by Dyan Chick
Dane and I found our way to the dining hall where the others were already seated, being served breakfast by several servants. Remembering what Tristan had said about the servants in Faerie compared to the servants in the Winter Court, I lifted my hand in greeting to the first servant we came across, and to my surprise, the female Fae, who didn't look like a Brownie, greeted me back with a smile.
Most of the other servants I'd seen had shown very little emotion. It made me even more curious to learn about the politics and requirements of the way everyone was treated in each of the courts. I wondered if it was something I could study after I had my magic under control.
There were two available seats at the intimate dining table, one in between Tristan and Ethan and one next to Cormac. For some reason, I decided to take my chances next to the Winter Prince, and my other lover rather than sit next to Cormac. Once seated, I make quick work of filling my plate.
"It seems someone worked up an appetite last night." Tristan pushed a basket of sweet rolls toward me.
I ignored his comment, but took one of the offered pastries.
"It sure made sleeping next door to them difficult," Ethan said.
My cheeks heated and I knew I'd gone a shade deeper than usual in my blush and I looked up at Dane in horror. He was grinning like an idiot.
"While I do approve of sex as a tool for relieving stress," Cormac said, "getting some rest would have also been a good idea."
"Don't listen to them, love," Dane said. "They just wish they were the ones in the room with you last night. And they both know they wouldn't be able to make you scream the way I did."
"That's enough," I said. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. What I want to know is when we'll get to the Queen's Palace."
"Two days." Tristan looked over at Cormac. "And oddly, nothing has happened to Cassia so far."
"No more fighting," I said, knowing Tristan was just throwing more fuel on the fire. He'd said he thought Cormac was testing him, and at first, I wasn't sure what that meant. Now, I knew Cormac was waiting to see if Tristan harmed me. "I need all of you to help me with this and I'm not going to take sides."
Cormac stood, and I tensed, worried that he was going to shut me out again. Fear bubbled inside me and I opened my mouth to say something to change his mind. I didn't want him to leave me.
"I'll need Cassia for a training session before we go. She can't keep crossing in the open with her magic fully exposed. We don't need another attack from the creatures in the Under before we get to the Queen."
Relief washed through me and my shoulders relaxed. I closed my mouth and stood, without looking at the others. He was right, I didn't want any other monsters after me. Our last training session hadn't gone well, but I would have to figure out how to cycle my powers eventually.
Silently, I followed Cormac out of the dining hall.
Chapter Seven
My breath came out in clouds as we walked down the cold Winter Court street. It was early morning and we seemed to be the only ones up and moving around. The sun was a sliver of light in the horizon, watery and muted. I was looking forward to our return to the Autumn Court. The Winter Court wasn't as wintery as I anticipated, but it was dreary and desolate compared to the vibrancy and life of the Autumn Court. "Be honest with me, Cormac." I tugged on the male's sleeve, halting his progress. "Why aren't we just sliding to the Queen's Palace? Why all the pageantry?"
He frowned. "We've been over this, Cassia. It's not polite."
"And we've been over this, Cormac. I don't like when you keep me in the dark." I folded my arms over my chest and planted myself in the middle of the barren road, trying to make it clear that I wasn't moving until he talked.
His dark eyes trailed down my body, noting my stiff expression. With a noise that sounded almost like a growl, he dropped his hands to his side in frustration. "I'm testing Tristan, as he suspects."
I raised an eyebrow and didn't budge from my position. I knew there was more he wasn't letting on.
Cormac pursed his lips and studied me, warm brown eyes boring into mine, as if daring me to back down. I wasn't going to. Not this time. This wasn't life or death as it had been with the Sodalis, at least, not that I knew of.
"Fine," he said. "But not here. Come on." He turned and walked away, back to the stockyard where we'd had our first failed magic training session.
Releasing my arms, I jogged to catch up to him, trying not to smile too wide at the minor victory. Getting Cormac to share something of his plan was big. I knew he didn't even keep Dane and Ethan fully informed of everything. They just went along with him.
When we reached the back of the stock yard, Cormac slid the massive wooden door open and stepped into the open exterior. Soft dirt greeted my footsteps, a welcome change from the uneven cobblestones of the road. I shivered as Cormac shut the door. The open expanse of space might be enclosed, but it wasn't any warmer here than it had been outside. I turned to Cormac, eager to hear the information he was hiding. "So?"
He ran a hand over his dark hair, smoothing it back toward the braid he wore at the base of his neck.
For a moment, I wondered what his hair would look like free of its bindings, then I quickly shook my head to prevent any images of him from invading my mind. "What's the big secret?"
"I received a letter from an informant," he said. "Several of the high houses in the Winter Court called their soldiers in to report as soon as we arrived here. They're preparing for something."
I felt the blood draining from my face. I didn't actually expect his words to be as serious as this. Cormac came across as overprotective so often that I expected it to be something much smaller. I wasn't a prince or a warlord or anyone trained in military conquest, but I knew what it meant if the nobles were calling in their infantry. It wasn't something that was done lightly in the human realm. It always meant war. "Do you think they mean to attack Faerie?"
"I'm not sure yet," Cormac said. "But Tristan has never agreed to help us in the past and when it came to you, he didn't even put up a fight. He offered to join in our visit to the Queen even though Winter Fae haven't paid tribute to our Queen since the war."
"You think he's using me to get to the Queen?" I covered my mouth with my hand, feeling terrible for so easily inviting Tristan into our party.
"I'm not sure. But I needed more time with him before I take him into the Royal Court. He can't be trusted. I'm waiting for his true colors to show." Cormac took a step closer to me. "Can I count on you to help me with this?"
I lowered my hand and looked up at Cormac. "What can I do to help?"
"First, don't tell anyone about this," he said. "Second, keep letting Tristan think he has a chance with you."
"What?" I stepped away from Cormac, furious. "You want me to, what, flirt with him? Throw myself at him?"
Cormac's face turned as red as a beet and his eyes widened. "No, that's not what I want at all."
Crossing my arms over my chest again, I stared back at the Autumn Prince. "What then?"
"You turned down his offer to share his bedchamber, so he knows he's not getting into your bed," Cormac said.
"Of course he's not," I said.
"I want him to think he has your support. That you'll stand up for him as part of the party on our visit to the Queen."
My brow furrowed. "That's it?"
Cormac nodded.
I dropped my arms to my side. "I can do that. Now, show me how to do this cycling thing so we can get out of here. The faster we leave this freezing wasteland, the better."
"I agree completely." Cormac walked to the center of the open space, then turned to face me. "Time for you to find the pinnacle of your power. If we can at least get you to isolate that today, we'll be in a position to work on cycling."
"Alright," I said, following him to the middle of the empty stockyard. I stopped and shook out my hands, trying to force myself to relax. Cormac's reasons for taking the scenic route to the Queen's Palace made sense and I wanted to
show him that I was taking the threat seriously. Him opening up to me made me feel a surge of loyalty and could see why Dane and Ethan followed him so blindly. He might not always explain his reasons, but if he had a track record of making the right choices, it made sense that they wouldn't argue with him. Neither of the other males seemed to want the position of authority and preferred to follow. I wasn't keen on that but I'd help support an important cause.
Taking a deep breath in, I closed my eyes, settling in the most relaxed position I could get into while standing here in the cold. Ignoring the shivers, I kept my arms by my side, fingers spread wide.
"Clear your mind, try to let go of all your other thoughts. Focus on your magic," Cormac said.
I clenched my jaw, wanting to yell at him that I didn't exactly know what my magic felt like. But before I could say anything, I realized I did know. I'd been feeling it for a while. The clawing sensation inside me that threatened to rip me in two if I didn't let it free had to be my magic. It usually only showed up when I was in danger.
"It might take a while to find it, but it's there," Cormac said.
I opened my eyes and raised my eyebrows. "It's difficult to clear my mind with you talking."
"Right," he said, a slight pink flush rising on his neck.
I smirked, wanting to say something about the blush, but I knew it was time to work. Closing my eyes, again, I felt a smile tugging at my lips as I recalled Cormac's brief embarrassment. I was sure he wouldn't appreciate being told how adorable it made him look.
Internally, I chided myself for letting my mind wander to Cormac when I was supposed to be thinking of nothing. The problem was, when you needed to shut off your thoughts, everything else went into overdrive. A hundred things seemed to buzz inside my head: A Sodalis chasing me on my wedding day, standing nearly naked in front of Ethan on the road, tumbling in between the sheets with Dane, and Cormac standing in a river with water dripping down his sculpted chest. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to send the thoughts away, especially the vision of Cormac that had never happened. I was either fantasizing or seeing the future again. Neither would surprise me considering the fact that I was standing alone with the male, breathing in the faint scent of citrus and cedar.
Pushing the thoughts of the princes and monsters from my mind, I took another deep breath and focused on how I was feeling. My shoulders were tight and a little sore. My hips hurt from all the time spent on horseback or from all the time spent in bed. My thighs were a little sore from use, but it was a good feeling. As I went through an internal inventory of my body, I noticed a flicker in my gut that didn't feel right. Focusing on the feeling, I realized it resembled a less intense version of the clawing I'd grown to associate with my magic. Mentally, I tugged on the feeling, pulling at it to see where it would take me. A moment later, a flash of light that I could see through my closed eyes appeared and I was knocked to the ground.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and pushed myself up to sitting.
Cormac was bent over laughing. Through gasps of air, he said, "Looks like you found it."
I picked up a loose pile of dirt off the ground and tossed it at him. "Thanks for the warning."
He stood, shoulders still shaking as he chuckled. "To be fair, not everyone has that kind of reaction."
I stood and brushed the dirt off my trousers then put my hands on my hips. "Why does it feel like you thought I would?"
No longer laughing, but still wearing a smile, Cormac walked over to me. "It tends to have a stronger reaction for those with stronger magic. So it would make sense for it to happen to you." He brushed some dirt off of my back, his chest right up against my shoulder.
A different kind of flutter filled my chest and I pulled away from him, startled. Last time I felt like we'd connected, we'd been interrupted seconds later by Tristan.
Cormac lowered his hand and for a moment, a look of hurt flashed in his eyes, but it was gone nearly as fast as it appeared. He cleared his throat. "Well, that was successful. You've found your magic and now you know how it reacts to you reaching for it. We can do a few more exercises tonight when we stop to rest."
"That's it?" I asked.
"What else are you looking for?" he asked.
My heart thumped against my ribcage and I wanted to scream at him. What else was I looking for? I wanted him and he knew it. But he'd never make a move on me. He was going to make me work for it. I frowned, not in the mood to share my feelings first. "Nothing."
"Well, then, we better get going," he said, already walking away from me. "We've got a long ride ahead of us."
Chapter Eight
When we returned to the small palace, Kai was waiting for us in the entryway. "His Grace has provided riding clothes for all of you and if you wish, a warm bath can be sent to your room."
I straightened in response to the offer of a bath.
"No time for baths," Cormac said.
I frowned. "We're going to see a Queen, shouldn't we be clean?"
"Yes, you should," Cormac said. "But you'll just find yourself covered in dust by day's end so it's a waste of time and water right now." He turned to Kai. "Please ask your master to ready the horses."
Kai inclined his head slightly, his jaw tense. "As you wish.”
I could tell Kai wasn't thrilled to be get getting orders from Cormac, but it seemed that Cormac's status followed him to the Winter Court.
I was ready to leave the Winter Court behind, but I wasn't happy about skipping the offered bath. Baths were glorious. Especially the last one I had with Ethan.
As if he could tell what I was thinking, Cormac shook his head and walked away from me. "Dress, we leave as soon as the horses are ready."
Cormac stormed off. Things were back to normal between us. I sighed and turned to Kai. "I don't exactly have a room."
"Aren't you with your mate, Dane?" he asked.
"Um." I wasn't sure how to answer that and a rush of guilt washed over me. I'd mostly shared Dane's room to avoid being so close to Tristan last night. I didn't regret a single second I'd spent with him, but I realized now that I hadn't made the decision rationally. I'd made the decision to go to him out of anger and the yearning of my loins. My cheeks heated. "He's not my mate."
"I see," Kai said. "Tristan will be pleased to hear that."
"It's not really any of his business," I said.
Kai shrugged. "Perhaps."
"Dane's room?" I asked again by way of ending the conversation.
Kai nodded.
I didn't stick around to see if he had anything else to say. Pausing in front of Dane's door, I knocked quietly before entering.
"Come in," Dane called.
I stepped into the room to a half-naked Dane and instantly turned away from him.
"It's not like you haven't seen it before, love," he said.
Dane was next to me now, his large hands on my upper arms. He kissed my cheek. "Those human habits you have are adorable."
He let go of me and I heard him walk away. I spun around, feeling foolish. Why had I turned away from him? Just a few hours ago, we'd been naked together. He likely knew every inch of my skin. Probably better than I did myself.
I glanced at the bed we'd shared and saw a pile of neatly folded clothes. All white and gray again as had become typical of everything Tristan offered.
Dane was wearing dark gray trousers and was pulling a lighter gray tunic over his head.
"I'm guessing these are Tristan's house colors." My mother growing up had been obsessed with our house colors. Her entire wardrobe reflected them. She'd grown up poor and throughout her marriage to my father, she'd gained wealth for the first time in her life. I don't even think her family had bothered to identify house colors when she was growing up. I always thought it was rather silly, but the simple act of wearing navy and ivory made her so happy I never argued it. "How do you feel about wearing them?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. All clothes pretty much look the same once they're covered in di
rt or blood."
I wrinkled my nose, not wanting to think about any of us covered in blood again. There had been too much of that on our travels prior to our arrival. "Do you think we have to worry about that again?" My voice wavered, showing my fear.
Dane's brow furrowed and he crossed the room to me, pulling me into an embrace. "No, love." He stroked my head. "No monsters this time."
I pulled slightly away from him so I could look up in his clear blue eyes. "How do you know? Cormac says my magic attracts them. I almost lost Ethan. I can't bear to think of what might happen if more of those creatures break through. I can't lose any of you."
"You won't," Dane said. "We've all dealt with worse than the Sodalis and we're all still here."
I buried my face into his chest, savoring the warmth and comfort of his embrace. When I was with any of the males, I felt safe and comfortable. I felt like I was home even in the middle of the Winter Court. I breathed in Dane's scent one more time before pulling away from the hug. "We should get ready to go."
Dane let go, but I could tell there was reluctance to do so. Could it be that the connection I felt toward him was mutual? I figured anything with Dane was going to be short lived based on his reputation. While I wasn't sure he'd ever settle down with anyone, including me, it was surprising to think that maybe he had real feelings for me beyond sex.
With that confusing thought in mind, I walked over to the bed and changed into the new clothes. They were thicker than what I was currently wearing. My trousers were dark gray and lined with something soft and thick. The tunic was white and thick like wool, trimmed in silver thread. A gray vest, lined with fur was left to go over the long sleeved tunic. I pulled the vest over the tunic, then sat on the edge of the bed to tug my boots back on.
The door swung open and Tristan stood in the door frame, his hand over his eyes. "You two decent?"
I grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it at him.
