45. Chapter Forty Five Rhowyn
Chapter Forty Five: Rhowyn
My lungs screamed at me as I surfaced from the dark depths of Avalonia's waters. It had only felt like I was down there for a few seconds, but my screaming lungs and desperation for air told me otherwise. Gasping, I slicked my hair back from my face, a flask banging into my forehead as I did so. I'd entered the water with nothing, but now, I was holding the metal flask. Looking at it, I could make out intricate lines and swirls etched into the exterior. I knew then that she had granted my request.
I bowed my head, giving her silent thanks before I started to slowly walk my way toward the shore, eager to get out of the frigid waters. My toes sank into the sand as I pushed my way forward. Each step became easier than the last as the water receded. My skin erupted with goose bumps, the air chilling me even further. Before I could take a single step further, warm arms encircled me, squeezing me tight. I melted into his embrace, leather and spice enveloping me and bringing me home. “I've got you, Trouble,” he whispered into my ear.
I gripped his shirt into my fists, struggling to keep my composure as I fought the tears that wanted to spring forth. Being so easily accepted by him made the pain of Brannoc's rejection all the more real, leaving me cut wide open, my heart raw and bleeding.
He squeezed harder. “It's okay. You're safe,” he told me, before relaxing so that I could breathe again.
Opening my eyes, I found Lennox watching me closely, a hand held out with his shirt. I took the proffered clothing, thankful for something to cover me more completely than the gown I had worn before entering the water. I snuggled into the scent of him as Callum begrudgingly let me go, letting me hug Lennox.
Then it was Baer who swept me up in a circle. “You did it, Killer,” he whispered, a beaming smile on his face as he kissed the tip of my nose. His grin was infectious, and I found myself smiling.
When he placed me on the ground, it was Arryn's turn to greet me. He grabbed me by the front of my shirt, dragging me against him as he kissed me thoroughly, leaving no doubt for anyone that I belonged to him. He relinquished me just as quickly, but the suddenness had me swooning. Lennox's arm snaked out and steadied me, a hand resting on my hip as I turned to face Chieftain Revna. She was beaming, joy and delight evident on her smile. “I see you were granted your request.”
Holding the flask in question up for her viewing, I said, “It seems so.”
“What took you so long?” Baer asked. “We were just about to go in after you, Avalonia be damned,” he admitted.
“How long was I in there?” I asked, a shiver running down my spine. Lennox's arms pulled me closer into the warmth of his body as he rubbed a hand up and down my side, trying to warm me.
“Fifteen minutes,” Callum growled, unhappy with that fact.
“With access to my magic, she could easily stay under for much longer,” Baer reasoned.
“When entering the waters of Avalonia, magic is not allowed,” Revna stated matter-of-factly.
“What?!” Lennox snapped out. “You mean to tell me that she was down there that whole time without any magic?”
“Yes. She must rely only on the grace of Avalonia to provide for her. Such is the risk of petitioning her,” Revna said forcefully, unhappy that Lennox was questioning the process.
Placing a palm on his chest, I rubbed back and forth, trying to ease his discomfort. “Look, I'm okay. I knew I would be. Why would Avalonia choose me as the next Queen only to let me die now? It wouldn't benefit anyone.”
“It still doesn't make me feel better that you were out there all alone at her mercy,” he grumbled.
I leaned up on my tiptoes, bringing his mouth to mine for a brief kiss. “I'm okay.” I smiled reassuringly.
“Come, let us leave the waters. You are all welcome to join us for dinner tonight.” Revna extended the invitation to me and all my men.
“Thank you. Your offer is generous, and if I wasn't already so pressed for time, I would love nothing more than to take you up on that offer. However, we must be getting home. We have much to do to prepare for the ascension,” I told her.
She nodded. “I understand. In that case, when you return to your room, you'll find your things freshly laundered and ready for you.”
“Thank you,” I told her, ready to get back into my own clothes and on the road. We made our way to the room Brannoc and I had shared during our stay, all of us crowding into the tiny space. Just as she'd promised, my clothes were resting on the edge of the bed.
Needing a moment to myself, I grabbed the items and headed to the bathroom. Lennox's arm snaked out, blocking my entry, “Need a helping hand?” His lascivious smile made his meaning clear.
I laughed, swatting his arm away. “No. Somehow, I think I can manage on my own.”
Holding his hands out placatingly, he said, “If you say so. All you have to do is call out and I'll be there to help in any way you need.”
Smiling, I said, “I'll keep that in mind.” Shutting the door behind me, I leaned against the solid wood, my head falling back as I shut my eyes. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I tried to push away the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm me. I hadn't wanted to show it, but between the meeting this morning, the waiting, and then the actual completion of the task, I was needing a moment to process it all. Now that I had accomplished the mission I had set out on yesterday, I worried about the rest of our plan.
I feared what might happen after drinking the water and completing the ascension. There were so many moving pieces that anything could go wrong at any point, and if it did, we would be totally screwed. I put on a brave face around the guys, but I couldn't help but think of what the fallout would be if we failed.
Knowing nothing good could come from dwelling on these things, I pushed those thoughts down deep where the guys couldn't sense them and proceeded to get dressed into my things. Grateful to have my weapons on me again and to be completely covered, I exited the bathroom, finger combing my hair so it wouldn't dry in a complete mess.
A warm breeze caressed my locks, drying my hair quickly, and I smiled in thanks to Baer. I still wasn't used to magic and forgot that I could do the same as him. “Not that I'm not glad to see y'all, but how did y'all get here?” I asked.
“That warrior that escorted you and Brannoc yesterday came to get us. He said we should be present for the decision,” Lennox explained.
Smiling at the gesture, something I knew now wasn't commonplace for them to offer visitors, I asked, “And what was your impression of him?” My curiosity on their thoughts prompted me to gossip like an old biddy.
“Definitely powerful,” Arryn admitted.
“And kind of an asshole,” Lennox grumped.
“What? Why do you say that?”
“He only made us walk through the barrier to the cave without warning that it could kill us,” Lennox explained.
Laughing, I said, “He knew you'd be granted access. Especially if you were my consorts.”
“Yeah, well, he still could have said something.” He shivered at the memory. “It felt very intrusive and made me want to take a shower.”
Shaking my head with a laugh, I let my gaze rake over them all. “Ready?”
“Only if you are.”
With a sigh, I said, “I guess so. No sense in putting it off, right?”
Arryn moved in next to me, kissing me with a smile as I pouted at having to leave this refuge. “Nope.” He swatted my ass hard. “Now, let's get a move on. Hopefully, we can make it back before dark.”
I gasped as his hand made impact, my own hands flying to the now sore spot on my cheek, rubbing the tenderness from the muscle. “Really?”
“Yup,” he said, popping the “p”, mimicking my expression. “Now, let's get a move on, or I'll be forced to punish you again later.”
Pausing halfway to the door, I looked over my shoulder. “Hmmm...I just might like that.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Enough, Minx. Quit stalling.”
Holding my hands up and earning a smile from all of the guys, I said, “Okay. Okay. I'm going.”
Swinging the door open to leave, I nearly ran straight into Cyerra, her hand raised in preparation to knock. “Oh!”
“Good timing,” I told her with a smile. “Well, what did your mother say?”
Taking a step back, her hands dropped to fiddle with her fingers as she said, “She obviously didn't take the request well, but after my father stepped in, she granted me permission begrudgingly.”
“I don't have to look over my shoulder for an avenging mother, do I?” I asked with a tilt of my head.
“Oh! No!” She rushed to assure me.
Laughing, I pat her on the shoulder. “Good, because I have enough on my plate without having to deal with her, too. She's formidable, and I don’t want to cross her.”
“Of course not,” Cyerra said. “I would never ask that of you.”
“I'm sure you wouldn't.”
“What's going on?” Lennox asked me, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Cyerra here will be coming with us when we return.”
“Why?” Arryn asked me, confused.
“She's Brannoc's cousin, and she's tired of being sheltered. The only way her mother would allow her outside of the enclave was with family,” I explained.
“And just who is her mother?” Arryn asked.
“Why do I get the feeling we're not going to like the answer?” Callum groaned behind me.
“My mother is Chieftain Revna,” she chimed in with a smile, oblivious to the dynamics that were currently at play.
“Shit,” Callum swore. “Seriously, Trouble?”
“What? It's not like it was my idea,” I reasoned with him, a mischievous smile gracing my face.
“Of course it wasn't,” he said, his eyes narrowing on me.
“She can hold her own. She is a Raven after all.”
“Rhowyn's right. I promise I won't be any imposition. I just really want to see the rest of the world. I can't take another day stuck here, hiding out while the world burns around us,” Cyerra pleaded with the guys.
Arryn sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “If Rhowyn has agreed, then so it shall be.”
I swatted his arm. “Stop that.”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I may be the one in line to be queen, but I don't want you all to kowtow to me just because.” My hands were now on my hips.
He stepped into me, running his nose along the curve of my neck, my eyes closing instinctively as I leaned into him. My libido took off at a sprint at his nearness. “If you think that I won't punish you later for this, then you are sadly mistaken.”
Holy shit! Now I needed a fresh change of panties. I squeezed my thighs together as he pulled back, smirking as his nostrils flared, my arousal clearly evident to everyone present. “Asshole,” I grumbled at him, stomping forward and leaving him behind.