False Queen

by Nikki Jefford

  “That wasn’t bad at all.” He laughed. “You should sit in on some of my family meals.”

  Rather than barge in, I knocked on Jhaeros’s front door and let Fhaornik know we’d be gathering our things from the guest room and leaving soon.

  “You are all welcome to spend the night, my lady,” he said.

  “Thanks, Fhaornik, but we need to get back to my sister.”

  Fhaornik nodded. “I miss my lady and master dearly. I hope they will return soon.”

  “We’re working on it, Fhaornik.”

  Ryo and I left the butler in the foyer, showing ourselves upstairs to the guest room.

  “I feel bad taking my guards away from the celebration,” Ryo said as he followed me into the chamber. “Sky knows they earned a bit of drink and fun.”

  I smiled slyly. “Maybe we don’t have to go back just yet.”

  Ryo cocked his head to the side as I slipped past him and closed the door. When I turned around, his eyes were lambent, and he’d gone absolutely still.

  “Have you forgotten about the kiss I promised?”

  “No,” he answered hoarsely, gaze locked on mine.

  The wanting in that look emboldened me. I walked toward him until we were half a foot apart, nose to nose. Hungry eyes devoured mine.

  I didn’t know how to do things half-assed. I launched myself at Ryo, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He caught my legs and stumbled back a step. I kissed him roughly, wanting to be the first to initiate contact.

  Ryo gripped my thighs, kissing me back. I dug my fingers through his silky black hair. Heat blossomed inside my belly, sinking lower.

  As his kiss grew bolder, I slipped my tongue into his mouth.

  Ryo breathed a small huff of surprise before getting in on the action, tangling his tongue with mine.

  He carried me toward the bed. Before he reached the mattress, I lowered my legs and slipped out of his arms, panting slightly.

  “We should get back to base camp,” I said, scrambling to grab my short sword off the dresser. When Ryo didn’t respond, I spun around and looked at him. He grinned at me. Not a boyish grin, but one of wicked delight. Great. I’d awoken the beast within. “Well? Was it worth the wait?” I asked, planting one hand on my hip.

  “How long do I have to wait until the next one?” Ryo asked with glowing eyes.

  It was only supposed to be one kiss, but perhaps I could come up with an excuse for a second.

  “After we put a stop to Albedo and Malon.” When his face fell, I smirked. “Hey, my kisses don’t come cheap.”

  Ryo nodded, his gaze softening. “They’re worth any price.”

  Oh crap, he was making this difficult. Devdan had been wrong about his kisses ruining all others. I enjoyed Ryo’s kiss too. I cared about them both.

  Once Ryo had collected his gear, we portaled back to base camp. Elves stumbled past us, slurring their words as we looked around for Dev and Ryo’s guards. The elves in the worst shape were citizens. The warriors were making merry but still looked alert.

  Total pros.

  Devdan ended up finding us first.

  “You’re back,” came his rumbly voice from behind us.

  When I turned, he offered me a warm smile.

  “How was dinner?” he asked.

  “Scrumptious,” I offered.

  “I hope you’re only talking about the food,” Devdan said, narrowing his gaze on Ryo.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, back to the matter at hand. As much as I’d like to stay the night, we really need to get back to Dahlquist. Who knows what Albedo and Malon will do once they realize their ogre attack failed to lure Aerith out of the castle? You could come back with us. We make an excellent team.” I didn’t want to part with either of the males.

  Dev sighed. “I’m needed here—ogre bodies to dispose of and a town to rebuild.” He took my hands in his. “We’re good, right?”

  I nodded, tears glossing my eyes.

  “I’ll be back to help as soon as this other issue is dealt with,” I said.

  “Me too,” Ryo said. “I want to help. It’s sorta our fault about the attack. I want to make it right.”

  Looking from Ryo to me, Devdan said, “Go back to Faerie and kick ass so you can return home. We need you here.” Eyes locking onto mine, I read the unspoken words in his gaze.

  I need you.

  It was all I could do not to hold tight to his hands and stay one more night. But there was an angry mob back in Dahlquist to deal with, not to mention the Fae bastards and their witch, who needed that ass kicking Dev had mentioned.

  The ogres were dead, but the true monsters were in the wind, waiting to strike.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hensley

  “Come on, Larry, you can do this,” Jessica said.

  Our solemn cast paced on stage, awaiting Larry’s decision at our emergency meeting.

  This wasn’t how I’d envisioned the evening before opening night. We were all still in denial, our ears burning from Mrs. Bryant’s earlier outburst. What were we doing drinking mere days before opening night? I guess she didn’t understand college students.

  Luckily, no other cast members had gotten ill. At first, we’d freaked out thinking it was some kind of bird flu outbreak.

  But it had only taken out Dan and Tyler, who were still violently ill. Both the lead and his understudy—talk about bad luck.

  When Mrs. Bryant had announced we’d have to cancel, we’d all protested.

  “Then offer me an alternative,” she’d snapped.

  That was when Jessica had come up with Larry, who had joined our powwow, looking as glum as the rest of us. He’d told me he’d been looking forward to seeing me perform on opening night. I wasn’t sure what had motivated him to watch the play over and over again. I was fairly confident he liked me, but his turnout was still hard-core.

  “You’ve been to every rehearsal. You know every line,” Jessica coaxed.

  Larry narrowed his eyes at her. They’d entered the auditorium, bickering. I’d only caught a couple bits.

  “You know better than to interfere,” Larry had admonished his sister.

  Maybe Jessica had shared her idea on the way over. He didn’t look pleased, but nor had he protested.

  I really didn’t want to have to cancel opening night. None of us did. We’d worked up to this moment. How many more performances would we have to cancel if Dan and Tyler didn’t improve soon?

  Larry looked past Jessica, his eyes finding mine. My heart hammered inside my chest.

  Do it, Larry. Be king. Act with me. Dance with me.

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. “If the cast would like me to fill in, I will do my best.”

  A round of cheering went up, but I was the one Larry looked at.

  “Emergency rehearsal,” Mrs. Bryant yelled, her owl-like eyes wide behind her chunky frames.

  “Um, what about classes?” Kenneth asked.

  Mrs. Bryant glared at him.

  “Never mind,” he said quickly. “The show must go on.”

  Rehearsal was a rush that made me requestion performing that night. It was one thing to watch a play and know the lines and lyrics, another to perform from the stage. The whole thing felt awkward and rushed. Maybe the costumes and music would help during the evening performance.

  After our hasty rehearsal, the cast took off as though fleeing the scene. I remained behind on stage with Larry. Jessica sat in the front row of the auditorium, head bent over her phone.

  Larry and I stood in silence for some time before he said, “I am not used to pretending to be someone I am not.”

  “Maybe it will help once you’re in costume,” I offered.

  Poor guy. He always seemed calm, but perhaps he internalized his panic.

  “Want me to shave your hair off?” Jessica asked from the auditorium. When Larry glared down at her, she chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll find you a bald cap, brother. Feel free to get into costume a
nd have another go at it. Might help to run through your scenes together without everyone around.” Jessica stood, eyes still scanning her phone as she walked slowly out of the theater.

  I raised my brows. “What do you think, Larry? Should we get into costume?”

  He lifted his chest and put his hands on his hips. “Call me the king of Siam.”

  Laughing, I beckoned him across stage to follow me to the dressing rooms.

  Fifteen minutes later, we were back on stage in our costumes. My mouth went dry as I soaked in Larry’s half-naked form in the Siam king’s short silken trousers and short kimono with nothing but bare muscled chest on display between the wide opening. His abs were smooth and chiseled, exquisitely defined.

  In that moment, I felt grateful this play was about an Asian king and not a Russian czar.

  I was liking the sexy barbarian look. Larry had seemed exotic to me from the moment I met him. Maybe he was destined to play this role.

  Too bad there wasn’t a kissing scene.

  My costume had me drowning in layers of heavy fabric pushed out around a hoop skirt. My hair hung loosely down my back. The makeup crew would style it later that afternoon.

  Larry smiled as I swished toward him.

  I looked him up and down, lingering on the open gap of the kimono before settling on his ash-blond head.

  “You should keep your hair uncovered,” I said. “I like it.”

  “Is it not too short?” he asked, touching the ends with one hand.

  “I think it’s perfect.”

  Larry’s eyes glinted when he smiled. “Shall we dance?” he asked, stepping closer.

  “Is that where you want to begin?”

  Rather than answer, he took a step closer. His eyes were intent on mine. It sent my pulse racing and nerves tingling. Without the rest of the cast around, the scene felt much more intimate. It almost felt real.

  “I’m, uh, not in the right costume for this scene,” I said hesitantly.

  I had three costumes: my proper British hoop dress, which I was wearing, a nightgown, and my fancy banquet dress with the low neckline.

  “Shall we dance?” Larry insisted. He reached a hand out, holding it in front of my hip.

  Someone was getting into the role. His calm confidence and air of mystery really worked for the part. I’d been cast for it, yet he made me feel like a bundle of nerves. The more I stared into his silvery eyes, the more I felt like Anna, who wanted something more exciting than her home country and the safe yet boring suitor, Sir Edward Ramsay.

  I threaded my arms behind my back and waited for Larry to initiate contact. When his hand slid around my waist, I unlaced my fingers and took his free hand in mine. We whirled around the stage, singing together, picking up in the middle of the song. Larry had jumped midway in to the part where our characters danced closer. I wasn’t about to complain.

  At the end of the number, I was feeling lighthearted and warmed up.

  “Let’s take it from the top,” I said.

  Larry released me and took his spot on stage, nodding for me to begin.

  I faced the empty auditorium and started the song from the beginning.

  The auditorium thundered with applause at the end of the opening performance. The sound rumbled inside my chest and enlivened me more than any tune known to mankind.

  Once the curtains closed, we all hugged one another. I started with Larry then moved on to Kenneth and Paul.

  “You were incredible,” Ruby told Larry as she hugged him. “Way to steal the show.”

  His cheeks were flushed with color and eyes blazing bright. Maybe he really would catch the theater bug. He had the good looks, confidence, and voice for it. If anything, the stage appeared to bring it all out.

  After changing into street clothes, Jessica and Larry invited a small group of us back to their place.

  “Look at you now, Lar. You’re one of us,” Ruby said on the walk across campus. She skipped ahead and threaded her arms around Paul’s, leaving Larry and me in back.

  “Your performance was fantastic,” I said, offering Larry a smile.

  “I’m pleased you liked it.”

  The way he said it sounded like it had all been for me, not the audience.

  Warmth washed through me in fresh waves.

  The gloomy Pacific Northwest skies were clear for a change. Stars speckled above our heads, adding to the magic of the night.

  “Do you have any family close by who will come watch your performance?” I asked.

  Jessica snorted loudly from the front of our group.

  “Our family lives a long distance from here,” Larry said, tilting his head back and staring into the sky.

  “In a galaxy far, far away?” I laughed at my own dorkiness.

  Larry turned to me and grinned. “It feels that way,” he said. “What about you? Will any family members be coming out to see your performance this weekend?”

  I nodded. “My mom is coming Friday night. I’d love to introduce you to her.”

  “I look forward to meeting her.”

  I squeezed my lips together, feeling the smile pressing up my cheeks. That giddy feeling of being a schoolgirl came over me again. Larry and I weren’t even going out, but I was already excited to introduce him to my mom as though we were.

  “So, do you think you’d try out for the next play?” I asked.

  “I think I will be returning home to my responsibilities soon,” Larry said, looking up at the sky again.

  “Oh,” I said, shoulders sinking.

  “Would you miss me?” His eyes were bright in the dark.

  “Of course. Can’t you finish your degree first?”

  He’d never mentioned leaving college early. He’d told me he was a freshman, starting school late like me. I figured we had four years together. I didn’t want him to leave. My heart hollowed just thinking about it.

  Dan and Tyler remained too ill to perform. Night after night, Larry gave a stunning performance that convinced us all he’d been born to play the role of king. With a heavy heart, I spoke my lines and sang my songs during our last performance. It wasn’t until my final scene with the king that it all began to hit me. This was the end. No more Anna. No more King Mongkut of Siam.

  No more Larry.

  Tears streaked my cheeks as I spoke to the king on his deathbed. I’d never cried during this scene in the past. The other actors kept their heads bent in deference. It was just the king and me addressing one another—the king pulling at my heartstrings, wanting me to stay even as he left this world. Left me.

  Seeing the tears on my cheeks, Larry’s eyes widened. He wobbled over a line, pricking my heart apart. He told me I was leaving, and he was leaving too, only not of his own free will. Just. Leaving. Then he made me take back the ring he’d given me in an earlier scene—one I had pulled off and sent back to him after he displeased me.

  I took the ring, put it on my finger, and felt my chest tighten. It was just a stupid prop, but I felt like he’d offered me a precious gift.

  Fresh hot tears slid to my chin.

  It was a relief when young Eric stepped in to finish the scene with his proclamations as the new king. Boat races. No more bowing to the king. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

  The end.

  The curtain closed. I felt it drop over my heart, and this time the applause wasn’t enough to lift my spirits.

  I scrubbed my cheeks with my fists, preparing for curtain call.

  “Eeeeee,” Ruby squealed as we cleared the stage. “We did it.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Larry’s frown before he was ushered off to the opposite side of the stage from me.

  The curtains reopened, and members of the cast came out in groups, taking their bows to the applause of the audience before stepping back, clapping as the next actors appeared for their ovation. When it was down to Larry and me, I went out first, curtsying in my hoop skirt.

  Larry came out next but instead of taking his usual bow, he marched up to
me. My lips parted slightly.

  What are you doing?

  His hands gripped my waist as he pulled me into a kiss. When his lips met mine, the entire theater lit up. Flowers blossomed, and butterflies took flight across my chest.

  Cast members whistled and clapped around us. I closed my eyes, shutting them out, deepening the kiss, sinking into Larry’s firm, familiar arms.

  The butterflies spiraled into my head, swarming my thoughts into a frenzy of excitement.

  My brain seemed to fragment as the rapidly beating wings unearthed bits of hazy memories from a world away. A castle. A king. A crown.

  My heart thumped up my throat.

  It was all so overwhelming; I felt as though I’d pass out. But strong arms held me.

  My eyes flew open, and I drew back, gasping.

  “Liri.”

  His hooded eyes widened at the sound of his true name.

  The curtain closed. I took a step back, more memories flooding in.

  “Nice one, Lar,” Ruby said in a teasing tone, giving Liri a slight nudge with her shoulder. “We’re all celebrating at your place still, right?”

  Ruby might as well have spoken to a wall. Liri stared at me as though I was the only woman in all existence.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” I told Ruby, wanting her gone. Was she even real?

  “See you there,” she said in her bubbly voice.

  Once the stage was ours and ours alone, I shook my head, trying to clear it.

  “Is this some kind of alternate reality?” I asked.

  Liri pursed his lips. I liked his short, stylish hair. He looked good. He always looked good, but somehow, here in this place, wherever that was, he looked even better. There was a healthy glow in his eyes and more color on his skin.

  “It’s all real,” he said. I looked from side to side at the palace sets, still unconvinced.

  “How is this possible?” I asked.

  “With help from a Fae sorceress, Malon manipulated the memories of the people around you to think you were a student and cast member. He altered your memories the most, and your mother’s.”

  Something tugged at the back of my neck, a faded memory, a dark form cloaked like night with cloud-white hair waiting to grab me on Earth after the crown touched my head and teleported me from Dahlquist castle.