by Skye Horn
“Standing.” Adrian shrugged, meeting the gaze of the prince just in time to see him roll his eyes.
“I can see that,” Caden said, moving to lean against the wall beside him. “Why aren’t you getting clothes for Thea? She can’t exactly do what Morrigan wants in a nightdress.”
“And what is it that the Goddess wants her to do?” He tilted his head but didn’t expect an answer. The Goddess hadn’t bothered to share her plans with anyone besides the king himself. Adrian knew that Caden would have told him if she had, so he continued on without waiting for an answer. “We should lock her in the dungeons.”
Again, Caden rolled his eyes, and this time it annoyed Adrian. Why was it that his friend was so trusting of a stranger? This girl had grown up far from Blackmire. She knew nothing of them or their traditions. She knew nothing of Caden himself, and yet, the prince had been willing to remain with her alone, with no protection or backup.
“You don’t even know her, and yet you want to lock her in a dungeon amongst criminals?”
“You don’t know her either,” Adrian growled, folding his arms across his chest. “And by the look on your face, she obviously didn’t care enough to get to know you.”
Caden winced, making Adrian regret his words immediately. He didn’t mean to be cruel; it was just absurd to him to see the hope in Caden’s eyes. It was obvious from the minute Adrian laid eyes on Thea that she would be trouble; he could sense it.
“She just needs time,” Caden said, always the optimist. “She just woke up in an enemy kingdom with only a Goddess she’s been taught to hate as a friend. I think you’d be a little agitated too.”
Adrian didn’t bother to reply. He didn’t care what situation that girl had come from or landed herself in. She was in their kingdom, and as far as he was concerned, she was a threat to Caden. Didn’t he realize what having her here meant? With the royal line thinning and Thea’s father gone, she would be next in line for the throne if King Rayan and Caden were out of the picture. She had every motivation to do it. Blackmire had the armies she would need to take back Ivandor, and if what Adrian had heard about her was true, she was plenty capable of killing off her family members.
Her father and Amara hadn’t been seen in months, after all.
Instead of arguing, though, Adrian pushed himself off the wall and straightened his armor.
“I’ll go get those clothes for her,” he said and then strode down the hall without another word. If he couldn’t get his emotions under control now, he didn’t need to be around the prince. Caden had enough to worry about without Adrian’s stress. Plus, it wasn’t Caden who would have to spend day and night babysitting Thea, and if today was any indication, she would not be pleasant to be around.
Once Adrian had found what he was looking for, he headed back to Thea’s room with a few articles of clothing draped over his arms. He unlocked the bedroom door from the outside, but knocked instead of barging in. She emerged a few seconds later looking rather annoyed and he stiffened. She was still wearing her night dress, having no other clothes to wear, but now dark red juice brightened the corners of her lips, tinting her pale skin with the color of the berries from her breakfast. He bit back his laughter.
“Er, you’ve got something on your face,” he motioned, trying to hide the amusement in his voice as she furrowed her eyebrows and ran her arm across her face in the most unladylike manner he’d ever witnessed.
Her cheeks were still pink when she asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you clothing, as requested.” It took everything in him not to growl at the disapproving look she cast toward the dresses in his arms. He’d actually taken time to find ones that looked like they would fit her, but apparently, Blackmire dresses weren’t good enough for a queen of her nobility. He scowled. “Not good enough for you?”
“They’re dresses,” she said, placing her hands on her curved hips. He brought his eyes back to hers, cheeks burning.
“And?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“And I can’t fight in a dress.”
This surprised Adrian for the first time. He’d thought Thea was disapproving because the dresses were beneath her status, but she just believed she couldn’t fight in a dress. That was… almost logical.
“Well,” Adrian said, eyeing her nightdress and then the dresses in his arms. “This is what you get for now. If you want something else, you’ll have to ask Morrigan.”
Thea groaned and ripped the garments from his arms, slamming the door in his face before he could say another word. Adrian stifled a scream.
How dare she! He didn’t want this stupid job, but the king had asked him personally to do it. How could she be such a spoiled brat about wearing a dress? Wasn’t she a queen? Queens wore dresses the last time he’d checked.
Adrian glared at the door and then rubbed his temples, moving to lean against the wall. He was under instructions to watch the Queen of Ivandor until someone sent a relief for his position, but who knew how long that would be? His stomach growled in protest. He’d skipped breakfast because of this and now she was locked inside with delicious berries while he was stuck in this humid corridor without even a drink of water. He would desperately need an ale tonight.
Thea knew she wasn’t being kind, but how could she be? She’d fled from her own kingdom to a promise that she’d be safe here, yet now she felt more like a prisoner. And really, why was she surprised? They had as little reason to trust her as she had to trust them.
She sighed, laying the dresses out on the bed, and felt herself crumbling all over again. Ethel had always helped her dress, but now there was a gaping hole left by her absence. Never again would Ethel tease Thea about the dresses she’d have to wear to royal events. All Ethel had wanted was to make sure Thea was accepted into Fae society, but it had been Thea’s job to protect the younger girl and she’d failed. The muscles in her chest clenched so tight that she slumped to the floor, digging her fingers into the wood boards beneath her with a whimpering sob as she buried her face against the bed. She tried to muffle her cries into a pillow, not wanting to give Adrian any reason to come in and check on her.
The agony was nearly unbearable, though.
Ethel was dead and there was so much Thea wished she could have said to her. And then there was Kieran. Was he lost too? Would she be forced to face him, and if it came down to it, could she do what was necessary to stop him?
It was her duty, wasn’t it? Or should she send her guards to hunt him down like a traitor? She couldn’t imagine doing that. It was her fault he was the way he was. She’d agreed to the idiotic plan. She’d been the one to allow him and Amara to go after Ainé when they weren’t ready. All because she didn’t want to marry Declan. All because of that stupid soul bond.
A wave of nausea swept over her and she crawled to the empty waste bucket in the corner of the room, heaving out the contents of her breakfast viciously. Her muscles convulsed, and with those convulsions erupted a new, raw magic within her. She prayed for it to stop, but every emotion she’d buried retched, clawing toward the surface.
There was a click of the door unlocking behind her, but Thea didn’t have the energy to turn and face whomever had entered the bedroom. Her control was fading and the azure flames that danced out of the palms of her hands scorched the floor beneath her as she lurched forward again. The bed rattled against the wall, skipping over the surface of the shaking floorboards, and the wind picked up around her into a tornado-like gust. It twisted her hair across her face, sticking to her damp cheeks and lips.
“Make it stop,” she sobbed, bowing over the bucket miserably. She couldn’t fight it—not the nausea, nor the magic. It controlled her, just as it had for the months Kieran had been gone, but there was something different about this power. When Thea had fled from Ivandor she’d felt herself give into the darkness within. Now she could hardly keep the magic at bay. She knew if she didn’t get control she could be controlled, and yet, she couldn’t fight
it. What did it matter if Ainé controlled her now? The Goddess had Kieran. They’d taken Ethel from her, and who knew if the rest of her family and friends were still alive? Thea was helpless, and she hated every moment of that helplessness.
“Hold on,” Adrian’s voice broke through her sobs, nearly sending her back against the bordering wall in surprise. She wanted to scream at him to get out. She wanted to force him from the room and curse him for entering without her permission, but his hand was on her back, gentle enough not to frighten a timid animal, and she couldn’t fight the relief it brought. He reached around to pull the hair away from her face, keeping it back as she bent over the bucket once more. Her tears mixed with the contents of her stomach, leaving her feeling miserable and alone, but the guard who’d acted like such a hothead was… helping her. Despite the vicious gusts of air that whipped around them, despite the flames that seared out from the palms of her hands, and despite the awful smell of vomit and tears, he did not move away. The palm of his hand stayed pressed against her upper back, just between her wings. “Breathe, Thea.”
His voice was calm, much like Kieran’s had once been when consoling her about Marcus’ death. It struck a nerve inside her. She shut her eyes, trembling. She wanted Kieran. She needed him to hold her and tell her that Ethel wasn’t dead. She needed him to whisk her away from this horrible place and never make her come back.
“You promised you’d come back to me,” she whimpered, not caring if Adrian heard her—not caring if he cared. What did any of it matter if Kieran was gone forever? Or if she had to be the one to hunt him down? Ainé had won, and Thea should have been the one who died. Not Ethel.
“Shh…” Adrian’s voice soothed as Thea’s convulsions slowed and the shaking room became a soft vibration. The flames flickered out and the wind settled around them into a soft breeze until it died completely.
Thea pushed the bucket away with a scrape on the wooden floor, hunching over as her wings curved around her in protection. Embarrassment flooded her as her senses cleared. Adrian’s hand on her back, warm against the still-fresh tattoo, was a reminder of everything she’d lost. He’d witnessed her falling to pieces and losing control of her magic. She’d wanted to hide this weakness for as long as possible, but who was she kidding? There was no hiding the fact that something, or rather someone, had broken her. She wasn’t a good enough actress for that, nor was she prepared.
“You should go,” she said, hardly above a whisper, and felt his hand recoil from her back, but he remained crouched beside her.
“Queen Thea,” he said, but she couldn’t look at him, knowing she shouldn’t have allowed him to stay. She was a mess. What kind of queen broke down like this in front of a soldier? Let alone an enemy soldier.
But he had been kind. She couldn’t ignore that either. Part of her wanted him to stay and fill the empty void, even if it was full of anger, but the other part knew she needed to try and make him leave her to her grief.
“Please go.” She forced herself to meet his eyes, knowing she looked terrible and knowing what he must think of her.
For a short time, they just stared at one another, but soon he was shaking his head and her will to fight was fading.
“I will not,” he said. “Let me draw you a bath.”
Thea swallowed her pride, nodding her head in the slightest as he extended a hand to her. She let him lift her to her feet, trying her best to straighten her nightgown as he led her to sit on the bed once more. The dresses remained across her bed where she’d left them, but she chose not to look, fearing another meltdown.
How had this happened? A few days ago she’d been surrounded by people she trusted, ready to take on a war she’d been born into. But now? Now she sat trembling and broken in front of an enemy soldier. An enemy soldier who was showing her kindness even after making it clear he wanted nothing to do with her only an hour earlier.
Adrian said nothing more as he first cleaned up the mess she’d made, never once complaining. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she pulled a blanket up around herself, tucking her knees to her chest and hiding her trembling body from his sight, but he did not look at her. Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
He removed the filthy bucket from her bedroom, presumably taking it into the hallway, and soon came back with a glass of water. She took it, unable to speak, and sipped slowly on the cool liquid.
“This room doesn’t have a bathing chamber,” he told her as she finished the water. “But I will escort you to Caden’s private baths. He won’t mind.”
Thea wanted to argue, but she felt absolutely horrible. Perhaps a bath would do her some good. She couldn’t deny herself basic hygiene just because she didn’t trust the people whose castle she was in.
“Are you sure I’m allowed to leave my room?” she asked, and the sound of her voice seemed to catch Adrian off guard.
“If anyone stops us, I’ll tell them Prince Caden said it was okay.”
Thea eyed him. “Won’t you get in trouble for lying?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
Thea had a hard time understanding this strange soldier. One minute, he seemed to despise her, but now he was being kind. He was risking getting into trouble just to make sure she was taken care of. What could have possibly made him change his mind about her? Especially after she’d treated him so terribly.
“Why are you being nice to me?” she asked, unable to stop her curiosity.
“I don’t know,” he said, confusion written all over his darkening face. “I guess I just don’t think anyone deserves to be alone with their grief.”
Thea lowered her eyes. She didn’t know what Adrian knew of grief, but she felt too vulnerable in the small space of her bedroom.
“Come on,” he said, when it was clear she would not say anything else. He held out a hand to her, and Thea realized he no longer favored his sword in her presence. Either he thought she was no longer a threat in her current state, or he actually trusted her not to attack him. She didn’t know how she felt about that, but she took his hand anyway and let him pull her to her feet.
Keeping the blanket wrapped around herself, she let him lead her out of the room into the thankfully empty corridor. As they walked through the castle, a few servants cast curious glances their way, but no one stopped them or asked about her strange appearance.
“We are almost there,” Adrian said, tugging her around the corner toward an enormous set of double doors.
“What if Caden is inside?” Thea asked, suddenly not wanting to go into the room. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t just go take a bath in a stranger’s bedroom. What if he came back? And what if Adrian was only being kind because—
She couldn’t think of a reason. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have hurt her already. Or at least, he would have tried. She eyed him with caution as he placed a hand on the door to open it.
“Then he’ll agree with me about this,” Adrian said.
“You have a lot of confidence in your relationship with your prince.” Thea noted the way Adrian’s face turned crimson, but did not push the conversation any further because he was already opening the door and pulling her inside the room.
“Adrian—” came a voice from inside and Thea felt her insides twist into regret at agreeing to this absurd plan. Caden sat in a large upholstered chair, reading a book, when they entered. He stared at Adrian for a brief instant before his eyes turned wide on Thea, wrapped in her blanket. She knew she must look like hell, not that she’d looked that great the last time he saw her, so she held her chin a little higher. “What’s happened?”
“I brought Thea here to bathe. She smelled terrible,” Adrian said, keeping a guarded face that made Thea lift an eyebrow.
“I—What?” Thea glared at Adrian in confusion.
“Adrian,” Caden warned, standing from his chair. He set his book down and looked at Adrian with disapproval. “She is a queen. I realize I allow you to speak your mind around me, but I expect you to sho
w respect to the guests of our kingdom, especially when they are family.”
Thea stared in surprise as Caden’s gaze darkened and he reached for Thea’s hand, ripping it away from Adrian’s grip. She felt like a toy being taken from a child as she saw the look of disappointment flash too quickly across Adrian’s face.
“Apologies,” Adrian said, not sounding apologetic at all and not looking at Thea. “I thought she’d enjoy a bath, and knew you would not mind, my lord.”
Adrian bowed his head to Caden.
“Do I get a say?” Thea asked, finally finding her voice as the two men reverted their gazes to her.
“Well, you are here. I assume you wish to bathe.” Caden chuckled, and the tension in Thea’s back returned. She wanted to smack him again for standing up for her, but why did she care? He wanted to defend her honor; she could allow it. But why had Adrian been kind only to revert to an ass in front of the prince? Thea had thought the two were close, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“I suppose it would be nice to wash before meeting with the king,” Thea said and was glad to see their surprise.
“Meeting with the king?” Caden asked, tilting his head to the right until his dark hair fell out of place. It was long like Kieran’s, tied back to the base of his neck, but a few strands still fell out of place when he moved.
“Yes,” Thea said without hesitation. “I assume I will meet with the king to discuss the futures of our kingdoms.”
The silence they met her with was deafening, but she tried not to let it affect her. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Well, my father isn’t the particularly diplomatic type,” Caden said, but his eyes shifted to Adrian uncomfortably. “I doubt he’ll see you.”
“That’s unfortunate for him since I plan to make sure we meet.” Thea shrugged and then glanced around the large room. There was no need for her to continue the conversation about the king. She’d be meeting with him whether or not he approved. Even if she had to go straight there herself. “If you’re done discussing me and my odor… where can I bathe?”
