Forbidden Queen Complete Series: Books 1-4

by Dyan Chick

  I moved my hair out of my face and wiped my eyes with the back of my hands. When I opened them, I saw Bella standing quietly with a robe draped over her arm.

  I coughed a little, clearing some excess water and wiped my eyes again. "Have you been waiting long?"

  "Only a moment. Did you want to stay longer? I can wait."

  As much as I wanted to stay hidden underground and soak in the warm water, Tristan's words about needing me tonight rang through my mind. I didn't know what he had planned and it probably wouldn't hurt to try and get some rest while I had an opportunity to do so. I stood and walked over to the edge of the pool and pulled myself out. My undergarments clung to my skin, completely see-through from the water. Bella rushed over to me and wrapped the robe around me quickly tying the belt around the waist before I could offer to do it myself.

  "What do you usually do around here?" I asked. If Tristan rarely had visitors, I wondered how often she was expected to wait on anyone aside from the Prince and anyone else who might live in the castle.

  "I do whatever is required," Bella said.

  I didn't press her, but I knew from her words she was hiding something. What could it be that she didn't want me to know? What kind of duties could Tristan ask of his servants that would cause her not to share with me? It seemed odd that there was something she left out after how freely she shared information before.

  "As I said," Bella said, "we don't get a lot of visitors."

  I nodded. "I can't imagine why. Tristan is just so charming." My words were sarcastic, but Bella didn't flinch.

  "He can be, once you get to know him," Bella said.

  I felt like I was getting to know Tristan pretty well. Which just meant I didn't know him at all. The more time I spent with him, the less sure I was about him. Before he brought me here, I had thought we were starting to connect on a personal level. And yet, here I was. Sucked into whatever his plan was, part of some greater master plan that he probably thought of the second he met me.

  I wasn't sure what purpose I served, but at least I knew I had an end point. Three weeks. I wouldn't allow myself to consider the full five.

  "Once we get upstairs I can do your hair, and you can rest a bit before the evening's festivities," Bella said.

  "Festivities?” I asked as I followed Bella up the stairs.

  "Of course, didn't his grace tell you?" Bella asked.

  "I'm beginning to think he doesn't tell me anything." I frowned, thinking of how he had just questioned me. Of the two of us, I was the one who had been the most open. There wasn't anything I kept from him. It was possible, he even knew more about me than I knew about myself.

  "There's a reception this evening. They didn't give me the details, but you're expected to be there," Bella said.

  I didn't much feel like attending a party, but at least I knew Tristan would be distracted by his guests. Once I knew my way around better, maybe I could make an appearance and sneak out. It seemed an odd thing to have tonight considering the fact that Tristan had been traveling with me the last several days. How had he managed to plan it so quickly? Or was this on the agenda from the beginning? What if we had not made it to the Queen by now? Would he have just slid home and left the rest of us behind? Or had his plan all along been to bring me to this thing for some reason?

  As we reached my door, exhaustion set in. I hadn't allowed myself to feel tired before, there were too many things to do and too much at stake. Now that I was looking at a bed, the only thing I wanted to do was get some sleep.

  "Have a seat." Bella gestured to stool in front of the dressing table.

  I obliged, letting my eyelids close for a moment and taking a few slow breaths. Bella didn't waste any time getting to work on my hair and I found myself getting more and more sleepy with each stroke of the brush. I felt pins touch my scalp and opened my eyes to look in the mirror.

  Bella was carefully pinning my curls around my head in a trick I'd seen my human mother do on occasion. I knew this would allow me to sleep without my curls getting frizzy. Grateful that Bella was preparing me to rest, I watched as she finished. She hummed a tune as she walked across the room to the wardrobe pulled out some clothing and walked back. I recognize the song as something that Nani used to hum when I was a child. I wished she was here with me now. At least I knew she was alive and that I’d get to see her again soon.

  "Try this," Bella said, holding up a nightgown.

  Covering a yawn, I stood and let her help me into the clothes.

  "I'll wake you when it's time to prepare. We still have a few hours and I'm sure you could use a nap," she said. "His Grace has assigned me to you for the tenure of your stay if it pleases you."

  "Thank you, Bella," I said. "It will be nice to see a familiar face."

  With a nod, she excused herself from the room, leaving me alone. I walked over to the window and checked to make sure it seemed like it was locked well enough to prevent any unwelcome visitors. Satisfied, I walked back to the bed and burrowed under the blankets. Now that I was alone in the near darkness, I felt hollow. I breathed in a clean, floral scent on the sheets. It made me feel even more alone. I missed the scent of the other princes. I missed feeling Dane's body against mine or Ethan's arms holding me close. I missed the taste of Cormac on my lips.

  Tears slid down my cheeks and I allowed them to come as I pressed my face into the pillow. Three weeks. I was going to be here for at least three weeks. Cut off from the males who made me feel safe and comfortable. I was in a strange place with an unpredictable prince who had an agenda I couldn't figure out.

  Quietly, I sobbed into the pillow, releasing all the pent up frustration and anger of the last week. It had been too long since I let myself go, unafraid of the consequences of someone seeing my tears. Finally, emotionally spent, I drifted into sleep.

  I stood alone in a burning field. Flames roared as they ate away at the landscape, sending pillars of black smoke rising into the air. Panic welled up inside me. Someone important had been right next to me, I'd been holding their hand, but now they were gone. I stretched my fingers out and tried to call out, but I wasn't sure which name I should cry for. Then, in the distance, I saw someone. A female in a gold dress. She wore a crown of fire and threw her head back in laughter. She turned to look at me and my blood ran cold as I found myself staring at Tiana. She smiled, perfectly happy to watch the world burn.

  I woke in a cold sweat and bolted up, sitting alone in the unfamiliar bed. It was dark in the room, but a small fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, offering an unstable light that made the room feel eerie. The light ebbed and flowed as the flames danced, casting ominous shadows that were gone as quickly as they appeared. My skin tingled in fear as I looked for anything that didn't look like it belonged.

  I tossed the blankets aside and jumped from the bed, unsatisfied with my initial assessment. On tiptoes, I crept around the room, checking every corner. The only thing I found were shadows. Feeling relieved, but still on edge, I settled into one of the chairs near the fireplace and tried to calm my nerves. It hadn't even been a day in this place, and already I felt like I was losing touch with reality.

  A gentle knock sounded on the door and I stood, then walked over to it. "Hello?"

  The door opened and Bella peeked her head in. "My Lady, please tell me you slept."

  "I did," I said. "I just woke. And please, call me Cassia."

  She curtseyed. "Lady Cassia." She walked into the room and began to light the candles scattered around. She paused below a large chandelier in the center of the room and raised her hand toward it. The candles burst to life, a hundred flickering lights that illuminated the room as if it were daylight.

  "How did you do that?" I asked.

  She furrowed her brow. "Surely you learned how to light candles?"

  I cleared my throat. "No. I'm actually quite behind in my magic studies."

  "I can show you another time, but not tonight. Tonight, we have to get you ready for the reception." Bella moved t
o the stool in front of the dressing table and waited for me to join her.

  Reluctantly, I walked over to the table and sat on the stool. Learning magic sounded much more fun and much more useful than attending whatever formal event she was dressing me for.

  As she pulled the pins out of my hair and went to work making me up for Tristan's reception, I thought back to my almost wedding day. The last time I'd put in effort to my appearance it hadn't paid off well for me. I hoped there were not going to be any monster attacks tonight. I smiled as I imagined how funny it might be to see a monster ruin Tristan's plans. I knew I shouldn't think that way, but he knew that I still didn't know how to contain my powers enough to prevent from attracting the creatures from the Under.

  "You have beautiful hair," Bella said.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "You look a lot like your mother," she said.

  I turned and looked at her. "You know who my mother is?"

  "We all do," she said. "Tristan told the entire household while you slept. He's not exactly keeping it a secret. I would guess that if the entire Winter Court doesn't know about the two of you yet, they will by tomorrow."

  "What do you mean by the two of us?" I asked.

  "Your courtship, of course," she said. "Now that it's out in the open, you don't have to hide it from me anymore, my Lady. You have our full support. A lot of us have been waiting for a day like this. An alliance between Faerie and the Winter Court is a dream come true."

  Chapter Ten

  "You can't be serious," I said. "Tristan and I are not courting."

  She took her hand off of my hair and rested it on my shoulder. "It's alright, I know the official announcement isn't until tonight, but I've been keeping secrets for the Winter Prince for a long time. You can trust me."

  "We are not courting," I repeated.

  She chuckled softly and went back to working on my hair.

  I clenched my teeth and took deep breaths as I stared at my reflection. My cheeks were bright red and the flush traveled down to my neck. Tristan was telling people we were courting? What purpose did that serve? How did that help anything?

  Bella was humming again, happily ignoring my denials. She said she'd been assigned to me and that she'd been keeping Tristan's secrets for a long time. What did that mean, exactly? "Bella, how long have you worked for Tristan?"

  "A long, long time, my Lady."

  "What do you mean when you say you've been keeping his secrets?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "I've served the royal family for nearly my entire life. When you work as closely with them as I do, you're bound to learn things. And you gain their trust. Often, I am one of the first to know the news so I can help with transitions and changes as they occur."

  "What exactly was your job before you were assigned to me?" I asked.

  "I worked with His Grace on a special assignment," she smiled and ran her fingers through my hair, loosening the curls. "And now, he's having me work with you."

  She was avoiding my questions so well she would have made Cormac proud. I suppose I wasn't privy to whatever she was hiding for Tristan yet. For some reason, knowing that Bella was part of Tristan's life through so many changes made me feel a little bit like I was being watched. And it also made me feel a little jealous. Which was completely unnecessary. I decided to change tactics. If she thought we were a couple, I needed to start asking the right kind of questions. "Tell me about the other females he's brought around."

  "It's rare that he brings anyone here, my lady," she said.

  "Has there been anyone since Lena?" I asked.

  She stopped again, and took a step to the side so she could look at me better. "You know about Lena?"

  "Yes." I had her attention. If I was going to get anything out of her, I had to push the relationship angle. "And I know how heartbroken he was. I don't want to see him go through that again. What can you tell me that I might need to know?"

  Bella smiled, and returned to her position behind me. "He was heartbroken after she died. I'm sure you've heard the rumors about the parties and the females and the unnatural things happening in the Winter Court. But they were never about the Prince. He hasn't been the same since Lena died, that is true. But every rumor you've heard was likely about his brother. But nobody wants to hear that the little brother of the Heir is the villain. It's so much more exciting if it's about the Crown Prince."

  "So it was never about him?" I asked. "Why didn't he stop the rumors? Or punish his brother?"

  "He can't," she said. "There are things you don't know about him, but I can tell you, you should not doubt him. There's a reason I've chosen to work for him all this time. In a court full of evil and lies, the Prince gives me hope."

  Bella's words weren't what I expected.

  "Tristan sent a dress for you to wear," Bella said as she walked toward the wardrobe.

  I stood, and followed her, wondering what was in store for me. I wasn't sure what to expect from Tristan. Especially now that I knew he was telling people that we were courting.

  As soon as I got him alone, I was going to let him know exactly how I felt about him using me as a prop to play house with. I knew this was all connected to the real reason I was here and I had to admit, I was a little curious as to what he was planning. I'd give him a chance to explain before screaming at him. This would be a private conversation, but it needed to happen soon.

  Bella held up a slim sparkling dress. Like all the other clothing Tristan had provided for me, it was in the colors of the Winter Court. Though this time, I noticed that the dress was far more silver than gray as it shimmered in the firelight. Bella held the dress for me so I could step into it carefully. Then she pulled it up over my hips and worked on fastening it up the back. I ran my hands along the curves of my body, all on display in the snug cut of the dress. Tiny black beads were sewn along the bodice, waist, and skirt in elegant patterns. Each tiny bead adding a flash of sparkle when the shiny surface caught the light. The fabric pooled at my feet, reminding me of a puddle of water as it shimmered. This was the kind of dress that only existed in stories. How was it that such a beautiful gown existed here? It was as if it had been made just for me. "It's stunning."

  "Tristan's sister wore this dress to her coronation as Queen," Bella said.

  My mouth felt dry as the weight of me wearing this dress sank in. I was a candidate for Queen's Trial and while Tristan hadn't spoken up to support me in front of my mother, he was going to show me off to his guests in a dress that belonged to a Queen. It was as if he already cast me into the role before the trial had even started.

  Bella grabbed hold of my chin and turned it side to side.

  I pulled away. "What are you doing?"

  "Hold still." She opened one of the drawers in the dressing table and removed a few items. Then she added something to my lips quite a bit of kohl to line my eyes. Bella was nice, and I didn't want to give her a command, but I didn't like looking like someone who wasn't me. "Please, no more."

  Bella nodded and returned the makeup drawer. "You really didn't need any at all. But it's a special night, sometimes it's nice to feel even prettier than usual."

  I walked over to the mirror and looked at the very subtle makeup Bella had applied. It was tasteful and really did highlight my features rather than make me look different. My hair was half up, pinned with white flowers, while the rest of it flowed down my back. I couldn't help but smile at my reflection. Bella made me feel beautiful.

  A knock sounded on the door and I jumped, my heart racing at the unexpected sound. Then, I realized it had to be Tristan to take me to his ridiculous reception and I was being jumpy for no reason. I wondered if I would get over the jitters I felt in response to every movement, shadow, and noise in the Winter Court. I wasn't comfortable here and I had a feeling that three weeks from now when I left, I still wouldn't feel at home.

  Bella opened the door and dropped into a curtsy. "Your grace."

  I walked to the door, my dress a swish of fabri
c as I moved.

  I froze when I saw Tristan. He'd cleaned up just as much as I had and tonight, he looked every bit the Prince he was supposed to be. If he wanted people to think we were a couple, the clothing choices would aid in the illusion. We were a matched set in silver and black.

  Tristan inclined his head and offered his hand. "My Lady."

  I was still stunned by his appearance, struggling to tear my gaze away from him. His silver tunic was cut to show his lean form, rounded shoulders and firm biceps visible under the silky fabric. Fitted trousers completed the ensemble, reminding me just how powerful his legs had looked without his clothes on. For a second, I lingered on the bulge where his manhood was. I knew he was well endowed and it was obvious in the snug fit of his clothes tonight.

  He cleared his throat and I looked up at him, biting down on my lip in embarrassment. "You look..." I stumbled for the words, trying to come up with a compliment that didn't convey the fact that heat was rising low in my belly sending treacherous shivers of desire between my legs. "Very handsome."

  His blue eyes sparkled and he brushed a few falling strands of his blond hair away from his eyes before lifting his offered hand. The grin on his face looked like genuine happiness. "You look even more stunning than I could've imagined."

  "Thank you," I said. Either the years of being forced to use proper manners were overtaking any anger at him or I was too lost in his changed appearance. It wasn't that he wasn't usually handsome. He was gorgeous even covered in dirt and blood. There was something about him cleaned up and trying to impress me that made me look at him differently. Or was it Bella's comments about him that were getting to me? Either way, I felt like I was seeing him for the first time.

  I took a breath and tried not to think about how handsome he looked. "You and I need to have a conversation."

  "I agree. But it will have to wait. Our guests are waiting."

  Frustrated, I folded my arms over my chest. "We really need to talk." Did he understand I was trying to give him an opportunity to talk in private?