by Lila Dubois
Isabel pulled the duvet over them, cocooning them in silken warmth. Aed was relaxed—truly relaxed, for the first time in a long time. He shifted to the side, pillowing his head on her lush breasts, and slept.
“Isabel.” Aed opened his eyes and sat up, shoving his hair out of his face. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but it was long enough that he felt better. In the moments before he’d truly woken he’d had only one thought—Isabel. Her face, her hair and her smile were the last things he’d thought of before he drifted off, and the first things on his mind as he woke. Even now he was surrounded by her scent.
“Isabel?”
The chamber was empty—the orb overhead was dark, as were the quartz walls. The only illumination was a faint glow from a small ball of quartz that rested on the table in the seating area near the empty fireplace.
Rolling off the bed, Aed checked the bathing chamber. It too was empty.
Tension rippled through him, but he forced himself to behave logically. Aed relieved himself and then splashed some water on his face, using his wet hands to pull his hair back and retie it.
His internal clock told him it was still daytime, so Isabel couldn’t have left the room. Aed used the lever on the wall to turn on the orb over the bed—a special feature of this room, designed for those who couldn’t use magic. No sign of Isabel. He put on his trousers, shirt and boots but left his armor scattered on the floor. He sheathed his sword and buckled the belt around his waist.
Kneeling, he tried to check under the bed, half expecting to see Isabel sleeping in the shadows there, but the bed was built on a platform—there was no under-the-bed space.
He checked every inch of the room, panic building within him, pushing at his resolve to act logically.
If someone had thrown open the door while he slept, would she have burned away without him knowing?
Aed slid to the door, drawing his sword free with one hand. He counted to three, then threw open the portal, leaping out into the corridor.
There was no one there. Aed sheathed his sword, confusion and panic warring in him. Where could Isabel be?
It was dusk, this side of the courtyard drenched in shadow while the far side was bathed in sunlight. Everything was quiet and still, as if the world were half frozen in the amber light of the setting sun.
“Aed.”
His sword was half out of the scabbard before he recognized the voice.
A cloaked figure was walking down the corridor toward him, staying as close to the wall—to the shadows—as possible.
“Isabel?”
Aed took two huge steps, grabbing her by the shoulder and peering into the darkness of the hood. Isabel smiled up at him.
He squeezed her arms and bowed his head as relief spilled through him.
“Aed, are you okay?”
“I thought you…I thought you’d burned away.”
Her eyes widened. “No, my knight. I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Should you be out like this?”
“I’m old enough that I can walk in the day as long as I avoid the light. But I’d like to go back inside. It makes me nervous to be so close to the sun.”
Aed released her, getting out of the way so she could enter the chamber. He was about to close the door when Isabel flung off the cloak and held up a hand. Though she wore the same dress as before, she’d pushed the sleeves up to her elbows and her hair was pulled back in a bun. She was still gorgeous, but not so imposing.
“Don’t close the door. I think they’re right behind me. Or would they simply appear? I didn’t know how to ask.”
Aed drew his sword—it was one of those evenings. “Who’s right behind you?”
He heard the hum of wings, then turned to see three small aos sí carrying a tray laden with food and wine coming through the open door.
“Fairies!” Isabel clapped her hands in delight. She was grinning, her eyes sparkling as she watched the little winged beings.
The little creatures hummed with pleasure at her reaction. They flew the tray over to the table, setting it down with impressive coordination.
Isabel followed them, examining the fairies with avid curiosity.
“Aed, what language do they speak? They must have understood my French, but I can’t understand them.”
More than a little bemused, he followed her to the table. “They speak an old language—not exactly the language of the Tuatha de, but an old language of the humans.”
Isabel nodded, then carefully said, “I thank you for your kindness,” in ancient Gaelic.
The fairies all clapped appreciatively.
“I did it!”
Aed sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, fighting back a grin. “Not exactly, but close. I didn’t think humans spoke that language any longer.”
“They don’t—they have twenty languages that come from it. I tried to reconstruct the root from the branches.” She cleared her throat, then tried again. “You are very beautiful.”
Again the fairies clapped in glee, clearly pleased with her attempts at communication. The small figures, each about eight inches tall with large translucent wings, huddled together. They wore the loose halter-style robes that were common to their people, but the fabric was green, embroidered with a tiny crest on the chest, indicating that they were servants of Tara—of the royal family. With so many people in residence, there were many servants running around the castle. Aed was glad that Isabel had found some whose loyalty was to Tara as opposed to servants of one of the high houses.
One of the fairies, a female with a long, pale purple braid hanging over her shoulder, flew to Isabel, who held up her hand. The fairy recoiled for a moment before realizing what Isabel was doing.
Aed opened his mouth to tell Isabel that the Tuatha de did not touch servants, but there was such happiness on her face that he didn’t want to interrupt. It surprised him when the little fairy accepted the offered perch, settling herself on Isabel’s wrist.
In a high, faint voice, the fairy spoke. “We are happy to serve, red lady.”
Isabel frowned for a moment, probably translating, but then her brow cleared. “What is your name?”
The fairy clapped both hands over her mouth, then looked over her shoulder at her companions.
Isabel’s brow furred. “Did I say something offensive?”
“No, but it isn’t common for the Tuatha de Danaan to engage with them.” The words were bitter in his mouth. It was the way it had always been, yet seeing Isabel’s delight at interacting with the little creatures made him feel as if his attitude, and that of the rest of the Tuatha de, was wrong.
“My name is Jeimtin,” the fairy squeaked.
“Jeimtin. My name is Isabel.”
“Isabel!” Jeimtin leapt into the air. The other two flew up beside her. Together they bowed, giggling wildly. “Goodbye, Isabel,” they chorused.
The fairies zoomed out of the room.
Isabel dropped into a chair with a grin. She pointed at the other chair. “You should sit and eat. I went to get the food for you.”
“You fetched food for me?” That was wildly inappropriate. She far outranked him. Aed examined the tray, his mouth watering. “Thank you.” Sleep and now food—just what he’d needed.
“Well, I certainly wasn’t planning to eat it, but I will have wine.” She poured some for each of them. “I can’t believe I got to see fairies.”
“Have you never seen them before?”
“No, never.”
“But you know what they are?”
“Small, human-like beings with wings are present in many cultures around the world. Since you say they are from the human realm, that makes sense. I thought that either they were myth or they’d become extinct.”
“And you’re happy that they’re not?”
“I am. Fairies are s
till very present in western European culture—a favorite of little girls.”
Aed’s lips twitched as he took a huge bite of venison. When he’d swallowed, he asked, “Including you?”
“I was never really a little girl, but I’ve known plenty of women, human and Vampire, who spend their youth looking under leaves hoping to see a fairy.”
“They normally tend the gardens.”
“I saw them when I stopped to examine some flowers.”
Aed raised his brows. “And you didn’t burn?”
“They were growing around one of the support columns, so I didn’t have to leave the shadows of the corridor.”
Aed frowned, recognizing the place she was describing. “You were in the oak courtyard?”
“The oak courtyard? Since there were a dozen massive, twisted trees in the center of the space, I’m guessing that is where I was.”
“You shouldn’t have wandered so far without my protection.”
“I know, but there is something very peaceful about this place in the day.”
Aed’s stomach knotted as he considered what could have happened to her. Tara was never peaceful, not really. “Isabel, as your guard I must ask that you not go anywhere without me.”
She shrugged one shoulder. Aed ate some roast meat to stop himself from yelling at her.
“I tapped on the walls hoping I’d come across one of those secret servant doors. I didn’t, but when I was examining the flowers the fairies came up to me. I told them what I was looking for, and a few moments later they appeared with that tray.”
“Thank you for the food.”
“I know you hadn’t eaten or slept.” Isabel was frowning at him.
“You’re…scolding me?”
“It appears I am. Too wife-y?”
“Wife-y?”
“Wife-like.” Isabel blinked at him. “In Vampire culture, if you have sex twice, you’re married. Didn’t you know that? We’re married now, Aed.”
Aed choked on some bread. Leaning forward, he coughed and sputtered as Isabel howled with laughter.
When he could finally breathe, Aed took a sip of wine and cleared his throat, glaring at Isabel, who laughed all the harder when she saw his expression.
“I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.” Isabel had a hand on her breasts, which were heaving enticingly post-laughter.
“You’re quite dangerous, Isabel Santiago.”
“Such flattery, such compliments!”
They continued to tease each other as Aed finished eating. When the sky was void of any hint of sunlight, Isabel went into the washroom, returning looking every inch the powerful ambassador. Aed donned his armor and took his place outside the door, expecting that any moment a messenger from the High King would come looking for Isabel so they could meet.
But no messenger came.
Aed gave up his post just before dawn, slipping into Isabel’s room. She was waiting naked on the bed for him. Their lovemaking was savage, and when they finally fell onto the mattress they were both exhausted and panting. Aed slept for a few hours, Isabel curled at his side. He rose before noon, taking his position outside the door in case the High King sent for Isabel during the day. Aed worried that the messenger had come yesterday while he slept, but as the day dragged on and no one came that seemed less and less likely.
When dusk fell Isabel asked him to send a message to the High King. Aed took the written message and passed it on to one of the aos sí servants of the royal family. They waited, Aed standing guard outside the open door, Isabel lounging in a chair she’d pulled over near the doorway so they could talk.
They talked about everything and nothing, avoiding serious topics such as the possible reasons the High King hadn’t kept his appointment with Isabel. When the sky started to lighten, Isabel drew Aed into her chamber. It was clear there would be no reply to her note tonight.
Aed did his best to hide his growing concern, and he could tell from the set of Isabel’s lips that she too was worried. But they didn’t speak about it. Instead they took advantage of the time they had together, burying themselves in one another.
“You cannot eat cookies for dinner.”
Aed shoved two of the delicious biscuits the fairies had brought Isabel into his mouth. Since Isabel didn’t eat, no servant had been assigned to bring her meals. Occasionally an elegantly attired Tuath from one of the lower houses brought her bottles of wine, but it was the little fairies she’d befriended who kept a steady stream of food trays coming to her room. Aed didn’t think they understood that she didn’t eat, and he wasn’t about to tell them. Their admiration for Isabel meant that he was getting some choice food options from the kitchens, including this evening’s delivery of freshly baked cookies.
“You cannot eat cookies for dinner.” Aed grinned at Isabel, who looked disgruntled. “I can.”
“I’m going to tell Jeimtin that I want nothing but plain rice next.”
“Rice?” He frowned in mock confusion. He’d had rice before—huge bags of it had been a gift from the Vampire one month. He didn’t like it, but he knew what it was.
Isabel took a sip of wine and rolled her eyes.
He ate another cookie, making obnoxiously loud noises of enjoyment. Isabel had admitted that she’d enjoyed sweets as a human. Perhaps it was cruel of him to tease her when she’d said that though she could eat cookies if she wanted they didn’t taste as good as she remembered, but he could tell she didn’t really take offense. Strange, after only a few days he felt like he’d known her for years, felt comfortable teasing her.
She leaned back in her chair. “If you want to keep having the lovely food my friends think I’m eating…I’m going to need something from you.”
“And what is that?”
A smile worked its way across her face—that smile told him that what she wanted was going to involve being naked. His body reacted instantly—his cock throbbing in his pants.
Aed was planning exactly what he was going to do to her when his senses tingled.
Leaping to his feet, he held up his hand. Isabel instantly went silent. Unbuckling his sword belt, Aed flicked his finger. His armor disappeared from the floor only to reappear on his body.
Buckling his belt back on over his armor, Aed went to the door, which they’d left open so he would hear a messenger approach, positioning himself on the threshold.
There were footsteps approaching—five people at least. The sky was orange fading to blue, the courtyard now full of shadows. The sun had set.
Aed positioned himself beside the doorway. He hoped it was merely people passing by and that they wouldn’t come near this room, but given where they were in the castle, that wasn’t likely, unless for some reason Tara had reformed itself again.
When the group appeared at the mouth of the corridor, moving steadily toward where he stood, Aed knew this wasn’t a coincidence. Something was wrong—very wrong.
Chapter Nine
Isabel slid into the bathroom, head cocked to the side as she listened for whatever had made Aed go to the door. Unzipping the small pouch in the skirt of her dress, she took out eyeliner and lipstick before pulling the pins free of the bun she’d curled her hair into after showering. She finger-combed it, the locks now falling in gentle waves. She fixed her sleeves and adjusted the lace overlay of her dress, then quickly applied make-up.
It wasn’t her full routine, but it was good enough. Since this trip was only meant to be a few days long and she’d decided any kind of luggage would be a hindrance, she’d bought only the essentials with her.
She reminded herself that she was Isabel Santiago—Sage of the Bucharest Cabal. A powerful, clever vampire.
Too bad inside she still felt soft and warm—the result of hours of pleasure at Aed’s hands and a walk she’d taken earlier this morning while he slept. When he was awake he didn’t want
her out of his sight. She doubted he wanted her wandering around Tara by herself when he was asleep, but she’d begun to fall in love with the mysterious beauty of this place. She never ventured far, and made sure to stay in main corridors. This morning she’d found a courtyard full of rose bushes. She’d seen electric-blue flowers, glittering blossoms with white petals surrounding blood-red centers and the most delicate lavender-colored florets she could imagine. The scent had been intoxicating, and she’d sat on the mossy ground and simply breathed deep.
It had been a stupid risk, and not the first time she’d done it, but once she’d had a taste she hadn’t been able to stop herself from venturing farther and farther from the safety of Aed’s presence. She was a naturally curious person, and it was impossible to be surrounded by such wonder without wanting to see it.
If she’d been seen…
If she’d been seen, there shouldn’t have been an issue. She wasn’t a prisoner here—there was no reason she shouldn’t take a walk. It might shock the Tuatha de Danaan that she could move about in the day, but that might be a good thing—it would help them realize that the Vampire had many skills and powers they knew nothing about.
Isabel swept out of the bathroom. She could see Aed’s shoulder through the open door. It was strange how he hadn’t needed to say anything—she’d simply understood from his body language that there was something, someone, approaching.
“Lord Fionnin.” There was a hard edge to Aed’s words.
Isabel positioned herself a few feet from the door, off to the side so she could hear what was happening in the corridor but wouldn’t be immediately visible to anyone peering in through the open door.
“Aed. Is it here?”
“My lord?”
“The vampire.” The stranger’s tone dripped with disgust.
Isabel’s fangs lengthened, but she willed them back. She would not let being called “it” goad her to a reaction.
“Lady Isabel is within. She is not expecting visitors.”
“I am not a visitor. I’ve come to see justice served.”
“Justice, Lord Fionnin?”
