12. Chapter Twelve Rhowyn
Chapter Twelve: Rhowyn
I laid my head on Baer's chest, my hand on his abs, which were flexing under my trailing finger. Drifting it back and forth, I traced those abs, watching as his muscles flexed and relaxed at my feather-light touch. Neither of us said anything as we held each other, knowing that soon, the real world would intrude upon this moment.
He pulled me in tight to him, his arms bunching as he hugged me fiercely before kissing my forehead. “I guess we should head out there.”
I put on a fake pout. “Do we have to?”
He chuckled at me. “If I had my way, we'd stay locked up in this room for weeks as I explored that gorgeous body of yours.” His eyes heated with promises, and I couldn't help the wistful expression that crossed my face. I wanted that more than anything, but I knew that as much as I wanted to, there wasn’t a pause button for life.
Sighing forcefully, I pushed up to a sitting position. “Fine. If we must, then we should get a move on.”
I stayed sitting, but I watched as Baer stood, finding his pants and putting them on. The moment his ass disappeared into them, I was truly disappointed. And when he donned his shirt, I pouted without shame.
He bent over, kissing my lips again and smoothing the furrow in my brow with a finger. “What's that look for?”
“All that eye candy, and yet I rarely get a chance to see it.”
He laughed out loud, his whole body shaking as I stood and started getting dressed. “I suppose I could try talking the guys into running around shirtless, maybe in tight pants, too?”
Smiling at him and his willingness to indulge me, I said, “If you guys walked around like that, I'd never get anything done. I'd be a puddle with how wet y'all make me.”
“Hmmm... I like that image,” Baer said, pulling me into another hug, smoothing my hair from my face before pulling me in for a kiss. Ending the kiss, he smacked my ass. Hard. “Get a move on, Killer. Don't want to keep the others waiting.”
Laughing at my shocked expression, he left me alone in the room to scramble into my clothes. It took me a moment to realize that these weren't the clothes I had been wearing when Genevieve attacked me. I guess those were ruined by all the stabbing and kicking she’d done. I paused as it sank in just how close I had been to dying. If Arryn hadn't reached me in time... I found the thought hard to fathom, but it hit hard all the same. I swallowed back the emotions that threatened to suffocate me.
The voices of the guys filtered in through the cracked door, pulling me back to the present. She hadn't succeeded. I was still here and surrounded by men that I loved. I'd just have to make sure I made the most of each moment. You know, in case this mission actually did kill me . Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I followed the sound of the guys as I walked down a hall until it opened up into a living area. A fireplace was off to one side, with chairs flanking either side of it. Another area had a couple of couches. Further off, I could see a dining area and what was most likely the kitchen.
It was warm and cozy but expensive. The furniture and furnishings were clearly not cheap. I found myself loving the décor, taking notes for when I finally found a place to call my own, and wondering where exactly we were. Neither Baer nor Callum had gotten that far in the conversation with me.
“Where are we exactly?” I asked the room in general, fighting the blush at the memory of waking up with them. The guys all turned to face me, each with a different expression on their faces. Baer's was amused, Callum's smug. Lennox was anxious but relieved. Arryn's was distant, as if deep in thought and trying to figure out a puzzle. And Brannoc. His was cool and assessing, his eyes watching my every movement.
They all just stood there, taking me in as if I were a figment of their imaginations. I waved a hand at them. “Hello? I asked a question,” I prompted them again.
Brannoc spoke up. “This is one of my homes. Or rather what you humans would call a safe house.”
“Really? It's so nice.”
“Thank you,” he told me, obviously pleased with my words.
“Why are we here?”
“It was the closest and safest place we could all get to before the Royal Guard caught up with us. I'm sure you can imagine that the Queen isn't very happy with us at the moment,” Arryn said, still slightly distracted.
“No. I'm willing to bet that she's not.” I laughed, imagining her face when she realized that Genevieve had failed. “So, what now?”
“With you and Arryn being passed out, we needed to wait until you both woke up. Now that you both seem good to go, we should probably figure that out,” Baer said.
“Wait, Arryn was passed out?” I glanced at the man in question, running my eyes over him, looking for injuries, as the memory of him slumping on top of me right before I passed out came back to me.
“I'm okay. I simply used too much magic too quickly. However, I would gladly do so again,” he assured me. But looking at him, something was off. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Furrowing my brow, I studied him a little longer.
“I, for one, am glad that he did,” Baer said, laughing and pulling my attention.
I smiled at him and then turned back to Arryn. “Thank you,” I told him. Then, looking at them, meeting each of their gazes, I told them all, “Thank you. For coming for me. For saving me.” My voice broke at that admission. No one had ever rescued me. I'd always had to save myself. But since they'd strolled into my life, they continued to surprise me.
“So, what now? Are the trials over? Has a new Queen been announced? Where do we go from here?” I asked them, questions plaguing me.
Laughing, Baer said, “Easy, Killer. One question at a time. But I have some of my own.”
“Which is why we need to discuss everything openly now,” Arryn said.
“Come. I'll cook dinner, and we can talk over a meal,” Brannoc said, directing us all to the dining table.
From my seat at the head of the table, I could see the galley-style kitchen and watched as his lithe form floated around, opening cabinets and starting to cook. He was at home in the kitchen, obviously enjoying preparing the food for us.
“First, I need to start with my apology, Rhowyn,” Arryn said from my left, pulling my attention to him, thoughts of Brannoc now abandoned.
“What for?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“For not being completely honest with you. The Queen's accusations were correct. I am a traitor to the crown, but it was in the best interests of Avalon,” he explained, not meeting my eyes, his hands clasped in front of him as he studied them with intense focus.
I laughed at him, which pulled a shocked look from him, his eyes darting to mine. “Of course they were. You're one of the most honorable men I know. There's no way you would betray everything you believed in unless there was a very good reason,” I told him honestly, willing him to believe me. “From everything I've seen and been told, the Queen is manipulating the magic of Avalon and upsetting the balance. Of course you'd try to do something about that.”
“Damn, my girl is smart,” Baer exclaimed, pulling a goofy grin from me at his claiming of me.
Shaking my head and turning back to Arryn, I continued, “What I don't know is how. How exactly did you supposedly betray the Queen? What exactly is it that makes you a traitor?”
“Apparently, he's the leader of the rebellion,” Lennox snarked, and I could sense an ego had been stung. He didn't appreciate the secrecy, but I could understand it. Although, it did hurt that Arryn hadn't trusted us with this sooner.
Callum smacked Lennox upside the head. “What the fuck was that for?” he sniped at Callum.
“For being an idiot,” Callum said. This relaxed side of him was refreshing, and I smiled at him, remembering the way he fucked my mouth not too long ago. He smiled back at me smugly, somehow sensing exactly where my thoughts had gone.
“He's right. I joined years ago, before becoming a Royal Guard, with the express purpose of working my way into a trusted position. I've built an underground network and have been searching for a way to bring her down. All without success, until now,” he said, going on to explain the history between him and Brannoc and how he had come to the decision to save Avalon.
Pride bloomed in my chest. This man was mine. A man willing to sacrifice everything to save the people of Avalon and the people he cared for. I pushed up from my chair, went over to him, halting him mid-sentence as he looked up at me. Leaning down and placing both of my hands on his cheeks, I kissed him, pushing everything I was feeling into the kiss. I played with his lips before deepening it, my tongue dancing with his before pulling back and resting my forehead on his. “Thank you, Arryn,” I told him. His foresight had kept the others safe while I was imprisoned and had given us somewhere to fall back on, something to move forward with now.
“How can you say that? We wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for me. You'd still be safe in the castle if it wasn't for me,” he whispered, his pain at what I'd gone through leaking through the bond and into me. His guilt was eating him alive.
Putting a hand over his chest, I sat in his lap. “If you hadn't noticed, the bitch already had it out for me. This just moved her plans up and exposed her to the rest of Avalon. If it wasn't this, she would have found another reason to come after us. She's a bully, and we're a threat to her reign,” I told him, trying to ease the burden he was carrying.
“She's right,” Lennox huffed out. “I don't like that you didn't tell us sooner, but Princess here is right. My mother would have found a way to take us down, to ensure our failure either way.”
I turned to smile at Lennox for being so magnanimous when I noticed the shadows in his eyes, the bags under his eyes, and his general disheveled appearance. Something had been eating at him, and I resolved to figure out what exactly it was. But first, I needed to deal with Arryn's guilt.
“As someone who has intimate knowledge of what the Queen is like and what she's capable of, I have to agree. She was already looking for a reason to discredit us, to have Rhowyn removed from the trials. Just because it happened to be the fact that you're a rebel leader doesn't necessarily mean it's your fault. I, for one, am glad that we can stop the sneaking around. That for once, we can bring the fight to her,” Callum said.
This seemed to finally convince Arryn to let go of the guilt as he looked at all of us, only to have the confirmation he needed in each of our gazes. He turned back to me, kissing me firmly and deeply, ending the kiss too soon. “Thank you,” he whispered to me.
I smiled. “Anytime.” Getting up, I moved back to my seat but noticed that Brannoc seemed to be finishing up with the meal. “Need any help with setting the table?” I asked him.
“I could use a hand,” he admitted. I went to stand again when Baer halted me, going into the kitchen and gathering up supplies.
“Now that the air is clear, what’s our plan moving forward? I mean, we can't stay here forever. As great as this place seems, I'm not really the type to sit back while the world burns around me,” I said, not missing Brannoc's smile at my compliment of his home.
“I didn't figure you were,” Arryn said. “If you're set on pushing back, on fighting, I have a place we can go. A place where I can rally the network of spies and fighters who oppose Titania's reign. We can work on taking the fight to her. I’ve never been there, but my contacts assure me that it’s safe.”
Nodding, I said, “Sounds good to me. We can leave in the morning.”
Everyone agreed, even Brannoc, as he set a plate of food in front of me. Taking a bite, I moaned in appreciation. “This is delicious,” I told him, clearly impressed with his skills. I could definitely get used to this.
His face remained passive, but I saw the pleasure twinkling in his eyes. “Thank you. After living alone for so long, you learn to cook a decent meal or two. Especially if you're hiding out and can't be seen out and about.”
“Well, whatever the reason for your skills, this is absolutely amazing. Thanks for doing this for us. For putting us up and taking a risk on us,” I told him honestly.
His cheeks heated with a flush, his pale skin turning pink. “Of course. Anything for Arryn's Chosen.”
“Oh, speaking of which, I almost forgot,” I said between bites. Everyone paused as I continued. “Avalonia visited me in my dreams. While I was passed out.”
Forks dropped on the ceramic plates with a clatter as the guys all froze, pausing me mid-bite. Arryn was the first to recover. “What do you mean Avalonia visited you?”
Chewing faster so I didn't speak with a mouthful of delicious food, I cleared my throat. “Just that. She came to me while I was unconscious and told me that I was her Chosen. That I was the last hope for her.”
“Holy shit,” Baer whispered out.
“Do you know what this means, Rhowyn?” Arryn asked me.
“I mean, I already knew I was one of her Chosen, and I knew that things were pretty dire around here, so nothing was really all that surprising. I'd think it was a dream, except the sensation of being in her presence was like nothing I'd ever felt before.”
“Rhowyn,” Arryn said, pulling my attention from the plate of food before me. “She meant that you were to be the next Queen. She's chosen you. The trials are complete, and you've been selected by her to lead us.”
I laughed. “But I didn't even finish that last trial,” I protested.
“You didn't have to. Apparently, she'd already seen enough.”
It was my turn to freeze as the magnitude of the situation sank in. Well, fuck. Things were certainly going to get interesting from here.