by Amy Sumida
“You're joking, right?” I asked but he remained silent. “Tell me you're joking, Tiernan!”
“I'm joking,” he said but he wasn't at all convincing.
Chapter Two
I had to leave a very sad looking Cat behind. A Cat who was actually closer to a dog in appearance. She had the height of a Shetland pony and the look of a fluffy Irish Wolfhound. Cat is short for Catriona. I'd named the twilight puka after my late mother. It was a little ironic since my mother had been killed by a pack of unseelie pukas. But Cat was twilight, a difference which showed clearly in her coloring; gray fur and brown eyes as opposed to black fur and fiery eyes.
She had become a loyal companion, my best friend really. I know people say that about their dogs a lot but our friendship went beyond “man's best friend” status. Cat and I could communicate, sometime to the point where I wondered if she could hear my thoughts. This wouldn't be as surprising as you might think. She was Goddess-touched. Danu herself had laid a hand on my Cat and it showed. All fey creatures could understand fairies but Cat's comprehensive abilities went far beyond that of a normal fairy animal. Sometimes, it felt like she was a person. A very loyal person who'd do anything to protect me. Which was one of the reasons I chose not to take her with me. That, and Tiernan said she wouldn't be able to handle the spells required to give her the ability to breathe underwater.
Evidently water breathing took layers of spellwork to accomplish. Which was why Uisdean needed me to arrive a day earlier than the scheduled departure time. So I arrived mid-morning on the day Uisdean had requested. My Uncle was so pleased that he actually came out onto the onyx palace steps to meet my carriage.
His smile faded when he saw my entourage.
“I thought I told you not to bring them,” Uisdean grumbled as Tiernan helped me out of the carriage.
“Hello to you too, Uncle,” I grinned brightly.
“Yes, yes,” he grabbed my chin, angled my face to the side, and kissed my cheek rather forcibly. “Welcome to Unseelie Castle, Niece. Now please tell me that they came simply to protect you on your journey here.”
“Who are you talking about?” I blinked innocently at him.
“Your Guard,” he growled, waving a hand towards the men and one woman who were climbing out of the carriages behind mine. “The Twilight Star's Guard,” he grimaced.
“I require an escort, you know that,” I chided him. “I may be acting in my Ambassadorial capacity but I'm still the Princess of Twilight and that demands a retinue of personal guards.”
“My casters will have to work into the night now,” Uisdean huffed as he flung a hank of his butt-length, pitch black hair over his shoulder. “You couldn't have mirrored me, so I could prepare? Or would that have taken too much time from your princess duties?”
“Oh,” I lost the smile. “Yes, you're right, I should have notified you.”
“Well, we'd best get started,” Uisdean curled his finger at a man waiting behind him on the steps. “Mufasa, take the Star's Guard to the casters and have them get started at once.”
“Yes, Sire,” Mufasa bowed and headed over to my Guard.
I'd met Mufasa once before, and yes go ahead and take a moment to say his name, Lion King style. And then say it again. It can't be helped. Mufasa was a djinn of the snake variety and as creepy as his lurid reptilian eyes were, he wasn't nearly as menacing as Raza. But then, Raza was a different type of djinn altogether.
“Princess Seren,” Raza's voice shivered over me and for a moment, I thought I'd imagined it; that thinking of him had caused me to hallucinate.
Then I looked up and saw him emerging from the shadows sheathing the castle entrance, as if he were forming himself from them. He strode down the slick stone steps, his blunt boots thudding quietly, and was suddenly dominating the space around me. He was a massive man, thickly muscled and taller than even the statuesque sidhe, but his height was enhanced further by the pair of leathery wings which extended up from his back.
Tiernan tensed. There was a sort of mutual antagonism between them. Though Tiernan tended to be more hostile and Raza more snide. Basically, Raza couldn't understand Tiernan's desire for a monogamous relationship with me. Or maybe he could understand it but just didn't care, because he intended to make Tiernan share. Either that or steal me from him outright. I wasn't exactly sure what Raza's intentions were. Raza could be a little confusing and contradictory.
“Lord Raza,” I nodded to him and took a deep breath, trying to slow down my racing heart. But that only drew his scent deeper; a smoky sweet temptation that I could practically taste. I swallowed hard and felt Tiernan press into my side.
I suppose one of the reasons Raza was so snide about seducing me was my obvious and uncontrollable response to him. But as I mentioned, it was uncontrollable. I had no way of stopping it. The best I could do was not act on it. And maybe work on my poker face.
“I told you, I'd see you soon,” Raza took my hand and lifted it slowly to his lips, holding my gaze as he turned it over and placed a lingering kiss on my inner wrist.
Goddess help me but my toes curled in my boots.
He lifted his face and my stare was snared by his golden gaze. I blinked and tried to escape, following the prominent ridge of his brow bone all the way down his nose. But then I was left focusing on his lips. All the angles of his face, from his sloping cheekbones to that dramatic brow, led inward to his mouth; like a predator luring in unsuspecting prey. And his lips added to the illusion. They were the only sanctuary of softness offered in his face; one of the few places where his midnight skin was blushed with rose. The gentle color was beautiful against the darkness. A relentless draw to come closer and see if they tasted as good as they looked.
I already knew they did.
“Princess?” Raza lifted a brow and cocked his head.
One of the two crimson stripes in his hair fell across his cheek. I had an instant urge to brush it back. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Uh,” I cleared my throat. “Yes, so you did. Well done.”
“Would you two like some privacy?” Uisdean rolled his eyes.
“No!” I nearly shouted as Raza smiled.
“Lord Raza,” Tiernan's hand slid between Raza and I.
Raza looked at it for a moment and then his own hand shot out and snatched Tiernan's. His pure black skin made Tiernan's appear almost as white as the fabled unseelie moonlight complexion. As I stared at them, I had a strange flash; an image of those hands sliding over my body, both of them at the same time. Black and white, day and night, bound by twilight. The words wandered through my mind as if I'd read them from a book. I gasped and shook my head, backing away from the men.
“Seren?” Uisdean lifted a mocking brow.
“When should we start laying the spellwork on me and Tiernan?” I asked Uisdean to cover my unease.
“So eager,” Uisdean chuckled and motioned some fairies forward. They grabbed our bags and hurried into the castle. “We'll get you settled and have our mid-day meal first. The casters will be busy with your Guard for awhile.”
I realized then that my Guard had filed past me and into the castle without me noticing. We were alone in the courtyard; Uisdean, Raza, Tiernan, and I. Even the carriages had been taken away.
“Alright,” I shifted so that I was on Tiernan's right, placing Tiernan between Raza and me. “It was nice to see you again, Lord Raza.”
“Oh, he'll be joining us for the meal,” Uisdean's eyes gleamed with mischief. “You don't mind, do you, Seren?”
“No, Uisdean, I don't,” I glared at him.
“Excellent,” Uisdean turned and led us into the castle. “I'll just call someone to show you to your rooms. I'm sure you'd like a chance to freshen up after your journey.”
We went past the open double doors, the silver moon adorning them split by the separation, and strode into the amazing entry hall of Castle Unseelie. The castle itself was made of polished black stone, a menacing façade that was echoed accuratel
y in the lower regions of the castle. But up there in the entry hall, Castle Unseelie was more hospitable.
The inner walls were deep cerulean stone studded with jewels to mimic the night sky. The floors were the same black as the castle's outer walls but they were covered in wine red carpets and the stairs to either side of the room were carved from golden-brown wood which softened the room. Finally, directly ahead of us and between the curving staircases, was a lush atrium full of unseelie plants. The atrium was open all the way to the sky and if you looked up the cored length, you could see the tiers of the castle like a cut cake. There were balconies on every floor so that the unseelie could admire the garden from any of the upper levels.
“That's not necessary,” Raza purred. “I'd be happy to show the Princess to her guest chambers. I assume she'll be staying in her father's rooms?”
Tiernan's jaw clenched.
“Yes, I thought that would be appropriate,” Uisdean nodded. “Perhaps you'd be so kind as to wait for them there and then escort the Princess and her...” Uisdean contemplated Tiernan as Tiernan stared back belligerently, “her consort to my dining chambers?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Raza indicated the stairway to our right. “This way please.” Raza headed up the steps and after I sent Tiernan a warning look, we followed.
“How's your son, Lord Raza?” I asked as we reached the top landing and turned down a narrow hallway.
“Rayetayah is very well,” Raza stopped and turned to lay a claw-tipped hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for asking after him.”
“Of course,” I sputtered while the skin beneath his hand seemed to come alive with sensation. “He's a good guy. Do you know if he ever told his girlfriend about his true heritage?”
“He has made his confession,” Raza's hand slid away, the tips of his claws lightly grazing me. “And the silly woman didn't believe him. When he showed her his wings, she began to scream hysterically and he had to remove her memories of him.”
“He ended the relationship?” Tiernan asked with surprise.
“You ask as if there was a choice,” Raza was just as shocked. “He has no future with a woman who won't accept him for what he is. Don't you think everyone should have a lover who truly understands and accepts them?”
It felt like a threat and Tiernan seemed to agree with my assessment. His body eased slightly into the stance which every warrior recognizes, before he cautiously answered Raza's question.
“Of course I do.”
“Good,” Raza smiled, shrugged, and turned around to lead us further down the hallway. As I shared a confused look with Tiernan, Raza called back to my boyfriend, “I'll remember that you said so.”
“What the hell was that about?” I whispered to Tiernan.
“Are you coming?” Raza cut off anything Tiernan might have said.
Tiernan just grimaced and squeezed my hand before we started forward again. Raza took us up several flights of stairs and down more hallways, seriously challenging my exemplary retention abilities. Finally, he threw open a door and motioned us inside.
“This is the room your father always stays in when he visits,” Raza announced as he followed us in. “The bedroom is through there,” he pointed towards a door near the end of the right wall. “I shall wait here while you change.”
The main portion of the suite was very like a living room except that there was also a dining table placed off to one side. In the center were a collection of low couches, overstuffed to the point of ridiculousness, and upholstered in shimmery sky-blue fabric. Raza went straight to them, plopped back on one as he curled his wings forward, and flopped his feet up on a huge chunk of crystal whose top was cut flat to serve as a coffee table. He looked like a man home after a hard day's work; fairy style.
“Great, make yourself at home,” I muttered.
I shook my head at the path my day was taking and went into the bedroom with Tiernan. Our bags, just one for each of us, had been placed on the wide bed. The bed was shaped like a normal bed, with a silk comforter in lime green laid over it. It had normal pillows and normal sheets. Everything about it was fairly normal. Except for the fact that it hovered three feet above the ground.
I went forward and yanked the hem of the comforter to the side so I could be sure there was nothing holding the bed up from below. Nope, nothing. I waved my hand in the space between the bed and the floor like I was a magician showcasing a trick. I felt the tingles of magic, like static in the air.
“Are you finished?” Tiernan asked as he opened his bag and dug out a change of clothes.
“I saw a bed like this in a movie once,” I mused. “But it was really strong magnets, pushing at each other, which was what accomplished the hovering appearance.”
“Uh-huh.”
“This doesn't amaze you in the slightest, does it?”
“It's just a bed, Seren.”
“A floating bed,” I huffed and yanked my bag over to me. “You can't even let me feel a little wonder over a floating bed?”
“You've been feeling enough wonder,” he grumbled.
“Oh here it comes,” I rolled my eyes as I pulled out a crimson velvet gown, threw it on the bed, and then yanked off my wrinkled silk dress.
Being a Princess meant that I had to dress the part and a princess didn't attend lunch with a king in a wrinkled dress. How gauche.
“You're telling me that you felt nothing when he touched you?” Tiernan looked hard at me.
“What do you want me to say, Tiernan?” I sighed. “We've been over this. I'm not dead; my body responds to him, it's chemical. But you're the one I love. Isn't that enough?”
“Absolutely,” he said softly as he took my hand and pulled me against his chest. His silver eyes shimmered in the low light and went sincere. “As long as I'm the only one you sleep with too.”
“Cross my heart,” I drug my finger over my chest in an X.
“Alright,” he smiled and kissed me.
The dress slipped from my fingers as I fell into Tiernan's kiss. As much as Raza was equivalent to a one-two punch to my senses, Tiernan was a slow boil. He could turn up the seduction until my kettle blew its top. And really, isn't half the fun in getting there? When he finally pulled away, my legs were shaky.
“I didn't know he'd be here,” I offered.
“I know,” Tiernan conceded. “At least he won't be going into the sea with us.”
Chapter Three
Raza was waiting patiently when we emerged from the bedroom. In fact, he was staring out the large window across from him, contemplating the Fairy sky as if there were much more than clouds in it. We were on the sixth floor and that, combined with the elevation of the castle itself, provided a bird's eye view. But from Raza's position, it was only a horizontal one and all he saw was a stretch of pale blue spotted with white. His expression was somber and a little fierce. It made my chest constrict with trepidation.
As soon as we walked into the room though, Raza sat up and turned to us with a bright smile. The ferocious contemplation was gone, replaced by what I was beginning to realize was a mask. Something was bothering the dragon-djinn and I found myself both curious and concerned over what it was.
“You look lovely,” he said to me, his smile softening.
“Yes, she does,” Tiernan agreed and held his arm out for me.
“Thank you,” I said to them both and took Tiernan's arm.
“Shall we?” Raza went to the suite's door and held it open for us.
As I passed him, he gave me a look, one that I read clearly. It said everything there was between us and more. He knew I still hadn't confessed our kiss to Tiernan and he wanted to use that against me but something had changed. The threat was gone from his eyes. He was going to allow me to keep the secret and that worried me even more. Because that meant the dragon was beginning to feel more than lust for me, which could prove dangerous to us both.
“Your Uncle's rooms are this way,” Raza slipped past us and headed down the hallway to
wards a staircase.
As we climbed, I frowned. I just couldn't imagine my uncle climbing so many stairs every day. Perhaps he floated up and down them using air magic. I could probably do the same. I had a levitation ability from my human side and I'd been practicing the basic beag (minor) magics for awhile now.
“What are you doing?” Tiernan looked at my floating feet.
“Testing a theory,” I offered as I pulled myself along using the railing.
Raza glanced back and chuckled, “Uisdean does the same thing. Perhaps you're more like your uncle than you think.”
I instantly dropped back to the stairs.
“My theory was that King Uisdean would sooner float up stairs than climb them,” I protested. “And you've proven it true.”
“Your uncle has many admirable qualities, Seren,” Raza admonished. “He can be a fiend, it's true. But then, can't we all?”
“No,” I said blandly. “Most of us are not fiends. If we were, the word wouldn't be so distasteful.”
“Perhaps not constantly,” Raza shrugged and went back to climbing the stairs. “But given the right situation, most of us prove ourselves capable of fiendish behavior.”
I rolled my eyes at Tiernan and he gave me a secret smile.
Uisdean's rooms were at the very top of the castle, go figure. He had an entire tower to himself, each level within the tower was a full room. We stopped on the lowest floor; the royal dining chambers. Still, despite being the lowest level of the tower, the view was incredible.
I went straight to one of the numerous windows in the round room and laid my hand against the swirling ebony framework as I peered out of the glass-less opening. My feet tingled as I leaned out a bit and realized that even Uisdean's windows were dangerous. The tower rose over the back end of the castle, the side which was poised over a sheer cliff, and the base of that cliff was a field of jagged boulders. One slip and I'd be falling towards a messy death.
I straightened and gripped the frame tighter. My air magic wasn't quite good enough yet to save me from a fall like that. I could float, not fly.
