Chapter 9
H is features softened. His jaw, once tight with anger was now slack. His eyes rounded from the narrowed slits he had used to scope his trail. “Look at me.” She said it again, but it was more of a plea than before—a plea so desperate that she immediately pulled her hand from him and took a staggering step back.
Because the true terror was in the way he looked at her. The true terror was that every fiber of his being was ready to rip the world to shreds but, when he looked at her, all of that anger simply…
Fell away.
And the thing that was most frightening was that she wanted it. She wanted him to look at her like she hung the moon and the stars, like she was the answer to every single prayer he whispered to the moon. If she was going to be a blessing in the eyes of anyone, she wanted it to be his. But the cold, hard truth was that she believed he only softened in that way because he saw her as a child. Despite what they had done mere weeks before, despite how she now carried his name with her own, and the matching runes on their wrists—it was so evident.
“Kaya, I don’t have time for this.”
“We have time to talk about what the hell happened back there, Ilias. Now, tell me what happened. Why are you so angry?”
“Because it’s gone.” He grumbled, throwing his hands up in defeat.
She had no idea what he was speaking of. She was surprised there was anything that could go missing in these ruins. There was nothing but rubble and crumbled stone laying around—the bones of the Credulan Palace leaning and threatening to topple at any moment.
What could possibly be gone from this place that hadn’t already been destroyed?
She drew in a deep breath, trying to slow the rate of her heart, but to no avail. “I’m going to need a little more context if I am to properly help you.” She stated.
Ilias stilled in his pacing, meeting her gaze. “ Help me? Who said that I needed your help?”
It ached. Deep in her chest, right behind that organ that betrayed her in every way possible. And although she did not wish for this ache, it wouldn’t go away. With every insult, straightforward or not, the hurt just kept growing.
“Then why did you bring me with you? Is it that I am seen as no more than a weapon to you? Something you could strap to your side and carry along with you on your little quest—just silently hanging at your belt?” She strode forward, the tone of her voice causing Ilias to stand straighter.
He never had the desire to want to defend himself before he met her. He fared well allowing people to assume the worst about him, but Ailikaya Aesa just kept digging at him. With her accusations and assumptions as tools, she dug at a side of him that wanted to scream his truth from the rooftops. He fucking hated it. “You think that you know so much about people, don’t you?” He scoffed. “You know nothing. No matter how many books you have read or how frequently and closely you observe people, you know absolutely nothing. Especially about me or my intentions.”
Kaya stood strong in front of him, that wild look in her eyes forcing him to glance away. Not because she was terrifying, but because she was so devastatingly captivating that it scared the hell out of him. And that fear had never been there before. He was no stranger to throwing himself into any semblance of reckless abandon, but this was different. This was not just a feeling or impulse that he could act upon when presented to him. She was different. She was… she was his mate . And Ailikaya Dothrae Aesa deserved so much more than who he was.
“If I am so wrong about everything I assume, then tell me something. Anything. For starters—what in Cadaith’s name are you looking for in this place?” Her voice was stern, her arms folded over her chest in defense. As if she couldn’t handle another insult hurled in her direction.
And maybe it was true. None of this was her fault. His frustration with her was vastly misplaced.
Ilias dragged his hands down his face, feeling defeat seep into every muscle as he looked about the ruins around them. His eyes landed on the throne that seemingly loomed over the graveyard of souls that had been lost in its seizure. The moon’s silver light on the white stone floors cast a haunting glow. Branches arched over the hole that was once a vaulted ceiling, painting shadows across the ruins—like spindly fingers searching for souls to take purchase of and steal away into the night. Vines crawled up the worthless pillars like snakes, strangling whatever life was left on these grounds and turning it into a shrouded memory.
Just a page in a book.
Ilias was not easily disturbed. But to be standing in this place, preparing to tell this female of a truth that was hidden from her for her entire life, he felt like there were hundreds of eyes watching him. He felt as if every life that was taken during the fall of Rydanthe, the fall of the Joran bloodline, was watching and waiting for him to tell their story. To bring their lives justice.
“I am sure you are familiar with the Driikona Clans.” He started. When Kaya nodded, Ilias drew in a deep breath, motioning her towards the chair that still sat unscathed in the middle of the room. Kaya took her seat, crossing one leg over the other and waited—watching him as he lowered himself to the floor at her feet. “When I was a boy, my father told me a story of the Mother Goddess Cadaith. For many years, I believed these stories just to be fairy tales to tell your children as you were sending them to bed, but after I found this amongst my mother’s belongings, I started to do more research on the topic.”
Ilias dug through his pockets and upon grasping the object from within, he pulled it out and displayed it before her on a flattened hand.
A locket.
The stone in the center was much like the one in the ring she wore on her finger—the ring her mother had given her. The metal encircling the multi- colored stone was of the same design as her ring. Ilias moved it towards her, allowing her to open her hand before placing it onto her palm.
The moment the metal touched her skin, the stones ignited. The blues, purples, and reds within the gems began to emit a strange aura, a light bright enough that the entire throne room was illuminated just enough to cast a purple hue about their surroundings. Kaya swallowed deeply, her heart hammering at the strange humming sensation that came from the metal.
“It is said that Cadaith gave birth to three daughters and with each birth, Cadaith not only kissed their brow and blessed them with a special power she believed would aid in protection of this place, but it is also said that she carved a piece of her heart out for each of them. And upon their Becoming, she bestowed those pieces of her heart to them in the form of relics. For her eldest daughter Liora, a charming maiden who was as deadly as she was beautiful, she gifted a ring. In turn, Liora was forced to give up her name. She changed her name to Lowen and was allowed to use the ring’s power. Though, the power is unknown. For her second daughter Eanah, a maiden who was just as terrifying as she was beautiful, she gifted a locket. In return, she had to fulfill a favor for Cadaith, a favor of guarding the mountain in which she would eventually take her rest. When Eanah used the locket’s powers, it was said that she could disappear and reappear whenever she wished—making it easy for her to hide as she protected the mountain.
“Her third daughter, the youngest and fiercest of her daughters, was gifted a sword with a crimson blade that could kill any opponent with the cost of a sacrifice. And not just any sacrifice, but a sacrifice of someone she loved. Aela, the youngest daughter, fell in love with a warrior seeking refuge from the war in Caddagh. The warrior was the only thing that Aela loved more than anything in the world. But even so, in her jealousy that her sisters were able to fulfill their commands to obtain their relics’ powers, Aela made her sacrifice—killed her lover with the crimson blade in order to protect Driikona and her own clan.” Ilias swallowed, looking up to see that Kaya was still hanging on to every word he spoke, her hand closed tightly around the glowing locket and eyes with anticipation. “She obtained the sword’s power, but in her anger and her heartbreak, she used the power of her flame— burning Cadaith so badly that her once beautiful appearance was suddenly grotesque and terrifying. She only presents her true form to those who seek her guidance.”
Kaya opened her clenched fists, biting at her cheek as she looked down at the relics—still glowing, still vibrating against her skin. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, her skin forming a cold sweat as she remembered the female who spoke to her in the Borderlands. She remembered those horrible scars and the prophecy that both terrified and soothed her weary soul. “And?” She asked. “We have the ring and the locket—so I assume you are looking for the crimson blade now, correct?”
Ilias nodded slowly, lifting his eyes to the moon that was now directly over them. “Aren’t you going to ask why ?”
“Normally, yes. But I fear your answer might keep me awake all night and I am so, incredibly tired.” She muttered. He chuckled, eyes flickering in her direction and widening slightly as he watched her slip the locket around her neck. She smiled at him, brow peaked. “You can tell me if you want. You’ve been working on unraveling this mystery for years and I haven’t heard you talk this much in over a month, it’d be rude of me to deny you your spotlight.”
He laughed because it was true. He’d never been a male of many words, but he had been significantly less inclined to talk most recently. Too lost in his thoughts to even know what to say to her. Or anyone, for that matter.
“When the Relics are reunited, you will have restored Cadaith’s heart.” He whispered. “It was Cadaith’s desire to keep the Relics together, so that she was able to leave her throne in the ether and protect her daughters when needed. Without the Relics, Galore— Driikona— will cease to exist. Destroyed by greed.”
“And you decided to pursue this on a whim of morbid curiosity?” Ilias smiled, his canines glinting against the lavender light. But as charming and striking as his smile was, Kaya was serious. She couldn’t understand why he would be so desperate—why he would devote so much time and effort to something that was nearly impossible.
But, this time, when he looked at her, there was no smile. His eyes had dropped at the corners, sadness radiating from him and the usual soft caress of his aura was now prickly. Like the stem of a rose. “At first, it was a boyish adventure. Following clues and piecing together a puzzle. And then, when your mother gave you that ring, I—“ he stopped himself, collecting his thoughts and formulating words. “I figured that the stories must have been true. So, as another way to protect you from a fate you do not deserve, I set out in this quest to… help you. ” He grimaced.
The final words came out with a tone of such distaste that Kaya closed her eyes, the impact of them burning at her eyes and further hollowing out her voided Core. “Perhaps you should have asked me before you decided to commit yourself to something so troublesome. I could have saved you the burden.”
“What?” His brow furrowed, jaw squaring as he swallowed against clenched teeth.
“I simply mean that none of this has proven to be necessary and it is certainly not helpful considering that the Credulans still want me. Regardless of our marriage, it has not changed anything. They want me here in Credula and The Creed has seemingly determined that I am to be here. The sword being lost is further proving that.” She wanted to run—wanted to toss the ring and the locket aside and vanish into the night. Away from him and as far as away from what she was feeling as possible.
“You’re being rude, Kaya. I’m trying to—”
An incredulous laugh filled the midnight air. Kaya tossed her hair over her shoulder, leaning forward so that he could see that hateful look in her eyes more clearly. “When will you stop using me as an excuse for your impulsive tendencies, Ilias? No one, certainly not me, asked you to do any of this. I never asked for you to marry me. I never asked for you to be my mate.” She shook her head, biting her lip before she continued. “I assume, when you have found the one your heart truly desires, you will blame me for that too.”
“Did you think that I was going to let him take you? That I was just going to let him make a breeding mare of you when you have always, always been worth so much more? Kaya,” Ilias rose to his knees in front of her, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. “Kaya I would have rather died than to have watched you become his wife. You are a Blessing and you cannot be sanctioned to a life where you are not treated as such. You are the only hope any of us in Holiadon have for a future.”
It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She didn’t care if it made her seem young and naive or if she seemed immature. Was it really all that bad to wish that someone loved her for who she was rather than what she represented? Was it too much to ask that she could have a happy ending for herself? She wanted love. She wanted acceptance. And she had foolishly hoped that Ilias would be the one to give it to her.
But perhaps, this was all there was.
“Well,” She scoffed, “If Blessings disguise themselves as curses, then I suppose I am one.” Kaya’s teeth sank into her trembling lip, her heart thundering as she ran her finger over the ring. “Is that all I am to you, Ilias? A beacon of hope for your kingdom?”
“ My kingdom? Holiadon is your home, Kaya, don’t be childish. And you are most definitely not a curse . There is just so much that you don’t understand—”
She lifted her eyes to him. The pale blue of them, the sharpness that sliced through the space between them causing him to fall back slightly. “Do you see me as a child?” She asked. “You treat me like a child most days. You chastise me for my childish behavior, for being rude , and for being spoiled. You tell me that I know nothing.”
“Kaya—“
It struck him. Her words, the look on her face, the way her body seemingly trembled with fear…
She felt something for him.
She was on her feet, looming over him. The aura light glowed in the shimmering fabric of her dress, making it seem as if she were something ethereal. And she was. Gods, she was . But she was worthy of so much more than he could offer her. Kaya knelt in front of him, placing her hand on the spot of his chest that had seemingly started to beat far too loud for his liking. “You must have seen me as a woman when you touched me, Ilias. When you kissed me, when you put your fingers in me… when you came in my mouth. ”
His mouth had become dry, the air dangerously thick as he watched her look over his face. “Kaya, I am not quite certain as to what you are insinuating.” He stumbled over the dialect, his nervousness evident. It was foolish of him to feel this way—to feel grateful that his knees were on the ground, because he knew that they would be weak if he stood. Ilias had been with many partners, both human and fae alike. He was well-versed in the art of lovemaking, but Kaya was something entirely different. Something he could not quite explain.
He never saw her as a child.
A nuisance, in the beginning. Stubborn and spoiled, yes, but she’d never been a child. He knew that Kaya wasn’t innocent.
Gods , he fucking knew that she had had some experience if she knew how to work his cock the way she did. And the thought alone was enough to make him want to replace every touch, every unworthy kiss she had ever received, with his own. He wanted to claim her in the most inexplicably primal way.
Despite her lack of innocence, she was precious. Worth so much more than he could ever offer her. Even with this new title of his. Even with their names engraved on that temple wall.
“I want to be more than this.” Kaya whispered. “I want you to see me the way that I see you.”
“Believe me,” Ilias swallowed, “there is nothing more that I would like than to show you exactly how you make me feel, Kaya. But I am…”
“I understand.” Her body slackened with defeat, and while every nerve in Ilias’s body told him not to move and that putting more distance between them was for the best, he found himself reaching for her the moment that she pulled away.
His palm flattened against her hip, fingers digging into her gown. “You understand nothing. Everything you think you know is based on some nonsensical reality you have made in your own head. You assume things, Kaya.”
“Then make me understand.”
His heart stopped beating. He blinked. Once, twice, three times before he leaned closer to her. Throwing caution to the wind was a pastime for him now. But since his induction into the Silver Guard, Ilias became studious and cautious and followed every rule put in place for him. But the moment those words left her perfectly rounded lips, he lost control of every ounce of morality that had been drilled into him for the last ten years. The rule of mixing work with pleasure being at the top of that fucking list.
His hand curled around hers, pressing her palm to the part of his breeches that was strained against the evidence of his affections. Kaya’s eyes flickered up to his, a sharp breath escaping her lips. “You feel that?” Ilias whispered. She nodded, silent as as he guided her hand into rubbing him through the fabric. His breathing hitched, eyes holding hers and his mind losing its already loose grip on reality.
“How could I ever make you or anyone else understand how this feels?” He asked.
Kaya applied more pressure, biting back her own noises of satisfaction when she felt him twitch against her palm. His breaths grew ragged, his eyes darkened much like that of a starved animal—a ferocious beast lurking in the depths of a dense forest.
“One would usually start by using words, Ilias Dothrae.” She clicked her tongue, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she slipped his pants down just enough to wrap her hand around him.
His hips snapped forward into her hand, head falling forward to rest against hers. “You must forgive me, princess. Words have a tendency to fail me in your presence.” His voice broke out into a sharp hiss, his hands that hung pathetically limp at his side now twitching to life. He rose to his feet, tugging her along with him.
Her heart rate increased and breathing properly became more of a challenge than it had been before as he guided her to the abandoned throne. When the back of her knees made impact, she buckled and landed on the cushion with a sharp inhale.
Kaya peered up at him. Admired every inch of him. And though her throat was too tight and too dry to manage a word, the sight of him standing over her, tauntingly stroking his cock made a pool of saliva gather on her tongue—the desire to taste him was astonishing. Overwhelming.
“What are you doing?”
It sounded as if her voice was separate from her body—from her mind. This all must have been some grandiose prank. A way for him to further taunt her for her soft heart and her sharp tongue.
But it was no prank. The way he looked at her as he pleased himself was very real. Enough to make her instinctively inch her thighs apart.
Ilias let out a groan, his head falling back just enough to reveal slightly bulged veins along the column of his neck. A heat so sweltering that it left her feeling parched, engulfed her senses and gathered between her legs.
Deadly. This man would be the death of her.
In an instant he was on his knees again, his hands braced upon her own. “What are you doing?” Kaya repeated, reclining into the chair as he lifted the skirt of her gown. “Ilias—”
“You wanted me to make you understand, princess. And I know that you are ever the eager learner. So, please , be quiet let me show you.”
There were no objections.
And with frantic hands, she assisted him in hurriedly removing her undergarments. Within moments his lips and tongue were upon her thighs, alternating between each of them as his hands hooked under her knees, spreading her wider…
Wider and wider until she was utterly defenseless in comparison. She panted, eyes focused on the top of his head as he trailed tickling, sensational kisses closer to the place between her thighs that was, surely, already wet with anticipation. He looked up at her, eyes searching her own for permission to continue.
“Mother Above, Ilias, if you don’t touch me—”
Every snarky word that she prepared abruptly vanished into the ether the moment he dove forward. Knees practically against her chest, Kaya let out a moan that could shake the heavens as his mouth closed over the bud at the peak of her sex. Her fingers plunged into his hair, pushing and pulling at the tangled locks with every devious stroke of his tongue. He slid his fingers into her, smirking as her legs shook on either side of his head and though he would have liked to devote most of his attention to the painfully perfect female at his mercy upon that throne, he still found his free hand slipping between them. He wrapped his hand around himself, squeezing the base of his girth before he began stroking. Slowly, languidly, and to the rhythm at which his mouth devoured her.
Kaya’s head swam, eyes closed and lips parted at she breathed curses to the night sky, wanting so much more than what he was giving her. She wanted everything—she wanted now , she wanted tomorrow, and every day that followed for all eternity. She wanted him deep inside of her to the point where he could never leave. And as she gripped his hair and pulled him up just enough so that their faces were inches apart, she smiled.
“Do you want to know what I wrote on that paper?” She rasped.
Ilias kissed her quickly, the plumpness of her lips too inviting not to relent to his impulsive desire. “I already know, Kaya.”
Her heart gave a solid thud in response, her stomach dropping as she peered up into his eyes. She ran her fingers over the coarseness of his stubble, breathing heavily. “Then tell me.” She pleaded. “If you know what it means—if you understand why I wrote it down, then tell me what it said.”
He kissed her again. Once, twice, three times before he buried his face into the crook of her neck. His chest rumbled, the sound vibrating against the vein in her neck that was bouncing with each heartbeat. “ Machna. Ii’loam. ” He growled. “ Mate .” As soon as the words left his lips, he sunk his teeth into her neck, drove his cock into her with such force that all she could do was grip his shoulders. She clung to him—mouth gaping and all air choked from her lungs with the explosion of pleasure that flooded through her.
It was unlike anything either of them had ever felt. Something so much more complex, so much more beautiful than the simple act of sex. It went beyond intimacy entirely, fueled with such desperation that it seemed as if their lives depended on their coupling.
And it surely felt that way.
With each claiming, branding thrust, it felt as if he filled more than just her body. She felt him, his essence, his energy, and everything that he was made of moving into her—through her. Like he was now engraved in her bones.
He slowed to a toe-curling pace, lifting his head from it’s place in between her jaw and shoulder and curled his fingers around her chin. His kiss was soft. Tender in a way that made her eyes burn with tears. “Kaya, I love you.” He whispered. “My whole life I have felt unworthy. Incomplete. I will be half-everything in every area of my life. Half-man, half-fae. Half brave and half terrified of loving you. But I’m going to do it, anyway.” Kaya gasped against his lips as he swirled his hips, his cock pressing against drenched walls that were seemingly collapsing around his girth. “I’m going to love you , Kaya.”
“I love you.” She breathed. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
He hoisted her out of the chair and spun them so that he took her place, eyes so dark with desire and infatuation that chills ran over her skin. She lowered herself onto him without a moment’s hesitation, brow crumpling at the sensation of being filled even more than before. She rode him hard and fast, fingers curling into the tendrils of hair at the nape of his neck—tugging his head back just enough for her to lower her mouth to that special place.
She bit him, both of them moaning loudly. She rocked herself back and forth against his cock, the building tension in her thighs and in her womb driving her on. She pulled away from the mark she made on him, hooded eyes meeting his just as the tension became too much—snapping and sending her body into a state of unbridled euphoria.
Just the look upon her face was enough to have his hips sputtering, hissed curses spilling from his lips as his release flooded into her. She collapsed on top of him, her head falling against his chest.
“What a beautiful show.”
She jumped, face paling. Ilias snarled at the voice that echoed through the ruins, gripping Kaya close as he moved them into the shadows. It happened so quickly that Kaya could hardly register what was going on. Ilias tucked her behind him, haphazardly adjusting his pants as the Credulan Prince came into view. She held her breath, peaking out from around Ilias’s arm to get a better look at him. And despite all of the prince’s golden beauty, there was still an air of evil that radiated from him. The same evil she had felt on the king.
“You don’t have to hide. No need to be ashamed. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed watching.” The prince laughed and the sound of it was echoed with others. Kaya’s grip tightened on Ilias’s arm, her jaw going tight as she watched more elves emerge on the other side of the dilapidated castle.
The noise that sounded from Ilias’s chest was anything, but natural. He was on top of the prince within seconds, hands wrapped around his broad neck. Kaya watched, in horror, as they began to fight. Both of them shoving at one another, swinging, stumbling—only to clash together once again. It was the sound of metal being pulled from a sheath that had Kaya’s blood run cold, her heart still in her chest as the light from the moon caught and refracted against the silver blade. But before she could open her mouth to beg for him to stop, Ilias drove his sword into the prince’s stomach.