Kara stepped closer to Rose, her light blue eyes sparkling. “And for the record, nothing scares me,” she said with a playful smile. “Not even weddings.”
“Clearly, you haven’t read anything by George R.R. Martin,” Rose said.
Kara’s gaze swept downward. “Take off the shirt and coat,” she said, her voice laced with innuendo, “so I can show you how to strap on…your weapons.”
Heat rushed to Rose’s face. “Couldn’t I just…hold them?”
Kara’s smile tilted mischievously. “This is more fun.”
A Bloody Wedding
Rose hurried after Princess Myrinne, barely able to keep up with her fast, obviously embarrassed pace. “It wasn’t what you thought,” she tried to explain.
“My Eklektos,” Princess Myrinne sighed, avoiding her gaze, “with all due respect, I apologized for interrupting. Now, I’d just like to forget it happened.”
Rose frowned. “But we weren’t doing what you thought we were doing.”
Kara followed at a slower pace, chuckling, as she watched both Rose and Princess Myrinne fumble through a conversation they were embarrassed to have.
“You’ll meet the couple before the ceremony,” Princess Myrinne stated.
Rose blinked at the sudden change of subject. “They want to meet me?”
Princess Myrinne rolled her eyes. “Of course they want to meet you.”
“Okay,” Rose said reluctantly, “but I should warn you: I’m bad at that.”
The princess cast a quick glance at her. “You’re bad at meeting couples?”
“I’m bad at meeting people in general,” Rose corrected. “Also, talking to people. Pretty much anything to do with people.” She followed Princess Myrinne through the front doors of the temple. “I’m good at scaring them away, though.”
Princess Myrinne shook her head. “Of all people, the Eklektos was you?”
“I’d be just as shocked as you are,” Rose said, “if I had any idea what you guys actually believe about me. But a certain princess refuses to tell me anything.”
“You know all you need to know,” Princess Myrinne sighed, “for now.”
“Yeah,” Rose said in her sassiest tone. “Majorly not a fan of that answer.”
The last time they’d come to the temple, they’d veered right immediately, into a hall that led to the throne room. This time, Princess Myrinne led them the other direction, down the left hall, which led to the chapel. She never lingered at the front of the temple, never offered to give them a tour. Kara slowed her pace a little, lingering at the entrance, just long enough to glance into the largest room of the temple—a dark, open space, lit only by the candles at the back of the room.
Candles that surrounded some kind of statue—a woman with two halves.
Princess Myrinne grasped Kara’s arm, suddenly, jerking her into the hall. “You’re not permitted in that part of the temple,” the princess snarled, “warrior.”
Kara glanced down at Princess Myrinne’s hand, which bruised her arm, even through the thick layers of leather. The princess hadn’t really demonstrated her strength before that moment, and Kara couldn’t help but be impressed by it.
Even when the princess was so clearly holding back, Kara knew she was no match against that kind of strength. That didn’t stop her from pulling out one of her daggers, though. She pressed the dagger against Princess Myrinne’s throat. “Did I ask for permission,” Kara said with a taunting smile, “Princess Uptight?”
Princess Myrinne laughed dangerously. “I’ll show you uptight, you…”
“You’ll do what?” Rose interrupted. She’d found them in the middle of Princess Myrinne’s statement, and her eyes had already started to glow. She waited until the princess released Kara to continue. “I’ll tell you what you aren’t going to do,” Rose growled, her eyes burning brighter. “You’re not going to hurt Kara.”
Kara lowered her dagger, watching curiously, as Princess Myrinne backed down—fear flashing in her pale blue eyes. She’d just witnessed how powerful the princess truly was, and yet, the ancient vampire was still clearly terrified of Rose.
“I’m so sorry, my Eklektos,” Princess Myrinne whispered. She fell to her knees. “No one will touch her. I’ll make sure of it. I apologize for offending you.”
Kara laughed at the sudden change in attitude. “I could get used to this.”
Princess Myrinne’s pale blue eyes shifted toward Kara and narrowed.
Rose rolled her eyes—which were now blue again. “You can offend me all you want. It’s the threatening-the-woman-I-love part that I’m not okay with.”
The princess straightened. “I seek only to do the will of the Eklektos.”
“Uh, what?” Rose sputtered. “Wait a minute, now. I didn’t ask for that.”
“If I’m forgiven, I’d appreciate it if you followed me, now,” the princess said, stepping past them. “We wouldn’t want to be late to the wedding.” As Rose and Kara followed her down the hall, she added, “I’d also appreciate it immensely, my Eklektos, if you would ask your warrior to stop causing trouble at every turn.”
“I can ask her,” Rose muttered, “but I don’t think she’s going to agree.”
“No,” Kara said with an amused smile. “Definitely not going to agree.”
Princess Myrinne sighed in frustration. “This is the chapel,” she said, as she waved a hand toward the largest room—at the end of the hall. “That’s where we’ll hold the ceremony.” She turned toward one of the smaller rooms beside it. “But I need to speak to the couple for a moment alone. Wait here, until I return.”
Kara leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Princess Myrinne scowled at her mocking tone. “Princess Myrinne would be fine. Anything but Princess Uptight.” She rolled her eyes. “Just…don’t move.”
Kara snorted, as she watched the princess disappear into a small, dressing room. Her intense, blue gaze shifted toward Rose. “You were so sexy back there.”
Rose gave her a skeptical look. “You mean the part where I accidentally threatened a powerful, ancient vampire? Or the part where I got all demon-eyed?”
“The part where you made a princess beg for forgiveness,” Kara laughed.
Rose sighed, “I didn’t mean to.” She frowned. “The way they treat me,” she paused, glancing down the hall to make sure they were alone. “I don’t know what to make of it. Sometimes, they treat me like someone they respect, and other times, they treat me like a monster—like something to fear.” She looked away. “And honestly, being treated with respect is as unnerving as being feared.”
“It’s only unnerving because you think you don’t deserve it,” Kara said.
Rose offered her a weak smile, even as her bright blue eyes glistened with sadness. “You have to admit, though,” she laughed, “this is all a bit over-the-top.”
“A bit,” Kara said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think you deserve it.”
Rose looked away, her heart pounding rapidly against her chest. She tried to put false lightness in her tone again. “You probably should stop making fun of her,” she told Kara. “She doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the nickname, after all.”
“The only kind of person who gets that upset when someone calls them uptight,” Kara said with a sly smile, “is someone who is most certainly uptight.”
Rose lifted her eyebrows. “She wasn’t uptight when she was drinking.”
“No,” Kara said, her smile deepening, “and she’ll be drinking tonight.”
“Apparently, she won’t be the only one,” Rose muttered. She turned, her eyebrows lifting, as she recognized Kara’s tone. “Are you planning something?”
Kara shrugged one shoulder. “I’m only planning to do what I do best.”
“Be so seductive that women forget how to breathe?” Rose guessed.
Kara snorted, “No. But thanks for stroking my ego a bit.” She flashed a cocky smirk at Rose. “With or without my spy
network, I’m still an excellent spy.”
“You mean an arrogant spy,” Rose teased—even though she knew it was true, as well as Kara did. “You think we’ll find out something at the wedding?”
“Zosime must’ve had a reason for telling me to wear armor,” Kara said.
“Yeah,” Rose said, her face twisting with fear, “that’s what worries me.”
Kara tilted her head to the side, blue hair falling over her black armor, as she offered Rose a sympathetic smile. “Hey, I’ll be fine, okay?” she assured Rose. “And if I’m not, at least I know you’ll avenge me by scaring them all to death.”
A brief spark of red flashed in Rose’s eyes. “If anything happens to you, I’ll do more than that,” she growled. She hadn’t said it like a threat or a warning. She’d said it as if it were just the truth. The undeniable truth—that there’d be no stopping the destruction, if anything were to happen to someone that Rose loved.
Kara watched her curiously. For just a moment, she’d thought she’d seen shadows in Rose’s eyes, swirling around the red light. Her thoughts immediately returned to the night Rose’s brother died—to the creature she’d seen that night.
A creature who was both like Rose and the opposite of Rose, all at once.
“Sorry,” Rose mumbled. “My power feels so out-of-control right now.”
“After everything’s that happened recently,” Kara said, “that’s expected.”
Rose stepped closer. She traced her fingertips over the leather sleeve of Kara’s armor. “How’s your arm? I sensed pain when the princess grabbed you.”
Kara’s eyes fluttered slightly—her blood bond reacting to Rose’s touch, even with the armor separating their skin. “It was just a bruise,” she laughed. She opened her eyes, pinning Rose with her ice-blue gaze. “I’m a warrior, love. I don’t need you fussing over every bruise.” Her smile tilted mischievously, and her light blue eyes sparkled. “I wouldn’t object to you kissing them all better, though.”
Rose smiled at that. She bent her head, pressing a kiss against Kara’s arm. She blushed a little, as Kara shuddered at her kiss. “I’m sorry if I was too fussy,” she recited with a playful smile. “But it still bothers me to know you’re in pain.”
“I’m not,” Kara assured her. “I promise.” She looked down, slipping her fingers into Rose’s hand. “And I’d never truly complain about how much you care.” She looked up. “I spent too long without that…to not appreciate it, now.”
Rose squeezed her hand affectionately. “I’ll always care. You know that.”
“Even if I fuck up and make you hate me?” Kara heard herself ask.
Rose laughed nervously. “Is that something you’re planning to do?”
“No,” Kara said quietly. “It’s just something that’s bound to happen.”
With a sympathetic frown, Rose sighed, “Listen…I cared about you way more than I should have, back before I realized I felt anything for you. No matter what happens between us, that part will never change. I’ll always care about you.”
Kara looked away, fear twisting at her brows, as she whispered a phrase she’d been saying a lot more often lately, “You’re too good for me, Rose Foster.”
“Don’t be silly,” Rose said with a sad smile. “I’m the one who’s way out of her league here.” She leaned in closer, lifting her hand to touch Kara’s face.
Princess Myrinne returned, at that moment. “Are you two ever not in the middle of something?” she muttered, as they separated. Before Kara could make one of her snide remarks, the princess waved her hand. “They’re ready for you.”
“Oh, yay. Socializing,” Rose said—in the least enthusiastic tone ever.
Kara chuckled, as she and Rose followed the princess into the room.
Red silk hung from the ceiling, like curtains, separating the doorway from the rest of the room. Candlelight shone through the sheer curtains—shadows and light dancing together in a quick, fluttery rhythm. Princess Myrinne hooked her fingers around one of the curtains, slipping through the small gap she’d created.
Rose watched, both eyebrows raised, as the princess disappeared behind the curtains. “I don’t know how she managed to not get her metal hat stuck on those curtains. I tried to take off my shirt once, while wearing reading glasses, and it got stuck on a screw in my glasses. Needless to say, I respect angry fabric now.”
Princess Myrinne didn’t come back, but Rose heard her mutter under her breath, from behind the curtain, “Did she seriously call my crown a metal hat?”
Amusement sparkled in Kara’s icy blue eyes, as she listened to Rose blurt out an entire embarrassing story—out of pure nervousness. “You wore glasses?”
“When I was human,” Rose said. “I haven’t needed them since I turned, though. It’s a good thing, too—because I’d lose them like seventeen times a day.”
Kara snorted, “And get them caught on your clothes, too, apparently.”
Rose slipped through the curtains, joining the much less amused princess on the other side. “Just that once,” she said, as Kara slipped through, behind her.
“Shh,” Princess Myrinne hissed at them—before turning to face the two people beside her. The couple sat on a bench-like seat—not unlike a pew. They’d angled their bodies toward each other and had their hands clasped between them.
The bride—a beautiful, petite woman with dark skin and darker robes—stood, as soon as she saw the princess. “I didn’t realize you’d already returned.”
“I guess you guys don’t have the can’t-see-the-bride-before-the-wedding superstition here,” Rose muttered. Her bright blue gaze shifted down, considering the black, dress-like robes the bride wore. “The bride doesn’t wear white, either.”
The bride’s dark brown eyes shifted toward Rose. “How would we offer our prayers to Darkness, if we couldn’t see each other before the wedding?”
The groom stood, too—his own black robes sweeping the floor. “And why would a couple wear white robes,” he asked, “on a day we owe to Darkness?”
Kara glanced at the princess, watching the way she reacted—the way her back straightened, the way her pale blue eyes widened and shifted. “Darkness?”
Princess Myrinne interrupted before the couple could say anything else. “Akilina! Timotheo!” she said—in a surprisingly rude tone. “This is the Eklektos you’re speaking to, and you haven’t even greeted her yet. You owe her respect.”
“Umm, what? Whoa!” Rose said, scowling at her. “What are you doing?”
“My job,” the princess said, without even looking at her, “my Eklektos.”
“They don’t owe me anything,” Rose said. “They don’t even know me.”
But, of course, they had already fallen to their knees, bowing before Rose.
Rose sighed in frustration. “Why bowing? Why couldn’t it be like a cool handshake or something?” she grumbled. “Or the Vulcan salute. That’d be fun.”
“My Eklektos,” Akilina said breathlessly, “I am so honored to meet you.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Rose muttered under her breath.
“Having the Eklektos at our wedding,” Timotheo said, “is a good omen.”
Rose lifted her eyebrows. “You wouldn’t think that, if you knew how my relationships usually turn out,” she said dryly. Then, noticing their worried looks, she added, “But I’m sure your marriage will be great! An eternity of happiness!”
The couple let out a collective gasp. Timotheo turned to face his bride. “Did you hear that, honey? The Eklektos is giving us an eternity of happiness!”
Rose frowned worriedly. “Wait. What? That’s…not really what I said.”
Akilina scrambled forward, taking Rose’s hand into her own, and kissing it lightly. “We’re so grateful for your blessing, my Eklektos! We’ll never forget it!”
Rose’s eyes widened. “I don’t understand what’s happening right now.”
Princess Myrinne stepped forward, taking over the co
nversation—once again—before anyone could explain anything to Rose. “Come, now,” she told the couple. “You don’t want to mess up your beautiful clothes before the ceremony.”
Rose didn’t even register what the princess had said. She just kept staring at the couple with a stunned expression. “What is going on?” she whispered again.
Kara couldn’t decide whether to laugh at Rose’s confusion—or scowl at Princess Myrinne’s evasive tactics. The princess was going to great lengths to hide the truth from them, and yet, she kept introducing them to people who could reveal the truth. When Kara was hiding the truth from someone, she didn’t parade them around her colony, introducing them to all of her less deceptive friends. She kept a bit of distance between them—just never enough for it to seem suspicious.
Akilina stood, as the princess asked, but she kept a firm hold on Rose’s hand. “I mean it,” she said breathlessly. She tilted her head, and her straight, dark brown hair—a few shades darker than her olive-toned skin—fell around her face. “This is my sixth wedding, and it’s already the most magical. Because you’re here.”
Rose blinked slowly. “You should probably save that line for your vows.”
“You’ve committed your life to someone six times?” Kara said. Her light blue gaze shifted away, and she lifted her eyebrows. “You must really enjoy fear.”
“Six isn’t that many for ten thousand years,” Akilina told her. “I loved all of my lovers for many lifetimes.” Her deep, brown gaze shifted toward Rose, and Rose felt as if it were boring into her. “Love is good—even when it doesn’t last.”
“No, no, I know six isn’t that many,” Kara said easily. “I just…personally would rather singlehandedly fight an entire army than make a commitment to that many people.” When she noticed everyone looking at her, she quickly added, “I’d rather singlehandedly fight an entire army than do most things, though.”
Rose flashed a playful smile at her. “Not afraid of weddings, huh?”
Kara’s lips twitched in amusement. “Not afraid of anything.”
The Reign of Darkness Page 23
