25. Aldrin #2
I lead him down the stairs to the cellar, where one of our men guards the door, allowing us to pass with a simple nod. As we enter, the senators scurry backward, putting their backs to the walls and cowering with eyes full of horror. I suppose my antics this night have traumatized them. Good.
I take in the cozy space: six pallet beds set up with blankets, jugs of water and wine on a table, a basket of bread in case they hunger during the night, and a pile of books. It is more than they deserve.
“Not a monster. Just us, the men now sworn to protect you.” I wave a hand and an air wield drags a chair across the room for me to sit in. “Now, I need you to listen closely, because you will be earning your keep.”
The senators creep back across the room, none coming too close. Flint and two others seat themselves on one of the beds. Wren and Ivy remain pressed into the far corner. The former looks like she is about to burst into tears again and the latter has a splayed hand held to her heart.
“You will be questioned thoroughly, starting tomorrow morning, and you will tell us everything you know about Titania’s plans, operations and weaknesses.
If I lose this fight, if I die, you will no longer have my protection, and she will find and destroy you.
It is in your best interests to make sure I win back my throne. ” I scowl at each one of them.
“And what will you do to us once you have your throne?” Ivy calls out. “When you don’t need us anymore?”
“Make no mistake: I am not Titania. Our oath doesn’t expire the moment I rule again.
You will still have my protection, but you will be imprisoned in your own estates.
Or what will be left of them once you face fines for your crimes.
Be under no illusions: each of you deserves to be executed for what you have done under her rule—the extortion, persecution of minorities, terrorism and commissioning of murder.
Work hard to help me, and I will see your good behavior as working off your sentences. ”
I don’t acknowledge the fact that the blood oath is one way, binding them but not me. I don’t have to offer protection at all. Or keep my word. But right now, they need something to motivate them.
“Better than death at the jaws of feral Nightmare creatures, is it not?” Cyprien cuts in from where he leans against a wall.
Multiple senators shudder. We have threatened them with a very violent death.
I wait for the guilt to flood me for using these dirty tactics, but the man who would have felt it died in the human realm.
“You know who Titania’s greatest communities of supporters are in this city,” I continue.
“I’d hazard a guess you even know how to contact them.
You are going to gather these people in taverns and guild halls and make grand speeches that reveal Titania’s true character: cruel, manipulative and cheating the people of wealth. I want you to expose her lies.”
“What if the Truth Templars discover our rallies and come to kill us?” Flint cuts in, his eyes darting across the room.
“Risks must be taken. This is a fight for the throne.” My lips curve up.
“You are a great asset for me. Invaluable if you can turn even a fraction of those people. Do you think I would leave my assets unprotected? There will be a small army with you each time you talk, and a foolproof exit strategy.”
I leave them quaking in their boots at the very thought of risking themselves. Disgust has my stomach turning. How easy it was for each one of them to craft policy that left the court in bloody turmoil, but the moment they need to set foot on the battleground, they nearly vomit with fear.
“Fucking pathetic,” Cyprien grumbles behind me. “A fae who doesn’t want to engage in bloodshed should never start a war.”
“It’s never the ones who charge into a bloody fight who chase it,” I grunt.
The celebrations above us are in full swing by the time we crest the staircase, music and laughter flowing around us. As we emerge, the front doors burst open, and there is only one option of who it could be. An intricate, cleverly hidden ward only allows our people to penetrate it.
Keira is suddenly there with Drake at her side.
My heart leaps at the sight of her. Those huge doe eyes find me and her lips part as a spark of electricity jolts down the mate bond between us.
Her high cheeks have the slightest rosy glow from the cool night air and when she pulls back her hood, that halo of curls tumbles out, shimmering red, orange and gold like a flame.
I close the distance between us in a handful of long strides as she runs to me, then her soft body wraps around mine. My hands slide into her hair and my lips are on hers.
She pulls back almost immediately. Far too soon for me.
“We did it, Aldrin! We found your army! And I have so much information we can hold against Titania. There is going to be a massive outrage when we expose what she has been doing.” She gestures toward Drake, who is carrying a leather satchel filled with books and parchment, bloating it at the seams. She has always loved finding solutions in the pages of a book.
“Yeah, I’m happy to see you too, Aldrin. Don’t feel the need to kiss me.” Drake’s eyes dart between us, bright with amusement. “You know, it’s been a hard night’s work for me, playing the scowling asshole for hours. It goes against my good nature.”
Keira pulls away from me. “Gods, you are bloody convincing as Florian. I’m still terrified of the man, even now I know it’s really you.”
“That makes two of us.” Rainier strides over, grinning.
“As irrational as it sounds, I kept thinking tonight that you were going to call my name to be arrested. I have been to far too many of Titania’s little surprise ambushes during a ball or Senate meeting to know nothing is predictable and no one is safe with her. ”
Drake looks around the tavern, taking it in for the first time in wide sweeps. “I love this fine establishment you have purchased here, Aldrin. Will you serve the drinks yourself when you open the doors of your first wine bar?”
“Cyprien and Caitlin have been doing a good enough job of that for me.” I smirk, wrapping a tight arm around Keira’s waist and holding her close to my chest.
“What will you call it? The Drunken King?” Drake laughs.
Silvan stops playing his panpipes long enough to bellow across the room, “The Royal Hangover!”
More voices call out suggestions over the top of each other, but they are lost on me as I stare into Keira’s eyes, running a hand down her cheek.
“Are you okay? Tonight wasn’t too brutal for you?
I hate making you vulnerable when you cannot use your magic.
Letting her tie you up. Only I can do that. ”
She reaches up on the tips of her toes and places the lightest kiss on my lips.
“I get so much more enjoyment out of it when you do it.” Her voice turns soft and low, sending hot tingles running down my spine.
“Besides, this fight is going to get more brutal before it is done, and I am strong enough to withstand it.”
I tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “I know you are.”
“How about we call it The Foolish Kingsmen?” Klara says loudly, interrupting our moment as she puts a mug of ale in Drake’s hand, then leads him deeper into the room.
“I think you should call it The Fearless Queen.” Caitlin materializes out of the crowd and she and Keira embrace for a long time. I miss the warmth of Keira’s body against mine, but I give her the space she needs.
“How long are you staying with us, Caitlin?” I inquire.
She lets out a long breath. “This is my last night until our next attack. I will leave through a portal to Appleshield tomorrow. Cyprien has taught me how to open it by myself, without the need for plinths or an alignment of the planets.”
“Where is Morgana?” Keira asks gently.
“She is with her other mother,” Caitlin says.
For a horrible moment, I think she means that spiteful woman Gwyneth is back in her life.
“With Odiane, at the Frozen River Fortress. Half of the Appleshield Protector Guard is with her, watching over their future heir, along with our old nanny. It is very hard to be away from my baby girl, but it was also very special for her to meet her other birth parent.”
“I wish I could have been there,” Keira replies.
Within a heartbeat, she is wrapped up by both Edmund and Maeve, pulling her attention from side to side as they fuss over her wellbeing and drill her on the events of the night.
It is an effort to extract Keira from her parents, but I eventually bring her to where the others are dancing to a slow song, wrapping my arms low around her waist and moving our bodies in time to the beat.
“What is going to be your first official decree when we win the throne, my queen?” I rumble in her ear, enjoying the way her back arches as she presses her breasts into me. “Something utterly selfish, just for you.”
Her eyes flick upward as she thinks. “Hmmm. What do I want?” Her lips curl with delight.
“I am going to demand a royal baking competition, where pastry chefs from across the court—no, from across both realms—will fight each other in a grueling cook-off to win the favor of the Spring Queen, and I have to taste and judge every single pastry.”
I laugh. “You’re going to get sick.”
“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for my people.”
I press her harder to me as I take us into a quick spin. “I can just buy you an entire bakery,” I murmur.
“But I want them to compete to impress me. To create my new favorite dessert every year. What do you want, Aldrin?”