39
Alarie
It was the day before the Spring Ball. The Spring Ball at the High Court was a coveted event, one that was bestowed upon a different House by the King each year. I’d missed the prior year’s Spring Ball hosted by House Tragon, having arrived at the High Court days after its conclusion. This year’s Spring Ball was hosted by House Dempsey, an established House from the north who was known to have a foothold in many of the northeastern ports. The word around the Court was that Lord Dempsey intended to use the Spring Ball as an opportunity to identify potential suitors for his youngest daughter, Karina Dempsey.
In the days immediately preceding the Spring Ball, my relationship with Jay had taken on a fervor it had not undergone since the initial days of my lessons atop the library table. It was as if our love was fighting for its life. Jay took every opportunity to make his mark upon me. He had even boldly taken me in the King’s own study the day before. After meeting with the King, Jay all but excused Grey from his own study, making it clear that he required the room. Amused, the King had departed and seconds later I was bent over the King’s large gray stone desk. I would run out of panties at the rate Jay was tearing them from my body.
Luke and I walked up to the King’s estate for Lord Dumont’s coronation.
“What’s that?” he asked, curiously.
“Hmm?” I responded, his question only half registering with me, lost in my thoughts about Jay.
I drew my eyes away from the stars and looked up at Luke. He reached out, his calloused hand softly grasping my jaw and turning my head. I realized too late that he was focusing on the small, silvery scar that had already formed on my neck from where Cole had cut me. It was shiny and silvery because the cut was made with a blade made of iron.
The perpetual laughter in his baby blue eyes was replaced with a chilling savagery. His muscled chest swelled and every muscle in his corded arms tensed. My usual ray of sunshine transformed before my eyes in a matter of seconds to a bringer of death.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” he spat through clenched teeth, his jaw squared off.
I had told him everything about what had happened with Cole. He had gone off on a murderous tirade that had only ended after he agreed with Jay that Cole deserved a slow death.
He looked scary as hell, but he was still my Luke. I grabbed his large hand from my face, holding it between my hands.
“Luke, I’m fine. And he’s already dead, remember?” I reminded him softly.
Cole and Lila, and anyone unwilling to openly denounce House Tragon, had been dislodged from the High Court over a week ago. The King stripped House Tragon of all titles, reclaiming all estates for the Crown and banishing them from the High Court indefinitely. We got word that Cole passed away days after he left Court with his mother.
“Jay was too easy on him. You don’t know what I can do, Al,” he promised with death in his beautiful eyes. “I’ll bring him back to life and make him wish for a quick death.”
I didn’t know if Luke was exaggerating about the powers he once had or if he could, in fact, bring fae back from death. Such power was unfathomable. I was touched by his outrage, but I wanted back my laughing best friend. Seeing him like this just made it that much worse. Noticing the concern in my eyes, Luke pulled me into his body, my back resting against his firm mass. He hooked one arm through mine, wrapping his hand around my small waist and holding me tightly. I could still feel the tension in the muscles on his back, but he bestowed the gentlest kiss upon the top of my head.
* * * *
“Mandy,” a voice rang out from across the King’s hall. “Mand.”
Mandy? I thought, turning my head toward the voice.
Cass? It is fucking Cass!
I dropped Luke’s arm and ran toward Cass, his big arms opening to encircle me in a crushing hug.
He stuck out like a splash of color in a sea of black and white. The tall lesser fae had a swath of green hair atop his head that faded into short, green stubble above his ears. He wore a black, high-collared coat, no tie, the white button-up underneath unbuttoned at the top enough to allow the tattoos that covered his defined chest to peek through. Those were new—the tattoos, not his hulking muscles. Cass had always been massive and his physique had only gotten more defined with age.
He lifted me off my feet, squeezing me and holding me for a moment before setting me down. A genuine smile was plastered on my face.
“Cass! What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked.
Cass had not shown up the last time Lord Dumont came to Court, so I had not expected to see him this time either.
“Same ol’ potty mouth, I see,” Cass teased with a sideways smirk.
“Lord Davante, is this who I think it is?”
A burly man with caramel skin and silvery-red hair approached as we still untangled from our hug.
“Lord Dumont—” Cass began.
“Lord Davante?” I interrupted Cass.
Cass tilted his head at the same time he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment.
I grabbed Cass’s hand, squeezing it in my excitement.
“Congrats, Cass!”
“Mandy, this is High Lord Dumont,” Cass continued, stressing Lord Dumont’s newly minted title.
“Alarie Armand,” I gently corrected Cass, holding my hand out to the short but muscled lesser fae.
High Lord Dumont surprised me by taking my hand and pulling me into a hug.
“Alarie, good to finally put a face to your name. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Lord Dumont said.
And with this comment, his eyes briefly cut toward Cass.
“For instance, I hear I have you to thank for the change of tides here at the High Court. I hear you’ve always been an advocate,” Lord Dumont said.
I wondered what version of events had made it to High Lord Dumont. Surely, Jay would not have shared all the details regarding what happened with Cole. Several things had happened in quick succession. With House Tragon’s opposition gone and the truth regarding who was culpable for the Lord Garaud incident out in the open, Jay and the others were able to reach a resolution with the lesser fae. Lord Dumont was sworn in as a high lord and the Golden Court was decreed by the King. I gave him a humble smirk.
“Lord Dumont—”
“Drake,” he insisted.
“Drake…”
I didn’t know what to say. Jay had warned me about sticking my neck out for the lesser fae, but I had done it, anyway.
“I thought it was the right thing to do,” I said simply with a shrug.
“And that is exactly why I have come to seek you out, Alarie. Now, I know that there is probably no chance you will accept this offer seeing as how you are already set up with House Vitruvian. But if I can ever convince you to jump ships, you just say the word. You’d make a great senior counselor for my House.”
Cass beamed at me. Senior counselor would be a big step up for me even if I was leaving an established House like House Vitruvian for a smaller, less established House like House Dumont. Lord Dumont was on the High Council. I could do much worse. Drake interpreted my contemplation as polite rejection.
“Can’t blame me for trying. The offer’s there, Alarie. Enjoy the party. Cass, we have to go. But I’ll give you a minute,” he said, clapping Cass on the back, then departing.
“You have to go? You’re not staying for the Ball tomorrow?” I asked, disappointed.
“That was the plan originally, Mand. But with Lord Dumont’s coronation out of the way and, well, after the meeting we just got out of, we have to head back as soon as we can,” he replied nebulously.
“What are you getting into now, Lord Davante, now that your rebellion is over with?” I teased.
“War most likely, Mandy,” he said somberly. “My new title came with another promotion—Commander of the Northern Forces of Valencia,” he said.
My heart dropped to my stomach at the thought of Cass leading a war effort. Just a couple of years ago, we had been at school together, studying things like war in books. But I knew that this had always been what he wanted—Cass had always wanted to fight for what he thought was right. He’d always been a warrior at heart. I took a deep breath, swallowing my concern for my friend, and tried to don a convincing enough smile.
“Impressive, Cass,” I replied sincerely. “But you come back to me in one piece, ok, Commander?” I said sweetly, nudging his shoulder with my own.
Cass encircled me in a hug, and despite his large size it was gentle, like he was holding something precious and fragile. His hug made me feel small and safe and reminded me of home, but only the good parts.
“You stay safe too, ok, Mandy? Not all of war is fought on a battlefield,” he cautioned.
I stood in place, watching Cass’s large figure work his way through the crowd and over to High Lord Dumont. With a sigh, I turned and made my way back to Luke. He took my hand, pulling me to him and immediately entwining his arm with mine.
“That was Cass,” I explained, a smile still on my lips. “You know, Don Davante? Well, Lord Davante now,” I corrected myself, still blown away at how much my childhood friend had changed since I last saw him.
“He really is built like a brick shithouse,” was all Luke said, a throwback to Rhett’s description of the then don.
* * * *
I lay in bed tired but not exactly sleeping, my mind still processing the events of the night. A new job offer for House Dumont. Jay, I thought, feeling like I had been plunged into a cold ice bath. Lady Vitruvian had been at High Lord Dumont’s coronation. Although the official announcement wouldn’t be made until the Spring Ball the following day, news about Lady Vitruvian’s pregnancy had already spread around the High Court. I had always thought Elizabeth appeared cold, disinterested at best. But seeing her walk around with her hand perpetually resting on her belly that did not yet show the life of Jay’s baby, she had seemed content, maybe even happy. I had also seen Jay accept congratulations with an already blossoming fatherly pride.
A knock at my door rang out in the silence of the night. Startled, I jumped out of my large bed. It was the middle of the night, closer to dawn. By this time, even the latest party animals had gone to bed and would soon be replaced by the early risers embracing the next day.
Jay could be an early riser when he needed to be. But I wasn’t even sure Jay knew where I was. Well, he was the Lord of Whispers, so he probably did know exactly where I was. I was in an apartment in the Rein manor. I had decided to stay away from the Vitruvian manor for only the second time since I had arrived on Jay’s doorstep. With the lady around, I just didn’t feel like being there.
But, if I were being honest, the real reason I stayed away was that I just couldn’t handle the rollercoaster of emotions that was my relationship with Jay at the moment. Our near-constant fucking left me no time to think about the conflict within me. Sex and love had never been the issue with us. But I needed time to figure out how I felt about being consort and my overall role in House Vitruvian. It was like Jay knew this, so he didn’t give me a spare moment to get my thoughts in order.
I may have stayed with Luke, but with his father and other guests in town for the Spring Gala and staying at the Bellamy manor, I didn’t really feel like dealing with any prying eyes or questions. So, no questions asked, Rhett had offered up a place to me for the night, which I graciously accepted. It was nice. Really, really nice. I had my own private wing within the Rein manor.
It could be Rhett at my door, but he was more likely to be one of the ones who had just gone to bed a few hours ago instead of someone just waking up. So that left Luke. I opened my door, wondering what Luke was doing awake at such an hour.
“Lu— Cass!” I exclaimed, as I pulled the door open and saw Cass’s towering figure.
He no longer wore the suit that he wore earlier in the night. He wore a dark forest green, long-sleeved shirt that appeared to be stretched to its limits over his biceps. His tattoos peeked over the neck of his collar and up the sides of his thick, muscled neck. He had two longswords strapped to his back and wore a black belt strapped with so many weapons I couldn’t see the leather of the belt underneath.
“Hi,” he replied simply, a boyish grin on his face.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked, still recovering from my surprise. “I thought you had to leave tonight?” I said.
“That guy, Luke, is he your boyfriend?” Cass asked, brushing past my questions.
I thought about his question. I remembered when Luke and I had broached the subject, I had called him my “best friend.” But even then, I didn’t believe that really captured the true nature of my relationship with Luke. But Luke wasn’t my boyfriend either.
“It’s kind of complicated, but no, he’s not my boyfriend,” I responded, perplexed that this question could not have waited for a more decent hour. “Why?”
“Good,” Cass said, and he grabbed my chin, tilting my face up to meet his mouth.
His kiss surprised me. We had never crossed over the threshold of our friendship. But as his tongue parted my lips, I allowed the boundary of our friendship to dissipate and was surprised to find a passion for my friend within me that had lain there dormant for years.
I returned the heat of his kiss, tangling my fingers in his green hair and pulling his mouth down to mine. He stepped past the threshold of my door, pushing my small body against the wall behind me as his enormous hands encircled my waist, picking me up and wrapping my legs around him.
He was so big and muscled that my legs barely fit around him. Heat gathered between my thighs, and I tried to tighten my legs around him and eliminate the space between our bodies. I broke away from our kiss.
“Come in for a minute?” I asked, breathily.
He looked down at me, likely contemplating Lord Dumont and his men waiting for him to leave town.
“I can’t,” he growled, reluctantly loosening his grip on my thighs and beginning to lower me to the floor.
A roguish smile broke across his face in response to the disappointment on mine. He leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.
“Gotta go, Mand. See you next time,” he promised and then turned away, somehow managing to silently and gracefully jog down the hallway despite his size.
I stood at my door, staring at Cass’s hulking mass disappearing down the hall, adding another item to the long list of things that were already keeping me up that night.