She laughed. “I think I’ve gone about as far as I could get.”
Titus kissed the top of her head and squeezed her in a hug. “And now? Are your expectations any higher?”
“Oh yeah. I mean, nowhere in my world is fruit as sweet as it is here.”
Selena stole a glance up at Titus and grinned. “The boys are cuter, too.”
He laughed, tweaking her nose before kissing her full on the mouth. Seizing a moment she’d been waiting for all day, Selena turned into his body, wrapping her arms around his neck and savoring the flavor of Titus and red wine. It was the best thing she’d ever tasted.
“God, I love you so much,” Titus whispered, resting his forehead against hers, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You leave me breathless.”
Selena closed her eyes and inhaled his woodsy scent. “You’re pretty breathtaking yourself.”
Titus’ hands gripped her waist, his fingers circling the bare skin over her ribs. Selena quivered as he traced the three-chained belt around her waist and the diamond resting in her belly button. She brought her hands up to his chest, finding bare skin at the open gap at the top of his tunic, running her fingers over his smooth, broad chest. A growl sounded low in Titus’ throat as he bent down to kiss her shoulder.
“Selena, I want … ”
He trailed off, his hands tightening on her sides. Selena stroked a lock of hair back from his forehead.
“I know,” she said. “Me, too.”
“Not here,” he said with a smile. “As much as I’d like to put a little sparkle on the best night of your life, I think we should wait. I want a wedding for you, Selena. I want you to have everything a princess should have on her special day. I want our wedding night to be our first time. I’m willing to wait.”
Selena sighed. As much as she’d like to lose her virginity to the guy she was practically engaged to—for God’s sakes, they could hear each other’s thoughts—she knew that he was right. After all, she’d waited almost eighteen years for her first kiss. Oh wait, it had been eighteen years. She had forgotten that today was her birthday. She had yet to get used to the way time worked here in Fallada and had lost track of the date.
“I didn’t forget,” Titus said, jerking her out of her wandering thoughts.
“I never even told you today was my eighteenth birthday,” Selena said, slack-jawed.
Titus tapped his temple with his index finger. “Hello!”
They laughed together and Selena punched his shoulder playfully. “Well, did you get me anything?”
Titus grinned. “As a matter of fact, I did bring you something. My mother gave it to me when we met in Goldun. When I told her that I was in love and had found my mate, she gave it to me as a gift for you.”
Titus reached into his shirt and came out with a necklace—a strand of leather holding what looked like a wolf’s tooth.
“It’s one of my puppy teeth,” Titus said, holding it up between them. The long canine gleamed pearly white in the moonlight. “In my land, a wolf gives a baby tooth to his future mate as a token. The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were the only one I’d ever give it to.”
Selena bent her head and allowed Titus to slip the necklace over her head. Tears filled her eyes as she clutched the wolf’s tooth tightly. Just that morning her mother had given her a beautiful tiara, and her brother a set of solid gold-handled knives. Her father had given her a chest full of jewelry. All of those gifts were dazzling in their beauty, but none of them could outshine this. Selena smiled.
“I’ll never take it off.”
“I guess we should make this official then,” he said. “I believe in your world, it’s customary for the male to kneel.”
Selena couldn’t move or speak as Titus knelt down in front of her. She hadn’t imagined this moment happening for her until she was much older. But who had time to waste with an evil queen lurking nearby with plans of mayhem and destruction. Selena might never get another chance to have the guy she was crazy about ask her to marry him.
“Selena McKinley of Twin Oaks, Texas, will you honor me by becoming my mate?”
Selena smiled down at Titus and nodded. “Yes.”
He stood and wrapped her in another tight hug, lifting her feet straight off the ground.
“I’m so happy I could fly,” he said once he’d put her down.
Selena scowled. “Don’t talk to me about flying, please, it’ll only make me mad.”
Titus chuckled. “Still having a hard time of it?”
“Unbelievable. I have done everything Thaddeus and my dad told me to do. I just can’t do it!”
Titus grabbed her waist and turned her toward the balcony’s rail. “Of course you can,” he said, gently nudging her toward the edge. “Step up.”
Selena shot Titus a puzzled look. “Are you nuts?”
Titus shrugged. “For you. Seriously, get up there, I won’t let you fall.”
Selena decided to trust Titus and stepped slowly up onto the railing. Titus came up onto the thick ledge behind her, his body glued to hers, his legs spread wide and his feet positioned on the outside of hers. His arms were strong, tight around her waist.
“Keep your eyes open,” he said, his lips close to her ear. “You have to look at the horizon, at the desert beyond. I am sure your father and brother are good teachers and I am obviously not able to fly, but I do know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You are afraid.”
“Well, duh.”
Titus laughed, his chest vibrating against her back. “You are afraid and relying on the fact that someone will catch you to keep you from taking flight. You have to embrace flight, lean into the wind and let it take you. You control the wind, so stop fighting it. Wrap it around yourself and go.”
Selena focused on the horizon, that tiny strip where earth met sky, and spread her arms. The wind was gentle, pulling at her billowy pants and cape, beckoning to her. Selena slid her eyes closed and inhaled, blocking out everything except for Titus and the atmosphere. Warmth infused her and ‘the tingle’ worked its way through her body. Selena felt herself leaning forward and, surprisingly, her muscles did not clench in fear as they had every other time she had leaped from that ledge.
When she opened her eyes, the ground was speeding by beneath her, the sand dunes feet below and the open sky at her fingertips. Selena gasped and looked behind her, realizing that the palace was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Titus’ form on the balcony ledge was tiny, but his cheers and whoops were loud, carrying out over the desert and trailing behind her in echoes. Selena laughed and spread her arms out, swooping down toward the Centaurs she spotted running across the sand. Their hindquarters gleamed in the moonlight, their tails swishing and their powerful hooves moving swiftly, carrying them over the sand in a spectacular cloud of kicked-up dust. They lifted their swords and spears and cheered as she swooped low, landing in their midst as they came to a stop.
In the distance, she could see Titus’ white fur streaking across the desert toward her. The Centaurs surrounded her and she recognized Tinutai and Dargha at the forefront. The female centaur smiled, extending her hand to Selena’s for a handshake.
“Congratulations, Princess. It is an honor to witness your very first flight,” Dargha said.
“How did you know it was my first flight?”
Tinutai smiled. “The laughing and cheering coming from the castle clued us in.”
“It was pretty epic.”
“You’ve made quite a transformation,” Dargha said as Titus approached, quickly donning the pants he’d been carrying in his teeth. He came up beside Selena just as Dargha said, “There’s just one thing missing, though.”
“What?” Selena asked.
“In Damu,” Tinutai said, “it is customary that every accomplishment be commemorated with a tattoo.”
Selena’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she saw the many markings lining the Centaurs’ bodies. She gulped noisily
and Titus grabbed her arm tightly.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said. “It’s going to hurt.”
Dargha lifted one eyebrow in silent challenge and Tinutai waited silently Selena eyed the other Centaurs and thought of her father and brother. They were lined with the tattoos, their arms, their chests, their stomachs … each one told a story of a coming of age, an accomplishment. By Selena’s count, she needed at least three in order to catch up. She’d learned to harness wind, gotten engaged, and now she had flown for the first time. She squared her shoulders and met Dargha’s arched eyebrow head on. She had always planned on getting a tat when she left home. Now was the perfect opportunity.
“Let’s do this.”
~*~
The next morning, her family sat around the long dining table, their faces grim as they ate silently. The Grimm Brothers were there, along with Titus and Rothatin. The other soldiers were dining in the barracks within the palace’s compound and would all gather later that day in the massive war room. Selena had been told that she would be required to say something and the prospect left her feeling wrung dry. If anything, she was more nervous about this than she was fighting. Added to that was the tension of everyone’s silence.
Selena traced her fingertip over the reddish brown tattoo on the back of her hand. Dargha had done three in a row, starting from the back of her hand and going up over her wrist. The tiny red dots began at her middle finger and went over her knuckle before the first symbol, the Damunian sign that meant ‘keeper of the wind’ was scrawled onto the back of her hand. With a beautiful scrolling pattern in between, the next two symbols read ‘flight’ and ‘love’. She traced the ‘love’ symbol right on the back of her wrist and smiled. It had hurt at the time, but not anymore and Selena was pleased with the result.
After a while, though, she grew bored at looking at the back of her hand. No one had talked in over twenty minutes and it was driving Selena batty. She wanted Thaddeus’ jokes back, Eldalwen’s war stories, and Axonia’s scolding when he took the bloody stories too far. Selena set her fork back onto her plate and fingered the wolf’s tooth. It dangled against her chest right next to the Damu ruby, its weight like a heavy stone. Selena had had enough of secrets and silence.
“Titus and I are getting married,” she announced, loud enough for everyone to hear.
If anything the silence became more pronounced. The scrape of utensil against plate stopped, as did the sounds of chewing and slurping. Every eye turned toward hers, every expression a mixture of shock, happiness and, in Rothatin’s case, annoyance. Selena could tell the Fae still didn’t trust Titus, but ignored him. Titus didn’t have to prove anything to anybody, and Rothatin was of no relation to her so it didn’t matter. She knew that Queen Adrah would be thrilled.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly to Titus. “I know you wanted to wait until after tomorrow to talk about it, but it was just too damn quiet in here and I don’t like keeping secrets. I wanted my parents to know, my brother. I hope you’re not mad at me.”
Titus’s lips softened into a smile and he grasped her hand where it rested on the table. “Of course not.”
Eldalwen cleared his throat. “I suppose congratulations are in order. Although, I would have much preferred it if the young fur ball and I had had an opportunity to speak on the matter man to man.”
Selena rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ve already accepted his proposal. I love him, he loves me, we’re getting married. And, we’re talking about it right now.”
Thaddeus rolled his eyes. “Oh, here we go. Quit while you’re ahead father,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Yes, my daughter, but this is not how things are usually done here. You are royalty. These sorts of arrangements shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“No one is taking anything lightly,” Selena said, squaring her shoulders and clinging to Titus’ hand. “The decision has been made, and seeing as how we are both consenting adults—very young adults, but still—I don’t see how we need anyone else’s opinion in the matter.”
“Yes, but—”
“Furthermore,” Selena said, her tone sharp, “anyone that has a problem with my fiancé can take it up with me. I would be more than happy to set them straight.”
Thaddeus guffawed, trying to hide it behind a bout of coughing as Eldalwen’s face turned red. Axonia smiled behind her hand and Jake and Wil Grimm leaned forward silently, seemingly enthralled by the little drama unfolding at the table. Rothatin shook his head, probably in disbelief over her stubbornness.
“Spoken like a true princess,” Axonia finally said. She stood and circled the table until she stood directly behind Selena and Titus. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezed affectionately. “I think this is a splendid match. After all, the young Werewolf has played a large part in keeping our daughter safe on her journey. It is obvious that the connection is strong here and, Eldalwen, you and I both know that no Werewolf male is going to let go of his mate once he’s found her.”
Axonia turned her megawatt smile onto them both. “Congratulations. I can’t wait until this ugly business of tonight and tomorrow is over so that I can throw you a magnificent wedding.”
Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands together with a gasp. “Oh, there is so much to do! I must begin choosing fabrics for your wedding dress. Oh, and I have to plan a menu … ”
Eyebrows shot up and chuckles rang out as Axonia turned away from the table, mumbling distractedly as she rang for a servant. Thaddeus nodded at Selena and grinned.
“Well done, sis. Very good of you, holding your ground like that and all. Good luck to you both.”
“Yes,” said Wil with another one of his belly-vibrating laughs. “Let us have a toast to the future Alpha female of the Awcan wolf pack, and this joyous union.
At Selena’s wide-eyed expression, Titus laughed.
“Don’t worry, you won’t start sprouting fur,” he joked. “Marrying me simply means that one day you will rule by my side as the leader of the Awcan pack. As the Alpha male’s son, I will be required to take his place when he dies.”
Selena’s eyebrows shot up. “Cool. So, I’ll be princess of the Centaurs and the Werewolves. I like it.”
“Not exactly.”
“Hey, let me envision this, don’t ruin it for me!”
They shared another laugh as the servants came to take their empty plates away. Once everyone had gone, Eldalwen stood.
“Do not mistake my words earlier by thinking that I am not happy for you both. I am. I will be thrilled to have that talk with you this afternoon, Titus.”
Titus nodded, his face suddenly serious. “Of course.”
“And now, Selena, you must rest. The next two days will be arduous on you and I want you hale and ready.”
“Um, question?”
“Yes, daughter.”
“Why the next two days. I thought the Red Dawn isn’t until tomorrow.”
Jake snorted from his place at the table. “Think, girl. Do you honestly think Eranna will be so foolish as to wait until tomorrow to attack, when your people will be at their strongest?”
Selena felt a vice-like grip tightening around her throat. It had been different when she thought danger was only a day away. She’d been happy to think that she could spend this last day with Titus, with her family, without a care in the world. Things just got serious.
“You mean … ” Selena tried to swallow but barely managed it. “You mean, she could attack today?”
“There is no doubt,” Rothatin said, coming to stand beside her father, “my Queen has already seen it in the Eye of Goldun. Eranna will attack tonight, when the darkness gives her minions their full power.”
“Then what good is this?” Selena asked. “Why all the training and the preparation if she is going to come slaughter us all before the actual Day of the Red Dawn?”
A smile parted her father’s lips, gleaming like the cold steel that blazed in his eyes. He laughed. �
�My dear, Eranna had just better hope that she makes it to sunrise. That’s when things will get really interesting.”
~*~
Across the white sands of the wintery land of Mollac, not a soul stirred. Even the wind was still there, as if joining with the rest of the landscape in holding its breath for the coming battle. Within the iron fortress of Queen Eranna, however, the noise was deafening. Eranna’s minions chanted as they went about their work, gathering the weapons that they would use against their enemies. Iron swords and knives were sharpened and silver melted down into bullets. Eranna’s minions would be more than prepared for the Fae and the Were shifters. Her possessed Were shifters waited restlessly in the courtyard and shifters of other kinds gathered. Eranna especially loved the beautiful white fox shifters and their snowy owl counterparts. They were the crowned jewel in her army, the most beautiful yet lethal fighters she possessed. The Minotaurs sharpened their horns and the Witches and Warlocks saddled their polar bears in preparation for the day-long trek across Mollac toward Damu, at the place where snow met sand, the battle would commence.
Eranna looked down upon all of this from her tower, wrapped in a raven black dress made of suede, a bustier of shining black leather cinching her tiny waist in. Over this she donned her silver armor and helmet, sheathing an iron sword at her side and taking her enchanted staff in hand. With a satisfied nod at her appearance, she turned toward the unmoving figure of High King Endroth, who sat staring off into space where she’d left him. Eranna laughed, the sound a throaty purr, as she approached the once mighty king.
Gifted with power by her Witches and Warlocks, Eranna had found it easy to compel King Endroth and place him under her spell. His pain at losing both his wife and daughter had weakened him, and even though he had spurned her offers of marriage, Eranna enjoyed keeping him as her plaything. She ran a hand through his long, now graying hair, tugging on his beard with a giggle.
“Look, my dear Endroth, my army is nearly ready to march upon Damu. Aren’t they splendid? Even the Witches and Warlocks with their hideousness are of great use to me.”
Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) Page 20
