by Eliza Tilton
Lying wouldn’t work. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I had to say something. “I asked him if we could perform the ritual after the wedding instead of before like we discussed.”
“Oh? Why?”
I dropped my arms, and coyly looked away from him. “I want my mother to see me properly wed, before you take me completely.”
He dragged his hand up my arm, across my shoulder, up to my neck. “That is all?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t look in his eyes, so I looked everywhere else.
He kissed my cheek and I closed my eyes, wanting to forget about all the bad, and remember all the good.
“That’s a fair trade.” He trailed his lips across my neck, teasing me. His left hand grabbed my waist, his fingers dug into me, and he pulled me closer.
“I really need to bathe,” I said, and I did. No matter how much my body responded to him, I would not cave.
“Let me help you.” He tugged at my dress, pulling the straps over my shoulder.
“Lucino…” His name came out in a breathless plea. A plea for him to know I was angry, and he couldn’t just kiss my pain away.
But his kissing continued to drown me in a sea of passion. I knew if I didn’t stop, neither would he.
“I forgot my wine.” Lucy came back in the room, and I jumped at her voice.
Lucino gave a low growl. “Always impeccable timing.”
“That is my specialty.” She took her glass and frowned. “Really, brother, what has changed in my absence? Since when do you like your pets dirty.”
“Nothing’s changed.” Lucino stepped back and lifted my chin as he spoke. “I can’t seem to keep my hands and mouth away from her.”
Breathe.
“Clean her up, first. I’ll be in the parlor if you’d like to hear about the status of the mage army.”
“Yes. I’m coming.”
He kissed me, forcefully, and refused to let me keep my mouth shut. After a few moments, Lucy coughed, and he stopped. “I will see you at dinner.”
“If you don’t mind, I need to rest,” I said. “The wedding is in two days, and there’s so much I need to prepare still.”
“Very well. I’ll have the servants bring you food.”
He walked past Lucy who gave me a furtive wink.
In the whole time I’ve known her, she has rarely showed me any kindness. If she protected me, things were bad… she would never side with a human, not where her brother was concerned.
Chapter Fifteen
Jeslyn
We sat at the long table, Lucino back in his human form, eating breakfast with my family. I picked at the sweet honey roll on my plate, lost in my thoughts.
How could I still love him so much?
Derrick had warned me. He had tried to convince me, but I didn’t listen. Now, he was dead, my brother gone, and Lucino reverted back to the cruel ruler who had kidnapped me.
Why couldn’t I hate him?
Why couldn’t I leave him?
My emotions spiraled as I replayed our moments together, trying to see if he had always been this way and I just ignored it.
“Jeslyn.” His voice broke through my thoughts.
“Yes?” I smiled, pretending not to be upset.
“Why don’t we show your family the ocean today?” Lucino said. I hoped maybe, just maybe, the boy I loved was returning. He knew my sister had never seen the sea. I mentioned it a few times, and I had planned to take her before the wedding.
“Yes! Can we?” Calli clapped her hands. “I want to see it!”
“Of course.” I smiled back at her, and she sprung from her seat.
Mother shushed her, which my sister ignored. I reached out my hand for her. “I need to change first.”
Calli grabbed my hand and swung it. “Are you really taking me to the ocean?”
“Yes.” I led her back to my room, yelling at Willis to send for Madara.
“Wow… I want to sleep in here!” Calli burst into my room before I had fully opened the door. She dragged her feet across the large bear fur on the floor, spinning and twirling her dress.
Fex cooed from the bed.
“What is that?” Calli squeaked with excitement.
Fex opened one eye and yawned, seeming not to care Calli stared at him.
“His name is Fex. He’s… I’m not sure what kind of animal he is, but he’s special.”
With her tiny hands outstretched, she clucked her tongue, beckoning Fex to her. In a furry flash, Fex disappeared then reappeared right on Calli’s shoulder. She jumped, and gave out a tiny scream before snuggling into his furry body.
I realized since the night in the tunnels, Lucino hadn’t asked or come for his new pet… Another strange behavior.
Madara entered the room, followed by Gwen, who made the same tiny shriek of joy when she saw Calli snuggling Fex. While the two of them oohed and ahhed over our new pet, I dug into the wardrobe searching for a light outfit to wear.
My hand grazed the wedding gown hanging in the corner.
“It is almost time.” Madara placed a hand on my back. “You will make a beautiful bride.”
Madara squeezed past me and went through the wardrobe. She pulled out a peach-colored dress with tiny lilacs sewed along the sides, short sleeves, and made of thin cotton. I slipped into it and Madara laced me up.
It didn’t take long for Calli to moan about me taking too long, or groan when Mother made her change. But soon, we all sat in the carriage, riding away to the ocean: Lucino, across from me; Gwen next to him; and Calli, in-between Mother and me, pointing at the flowers blooming around the path. Gwen laughed and answered every question she could.
Lucino leaned back in the seat, his elbow resting on the tiny lip of wood by the window. He gazed at me. I wondered what went on in his mind. Did he sense my hesitation about marrying him? That I began to question all of it?
I couldn’t be sure, except today he treated my family with kindness. Taking us to the ocean was his way to make amends.
But was it enough?
The forest blurred past in a blend of green and deep ruby from the big hibiscus that wound around the large mossy trees. We bumped along the road, hitting the roots sticking out of the ground, and as the suns lay high in the sky, I hoped today would be good.
Calli’s bubbling laughter pulled me from the window to her. She climbed over Mother, peeking her head out. Mother tried to hush her, but Calli—fiery like Avikar and Poppa—wasn’t one to be shushed..
The carriage stopped and Calli jumped out, whipping her head back and forth, searching for the water.
“Excuse me!” I squeezed past Mother and jumped out beside Calli. “Are you ready?” I held out my hand and grabbed my dress with the other.
“Yes!”
Holding hands, I led Calli through the brush and up the hill leading us to the dunes. She giggled as Mother yelled for us to slow down. I glanced back once to see Lucino helping her out of the carriage.
I wanted to make it to the beach before he did.
I wanted to introduce Calli to Hadda.
Bright white sand welcomed us as we crested over the dune. Calli gasped; her smile widened and her eyes glistened.
“It’s so pretty,” she said in a soft voice.
“Let’s get closer.” I tugged her forward, bringing her down to the warm beach.
I kicked off my shoes, letting my toes dig into the sand, and she did the same. Calli had never been to Luna Harbor. She had never seen the greatness of the ocean. Medium-sized waves crashed against the ground and pulled back out to sea.
Lifting my dress, I waded just to the edge of the water where the ocean kissed my feet. Warm, clear water caressed my toes and drifted back out.
“It’s so big.” Calli stayed outside of the water’s reach, her smile gone.
“It�
��s okay. I’m here.”
“I… I’d like to go back.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I went back to her, but she had already turned away from the waves.
Mother approached with Lucino. Her long hair sat in a big bun on her head, wisps of it free and touching her cheeks. The sunlight made the green in her eyes brighten to pure jade. Calli’s shoulders slouched. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know why she was upset.
Calli lifted her chin and stared at Lucino. “Can we go?”
“Already?” He glanced at me and I shrugged. I didn’t know what was wrong.
“Would you like to take a walk and help me find seashells? I was hoping to craft your sister a necklace for her wedding.” Mother smiled at Calli and held out a hand.
“Uh huh.” Calli took it, and Mother winked at me.
“We’ll go down there.” She pointed to the north.
“You’re safe in these parts,” Lucino said. “But don’t wander into the woods.”
Mother and Calli walked along the shore. Mother would bend down and point and Calli would race beside her.
“Is your sister afraid of water?” Lucino stepped behind me and placed his hands on my waist.
“No. Few things scare my little sister… though…” I thought of my younger brother and how he died in the lake. “I’m not sure if she has seen a body of water since my brother passed.”
Wind pushed the warm air around us. I wished I had followed my mother’s lead and worn my hair in a bun. Sweat tickled the back of my neck. Lucino lifted my hair, and blew against it, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I am sorry if I haven’t been myself.”
Words I had been desperately waiting to hear.
He kissed the nape of my neck, and my toes curled into the sand.
“I am sorry I have not spent more time with you.”
Apologies. Something Lucino did not say lightly.
He moved his hand across my belly, and pulled me tight against him.
“I would bind myself to you tonight, if you would let me.”
He crushed his lips against my neck, biting the skin, and sending a wave of passion through me. I leaned to the side, allowing him to take me in his arms and kiss my neck, my shoulder, wherever his lips dared.
“Tomorrow is the wedding, and after that, the binding ceremony,” I said. “It’s not that much longer.”
“I cannot wait much longer for you.”
With those words, his hands moved where they should not. I gasped at his directness. My mind whirred, and though my body betrayed every thought, I found myself slipping. Mother and Calli were far, far out of sight, and could not see how improper Lucino acted—how his hands were too close to my chest, and how his lips traveled too far.
My breath came out in short bursts as I fought against the desire growing inside me.
“We are bound,” he whispered. “Why not give yourself to me fully?”
Closing my eyes, I wondered what would happen if I did? Not that Lucino and I would have a romp in the sand, but what if I let him get just a little closer. We were going to be husband and wife.
I breathed in his winter—I stopped, and opened my eyes.
Why doesn’t he smell like winter?
Since the day Lucino and I met, the cold brisk scent of a winter night always surrounded him. It was a scent I’d found comfort in, and it was uniquely him.
And he didn’t smell like winter.
Trying to hide my fear, and the questions racing my mind, I spun around and hugged him.
“I’d rather wait.” I leaned into him, trying to cover the way I sniffed his neck. “I want my wedding night to be magical.”
He grunted, and fear beat against my chest, raging and screaming at me to run. Was I being silly? What if there were a logical reason for why he smelled different? But I couldn’t smell anything on him. Not the salty sweat from a hard day in the sun, or the cold winter scent that always seemed to travel through me in a haze. He held as much scent as a stone.
Hadda squawked in the sky. I broke away from Lucino. She soared overhead, diving right over Lucino, almost knocking him over in the process.
“Hadda!” I reprimanded her, but she only nudged my side, and bent forward as if she wanted me to ride her. “Not now.”
Lucino eyed Hadda. He didn’t greet her like he normally did.
“If we are done,” he said. “I had the servants pack a meal. I thought your family would enjoy to eat by the water.”
“A picnic? That’s very thoughtful.”
“Yes, well, you humans are into that sort of thing.” He eyed Hadda, and brushed the sand off his pants. “I shall return with the meal.”
Hadda nudged my hand with her head. I rubbed behind her ear.
You humans.
Lucino had forgotten he was half human.
Chapter Sixteen
Lucino
Darkness and starlight circled around us, swirling in a hypnotic light, making my head sway and my stomach tighten. Many times, I had traveled through the gate in Daath, and none had been as rough and disorienting as this. The darkness broke and the air left my limbs; liquid surrounded us.
Water… we’re in water.
I kicked my legs and swam up, searching for the surface. The water shimmered with a pink light, and right when fire filled my lungs, I broke through the surface, gasping for air.
Besides the tiny, glowing pink dots scattered across the ceiling, we floated in darkness, with little light to show our location. I glimpsed around for a bank, and swam to the left. My hands slipped on stone, covered with algae. A cave, but where? Were we in Tarrtainya?
Derrick and Terra popped up on either side, both gasping for air.
I pulled myself onto the rocky shore and laid for a moment, catching my breath.
“I don’t ever want to do that again.” Derrick climbed out then vomited.
I grinned, not so untouchable now, are we?
Terra shook out her hair, splashing me. “Any idea where we are?”
“No,” I growled, wiping the water off my face. “Tarrtainya has many caves and caverns. I’ve no idea which one we landed in.”
A deep rumble sounded through the cavern. “I think it’s time we left.”
They nodded in agreement and we ran in the opposite direction of the noise. The rumble grew and shook the walls. Dirt fell on us as we silently hurried into the dark. We kept going as fast as the darkness allowed until a light beckoned from far ahead, a ray of dawn guiding us out.
The rumble grew into a roar, and I pushed harder, faster, not once looking back to see if my companions followed. With the gate behind me, I cared nothing for them, only Jeslyn.
Bright light blinded us as we bolted out of the cave. The air smelled of rotting flesh, and mossy land stretched out around us in every direction, dotted with massive mushrooms and large cypress trees standing in pools of water. Frogs chirped, and something splashed around in the bay of water to our left.
“Are we in Tarrtainya?” Terra asked.
The loud rumble exploded behind us, shaking the ground, knocking us off our feet. I fell forward, but caught myself before sinking into the mud, and glanced back over my shoulder.
Long, matted brown hair covered a huge bog monster in the opening of the cave. It stood on two legs, massive paws aimed to strike. Curled horns protruded from its head and its maw held fangs dripping with salvia. The big, black, soulless eyes glared at us with hunger. Deep hunger.
“May The Creator protect us.” Derrick rose to his feet, sliding his sword out of its sheath.
Following suit, I readied my sais; excitement filled my bones.
“Why are you smiling?” Terra glared at me, her stilettos spinning in her hands.
“Because I know where we are.”
They both stared at me
in expectation.
“We are in the bogs.” I grinned.
Derrick’s eyes widened and he cursed.
Terra scrunched her forehead, so I clarified. “I’m home.” With those words, I launched forward, ducking the paw aimed for my face and stabbed at the creature’s belly.
Derrick launched an attack from the side, but instead of dodging the blade, the creature roared and blew green gas at Derrick. I watched Derrick’s eyes bulge and face pale, before he collapsed to the ground.
“Watch the gas!” I yelled at Terra, remembering the paralyzing fumes the bog released.
“Derrick!” She ran to his side.
I ignored the two of them and dashed behind the monster. It swung around. I leapt onto its back, grabbing its long ropy strands of hair, and climbing to its neck.
The monster thrashed and swatted at its back, trying to dislodge me. I jabbed one of the sais into the back of its head. It swayed to the side, roaring and spewing gas, then dropped to the ground.
I jumped off, and wiped the blood on my weapons off on the moss.
“He’s still breathing.” Terra knelt by Derrick, checking his pulse.
“The gas only paralyzes. It’ll wear off in a few hours.”
Both suns were high overhead. Bog swamp was south of Daath. If I ran, I could make it to Daath in less than two days. An entrance to the tunnels waited only a day’s run from here. I could take that straight through to Daath.
“Whatever you’re thinking, we are not leaving him.”
Terra stood over Derrick, a bomb in her hand.
“What do you plan to do?”
“We are not leaving him!”
She would not give me orders. “Did you forget your existence depends on my grace?”
She stepped over Derrick, blocking him with her legs. “He is the reason we made it here. I won’t abandon him like you abandoned me.”
Ahh, and the truth of her continued hatred. “You plotted against me.”
“Our world was dying, and our king ready to abandon all of us!”
My father never planned to abandon anyone, but there were restrictions and an order to who would move to the new world and how. Terra may claim to have good intentions, but as a spy, she made her coin through information. I had almost believed her once; I would never make that mistake again.
