Mark of the Fae: A Fated Mates Fae Romance (Shadow Court Book 2)

by KJ Baker

  Feeling strangely hollow, I turned away and climbed the stairs. My head was spinning. I stepped out onto a plush landing and started as I spotted somebody walking towards me. I hesitated, not sure what to do. It was a Fae male dressed in velvet clothes with golden curls framing his face.

  I slowed. The man smiled as he reached me and gave an extravagant bow.

  “Ah, you must be Lady Asha,” he said, his voice low and melodic. He glanced behind me. “Where are your guards?”

  “My...my guards?”

  The man waved his hand. “No matter. Let me introduce myself. My name is Simeon Ash, member of the High Council. I’m very pleased to meet you.” He cocked his head, studying me. “I must say, I had not expected you to be quite so beautiful. I can see why King Arion is so taken with you. Who wouldn’t be?”

  He stepped closer and I involuntarily took a step back. His scent reached my nostrils, a cloying, heady smell like roses. He was very handsome, with flawless golden skin and sparkling blue eyes.

  “Um...right. Nice to meet you,” I mumbled. “I’d...um...better be off.” Where was I going again? I’d been heading somewhere hadn’t I? I suddenly didn’t seem to be able to think straight. My thoughts had turned slow and sluggish. All I could seem to concentrate on was Simeon’s face. Those gorgeous blue eyes like the summer sky and those lips, full and ripe for kissing...

  Wait. What was wrong with me? I took another step away and my back pressed against the wall. Simeon sidled closer until less than a hands-width separated us. He reached out to curl a lock of my hair around his finger.

  “Ah, my beauty,” he breathed. “What pleasure you could bring me. What pleasure I could bring you. I know you feel it. Give in to it, and you can have your heart’s desire.”

  He was so beautiful. So perfect. I raised my hand to touch his face—

  —then snatched it back abruptly.

  “What are you doing to me?” I snapped.

  “I? Nothing at all. Only showing you what you most desire.”

  The fog formed in my head again and all I seemed to be able to think about was this man in front of me. Of how attractive he was. Of how much I wanted to—

  “Leave me alone!” I cried, shaking my head to try to clear it.

  “I’m only showing you your deepest desires. I know them better than you know them yourself.”

  At his words, an image suddenly flashed into my head. A face, Gracie’s face, my best friend. It was a face I knew well. But this time I barely recognized her. The memory was from when Raven and I were in Gracie’s apartment and Dark Hair, the Unseelie agent who had come to the mortal realm to find the Orb of Tir, was there as well. He was standing behind Gracie, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder. The look on Gracie’s face as she stared at me was hostile, her eyes full of hate—me, her best friend for years. But as she turned her head to gaze up at Dark Hair, her expression turned into wide-eyed adoration. She didn’t look like Gracie anymore, my Gracie, but instead seemed an empty shell filled with nothing but her need for Dark Hair.

  Cold realization swept through me. Simeon was trying to do the same to me! He was using his glamor against me, trying to make me his slave, just as Dark Hair had done to Gracie. In desperation, I closed my eyes, pulled up an image of Raven’s face, those clean lines, those lilac eyes so full of strength and determination.

  Simeon’s glamor shattered.

  I slammed my fists into his chest with all my strength. Caught off guard, he staggered back a few steps, surprise registering on his face.

  “What the hell do you think you were doing?” I yelled. “Who the hell do you think you are? Raven will kill you for this!” When he found out what this man had tried to do to me, there would be nothing that would stop Raven taking his life.

  Simeon’s surprise lasted only a moment. He straightened, a small smile on his face. “That was a little surprising,” he remarked casually. “Seems our dear King Arion was telling the truth when he said you are his mate. Only a fated mate could resist my power.”

  “What gives you the right to do that?” I was furious. How dare he try this on me? “If you think I’m going to let this slide, you can think again!”

  “You won’t say anything about this incident,” Simeon replied smoothly. “Not to Raven, not to anyone.”

  “You reckon? Then you’re a bigger idiot than I thought!”

  “You won’t say anything because if you do, I’ll ruin your precious Raven.” All trace of conviviality had disappeared from his voice and his tone turned low and dangerous. “I am a member of the High Council and have half the other members in my pocket. My family is old and powerful. If you mention anything of what happened here today, I’ll withdraw my support for Raven in the High Council. Do you want to be responsible for starting civil war within the Shadow Court?”

  I opened my mouth to speak but then snapped it shut. Was he telling the truth? I didn’t understand enough about the politics of the Shadow Court to know, but some instinct told me that he would indeed carry out his threat.

  He glared at me and I glared right back, neither of us speaking. I had the overwhelming urge to kick him right between the legs and see how he liked that. But he could cause trouble for Raven and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

  “What’s going on here?”

  I whipped around at the sound of the voice. Ffion came storming down the corridor, a drawn blade in one hand. She stopped in front of me and the expression she turned on Simeon was one of undisguised hatred.

  He inclined his head. “Princess Ffion. A pleasure as always.”

  Ffion ignored him. “Asha? Is everything all right? Is he bothering you?”

  I glanced at Simeon. He watched me steadily, seeing what I would do. “No,” I said. “He introduced himself, that’s all.”

  Ffion gave Simeon a suspicious look before sheathing her blade. “Come then, my brother is asking for you.”

  It was with a sense of relief that I allowed Ffion to escort me down the corridor. I didn’t look back but I felt Simeon’s eyes burning into my back as I walked away.

  I knew I had made an enemy.

  Chapter 4

  RAVEN

  I couldn’t help pacing up and down as I waited. The bower in which I stood was carpeted with fresh green grass and surrounded on all sides by willow trees and climbing roses. The midday sun was warm on my skin. Yet the beauty of the place did nothing to soothe me. As I paced, I felt like a caged panther.

  I hadn’t realized how suffocating my life could be until I’d returned home. When I’d been in the mortal realm with Asha things had been simpler. I’d just been Raven, a soldier on a mission. I’d had no responsibility beyond that mission. It had been strangely liberating.

  But now? Now I was King Arion again, with the weight of a kingdom hanging around my neck. My thoughts still buzzed from my meeting with the High Council last night and then again this morning to discuss our response to the Unseelie. They had definitely not mellowed in my absence. If anything, they’d gotten even more belligerent. Spire curse the whole damned lot of them!

  I spun as I heard footsteps behind me. Ffion and Asha stepped into the clearing, both sweaty, both clearly having come straight from the training ground.

  “You called, brother?” Ffion said with a sardonic smile.

  My eyes flew to my mate. It had only been a few hours since I’d seen her at breakfast but it felt like a lifetime. I just couldn’t get enough of being in her presence. She smiled at me and the weight of responsibility lifted a little. As easily as that, she could make everything seem better.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” I replied.

  Ffion rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You two will make me throw up in a minute.”

  I frowned at my sister. “Thank you for bringing Asha, Ffion. That will be all.”

  “What do you mean ‘that will be all’?”

  “I mean I wish to spend some time alone with my mate.”

  “Sure, but I’m her
guard, remember? Where she goes, I go.”

  “Not this time. I’m sure I can handle any threat.”

  “But—”

  “That will be all, Ffion.”

  Her expression folded into a murderous scowl. Then, without a word, she spun on her heel and stomped off.

  Asha laid a hand on my arm. “Wow, I reckon you’re probably going to pay for that later.”

  “No doubt. But it was worth it to get some alone time with you.” I curled my fingers through hers, pulling her closer. I smelled her scent all around me and it was already stoking my arousal. I gazed down into her bottomless green eyes. “How are you settling in?”

  “Um, do you want the honest answer or the polite one?”

  I laughed softly. “As bad as that is it?”

  “Raven, everyone looks at me as though I’m some sort of circus exhibit and your sister would likely turn me into food for the crows if she had any say in the matter. Please tell me this will get easier?”

  I laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. “It will get easier. I promise. They just need time to get used to you, that’s all. Once they know you, they’ll love you as much as I do.”

  A soft sigh escaped her and she put her arms around my neck. “Love me? I would settle for simple tolerance. After what happened earlier...”

  She trailed off abruptly. Her scent turned wary.

  “What?” I asked. “What happened earlier?” She wouldn’t meet my gaze but I could tell that something was troubling her. “Asha,” I said, my voice hard and commanding. “What is it?”

  She met my gaze at last. “Earlier, right after training...” She trailed off again.

  “Yes?”

  She didn’t reply immediately. I could see she was trying to work out the right words. Then she shook her head. “It’s something that’s been bugging me. It’s clear your people don’t like me very much but I can’t believe they are all so bigoted to dislike me just because I’m human. But a human killed the Spire, right? So maybe that’s the cause.”

  I got the feeling that wasn’t what she had intended to say but I didn’t push her. I sighed. “I’m sorry, Asha. You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

  “But it’s true isn’t it? A human killed the Spire? What was her name? Eliana Rose? I saw her portrait and all the flowers people have left by it. You told me yourself that’s the reason the Unseelie have given for wanting to tear down the Veil.”

  “Yes, it’s true.”

  She chewed her lip, frowning. “You see, I just don’t buy it. It makes no sense. You said yourself that there has been virtually no travel between my world and the Summerlands since the Veil was erected. To do so, you need either one of those portal cubes that you used, or find one of the portals that open on the solstices. How likely is it that a mortal would either have a cube or stumble on a portal?”

  “Not likely,” I responded. “But not impossible.”

  “Not likely,” she repeated. “After the trouble we had finding a portal, I reckon it is virtually impossible. How do you know it was a mortal that killed the Spire, anyway?”

  “I saw the body,” I said, suspecting where she was going with this. “All the rulers and all the members of the High Councils of each Court were summoned to the Spire to bear witness. I saw for myself. There was no doubt it was a mortal man.”

  “You said body.”

  “Yes, he was killed when he was apprehended.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “A little convenient don’t you think? That way he can’t speak in his own defense and tell you what really happened.”

  I held up a hand. “Asha, the man was found standing over the body of the Spire, holding a blood-covered knife. How much more evidence do you need? And before you say anything, no, it was not a member of the Unseelie Courts that found him. Three acolytes of the Spire discovered the murderer. Each has independently corroborated what they found. When challenged, the man fled. He was chased by the Spire’s own guards and killed when they tried to arrest him.”

  She frowned. “Even so, I—”

  “Asha,” I cut in. “How about we drop this for now? I’ve a hankering to be alone with my mate. All of this can wait.”

  She sighed and then nodded. “Some alone time? That sounds good to me.”

  I grinned. “There’s something I want you to see. Come on.”

  I took her hand and led her out of the bower and onto a leaf-strewn trail through the trees. I moved swiftly and Asha kept pace with me, the gentle breeze rifling through her long red hair and bringing a rosy tint to her cheeks. Spire, she was beautiful. I led her along the mossy bank of a stream overhung with weeping willows, their long branches trailing into the water.

  “Where are we going?”

  I glanced back at her and smiled. “You’ll see.”

  We came out into a small glade that was almost entirely screened by the weeping willows. A round pond sat in its center, perfectly still like glass.

  “Sit.” I sat cross-legged on the springy grass at the pond’s edge and patted the spot beside me. Asha folded onto the ground at my side.

  “What is this place?”

  “I know your experience of the Summerlands so far hasn’t been entirely pleasant. I wanted to show you something that is. Watch.”

  I leaned forward and gently tapped my finger on the surface of the pond. Ripples ran out from where I disturbed the water and there came a faint sound like the tinkling of wind chimes.

  “Raven, what—?”

  I held up a hand for silence. “Just wait.”

  After a few seconds, the surface of the water began to ripple again, shimmering like a rain curtain. Then a tiny silver flame broke the surface and rose into the air. An instant later another followed, then a third, a fourth, a fifth. The water sprites hung suspended over the water for a moment, burning like silver candles. Then, all of a sudden, they began to dance. They spun over the surface of the water, interweaving with each other, turning and twisting in a dizzying spiral. I turned to look at Asha and saw her eyes wide with astonishment, the silver light of the sprites reflected in her pupils.

  Faster and faster the sprites danced, whirling and spinning in pure joy, tumbling over each other in a perfectly choreographed dance. Then, just as quickly as they’d come, they sank beneath the water and were gone. The pond’s surface became as smooth as glass once more.

  Asha turned to look at me. There were tears in her eyes. “What was that? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Water sprites. They will dance if you wake them from their sleep.”

  “It was beautiful.”

  I put a finger under her chin and raised her face to look at me. “Not as beautiful as you.”

  I dipped my head and kissed her. I tasted the salt of her tears on her lips and licked it away gently. Asha’s eyes slid closed as her lips began to move softly against mine. That spark of desire lit inside me and I found myself shifting closer, grabbing her waist and pulling her against me. Our kiss deepened and I forced her lips apart with my tongue, dipping inside. Asha moaned and her arms went around my neck.

  Spire, I loved it when she moaned like that. Her pleasure sent a spike of arousal right through my body, so hot and penetrating that my groin tightened painfully. I pushed Asha down onto her back on the soft grass and followed her down. I wanted her. I had to have her. Right now.

  My hand slid down her body to cup her breast through her clothing. She moaned again and her hand was suddenly between my legs, stroking the bulge that had grown there. I gasped and my eyes slid closed. What was she doing to me? How did this woman awake such desire in me?

  “King Arion?”

  I leapt up with a cry. Asha gasped, sitting up and scuttling backwards. One of the palace guards poked his head through the screen of willow branches. He looked decidedly uncomfortable. Good. He better have a damned good excuse for interrupting me with my mate.

  “What is it?” I snarled. “Can’t you see that I’m busy?”

  “My apol
ogies, Majesty,” the guard said. “But Princess Ffion sent me to find you. She says you’re to come straight away. The Hawk has returned.”

  Chapter 5

  ASHA

  I had no idea who this Hawk was, but the name had an instant effect on Raven. The desire that had flooded his gaze only a moment ago evaporated to be replaced by a mixture of apprehension and relief. He climbed to his feet and held out his hand. I allowed him to pull me up.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We have to get back right away.”

  “Why? Who is this Hawk?”

  His eyes found mine. “My brother.”

  With that, we set off, leaving behind the glade and following the guard quickly back through the woods to the palace. I tried to clear my head. My thoughts still swam from Raven’s touch. My heart still thumped from his kiss. My pulse still raced, wanting him to touch me more...

  I pushed it away. It was clear from Raven’s expression and his urgency that the return of the Hawk was not good news. Sudden tension emanated from him. As we hurried through the woods, he moved like a stalking lion, his gaze fixed and intent.

  I wondered what all this might mean. Hawk was Raven’s brother? After my experience with Ffion, I was not keen to meet any more of Raven’s family. Would he think I was some kind of gold-digger too? Would he see me as nothing more than a threat as his sister did?

  We arrived back at the palace to find Ffion waiting for us by the gates, along with Bowen and several of the palace guard. Raven slowed momentarily at the grim expression on his sister’s face, but then strode up to her.

  “Where is he?”

  “The infirmary.”

  “He’s hurt?”

  Ffion’s eyes flicked to me then back to her brother. “No. He’s...well, come see for yourself.”

  She turned and we followed her into the palace. The corridors were abuzz with commotion. People scurried everywhere and a palpable tension filled the air. We took a route I’d never traveled before and passed into a quieter part of the palace where Fae in some kind of white uniform moved around quietly, talking in hushed voices. Ffion led us to a door, knocked, and pushed inside without waiting for an invitation.