Of Liars and Thieves

by Gabriela Lavarello

  Aeden didn’t reply as she stepped aside, allowing just enough space for him to enter the room. His breath caught as his hand brushed against hers, but he ignored it and moved to stand by the bed. The room looked nearly identical to his, with a thick grey rug that took up most of the floor and a large bed pushed against the far wall. The light sea green bedding was rumpled, a clear sign that she had been lying there before he had entered. He immediately regretted his decision to come to her at such a late hour, and he cursed again.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”

  Aeden turned in confusion as Tedric started toward the door again. Aeden took a step toward the warrior and brought her hand up inches away from his chest. His breath caught as her hand came close enough to touch.

  “Tedric, I thought you understood—”

  “Yes,” Tedric cut her off, “but it doesn’t feel right.” He let himself look down upon her agonizingly beautiful face. His muscles felt taut with strain, his jaw working as he carefully thought of his next words. “Ever since I laid eyes on you in Millris Forest, it was like something lodged itself into my chest.”

  Aeden opened her mouth, but now Tedric raised a hand to stop her and let his gaze fall to the rug at his feet. He wasn’t sure if he could bear looking into her eyes with what he was about to say.

  “I can’t get you out of my head, and I need you to know that what I feel for you is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. You slipped under my skin and somehow made me feel … more. It’s maddening,” Tedric said and looked back into her green gaze, which was locked upon him.

  “Damn the Nether, I’ve never been so soft,” he growled, and grabbed his shaggy hair with rising frustration. “I’ve never been one to express tender emotions. I’m not very good at this,” he said, and gestured between him and Aeden.

  Tedric let out a small breath and held her gaze, and his entire body ached at the pain so clearly written on her face. He stood there in silence as Aeden’s jaw worked. He shouldn’t have come, but his chest felt so close to bursting that he couldn’t think of anything else. Tedric sighed as Aeden shook her head and looked to the ground.

  “Right, sorry. I’ll go.” Tedric turned away from Aeden and started toward the door without another word.

  “Tedric, wait.”

  Surprise shook through his body and Tedric lowered his hand from the door handle, stilling. He turned back to find Aeden walking toward him slowly.

  “I know what you’ve been feeling, because I’ve been feeling it, too.”

  Tedric’s eyes widened, and the feeling in his chest leavened every so slightly. Aeden looked down and shook her head again. Tedric took a step closer, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. He stifled a gasp from the shock, and Aeden jumped under his touch. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t seem to find the words.

  “Tell me,” Tedric whispered, easing his grip and letting his hands slide down her arms to envelop her delicate hands in his own. The touch made Aeden quickly withdraw with a shuddering breath and cross her arms across her chest.

  “I closed myself away from anything close to love ever since my father—” Aeden broke off, and Tedric nodded, suddenly understanding.

  “Since he killed the boy you loved,” Tedric finished for her, and Aeden looked away, blinking quickly.

  “Yes,” she managed to say after a few moments. “I’ve only known numbness since then, and anger.”

  “You don’t seem angry,” Tedric frowned, and Aeden chuckled.

  “I don’t need to lash out like Finriel in order to prove that I’m angry. But that’s beside the point.” She sighed. “What I’m saying is that I didn’t expect to feel anything remotely close to love for anyone again, and especially not another human.”

  Tedric’s heart leaped into his throat, and he closed his mouth. She was beginning to love him?

  “And then there’s—well, never mind.” Aeden shook her head and hugged herself.

  Tedric took a step forward. “What is it?”

  “It’s nothing, just a stupid thing.” Aeden faltered, and Tedric felt more confused than ever at her vagueness. “I never believed in it,” she continued almost to herself, and Tedric took another step toward her with rising confusion. “Ever since I was a child, I thought it was just a fairy tale.”

  “What?” Tedric asked.

  “I thought it was merely a nan’s fable to keep the older fairies hopeful for something other than living the rest of their lives without sharing their bed with another.”

  “Aeden,” Tedric interrupted. “What are you talking about?”

  She stopped and turned back to face him, her expression grave as she spoke. The word tumbled from her mouth, and Tedric’s mind began to spin.

  “It’s the vinculum.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Aeden sighed and looked up at him. He glanced at her hand twitching at her side. Tedric reached for it, squeezing her fingers gently with reassurance. Worry, guilt, and horror knotted in his stomach, and for a moment he thought he was going to be sick.

  “Whatever it is, I can help.”

  Aeden barked a laugh at this, shaking her head. “You can’t help, I can’t—” She broke off and removed her hand from his grasp. She wasn’t making any sense. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the deepening night washed over the mountain and cooled the citadel. Aeden shivered, the sheer nightdress she was wearing most likely not protecting her skin from the cold. Tedric noticed her dress and his eyes glanced down at her figure. The lines of her curves under the thin cloth made his body tense, and he trained his eyes back up. He then took a step forward, frustration pulsing through his body.

  “For Nether’s sake, Aeden,” Tedric cut through the silence. “Just tell me what this damn vinculum is.”

  “It’s the mating bond,” Aeden blurted, her arms rising and then falling back down at her sides.

  Confusion flashed across Tedric’s mind, and the sensation in his chest pulsed again as if in answer.

  “Mating bond? I thought that only existed among fairies.”

  She nodded and tugged on her loose side braid. “The shock from the kiss, but I don’t understand why. I didn’t know that it could be shared with others besides fairies. I didn’t think …”

  Aeden took a step toward him, and Tedric stepped toward her, closing the space between them as he wrapped his arms around her. He felt Aeden’s body crumple against his, her lithe frame heavily leaning into him. Thousands of emotions swirled inside Tedric’s body at once, making his brain and heart feel thick.

  After a moment, Aeden let out a shaky sigh and pushed away, but only enough so that she could look up at him comfortably. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers. This time the small shock was almost pleasurable, and she returned the kiss at once, pressing her body into his. The kiss was soft and gentle, the strangeness of her touch making Tedric feel almost unsure of himself. He silently scoffed. Tedric Drazak, a man notorious for his many skills in life, caught off guard by a fairy girl.

  Aeden broke away at once, and their panting breaths sang in tandem. Everything felt so right as a shy smile played at her lips, and she gently placed her hands on his chest. Tedric couldn’t help his own smile, and his body ached for her even though they were already touching.

  “Great goddesses, woman, I thought you were going to say something like the storyteller had escaped or Suzunne roasted all of the gnomes in the mountain for dinner.” Aeden let out a laugh as he spoke. “I can deal with a mating bond.”

  She snorted at this, and Tedric chuckled as her eyes widened with embarrassment. But then she shook her head, trying to fight the grin on her face. “It’s not only that, though.”

  Tedric didn’t wait to hear what she was about to say, but instead tilted his head down and kissed her. The world disappeared as their bodies molded against each other, every touch sending electric shocks down Tedric’s spine. She inhaled sharply as
he trailed his lips down her jaw to her neck. He paused, but she brought her hands up to his waist, indicating for him not to stop.

  “Tedric,” Aeden gasped as he brought his face back up to hers. He paused, and her green eyes were like a shock of lightning through his bones. She reached up and kissed him again, his lips burning hot as they moved against each other.

  His hands explored her body, and every feathering touch felt like it was heightened to a thousand times that. She arched against him, her mouth opening against his as his fingers trailed and discovered her skin. His mind shattered into a kaleidoscope of colors, any thoughts that might have betrayed him now being swept away in a current of longing.

  She brought her hands under his shirt, feeling the hard planes of muscle that had come from years of training. She brought her hand to his chest, and he was sure she could feel his heart thundering against her touch. It was her heart now.

  They moved toward the bed, still in each other’s embrace. Tedric felt clumsy, his trained warrior instincts betraying him as his foot caught against the corner of the rug. They both tumbled to the floor, and he landed on top of Aeden with a wince.

  “Shit,” Tedric gasped, and quickly brought each hand to rest at either side of her head. He propped himself up and let his gaze trail freely down her body, sending his self-restraint to the wind.

  “Are you okay?” Tedric asked, slightly out of breath.

  Aeden smirked and pulled him down so that their bodies were flush against each other. She reached up and kissed the place where his neck and shoulder met, and a rush of electric pleasure lit across his skin. He let out a strangled breath as his body came alive, and Aeden leaned her head back onto the ground with fire in her eyes.

  “As long as you’re with me.”

  32

  Aeden

  The faint song of wind chimes echoed through Aeden’s dreams, bringing her back to the waking world and into her room in Creonid Mountain. Warmth spread through her body when she realized that her head was lying upon Tedric’s olive-skinned chest, his even breath causing her head to rise and fall slightly. Their legs were intertwined beneath the blanket of the bed they had eventually migrated to during their long night.

  Aeden couldn’t keep the smile from blooming on her lips as she stretched, bathing in the memories of the night. Tedric stirred at her movement, and she looked up to find his half-lidded gaze upon her. Aeden lifted her hand, which had been slung over his hard stomach, and brought it up to brush a lock of golden hair from his brow.

  “Good morning,” Tedric murmured in a raspy voice that sent tingles through Aeden’s toes.

  “Good morning,” Aeden replied almost shyly, and Tedric caught her hand, which was now gently playing with the lock of hair, and kissed her fingers.

  She simply smiled, allowing for the warmth of his gaze to fill her completely. The worries that had previously filled her mind about the matter now felt slightly less important, and she bit back the small tendril of worry in her stomach. She only focused on the sensation of her skin on his, the way that their bodies seemed to mold perfectly together, as if they had been made to be this way.

  Aeden pushed herself up so that she was resting upon her elbow, and Tedric released her hand. She leaned forward and placed a feathery kiss upon his lips before she leaned back again and began to trace small patterns against his smooth skin and along the stark red scar on his right shoulder and bicep. Aeden received a hum of relaxed pleasure from the commander, and she could feel his eyes upon her.

  “Does it still hurt?” she asked as she let her finger run along the scar, and Tedric shook his head in reply and closed his eyes. “We need to get ready for breakfast with the others,” Aeden said, and brushed her lips against his chest before pushing up and moving to step off the bed.

  A strong hand wrapped around her stomach, and she let out a surprised yelp as Tedric groaned and pulled her back against him.

  “Too tired,” Tedric yawned before he nuzzled his nose against her neck.

  Aeden fought against the desire to lean into the touch, and instead pulled away once more, darting from the bed before he could wrangle her back. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to say no to him a second time.

  “Come on,” Aeden laughed, and padded over to the small water basin to freshen up.

  Soft footsteps padded up behind her and she smiled as warm lips pressed against her shoulder. She wiped the water from her eyes before turning to him, still smiling as she stood up onto her toes and pressed another kiss on his lips.

  “Careful now,” Tedric growled as she pulled away, and she could still feel his brown eyes on her as she grabbed the blue dress she had worn the night before. “Your kisses are making it difficult to want to go back out there.”

  Aeden rolled her eyes and turned to face him, her breath nearly leaving her at the sight of his beautiful body. Planes of muscle rippled beneath bronzed skin, and Aeden let her eyes dip lower to his hips, her cheeks burning as memories of the night intruded her thoughts. Even the long scar along his shoulder and bicep suited him. A shadow of stubble now ran along his chiseled jaw, and locks of thick hair fell in waves over his brow.

  “Do you think we should keep what happened between us from the others?” Aeden asked as she threw him the pants that she found by her feet.

  Tedric caught them with one hand and pulled them on. “There’s no point. I don’t want to hide how I feel anymore, if that’s all right with you.”

  Worry reared its head once more, and Aeden bit her lip. “I don’t mind.”

  “Besides, Lorian will probably be able to sense what happened with that strange intuition of his,” Tedric half-joked, and Aeden forced herself to smile as she watched him shrug on the slightly too small tunic.

  Tedric frowned, clearly noticing her discomfort. He padded over, and she forced the smile on her face to grow as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “What is it?” Tedric asked, searching her face. “Do you not want this?”

  “No, it’s not that,” Aeden shook her head. “I’m just not used to someone loving me anymore.”

  Her words weren’t entirely a lie, as she genuinely hadn’t felt the swell of fluttering warmth inside of her heart for nearly four years. But she didn’t feel quite ready to tell the entire truth— not yet.

  * * *

  Aeden’s cheeks heated at the sound of Lorian’s whoop and applause upon her and Tedric’s arrival in the dining room some time later. The table was again laden with an array of food, and their three companions had already tucked in before they’d arrived. Finriel looked cheerful enough as she gave them a nod before returning to a steaming bowl of porridge and fresh fruit, her dark hair now gleaming and clean in its usual braid. Krete glanced up from his eggs and gave Aeden a strained smile, but she found that she could not return it. He knew what she had done, and they both knew the consequences.

  “Good morning, lovebirds,” Lorian greeted through a mouthful of eggs, throwing them a wink from where he sat next to Krete.

  “I told you he would know,” Tedric murmured quietly into Aeden’s ear as they settled down next to each other, and Aeden busied herself with shoveling fresh strawberries and porridge into the aged yet skillfully made wooden bowl in front of her.

  “Finriel, can you pass me the honey?” Aeden asked, completely ignoring all of her male companions and smiling in thanks as Finriel handed her a large glass pot of amber syrup.

  “You two must have had so much fun you’re too tired to talk then, eh?” Lorian said, and raised his brows at the two of them.

  “Stop it, Lorian.” Finriel gave the thief a meaningful look, and Aeden shoveled a large spoonful of porridge into her mouth.

  Tedric squeezed her free hand underneath the table, and she squeezed back lightly. Their hands remained together as they ate, and soon enough, Lorian shut his mouth after realizing that neither she nor Tedric were going to take his bait.

  “So,” Tedric spoke after a few minutes of silent eating, �
�do we listen to the storyteller or not?”

  Aeden’s chest tightened, but she kept her voice steady. “I don’t think that we should. What if we release the beasts and they begin to truly destroy things this time? And we can’t release them on Clamidas, I refuse it.”

  “The storyteller only said to release the beasts when the time comes. He didn’t say a word about the blood moon,” Lorian replied, and Aeden huffed as she scooped more porridge into her bowl.

  “It’s not only the question of releasing the beasts,” Finriel said. “It’s whether we should trust his word at all. I don’t know how good of an idea it would be to keep the pages for ourselves.”

  “It would be a dishonor to both of our kings,” Tedric said, and Aeden grimaced as his fingers tightened around hers.

  “He has a point.” Krete spoke for the first time since their arrival. “Perhaps if we return the pages and explain what Egharis told us, King Sorren and the Red King could help.”

  Tedric nodded in agreement, but Lorian shook his head. “I have a feeling that neither king would do much good.”

  “You’re wrong,” Tedric bristled.

  “Am I?” Lorian shot back. “It’s clear that King Sorren is widely disliked by everyone in this room, including someone who lives in his kingdom. Am I wrong in thinking that he’s not to be trusted with the pages?”

  Aeden met Lorian’s querying gaze and shrugged, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. “I don’t know.”

  “The Red King is the oldest ruler in the realm, and he was the one who helped end the War of Seven Kingdoms. Do you truly think that he’d willingly place the realm into another war?” Tedric asked, his voice blistering with anger.

  Lorian used his teeth to rip apart a flaky pastry and chewed thoughtfully before he replied, “I don’t trust anyone who has enough power to have lived for over a thousand years.”

  Tedric snorted. “You are ridiculous.”

  “I’m careful with where I put my trust.” Lorian narrowed his eyes upon Tedric, and Aeden was surprised by the steely power that radiated from the thief.