“No. Of course not.”
He was lying, I could feel it through our bond. I rested my clasped hands on my desk. The setting sun slipped below the horizon, and the dark djinn was painted orange and red.
“Erebus, what’s the problem?”
“If they stay then so must I.”
“And you have a problem with that, why?”
He locked gazes with me. “You know why.”
My gut tightened.
“You forget that we share a bond. That your emotions, pleasure and pain, are also mine unless you mute the link.” His jaw ticked. “You forget to mute the link.”
Of shit. He was referring to Baal and my sexy time the other night. While he made the journey back to the palace, I’d been fucking the night away.
My neck was on fire. “I’m sorry.”
He held up a hand. “It’s not your fault. Neither of us asked for this. It was a necessity at the time. Distance acts as a muter, but being in such proximity to you makes the connection stronger. The tether is no longer a necessity, and if I am to remain here maybe we should consider severing it.”
He thought I was going to be fucking Baal every night and forcing him to witness the highlights. If only he knew. “What about the hoard? The connection allows you to draw power from the flame inside me. It allows you to fight the hoard.”
“And the hoard is silent. With you on the throne it is unlikely to surge. War is coming, and the people know this, but they also know we are prepared. There is very little potential for chaos and uncertainty.”
He wanted to be free of me. I’d loved him once. But not anymore. No matter how much my heart ached for my loss now, there was no going back, it just wasn’t my style. This was for the best.
“Okay, so how do we do this?”
His shoulders relaxed. “I will summon the priestess and ask her to prepare the ritual to severe the link.”
A pang lanced through my chest. “Okay. When?”
“Tonight.”
I dropped my gaze to the desktop. Yeah, this was the right thing to do, but with Baal taken from me, Erebus was one of the few real connections I had. But it would be wrong to hold on to him for selfish reasons. It was time to stand alone and make my own decisions.
“Kenna?”
I looked up. “Yes. Get it set up.”
His brow furrowed and then he smiled softly “We do not need a cosmic link to be connected. I will be here for you if you should need me, link or no.”
The knot in my chest eased a little. “Thanks.”
***
“That was amazing.” Mum flopped back onto my bed, hand on her stomach. “I forgot how wonderful fifth dimension food was.”
She’d eaten djinn food? “You ate with Ibris?”
She sat up, and I noted the slight flush to her cheeks. “Yes. He smuggled me into the palace on several occasions. There was a room in a tower where we used to meet. Sometimes I would stay for days. We were very much in love.”
“Why didn’t he ask you to marry him?”
She ducked her head. “He did, on several occasions.”
“So? What happened?”
“I said no.”
I stared at her in confusion. “Why? You just said you loved him.”
She picked at the embroidered throw on my bed. “I had my reasons, and it worked out for the best in the end. If I’d stayed I would have died, and you along with me.”
Still, I needed to know why she’d turned him down. I opened my mouth to ask but she interrupted me with a nostalgic laugh.
“I remember there was one time we were in the tower together, and we heard voices. Ibris sprang into action and locked the door. We didn’t usually bother because no one ever came up to the tower. It was a tucked-away space that we’d turned into our love nest. So anyway, on this occasion we were taken by surprise; it was obvious someone else had found out little nook. We pressed out ears to the door and heard Dante and Baal professing their love to each other.”
What? “Baal and Dante? Are you sure it wasn’t Erebus and Dante?”
She shook her head, her brow furrowing slightly. “No, it was definitely Baal and Dante. Ibris said so.” She cocked her head. “What would make you think it was Erebus?”
Because Sabriel had said that Dante had loved Erebus. Gah, I so wanted to tell her, but Sabriel had been adamant I keep this to myself. “No reason, just … was this before or after Dante was betrothed to Baal?”
“Before. It was actually what prompted Ibris to offer his daughter’s hand to Baal.” She smiled. “Baal was always a trusted adviser and friend to Ibris. When I found out he was helping you, it put my mind at ease.” Her expression darkened. “Losing Dante was a huge blow to Baal and Ibris. They both withdrew into themselves. But it gives me hope to see that it is possible to love again. Baal found that with you.”
None of this made sense. “How did Dante die?”
She sighed. “It was a horrible accident. She fell from the cliffs outside her bridal home.”
Sabriel had seen Baal push her …
“Baal was mad with grief. He locked himself away for months afterwards and would speak to no one, not even Ibris, his closest friend.”
Irina had told me the same thing. “And then Ibris was killed.”
She swallowed. “Yes. And I ran. Afraid for your life.”
My head ached from it all. There was no reason for Sabriel to lie to me. He was my guardian angel. He’d risked punishment to take me to see Bella after she’d died. He had my best interests at heart, so then why was my gut firing warnings?
Mum placed a hand on my arm. “How have you been?”
Why was she staring at me so probingly? “Fine.”
She smiled. “You took the flame, so I assume your efreet nature has surfaced.”
“Yeah.”
“And how do you feel?”
Was she referring to the high sex drive? “Mum …” I injected a warning into my tone. “I am not talking to you about that stuff.”
She laughed. “Fine. But there is a way to sooth the ache if the most obvious solution isn’t possible.”
Now this I was interested in. “Go on.”
She stepped out onto the balcony and returned with one of the liquorice blooms. “You steep the petals in warm water and then drink it.”
I took the flower. “How do you know this?”
She caught her bottom lips between her teeth. “Ibris used it when I was away from him. He wanted to be faithful to me.” He eyes glittered with moisture.
“Shit, Mum. I’m so sorry.”
She shook her head, dislodging the tears. “It was a long time ago.” She cupped my cheek. “He would have been so proud of you. Our love created something truly beautiful.”
I reached up to touch my birthmark. “Except for this.”
He lips tightened and her gaze hardened as if in determination, she took a shuddering breath, but a sharp rap on the door interrupted her.
I turned away. “Yes!”
Heather entered. “The priestess requires your presence, your majesty.”
“What’s going on?” Mum asked me.
“I’m getting untethered to Erebus.”
Her brows flicked up. “Is that wise? There is still a war to come. Having that link could prove beneficial.”
“It was his decision. Being connected to me, having access to my feelings and stuff, is hard for him.”
Her mouth parted slightly and her face cleared in dawning comprehension. “He’s in love with you.”
I pulled her off the bed. “I don’t know.”
“Yes. You do. It’s why you’re doing this, even though you know the tactical thing to do is to maintain the tether. You’re doing this to set him free and protect his heart.”
Her words struck a chord within me. She was right. This was exactly what I was doing. I was protecting us both. What we could have had was now nothing but a missed opportunity. I’d given my heart to Baal, and even if he was the murdere
r Sabriel said he was, there was no going back. I would cut ties with Baal once this war was over. Punish him for what he’d done and move one. Pain lanced through my chest at the thought, and I bit back an involuntary moan.
I cupped my mother’s face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Can you stop being so insightful for a bit?”
She sighed. “It’s a curse.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I love you, Mum.”
“Love you too baby.”
***
Heather led me through the palace and down corridors I’d never seen, which wasn’t surprising considering how huge this place was. It’d take me weeks to explore it all, maybe months. I bet there were a ton of hidden spots too, like the tower Mum had mentioned.
We took a narrow flight of winding stairs, and stepped onto a cosy platform decorated in lush purple fabrics edged in gold. An intricate, woven rug lay on the wooden floor, and a slender arched window looked out onto the palace grounds below. The maze could be seen from this vantage point, which told me we were at the back of the palace. A wooden door, varnished to perfection, faced us. Heather rapped on the door and then stepped back.
“Enter,” the priestess called.
I stepped through into what was obviously her private quarters. Erebus and the priestess were seated on flat cushions across from each other. A table laid with tea was set between them.
“Your Majesty, thank you for coming so promptly,” she said.
Erebus looked up from his tea.
“Please, call me Kenna.”
She smiled. “An honour indeed. But it would be unwise for me to form that habit. I am an old woman, and should I forget and call you by your name in public, then it would be deemed highly ignorant. Better to make a custom of using the proper address.”
Erebus looked up from his tea, his gaze slipped past me to settle on my mother.
I drew her into the room. “This is my mum.”
Erebus stood to greet her, his body eating up space. “It is nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. Kenna told me you trained her to fight with her prosthetic?”
“I simply helped her regain her confidence.”
Mum smiled. “And I am grateful to you. I believe that people cross our path for a reason, to guide us, to love us, to tempt us, or simply to walk by our side until the path ends. I’m glad that my daughter found a friend in you.”
Something shifted in Erebus’s expression, and some of the darkness seemed to seep away.
The priestess clasped her hands together. “Shall we untether you?”
I nodded. “What do we have to do?”
She bent down and poured a cup of tea then handed it to me. “Drink.”
Okay. I downed the slightly bitter concoction.
The priestess sighed. “All done.”
What? “That’s it?”
Erebus indicated his empty cup. I drank mine.
The priestess chuckled. “What were you expecting? A ritual? Chanting? Dancing naked beneath the moon? Although we could still do the latter if you wish.”
I held up a hand. “No, that’s fine. So this tea … what does it do exactly?”
“The tether that binds you is a cosmic connection existing on another plane. The herbs and magick will disrupt and gnaw away at the tether. It will take a few hours, but you will know when it snaps.”
I tried to catch Erebus’s eye, but his attention was fixed on the door. Probably eager to get back to whatever it was he’d been doing.
“Okay, thank you.” I turned to the door.
“Kenna?” Erebus said.
I paused and glanced over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I’m still here if you need me.” His smile was soft, transforming his harsh face into a new kind of mesmerising.
“Thank you. I will.”
Mum led the way out of the priestess’s chambers, and Heather led us back to my suite of rooms. In a few hours it would be over. The bond I’d shared with Erebus for the past few months would be gone. The priestess said I’d know.
How would I know?
15
“You look beautiful,” Mum said, fingering the ruffles at my sleeves.
“Mum, you need your eyes checked.”
“No,” Sabriel said. “She is correct. The colours and the cut flatter you.”
I cocked my head and studied my reflection in the mirror, and yeah, now that I took an unguarded moment to assess it, the coronation outfit wasn’t so bad.
“I guess it’s all right.” I shrugged.
“It will be perfect once the crown is placed on your head,” Mum said.
A rap on the door and then Baal strode into my chambers, his expression serious. My heart lurched with joy, and then Sabriel’s words came to mind, puncturing the joyous balloon expanding in my chest. How was I going to do it? How was I going to stop loving him? Surely knowing he’d killed my sister and possibly conspired to assassinate my father should have been enough. Then why wasn’t it?
“Kenna,” he took my hands in his. “I will have to leave immediately after the coronation.”
I turned my face up to him. “Why?”
“A message from Brett. He says it’s important and wants to see me.”
Would Baal hurt Brett? No. What would that possibly achieve? Still … “I’m coming with you.”
He tracked my features with his emerald gaze. “You will have hundreds of subjects wishing to speak with you, to mingle and know their queen. You will need to hold court, Kenna.”
He was right, and asking him to wait wasn’t an option. Brett wouldn’t have asked him to come to Lindrealm if it wasn’t important.
“Fine, but you need to get back ASAP and let me know what’s happened.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to my ear, his voice a seductive whisper. “Keep the dress on until I get back. I always keep my promises.”
He’d promised to peel it off layer by layer. Hot needles pricked my eyes. Where had that moment gone? Sabriel’s eyes were narrow slits, his mouth tight. Yes. Baal was the enemy. I needed to remember that.
Fixing a smile on my face, I pulled back and injected a naughty twinkle in my eye. “Of course.”
Although that wouldn’t happen. I’d made Mum sleep with me last night, no reason why the girly time couldn’t continue a little longer, and then I’d need to think of another excuse. He ran a finger down my cheek and my core tightened in response. Yeah. I needed to make up some of that damn petal water ASAP.
***
The palace was strangely silent as I made my way out into the private courtyard reserved for the monarch and her stables. Everyone who was anyone had already left for the coronation venue. It was an hour ride, and Davin had orchestrated it so that I’d arrive once everyone was seated. From the plans he’d shown me, this one day had taken up his every waking hour to organise. He’d taken this on without my asking, and damn I was grateful to him.
He’d gone on ahead to ensure everything went smoothly. It was the priestess’s role to crown the monarch. Speaking of the priestess; I still hadn’t felt the snap of the tether between Erebus and me yet. She’d said I’d know, but nothing strange had happened. If he’d been about I’d have asked him, but he was gone, along with the dark djinn. There was just a small group of us left—Baal, Sabriel, me, and Mum. Irina was still with her father working on the anti-serum, and Fargol hadn’t returned from his gargoyle recruitment drive. Several guards waited on mounts, ready to set off as soon as we were safely on board. Baal would travel by air, using his elemental power to make his way to the coronation ahead of us, and Sabriel would do his angel thing and make his own way.
We waited in the courtyard, faces turned up to the clear blue sky waiting for my ride. The Ceffyl Dwr came into view a moment later, their hooves silently beating the air, clouds trailing behind them as they cut an arc down toward us. The white and gold carriage hovered behind them. How could I have forgotten how magnificently beautiful and wickedly terrifying they we
re? As they landed, trailing mist and snorting smoke, Baal stepped forward to greet them. They let him touch and whisper in their ears and then he opened the carriage door and held his hand out to me.
I slipped my palm into his but kept my gaze on the carriage. If I looked at him, into the face I loved, I’d be lost and the doubts would return. I couldn’t do the circular argument any longer. Sabriel had told me the truth, and I needed to accept it. I needed to shield my heart. I made to step into the carriage, but Baal gently tugged me back, pulled me to him, and pressed his lips against my forehead.
“I love you,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.” He released me and stepped back.
A melodic caw drifted down to us, Baal looked up and smiled. I followed his gaze to see a long shadow circling down toward us, plumed and feathered and beautiful.
Agni grew closer and she began to sing. The melody was sweet and heart wrenching, bringing tears to my eyes and clogging my throat.
Mum gripped my elbow. “What is that?”
“It’s Agni. She’s a phoenix, the last of her kind. She used to be Dante’s.”
Agni circled once more, her song ebbing and then falling into silence. She made a final swoop and beat her wings, rising up and away.
An intimate warm smile played on Baal’s lips, one that made me want to drop the ruse and rail at him, to slam my fists into his chest and demand he tell me the truth. I took a half step toward him, but Sabriel stepped forward, shattering the moment. He shook his head infinitesimally and then Mum was joining me, urging me into the carriage.
The interior was just as I remembered, plush and comfortable and luxurious.
Mum caressed the velvety fabric of the seats. “This is beautiful.” She beamed at me. “Oh, Kenna. I am so proud of you.”
The door slammed shut and we were in motion. Baal would be watching, waiting for me to wave goodbye, blow him a kiss something. But I … I just couldn’t. My heart was heavy but empty at the same time.
The carriage bobbed and then we were airborne.
“Kenna? Seriously sweetheart, what is wrong?”
I gripped the seat, fingers digging into velvet. “I’m just nervous.”
Under Twilight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 3) Page 9
