by Amy Sumida
I felt him lean in closer, his breath hot on my neck, and his palm slid fully onto my cheek. His hand was big enough to hold me from jaw to crown; his claws curving over my scalp and under my chin. I swallowed hard and the tender flesh of my throat pressed dangerously into the sharp tip of his claw.
“Easy now,” he whispered into my ear and shivers rushed down my chest. “Just a little more.”
The magic quested further, seeking out every bruise, every ache and strain. I heard Raza's breath come deep and strong as he exerted more energy into healing me. His hand slid from my face to lightly skim down my side. His hands went right to the pain, sending pulsing waves of heat into me, healing slowly but surely. Finally, I felt better than I had in days. I stretched and luxuriated in the feeling of a whole new body. I felt him lift away but when I opened my eyes, his golden ones were right above me.
Wicked claws trailed through my hair but they didn't scare me. Nothing about Raza scared me anymore. I wasn't even sure if he had ever scared me. Thrilled, excited, aggravated, enraged; he had made me feel all of those emotions. But truly terrified? No. With Raza, I was safe and safety can be more seductive than a dragon's kisses.
“You saved my life again,” I whispered.
“I'd be delighted to make this our new routine,” he smiled brightly and kissed the tip of my nose. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” I sighed. “Again, thanks to you.”
“You look much better too,” he stroked the pad of his thumb across my cheek.
Is this your old room?” I glanced to the side to get some relief from his intense stare.
“Yes, of course,” he cleared his throat. “Where else would I take you?”
“Raza, why do you think Danu led you here?” I sat up and he eased to the side so he could sit beside me. “And more importantly; do you think there's any clothing lying around?”
He burst into laughter.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” He pulled a knee up and rested an elbow on it.
My face heated and I looked away. Raza had one of the most unusual male appendages I'd ever seen. It fascinated me to no end. The last time I'd had a glimpse of it, it had haunted my dreams for weeks. The scarlet tip crowning its ebony length wasn't even the most mesmerizing part, it was the rounded bony formation right above his member that had me intrigued. It was at the perfect place for a woman to... well, let's just say it seemed like dragons were built for pleasure.
“A little bit,” I admitted and stood up to stride over to the window. I pushed open the left panel and took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, trying to clear my head of the image of Raza posing like a playgirl model.
“As you wish,” he chuckled. “I am a djinn after all; I like granting wishes.” He headed over to the wardrobe but his eyes caught on the portrait and he froze. “My parents,” he nodded to it.
“Hey,” I hurried over to him. “I think they'd be proud of the man you've become. And they'd be grateful that you survived.”
“They wouldn't be proud that I'm here instead of at Castle Unseelie, challenging Uisdean for the throne,” he growled as he stomped the rest of the way to the wardrobe and threw back a door.
There were several regal looking items hanging in the wardrobe but he pushed them all aside and pulled out a pair of black leather pants. Raza yanked them on as I silently gave thanks for the small miracle of clothing. But then he straightened and I realized that not only were the pants tight enough to act as a second layer of skin, they were the same color as his skin. So he still looked naked!
I groaned as he pulled a blue linen tunic on. At least it covered his ass.
“What is it?” He glanced at me as he reached behind himself to fasten the buttons beneath his wings.
“Here, let me,” I said instead of answering.
I went around to his back and buttoned the material beneath each wing juncture. His wings twitched, closing around me for a moment, and I slapped at them with a laugh. The man was incorrigible, he could flirt with both his front and his back. Oh, that sounded so bad but sweet Goddess, it was true.
“I think that's why she brought us here,” he turned to face me suddenly.
“What is?” I gaped at him. He couldn't possibly know the sexy thoughts I'd been having, could he?
“To gather my supporters and challenge Uisdean for the throne,” he declared.
“Gather your supporters?”
“I hardly want a repeat of what happened to my ancestors,” he grimaced. “But if I ask for the support of the unseelie and get it before I take the crown, then I'll be sure that my fey want me for their king.”
“And no one will plot your murder?” I lifted a brow.
“Precisely,” he he gave a huffing snort. “But more importantly, I won't be afraid to go to war.”
“Oh yes, I can see how that's more important,” I rolled my eyes.
“Seren, a kingdom afraid of war is a crippled kingdom,” he shook his head. “It doesn't make me bloodthirsty, just smart.”
“Valid,” I held up a conciliatory hand. “But may I suggest that you get started now? Rue is bound to make the job easier for you.”
“So you're with me?” He asked with deep seriousness.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I'm with you, Raza. Let's take back your kingdom.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
We were both exhausted, Raza due to flying from the Alaskan rath to Castle Unseelie to save me and then flying us all the way to Craos-Teine (which was right in the heart of Unseelie), and I from grieving, fighting, and falling out a window. So the kingdom reclaiming would have to wait until we both had a nap. But what couldn't wait was scrying my father and Tiernan.
Blood took precedence, so the first scry was to King Keir. Raza took me into his personal library, which adjoined his bedchamber. Amid floor-to-ceiling bookshelves was a Raza-sized wood desk, two leather chairs, and a white gold stand holding a crystal ball. He brought a chair over for me to sit in while I scried but instead of bringing the other one over for himself, he just stood behind me.
I touched the crystal and called out my father's name. Keir answered almost immediately and I could tell from his weary expression that he'd been waiting near his crystal ball. I gave him a quick recounting of events after he expressed his relief over my wellbeing and then he leaned to the side to speak with Raza.
“Lord Raza, I am in your debt doubly it would seem,” Keir said gravely. “If there is any way for me to repay you, name it.”
I shared a look with Raza and nodded, shifting aside so he could approach the crystal.
“It just so happens, Your Majesty,” Raza smiled viciously. “That I could use some allies.”
“You have one in me,” Keir readily declared.
“That's very good news,” Raza nodded. “Because I intend to remove your brother from the unseelie throne and claim it for myself.”
“I suspected as much,” my father sighed. “This is not the first time Uisdean has taken people I love away from me. He killed my beloved Catriona and I had my vengeance upon him but it was not nearly enough. Our laws and my love for my brother restrained me. Yet despite our ties and my mercy, he has chosen to kill my people again and has once more put my daughter's life in jeopardy. I find that the sympathy and love I had for Uisdean have faded completely. Any further kindness towards him would not be noble but foolish,” he glanced my way and gave me a sad smile. “Now I must demand full restitution for my brother's crimes and I believe a kingdom might just be enough to settle the debt.”
“Not to be rude, King Keir,” Raza said firmly, “but I need there to be absolute clarity here. What can I expect from you?”
“An army, Lord Raza,” Keir said simply. “You will have the full support of Twilight. We are a neutral kingdom until the time comes for us to take actions to promote peace. This is that time and we will stand with you not only for vengeance but to bring peace back to Fairy.”
“I also intend to return Queen
Rue to her grave,” Raza said in a deadly voice. “Where she belongs.”
“My friend,” Keir said sadly. “I truly believe that were the original Rue here with us now, she would not only support that decision but beg you to bring it about with all haste.”
“Yes, I agree,” Raza nodded. “I don't recall a lot about the woman but what I do remember was her gentility.”
“I was a child when she died,” Keir said. “So I have even less memories of her than you but still, they are the same as yours. I remember a kind woman with a gentle smile. She doesn't deserve to live as a monster.”
“A dragon knight slaying an evil queen,” I mused. “It sounds like a dark fairy tale.”
“It is,” Keir and Raza said together.
“Lord Raza,” Keir went on. “Scry me when you're ready to assemble your army and I will bring my men to aid you.”
“Thank you,” Raza said sincerely.
“Thanks, Dad,” I added.
“Your life is worth more than a kingdom,” Keir swallowed hard as he stared at me. “I thought making you my heir would protect you but it seems that you were born to live within the fire, Daughter.”
“It's okay, Dad,” I smiled wide. “I like it here. It's nice and toasty.”
I tapped the crystal and Keir's face faded away. I turned to see Raza grinning from ear to ear.
“What?”
“Craos-Teine means; blazing, red hot fire,” he chuckled.
“Of course it does,” I rolled my eyes. “You know, that reminds me; when Uisdean brought Rue back, he called her by a Gaelic name.”
“Reòthadh?” Raza asked and I nodded. “Yes, it was her name, her mór.”
“But it got me to thinking,” I cocked my head at him. “Why are some fairy names in Gaelic and some in English?”
“Well, originally, Gaelic was our language; Fey. But as we became more and more entwined with the human world, the humans adopted our language for themselves. They altered it a little but basically it stayed the same. Then, as time went on, we adopted their language. First the Anglo-Saxon and then the newer dialect of English. Several of us changed our names into their English translations.”
“It surprises me that the fey would do that.”
“You forget that our names announce our magics,” Raza smiled viciously. “It's a form of intimidation and we've always enjoyed intimidating humans.”
“And Rue died before English became more popular,” I nodded in comprehension. “But your name is Gaelic, isn't it?”
“Tnyn is from the original Fey,” he corrected. “It means; to incinerate.”
“Of course it does,” I chuckled. “So why didn't you ever change it to Incinerate?”
“Firstly, because I think that sounds ridiculous,” he smiled. “And second, because dragons are intimidating all on their own.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded and tapped the crystal ball and scried for Tiernan. “Lord Tiernan Shadowcall.”
“Shadowcall,” Raza said contemptuously. “There's another name that should have been left alone. It doesn't have quite the same gravitas as Falcasbeir, now does it?”
“Falcasbeir?” I lifted a brow at Raza. “That was Tiernan's original surname?”
“I don't know if it's accurate to call our mór names surnames precisely,” Raza shrugged. “But yes, that was the original form of Shadowcall.”
“Tiernan Falcasbeir,” I tested the name.
“Seren?” Tiernan's face filled the ball.
“I'm fine,” I hurried to assure him.
“Raza left hours ago, I've been quaking with concern,” Tiernan exhaled roughly. “You went to confront Uisdean, didn't you?”
“Yes, and I got my ass kicked for my trouble,” I sighed. “Tiernan, I'm so sorry about Iain. I know you were close.”
“He was a knight of Twilight and a member of your Star's Guard,” Tiernan swallowed hard. “He died bravely and honorably, defending his princess. There is no better way for one of us to die.”
“I shouldn't have-”
“Don't do that,” he cut me off, laying his fingers on the crystal. “I don't blame you, none of us do.”
“There's so much more I need to tell you,” I took a steadying breath. “ But I need Chad to hear this as well, is he there?”
“I'm right here, Princess,” Chad's face joined Tiernan's.
“King Chiwen, how would you like to live in a dragon castle again?” I smiled.
Tiernan and Chad looked at each other and then back to me.
“The Marquess of Craos-Teine has an offer for you and your friends but first, let me tell you what's happened.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
By the time we finished the scry with Tiernan and Chad, Raza had his first band of unseelie supporters. Chad's friends were already upset with Uisdean but when they'd been informed of what he was truly after, and who he'd killed to achieve it, their anger had blossomed into full grown hatred. The possibility of a new king whom they could respect and a new home back in Fairy, came at the perfect moment. Not only would they join us, they'd extend the offer to all of their friends across the world; fairies who had moved to the Human Realm because they couldn't stand to live under Uisdean's rule.
An empty castle, a lush jungle, and a deep lake was a powerful triad of inducements. The unseelie of Earth could have their choice of environment to live in while still being a part of this new court. Chad's friends were confident that this would lure several fey home to Fairy and they went off to immediately make some phone calls. One of those calls would actually be a scry. Chad intended to tender his resignation to Uisdean.
That alone would be a huge blow to the current unseelie king but when Chad informed Uisdean that the Alaskan fey had abandoned their posts along the coast, Uisdean would be doubly scrambling. He'd need to replace Chad and the guards as soon as possible or he could be dealing with an invasion from the sea as well as an unstable queen.
“Why don't you go and rest,” Raza offered. “It will take Chad and Tiernan over a day to get here and I need to make a few more scries.”
Another perk which Craos-Teine boasted was a nearby rath, which was a mere five minutes away from the castle. Of course that didn't include the long trek up the mountainside but it was still a hell of a lot closer than any other rath was to a castle in Fairy. The bulk of Tiernan's trip would be in getting to the rath, which connected, conveniently enough, to Twilight. But here's the thing, the fastest route to travel would be to use human modes (cars and planes), to get to a rath in the Human Realm, which connected to a rath in Fairy as close as possible to the Twilight rath, which connected to Craos-Teine. Phew. I know, it's very confusing. But it boiled down to a plane flight from Alaska to Peru, where they would drive to a rath which would take them into Twilight. Then they had to walk several miles to the Twilight rath which connected to Craos-Teine. I didn't envy them their journey and I'd be surprised if it didn't take them longer than the day Raza predicted.
“Who are you scrying now?” I asked Raza as I headed toward the library door.
“First Rayetayah and then my cousins,” he said serenely.
“Raye,” I smiled. “Wait. Your cousins are still alive? Are they at the Unseelie Court?”
“No; one is in South America and the other is in Bermuda,” he said. “They didn't want to return after all the bloodshed but now I think they'll welcome the chance to come home.”
“So there will be dragons here, as in plural,” I noted.
“Hopefully,” he nodded. “But I will still be the last dragon king. When I reclaim the throne, I'm going to crown Rayetayah as my heir. If I ever die, the rule of dragons will become the rule of ravens.”
“I think that will go a long way towards showing the unseelie that this will be a different reign than that of your grandfather's.”
“I would hope the unseelie would know that already,” he frowned. “I may share his name and visage but we are very different men.”
I just looked at him
sympathetically.
“Perhaps I have kept myself withdrawn from most of the unseelie,” he sighed.
“You had good reason.”
“But now I have an even better reason to become acquainted with my fellow unseelie fairies,” he squared his shoulders.
“We're really doing this,” I shook my head in wonder. “We're overthrowing a fairy king.”
“It's probably not on the list of your ambassadorial duties,” he chuckled.
“I'm trying to save the Unseelie Kingdom. It may not be the appropriate action for an ambassador but it is for the Twilight Princess.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
I was falling, hurtling really, and I couldn't reach my magic. The power of air couldn't save me nor could my human psychic ability of levitation. I was going to die; my bones shattering on the jagged tips of the boulders below and my blood gushing out to soak into the earth. All while that evil woman laughed. It was scathing, the lurid sound echoed in my head.
“Seren,” a deep voice soothed me and stopped my fall. “Wake up, love.”
I fluttered my eyes open and looked upon the face of my savior. I smiled, thinking that there had been a time when the thought of Raza saving me from anything would have made me laugh myself silly But there he was and there I was, lying beneath him again. How did we keep ending up prone together?
“That's better” he smiled back at me. “You were dreaming.”
“A nightmare actually,” I whispered. “I've never felt so helpless.”
“The chains,” he nodded. “Their effect tends to haunt those they're used upon. Fairies aren't accustomed to being powerless.”
“Nor are extinguishers,” I sighed. “Did I wake you?”
“Yes but it's no matter,” he settled back onto the bed beside me, face down, his head angled in my direction. One wing was folded onto his back but the other stretched over me protectively. His arm slid around my waist and pulled me closer. “Go back to sleep and I'll try to keep your nightmares away.”
