by K. Lyn Hill
She shot him a dubious look. “Nope.”
“Did you give away all of our food?”
Aerity bit her lip. “I think there’s a few jelly donuts in there.” She knew he despised jelly donuts.
“How kind of you to save me some.” He said sarcastically and she laughed.
“So what do we do now?” They had wanted to leave and let Philippe get to work but he insisted that word would spread through all the towns people that Christopher and his disfigurement helped to make the pastries. He didn’t think they would sell very many that day. That thought left something empty inside of him. A hole that not many people could replace. Then he saw Aerity give those pastries to the poor starving children in the street and he had a feeling that the world would keep going. As long as people like her still existed.
By the time they had left the bakers home and made their way to town, the afternoon had snuck up on them and they were no closer to figuring out their next move than before.
Aerity squinted at the sky and shrugged like they had all the time in the world. “How about that drink?”
∞∞∞
Siel
After being summoned to the throne room, he passed by his brother, who’s face had become an unsightly shade of white. That was Damien’s normal reaction when it came to the king. His father was never truly a father to him but with Damien it was far worse. The king tended to be hard and cruel when training the crown prince to soon take the title. Not that he was ever privy to witnessing it, but he could always see the crack in Damien’s composure when he left the company of the man who birthed them.
“Thrilled to have him back?” Siel whispered so only his brother could hear. Where he expected Damien to crack a smile, there was only a darkness seeping from his eyes. He could have sworn he saw Damien shudder but maybe it was just the poor lighting.
The Rain came down in droves that day, any amount of light that might have come through the window was swallowed up by shadows. Although Siel thought he saw a hint of a bruise on his brother’s cheek, that too could have been his imagination playing tricks on him.
As children, Damien was the protective type, always taking the blame for things Siel had done. His older brother had always taken his punishments calmly and without a sound. Heaven knows how much he himself would have screamed if they had been taken out on him instead. But Damien never said a word. He would just
Embrace the pain. Whether it was a beating, or another means of torture, Damien would hold the weight of it so that Siel didn’t have to.
As he got older, Siel wanted to take the punishment himself. After all, he was old enough to have known better, but Damien would just shake his head and shoot him a look to keep his mouth shut. It was as if Damien lived to protect him. Like, he needed it in his life. So Siel reluctantly let him.
But even after all the years of taking the blame for things he had never done, Damien never appeared as filled with hatred as he did at this moment. His brother was also flashing him a warning to keep his mouth shut and he wondered what his brother was so mad about.
Tearing his eyes away from Damien’s now retreating back, he shook his head and entered the throne room. His father was waiting patiently for him to approach and there was an eerie stillness surrounding him that Siel was afraid to go near for fear of getting sucked into the vortex.
“Welcome home father. I hope your trip went well.” Siel had always been good at covering over any insecurities and offering a buffer in a room of unease. But it felt as if nothing could calm the raging storm threatening to tear the room apart. This couldn’t be good.
“As good as it could be, I suppose. The girl’s father is about as much of a fool as his daughter. Speaking of his daughter, I hear that you have thrown quite a log in between her and Damien’s relationship.” His disapproving face leaned forward and hovered there, simply staring at him with empty eyes. “I wonder what changed. You had no interest in the girl when she ran away.”
The blood drained from Siel’s face, but he tried to keep his expression neutral. With all that had happened with the princess he hadn’t even thought of what would happen when the king returned. What would his father do if he found out about her? Did it really matter since Aerity was safe in her own world? The king would force Damien to marry the princess like they were supposed to, so technically the princess would still get her wedding. Was that breaking their deal? Siel would need his permission anyway if she was to be with him. Maybe the king should know…? But then he thought of Damien’s warning expression to keep his mouth shut. Was he referring to keeping silent about Aerity? Or something else?
He decided to do what he did best. Pretend. Sticking to the lie he told Damien. “You don’t need to worry about it now. I’m over her and have moved on to better things. She is all Damien’s.”
The king seemed to peer deep into his soul, his attention highly unnerving. “You would tell me if something was amiss, wouldn’t you son?”
Siel tossed him his confident smile that had everyone fooled. “Of course. But all is well. Or shall I say will be well as soon as the wedding is over.” He tried not to choke on his words. All that Damien had done to protect him as a child and yet he was so quick to marry him off to her. But what else could be done? He had no other choice.
Siel’s stomach soured as his father leaned back casually in his chair, still looking him over. “Yes, well do keep in mind that I am the king of this kingdom and if you are hiding something, I will find out what it is.” He tapped the chair as a wicked grin took over his face. “But then again, your brother will take the blame and take the punishment as he always does so I suppose it won’t affect you at all.” His father’s words were like a blow to his stomach. He almost keeled over in pain. But they were accurate. Siel had always passed along the punishment to Damien. Not because he had wanted to, but he thought that was what Damien needed. Wanted. It sounded ridiculous now but in the mind of a 10-year-old boy about to get beaten, it made perfect sense. But had he finally gone too far? What else would his brother have to shoulder if he didn’t tell his father the truth? But what would his father do if he found out about Aerity? The staff talked and even Elias knew the truth. His father would find out either way. At least if it came straight from him, then he could save Damien from his punishment. Besides, his father couldn’t touch Aerity in her own world so why not just tell him now?
Pushing away the blaring warning flaring in his gut, he raised his head to look his father in the eye. “Actually, now that I think of it, there is something that you should know.”
The sick feeling in his stomach only grew as the king’s expression morphed from shocked to furious to deadly as Siel told him every last bit of what he had missed.
Chapter Forty-Three
Aerity
Tucking her hair under the shrouded hood of her cloak, Aerity shoved her way past the drunken crowd as she entered the booming tavern. After they spent the night with the father and son, they had been moving taverns so as to not draw attention to themselves. It had been pure luck and kindness that they had allowed them to spend the night. She wished that she could remove the hatred from people’s hearts so the boy had a chance at a good, happy life but there was only so much she could do. Others would be fearful of what they did not know or understand but her prayer was that Christopher would find someone who understood him.
In hushed words, his father had explained that his wife died when Christopher was just a young boy. It was a rough realization and then to have to raise a boy with a disability was even harder. Her heart went out for them and she knew her thoughts would always drift back to them whenever she smelled a sweet pastry or remembered the memory of Christopher’s lop-sided grin, so childlike and innocent. Except the boy had seen more heartache in his life than was fair. She could relate to him having lost her mother which made her feel even more a comradery with the boy. One day, she would give them more than what they have. Although she had no idea how she would do that, the thought remain
ed firmly entrenched in her mind.
Keeping her head facing the ground, she peered up through her lashes until her eyes landed on an empty table in the corner of the room. Eli had gone to bed early so she decided to get some fresh air by herself, even if the bar was far from fresh air as it gets. She still found herself surrounded by the comfort of noise and static. The rooms had begun to make her stir crazy and it was nice to slip into other’s loud conversations and lives. She liked to sit there and listen to people’s stories. Sometimes they made her ears bleed and others had her sitting on the edge of her seat for the ending. Each night was something different.
She always waited, hoping to hear news from the castle, wondering how everyone there was faring. One corner of her mind wondered if what she heard from Siel truly was how he felt. Then the other corner argued and scolded her for being so naïve. What really struck her again and again was how Damien helped them escape. After all the time he spent fighting her and thinking her an incurable disease, those last few times they had spoken surprised her. He had been gentle and appeared genuinely concerned. There was no reason for him to pretend or hide his true self because they were forced to leave and not look back.
But it didn’t help to waste time and energy thinking about it because she would never have the chance to discover the true crown prince. It just wasn’t in the cards for her, even if she was extremely curious.
Now she needed to focus on their life and what her and Eli were going to do. They didn’t know what direction they were trying to head in, only that they needed to find one soon.
To her disappointment, she had tried to find a job as a tavern wench but most of them were already full staffed. It was growing colder and near off season where boats would soon leave the water for the cold winter months. They could easily buy a house and settle down there with the money Damien had given them, but she was afraid to root herself down. After they did that, there wouldn’t be much more money to do anything else and she wanted the freedom to flee if they needed to. Their fate was undecided, and she didn’t want to make a rash decision. It was quite possible they would have to jump up and go at the last second if something went wrong. But if that was the case then they needed to save the money they did have for emergencies and one of them needed to find work or they would be starved and homeless before realizing they had even gotten to that point.
The tavern wench wrinkled her nose in Aerity’s direction as she took her order of their cheapest ale. Best to not draw attention to herself.
Making sure to keep her face concealed, she slid the coins across the counter as the maid slapped down her drink, splashing some contents on the table. Aerity glanced up with a raised eyebrow at the display of aggression. “Is there a problem?”
The worker’s voice was low enough to sound calm, but not enough to mask her feminine tone. “I ain’t want no trouble. Ye shouldn’t be here this late. Ain’t nuttin good come from a hen in a rooster house.” This was the first time she had gone out without Eli. Apparently, they didn’t like females being alone at night.
Good thing she wasn’t a typical female.
All the occupants tonight were in fact males, although she wasn’t concerned. “I can take care of myself.” Siel’s dagger rested securely on her hip even though the thought of anything from Siel touching her was enough to scorch through her skin.
The bar maid rolled her eyes and huffed. “Dontchya cry ta me when ye get inta trouble.”
Taking a slow sip of her ale, Aerity ignored the woman and continued her inspection. The crowd was rowdier than normal tonight and crazies with missing teeth were at an all-time high. She would have to sift through talk with substance and nonsensical blubbering.
The sound of the door ricocheting against the wall echoed around the room as a hush instantly descended upon the crowd. Most spun to gawk at the man standing in the doorway who practically oozed confidence and danger, basking in an aura of unmistakable swagger. Black formal slacks that would make any fabric look dull in comparison was tailored precisely to fit his lean body. The classic popped collar that would look ridiculous on anyone else only accentuated the outline of a slender yet corded neck. His brooding dark eyes swept across the room in a perusal that was anything but relaxed and casual. Everything about him seemed to command the attention of the room.
His roaming eyes immediately locked onto hers and remained still. She tried to decipher if he could see her darkened face despite her drawn hood. His lips twitched slightly before they turned down and formed a stern line.
After a few minutes of holding her breath, he shifted his attention back to the room. With one snap of his fingers, his entire entourage practically pranced at his beck and call.
Men parted out of his way as he confidently took the seat one of them recently vacated. As relaxed as he tried to appear, Aerity could still see the slight tension leaking out of his muscled shoulders. Although sitting, she had no doubt his reflexes were just as deadly as if he made them seem.
She continued sipping on her drink, attempting to blend in with the wooden beams behind her. Deep down she knew she didn’t want the attention of a man like that, while part of her itched to attain it. No one could deny that he was riveting. From the way his men seemed to bend to each flick of his wrist, to how his eyes seemed to pierce through one’s soul.
His gaze caught on hers once again and instead of lowering her gaze, she met his stare head on. A cocky smile tugged on his mouth so slightly one would argue if it was even there. To anyone else, he was intimidating. They would jump when he said how high.
To Aerity, he was a challenge.
One she had every intention of winning.
She could tell he wanted her submission, even from this far away. His eyes flashed darker as she held his gaze, refusing to back down first. She heard someone address him, his eyes still riveted on hers. Then one of his companions walked in front of the man, breaking their eye contact. She practically heard his growl in response as she watched as the interrupter slowly raised his hands and backed away slowly. She pretended that something on her hand was fascinating and felt his gaze on her once more.
The feeling of being watched subsided and she chanced a glance up. He slowly pulled out cards and stones. She assumed it was to play Jacks spades. The noise level of the tavern began to rise as other shady men began to trickle in. They were clearly not as invigorating as their comrade.
Aerity grew bored watching their greetings, silently begging for them to get on with the game. She had been waiting there far longer than she had planned. Eli was going to kill her. But something in the man’s composure, kept her in her seat.
She didn’t know whether it call it a hunch or stupidity, but he practically beckoned for her attention. Thankfully the game began, now that she was utterly bored out of her mind at watching greasy men exchange pleasantries. Shifting eyes roamed watchfully over the crowd.
Something in the one players demeanor caught her attention and sent a quiver through her body. The man moved quickly but not quickly enough for her to miss the sleight of hand. His chubby fingers fluttered a little too heavily.
By the time they got to the last round, Aerity finished her second ale, while never taking her eyes off the game. She had been watching closely now and knew that the one remaining guy was cheating. She wondered if Mr. sex on a stick noticed it too.
They continued their game; his opposer looked between smug and ready to crap his pants. It was quite an interesting mixture of facial expressions. Perspiration dotted his forehead as he stared intently at his cards and then back at the seeming leader of the pack. Aerity knew she should stay silent. Insignificant and invisible. The man had trouble written all over him, but something nagged at her at seeing a cheater win. She knew this group looked dangerous. She should drop her money and walk out the door.
Maybe it was that she couldn’t stand cheaters or something else egged her on, but she couldn’t help herself. Trouble was always an aphrodisiac for her.
The mo
ment they signaled for another round of ale was the moment Aerity struck. Intercepting the bar wench, she reached out for the drinks in her hands. “I’ll take it to them.”
The barmaid clearly had eyes on the sexy man because she huffed dramatically, shaking her head in anger and disappointment. She knew the leader tracked her movements because when two of his men began to block her path, a miniscule flick of his wrist had them cautiously stepping out of her way.
Sliding the mug over the leader’s shoulder, her mouth passed right by his ear. “You should keep better company.” His shoulders bunched up as his hands gripped hard on the cards in his grip. “Your boy over there is cheating. Maybe you should be concentrating harder on the game and less on me.”
Pulling her hand back, she sucked in a breath as he dropped his cards and snagged it back. He pulled her back down to his mouth.
Angling his head with her ear he whispered, the sound dark and chilling. “What fun would that be?” His voice was smooth as chocolate with a rasp that probably melted panties daily. “Trust me, my concentration is impeccable.” A shiver wracked down her spine when he kept speaking. “As far as the cheater, prove it.”
Taking back possession of her arm, she gave one slight nod and backed away from his side of the table. His partner began to sweat even further, wiping his forehead with his forearm. His glance jumped from her to his opponent, then nervously to his hand. Taking the other cup of ale, she slipped over to his side of the table. He watched her suspiciously as she dropped the mug, splashing it all over his tunic. “Oh I’m so sorry! Let me help you with that.” Using her hand to wipe it off his shirt, he began sputtering for her to stop. In all the chaos, she noticed the color peeking out from his sleeve. “Oh I got it all over your arm too. Here let me help you out of your jacket. I’ll have it cleaned in a jiffy.” The man began full-fledged panicking as she wrestled to get his arm out of his jacket. As she jostled the man’s arm, two of the cards he had shoved up his sleeve shook out and landed on the table. All the blood drained from his face.
