by ERIN BEDFORD
“Tea?” she offered, holding the pot over my cup.
I nodded and offered my cup up. “Thank you.”
We sat there in silence for a moment with Firestar standing over us. The tension in the air was plausible, and I wondered when she would ask for my answer. However, her full focus wasn’t on me but Firestar who had stayed standing close enough to make it uncomfortable.
“Please sit down or go over there. Something,” Lady Nariko huffed and shook her head. “Really, men can be so overprotective. I don’t know how you handle three all the time. They’re more hormonal than we are half the time.”
I nodded politely and shot Firestar a look. Glancing to the side, I gestured for him to go a few feet over next to a couch. That would keep Firestar between whomever was waiting on the balcony, and I didn’t want him to be any further away from me than he had to be.
When Firestar was settled, I decided to break the ice by apologizing. “I’m sorry for my appearance. I haven’t had a chance to find more clothes, and after the battle, my last outfit was soaked.”
“Oh, dear.” Lady Nariko covered her mouth in mock horror. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? I can have a whole wardrobe brought to your room within the hour.”
“Thank you,” I said, picking up the teacup in front of me. “That’s so kind of you.”
“It’s nothing for the future mother of my first grandchildren.” Lady Nariko faked a humble bow of her head. If I didn’t know the beast within waiting to strike out at any moment, I’d have been fooled. I covered my eye roll by taking a sip from my cup.
“Well, he could be the father or Jack or Firestar. Really any of them, they all have an equal chance at being the father.” I couldn’t help but point out with a smile at the fire dragon. He nodded his head but didn’t comment though there was a twinkle in his eye that said he approved.
“Of course, of course,” Lady Nariko agreed, nodding as well, though there were tight lines around her mouth. How did she keep herself in check so easily? I’d have blown my top by now if I’d been in her position. Which was probably why she had been able to fool her family for so long. Years and years of practice and deceit.
That was the first hint that something was wrong. She had been far too agreeable. Too nice. Either she thought I was coming to tell her yes, which I had given her no indication that I would, or she knew something I didn’t.
“Speaking of fathering children.” The Lady of the East sat her cup down and laced her fingers over her stomach. “I hope you have had time to think about my offer. Seeing you have brought your lover with you, I assume he knows of our arrangement.” She turned her cold gaze on Firestar who didn’t so much as flinch under its gaze.
“Yes, Firestar is aware of what you want from me.” I shifted in my seat the very thought of it made me uneasy. “We have talked about it at length, and I believe I have come to a decision.”
Lady Nariko’s lips curled into a self-satisfied grin. “Oh, have you, I do hope it is good n—”
“No,” I cut her off before she could praise herself on her cleverness. I took great joy in watching the smug look on her face morph into confusion. Better than straight anger I supposed.
“No?” She cocked her ear toward me as if to hear me better. “What do you mean no?”
Sitting back in my seat, I took another sip from my cup and then grinned. “You know exactly what I mean. I will not now, or ever let you use me like that.”
Lady Nariko offered me a pitying look. “Oh, my dear, I had no intention of making you feel used. You are being paid for your services after all.” She turned her all-knowing eyes to Firestar. “She did tell you about my offer, didn’t she? I’ll pay all your father’s debts if she does this one thing for me.”
Firestar stood abruptly, causing Lady Nariko to move back in her seat. A smile tipped my lips at her fear. Good. She should fear him. If she knew what was good for her, anyway.
“Lady Nariko,” Firestar’s deep voice reverberated through the room and even the men on the balcony tensed. “My upbringing requires me to treat you with respect, but since you have none for those around you nor the woman your son loves, I have none for you.”
“Why I never...” Lady Nariko cried out and tried to argue back, but Firestar cut her off.
“Furthermore, only the lowest of beings would use someone like an object to further their own powers the way you want Maya to do. If you weren’t the Lady of the East, and my friend’s mother, I’d kill you right now.” His eyes shot to the guards who had moved closer to us. “As it stands, I don’t believe in unnecessary bloodshed and only ask that you accept Maya’s answer and never speak of it again.”
Lady Nariko didn’t say anything for a moment, and I thought maybe Firestar had gotten through to her. An optimistic thought, sure, but it wiggled its way into my mind, anyway. So, when the Lady of the East shoved her chair back her face full of rage, I had to say I was surprised.
“You don’t know who you are talking to,” she snarled at Firestar like a mother cub protecting her young. “I could have your tongue cut out just for speaking to me that way.”
“Then do it and let us be done with this conversation,” Firestar countered, half bowing to her in a taunting manner.
When she seemed to realize that Firestar would not back down, she turned her rage on me. “Control your mate at once, or I will have both of you arrested for treason.”
“How?” I angled my head to the side with a curious raise of my brows. “How is our refusal treason? In fact, neither of us are citizens of your kingdom so anything we did wouldn’t be considered treason.”
“Then you are declaring war on the East,” she shot back, baring her teeth at me, her eyes glowing yellow as she lost control of her dragon.
“I’ve done no such thing,” I countered, standing. I sat my cup back down on the table and took my place by Firestar’s side. “You offered me a choice. Help your sons gain the powers that my men have in exchange for money, and my secrets kept or...”
“I’ll throw you to the wolves,” she cut me off with a growl. “And believe me, you will find far less pleasant offers to get between those legs than what I have offered. Think wisely on your next words.”
I wished I had half the balls that Lady Nariko had, but when I thought about what I would be giving up to be as brazen as her, I couldn’t accept it. I’d rather keep my soul intact. Sadly, the more I spoke to Lady Nariko, the less I understood how she could have produced such wonderful children. Then again, my father was at least as ruthless as Lady Nariko and look what he’d done to me.
“Very well,” I said and took a deep breath as I locked my eyes with hers. “Tell my secrets if you must. I don’t care. I will not now or ever fuck your sons just because you can’t be happy with what you have.” She tried to interrupt me, but I put my hand up. “And if you ever hope to see any of the grandchildren produced by Raiden and me, I would come to terms with my decision. Or mark my words, he will find out what kind of woman you truly are.”
“Don’t threaten me, girl,” Lady Nariko hissed, seeming not to get the point.
“Oh, it’s not a threat, it’s a promise.” I stepped toward her, making her take one back. “And I promise your sons will never forgive you for what you have done here. Raiden especially. You will be lucky if he ever speaks to you again. Believe me, I know how it feels to realize one of your family doesn’t love you anymore. It never goes away. Ever.”
Lady Nariko’s gaze wavered slightly, and I thought maybe, just maybe I had gotten through to her. That was until she straightened her spine and seemed to regain her composure.
“Guards,” she commanded, and four armed dragons stepped out from the shadows. Instantly, Firestar and I went on the defensive though they hadn’t offered violence. Yet. “Arrest them.”
The guards closed in on us, the swords at their waist slightly drawn. Not threatening but ready for us to resist.
Firestar’s fire formed into his kusarigamas in an instant.
I only had the dagger Jack had given me, but it was back in the room where I’d stupidly left it.
My eyes locked with Lady Nariko, and I growled, “You don’t want to do this.”
Her lips curled into a wicked grin. “Oh, my dear child, you have no idea how much I do. Please attack, it will be so much easier to convince my husband you are in line with your father. Then you will never see my Raiden again. Though, I will be sure to have my other sons visit you and perhaps a guard or two.” Her eyes flickered to the men surrounding us. “Can’t let someone with your abilities go to waste after all. Enemy of the kingdom or not.”
She inclined her head slightly, and the guards began to close in on us. My blood pounded in my ears as I realized there was no way out of this one. Firestar could probably take them out but how would we explain it to Lord Shen? Lady Nariko had him and her sons wrapped around her finger. What was our word against hers?
Firestar readied his kusarigamas preparing to lash out at the nearest guard, but before he could, the doors to Lady Nariko’s rooms swung open. Relief filled me as Jack, Raiden, and his brothers came barging through. Jack and Raiden took one look at the guards threatening us before they too unleashed their weapons.
At least, I knew they were on my side. Not that there was any question about Jack, but Raiden was a bit touch and go. Though the way his eyes lit with anger and a growl rumbled from his mouth, I knew a hundred percent that no matter what his mother said, he would be on my side.
18
“Mother, what is the meaning of this?” Raijin cried out before a battle could start in the middle of the sitting room.
“What does it look like, dears?” She gestured to Firestar and me with a grin. “I’m apprehending criminals.”
“What makes you think Maya and Firestar are criminals?” Raiden snarled, anger lighting his eyes yellow. “They’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Oh?” Lady Nariko quirked a brow. “If that was so, why did they come in here intent on assassinating me if they weren’t part of Lord Dannan’s plan?”
Raijin and Fujin glanced at us and then at each other clearly unsure who to believe. Raiden, on the other hand, didn’t even so much flinch at his mother’s words of accusation. Good news for us, but with his brothers on the fence, it could potentially mean bad news.
“Maya,” Raiden said slowly, his eyes never leaving his mother’s victorious expression. “Explain.”
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what was happening here, but his mother cut me off. “No need, dear. I’ve already told you. I invited dear Maya to tea as I had done before, but when she came, she brought this brute with her.” She gestured violently at Firestar with an angry frown. “Then she proceeded to threaten my life. Of course, I’m lucky your father had posted guards on the balcony to keep me safe, or you might be burying me.”
“Still could,” I muttered to myself, earning me a glare from Lady Nariko.
“See, right there. She threatened me.”
Sighing, I held my hands up to show I had no weapons as I turned around to face Raiden. “Yes, I threatened her just now with you in the room, only because she is being ridiculous and nasty as she has been the entire time I’ve been here.”
Raiden and his brothers’ brows furrowed as if the very thought of their mother being that way was incomprehensible, and to them, it probably was. They had spent their whole lives believing their mother was good and just, and here I was throwing a metaphorical wrench into their beliefs.
Thankfully, the brothers were not as rash as they appeared and stood down. Waving a hand at me, Fujin said, “Go ahead then. Tell us what exactly happened here.”
I glanced at Lady Nariko and asked, “Do you want to tell them, or should I? This is your last chance. I told you I didn’t want to destroy your relationship with them, but if you don’t do this, I will.”
Lady Nariko hissed at me and stubbornly remained silent. With a sad sigh, I turned back to the brothers. This was not going to be easy.
“Fujin, Raijin,” I addressed the twins with a solemn expression. “You were right to wonder how Raiden and the others had gained such awesome powers.”
“Yes,” Fujin answered with a grin. “We hope to one day train hard enough to have some of our own.” He bumped arms with his twin who returned his smile so happy at the prospect of becoming more powerful. I really hated to burst their bubble.
“Well, you won’t. Not ever,” I said, causing lightning princes’ faces to sober. “At least, I don’t think so. I don’t know how it works exactly.” I chanced a glance at Raiden whose face had begun to harden as he realized where I was going with this.
“What do you mean?” Raijin asked, taking a step forward, which only made Firestar shift closer to me. His eyes darted to Firestar, and he stopped his progression.
“I mean,” I continued, pushing Firestar away some so I could see their faces. “That your brother, along with my other suitors, gained powers they would normally need centuries of experience to obtain within moments of laying with me.”
The room went silent as the brothers seemed to roll around what I had said. The guards still stood at ready for their lord and lady’s command while Raiden and Jack looked like they had swallowed something foul. None of us wanted to be in this position right now. Our secret was out, and there was nothing I could do about it. I just hoped we could keep it in this room. If we couldn’t, I didn’t know what would happen.
“So,” Fujin finally said slowly. “You are saying.” He paused his eyes darting to his little brother and then back to me. “That you have some kind of magic power giver down there?”
I shrugged a shoulder, a lifted a brow. “Yes?”
“Aww, man.” Fujin smacked Raiden on the arm. “You lucky bastard. Father originally wanted me to go to mate the Western Lord’s daughter, and I had to convince him to send you instead. Now, I wished I’d accepted.” He shook his head with a big grin on his face. Surprisingly, there was no envy there, just humor at what he’d missed out on.
“Yes,” Raiden answered his eyes locked on mine. “I’m one lucky guy.” I shivered at the intensity of his gaze, feeling like he could read my mind. Which I wished meant I didn’t have to say it at all, but I knew I had to or it would never be real, not truly.
“So, what does this all have to do with our mother?” Raijin asked, not letting the main point of the conversation get shoved under Fujin’s jokes.
I shot a look back at Lady Nariko, giving her one more chance to come clean, but she crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose in the air. Very well. Here it goes.
“Your mother figured out my little condition,” I explained using my hands to illustrate my point. “And well...” I trailed off and tried to find a nice way of putting it but couldn’t find one.
Firestar, on the other hand, didn’t care about being nice about it and simply blurted out, “She threatened Maya. She said that if she didn’t fuck you both and give you the same kind of powers, well…” He gestured at the guards.
The room went dead silent. I swore I could barely hear anyone breathing. Had the news been that bad? One look at Raiden’s face, and I knew it hadn’t only been bad but worse.
All at once, the room burst into chaos. All three brothers argued over the other, their words lost in a mix I couldn’t figure out. They came toward us outrage clear on their faces. Firestar stepped between them and me, but it wasn’t me they were after, it was their mother.
“How could you do this?” Raiden cried out, being the first one to get past me and to his mother’s side. “She’s not some toy you can just borrow and give back when you’re done.”
“I didn’t say she was,” Lady Nariko argued and tried to place her hands on Raiden, but he wouldn’t let her touch him. “You don’t understand. When you rule, you’ll realize what it means to sacrifice everything for your kingdom.”
“So, Maya is a sacrifice?” Raiden snarled, his hands glowing with magic as his temper raged out of control.
“I have to agree with Raiden, mother.” Fujin stopped beside him with a nod. “That’s low even for you.”
So, they did know some of how their mother was, that was a small blessing. A huge weight lifted off me at the news. I didn’t want to be the soul destruction of Lady Nariko’s motherly image. Though, my stomach still rolled with mixed feelings. I wanted to leave them to hash it out, but I couldn’t leave Raiden alone now. Not when he could need me.
“Not sacrifice really,” Lady Nariko tried to change her words, but she had already damned herself. “And it’s not like it would have been such a burden for her to have two more handsome men in her bed. I even offered to pay her!”
Raiden scoffed and took a step away from her. “That’s even worse. Now, she’s not just a stepping stone to give our family power but a prostitute? Have you no shame?”
“And another thing,” Raijin added, his own face filled with disgust. “We can find our own mates. We aren’t your little boys anymore. We’ll be lord of the Eastern lands soon enough.”
“Not if you don’t stop fighting you won’t be,” Lady Nariko growled her eyes hot. “You two act like children fighting over your favorite toy rather than two grown adults getting ready to take the throne. How am I supposed to know you can handle it if you can’t even agree on anything?”
“Well, you are in luck, mother.” Fujin gave her a callous grin. “We agree on one thing. You’re under house arrest.”
“What?” Her eyes widened as she tried to plead with her sons. “You can’t do this, I’m your mother. I was only doing what I did out of love for you.”
“For power you mean,” Raijin sneered and gestured to the guards. “You stay with her until we get father here to decide what to do with her.”
The guards glanced at the lords and then back to Lady Nariko as if unsure whose orders to follow. Fujin snapped his fingers drawing their attention back to him.
“We are your future Lords. You will obey us or be put in the dungeons with rest of the traitors.” The guards didn’t have to be told twice as they ushered Lady Nariko out of the sitting room and into her bedroom. I could still hear her wailing through the bedroom door.
