Corin frowned looking deeply unhappy. “You are sure he is well?” he said, sounding so frustrated that Claudette’s heart ached for him. This would be his life now, both of their lives, always having to put their own desire aside for more important matters.
“I promise,” his mother said, reaching up again to touch his cheek. “Anaïs said he would be fine.”
Corin nodded, though he didn’t look happy about it. Still, he sighed and took Claudette’s hand, then turned to greet the people of his three kingdoms. Stepping forward, he faced the crowds and raised his hand, and the noise that rent the air was like nothing Claudette had ever heard before. It raised the hairs on the back of her neck, made her ears ring and her skin prickle as the magic on the air swelled around them. She glanced up, staring at the man by her side in awe, seeing a king the likes of which the world had never seen before, and seeing, too, the man she loved.
Claudette felt fear for him as well as pride, though, for everything he faced in the future, but surely he would overcome it all. She could not imagine that he could fail. Perhaps there were some who did not celebrate their new king. There were certainly those who looked upon him with jealousy and envy, but for the people, the ordinary people who had suffered under Auberren’s rule and for those who had known him since he was a boy, this was a day of great joy and new beginnings. The crowds cheered and shouted blessings upon them both, sending wishes that soon there would be princes and princesses to celebrate. Claudette could see the wonder in their eyes, their burgeoning hopes that the Fae Lands could once more be the place they had heard of in their grandparent’s stories. They hoped that their magic would flourish and grow once more and that sickness would be an old memory. They sent prayers that both the people and the land would be fruitful once more and their houses would be full of the sound of children’s laughter after so many years of silence. They blessed their new king, and prayed that he would heal old wounds and make them whole again.
Chapter 31
After what felt like hours of doing the pretty, as he always thought of the tedium of political shmoozing, Corin was bored to tears. He smiled and gave his time to all of the most important people present. He reassured those who needed it as best he could, and accepted congratulations from those who had always supported him, as well as those who would stab him in the back in a heartbeat. All he really wanted, however, was to get away. Preferably to find a quiet spot with Claudette. The celebrations would begin in earnest the following afternoon and last for three days, but everyone wanted a piece of the new king, and he knew his duty well enough. There were those who didn’t feel the warmth of his smile, though, and he saw the fear in their eyes as they tried to ingratiate themselves to no avail. He felt no remorse for it. He would take great satisfaction in removing them from their present employment as soon as he was able. They could lick his boots as much as they wanted, but they had made their choices long since, and he had a longer memory.
He looked around for Claudette, who had gone to find her brother, and saw Bram walking towards him. Corin watched him approach, noting the wicked glint in his eyes. A look like that invariably meant trouble. He could guess why, too.
“Bram,” he said, smiling and holding his hand out to him.
Bram ignored the hand and bowed to him with a great flourish, rings glinting on his fingers as his lace cuffs added drama to the theatrical display. “Your Majesty,” he said with great solemnity.
Corin sighed and gave a snort as Bram straightened again. “How is it you manage to do that perfectly, and yet I feel you are mocking me?” he demanded, watching with amusement as Bram’s eyes widened, giving him an expression of complete innocence.
“As if I would do such a thing?” he complained, looking wounded.
“As if,” Corin replied, his tone dry. With foreboding, he saw Bram’s gaze travel to the large man at his back. Laen had stuck to him like glue, taking his new position as Lord Protector to the King with as much gravity as Corin had expected.
“Ah, Laen,” Bram said as Corin groaned inwardly. “I feel I must congratulate you.” He stepped closer and patted Laen’s arm, his expression warm and exuding an air of paternal pride.
Laen’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, gods,” Corin muttered, realising what was coming. “Bram, I really don’t think you should.”
“But that he should finally come out and admit his feelings after so many years of secrecy,” Bram said with the utmost sincerity, covering his heart with one large, bejewelled hand. “It was very touching. I really felt quite emotional.”
“You’ll be feeling the edge of my sword if you don’t shut your mouth,” Laen grumbled, though Corin was impressed that he didn’t just break the fellow’s nose. He would have done so before today, after all.
“Oh, but Laen,” Bram continued, his face the picture of sincerity. “It has taken so long for you to get to this point, I mean, after so many years of denial. I feel we should celebrate it.”
“Bram … truly, do stop, there’s a good fellow,” Corin said, watching a muscle twitching in Laen’s jaw with misgiving. He knew Laen had meant everything he’d said to him earlier, but Bram had a way of getting under the man’s skin and irritating him until he snapped that no one else had ever accomplished.
“Well,” Bram said, beaming at Corin now. “It is lovely to see you standing up for him too, Corin. Really, you are very well-matched, I’m actually rather jealous,” he admitted, a dreadful twinkle in his eyes. “I mean, he’s never kissed me ...”
“Laen!” Corin leapt forward and put himself in front of Bram as Laen’s big hand reached out to grab him around the neck. “He is trying to provoke you on purpose, man! You know he has no filter between his brain and his mouth.”
“I resent that remark,” Bram said, sounding indignant, and not in the least concerned that Laen wanted to kill him.
Corin looked round at him and tutted with impatience. “Oh, do shut up. Really, have you no sense of self-preservation?”
Bram adopted a thoughtful expression, placing one finger to his chin. “Well, yes, but a stronger sense of humour, and really … you cannot expect such an event to pass without comment, surely?”
Corin frowned at him. “Well, actually, I could, when the outcome for the commentator is likely to be swift and fatal.”
Bram shrugged, unperturbed. “He’s threatened it too many times without going through with it for me to be unduly concerned.”
“Only because I get between you!” Corin reminded him with sigh whilst noticing Claudette moving towards them with her brother and an unusual-looking, dark-haired girl he had not seen before.
“Well, yes,” Bram agreed, nodding and grinning at them both. “And thus the status quo is preserved. You see how beautifully you work together. Such a lovely couple ...”
“Please, can I kill him now?” Laen demanded, a slightly desperate note to his voice as he looked at Corin.
Bram’s eyes twinkled with devilry as he ploughed on. “Though I wonder, how will you work things out with Claudette and Océane?”
Corin stepped hastily to one side. “Be my guest,” he said to Laen, and turned to smile at Claudette, who had caught the end of that conversation and lifted an eyebrow at him. He ignored Bram’s protests that he should make Laen unhand him immediately, and kissed Claudette instead. “Ma belle, I am so pleased to see you.”
Claudette gave him an enquiring expression, which implied there was a conversation they would be having at some point. “Why is Laen holding Bram by his throat?” she asked, her voice mildly curious but not unduly concerned. She was used to them by now.
Corin glanced back at them and snorted. “Just Bram being Bram,” he said with a sigh before turning back to the young man beside her. “I assume this is your brother?” There was really no doubting it, the turquoise eyes were just the same.
Claudette beamed at him and let go of him to cling onto Jean-Pierre’s arm “Oui! Jean-Pierre, this is Corin.”
Jean-Pierre l
ooked from Corin to her with anxiety in his eyes. “Should I bow?” he said to her in a rush, panic in his voice.
Corin rolled his eyes and laughed. “Oh, gods, please don’t! All this bowing and scraping is very wearisome.” He held out his hand and gave the boy a warm smile. “I am very pleased to know you.”
Jean-Pierre nodded, but Corin could see suspicion in his eyes. The boy didn’t trust him an inch. Well, he couldn’t really blame him. Nonetheless, he took Corin’s hand and shook it, his eyes widening in horror as he saw patterns creep from Corin’s fingertips across his skin and up his arm. The magic touched him gently, warm and caressing, and Jean-Pierre dropped his hand with a yelp of alarm, and stepped quickly away.
Corin grimaced, looking uncomfortable. “Please forgive me. I’m afraid I can’t control it just at the moment,” he admitted, feeling perfectly idiotic. He hadn’t had problems like this since he was an adolescent. “I am very happy that you have found us safely, but then,” he raised his voice a little to be heard over the two men who were still bickering behind him, “I knew I could rely on Bram.”
He sighed and turned around to see Laen shove Bram hard enough to make him stumble. Bram was laughing at him. “Really, Laen, I do not see what you are so embarrassed about. It’s not as if we didn’t all know anyway.”
“Bram!” Corin snapped, wishing the man knew when to call it a day. “Do please leave him be, it has been a very trying day, and I do not have the patience for one of your fights.”
Bram rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Corin,” he said, shaking his head and pointing an accusing finger at him. “You love tormenting him even more than I do.”
“Yes, well,” Corin replied, unable to deny it. “I would be the first to admit it is entertaining, but that is entirely beside the point. I do not do it in public.”
Bram sighed and raised his hands. “Oh, fine.” He sighed theatrically, but Corin did not miss the humour in his eyes, and knew he wasn’t done yet. He stepped closer to Laen and whispered just loud enough for Corin to hear, too. “I apologise, Laen, it’s just always so moving to see you two kiss and make up.”
Corin raised his hands in defeat as Laen lunged for Bram, who smartly dodged out of the way and ran to stand behind Corin. Despite the fact that he really was tired, he felt a rush of pleasure at finding his friends beside him and discovering that despite being king, nothing had changed in the least.
***
Ameena had been watching the unfolding events with ever-widening eyes. The Field of Kings had terrified her, and everything Corin had done made her feel very much in awe of him. To her surprise and immense gratitude, Bram had stayed by her side. He had reassured her constantly, even holding her hand when he had seen how afraid she was, but when he had seen Corin burn, he had been devastated.
At first, he had raged and shouted, but then, when it seemed as if all was lost, he had been stunned into silence. He had just sat with his head in his hands as tears slid down his face unchecked, and she had stayed with him, holding him and speaking to him quietly and feeling utterly useless. His joy, therefore, when they had seen Corin appear from the strange cloud of magic that hung over the mound, had been something to behold. He had been ecstatic ever since, so full to bursting with relief and happiness that he seemed to fizz with it, like a small boy on a sugar high. It was rather endearing, and yet another side to the man she was getting to know.
Ameena looked now at the three men with curiosity. When she had first met Bram, once she had realised he wasn’t actually insane, he had appeared totally confident, arrogant, even. He was handsome and sophisticated, and had given her the impression that he was rather serious. Now, though, she realised that seriousness had been because of the circumstances. She watched him with interest, now, laughing uproariously and obviously winding the hell out of the big blond guy, who looked ready to tear him to pieces, and yet … and yet there was obviously a deep friendship between them. Bram appeared to be the annoying younger brother who was always causing trouble, and yet it seemed clear that either one of them would die to defend him.
“Corin, do control him, will you?” Bram said, smirking at the towering figure of a man from over Corin’s shoulder as Ameena bit back a smile.
Corin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, if you two can’t get on, I may just throw you in the dungeons and have done with it,” he warned them.
The man, who Claudette whispered to her was Prince Laen, looked back at the king with indignation. “He started it!” he said, pointing at Bram and receiving a pained look from Corin.
“Oh, please, Laen, really?” Corin turned back to Bram and narrowed his eyes. “Bram, I can now have all charges against you dropped and I intend to do so, but I swear if I have to spend my first day as king refereeing between the two of you, I’ll remove your head from your shoulders myself. Are we clear?”
Bram nodded, his face grave for once as he bowed to the kind. “That is most kind, Your Majesty,” he replied and then looked up, and Ameena smiled at the look in his eyes. “In return, I promise to try not to comment on Laen’s declaration of love any further.” Bram saw the frustrated look in Laen’s eyes and erupted into laughter. “Alright, alright, I’m done.” He held up his hands in defeat, completely failing to conceal how much he was enjoying himself.
“Damn you, Tully!” Laen muttered, shaking his head, though he didn’t really look that angry now. “I’m going to see Océane,” he said with a sigh before nodding at the king. “She wants to see you, too, so you’d best come or face the consequences. She has acquired one hell of a temper since she’s been pregnant, I warn you now.”
The king smiled and raised his eyebrows. “In that case, I will be right behind you. In my opinion, it was quite bad enough to begin with,” he added, grinning at Laen, who made a noise of amusement. He turned back, though, and Ameena was startled when the king looked right at her. “I must, however, be introduced to this young woman before we leave.”
Ameena swallowed, shifting self-consciously under the weight of that strange golden gaze. She’d been feeling out of place before this, surrounded by women in beautiful gowns that looked like they’d stepped out of a period drama. They had all stared at her in undisguised horror, looking over her heavy-soled, lace up boots, black leggings, and matching hoodie with alarm and undisguised shock. Under the eyes of the king, however, she wanted to shrivel up and disappear, and then he smiled at her. That smile was like having the sun turned on for you and you alone, the warmth of it easing away her apprehension as he looked at her with no trace of judgement.
“Nice boots,” he said with a smile, and Ameena grinned at him as Bram stepped forward to make the introduction.
“Your Majesty, if you would allow me to introduce Ameena, a young lady to whom I shall forever be in debt.”
“Oh?” the king inquired, as he stepped forward and took her hand.
“She saved my life, in very difficult circumstances,” Bram explained as Ameena blushed a deep shade of scarlet. In truth, the blush was not so much a result of the compliment, but rather because her hand was being held by a man who looked like the poster boy for every woman’s most sinful erotic dream. The golden eyes held hers for a moment, and she felt damn sure he knew it as well as she did. Unwillingly, her eyes fell from his eyes to her hand. Magic was curling around her fingers and up her wrist. The pretty white light made delicate, lacy patterns that tickled and caressed her skin in a most intimate fashion as desire surged through her blood and she drew in a shaky breath.
“Corin!” Bram and Claudette snapped, and he jumped, dropping Ameena’s hand abruptly. He cleared his throat and gave Ameena a rueful smile, which only made her blush harder as she realised how she’d just reacted.
“I am so sorry,” he said, actually looking like he meant it. “Please, accept my apologies.” He turned to Claudette and took her hand instead, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it. “Please forgive me, ma belle. I swear to you it was not done on purpose. I cannot help it.”
Everyone watched as the light rushed from his fingertips and coiled around Claudette now, wrapping her from head to foot in a matter of seconds. He broke the connection, stepping away from her as fast as he could, but not before everyone saw his fiancée’s eyes darken with a look that suggested she wanted to tear his clothes off without delay. “Right,” he said, holding up his hands and backing up. “No more shaking hands or any form of contact. No one touches me until I have control of this.”
Laen took several large paces backwards, and Corin smirked at him. “Coward.” He turned back to Claudette, eyes twinkling a little. “That does not include you, I might add, but I think perhaps not in public.”
***
Corin sighed and hoped he could get a grip on his overwhelming powers good and fast, or he could see all sorts of problems ahead of him, and he had enough of those as it was, thank you very much. As if the gods were laughing at him, a familiar, sultry voice spoke to him.
“Alors, it is good to see you, Your Majesty.”
Corin spun around in horror as he recognised the voice addressing him. Inés Corbeaux sank down into a deep curtsy, looking up at him coquettishly through her lashes. The invitation in those eyes was all too obvious, it always was. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind what she was thinking. She held up her hand so he would raise her up, and Corin scowled at her, folding his arms as he took a step backwards. “What in damnation are you doing here?” he demanded.
She laughed, a deep, rich sound that had every man in the vicinity shifting with unease as her magic prickled over their skin. “Oh,” she said, a mocking smile at her lips as she raised one elegant, dark eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you aren’t pleased to see me.”
Bram cleared his throat, his good humour vanished now, as well it might. “I’m afraid I brought her,” he admitted, looking guilty as hell.
The Darkest Night Page 38
