Lowering her head, she said, “They want me to be their queen.”
I grabbed her shoulders, waiting for her to make eye contact with me. “Yeah, but that’s a good thing.”
She shook her head, lip quivering. “You don’t understand—”
Seeing her like this made my blood boil. It took all I had to contain my power. The energy begged to be released. “Then explain it to me.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “They said a halfling cannot rule over a court alone. They want me to join with a pure blood air elemental to strengthen my position.”
Another air elemental, of course. This explained Kalin’s mood. She must be betrothed, as I suspected I was. “Did you come here to say goodbye? Is that why you wanted all this?” I pointed to the spot where our make-out session had just taken place.
She buried her head in my chest, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. “No. I don’t want to end what we have. That’s the last thing I want.”
Watching her fall apart in my arms gave me stabbing pains in my chest. “It’s killing me to see you like this. What can I do? How can I help you?”
“I thought I had the solution, but it will likely be a dead end.” She gazed up at me. “My father gave me journals from the previous akashas. If I can learn to read them, I may be able to turn the power on.”
This was the solution to all her problems. Having that power would change how the council saw her. There would be no need for an arranged marriage. “Why do you think it’s a dead end?”
She hesitated. “I tried to read them. So far, it hasn’t worked. The symbols moved around, but nothing was legible.”
A small part of me filled with hope. “It sounds like something is beginning to happen. Keep working at it.”
She smiled. “That’s what Sebastian said.”
Who? “Sebastian?” I asked.
Kalin pulled out of my arms. Looking away, she said, “My betrothed.”
That was the last person she needed to be around. “Why are you hanging out with that guy? He wants a piece of your throne. You should stay far away from him.”
She held up her hands. “You don’t understand. He’s trying to help me. He said he would pretend to be courting me while I worked on my akasha powers. He said it would give me more time without anyone asking questions.”
Could she not see the obvious staring her in the face. “This smells like a load of bullshit to me.”
Her eyes widened with shock. “What? You don’t even know him.”
No need. The picture couldn’t have been any clearer. The guy had an agenda. He was there for the power that comes along with ruling. He didn’t know Kalin and probably didn’t care. “I don’t have to. Just think about it for a second. Why would he help you? If you succeed, you won’t need him. He has everything to lose and nothing to gain from your success.”
Her face went completely red. Wow, she was totally pissed. Some people just couldn’t handle the truth. “You’re wrong, Rowan. He cares about me. He’s trying to prove his loyalty.”
And, why did he need to prove his loyalty? Oh right, so he could win her over and share her throne. “Kalin, guys don’t do anything without a purpose. He wants to rule. Right now, he’s probably making plans to sabotage your efforts.”
She rolled her eyes while putting her shirt back on. “I’m not going to talk to you about this anymore. You are completely out of line. Bash has been nothing but kind to me. I have no reason to doubt his intentions.”
“Oh, so now he’s Bash? How cute.” I already hated this guy.
Kalin laughed. “You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”
Then the words spilled out. I wasn’t even sure what I was saying. The rage was blinding me. “I am a jealous boyfriend. You’ve just spent the last several minutes talking about some asshat who’s making claims on my girl. What did you expect me to say? Did you think we would become besties, have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair?”
A second later her lips were on mine. Her fingers twisted into my hair, pulling me even closer to her. Her mouth widened, making room for our tongues to collide. The next several minutes were intense, as if she couldn’t get enough of me. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, letting her know I felt the same way.
When she finally pulled away, I asked, “What was that for?”
She shrugged. “You called me your girlfriend.”
If I knew that would be her reaction, I would have said it a long time ago. “So it’s all about titles, huh?”
Giggling, she said, “Don’t forget, you said it first.”
I tried to blow it off. “Yeah, well don’t let it get to your head.”
She smiled, wickedly. “Too late.”
“I meant what I said, Kalin. I don’t trust him.” I let out an exaggerated sigh. “But I will go along with it if you think this plan will work.”
“I do.” Her voice was strong, determined. “Dad is convinced I am the next akasha. I don’t believe it, but I have no other options. If there’s even the slimmest chance, I have to try.”
I took her in my arms, our bodies meshing. Her strawberry scent swirled around me igniting my desire for her once more. For Sebastian’s sake, he had better be genuine. Because if he wasn’t, I planned to introduce his throat to the sharp edge of my blade.
Chapter Twelve
Kalin
The morning sun warmed my face, waking me from the first good night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks. I took in the sunlight peeking through my window. It gave my room a soft, purple hue. I snuggled deeper into my comforter, soaking in every last second of slumber.
My mind replayed every moment from last night. The way Rowan comforted me, held me, made me feel safe. It was more than I asked for, and certainly not what I expected. He wasn’t known for wearing his feelings on his sleeve. Some said he had no feelings at all. But last night, something was different. It wasn’t just a make-out session. Every kiss, every touch felt meaningful. And he called me his girlfriend. With everything going on in our lives, this was pretty minor in comparison. But hearing him say the words sent shivers up my spine.
As kind as Bash had been, I would never feel for him what I did for Rowan. He had become so much more than a boyfriend. He was becoming a best friend too. I won’t give up on us. And if that made me the most selfish elemental who ever existed, I didn’t care. Marrying Bash wasn’t the answer. I had to find a way to heal Dad and balance to the elements. If he returned to power, the air court would no longer be vulnerable. He would restore the faith of the council, and make sure Valac paid for the damage he had done.
If I wasn’t going to marry Bash, becoming the akasha was the only option I had left. I stared at the bag at the end of my bed. The akasha journals were tucked inside. The keys to my future. Crawling over a mountain of blankets, I reached for the bag. With my fingers only inches away, the door to my bedroom burst open. I leapt higher than a house cat, screaming at the top of my lungs.
Ariel—out of breath, as if she ran here from somewhere far away—stood at the door, panting. With her hand on her chest, she said, “You scared the crap out of me. Why did you scream?”
I stood on my knees. “I scared you? You busted into my room, remember?”
Ariel glanced at the door, then back to me. “I’m sorry. My entrance was a bit more dramatic than I intended.”
“Clearly, you rushed over here. What happened?” I got off the bed, searching the room for my bathrobe. I glanced up, and said, “Spill.”
“I ran over here when I heard the announcement. Why didn’t you tell me?” She placed her hands on her hips.
I stopped rummaging through my closet. “Tell you what?” I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Something was telling me I wasn’t going to like the answer.
Tilting her head, Ariel seemed surprised by my response. “That you are marrying Sebastian. That you set the wedding date for six months from now. The announcement was all part of your plan, right?”
I wasn’t sure I heard her rig
ht. Everything was blurry before I got my coffee. “What are you talking about? Who told you that?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying you didn’t make the announcement?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. We never discussed setting a date.”
She stepped back, nervously biting her fingernails.
The expression on her face worried me. “What?”
Ariel rubbed the back of her neck. “Marcus was with me when we heard the wedding announcement.”
Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. “What?”
She waved her palms in the air. “No worries. I told him that Sebastian was helping you. I said the announcement was probably part of your plan.”
“But Rowan doesn’t trust Bash.” The headache was making me dizzy. “He’ll never believe that. Is Marcus still here?”
“Marcus left already.” Ariel said, biting her bottom lip.
She was feeling responsible for this. I didn’t want her to feel bad for something completely out of her control. “It’s okay. I just need to explain things to Rowan. If Marcus knows Bash is helping me, Rowan might not overreact.”
“So you’re not upset?”
If Marcus believed the wedding date was part of my plan, this might work out. Rowan may be more open to the idea if he heard it from his best friend. This could be a good thing. I pulled Ariel into a hug. “Not at all. I’ll talk to Rowan. I can fix this.” I hope.
Ariel had always been cautious when it came to Rowan. She heard all the rumors that followed him everywhere he went. It didn’t help matters that Marcus refused to talk to Ariel about what happened with Rowan. As things started to heat up between us, Ariel warned me to be careful of Rowan. But when he sacrificed himself for us to get away, then helped us rescue Dad, she changed her mind. After Marcus and Rowan rekindled their bromance, her friendship with Rowan was inevitable.
Ariel seemed intrigued as she gave me a curious look. Tapping her finger against her bottom lip, she said, “You’re all glowy this morning. Did something happen between you two?”
I tried to act all nonchalant about it, but my cheeks burned. “He referred to me as his girlfriend.”
Ariel sat on the edge of my bed, patting her hand against the space next to her. “Sit. I want to know every last detail. Don’t skip over anything.”
I spent the next half hour giving her the blow-by-blow. I made sure not to leave out any of the commentary and included all of the action sequences. After a thousand questions and several squeals, she was finally satisfied. Ariel laid back on the bed with her arms behind her head. “Wow, I seriously need to get Marcus to the beach.”
I laid down next to her, turning my head to face her. “Have you and Marcus ever…you know.”
She smiled. “Twice. He was my first. My only actually.”
“What was it like?”
Ariel was quiet for a long moment. I worried I was getting too personal. “It hurt a little at first. But he was really sweet about the whole thing. I don’t regret it. I just wish we could see each other more.”
Every time she spoke about him, her entire face lit up. When I saw them together, they both stared at each other as if no one else was in the room. I wondered if my face looked like that when I spoke about Rowan. “You really think he’s the one, don’t you?”
“Without a doubt.”
After a while, I showered and ordered breakfast. I shared eggs, fruit, and toast with Ariel. While we ate, I couldn’t get the wedding date announcement out of my head. I had to find out who had made the declaration. Surely it wasn’t Bash. Only yesterday we worked out the arrangements of our deal. Although he had made it clear that he felt differently, he wanted to earn my trust. The food in my stomach curdled, imagining how I would eventually have to break his heart.
With my belly full, I searched through my closet for the right outfit. Since I would be speaking to plenty of air elementals today, I decided to dress the part. I changed into one of the yellow sleeveless dresses I had seen so many around here wearing. I kept my hair simple with very little make-up. Ariel nodded with approval when I came out of the bathroom. Even my personal fashionista was impressed.
I adjusted my strapless bra. “Do you have any idea where I might find Bash?”
She bit her bottom lip. “I saw him earlier this morning. He was standing outside by the fountain.”
“Let’s start there.” I said, following her out the door. There was a chance he had already heard the announcement. I was sure he would be as upset as I was. I had to discover the truth. But most importantly, I had to clear this up. Mom had been kept completely in the dark, even after I had just promised her no more secrets. If she heard I was set to marry Bash in six months—without her meeting him or knowing anything about the situation—she would go ballistic.
I followed Ariel outside, stopping ever so often to greet members of our court. I had to keep up appearances. Reports of attacks against air elementals continued to flow in daily. With that in mind, I had to keep my cool. They had to believe we had this catastrophe under control. The last thing we needed was a retribution attack against the fire court. Although the assaults were coming from rogue fire elementals, we could not hold the entire court responsible for the actions of a few.
Once I reached the massive stone fountain, I flashed back to a memory of Rowan. I could never forget the perfection of his shirtless torso. Muscle on top of muscle, sculpted from years of training and deadly battles. It was enough to make my entire body blush. Leaning over the edge, he ran the cool water over his face. His glamoured scars glistened in the sun’s rays. It hurt my heart to imagine what had happened to him. To say he had a traumatic childhood was the biggest understatement ever.
I jolted out of my daydream when Ariel tugged on my arm. “There he is,” she said, pointing to Bash. He stood in the middle of a group of young female air elementals. As he spoke, they smiled and giggled. They were each hanging on to his every word. I didn’t blame them. All air elementals were beautiful, but there was something extra about him. Even in the simple yellow garments he managed to stand out. He was captivating—the way he spoke made others pay attention.
As I made my way over, he excused himself from the group. In a louder than needed voice, he said, “My future queen. I am so pleased to see you.”
Once we reached each other Bash cupped my face in his hands. I grabbed his wrist, a little tighter than needed. Looking around, I said, “What are you doing?”
There was a look of determination on his face. He definitely had a plan. “Play along. It needs to be believable.”
I was about to say something when his lips crashed into mine. A noise came out of his throat. The sound of satisfaction. It took me a minute to realize what was happening. When I tried to wiggle away, his grip tightened on my cheeks. I couldn’t pull away. I growled in my throat, then bit his bottom lip—hard.
That got his attention. “I think you drew blood.”
“Don’t do that again.” I said, quietly through clenched teeth.
“They need to believe we are together.” he said, dabbing his lip with his sleeve. “Couples kiss when they greet each other.”
I glanced around the area. Elementals in clusters whispered to each other. Some even pointed at us leaving no question as to what they were talking about. Apparently, I had caused quite a scene. Ariel stood a few yards away with her mouth open. My reaction to Bash’s kiss must have caught her by surprise also. I turned back to Bash, still pouting over his bitten lip. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I don’t do well with surprises.” I reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers. “Next time you want make a public display, just let me know in advance.”
His shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry too. I should have thought it through.”
My mind drifted back to my purpose. “Someone made an announcement that we’re getting married in six months. Before this gets too far, we need to squash it.”
“Oh,” he said, taking a step backwards. “I know al
l about it.”
I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering why all of a sudden he seemed so guarded. “How did you hear about it?”
“I was the one who set the date.”
A tension headache exploded across my forehead. I rubbed my temples. “Why would you do that? Do my parents know? Has anyone outside of this court heard about it?”
“I talked it over with your father. An official announcement went out this morning.”
Does this mean that Dad told Mom? Energy tingled at the tips of my fingers. My power itched to come out. I took deep breaths, trying to keep myself under control. “How could you do this? I told you last night how I felt. You know I don’t want to be engaged.”
“I remember everything you said. What I did today is going to help you.” He clasped his hands around my shoulders. “If I courted you, there would be no time for you to work with the akasha journals. We would have to make appearances all over Avalon so people wouldn’t talk. With a date set, the other elementals will assume you’re making wedding arrangements. Instead, you can work on your powers. It’s the perfect plan.”
I was angry but trying to see things from his point of view. Public appearances would take up a lot of my time. If we were set to be married in six months, there would be no questions regarding the future of our court. It would seem as if everything was already in motion. Plus, I would have time to resolve these issues. This could actually work out much better, as long as I explained things to Mom. I needed to come clean with her. She needed to be assured that this was all a ruse.
“Okay, you might be right. But you still should’ve told me your plan.”
The corner of Bash’s lip curled into a smirk. “I had every intention of telling you, but then the kiss happened and you know how well that went.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “Do you have any more of that wine you made?”
He handed me his leather pouch. “Anything for you.”
I drank the contents as I waved Ariel over. “Bash explained everything. We’re going to move forward with the plan, which means we need to plan a fake wedding. I will need you to—”
Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) Page 9
