by R. Scarlett
She looked down at his large hands, tanned and rough, but all hers. Against her pale skin.
“We’ll fight, side by side, sleep side by side, and destroy anyone who threatens us,” he hissed, his hands bringing her flush against him.
She bit back a moan, and his hand rose to her chin, slowly turning her to face him.
She blinked her water-beaded lashes at the god, tips of his hair soaked and his skin gleaming. Warm streams caressed her curves and left his chest looking glossy. The water made his muscles look even more pronounced, and she couldn’t help but purr in delight.
She kissed his upper chest, her hand smoothing up to where his heart beat rapidly. Her iron heart.
“Together.” She promised him.
And she kissed the beast.
TENSLEY squeezed Molly’s hip, pressing her close to him as Seto stood before them.
He wasn’t alone.
Three more guards, cloaked in black robes, stood behind Seto.
His office felt too cramped, too dark as the sunset cast shadows across the wall and his desk.
He dared one of the men to glance at Molly, but none of them looked at anyone. Their gazes stayed to the hardwood floors, an impassive expression on their weathered faces.
“Why did Lord Fallen send you to take us?” Tensley asked.
Seto glanced at Molly for one second too long, and then back at Tensley. “He wanted a soldier he could trust to safely deliver you to court,” Seto explained, and he lifted his hand until one of the guards laid two black cloaks in it. “Lord Fallen advised that you wear these.”
“Why?” Molly frowned at his hands.
“Because he wants you to fit into our society. That,” Seto said, his eyes dropping to Molly’s pink flowy dress, “does not fit into Fallen’s dress code.”
Molly chewed on her lip, nodding.
He handed the hooded garments over, and Tensley took both of them, spreading a cloak over Molly’s small frame. She smiled shakily up at him as she clipped the cloak together below her throat.
Tensley shrugged his cloak on but didn’t bother clipping it. It flowed around his feet, just over the floor, a cloud of darkness.
He returned his attention to Seto, who watched them silently.
“Ready?” His clipped tone irritated Tensley. He didn’t want Molly more nervous than she already was. She spent the whole night tossing and mumbling in his arms, and even woke before him.
Tensley nodded curtly.
Seto flicked his wrist, and one guard produced a long, curving dagger from his cloak and faced the window.
Words spat out of Seto’s mouth, fast and vicious, foreign to Tensley’s ears.
But that would mean Tensley and Molly wouldn’t be able to leave whenever they liked. They’d have to depend on someone to let them go.
That did not sit well in Tensley’s gut.
The dagger hummed so low he wondered if Molly could hear it. Seto sliced the dagger slowly through the air, a wavering shimmer, and soon, Tensley noted a hole gaping through of a dark view of fresh grass and woods.
Molly’s hand clenched his, and he squeezed back.
One guard led, strolling through the hole, edges glowing and sparking. Seto then gestured for Molly and him to go ahead.
Tensley straightened and walked toward the hole, Molly matching his steps.
“Don’t touch the edge. It’ll scorch you to the bone,” Seto warned. Tensley knew the bastard was smiling.
Molly snuggled closer to his side, and they stepped through—into the dusk, into the lawn of dark blue grass.
Fireflies blinked in and out around them, filling the darkening night sky as if the frostbite of the first cold night hadn’t touched Babylon. A long warm summer, a cool autumn, a snowy winter, and a refreshing spring of tulips.
Up ahead stood the castle, a statue of destruction and beauty—Lord Fallen’s High Court.
Seto recited again in a foreign language and closed the hole with the same dagger.
“Just a bit further,” Seto announced, stepping around them and up the dirt path. The path was lined with large trees full of lush green leaves, and they towered over the path as a shield, a shelter from the weather.
“I wish I had brought those books,” Molly whispered as they walked closer to the castle, stone off-white, hidden by rich green ivy consuming it.
He smirked. She had spent the entire day reading books from his office about High Court, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible before they left.
“Don’t worry,” he hushed. “You have me.”
Neither of them spoke the rest of the walk, both focused on steeling their expression and postures. They were about to enter a court of beasts, and the last thing they needed was to smell of fear.
The closer they got, the more Tensley’s stomach dropped. He had seen photographs of High Court, heard tales and warnings, but seeing it for himself was entirely different.
It was sculpted like a cathedral, three large towers, such complex architecture, and a carved sun at the very middle.
A holy place of the King, of their society, and he was about to march Molly into the heart of chaos.
A ten-foot tall gate of iron, designed to tell the story of Fallen’s road to becoming king, detailed between the bars.
Seto pulled down his hood and spoke to another man on the other side of the gate, and soon, it opened, letting them pass into the central courtyard of cobblestones.
Laughter filled the area from the entrance to the house.
Tensley straightened his posture and gave one last glance down at Molly, a warning.
She nodded.
They walked toward the front entrance. French doors fully opened to let in the cool night air into the packed room.
A room full of high-class demons of the powerful families of High Court. Tensley flexed his fingers in Molly’s hand, tugging her closer as they stepped into the ballroom, flooded by large gowns and black suits, a toast to the late 1800s.
Tensley had heard of Fallen’s obsession with the human era of the 1800s. He loved their society. He loved their strict but sexual flirting fashion. He molded his court to reflect that like his own fantasy of modesty and sin.
What the king wanted, his court gave him.
Tensley didn’t cower though. His blood was highborn, and with the daemon beside him, he was a god of destruction.
A few stopped to glance at them, and he challenged them with a hard stare.
He wouldn’t flinch, he wouldn’t sweat a drop, and he wouldn’t back down.
Fallen wanted him?
He’d show them the beast.
Teeth and all.
Seto guided them into another room, the dining hall and shouts of pure delight rang in his ears.
The last thing Tensley expected to see were two men, bare-chested and wrestling in the midst a gold circle on the floor.
Women in the room wore crowns of lilies painted gold and men wore wreaths of evergreen on their heads, an odd sight with their tailored black suits.
Gold paint glimmered off the wrestlers’ skin, an image of a shimmering god, to catch the eye of the sun. Both were hairless, black tattoos lining their scalps instead, their pledge to serve the court and the crown. Tensley glanced at Seto—the man was the king’s guard, but he too had the tattoos hidden beneath his dark mane.
“To honor the harvest and the sun god, Sonolios. To give thanks to the summer and welcome the coming darkness. The union of the sun and night,” Seto explained at Molly’s scowl. “Both men are lower-class, chosen to prove their worthiness of defending the crown. This is their only chance of doing an honorable job for them. If they lose, they’ll be cast out in the forests outside the castle gates.”
Fallen had fucking invited him to the Fall Solstice.
One punch to the stomach, the other groaned, retorting with a fist to a man’s jaw, blood splattering across the ground.
Men and women sat at long tables cheering at the entertainment.
&n
bsp; The wrestlers were crazed, driven by the need to please Fallen, to earn his approval to be accepted into his army.
More growls, more blood splatter, until one of the men roared, shoving his opponent out of the ring.
He panted, raising his hands above his head, praising the sun god.
The fallen man spat blood onto the marble floor and sneered at the winner. Soldiers grabbed his arms and in the midst of the chaos, escorted him out.
“Present yourself, boy,” Fallen’s voice interrupted the cheers, and Tensley followed where it came from.
Perched on his high throne at the head of the hall, a crown of gold and vicious thorns, one that legends had said he’d murdered traitors with, he beckoned the man to come forward.
“King,” the man panted, dropping to his shaking knees.
“With the sun god’s blessing, I welcome you to my army. To be loyal to me and only me—the crown, the court, comes before all else. Your life, your duty belongs to the court. You will claim no maiden and sire no young. Pledge to me.”
“I pledge to serve the crown and the court and give my life every sun and every moon I see,” he said, bowing his head.
Fallen smiled slowly at that. He gestured for a guard dressed in golden glimmering armor, and he grabbed the youth. “The sun god blesses you with strength and power in the victory. You will no longer remember your name, your family. You are my army.”
The man nodded and was taken away by the guard—beaten, bruised, bloody, but proud.
Seto marched them up to a long table at the back of the room where Fallen sat in the midst of laughing at what another member had said.
Seto stopped in front of the table, legs far apart and a hand held behind his back, bowing low. “Lord Fallen,” he began, and Fallen’s eyes dragged to him. “Your guests have arrived.”
Fallen turned to see Tensley, and his eyes lit up when he caught sight of Molly beside him. “You brought the daemon.”
A few people at the table stared and leaned to whisper to another.
Tensley rolled his shoulders back. “Lord Fallen.” He bowed his head.
“You came for the perfect night,” Fallen said as if he hadn’t been the one to request their presence for that very night. Tensley flashed his teeth, but his attention was still on Molly. “The Fall Solstice. We just finished a delicious feast of boars caught within my forests and fish in my stream. Such a shame you didn’t come earlier.” He clicked his tongue and stood. “But the celebrations have just begun!”
“Lord Fallen,” a sensual voice spoke behind him. Tensley glanced over his shoulder to see the queen—large curls of strawberry blonde hair rained down her neck, her dress fitting to her curves, and red lips that smirked with each word she spoke. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your guests.”
She lifted her hand, waiting for Tensley to take it and kiss it—a tradition when presented to the queen.
But Tensley simply took her hand and bowed, his hard stare challenging hers.
Her smile twitched, and she turned to face Molly beside him. “And you, you, my darling…are the daemon everyone has been gossiping about. Hm?” She touched Molly’s blonde curls, testing the silkiness between her fingers, and Molly’s mouth twisted. She looked ready to snap at her. “Ah, that mark of his.” Fallen and the rest of the members close by all gawked at Molly’s neck, Tensley’s collar visible to all the highborns. They knew he claimed her and that made his beast roar inside of him with pride. Then Lilith stepped closer, a gasp of shock leaving Molly’s mouth as Lilith tilted her head so she could gaze directly into her eyes. “And those eyes—beautiful weapons.”
Molly took one deep breath and rolled her shoulders back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lilith.”
Lilith froze, but she laughed. “Aren’t you charming?” Her eyes scanned both of them, frowning at their cloaks. “This just won’t do though. If you come to High Court, you must dress for the occasion.” She grabbed Molly’s hand, yanking her with her. “Come. I’ll dress you appropriately.”
Molly swallowed and glanced back at Tensley.
He stood like a statue and fought against yanking her back into his arms. He nodded.
And just like that, he let her go into the court of beasts.
“WHITE FOR UNWED,” Lilith sung as she tied the corset so tight Molly grew breathless and gripped the back of the chair.
Dear lord.
Molly glanced into the mirror, examining the white gown, fabric of white sheer, sewn together to create a humble, innocent dress. Only the neckline dipped low, showcasing her cleavage, and the corset created a startling narrow middle, her hips wider.
“Not so tight,” she gasped, the crushing worry of harming the baby if she tightened it even more.
Lilith hummed a response.
She gulped in air, adjusting to the tightness and straightened.
It was a beautiful white dress, light and airy, sheers of fabric, tapered below her middle.
Each breath Molly took, her breasts threatened to pop out. She had no idea how Victorian women lived like this.
Or how the High Court did.
Lilith had a similar dress design, but it was a dark red wine, tailored to her tall frame.
Each time she spoke, her head lifted a bit higher, like the words needed to float upward and down to her audience.
“Your mark is beautiful,” Lilith said, her finger stroking below where the thin collar hung on Molly’s throat. Only highborns could see the mark. When Lilith’s finger tapped it, it stung, and Molly flinched. “My apologies, my finger must have slipped.” Only Tensley had ever touched her there—and looking at the smug look on Lilith’s face, she wondered if she knew it would hurt her.
Being alone in the room of a powerful queen was not an easy thing to contain. Her heart galloped. She wiped her sweaty palms down the side of her dress. If the queen found out about her secret, what would she do to Molly?
She was carrying the proof of Tensley’s sin, of his deceit to his society and to his king. She was the plague above all else.
“Let your hair loose,” Lilith said, and undid Molly’s low ponytail, releasing her smooth curls down her back. “Locks that’ll make an honest man sin.”
Molly didn’t like how Lilith stared at her. Like a wolf calculating when the deer would falter. She didn’t want to look away from her.
“I always wanted a daughter,” Lilith said, her gaze broken. Only for a fraction of a second and the charming woman was back. “Here. Your skin must glow like Sonolios, the sun god.” She snatched up a perfume bottle and dapped it on her finger, dotting the apples of Molly’s cheeks and the crook of her neck. The thick scent of musk and leather wafted into her nose, so strong, so potent, she swallowed. Molly blinked at herself, her skin light and glowing against the dim lighting. “Do you know the myth of the Fall Solstice here, little doe?”
Molly ignored the nickname and shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard it.”
Lilith clicked her tongue twice. “You must be terribly confused.” She strolled over to an upholstered red chair, lined with gold molding. Molly turned to face Lilith, watching as she simply rested her chin on her relaxed wrist as a graceful action. Regal, poised, collected.
All a warning signs for Molly to keep up her guard.
“Before Fallen’s time, or my time, the sun god Sonolios searched for a companion. Every single living thing, god or not, he touched with his scorching fingertips and burned to ashes. Everyone who gazed at him became blind or worse if they looked long enough—ashes.”
Lilith stood and walked over to a dresser, pulling off a long floor-length lace veil. “Then Sonolios met the goddess of darkness. Hidden away, he only glimpsed her at the dawn and dusk, but once he saw her dancing in the dewy meadows, he wanted her. He stayed there, watching her dance in the dewy meadows, for many, many years. Longing for her beauty, her innocence, and happiness. He wanted her. But he could only study her carefully, too afraid to risk burning or blinding th
e beautiful goddess.
“Then in the midst of dawn, he asked the spiders to weave a veil of moonlight and web, so powerful that no ray of light could burn its fabric.” Lilith ran the veil along her fingers, the lace glimmering. “On her head, admiring the beauty of the god’s gift. She was flattered by his affection. Sonolios confessed his love for the goddess, in the hope she would say the same. But what he had not known was that his true self was naked to the eye of whoever wore the veil, for it stopped his rays from blinding them. When the goddess saw all of Sonolios’ vices and sins, all the people he had hurt, she rejected him. The sun god, with his fiery temper and burning desire for the goddess, did not accept the night’s rejection. He chased her through the forest, through darkness and mist, until he captured the goddess and took her by force.
“The goddess, filled with anger and sadness, trapped Sonolios in her darkness until it completely consumed him. He was gone.”
Lilith walked behind Molly and draped the veil over her head, watching as the lace hid her features. “Six months later, the goddess birthed a new sun. Spring arrived, then summer, until the sun chased the darkness in the autumn, and so it began again.”
Molly stared back at Lilith, her chest burning.
“We celebrate the death of the sun and the power of the darkness. Come spring, we honor the rebirth of the sun,” Lilith added, positioning the veil to float against Molly’s bare back, so her fingertips brushed the skin of her spine. Molly flinched at the coldness. “Do you fear my world?”
Molly gave Lilith a pointed glance through the veil. “No.” She rolled her shoulders back, still not looking away from the queen. “Do I understand it? No. But I’m willing to learn more. If you’ll teach me.”
Lilith blinked wildly at her, and Molly had to hold back a smirk.
Win the queen’s trust.
Lilith smiled, again fussing over Molly’s veil like a mother. “Since you are unwed and of age,” Lilith explained, picking up a slender golden pin and ran in sideways to catch the lace and her hair at the back of her head so it stayed in place, “we mask your beautiful face from prying eyes.” Lilith grinned, her cheeks too rosy compared to her pale skin. “The Fall Solstice is a time for girls of the court to become women. Before this night, they are not allowed to attend court. After this night of transiting under the death of the sun and the power of the darkness, they will make their debut into our society.”
