Was I talking to Asher the bird as if he wasn’t Asher the man? Yes. Did I give any shits? No. If this was how we were going to survive our relationship for the time being, then that’s just how it had to be.
"I should probably tell him that I'm sorry, huh, Speedy?" The little bird chirped once more, and I went ahead and presumed to know what the hell he was saying. "Yeah, I think he'll forgive me, too."
I’m pretty sure I saw the bird's black eyes roll.
Laughing, I knocked on Cal's door. He opened it a millisecond later, as if he was already on course to open it before I arrived.
"Oh, hey, Peach. How was your chat with...?" His blue eyes found the bird on my shoulder, and then he glanced back at me. "I take it this is him?"
I nodded. "We don't know who we can trust at the castle. That servant guy, Frederick, already ratted me out to the king. Who knows who else is listening?"
As I said the words, I glanced discreetly down the hall.
Cal sighed. "Good point. You ready for the, uh, wine tasting?"
I grinned. Way to be super inconspicuous, Cal.
"As I'll ever be, I suppose."
He nodded, shooting one last glance at the bird on my shoulder. "Behave yourself, Ash."
"Call him Speedy," I cut in. "It’s easier and much less obvious."
"Okay..." He raised both brows a bit sarcastically. "Behave yourself, Speedy. No actions that would prove you’re anything other than a common, everyday bird. And certainly no dying and turning into a man right before the king and queen’s eyes. You’re supposed to be long dead. Let’s make sure we keep it that way."
The bird rattled off a string of tweets that I assumed was Ash telling Cal off.
"Speedy!" I scolded him playfully. "Language!"
He turned to me then and directed his aggressive tweets my way.
"Okay, fine! I’m not one to talk. I cuss like a sailor." Then we both turned back to Cal, and I continued my half-assed translation. "I think what Speedy is trying to say is: he might be a birdbrain, but he’s not stupid. He won’t do any of that stuff. Right, Speedy?"
The bird’s beady black eyes rolled again, but he let out one final curt tweet.
"See?" I asked Cal, who’s eyes were wide as he took in the crazy scene.
"Yeah... let’s just gather up the guys and get to it."
Chapter 2
Since there were eyes watching and ears listening everywhere on behalf of the wicked king, we decided to host our meeting with the Timberlune royals in the castle’s wine cellar—hence Cal’s wine-tasting comment.
Honestly, after finding out Cal’s betrothal to their daughter, Bria, had been called off, I’m surprised they agreed to meet with us at all, let alone in a wine cellar.
At least the cellar was vast. We weren't crammed into a tiny nook or anything, though it was damp and only dimly lit by a few torches mounted on the stone walls. I wasn’t sure how eight high-back dining chairs had gotten down there and had been situated into a tight circle without drawing any unwanted attention from castle servants, but I kept my questions to myself. I was sure Cal had it figured out.
King Titus and Queen Bravia were already seated stick-straight in their chairs, along with Princess Bria on the left, who was slouched slightly and seemed quite small next to her domineering parents. As fae, their skin was a soft, semi-translucent periwinkle color, with freckles that were more like glowing stars. It was a bit startling at first but quite beautiful once you got used to it.
"I hear you've called off the betrothal, Prince Calvin," Queen Bravia said, staring down her bluish nose at us.
Apparently, we were cutting straight to the chase.
Cal took a deep breath and nodded. "I have."
"You realize this means war, son?" King Titus asked sternly.
As if playing the fierce father figure would have any effect on Cal. He had the worst father in existence.
"I don't believe it has to, Your Majesty." His voice was steady and confident, causing a sense of pride to rise up within me. He was damn good at this.
"Explain yourself," the queen snapped. "Bria said something about a promise the future princess made to her. What of it?"
At the mention of her name, Bria blushed and slumped a bit more in her seat.
"Alexis was referring to a blood bond, something we don't usually offer lightly." Cal glared at me as the two monarchs gasped. "She's unaccustomed to such things, so I pray you'll disregard her words."
The king and queen’s faces were frozen in mild horror.
"Blood bonds are dark magic," Bravia insisted. "Why would she know of such evil?"
Rob rolled his eyes. "They’re not dark or evil."
Cal cut him off. "Things get tossed around in conversation from time to time. The citizens of Southern Blackwood tend to engage in the dark arts more than the rest of us. Rob has told her all sorts of scary stories to keep her up at night."
Rob leaned over to me and whispered, "I'll keep you up at night, but I won't be telling you stories."
I shoved him away and fought off a laugh.
"The fact of the matter remains, though," Cal continued, "that we would still like another chance at peace, if possible."
"If you no longer wish to wed our daughter," King Titus said, "then we have nothing more to discuss." He rose from his chair and threw his royal robe about his shoulders.
"Sit, Titus," the queen insisted. "Let us at least hear them out."
"Your sympathy is going to be the death of me, you know this?"
Sympathy? Who was he kidding? Bravia was the farthest thing from a bleeding heart I could imagine.
"Nonsense," she replied to her husband.
Still, King Titus did not sit but rather crossed his arms and waited.
Pompous ass. I rolled my eyes, and Bria grinned.
"I heard you guys have a bit of a harpy problem," I said, interrupting the conversation before anyone could continue.
The queen glared at me with iron eyes. "And where did you hear such a thing?"
I half shrugged. "I've been to Timberlune once before. I heard a few things."
Neither of which were lies but were in fact only half-truths.
I could feel her anger radiating through the air between us. That's when I realized I needed to tread a bit softer, despite how much I hated the delicacy of politics.
I sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, whatever problem you have with the harpies, please allow us to help. As an act of good faith."
Queen Bravia cocked her head toward Cal. "Do you always allow her to speak on your behalf?"
Cal smirked and turned to Titus. "Do you always allow her to speak on your behalf?"
Titus put his blue hands on his hips and chuckled. Flinging his robe over his shoulder, he finally retook his seat and gestured for Cal to continue. "Carry on."
Cal bowed his head slightly. "What Alexis said is true. We cannot follow through on the betrothal, and for that, I am most apologetic, but we would still very much like to have you as allies. We can't have you as allies if you've been wiped off the map."
King Titus nodded his agreement. "What do you propose?"
Cal gestured to Ben. "My brother, here, is lord of the Obsidian Palace, which borders the harpy nation of Eristan. He has very good relations with them. I have no doubt we might be able to strike a deal."
Titus rubbed his blue bearded chin. "There was a treaty involving eastern Blackwood before, back when it was Essund, a nation of its own."
Ben nodded, smiling warmly. "The Treaty O’ Ley. It would be my honor to invoke that agreement once more."
Queen Bravia still had her resting bitch face on, but there was a tiny line around both corners of her mouth that told me she was pleased.
"Very well," she decided. Then her icy gaze landed on me. "I assume the reason you've called off the betrothal is because of... her?"
Cal nodded once, a resigned sort of expression resting on his face. I could tell he didn’t want to discuss any of this with
them, but he didn’t really have much choice.
"Then allow me to make you a deal. If you can solve our harpy problem before the inevitable marriage to the peasant, then we'll agree to this treaty."
Before Cal could say the word "deal," I quickly jumped into the middle of our circle.
"No, that won't work."
Cal looked confused. "Alexis, what do you mean? We already agreed that—"
I shook my head. "The terms have changed. Can I speak to you guys for a moment in private?"
Cal glanced remorsefully at the Timberlune royals.
Titus nodded and waved him away. "Take a moment."
"You have my gratitude, Your Majesty," Cal proclaimed before joining the rest of us in a shadowed corner. "What the hell is this about, Peach?"
"The Storm King," I whispered. "When he showed up and killed Speedy, he told me we had to be back at Blackwood Palace in three days for an official union between Cal and me."
"Fuck no." Rob pursed his plush lips. "You're not marrying any of us. We already decided."
"Or," I pressed, recalling the other end of that particular bargain, "I marry all four—or five?—of you... starting with Cal."
The Sky Prince swallowed hard and glanced away. "What did he threaten you with?"
"The life of my one-year-old cousin, Lilah." I worried my bottom lip. "Do you think he's bluffing?"
Dan scoffed. "The Storm King doesn't bluff, Lexi. Your cousin will be waiting for you at knifepoint by the time we get there, I can promise you that."
My skin immediately turned clammy, and my stomach dipped low in my core, threatening to make me sick.
Ben touched my shoulder and then gently rubbed my neck. "It's okay, Sailor. We'll figure out a way to get through this."
Cal shook his head. "What should our counteroffer be then?"
Dan shrugged. "Tell them the truth. Tell them you can’t make deals like that because the Storm King is volatile and unpredictable."
Cal shook his head, uncertain, but we all broke from our huddle and returned to the meeting anyway.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Unfortunately, my father is... somewhat unpredictable. I cannot guarantee with any degree of accuracy the time or date that he'll require a wedding. That said, would you be willing to give us a month? One month to figure out what's going on with the harpies and see if we can reinstate the old Treaty O’ Ley?"
Bria looked nervous and unsure as she glanced between her parents. King Titus looked unreadable and stoic. Queen Bravia's nose lifted even higher into the air.
Honestly, I had no idea how she was able to make eye contact from so high up there.
"One month?" she asked in a pissy huff.
"Sounds reasonable," King Titus finished sternly, as if trying his best to contain an impending fit from his wife. "But, considering you went back on your word once already, I’m afraid we’re going to need a bit more proof before trusting you again."
"How so?" Cal asked. "Name your terms."
The fae king merely shrugged. "We have been dealing with a slight pollution problem."
"Pollution?" Cal asked in surprise, his brows furrowing.
The king nodded. "One of our cafes had an unfortunate... accident, and now the entire water basin is overflowing with luck, laughter, honesty, intelligence, bravery, and so on. It’s causing a bit of a problem, as you can imagine."
Dan heaved an amused sigh and rolled his pale green eyes. "Water problems, huh? I think I might be able to help you out there."
King Titus smiled wide, feigning surprise. "Is that so?"
Dan grinned. "Mm, that it is. Suppose I offered you my services?"
The fae king pressed his fingertips together. "I’m listening."
Dan bit his lip and shook his head, as if the whole playing pretend thing was about to crack him the fuck up. "If I agreed to help clean your water supply, would you be willing to give us a month to reinstate the Treaty O’ Ley?"
King Titus tapped his chin, as if contemplating Dan’s proposal seriously. "Why, yes, I believe we would. Thank you kindly for offering, Prince Daniel." And before Bravia could protest, he added, "Now, let us discuss the terms of your failure. Seeing as how you've already canceled the betrothal and refused our first offer, if you should fail, it will, in no uncertain terms, mean war."
Cal nodded firmly. "I understand, Your Majesty. Meet us here, at Nightshade in the cellars, in exactly one month. And if the terms of our treaty have been fulfilled, we'll draw up an official document."
Cal held out his hand, and Titus stood and shook it.
"Deal, Prince Calvin. I hope you and your brother are as able as you seem."
He shot the king a half smile, one that I found sexy as hell. "Me too, Your Majesty."
And with that, all three Timberlune royals left, ascending the stairs and disappearing out of sight.
Speedy chirped, and I assumed that meant he was seeking permission to shift. Cal seemed to have come to the same conclusion. He nodded at the bird, and it shot into the air, soaring fast... straight into a stone wall. He fell with a thump and a puff of feathers, and a moment later, Ash stood in the bird's place.
"This is fucked up, you guys," he said, as soon as he had a human voice.
Dan seemed to agree. "I can't believe she has to marry Cal."
"Maybe she doesn't," Cal insisted, though he didn't sound very sure of himself.
"If it's marry Cal or Lilah dies," I told them, "then I'm sorry, but I'm going to marry Cal. And like we talked about, if I marry one of you, then I'll marry all of you. We have a commitment and a bond. A ceremony and a piece of parchment isn't going to change that."
"We need each other," Ben agreed, and we both glanced at Asher.
Rob just shook his head and turned away.
I wondered why he seemed so personally against Ash joining the group. Had something happened there? Some fight between them? Some hurt feelings or betrayal?
"You said we had three days to get back to Blackwood?" Cal asked, running a hand through his golden hair.
I nodded.
"I suppose we'd better get packing then."
"Wait," I said, halting everyone midstep. "We need to have a chat."
"Oh, don't even start," Rob complained. "It's bad enough when Cal forces us to talk. I don't need you starting this bullshit too."
"No, Alexis is right," Cal agreed. "We're already in the wine cellar. Let's pour some drinks and make ourselves comfortable. We're going to hash this thing out—whatever it is—before we even think about going face-to-face with the king. We need to make sure we're solid and strong before we expose ourselves to his toxicity."
Everyone grabbed glasses and mugs, except for Rob who grabbed a whole fucking barrel, and we all sat down around the circle.
Cal put his fingertips together and leaned his elbows on his knees. "I'll go first. I'm so damn happy that Asher is alive after all these years. It feels like a boulder has been lifted off my chest. I didn't even realize it weighed so heavy on me."
Ben and Dan nodded their agreement. Rob didn't.
I couldn't stop the question from leaving my lips.
"Why aren't you happy?" I asked Rob.
He glared at me. "I go out of my way to protect my brothers, Jewels. I'd gladly take any punishment on their behalf just to keep them an ounce safer than me. Knowing my character and my method of operation, can you seriously not guess why it'd piss me off so much to hear Ash just scurried off like a coward?"
I sighed, finally realizing the root of the tension. "Bravery is your thing, Rob, and you're amazing at it. It’s your extra power."
His eyes narrowed further as he shook his head. "So, I'm braver than everyone else, who cares? The other guys are still brave in their own right. What Ash did? That was spineless and weak."
"It wasn't weak," Asher insisted, staring at the ground. "It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life."
"Running away seems like a pretty easy way out, dickhead,"
Rob shot back, crossing his tattooed arms.
"I didn't run away as much as I just... started over. Try to put yourself in my shoes. If the Storm King thought he killed you, and everyone else thought you were dead... but you were alive, so you basically had a chance at a whole new life, what would you do? Come rushing back into the shitshow of gore and torture? Or take your second chance at life?"
It made sense to me, but I could tell it still wasn’t enough for Rob. His lips were twisted in a sarcastic grin, and his eyes were swimming in scorn.
I quickly cut in between them. "Regardless of whether or not what he did was brave or cowardly, how would you have him fix it?"
"He can't," Rob said, shrugging. "It is what it is, now."
"No," Ash disagreed. "To offset a ‘cowardly act,’ as you would call it, I should be able to do something brave in order to regain your favor. Anyone disagree?" He glanced around the room, looking into the eyes of each brother.
I thought back to the plethora of books I'd read over the course of my years. Any time anyone did something shitty, they had a chance at redemption. Ash deserved that redemption arc too—even though I didn't think what he did was actually all that shitty. Anyone who’d been subjected to that kind of violence would want to escape. Probably even Rob, if he could.
"What do you have in mind?" Rob asked, tone cocky.
"Whatever you want, bro. Think of the bravest, stupidest act you want, and I'll do it just to prove to you that I made a mistake and that I'm sorry. That I'm back, and that I'm committed."
Ben and I shared a hopeful smile.
Rob pursed his lips. "Dive off the cliffs at Ebony Chateau."
"That's suicide," Dan protested, and he would know—Ebony Chateau was his place of residence.
"It's too far out of the way," Cal argued. "We're heading from here to Blackwood Palace at the citadel then to Eristan. Western Blackwood is the opposite direction."
Rob sighed. "Fine. Dryroot Canyons."
Ash's jaw ticked. "You want me to commit suicide? How cleverly counterproductive of you."
Rob chuckled darkly. "You're part god, Ash. Suicide is only a daydream."
Stormy Nights (Storms of Blackwood Book 2) Page 2
