by Godiva Glenn
He frowned, his serious expression taking her back. “Not at all,” he disagreed. “I’m not great at this,” he muttered.
“Great at what?”
His eyes followed her cup, still sitting before her untouched. “Getting to know you?”
“Oh,” she whispered. It sank in. “Oh. No, sorry, I just completely misunderstood.” She cringed inwardly. If Rask or Liam had poured her a drink and asked her about her life, she wouldn’t have assumed it was anything but a chance at flirting. With Arron, she had gone straight into thinking she was part of some strange science experiment, or an interrogation.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“I would like to know more about you if you’d be willing to take the time to share.”
She lifted the cup and took a careful sip. It was bitter, spiced, and burned as it went down, but she endured it with a smile. “I guess I’ll start at the beginning, then,” she said.
He relaxed and drank from his cup, not reacting at all to the unpleasant taste. “The beginning of Prism? Or of your life?”
“They overlap,” she grinned. “All origins started as one, as Life. Life shortly split into death. Then Fear. Hope. Trust. And more…”
Fianni sat in the tub, staring at the bubbles decorating the water surface. Lost in her thoughts, she’d pick one glossy surface to stare at until the rainbows stretched too far, and it popped. Then she’d pick another.
Rask had predicted correctly. Even if Liam’s decision was with reason, the way he’d delivered it wasn’t going over well. Rask had stepped up and taken to mediating with the clans that had already sided with the dragons but were hesitant regarding confrontation. Liam was in meetings day in and out. Arron was equally absent, but he’d made progress.
Progress he wasn’t disclosing due to the many eavesdropping ears. A small flock of songbird shifters had moved their allegiance towards the bears. Paranoia was at an all-time high.
It had been a week since Rask had revealed his secret, and since then it was as if they’d taken a step back and cooled. Mostly due to the larger pressing matters, but also because regardless of what he felt, Liam and Arron were still a mystery.
She didn’t have to ask to know that he was mulling the possibility that she was his mate alone. Were that the case, she could guess how he’d handle it. He’d send her away. There was no chance that he’d allow himself happiness while watching Liam and Arron suffer.
It was clear that something could happen with Arron, but there was no forward momentum.
“Gerri’s going to be supremely annoyed if we mess up her success rate,” Fianni murmured to a large cluster of bubbles.
“Then don’t mess it up,” the bubbles replied.
“Iona?” Fianni sat up.
“My timing isn’t what it used to be,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll be waiting in your room.”
Fianni laughed and climbed from the tub immediately. She pulled on a plush robe and ignored the suds clinging to her loose hair.
“I was starting to worry,” she shouted into the bedroom as she rushed through the closet connecting the two rooms. “I know traveling takes a toll, but it was feeling like forever.”
A miniature Iona lounged on the surface of a stemmed glass of water. “A bit of this and a bit of that. You’re missing some selkie drama, and when they get ruffled, the water becomes choppy.”
Fianni sat at the desk and leaned over the glass. “That raises a million questions.”
“I’ll tell you all about it when everything is settled. Right now, it’s overlapping hearsay and all.” Iona turned her tiny head to scan the room. “What’s this about success? Are your dragons not playing nice?”
“I don’t even know where to start,” Fianni admitted. “It’s turned into a political drama here. Heading towards… you can guess.”
“Am I just in time for reconnaissance?” Iona asked seriously.
The offer was given so quickly, Fianni almost missed the importance of it. Perhaps because the shifters of Solara would be unaware of how to combat an undine, Iona had readily spoken. But Fianni knew better. The undine were near extinct due to how valuable their magic was. Iona’s family had largely perished aiding in the last war on Prism.
“No. It’s not our fight. Or at least, it’s not yours.” Fianni tried to imagine what Arron would think. He wanted to keep their issues private. Liam would possibly be open to it. Any help was help. “It’s tempting, but I don’t think it’s wise. As easily as you could probably get to the bottom of the secrets out there, it wouldn’t help the dragons garner faith.”
“Quite true. Peace gained at that price would be challenged. We’ve seen that.”
Fianni nodded. “I hate to say this, but it would probably be for the best if you kept your distance for now.”
“You know I won’t leave you here if things get bad,” Iona replied.
“I feel safe. Deep down I don’t think it’ll escalate. Maybe it’s denial, I don’t know. But even then, I feel safe. If things get worse, I want to be here.”
Iona sank into the water, seeming to think.
“You’ve missed a lot,” Fianni said. “After you dropped me off I was told that the dragons hadn’t contacted Gerri.”
“What?”
“Then I learned that one of them did but kept it secret. That would be Rask. He’s… he’s something, Iona. He’s something. And he loves me, and believes I’m his mate but Arron and Liam, well we haven’t spoken about it.”
“Why not?” Iona asked. “Oh. Right. Impending war.” She sighed heavily. “You’ve got one out of three hearts and a coup on your hands. But it’s not the most complicated spot you’ve been in.”
“I know. Nothing like witnessing and delegating the end of a brutal civil war to put things in perspective,” Fianni replied. Her own brevity brought a frown to her lips. “I’ve changed, haven’t I? Maybe it’s not my faith in the dragons that makes me doubt the worst to come. Maybe I’ve become jaded. Maybe I don’t care. And if that’s the case, maybe that’s why my magic seems to be weaker.”
“Wait… your magic is weaker? Since when?” Iona shook her head. “Look, we all change. I can’t lie and say you’re exactly the same as when we met. When we met, Prism was a ball of mud. You were naked all the time with your brothers and sisters. Changes had to come.”
“I’ve never been this torn on things. The men… their situation… where I fit into it all. Indecision was never a fault of mine.”
“Yes, it was,” Iona said quietly. “The last time you were in love.”
Fianni lowered her eyes. “I can’t talk about that right now.”
“You’ve never talked about it. Maybe you should, though. And maybe soon. You can’t start a new chapter without closing the previous one. You’ve never been ready. Well, no time like the present. Especially if war is on your doorstep.”
Memories of Kohl flooded forward, even though she tried to hold them back. Kohl wasn’t an aspect, he was just fae. Not even a shifter. Just a soldier. But they’d been in love, and that was all that mattered.
“Tell me about the dragons,” Iona urged. “I didn’t mean to bring you down.”
Fianni shook her head as if she could physically force the image of Kohl’s face from her mind.
“Do you love Rask?” Iona asked. “You said he loves you.”
That managed to clear her thoughts. “It’s too soon.”
“Have you two…”
Fianni combed idly through her wet hair, staring off. “No. We’ve played, I suppose you could say. And before you ask why not, it’s a dragon thing. Or a Rask thing. Or maybe it’s just a council thing.”
“You don’t even know?”
“I don’t always understand. Sometimes talking with them is bizarrely vague. Any answers lead to more questions.”
Iona pouted. “That’s no fun. I honestly expected you to be crippled from all the dragon sex by now.”
“At this rate, I don’t know if we’ll get there.�
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“It sounds like you don’t want to get there,” she replied.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” she replied archly. “You’ve got three incredibly delicious men there with you, and regardless of whether they all hired Gerri or not, they all want a mate.”
“But they’re not all interested,” Fianni reasoned.
“Oh really? Or are you not giving them a chance? Just two minutes ago you wondered if maybe you didn’t care—”
“I meant about the war!”
“No, I could tell you meant everything.” Iona narrowed her eyes. “I can read you like a book, Fianni.”
“I came here. I took a chance. I wanted to be… proactive.”
Iona sighed. “I know. But the moment I left, you got scared, didn’t you? It’s easy to say you want to change. It’s entirely different to accept it. I get the feeling if I traveled this castle I could find each of these men brooding over you.”
“No, you wouldn’t. I think I can tell when someone is interested in me.”
“Not if you’re blinded by your own disinterest.”
“I’m—”
Iona sent a water droplet straight between Fianni’s eyes, quieting her. “You like these men. You may be on the path to loving them. And you don’t want to face that, so I bet you’re avoiding them and any advances. You’re imagining roadblocks, and you’re happily using their current problems to hang back and look for more hiding spots.”
Iona took a deep breath. “You were happy and vulnerable with Troy because it was never going anywhere. These men aren’t Troy, though. They want it all. They want love and sex and they want a Queen. You’re too busy lamenting Kohl to accept another chance, even if you desperately need it, and deep-down want it.”
Fianni turned the glass over, spilling the water everywhere. Hot tears leaked down her cheeks and she wiped them away furiously.
It’s not true. It’s not true.
She left the room, eager to escape any chance of Iona returning to haunt her. She doesn’t know. She’s not here to see. I’m not standing in my own way—there’s nothing…
Liam stood at the end of the hall, in a close conversation with the two guards she’d often seen patrolling the grounds at night.
Scenarios played in her head. Solutions to see where they were. If she were to go to him now and take his hand, would he let her? Would he hold her?
His head raised and turned towards her as if he heard her thoughts. Even at a distance, she could tell his eyes had narrowed. She turned and walked away, brushing away the moisture still clinging to her lashes.
It was ridiculous to imagine ploys to see if he had affection, to see if Iona was right. I don’t play games.
In the courtyard below the library, Reese and Marcus were having a serious discussion. Or rather, Fianni assumed it was serious. But Marcus seemed to be similar to Arron in that his dark brows and firm jaw made everything seem to be a matter of life or death.
For all she knew, they were discussing their favorite flowers.
Rising from the window seat, she set aside the book she’d grabbed but never started to read. Her mind was clouded. If she and Iona had ever fought before, that memory was missing.
She didn’t know what to do, but she suspected that chatting with Reese would be better than nothing. She liked the wolf, after all. After spending the previous day miserable and hiding in her room, Fianni needed to get out.
Down winding staircases and shadowed halls, Fianni tried to think of a way to begin a conversation. One that would keep the discussion free of romance or relationships. Anything neutral would be excellent.
Reese stepped into the hallway and lifted her hand in greeting. “Good. I was hoping you were nearby.”
“Really?”
“Before I forget this message.” She took a deep breath and scrunched her face as if in thought. “Okay. So… According to the water I washed my face in this morning, someone named Gerri asked about you, and the water told her you were fine, right as rain, no worries. And also, the water claimed that selkies weren’t the only drama queens—whatever that means—and that she’ll look for three drops of dye.”
Fianni forced a smile to hide the grimace that so badly wanted to surface. “Thanks for the message.”
“Do I even want to know? I assumed this was all private, so I didn’t tell my mates that I could suddenly talk to my sink, but it’s got me a bit uncomfortable if I’m being honest.” Reese shook her head. “I’m not into keeping things from them. Though in this case, I’m not even sure how I’d explain it.”
“I’m sorry.” Fianni looked down the hall, making sure they were alone. “It’s a long story, and maybe it’s best if you don’t know what everything means if that makes sense. And don’t worry, I can promise you won’t hear any more voices.” Iona wouldn’t risk it again. Not until Fianni contacted her.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Reese replied sincerely.
They walked along in silence. Fianni’s conversation starters fell apart while she wondered if she should apologize to Iona. She didn’t feel that she was in the wrong, but she didn’t like the knot in her stomach.
It was nice to know that Iona had covered for her with Gerri, at the very least.
Three drops of dye. It was a method they’d used in the past to signal safe communication.
“A lot on your mind?” Reese asked. She didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “We came by to assure Liam that he has the wolves’ support—all of us.”
“That’s overwhelmingly reassuring,” Fianni admitted. “I have no idea how many bodies that is, though.”
“Plenty. We wolves make babies like it’s a competition. And maybe it is. My sister already has four and she’s younger than I am,” Reese said with a smirk.
“Oh… so you have a full family?” Fianni asked carefully. She tried to hide her envy. Four? Reese must have twelve with her two men.
“Two at the moment. But I’m not trying to have a private army. Three would be a suitable number for me, I think.” She scoffed. “Marcus and Wolff want more, of course. Men. Easy for them to think a half-dozen is a suitable number of times to push a massive melon out of your body.”
Fianni nodded and gave a weak laugh. “Yeah…”
“Am I making you nervous? Don’t worry. Or maybe do. They learn to fly young, I’m told. And you won’t be able to catch them on your own unless you’re hiding some wings somewhere,” Reese chatted on, completely oblivious to Fianni’s discomfort.
“That’s not really on the table at the moment,” she said coolly.
Reese glanced over. “Oh, right. Sorry. Getting ahead of myself. Cart. Horse. Crash…” She placed a hand to her brow and squinted. “I’m not really myself today. I blame a lack of sleep and an overdose of stress.”
“That seems to be going around. Do you think it’ll really happen? A full-blown war? It’s one thing for threats to be flying and all but… I just can’t imagine,” Fianni admitted.
“I know.” Reese pursed her lips. They’d come across a group of children playing with soap bubbles. None of them looked older than twelve. Reese stepped back against one side of the hall as they ran by, then continued, “I don’t know if you’ve seen shifters ripping each other apart before, but I have. It’s not something I want to witness or participate in. I don’t want my children to even breathe wind of it.”
Fianni winced at the thought. How true. This wouldn’t be a battle with many weapons. Just claws and fangs. She’d seen a battlefield before. Even the cleanest cut with a sword was a mess when all was said and done.
“The dragons have a reputation for being ruthless, and they’ve earned it over time. It’s largely political savvy by now, but the fear is still there. The Lower Lake foxes joined with the bears, just because they believe that if enough stand up against us, there will be no battle.”
“Outnumber us and avoid battle? They believe that?”
“T
hey do. I understand the theory. At the end of the day, Liam doesn’t want to slaughter half of his people. He’d step down.” Reese crossed her arms. “But on the other hand, our ancestors chose the dragons to lead for a reason, and it was more than just them being massive hotheads. He’s not weak. He’ll do what needs to be done.”
“I don’t understand how it got this far,” Fianni replied.
“I also suspect that Solomon is dealing in the shadows. Land agreements. Threats. He has a large family on Earth and was boasting that they’d come and back him here.” She narrowed her eyes in disgust. “In reality, Liam’s threat was harsh, but if looked at another way it was lenient. It was disrespectful, yes. But the bears hold claim to more land than most. They got their portion because they were large in number as well in size, but they got more than they needed. Liam could have threatened worse than taking some land, even if it is land that is considered sacred.”
Fianni leaned against a wall and looked at the ground, thinking. “Then the real question is… is Solomon that eager for a bloodbath?”
Reese shrugged. “I know little about him. He was no one until he mated with Chell, their alpha female. Now she’s ‘indisposed,’ having a rough pregnancy.”
“He’s just a random bear, then? Risen to power?”
“Yeah. Which is the scary part, because it makes me think he definitely could be out for blood. And he’d get it. The castle isn’t what it used to be. Arron’s grandfather updated the style when he was king.”
“The large windows, you mean?”
“Yes, and a few other adjustments. It was a subtle way of saying that he expected the castle to not be needed as a castle. Even the keep, which you’re staying in, would be much harder to defend.”
“Such a mess.” Fianni didn’t know what else to say. “I would attempt to broker a deal but—”
“No. No way.”
“I was going to say, Liam doesn’t want me that involved. He wants my help, but he won’t take the highest level of it. He keeps me tucked away during any discussions with the other shifters. I’m allowed to sit in only if it’s all dragons.”
