“She’s a sweet girl.” I gulped nervously as Phoebus’ grip tightened on my arm. Could he tell how fast my pulse skittered in response to his touch?
“She is,” he agreed. “But it’s more than kindness that motivates her regarding you. She has been hounding me for weeks about setting up this luncheon.”
“I think she’s just curious about me.” It was hard to string words together when he was touching me. It was disconcerting to acknowledge that attraction rather than revulsion made my pulse pound and my mouth parched around him.
“How so?” He cocked his head to the side, his shiny curls sliding over his furrowed brow in a caramel cascade.
“About what I can do. About my abilities.” I floundered within the seductive currents of his inviting gaze. “She was friends with Delphi for a long time.” It seemed that was the only real friend besides Leonardo that she’d ever had. “She must miss her. I suppose that she’s just lonely.”
“An interesting observation, Cecily.” His eyes sharpened to probing points.
I realized too late that I had revealed too much. Even though she was younger than me and desperate for friendship in a way that tugged at my heart, Fiori was far superior at this game of secrets and subterfuge than I was.
“Who informed you about the attachment between my former oracle and Fiori?” Heat spiked from Phoebus’ fingertips.
Carajo. Of course Fiori had told me, but I couldn’t admit that. “Um, people talk, you know, about my predecessor. Surely their friendship was common knowledge.”
“Not really. No.” He shook his head. “Delphi has been out of the picture for some time now. I find it quite surprising that anyone would still speak of her.” His eyes narrowed. “Who told you?” He spaced out each word, his voice vibrating with Progeny power.
“I don’t really remember.” I shrugged outwardly, but every muscle in my body twisted tight as I fought to keep Fiori’s secret.
“I don’t believe that you are being truthful.” His gaze glowed orange with displeasure.
I swayed, my thoughts crumbling as I felt him penetrating the barriers I had erected within my mind. “I should get back to work.” I took a step back.
“No, stay.” He released me from his grip spreading his arms wide as if to show me that he wasn’t a threat.
He so was.
“I insist.”
“Ok. Sure.” What else could I do? I knew I couldn’t trust him, but I could bend. I had to try. I had to improve at this game for Millie’s sake as well as for my own. I only hoped I didn’t end up bending too far.
“Good.” He grinned, and the menacing pressure in my head diminished. “I’m glad you’re seeing things my way. But try not to look overly excited.” His eyes glittered dangerously. Was he making a joke or was he giving me another veiled warning?
I studied him as he regarded me, caution on my end, calculation evident on his.
“I like this.” He touched my cheek tracing the outline of his sun brand with the pad of his warm thumb. “And I think you could grow to like me if we start over. Right now. What do you say?”
Not likely, I thought, but I bobbed my head in feigned agreement.
“I’m taking Cecilia to my chambers,” he announced abruptly, firmly wrapping his fingers around my upper arm.
Carajo. I stiffened. So much for getting to know each other.
He turned us back to face the table. Everyone looked up pretending they hadn’t been watching us all along. Leonardo’s eyes widened. He was definitely concerned now. My stomach started to churn.
“There is protocol we must go over,” Phoebus explained. “Strategies to outline. Things to discuss before I formally appoint her as the next oracle.”
“But I was going to show her my dancing studio, Daddy. You promised I could.” Fiori pouted. Her response seemed sincere, but the glint of concern in her gaze matched Leonardo’s. Was she attempting to rescue me from her father’s clutches?
“Leonardo will keep you company. You’ve been complaining about missing him the whole time he’s been gone.”
“Yes, but…”
“It’s not open for debate,” he snapped.
Eyes widening, she nodded.
“Entertain our other sl…guests, if it amuses you to do so. Or send them back to the library. You may visit with Cecilia another time.” He turned dragging me with him.
I tilted my head keeping Millie in view. I was scared. I didn’t care that everyone else could see my fear. To be alone with the Sun King. In his room. In private. Santa mierda. He was going to eat me alive.
My sister grabbed Leonardo’s arm. I couldn’t hear the words she spoke but I saw the plea in her eyes. Leonardo’s gaze met mine. He lifted his chin attempting to communicate something.
But what?
Phoebus tugged on my arm when I didn’t move fast enough. “Come along, Cecilia.” His eyes were darker than they had been a moment before.
Had he noticed the exchange or was he irritated about my reluctance to be alone with him?
“Don’t be afraid of me.” He guided me up the steps. “I don’t want that. Not really.”
I wasn’t buying his reassurance. He seemed to enjoy these mind games too much.
“Though I would caution you not to make me regret the steep price I paid for you after Laveau was denied to me. I expect you to be an asset, dearest Cecilia. My asset.”
“Is the room clear of listening devices, Giles?”
“Yes, my liege. I saw to it personally. Only one today. Apollyon’s I’d say by the look of it.” The attendant’s white wig sat slightly askew and his velvet coat and britches were dusty. He bowed and scurried from his monarch’s bedchamber after a curt nod from Phoebus. How I wished I could leave so easily.
The accommodations were stunning. Glass windows on three sides boasted commanding views of the river. Rich tapestries and opulent furnishings fit for royalty filled the expansive two room suite. But it was the huge four poster bed in the adjoining space and the golden lyre that lay upon it that had me locking my muscles to keep them from trembling.
Had Phoebus really brought me here to discuss strategies or did he have something more in mind?
“Let’s get started.” Phoebus took my hand and led me to the bedroom shrugging out of his long coat and tossing it on the coverlet next to the lyre. Phoebus’ talisman. It was said that none could resist him when he strummed it.
Eyes wide, I tried to ignore how sexy he looked with his white shirt clinging to his shoulders. I took a step back and shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. “Let’s not.” Though the man was a vision, I wasn’t willingly going to be his plaything.
“If I wanted you, I would take you. I don’t need your permission, Cecily.” His lips curved into an arrogant grin. “You are not in charge here.”
“But it’s forbidden for us to…for you to…”
“Yes, those are the rules. What happened to my twin because of them was…unfortunate.” The bed loomed large in my peripheral vision as he stalked toward me. “Hemera should have had sex with the dark bastard in secret and gotten over it. Instead, she sought to legitimize the forbidden union. She let her sentiment bring about her downfall.”
Taller and more intimidating in the small space, he came so close I could feel his heat. I lifted my chin to maintain his gaze. He smoothed the pad of his thumb over my branded cheek making a low approving sound as he touched my skin. “You’re tempting, I will admit.” His eyes darkened. “There’s something about you, something that seems familiar. But I have bigger plans for you than just being my bedmate.” His gaze plumbed the depths of mine. “I’ve been watching you, my pet.” His grin deepened. “Don’t look so surprised. I make it a habit to know everything about everyone within my realm. But before I proceeded to make you my official oracle I had to be certain you were up to the task.”
“But am I in fact not that already?” I shook my head trying to clear it. His smoky sandalwood scent made me dizzy. “All those requests had
my name on them.”
“Yes. Part of the process. Which you passed.” He leaned in and pressed his warm lips to the corner of my mouth. I sucked in a sharp breath, swaying towards him even as he leaned back. “You are proving to be a most excellent acquisition. If I had known how talented you were, I would never have sent you to the La Ville Sombre in the first place. I would have sequestered you in the room beside mine from the very beginning. I won’t have your purity compromised. I learned from Delphi that oracles lose their potency once their virginal seal is breached. So from now on you stay here.”
“You want me to stay in the Sun City at night?”
“Not just in the city, but here in the palace, in this wing, in the room right next to mine. Indefinitely.”
Carajo. “But all Dark Immortals are required to leave before sunset.” My voice squeaked.
“True, but an oracle is special. You are special. I can’t guarantee your safety unless you are here where I can keep an eye on you.”
“But my sister.” I lifted my chin. “I won’t be able to work if I am worried about her. She’ll have to stay here, too.” I didn’t want him pressuring her the way he pressured me, but I couldn’t leave her in the La Ville Sombre. I wouldn’t. “If my safety is really a priority you’ll let me keep the gargoyle, too.” Phoebus represented a threat like Roderick did, but at least to the Sun King I was more valuable alive than dead.
“Granted, my pet.” Phoebus folded his fingers under his chin and leaned back. “But don’t get the idea that I’m afraid of your bodyguard. Your sister is a weakness for both of you.” My eyes widened. How could he know so much? His palm skimmed my cheek before his fingers tangled in my hair. “I watch very closely. I pay attention.” He tugged my hair forcing my head back. “You please me, Cecily. You are new to the game of negotiation but you play it remarkably well. You are unexpected. It has been a long while since I have been surprised by anyone.” His gaze slowly drifted across my features. “I must admit that those factors intrigue me as much as your more obvious attributes.” He glided his hand down my neck, over my shoulder and then rubbed the sleeve of my cotton tee between his fingers. My skin tingled where he touched me. “These slave rags will have to go.” He made a disgusted face like Fiori had at my shoes.
“Truthfully?” I raised a brow trying not to let on how much he unnerved me. “I’d rather wear the slave rags than the Renaissance get up. It’s seriously outdated. It makes you seem old and out of touch.”
His brows came together. “That era represented the height of fashion in human history.”
“If you say so,” I allowed. “But I won’t wear a ball gown every day.”
“You will do as you are told. Just because I give in on one matter with you does not mean I will let you have your way in all others.”
“Forsooth.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Well, if I’m going to dress archaically. I might as well speak that way, too.”
“That would be a refinement, I assure you.”
“Fine, old man. But here’s a newsflash. The world below has gone on in the hundreds of years since you’ve been hiding up here in the sky.”
“Forsooth, my pet.” He didn’t seem mad though I was intentionally baiting him, testing to see how far I could push and get my way and when I had to retreat. He claimed to like the unexpected. So I would do my best to keep him off balance. If he could figure me out he could manipulate me. I might be his slave but I didn’t have to let him master me.
“I may consider updating the court’s attire. Not because you have called for it, but because a change might better suit my long term goals.”
“Oh, really? What are those?”
“New clothes for a new order, Cecily.” His eyes glowed with excitement. “One with me at the top and my subjects beneath me… all my subjects beneath me.” I didn’t miss the double entendre, or the lascivious look he gave me.
“You have that now.” I took a step backward swallowing nervously as he reached for his lyre.
“Yes. Here. In my city. But my ambitions are far more lofty. The first step is to undermine the Council. Once that impediment is out of the way, I will restructure the immortal world. Dark Immortals will serve as they always should have. Zeus and Hades won’t interfere. They have grown complacent and thoroughly disinterested in our affairs. They are merely absentee landlords. Only Apollyon has enough ambition or power to oppose me. But even now he has stumbled into the trap I have set for him. His vanity will be his undoing.” He arched a brow. “Now, my pet. It’s time to take off some of these clothes.” He began to strum the lyre. His voice accompanied the seductive notes.
My thoughts escaped me. I couldn’t remember why I shouldn’t do everything he asked. He sang and I shuffled my feet moving between his muscular thighs. Slowly I lowered the zipper on my jacket while he watched, his desert eyes aglow.
I didn’t acknowledge the small voice inside that said I wasn’t trying hard enough to resist him. After all, this was what I wanted.
Wasn’t it?
“You have a very sexy figure, Cecily.” That voice made me get hot in all the right places. “I can’t recall ever seeing one to rival it. And I have seen my share.” I drew my shirt over my head and shook out my two toned hair. My chest rose and fell in harmony with my rapid pulse. His gaze dropped to my breasts. They overflowed the way too small bra that had been provided. His gaze rose, his eyes smoldering like orange coals. “All of them, my pet. I would have my view unimpeded.”
“What about you?” My hair swished against the skin of my shoulders. A shiver rolled through me leaving chill bumps in its wake. “Shouldn’t you…”
“Curious.” He strummed several loud notes on the instrument that seemed to amplify his commands. I forgot what my question had been a moment before. “Unexpected resistance from one so young and beautiful. Nevertheless. I will see the rest of you.” I unclasped my bra and was sliding the straps down my arms when the outside door to his chamber suddenly burst open.
My bedroom was every bit as posh as that of the monarch’s except that it was half the size, and the view of the Soleil River was only partial. I sat on the bed facing Millie catching up on what had transpired since Phoebus had taken me to his room.
“So the emergency that Leonardo said demanded Phoebus’ attention was just a fabrication?” I guessed.
She nodded. “He was worried when you left. We all were. Even Fiori. She kept biting her lip and gazing at this tower like she was afraid he might toss you out the window.” Her sea green eyes grew wider in her pretty but wan face. “Would he really hurt you, Cici?”
“Absolutely.” I took her hands, softening when I saw her fear. “Well, maybe not. He needs me.” And wanted to bed me, but I skirted around that subject. Leonardo hadn’t mentioned anything about the state I had been in when he found me, and I certainly wasn’t going to tell Millie that I had been half undressed.
“It took him forever to go through my list of responsibilities. What I should do, how I should act in court every day or whenever I am at an official function at his side.” I pulled in a breath and gave her the rest of it straight. “He has a horrific plan, Millie. He wants to set himself up as the supreme leader of our entire world and subjugate all Dark Immortals.”
“Oh, no,” she whispered. “Can he do that?”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to think that he can,” I decided somberly. “And he expects me to help him.”
“You can’t do it,” she stated simply as if it were just a matter of refusing him.
“I don’t want to, but what choice do I have?” I brought her hands close to my chest concerned by the chill of her digits but comforted by her presence. Stone stepped closer, his massive arms crossed over his chiseled chest and a worried frown marring his grey brow.
Millie tipped her head to look at me wincing as the heated strand of ebony came into contact with her cheek. “You’ll think of something to undermine him and keep him from achieving his goal. I k
now it,” she stated emphatically.
I appreciated her confidence in me, but I was far from feeling the same level of optimism. The only thing certain with Phoebus’ moods was that they were unpredictable. Living in the palace, I feared what might happen if one of us was around when he was in a particularly bad one. Sure in some ways he was manageable. I could use the attraction between us to get what I wanted, if I played things carefully. If I failed he would end up playing me instead, especially with that persuasive lyre of his.
An unexpected knock startled both of us out of our thoughts. Despite her confident words, I imagined Millie’s mind was nearly as troubled as my own.
“Remain here,” the gargoyle ordered, giving us a firm chin lift. “Stone will attend.”
“Don’t you just love your room?” Fiori swept inside without pausing to ask for permission, the tips of her slippers skimming over the hardwoods as soon as Stone had pried open the door. Arms overflowing with magazines and stacks of folded fabric, she climbed up onto the bed beside us. “I’m so glad you’re staying and don’t have to go back to that horrible city.” Apparently she wasn’t planning to pause for anyone else to speak. She shuddered. “Daddy said you talked him into updating the court’s fashion. I brought the latest magazines and some material that I think will complement your coloring and my own. We have excellent seamstresses who can duplicate anything we choose and a witch who can conjure shoes and accessories. They’re ready to start working tonight.”
“Maybe it would be better if we waited until tomorrow,” I said carefully. She seemed nice enough but naïve. Didn’t she realize that the seamstresses and witch would miss their evening meal and time in the moonlight if they had to work late? Or did she know and just not care?
Friend or enemy? I still wasn’t ready to make a definitive call.
Her actions and my instincts led me to trust her, but my paranoia whispered for me to proceed with caution. I sighed. I was tired and just wanted to be alone with Millie and Stone. I would have preferred to go out on the balcony and enjoy the moon rise together. But the only way for me to make a final determination about the princess was to get to know her better. In my mind I could see Leonardo mocking me as I started to formulate a list of questions I wanted answered.
Dream Magic Page 15
