by S. J. West
His derogatory tone and words about my father begin to stoke the embers of rage inside my own heart. I can handle people talking about me, but don’t even think about attacking a member of my family, dead or alive.
Shael stands from her seat to address the man.
“Corym,” she says in a calm and even tone as she addresses him by name, “I realize you’re upset right now, and that you aren’t thinking clearly.”
“Oh, I’m thinking clearer than I have in a long, long time!” he contends.
“You may believe you are,” Shael continues, “but it seems obvious to me and those gathered here this evening that you’re allowing your grief to do all of the talking. Your father volunteered to save the princess’s life because he believed it was the right thing to do. All I did was gather the healers together and ask them what could be done to save her. They were the ones who came up with the solution, and they were the ones who decided her life was worth sacrificing their own for.”
“So are you saying I should blame my father for his own death?” Corym asks incredulously.
“I am saying,” Shael continues calmly, “that your father and the others were allowed to decide their own fate. I did not ask them to die for Sarah. They volunteered.”
“How could he not?” he questions heatedly. “Do you honestly think any of them would have been able to face you again if they simply chose to save their own lives instead of hers? She’s the next legitimate heir, for goodness’s sake!”
“And do you believe that any of them would have done anything less no matter who it was they were saving? If Sarah had been anyone else in this room, whether noble born or regular citizen, would the outcome have been any different?”
I can tell Shael’s questions are causing Corym to rethink his argument. His anger ebbs like a tide heading out to sea, but it roars back to life seconds later like a wave crashing against the water’s edge again.
“You could have stopped them, and we would only be saying farewell to one person here instead of six,” he says, looking away from Shael and directly toward me. The heat of his rage soon manifests itself into a physical form. Corym raises his left hand toward me and screams the word “Eldklot!”
After that, everything happens so fast my mind doesn’t have time to comprehend the next few seconds until they’re over.
With Corym’s utterance of a word I have never heard before, a large ball of fire shoots out from his hand, like a bullet shot from a gun that is aimed directly at my head. Within what has to be less than a millisecond, Julian places his body between mine and the orange ball of fire meant to kill me. I hear him grunt and see him bend forward at the waist before falling to the stone floor at my feet. In the same instant, Nadia yanks me out of my chair and presses my back against the three-foot high stone wall at the front of the royal seating box. I hear Alden yell for Shael to take cover right before he catapults himself over the short wall, presumably to stop Corym from firing another fireball in our direction. In reality, all of this takes place within three seconds, but it feels more like three minutes.
I look over and see Julian lying on the ground with his arms tightly clutched around his midsection. He doesn’t utter a sound, but it’s obvious he’s in pain. I make a move to crawl over to him, but Nadia presses my shoulders back against the wall.
“Don’t move!” she orders. “Julian will survive. Let Alden and the other guards contain the threat first.”
I’m about to argue with her when another fireball sails through the air directly over my head. It takes about five long seconds before we hear Alden call out that it’s safe for us to stand.
I don’t stand. I crawl the short distance to Julian and turn him over onto his back.
“Stupid mages and their fire spells,” he tries to joke as he looks up at me. He might be attempting to make light of the situation, but I can hear the pain he’s experiencing all too well in the gravelly tone of his voice.
“What can I do to help you?” I ask. “Do you need some of my blood to heal faster?”
“Absolutely not,” Nadia whispers as she joins us. “You can’t do that in front of everyone here. They won’t understand.”
“What’s to understand?” I ask heatedly. “He’s a vampire, and I’m his companion. He needs my blood to survive. The concept is pretty damn simple!”
“Sarah,” I hear Julian say in a slightly chastising voice, “I’m fine. All I need is for you to stay with me. Injuries from magic take a little longer to heal than normal wounds. That’s all.”
I instantly feel ashamed for the way I just spoke to Nadia. All she was trying to do was protect me from ridicule by those still inside the building. I suppose you never can tell who’s watching your every move and ready to use your weaknesses against you in some nefarious way. If I had one vulnerability, it was certainly Julian. I would give my life to save his, if it didn’t mean he would share the same fate.
Alden hops back over the short wall and kneels in front of Shael.
“Are you hurt?” he immediately asks, quickly doing a scan with his eyes to check for any injury to the queen. Yet I sense something else from Alden that I hadn’t before. Since I can’t use my empathic abilities on him, I’m simply going by the look in his eyes and the expression on his face as he looks at my aunt.
Alden Highborn is in love with Queen Shael.
“I’m fine,” Shael assures him, placing a comforting hand on one of his arms. “He was only mad at me. I wasn’t his primary target.”
I learn another truth in that instant. The secret identity of the person Shael gave her heart to is Alden. Why in the world is Shael denying them the happiness that marriage would give them both? If it’s just the fact that she can’t bear children, I think she needs to get over it. Or can a queen marry anyone she wants? Are there rules? I have no idea, but if I intend to marry Julian one day, I guess I better find out.
“Corym has been taken to the constable station. We’ll hold him there until we can figure out what to do with him once he cools down,” Alden says. “Right now, I believe it would be best if we all went back to the castle and stayed in for the rest of the evening.”
Alden stands and helps the queen rise from her spot.
I look over at Julian when I catch a glimpse of him sitting up out of the corner of my eye.
“Do you feel well enough to move?” I ask him, looking down at his stomach. There’s a large hole burnt into his suit that gives me a clear view of his torso. The skin there still looks red and raw, but since I expected to see the insides of his intestines instead, I’m pleased with how fast he’s healing.
“It barely hurts now,” he reassures me. “Let’s get you somewhere safe. Then we can all discuss what Alden discovered today back in New Orleans.”
Julian quickly stands to his feet so he can help me up.
As we all walk out of the structure, I notice the woman in white is still standing by the bodies as if she’s waiting on something to happen.
“Do you bury your dead here?” I ask Nadia as we walk back to the castle.
“The Valkyrie will cremate the bodies to break the last tether of their souls to this plain of existence,” she tells me.
I immediately stop walking, which brings everyone else to a standstill.
“Did you just say Valkyrie?” I ask, wondering if I heard her wrong.
“Yes,” Nadia replies, looking uncertain as to why I’m questioning her choice of words. “That’s what I said.”
“You mean you let me walk right past a real-life Valkyrie without touching her?” I exclaim. “You should have told me that’s what she was!”
“Well, you didn’t ask,” Nadia points out. “How am I supposed to know what you do and don’t know about our world?”
“That’s easy. Just assume that I don’t know anything.”
“It’s becoming blatantly obvious to me that you don’t,” she scoffs. “If you did, you would know that you should never touch a Valkyrie without her permission.”
“Uh, why not?”
“One touch from them can kill you instantly,” she explains. “So, the next time you see one, don’t run up and give her a hug. It might be the last thing you ever do.”
“Good to know,” I admit. “The robe she was wearing, was that to hide her wings?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but they don’t actually have wings, just like your angels don’t have wings.”
“Wait, are you telling me angels are real too?” I ask in disbelief.
Nadia just shakes her head at me like I’m the saddest human she’s ever had the misfortune to be responsible for. Odds are, I’m the only human she’s ever had to watch over.
“And here I thought all I would have to teach you are our ways. I guess I’m going to have to straighten you out on a few Earth things too.”
“Ladies,” Alden says to us, “although I find your banter fascinating, I would rather you had this discussion somewhere safer. Now please, children, let’s all play nice and go back inside the castle before some other disgruntled relative of the fallen decides to kill the queen or the princess.”
I feel properly chastised and begin to follow behind Shael and Alden like a scolded child.
Julian gingerly grabs my hand closest to him and twines his fingers with mine. I look in his direction and see him wink at me. At least one person present can appreciate my natural curiosity about things.
Wow, Valkyries and angels are real. Who knew? Everyone surrounding me apparently. I begin to feel overwhelmed by how much I don’t know but also excited by the prospect of learning more about not only Alfheim, but my own world too.
Once we make it back inside the safety of the castle, it’s decided that we should all go up to my suite of rooms. I’m eager to learn what Alden found out about the attacks on my life back on Earth. The fact that three people have tried to kill me in just as many days doesn’t make me feel very loved.
Loved …
Oh crap!
“I need to call Kaylee,” I tell Julian as soon as we walk into the sitting room of my suite. “She must be worried sick about me!”
“Don’t worry,” Julian says, placing a gentle hand on my back to calm me down. “When you were brought here, I called her and told her that I was whisking you off on a surprise visit to one of my hotels in Europe. That’s where she thinks you are right now.”
“Is she okay? Has she had any problems with the pregnancy? I need to get back there. She might need me.”
“She’s fine,” Julian reassures me. “I’m sure it’ll be safe to go back home soon, and then you can go see her. Until then, I think we need to focus on figuring out who is trying to kill us and why.”
I nod. “I know you’re right. I just hate flaking out on her like this.”
“You are a lot of things, but you are most certainly not a flake,” Julian says with an amused smile. “Now, let’s sit down and Alden can tell you what he told me earlier.”
Three white couches are arranged in a U shape in the middle of the room. Julian and I sit on the middle one while Nadia and Shael sit on the one to our left. Alden remains standing as he tells us what he was able to discover back home about my attackers.
“Both Damien, the pack leader of the New Orleans werewolves, and Ryker, the high priest of the warlocks there, gave us permission to search the residences of each of your would-be assassins,” he says. “We didn’t exactly find anything in their homes, but we were able to find a connection that ties them both together.”
“What kind of connection?” I ask.
“Each of them liked to browse the dark web.”
“Dark web?” I question. “Isn’t that a secret part of the Internet where perverts go to search for child pornography?”
“It also plays host to a large number of other nefarious businesses.”
“What were these two looking for on it?” Shael asks.
“Work, apparently. We found that they both went to a special posting that was made on a site that is tailored to pair people who want someone killed with mercenaries for hire. We tried to access the site they went to for a particular job, but the link was no longer active. Our guess is that whoever put a hit out on your life felt confident that the people who were hired to do the job would succeed.”
“Does that mean there might be others out there who still might try to kill me?” I ask.
“It’s quite possible,” Alden concedes, looking regretful to be the bearer of such bad news. “But we were able to find a lead on their cell phones. They both had the same number call them the day before the first attempt on your life. Since neither of them knew each other, it’s reasonable to assume that they didn’t share the same circle of friends or business associates. We have someone trying to find out whose number it is so we can track the caller down.”
“If this person was smart enough to know how to hire assassins on the dark web,” Julian says, “they were probably smart enough to know to use a burner phone.”
“Perhaps,” Alden concedes, “but it’s the only traceable lead we have at the moment.”
“I was really hoping you had more information than this,” I admit, unable to keep myself from sounding as disappointed as I am.
“I was too,” Alden admits. “But at least we have a clue to follow. We’ll just have to see how far it takes us and go from there.”
There’s a moment of dead silence in the room before Shael stands, causing us all to rise to our feet in the queen’s presence.
“I’m feeling somewhat weary from this evening’s events,” she says. “I hope you will all excuse me, but I need to retire to my own suite to replenish my strength for tomorrow’s festivities. Sarah,” she says, looking at me, “would you mind if I took Viktor to my room for the night? It feels like it’s been forever since he and I were together last.”
I really don’t want to know what Shael and Viktor might do in her bedroom tonight, and I pray she never feels the need to tell me.
“That’s fine. He’s welcome to stay with you for as long as you want while I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she says, picking up a meowing Viktor from the couch. “I’ll see you all in the morning then.”
Shael walks out the door with Alden following not too far behind her.
“Will I ever have an advisor who stays as close to me as Alden does to the queen?” I ask Nadia.
My protector looks at me strangely before answering, “He’s her sentinel. Of course he stays close to her. That’s his job.”
“Oh,” I say in surprise, “I didn’t know he was part of the Valengard too.”
“You didn’t notice the ring on his right hand? The gold one with the sunstone?”
I shake my head. “No, I guess I never paid much attention to his hands. Do only sentinels get those rings?”
“Yes. If you choose me to be your sentinel, you’ll give me a ring just like it one day too.”
“Well, who else would I choose?” I ask. “You’re the only Valengard I actually know.”
“True,” she replies with an unapologetic smile. “I guess that means you’re stuck with me. Though, if anyone catches your eye tomorrow when we visit the academy, you’re within your rights to appoint them instead.”
“We’re going to the academy?” I ask, excited by the prospect. “What for exactly?”
“The royal jewels are kept in one of the towers there. The queen wants me to take you so you can pick out a crown to wear to the ball.”
“How many crowns are there?”
“Around one hundred. Each ruler is able to design their own crowns after they ascend to the throne. In the meantime, you will be allowed to wear any of the crowns of the rulers who preceded you.”
“Are there other family jewels kept at the academy?”
“Why?” Nadia asks, looking suspicious of my motives. “Are you planning to take some home with you as a souvenir?”
“No!” I reply, completely offended by her question. “I’m not a thief. I thought you w
ould have known me better than that by now.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I’m just hardwired to assume the worst in people. I know you wouldn’t steal from your own family.”
“Good. Give me the benefit of the doubt before you go accusing me of something that didn’t even cross my mind.”
“I said I was sorry,” Nadia says again, looking irritated for having to repeat her apology.
“I think everyone is a little cranky right now,” Julian says to us both. “Why don’t you ladies get some sleep so we can have a good day tomorrow?”
“That’s probably a good idea. If you need me, I’ll be in my room,” Nadia says, pointing to a set of double doors on the opposite side of the sitting area from my own bedroom.
“I think we’ll be fine,” I tell her.
As soon as Nadia is gone, Julian brings me into his arms and practically devours my mouth. The silky smooth texture of his tongue against mine and the sweet taste of his kiss makes me curl my toes inside my shoes.
When he pulls away, I immediately say, “You can’t just kiss me like that and walk away. What in the world could you possibly need right now more than me?”
The look of hunger etched in his eyes tells me exactly what he needs: my blood.
“I had planned to wait until we went back home before feeding again,” he tells me with heavy breaths, “but I don’t think I can hold myself back that long.”
“Well, of course you need my blood,” I’m quick to say, taking one of his hands and practically dragging him to my bedroom. “You saved my life. I’m sure having to regenerate an injury like that took most of the energy you had left. I don’t know why you wanted to wait until we got back home anyway.”
“It just doesn’t feel right feeding off of you while we’re here,” he tells me as we step into my bedroom.
“Well, you need to get over your uneasiness. I’m afraid we’ll end up spending a lot of time here in the future.”
While I begin to disrobe, Julian simply stands back and watches my movements unabashedly.
