bare skin of my shoulder, causing a rush of heat to pool in my gut.
“Come, come.” Reviva opens the door wider, letting us cross the threshold.
I’m hit with the pungent smells of herbs, reminiscent of Ben’s cottage. In the city, the aromas of chlorine, bleach, and the occasional perfume were everyday. In the wilderness, I’ve become accustomed to campfires, moss, and the earthy smells of the life cycle. The fresh smells make me want to curl up by the fire in Reviva’s hearth and fall asleep.
She leads me to a chair at the table in her kitchen. Brightly colored cards lie scattered over the wooden surface, along with mismatched teacups stained with many uses. “Are you sure you don’t want a reading, dear?” Her bony fingers clasp my shoulder. “I sense your fear.”
Do you think the tattoo needle might have something to do with it?
“No, I’m fine,” I lie. Dancing in the square sounds like a much better time. “Let’s get this over with.”
Bastian crouches beside me, gathering my hands into his. His blue eyes assess me as tiny wrinkles form between his brows. “I thought you wanted this.”
Yes. I want to belong somewhere. I love Levi and Grayson. Bastian and Evie are growing on me. If I need to get a tattoo to prove I belong, then I will do it. I don’t know if I want the title of the savior from the prophecy. In fact, I’m pretty sure I don’t.
I rest my forehead against his, desperate to find his scent hidden in the pungent incense. “Can we add a fifth circle?”
He lets out a stifled laugh. “I always thought the four-circle thing was stupid. It seems more complete with five—stronger, more resilient.”
I tilt my chin slightly to take his lips in a soft kiss. “Then let’s do this.”
Turning around, I sit backward in the chair, resting my arms on it. Bastian slips my dress partway down my arm to reveal my bare shoulder. I shudder slightly as he traces the area with his fingernail to show Reviva where to place it. He knows what his touch does to me.
A cold, wet cloth swipes over my shoulder. Reviva dries it, then hobbles over to the other side of the room. She comes back with a brown leather pouch, unrolling it on the table to reveal her tools.
I grip the back of the chair tighter as she touches her pen to my skin. I fight back the tears as she traces the first circle.
“Talk to me.” Bastian sits on the floor, watching my face. “I’m here if you need something to punch or to dig your fingernails into.”
All I want to do is scream obscenities at him. Tonight was supposed to be special. I wore this dress for him—one that Evie said he would love. It feels as if this woman might burn a hole straight through my skin to my bone, and I’ll be in no shape to return to the dance. Why did I agree to this? I close my eyes. “I’m… fine… Bastian.”
Reviva continues to assault my skin, thinking nothing of my pain. “The last time we met, you drew the lovers’ card.”
“Yes.” He averts his eyes from mine to look at his fortuneteller. “What of it?”
“And this is what the universe brought you?” Reviva’s pen seems to dig deeper into my shoulder. “A weakling from Avren? Took you for the warrior-woman type.”
I tense, ready to defend myself.
“The universe has tethered me to her. I can’t help myself.” Bastian still won’t look at me. “It’s as if she’s a drug I can’t get enough of.”
“I’m right here,” I grumble, hurt by his words. “The least you can do is say why you like me.”
His eyes dart to mine as I’m held captive in the hands of the tattoo artist. “You don’t back down. You strive to accomplish things that seem impossible to others. You’re headstrong, not willing to let others define who you are because of your upbringing. You’re a good friend to Levi. Others disregard him because he’s deaf.” He grabs at the scruff of his neck, dipping his head slightly. “And you’re a damn good kisser.”
I stare at him through the slats of the chair, no longer regarding the pain of Reviva’s needle. “Then, if the magnetic connection disappeared, you’d still like me?”
He threads his fingers through mine, giving me all kinds of feels. “I don’t need an unnatural bond to like you, Mari. You’ve reeled me in by just being you.”
Reviva sets the needle on the table. She picks up a square of cloth and rubs balm from a porcelain bowl on my skin. The coolness of the salve, along with Bastian’s words, calms my soul.
“My turn,” he says, jumping up and brushing the dirt from the floor from his pants.
“Are you getting one?”
He already has multiple runes decorating his skin.
“I have to add a circle.” He lifts his tunic over his head, revealing the hard planes of his muscles.
I hate how he makes me feel every time he takes his shirt off. It’s as if the gods formed him from their most perfect mold, making the rest of us feel extremely inadequate in his presence. And yet, I can’t look away. I tear my eyes away to study the glass jars on Reviva’s shelves, chancing small peeks every once in a while.
When the tattoo is complete, Bastian hands Reviva a bag of coins.
She jangles it in her palm, seeming to contemplate something. “What of the three of swords?”
Bastian’s face darkens, his lips pull into a pout. “I don’t want to discuss that. Leave it be.” He snatches my hand, and we’re out the door, bombarded by the clean air of the wilderness.
I know better than to question. Instead, I’ll tuck the comment away for our uncertain future.
We climb down the stairs to the river. The party on the wooden platform is as lively as the one in the square, but when we step onto the dance floor, the music slows to a haunting melody. I’m in his arms, his hand dangerously low on my back. The hypnotic sway of his hips is like a drug I can’t get enough of. I stare into his eyes, lost in the way they catch the torchlight.
He dips his head, and his lips touch my ear, grazing the lobe and making me shiver. “Have I told you that you look amazing tonight? You make me forget there’s anyone else here.”
I shift away from him, furrow my brow, and cover my mouth to feign shock. “Commander Hale always has one eye on his surroundings.”
“Like I said.” His lips move along my jawline. “I can’t take my eyes from you.” He draws me closer, pressing his mouth to mine. We’re barely moving now, only swaying to the music drifting over the dance floor.
His hands drift over the silken material of my dress as he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring mine. Steady palms grip my hips before slipping behind my back to explore my bare skin, all while never breaking the tangle of our mouths. My fingers tug on the tie in his hair, letting the elastic fall to the ground so I can bury my hands in his long strands.
The floor beneath my feet suddenly gives way, and screams rise around us. A splash, followed by more, tells me people are falling into the river. As the entire dance floor rises vertically into the air, I release Bastian and grab onto a railing, hoping he’ll do the same. I watch him slide down the planks and into the water below. My fingers ache, struggling to hold onto the wooden slat.
Screeches rise from the shoreline as humanlike creatures search the banks of the waterway. From my brief glance, I see they have hunched backs, long greasy hair, and ashen gray skin.
Miscretes.
“Mari.” Bastian cups his mouth. “Hold on!” His weapons cloak is back in the room where we’re staying. He swims to the base of the platform, which now teeters back and forth, stuck on two boulders. “If you drop, I’ll catch you.”
I glance at the creatures sniffing along the riverbank. One catches me looking. The humanness in its eyes makes me turn away. Did they cause this?
A deafening creak shakes the entire structure, and I pitch forward as the railing cracks, my feet dangling above the rapids.
“The whole thing’s going to break in half!” Bastian shouts. “Drop!”
My body trembles, my fingers growing numb as I look over my shoulder at the water below. The creatures still scour the riverbank, seeming afraid to go into the water after the humans. Or are they after something else?
Bastian lifts a rock from the bottom of the river, holds it over his head, and throws it at a Miscrete getting too close to a woman and little girl. The creature dodges it and hisses at the commander.
“Mari! You need to drop,” Bastian pleads.
I close my eyes, draw in a breath, and let my hands do the thing they’ve wanted to do for the last minute—release. Screaming, I fall to the water below.