Chapter Eight #2
The sensation was amazing as Sidonie’s body absorbed the energy from the ground and the moon, flowing into her body from all sides.
While she knew she was only experiencing a fraction of what Dagan was, it was still the most marvelous way that her body had ever felt—outside of when she made love to her wizard, of course.
Nothing in the realm could compare to that.
Suddenly, she was taken out of her blissful trance when Dagan spoke to her, telling her it was time.
As she had practiced, she turned her hands so that her palms faced down and she began to float back to the ground.
The moment she landed, her circle of light disappeared, and the stream of energy with it.
The air around her was still buzzing, but it wasn’t quite the same.
“Awww… I was really enjoying that,” she said, faking a pout.
“I know you were. That’s why I let you go for a while longer but it’s already dawn.”
Sidonie was surprised as she looked over to see the sunlight beginning to filter through the trees. What had only felt like moments, had in fact been the entire night.
“So?” he asked. “How do you feel?”
She wanted to tell him but couldn’t find the words.
Instead, she glanced around to see if they were still alone.
Then reaching down, she grabbed her underdress and pulled it over her head.
Standing naked in the crisp air, she no longer felt cold.
He’d been right about that. She felt something else entirely and the man in front of her was about to find out what.
“I’ll show you,” she replied, with a playful grin. Then she pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. They made love as the sun came over the horizon.
~*~
By the time supper came around, Rowan was exhausted.
He’d spent the morning helping his grandfather unload two wagons full of wine barrels into the cellar of his tavern in the village.
Then he spent the afternoon with his father, getting fitted for armor, which was more uncomfortable to wear than he’d anticipated.
He couldn’t complain in front of his father, though, who had practically glowed at the sight of his son wearing the colors of the kingdom.
It was a sight that neither of them thought they would ever witness.
But as awkward as it was for Rowan, it had been much worse for Dragon.
The poor horse had no problem showing his distaste for the cold and bulky pieces of metal being strapped to his rear.
Rowan knew he would have to bribe Dragon with sweets during the tournament, or they would never finish in one piece.
Rowan slipped into the castle from the stables and made his way toward the library, where he knew his queen would be waiting for him to escort her to the hall.
Even though he was no longer her designated personal guard, he still took it upon himself to be by her side as much as possible, which unfortunately, wasn’t very much lately with all of his new responsibilities.
He’d been able to find purpose in the castle after all, assisting Sir Raymun with the new guardsmen.
He had even volunteered to train the two rookie spies that were recently recruited.
Those tasks, along with the days he spent training with his father, had left little time for anything else.
He still got to climb into bed with Bree each night, so he’d take these jobs every time over his previous one.
He was deep in thought as he rounded the corridor and almost ran headfirst into someone. Instinctively, he reached for his dagger, then realized who it was just after he drew it.
“Oh, Rhea. I apologize,” he said, quickly. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking. Are you alright?”
Startled, the fairy was gripping the stone wall with all her might.
It had been her fault just as much as his.
She had started to become familiar with the layout of the castle and let down her guard just long enough to allow someone to sneak up on her, a feat that was nearly impossible to do with her usually excellent senses.
It was apparent that Rowan was very light on his feet.
She suddenly realized how silly she must look to him at the moment and quickly let go of the wall. “I’m fine. Surprised that you move so quietly is all.”
“It’s part of my job, I’m afraid—and a bit of a habit. Though, I admit that I’ve always had a knack for it,” he said, remembering all the times he had snuck around the castle at night as a child, particularly to the kitchens.
Rhea glanced down at the dagger that Rowan was absentmindedly spinning around in his hand and narrowed her eyes, curiously. “I haven’t asked but… what exactly is your job?”
“Sorry… another habit.” He caught the dagger’s handle and slipped it back into its sheath. “Were you looking for someone? You usually don’t wander alone.”
“No.” She shook her head, deciding against admitting that she was actually walking around the castle, hoping to find him.
“Well, I’m on my way to supper if you’d like to come along?”
Rhea nodded, trying not to look so eager, then fell into step beside him. They walked quietly for a moment when she realized he had dodged her question. “You didn’t answer me, about your job…”
“Right.” Rowan laughed nervously. He wasn’t used to talking about his profession with anyone other than Bree, Finn, or his father.
And there never seemed to be a nice way to say, I spy on and murder people for a living.
So instead, he tried to avoid the topic as much as possible.
He thought about how to respond as they started down the hallway, toward the library doors. “I have a… military position.”
“So in the forest… when you rescued me? Were you on a military mission?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. I was.”
She stepped in front of him, forcing him to face her. “I never thanked you, for saving me.”
“Thanks isn’t necessary, Princess.”
“I’m no princess. A real princess would never have gotten caught by those… monsters.” She looked at the floor, trying desperately to wipe the memory from her mind.
“I can’t begin to understand what you went through, Rhea, but you can’t blame yourself.”
“I can’t help it. I relive it every day, because of this,” she hissed as she pointed to the iron ring around her neck. “The wizard has tried to remove it but the magic is too strong.”
“Maybe once we find out who the new Elder Mage is, we can take you to see him. If anyone can remove it, I would assume he could.”
Rhea looked up. Perhaps there was hope after all, that one day soon she could be free of the collar, free of the nightmares, and free of the shame. Just the thought was a miracle in itself.
“Oh, thank you, Rowan!” she exclaimed, then threw herself into his arms and kissed him.
Taken by surprise, Rowan hesitated for a second, then he grabbed her shoulders and eased her back.
As soon as he moved the fairy away from him, he saw Bree, standing in the doorway of the library, watching him.
Knowing how it must have looked to her, he called her name, but she immediately turned and stormed back into the room, slamming the door behind her.
Without saying a word to Rhea, Rowan followed after Bree, leaving the fairy all alone in the hallway. She wasn’t his concern right now. When he entered the library, Bree was standing in the middle of the room. She didn’t acknowledge him, keeping her nose in a book he knew she wasn’t reading.
“It isn’t what it looked like, Bree.” He walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders to make her face him.
“Oh, really? Because it looked like you were kissing a fairy,” she said simply.
“She was kissing me.”
“Sure, that makes all the difference.” She pulled away, walked over to the window, and threw the drapes open, pushing the glass apart. She couldn’t breathe and needed air. Even after sucking in a breath, it didn’t help.
“Bree, stop,” Rowan said firmly. “Listen to me.”
“No. I don’t need to hear any more. Just go back to her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous?” she countered with a dry laugh. “No, ridiculous would be for me to pretend you even have a choice. I’ve read the stories, Rowan. I know the seduction she is capable of. No one—not even a queen—can expect you to refuse a fairy.”
“But I did refuse her.”
“That’s isn’t what it looked like to me. But it’s only a matter of time before she convinces you to change your mind. You are her savior. She admires you. And we both know who will win this battle in the end.”
“I won’t change my mind, Bree.”
“I think you honestly believe that, but she obviously doesn’t.”