Fae war chronicles the c.., p.14
Fae War Chronicles: The Complete Series, page 14
“The King wished to be married quickly, my lady.”
“I cannot marry him tonight. I’m not ready.”
The woman’s expression softens, and she steps forward to gently take my hand. “I understand wifely duties might be overwhelming, but it will be over before you know it.”
“I’m not having sex with him,” I shoot back as bile rises in my throat.
Heat rushes to her cheeks, and she lifts a finger to her lips. “Shh, you mustn’t speak so candidly about that which must remain private. All you must do is lie there, mistress. Let him find his pleasure within your body so you may bear him an heir. It really won’t be so bad.”
I swallow hard. Horrified doesn’t even begin to cover my feelings on this subject. Sleep with Taranus? No freaking thank you. Not a chance in hell.
I’ll die first.
But I still need that key, and if the fact that he hasn’t touched me yet is any indication, he will not want to sleep with me until after we’re married. Here’s hoping he doesn’t want a preamble. “Take me to my future husband.”
Bea smiles. “With haste, Mistress.”
Our soft leather shoes move soundlessly across the floor as I follow Bea up a set of stairs and down a long hallway boasting a hunter-green runner. Every step I take brings more and more nerves to the surface, and I wonder if perhaps that’s not why he wants to meet beforehand.
Because he’s trying to rattle me.
So, instead of allowing my fear to show, I take a steady breath, then another, and remind myself that I am a woman who has faced down death every day for the last five years. I have fought against an unseen enemy who has been trying to claim my life every moment, and I am still standing.
Bea knocks, and a muffled, “You may enter,” reaches us through the door. She shoves it open and moves inside with me right behind her.
“Mistress Ember, My King.”
“Good. You may both come in.”
Taranus’s room is humongous, boasting a desk in one corner, two high-backed leather chairs in another, an enormous copper sunken bathtub, and—to my dismay—a perfectly made bed with four large posts and a crimson quilt.
Lloren stands beside where he’s seated behind the desk, holding what looks to be a quill in his hand.
I relax slightly. Surely he is not going to want to have sex with an audience. “You wished to see me?”
“Yes.” He slides the paper across the desk and leans back in his seat to study me. “You dressed well.”
“This is the outfit that was left out for me today.”
“Indeed, it is.” His gaze shifts from me to the woman beside him. She offers a curt nod, and he turns back to me. “Take it off.”
All air whooshes from my lungs like I’ve been sucker-punched. “Excuse me?”
“I said, take it off.”
“No.”
He shoves to his feet. “You are to be my wife. Tonight. Which means I will see you without that dress sooner or later.”
“Then it can be later.”
“No. I will see you before the marriage contract is signed.”
“I’m not undressing.”
“Bea.”
“Yes, My King.” Fingers brush the laces at the back, and I try to move forward, only to find my feet frozen in place.
“Let me go. Please.”
“Remove her dress.”
“Bea, please.”
But Bea does not listen to me, so I shift my attention to the woman beside him as I clutch my hands to the front of the dress. Her eyes shine brightly, and she grins at me.
“You will not earn my pity, woman. The king gave you an order, and you will obey.”
“Let me go!” I scream, fighting against the invisible hold. Both hands fly from my dress, and with it, the fabric flutters to the floor, leaving me nearly bare. And when Bea’s slender fingers slip beneath the straps on my shoulders, the chemise falls, and I am exactly that—bare. Completely and totally at the mercy of a man I hate more than the disease ravaging through my body.
He pushes to his feet, and I clamp my eyes shut against tears as my body shivers uncontrollably.
“She’s not overly impressive,” Taranus says, as though I’m not here.
I choke on a sob, trying not to let show how much his words hurt.
“She will do, though. After all, you need her for nothing more than what is inside her body.”
“You believe she will bear me a son?”
“She will bear the rightful king sons aplenty.”
“Good.”
Fingers touch my thigh, and I clamp my teeth together to keep from screaming when my hidden weapon is relieved from my body. “What’s this, then?” Taranus’s voice is colder than the chill of the blade against my cheek.
“The king asked you a question,” the woman snaps.
“He’s not my king.” Pain flares in my shoulder, and I scream now as warmth trickles down my back. Eyes open now, I am greeted with the sadistic smile of the man before me as he holds a blade with my blood staining the silver.
“I am your king. Your owner. I will do with you what I wish, and you will not ever again say a word against me. Do I make myself clear?”
Without response, I glare back at him. “I will never love you.”
He snorts. “I’m going to fuck you, not love you.” He turns away. “As if I could ever love a human. All you need to do is spread your legs and give me access to your pussy. After that, I don’t give a shit what you do.”
I’m not sure what caused this change, what took him from the man who was trying to feign romance to this monster willing to force it, but I imagine it has something to do with the rushed wedding and the woman currently forcing me to remain completely still.
The door opens behind me, and boots thud against the floor as his guard comes to stand beside me. He offers me a once-over then sneers and looks away.
But I don’t.
No, my gaze remains firmly on his face because hanging from his belt loop is the very key I need. And if ever I wanted to get my hands on it, it’s right the hell now.
“I will not run. Please release me.”
The witch does so as soon as Taranus nods to her. I let myself stumble right into the guard, and my fingers quickly relieve him of the key. Risky? Absolutely, given I’m surrounded by enemies, but I have no choice. And years of stealing food to survive have finally paid off when no one pays me any attention.
“I’m so sorry.”
The guard sneers at me but gently sets me back on my feet. “My King, the Elders have arrived.”
“Thank you, Conary. You may go.”
With a nod and another angry glare in my direction, he leaves.
“Dress her and escort her to her room. Be sure to cover that wound. I won’t have anyone gossiping on my wedding day.”
“Yes, My King.”
Taranus grips my arm tightly. “You will obey me,” he reminds me. “Every word. And tonight, you will lie there, silent, as I fuck you.”
“Yes. My. King,” I spit out. If he noticed my angry tone, he paid it no mind because he smiles.
“Good, woman.” He looks me over again and shakes his head. “Facedown. That’s how I want you in my chamber when I get there.”
Then he and the woman with a power I can’t even begin to understand shove past me and out the door. Bea scrambles for my dress and hands it to me quickly. “May I speak freely?” she asks.
“Sure. You already undressed me against my will.” I sniffle, trying like hell not to cry in front of this woman. But with the lump steadily growing in my throat and the burn each time I try to breathe, that effort will be futile.
She secures the dress and turns me to face her. “He would have killed me had I not, and I have a family to think about.”
Her words are a reminder of my earlier thought about her being a prisoner here. If it came down to saving my pride or her family, I certainly would have chosen her family, as well. “Fine. Speak.”
“Do you know what that key opens?”
“What key?”
Her eyes narrow. “I may look young, but I am nearly seven-thousand-one-hundred-and-fifty years old. I saw you. I’m honestly surprised no one else did. Then again, I assume no one else believes you to be capable of much—certainly not deceit.”
Yet, she didn’t out me. “If you saw me steal the key, why didn’t you tell them? You obviously enjoy obeying them.”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she turns to me. “We need to move. Now.”
“Where are we going?”
“To open that lock.” She grips my hand and pulls me toward the door. “I no sooner want you to marry Taranus than I wish for him to be king. And you are certainly not meant to be his.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
We creep into the hall. “Behave normally, Ember, or you will surely draw attention to us.”
I do as she says even as I am hammered with a million questions I want to ask. At the top of them: Why the hell is she helping me? She doesn’t know me, and less than two minutes ago, she was more than loyal to the bastard she’s now rebelling against.
We stop in front of my room, and she quickly opens the door and ushers me inside. “What are you doing? I need to get down—”
“Give it to me.” Holding out her hand, she stares at me expectantly.
“No. Why would I do that?”
“Because out of the two of us, I am the only one who can move through this castle without being seen. I can get down and rescue him, and no one will be the wiser.”
“You can’t expect me to trust you. Not after what just happened.” I cling to the key like it’s my lifeline. Hell, it kind of is.
Her expression hardens. “Getting naked in front of Taranus is a hell of a lot less painful than what most of us have had to endure since he took over this castle,” she snaps. “Either you give me that key, or I am taking it and leaving you here to suffer the consequences of whatever Taranus has in store for you. Especially, once he discovers what you’ve done.”
I consider her threat, not at all under the illusion that she wouldn’t follow through. Truth is, she could have told them the moment she saw me steal the key. I can’t see any reason why she would have hidden it from them, only to return it now.
“Fine.” I hold out my hand, and she snatches the large golden key before I can argue.
“Remain in this room. If they come to collect you, find a way to stall.”
“Okay.”
She slips out through the door, and I quickly click the lock in place then turn toward the fresh wedding dress on my bed. More than likely to replace the blood-stained one I’m wearing now.
“Please come back,” I whisper as the adrenaline from the past thirty minutes wears off, and I collapse to the floor as my body shakes uncontrollably. Hot tears stream down my cheeks as I tuck my knees up to my chest.
If Bea doesn’t come back, I will have just handed over my only chance at surviving this nightmare.
And if she does? I’m not entirely sure what will come next, but I do know one thing. My fight has only just begun.
Chapter 18
Rafferty
“You’ll get your chance as soon as I get that key and free you.” The fire in her eyes when she muttered those words re-ignited my own quest for freedom.
Perhaps, if I’m lucky, I won’t die down here. I’ll have the chance to seek out the rightful king and turn Ember over to him so she can spend her life happy, loved by a man who will also be a kind and fair ruler.
The mental image of her happy on some faceless fae’s arm makes my gut clench with disgust, even as I know it’s the only outcome for her. Unless—
“Get to the gate!” a woman whispers loudly as she rushes down the last half of the stairs.
Features illuminated by the soft firelight of the torches on the wall, I recognize her instantly. “Bea? What the bloody hell are you doing here?”
She whips out a golden key and yanks the door open. “We need to get upstairs and get the human woman.”
“Ember?”
“Yes. She managed to retrieve the key, but the king is hell-bent on wedding her. Tonight.”
Fear shoots up my spine as I flex muscles I haven’t had to use in quite some time. “He’s not going to lay a fucking finger on her.”
“He already has,” she says sadly, and rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt overcomes me.
My vision turns red, and I rush toward the stairs. Bea grabs my arm, and I whirl on her. “I’m going to murder him.”
“It took me far too long to sneak down here. We need to get back upstairs before they take her to the wedding hall. By then, it will be too late.”
I nod and swallow hard, trying to choke back the rage. It won’t be helpful now, not when I need to keep my head long enough to rescue Ember. We’re just reaching the bottom of the steps when soft boots thud against the stone. I grab Bea and spin, plunging us both into the shadows and tucking her behind me as the guard comes into view.
“Rafferty, have some great news for you—” The fae skids to a stop at the bottom, eyes narrowing on the empty cell. He turns, ready to alert the others, but I rush forward and grab him, covering his mouth with my hand as I snap his neck like a fucking twig.
Without hesitation, I retrieve his sword and bound up the stairs right behind Bea. The hall is empty, and I know it’s because they’ve more than likely all already gathered in the wedding hall. Which means next up is them retrieving Ember.
“Bea!”
I step back into the stairs as Bea continues walking. “Yes, Joaquin?”
“Where the hell is the human?”
“I’m heading to get her now.” Bea winces, and my hand tightens on the blade. “Release me, Joaquin.”
“You should have already brought her to the preparation room.”
“I am headed to get her now. In case you forgot, I had a wound to clean and dress on the future queen’s back.”
A deep breath keeps me from audibly growling and removing Joaquin’s head from his body. If I still possessed the ability to dematerialize, I would have done it already and killed the fucker right where he stands.
But the likelihood of me being successful in remaining unnoticed while killing him is far too slim a risk to take.
“Go get her and get back down. Now. If I have to come find you, neither one of you will appreciate what happens next.”
“Are you seriously threatening me?”
“Was I not clear enough?”
“Crystal,” Bea shoots back. “Be down in a moment.”
“See that you are.” I press all the way into the corner as he walks past me and disappears down the hall. As soon as he’s out of view, I rush out, and together, Bea and I race for the stairs.
Two flights up, she’s knocking on Ember’s door.
No answer.
My heart hammers within my chest…fear for Ember, for what will be done to her should Taranus manage to consummate their marriage—she will beg for death. Anything to release her from the hell a lifetime with him will rain down upon her.
“We may be too late, My King. You need to go. Now. The Rebellion—”
“Will survive without me, and I am not your king.”
Bea’s cheeks flush with frustration, though she doesn’t argue. Likely because she knew my mother and knows how stubborn my family can be. “They must be in the wedding hall already.”
“Even if he exchanges the vows, it’s not too late.” Together, we rush back down the hall.
A group of fae is already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Waitstaff, maids, those Taranus has deemed unworthy.
I freeze. All it would take is for one of them to out me, and this rescue mission would be over.
A man steps forward, one I don’t recognize. “They took her to the wedding hall,” he says. “It has begun. The fight is over.”
I move toward him and press a fist to my heart. “It will never be over,” I tell him. “Not until Taranus’s blood soaks the ground he tried to rule.”
Relief echoes over the faces of every single fae in front of me. A near dozen men and women who have been tormented by my youngest brother.
I cannot help but feel partially responsible. And that makes me even angrier.
“He killed Flora,” a woman chokes out.
“There will be time to grieve,” I assure them. “Time to reflect on those lost and time spent fighting, but now we need to get the future queen out of here so she may find the one true king. Otherwise, there may be no stopping him.”
A man clears his throat. His hair is cut short, his face scarred with jagged lines climbing down both sides of it. “The guards are all standing outside of the wedding hall. You’ll never make it inside.”
I consider his words, thinking through all the possible scenarios. Taking into consideration Taranus’s arrogance, he will likely have her escorted to his chamber immediately following the ceremony even as he continues to bask in the faux approval of those he allows to attend the wedding.
And it’s his arrogance that will give us the opportunity we need. “We don’t need to get inside.”
“But the blood exchange, it happens during the ceremony!” Bea exclaims.
“Candice can help us break that,” I remind her. “She’s been studying our kind long enough that she should be able to come up with something.”
“And if she can’t? If this ceremony binds them together—”
“One problem at a time,” I tell her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We need to focus on getting Ember out. Then, we can tackle everything else.”
“What do you need us to do?”
I turn back to the fae who spoke, the scarred man. “Do your jobs until I have Ember. Then, we all leave together.”
“I’ll be staying,” Bea says, softly.
“You can’t, they’ll know—”
“My family is here, dear. We’ve been serving this kingdom for generations, and I won’t turn my back on it now. Not even for Taranus.” She reaches up and pats my cheek. “I’ll be here when you don that crown you were born to wear.”
