Rob shook his head vehemently. “Nope. No way. Have you guys forgotten the fact that we’ve already tried to kill him once? It didn’t fucking work. It doesn’t matter if we have the help of the entire kingdom of Blackwood, if no one can kill the fucking prick, what good will it do us?”
“About that,” I added. “If gods are immortal, how was he able to kill Rory and all of the magical prisoners who weren’t Storms?”
Everyone fell silent.
“We assume he has his ways,” Cal said, answering without really answering.
I nodded. “I have a theory on that. If he was able to get a sorcerer to give him a spell that kept him from dying, then maybe that same sorcerer provided him with a god-killing poison?”
Ben nodded, but his eyes darted side to side like his brain was running sprints. “It’s possible. And unfortunately, the whole thing seems quite plausible as well.” “Maybe,” Cal admitted, absentmindedly petting Speedy. Then he turned to me. “How’d you hear that story anyway?”
“A servant cornered me after the ball.”
“Which servant?” Ben asked, sharing a tense glance with Cal.
I bit my bottom lip. “I think he said his name was Frederick? He was definitely creepy.”
“Oh, fuck,” Rob muttered, tightening his hold on my legs.
“What’s wrong?” I asked fearfully.
“Nothing, Peach, it’s just that... we’re pretty sure Frederick’s a spy for the Storm King.”
“Which means...” Dan began, seemingly unwilling to finish the sentence.
Cal sighed. “It means that if that guy is feeding you info like that, then the Storm King is already aware of it, and he wants us to know he’s in on the secret.”
“Either that,” Ben continued, “or he’s watching us very closely to see if the rumor is true.”
“And if it is true,” Rob said, “then he’s going to start coming after us, one by one, until there’s nothing left of his failure.”
“Or,” Ben argued, “he’s going to hurt us even more while pushing us even harder. He’s sadistic like that.”
Gods, this situation was fucked up. At least I knew that our bond was as strong as ever. Nothing could break it. Nothing except death, anyway.
“So, what are we going to do?” I asked them.
“I guess we’ll figure that out when we get there,” Cal decided. “For now, he’s not actively trying to kill us, so that gives us some time. Maybe he needs to apply some more magical protections first? Or maybe he needs to procure more of that special god-killing potion?”
“Who do you think the sorcerer is that’s supplying all the magic, anyway?” I asked.
The guys shook their heads.
“The most magical people I know of are the fae and the sirens,” Dan admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I would think I’d have heard something if the country that bordered mine had been up to something shifty, but it’s not impossible. Hydratica is secretive and conniving. They’re sworn enemies to Blackwood, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Storm King had shady alliances amongst all sorts of different nations and peoples.”
“But why would anyone offer to help him? Why keep a tyrant on the throne?” I asked.
Ben smiled, compassion for my ignorance swirling in his eyes. “He’s obviously giving them something they desire in return.”
I nodded, taking it all in. “So, we need to figure out just what that is and then stop it from happening again.”
“Or offer them an even better deal,” Ben suggested, changing the mood of the argument.
“We are getting incredibly ahead of ourselves,” Cal said as we broke from the trees and strolled across the castle lawn. “I think we should deal with the issues at hand first. Namely, preventing war with Timberlune.”
“Good idea,” Rob agreed.
“I think the whole thing has something to do with the harpies,” I said, offering up whatever information I had, “and land.”
Cal nodded his agreement. “They’ve been having harpy issues since the Storm King took over, since before we were born.”
“Yeah,” I chimed in, excited that I finally knew a bit about the topic we were discussing. “Something about an old treaty gone wrong?”
Ben rolled his pretty brown eyes. “The harpy nation of Eristan borders us from across the desert. They’ve never given me any trouble, but I’ve heard rumors of them hackling the fae now that the Treaty O’ Ley is dead in the water.”
“If we can stop the issues with the harpies,” Rob began, “will it pacify Timberlune enough to prevent war?”
“I think it’s worth a shot,” Cal said.
“I do too,” I agreed. “And I think I need to be the one to talk to Bria about it.”
“Uh, that doesn’t sound like the best idea,” Cal hedged. “I’m the one who’s been best trained in the art of politics. I think I should talk to Bria’s parents about it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know, and that’s why you’re probably the least capable. No offense. I think I need to go into that conversation and just be real. Tell Bria what’s going on using unguarded words and heartfelt emotions. I think that’s the best way to get her on our side; then we can deal with her parents. Maybe she’ll even tell us something that could be useful in all of this?”
Cal pursed his lips. Rob crossed his arms around my legs. Dan raised a brow. And Ben simply smirked.
“Fine,” Cal agreed.” But if this fails, we’re doing it my way. The official, diplomatic way.”
“Deal.”
“And I want you to talk to Bria first thing in the morning. That way once your plan fails, I’ll have plenty of time to implement mine.”
I scoffed, feeling competitive all of a sudden.
“Why wait until the morning, when I can talk to her right now?”
Chapter 32
It was pitch-black and well after midnight by the time I put Speedy to bed and knocked on Bria’s door.
There were guards stationed up and down the hallway, both Timberlune’s and ours, but since I was essentially a Blackwood princess, I was permitted to go just about anywhere without question.
After a moment, Bria’s voice sounded faintly from the other side. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” I whispered back. “Alexis.”
“Alexis?” The door creaked as she heaved the heavy thing open. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”
“I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She opened the door wider and ushered me inside. “What’s going on?”
When she shut the door behind us, I flopped onto her bed and took a deep breath. “I’m just going to cut to the chase and get to the point. I don’t want you to marry Cal.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. “You want him for yourself?”
I bobbed my head, unable to deny the accusation, but it wasn’t really the point I was going for. “Yes and no. I have a special relationship with the brothers, a bond if you will, that I’m unwilling and unable to give up. And I heard that you too have a relationship like that. A boyfriend back home.”
She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She did, though. I felt her longing as soon as I mentioned the guy.
“Bria... let’s be real here. I don’t care about your parents or their agenda. I don’t care about the Storm King or his agenda. I care about the princes, and I care about you not being with one of my princes, so in a way, I care about you and your boyfriend too.”
She smirked. I wondered if she was actually fighting off a laugh. “How very considerate of you.”
I shrugged. “Thanks, it’s one of my stronger suits.”
“I can tell.”
“But seriously. If you’re in love with someone else, why go through with the betrothal in the first place?”
She walked over and slowly eased herself down onto the bed beside me. “Because it’s my royal duty.”
“In other words, your parents are making you?”
She smirked. “In other words, yes.”
“Why?”
She glared at me, eyes suddenly cold as ice. “Why are you so curious? Are you trying to break me down, then ruin the integrity of my entire kingdom, bringing Timberlune to her knees once and for all?”
“Gods, what the fuck? No. I’m trying to help Timberlune. I can’t let you marry Cal, but I still want to aid you in achieving whatever it is you need to achieve. I just need to know what that is.”
The ice in her eyes melted, but hesitation and distrust remained. “How can I be sure?”
I held up my hands in surrender. “I don’t know. I guess because I could have just kept Cal and not come here to talk to you? Which would have sparked a war and decimated thousands of innocent civilians. But I don’t want that, and I don’t think you do either.”
She was quiet for a little while longer, shaking her head as she slowly gave in. “My parents will kill me if they find I’ve let our greatest secret slip.”
“Don’t worry. The Storm King will probably kill me for this too. But think about it in a different way. How will they reward you if you manage to single-handedly fix Timberlune’s biggest problem?”
She scoffed. “Hopefully they’ll reward me by letting me marry Orion.” Which must have been her lover’s name. “But I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“I’ll make sure it happens,” I promised her. “Just tell me how.”
She bit her lip then spoke in a whisper. “We’ve been fighting with the harpies for years now over a piece of land that borders both of our kingdoms. We call it the Lunalay, and it means much more than claimed territory for us. It’s steeped in magic; it flows through the water, through the roots and the trees, through the air and the soil. It’s... where all fae magic stems from. If we lose possession of the Lunalay, then our magic will fade, and the entire fae race will perish.”
“Oh, my gods.” I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal.
“Yeah.”
“So, you don’t really need protection in the sky, and you don’t really need us to fight the harpies. You just need them to relinquish that land?”
“They won’t, Alexis. We’ve tried everything. For some reason, they seem to want it as desperately as we do.”
I pursed my lips. “We’ll just have to figure out why then.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have time. When my parents find out about the nixed engagement, they’re going to declare war.”
“Even though they know you’re weak and that you’ll most likely lose?” It seemed like a poor tactic.
She smiled faintly. “They feel it’s our only choice. And if we’re going to die, they believe it would be best to do so with honor, rather than withering away into nothing.”
I suppose it made a tragic sort of sense, but I still hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“What if I made you an unbreakable promise?”
Sure, I’d only seen a blood bond performed once in my entire life, but it hadn’t seemed very difficult. I was fairly certain I could replicate it.
“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning forward in curiosity.
“What if I promised to help you recover the Lunalay? What if I swore it on my life?”
She raised a challenging brow. “What is a feeble promise going to mean to my parents? Nothing, that’s what. And they couldn’t care less about your life. No offense.”
I shook my head and held out my unmarred palm, drawing an imaginary line across the palm with my finger. “It’s more than that. It’s a promise sealed in blood and bound by magic. I’m assuming magic at least means something to them?”
“Quite.” She stared at my palm, contemplating my words. “I know nothing of this type of magic, so I couldn’t possibly agree to be part of it. However, I will meet with my parents in the morning and explain things to them. I’ll mention how you were so willing to help us that you’d even offered to make a bond of magic. That should at least force them to pause.”
I pulled my lips in and nodded. “Okay. If that’s the best you can do, I’ll make it work.”
She smiled sadly. “It really is. I’m sorry I can’t offer you more, but the power is out of my hands. I really do appreciate you coming and talking to me, though. It speaks highly of your character.”
I stood, smiling at her as I headed toward the door. “I’m glad. Hopefully one day, when the current monarchs have long passed away, our nations can be allies.”
“I would like that very much.”
I opened her door and slipped outside. “Goodnight, Bria.”
“Goodnight, Alexis.”
Chapter 33
The next day, I woke up feeling fresh and rejuvenated for the first time in weeks, months, years maybe.
The stress of knowing my bond with the Storm Princes was strong as ever, coupled with the fact that I no longer had the threat of Bria's impending betrothal to Cal looming over my head, had really killed off a great deal of unpleasant anxiety.
There was still the issue of my mother and Gemma’s safety to worry about, and there was also still the possibility of impending war, but at least we now had a chance at quelling it. If Bria could somehow garner us an audience with her parents, then I knew Cal would be able to work his political magic in our favor.
Until then, I decided we should celebrate our new bond with a sort of victory breakfast in the gardens. It might not have been the greatest triumph in the world, but it was by far the most important commitment of my life. Therefore, it at least deserved cake. I sent a servant with a message for the princes; then I slipped outside to set everything up.
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and not a single cloud hung in the pure blue sky. I strolled into the gardens with Speedy in my arms, detouring slightly to fetch him some fresh leaves—because I doubted that he’d enjoy the cake. As he munched on the greens and we got back on course, a contented sigh passed my lips. Everything seemed to be looking up.
And that’s when I noticed the Storm King sitting alone at a tea table.
My heart stopped and plummeted to my feet.
I froze, initially wanting to turn and run the other way, but knowing full well that I wouldn’t make it very far. I briefly wondered if he might’ve been there to see his sons instead of me, but the hope was short-lived. If he was there, and I was there, then I was about 110 percent sure the setup was intentional. And it couldn't mean anything good.
"Good morning, Miss Ravenel," he purred, lightly tapping his fingertips together atop the table.
I curtsied low and bowed my head. "Morning, Your Majesty. To what do I owe the honor and pleasure of your visit?"
He chuckled, a dark sound that seemed to thrust the sunlit garden into shadows.
"I've come to see which prince you've chosen.”
My mouth fell open, and I quickly snapped it shut. "But... I thought I had a full month to decide and not a day less?"
He merely shrugged. "I changed my mind." Then he gestured to the seat across from him. "Please, sit."
In other words, sit the fuck down before he sent me crumbling to my knees.
I hurried to the chair and perched at the edge, squeezing Speedy tightly.
"I hear you've been doing some snooping about me."
Shit. Cal and Ben were right. That dickhead servant really was a Storm King informant. The bastard.
"Just remember," King Zacharias continued, staring dangerously into my eyes, "that I know everything. One way or another, I will always find out any little thing you do, and you can guarantee that if it's something I don't approve of, there will be hell to pay."
I knew that well enough, and I heard his threat loud and clear. Was he aware of the blood bond I'd made with the princes? The promises I'd made to Bria? Did he know the rumors about his sterility? The whispers that his sons were not actually his sons?
"That said..."
He jumped up in a flash, yanked Speedy f
rom my arms, and pinned him to the table with a knife through the throat.
My mind went numb as my whole world screeched to a stop. I screamed as Speedy screamed, his precious blood spilling across the tabletop and dripping ominously onto the cobblestone floor below.
"I told you to pick one prince!" he bellowed, his face reddening as his anger rose. "And now I hear you've been whoring around with all four of them?"
He hit my face with enough force to knock me straight to the ground. As I connected with the cold stone, tears poured down my swollen cheeks, and I sobbed uncontrollably.
Oh, gods, this was too much. His external hit had dropped me like an anchor, but his internal hit was what tore me up from the inside out. It was as if the knife had been plunged straight into me instead of Speedy. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. It was far, far too much.
“This is only the beginning,” he promised in a growl. “You will all return to Blackwood Palace in three days’ time where you will officially marry Prince Calvin—that’s right, Miss Ravenel, I’ve chosen a prince for you, just as I said I would if you failed—in a ceremony fit for the gods. And if you so much as think of defying me again, your little cousin Lilah will pay the price just like your disgusting excuse of a pet.”
He kicked me in the stomach. “Three days.” Then he strode away into the forest.
As I lay there sobbing and gagging, nothing more than a wet, disordered ball of agony and sorrow, the voices of the princes filtered into the background.
“Where’s this picnic at? I’m starving.”
“You’re always hungry, you know that?”
“Well, I’m starving for something else.”
Chuckles filled the air at that last comment, but they were quickly cut off by sharp gasps and pounding footfalls.
“Alexis? Oh, my gods, what the hell happened here?”
They rushed to me, lifting me off the ground as a group. All I felt were warm hands and tender embraces, gentle strokes of skin and fearful questions.
"Are you okay?"
"What happened to your face?"
Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1) Page 31
