by Mandy Rosko
“Serpents here aren’t like the snakes you know of back in the Americas. They can grow to be longer than some very old trees, more than capable of swallowing a full grown, and armed, elf.”
“And your father went for a walk in a forest filled with that kind of predator? He’s lucky he isn’t dead.” She left out the part where she also thought he was incredibly stupid.
Aaron nodded. “Aye, he is, but Bell tells me that, according to the trees, he did not go into Titanboa territory. The snake had wandered, and they found each other.”
“Bound to happen if a man goes for a walk with those things around.” Shit. Dawn regretted her harsh words the instant they left her lips. She couldn’t help it, though. She freaking hated snakes.
Aaron’s eyes hardened like ice, his lips thinning. “He is not an irresponsible king. He walked in the forest and lost himself in the beauty of the trees. He is an elf. It has been known to happen. I know ye do not understand that.”
Dawn looked away from his blurry image in the mirror. Though she was embarrassed, her face hardly produced a flush, which he must have noticed with his last comment.
It wasn’t her fault, however. Since arriving on the island, she hadn’t gone hunting, hadn’t had the chance to feed herself on the blood she needed. Now that she was on her second day without food, there wasn’t enough blood in her to produce a full-blown blush. Not like the first time they’d met.
At least she could blame her stupidity on her hunger.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“Apology accepted,” he replied.
She couldn’t tell if he meant it or was just being polite. She severely wished his deep, accented voice didn’t produce tingles in her, though.
“When will you release my brother?”
“I will not.”
Her teeth lengthened of their own accord as she spun on him. “You said—”
“I gave my word that if we found my father, alive and well, that I would release yer brother and his friend despite their admitted attempt to kill him.” His eyes narrowed. “Which is much more than I should have promised.”
He stepped closer to where she sat. His eyes locked onto hers, freezing her.
Vampires were a part of elves, their darker half. But because vampires also came from elves, it meant that elves had the strength to match any vampire. She was sitting, he was standing, and it was daylight outside. He had the advantage.
If Aaron wanted, he could grab her, force her from her seat and throw her out into the hall where the sunlight was brighter, just for looking at him crooked.
She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
He stared down at her but did not touch her. She suddenly recalled how, while he’d held a blade to her throat, Kehn screamed for him to either touch her or kill her.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time. But now that she did, she had to wonder. Did Aaron posses some sort of ability that was too strong for her to handle? His skin appeared healthy enough. He couldn’t have anything.
He leaned closer. She thought he meant to kiss her, but he continued to stare at her, wonder in his eyes. “You are not what I expected,” he said.
“What?”
“I assumed that vampires cared for naught but themselves. Ye obviously feel love for yer brother and, to some extent, his friend as well.”
“Of course I love my brother.” Blake used to bring her out and teach her to hunt when Georgiana was too busy to do it. He bought her first motorcycle, then taught her how to ride it.
Nox was Blake’s best friend and always around, making jokes and scaring away her potential dates when she started noticing boys. That made him, in her eyes, her second brother. The jackass one, of course, but Aaron didn’t need to know any of that. He still looked like he was trying to swallow her answer.
“You thought vampires couldn’t feel love?” Her eyes hardened.
He stood straight. “Ye have proven me wrong on that. But when I was told I would be wed to a vampire, I expected a sallow, frail thing to appear. I thought of black hair and sickly skin.” He reached out and took a strand of her light hair in his gloved fingers, careful not to touch her cheek. “I had been sent those instant paintings…photos of you. I did not expect this light cherry color, freckles, or warm eyes. Ye could almost pass for an elf.”
“You’ve been getting pictures of me?” How long had that been going on? She’d only found out about the engagement last week.
He nodded. “I have.”
“You’re changing the subject,” she accused, though she didn’t jerk away. The last thing she wanted was to show him how uncomfortable his words, and his closeness, made her. “Why aren’t you going to release Blake and Nox?”
He released her hair. “Because there’s still no proof that my father lives. They came here to kill him, on the order of yer mother, and then put the blame on the dragons for their crime. Bell has finally managed to make the trees speak to her, but their language is difficult to decipher. If she is correct, they last saw him injured, being taken to the mountain where they cannot see.”
He stared at her, as though willing her to understand.
She did, barely. Talking trees were a hard thing to take in all by themselves, and she glared at him. “You think they were already working with the dragons?”
He nodded. “That is a possibility, or the great oaks could be mistaken. If the dragons have our king, why not tell us? I am sorry, but until my father is found, I cannot let them go. It would be seen as a sign of weakness among my people. We have kept this information to ourselves, but of the handful of elves who are aware of the situation, most are calling for blood.”
And they said vampires were bloodthirsty.
She should have seen this coming. Should have known better than to hope it could all be so simple. Even in this world, a prince still had others to answer to. Dawn seethed at him.
Aaron sighed at her look. “My brother and I spoke to the council. They are aware of my father’s situation.”
So he had dressed for an important meeting. Not a good thing.
“They are demanding a swift execution, and my arguments that it would not bode well for the peace agreement is not getting through to them.”
“You bastard!” Dawn launched to her feet. He backed away fast. “First you say you might let them go, then you—wait. What?” The rest of his sentence caught up with her. “You stood up for my brother?”
He sucked in a breath. “As much as I am able. I explained my promise to ye, our new princess, and reminded them that we did not have a body, and of the peace treaty. Killing the new princess’s brother could easily destroy everything...” He trailed off, as if there were more he wished to say, but he didn’t explain further.
“Did you tell them about what the trees said?” That sounded so weird coming out of her mouth, but she was getting desperate for any good news.
He nodded. “Aye, but that hardly matters. The word of the trees cannot be taken in as evidence.”
“Why not? I thought elves loved trees.”
His stare was stony. “As I’ve said, the language of the trees is difficult to decipher. ’Tis not even a true language. Bell has been trained to listen to their sighs, the sound of the leaves as they shift together. That is how they speak. But one gesture from a branch swaying in the wind could have many separate meanings.”
Terrific.
“Even had it been simple, both vampires confessed to traveling to our island to kill our king. They are guilty in the eyes of the council, and I can hardly fault them for their anger.”
Dawn clenched her fists. Inside, she was seething. She wanted to destroy everything in her room but couldn’t. She felt caged and hated every inch of it. Stupid, idiot Blake and Nox for not keeping their mouths shut. “What can we do?” Dawn asked.
“Retrieve my father, of course.”
“Retrieve him?”
Aaron looked at her as though she should have thought o
f it already. “Of course. We are unaware if the dragons have killed him or are merely holding him for ransom. I do not believe a dragon would save an injured elf merely to kill him, regardless of who he is. I believe that he is too injured to travel, and something is keeping him in their care. I have suggested to the council that a search party be assembled and that we go into the mountains to find him.”
Her brows shot up at the word we. “You’re going? You’re their crown prince. How can they send you?”
“I am the eldest son, ’tis true, but despite what your clan has been led to believe—” His face tightened here, as though embarrassed. “—I am not the heir. My younger brother, Aulson, is. He will see to everything while I am away.”
“Not the heir?”
He nodded. “Correct.”
She didn’t get it. If Georgiana really sent Blake and Nox to kill Aelmon in the hopes of making her queen, she couldn’t have known that her daughter’s husband wouldn’t inherit the throne.
“I have been trained for battle. I am the captain of the guard.” Aaron’s back straightened with pride at the admission.
“That’s...nice.”
He must have mistaken her shock for indifference. He seemed to deflate at her words before he cleared his throat. “Kehn and I will go through the forest with Bell, who will help us retrace his steps. If the king can be returned to the castle alive and in decent spirits, the council may show mercy on your family and allow their release.”
“Sounds like a long shot.”
He looked at her.
“But why the hell not?” she amended. “If it’s the only option open for us.”
Aaron nodded, satisfied. “There is one more thing. For yer safety, ye shall come with us.”
Chapter Four
He had to be kidding.
“Are you out of your mind? I can’t leave. I’m staying here to watch Nox and my brother.” She’d park herself in that cell with them and stand guard if she had to. Otherwise, for all she knew, she’d leave on their little quest just to come back to find her brother’s throat had been slit while he was chained up in that pit.
Aaron’s tongue went over his teeth. “This is not for debate, princess. The decision had been made.”
“I’m a vampire. How much help do you think I could be in a land that consists of sunshine through most of the day?”
“The canopy of trees will allow little sunlight to touch ye, and my understanding was that vampires could sustain sunlight with the proper garments.”
“You mean those princess gowns with the trumpet sleeves?” She pointed to the giant chest at the foot of her bed where she’d found a couple of gowns just like that. Thankfully a maid had never appeared to dress her in one. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to have a maid.
Aaron’s eyes became stony.
“All right, fine. I might have something that can help me travel, but I don’t know the layout of the island.”
She’d arrived on her family yacht at night but had been immediately escorted to the castle and, from there, straight to her room.
Apart from catching that glimpse of their dungeon with her brother inside of it, she’d seen nothing else, was not familiar with the terrain, the people, the roads, the apparently dangerous creatures that roamed it. She knew nothing and would be utterly useless to their group. Yet Aaron wanted to take her.
“You’re just trying to keep me from my brother,” she accused. “What do you think’s going to happen if I stay? I’ll arrange a prison break? And then go where?”
“The council does have its concerns,” Aaron said, lips thinning. “But that is not my motive. Ye’re a vampire. We are at our most powerful in the sun, but you are strongest during the night. ’Twill take two nights before we arrive in dragon territory.” His eyes softened. “I need you, princess.”
It was the word need that got her. Aaron said he needed her in that silky, cigarette sexy voice of his, and she could not for the life of her say no. Literally, her life was depending on this.
She gripped the back of her chair until her knuckles turned white. If they wanted to make her go, it was possible. She still wore the modern things she’d packed before being shipped off, but she hadn’t thought to pack any hiking gear. The best she had was her biker leathers.
A tight, black leather jacket with matching gloves. The best she could do for her legs would be her dark navy jeans, and with her black helmet and tinted visor, she’d be protected well enough during the day. Tree canopy or not, she wasn’t taking chances.
This was all Georgiana’s fault. She’d told Dawn to kill her husband, knowing full well her daughter was in no danger of being attacked, then told Blake to kill the elf king. All the while she was out to inherit something through her daughter, most likely the elevated status among her elite friends that having a queen for a daughter would bring. Hers would be a family of royalty! Never mind that it was elvish royalty. A queen was a queen. And if Blake were killed in his mission, well, the sympathy for the death of a son who had attempted to rescue his darling sister would be outstanding.
Georgiana couldn’t have known that Aaron wasn’t the heir, or even that he had a brother, or she would have sent more people to kill him as well. Hell, to kill the entire elvish council if she could.
“I’ll go,” she said finally.
“My thanks,” Aaron replied, and then turned to leave her chamber. “I’ll give thee privacy to change yer garments.”
Swell.
He’d paused at the door, though, not looking at her as she’d already begun removing her sweater. It was going to be hot enough in that jacket and helmet. A tank top would be better.
She halted with the wool halfway up her torso. “Is there anything else?”
He fingered the metal door handle but still did not look at her, gentleman that he was. She kind of wished he would look.
“I will find a way to save yer brother,” he said, interrupting her thoughts, “and yer friend.”
That…took her aback. She opened her mouth, a thank you and a question on her tongue, but he opened the door a crack and slipped out before she could say anything.
What could she say? Dawn stood there for some minutes, flabbergasted. Why was it that she had to be married to the one elf who treated her like a lady, but then she had to be accused of aiding a plot to murder his family? This could have actually started out nicely if not for all the interference.
She shook herself and got to work, dressing in her jeans and tank, grabbed her jacket, gloves, and helmet, and everything else important. She threw the leather jacket over her shoulders, zipped up, then put the tinted helmet over her head.
When she finished, a guard was already waiting to escort her outside. He looked her up and down quizzically, the leather and round helmet odd to his eyes. To his eyes she probably looked like a space alien.
Well, he was one to talk, or think, whatever. He looked like a gladiator. There was even a spear in his hand, and he wore a battle skirt. Dawn was kind of miffed that there was only one guy in charge to watch her. She could take at least two.
He was polite enough, though. He led her through the halls. Dawn could tell when she left her wing because the windows she passed were no longer covered but for the thin, barely-there lace curtains interwoven with beads and tiny shells. The cool morning breeze was wafting inside, ruffling the lace and rattling the beads. She only wished she could feel it on her hot skin.
Still inside the castle and the sun was already making her sweat.
They met Aaron, his annoying friend, and a female elf in a small, empty courtyard with grassy walks, climbing roses along the stone walls, and a single, small fountain in the center of it all.
Dawn’s eyes were on the woman. She was beautiful, with long, sun-golden hair braided behind her, and large emerald eyes. Her long, pointed ears were pierced in three places with tiny golden hoops and pearls, but that was the extent of her jewelry. She wore no rings or necklaces as far as Dawn could tell.
The elf woman’s face was smooth. Dawn could find no flaw, no pockmark or blackhead. Her skin was a pale peach that matched her tunic.
With only one other woman in their group, this had to be Bell. A beautiful woman had been the last thing Dawn expected. Maybe she should have known better, considering elves were rarely homely.
Her knee-high boots looked as though they’d been made specifically for her feet and slender legs. She had a bow that was nearly as tall as herself over her back, but despite this, Dawn didn’t get the warrior vibe from her.
To their credit, no one stared at her biker getup the way the guard had. Though, maybe that was because Bell was the one everyone preferred to look at.
“So, now what?” Dawn asked.
Kehn shifted a sack over his back. “We walk,” he said.
“What?” Her head snapped around, looking…for she didn’t know what. It wasn’t like they could drive into the mountains in a car, and they were definitely not in front of the stables where they could get horses or carts. “We’re just going to walk all the way?”
Kehn glared at her, Bell only looked confused, like she didn’t understand what Dawn’s problem was. Aaron rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The horses cannot go where we are going. The paths are too narrow for them, and if we are required to go directly into the mountain, the horses would never be able to carry us high enough to reach a dragon’s den.”
“Perfect,” Dawn muttered. So, not only was she being dragged with them, but she’d be getting a whole lot of exercise inside this getup, too.
And just like that, not another word spared, the little party started moving, right into the garden bushes that thickened into the trees of the forest, until finally Dawn couldn’t see the palace behind her. There weren’t even any gates or guards surrounding the property.
She kept waiting to run into them, along with a pair of guards to let the group pass, but nothing came, only more trees. Elves were that trusting that there weren’t even gates to surround the castle?
No wonder they’d been so insulted that Blake and Nox had tried to blame their crime on the dragons. Having no gates was a hell of a sign of trust to put into a species you were on shaky ground with.
