by Raven Steele
“This is Warwick Castle,” Eddie said at the gates to the grand estate. “Our King and Queen live here. They’ve been ruling for the last five hundred years.”
He walked inside and circled around the back like before.
Briar reached out and touched a purple rose petal in passing. It shimmered beneath the moonlight. “This place is amazing. Can I show Luke sometime?”
“No,” both Eddie and I said at the same time.
He whirled around, his expression dark. “It will put his life at risk, do you understand?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “What about my life?”
He glanced back over his shoulder and looked high up at a tower, almost as if he was afraid someone was watching us, but I saw no one. “You are an Alpha and a Komira. That gives you certain clout among my kind, but if you were ever to reveal our secret without our permission, there would be severe consequences. And Briar,” he leaned toward her conspiratorially, “we have eyes and ears everywhere in Rouen.”
“What about dicks?” She grinned but when he didn’t respond, she swallowed. “Fine. Message received. And what about Sammie? This isn’t the first time she’s been here.”
He snorted. “She’s been gifted with the Kiss of Eternal Night. She can pretty much do whatever the hell she wants.”
Briar gaped at me. In an uncharacteristic move, I winked at her and began walking after Eddie.
“Hey!” she called after me. “Don’t do normal things! It freaks me out.”
If only she knew. In another life, Briar and I could’ve raised hell together.
We had just reached the stone archway when Eddie stopped. A tall and lean figure walked toward us, his head down. As he drew closer, Folas looked up, moonlight illuminating every dark shadow of his angular face. His eyes, dark before, now glowed an eerie blood red.
Eddie’s body grew tense. “Is something wrong?”
“The King and Queen want to meet our guests.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I protested. Meeting the King and Queen of the fae could prove more risky than helpful. They were known for being self-serving with big tempers.
His sharp eye moved towards me. “Unfortunately, I am unable to help you unless the King and Queen give their approval. I’m sorry.”
I looked away, frowning, but not surprised. I’d garnered their attention. It probably had something to do with my blood. Folas’ gaze roamed to Briar. “Who are you?”
“This is Briar,” Eddie said quickly, as if that was all the explanation he needed.
Folas’s chin lifted, and he leaned forward a little to inhale her. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
“I can’t say the same.”
He studied her for a moment and opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but Eddie interrupted him. “Shall we go through the front entrance then?”
Eddie didn’t wait for a response. He turned and the rest of us followed. I eyed Folas as we walked, noting how he studied Briar. He had already taken a sample of my blood. Would he want one of hers as well? Somehow, I needed to gain the upper hand against him. I had a feeling he would surprise me with his true motives at an inopportune time.
Eddie walked up the steps until he reached tall silver doors etched with all kinds of fae symbols. I recognized many of them, but not all. I’d only lived with fae folk for a short time in the fourteenth century, just long enough to learn their language and culture. It had been invaluable knowledge when we fought against their invasion. Knowledge is everything in war.
Leaning forward, Eddie exhaled a deep breath onto the vertical crack between the two doors. The doors slowly swung open, revealing a grand entryway filled with white light. The bright color was everywhere. White marble floor, white walls, a chandelier filled with white candles that burned, not yellow and orange, but with white flames. The color reflected through the many glass statues throughout the room. Several were as tall as Folas. Sculptures of men and women, frozen in time. The only other colors in the room were found in the garden paintings hanging on the walls.
“Should I take off my shoes?” Briar whispered.
Neither Eddie or Folas responded. They just stood silently, so we did the same. A few seconds later, a maid with long white hair and wearing a short white dress appeared, her frame thin and waif-like. “How may I help you?”
“We’re here to see the Queen and King,” Folas said. “On their orders.”
She lowered her head. “They’re waiting for you. Right this way.”
She glided across the shiny floor, her feet barely skimming the surface. It wasn’t until we started walking that I realized Briar’s footsteps made no sounds. Neither did mine. It was as if the room absorbed all noise. It was an odd sensation, like dreaming while being awake. I glanced over at Briar, meeting her gaze. She seemed to be feeling the same thing.
The woman with white hair floated down a wide hall straight ahead. Her hair lifted into the air like spider’s silk to a breeze I couldn’t feel. On each side of us, vibrant paintings depicted beautiful creatures I’d never seen before, all happy and dancing in ornate gardens. The colors of the flowers and plants were some of the most vivid I’d seen, and yet, in each one, a storm brewed in the distant landscapes, angry and dark. Veiled threats seemed to be everywhere in this bright place.
At the end of the hall, the slight wisp of a woman turned right and stopped. She motioned us toward a glowing light at the end of the hall.
“It’s warm in here,” Briar whispered. She removed her jacket.
Eddie stopped. “This is as far as I can go. Folas will see you the rest of the way. Pay attention, ladies.”
Briar and I shared a wary glance. What had we gotten ourselves into?
Chapter 23
Folas nodded farewell to Eddie and continued onward. Briar and I followed reluctantly behind. I knew very little about the King and Queen of Black Glen, other than what I’d overheard in whispered corners over the years. They’d won their titles in a great battle fought in Europe. Their victory had united several fae communities, a feat none had seen for over two thousand years. It made me wonder what kind of people they were to illicit such a following. They either led by fear or love, but not both.
As we walked, the light grew stronger and stronger until I had to shield my eyes. Briar did the same. But a few steps later, the light appeared at our backs. It was like we had walked through a wall of light separating the other part of the castle from this—I looked around—great throne room. This area was just as bright but had more color, more blues and greens, yellows and oranges all painted into the walls and ceiling in great swirls that appeared to be moving in gentle circles. The pattern shifted all at once and the lines sharpened and reversed, pointing in our direction as if they were watching us.
“Come,” Folas said.
“What the hell?” Briar breathed, looking around in awe.
“Stay alert,” I warned, focusing in on those lines that moved with us. Some of them crowded together, briefly forming what looked like little animals with beady eyes, but just as quickly the lines would untangle and move along the walls toward the front of the room.
I followed their direction, my heart racing, something it didn’t do often. I slowed my breathing and made myself become detached from the situation, almost clinical.
Rows of people stood on the side of the room, silently staring at us as we passed. Two figures sitting on thrones in the front of the room came into focus almost as if the light above them had been shielding them until just the right moment.
The man on the left perched on a black-and-gold throne etched in thorns and red roses. It was padded with extra thick and billowy cushions, magical and seamlessly sewn into the throne, complete with an attached leg rest, giving it a modern, La-Z-Boy recliner feel. He filled it, and then some, with his blubberous body.
His dark blue shirt barely fit him; buttons stretched to the max. A white cape wrapped around him and spilled to the floor. Dark and full hair looked li
ke it had been dropped on top of his head with no regard as to where it should lay. Parts of it covered his forehead, but the other half looked like it had been swept back too many times by chubby fingers. His thick legs were spread wide and squished beneath a black skirt. I’d seen a few other men in Black Glen wearing similar skirts. It must be an old custom some of the men clung to.
To the right of the King, sat a woman just as distended, lazily reclining in a similar throne. Her stomach was so far bloated that it jiggled in protest like Jell-O at a kid’s birthday party as she struggled to sit up. Her dress, made of green and purple velvet with puffy sleeves and a long train, stretched over her body. A walrus could've worn the gown better.
Folas bowed low in front of them. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Briar looking at me as if to see if I would bow, too. I remained upright. They were not my King and Queen, nor would they ever be. Briar followed my example and straightened taller.
“Your majesties,” Folas began, “May I introduce to you, Samira, bearer of the Kiss of Eternal Night, and Briar, Komira and Alpha of the Silver Claws pack.”
The King reached for a tray near his throne and scooped up a large green grape from off its top. He bit into it. Juice ran down his chin. He rotated his fat head toward his wife and sighed. “What do you say, dear? Should we kill them just to see if we can?”
Briar lowered into a defensive position, her hand nearing the blade in her boot. I also adjusted my stance, wishing I would’ve brought my swords.
Folas cleared his throat. “They’ve come to help solve our problem with Korin.”
The Queen eyed us greedily, picking at her teeth with a sharp bone. “They don’t look all that interesting to me.” She turned back to the king. “I say we put them in the ring, Haemen. Let them fight each other to the death. The one who comes out the winner gets to leave with her head intact.”
I took a step in front of Briar, a protective move, even though Briar had no need of it. “We come in peace and are only looking for help to stop Trianus from rising.”
Haemen’s throne shook as he struggled to sit up. After two attempts, and failing, he growled. His leg rest moved in a slow motion, magically folding back into his chair as the back of it came forward, pushing the king upwards.
Folas kept his posture submissive, but his eyes darted to the crowd a few times. I followed his gaze, searching through the throes of people to where his eyes landed. Then I saw her.
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever encountered. A thin but muscular frame and long golden hair lay in loose curls all around her shoulders. She was dressed differently than the others, more modern but also very regal for a woman of lower status. She wore a long, form-fitting white gown with sleeves that reached her wrists into the shape of a point. Just above the swell of her breasts rested a giant diamond pendant, reflecting all the white light in the room into an array of colors, some I didn’t recognize.
And her eyes were staring right at me.
I blinked, twisting my head back to Haemen. After what felt like several awkward moments, his chair finally positioned itself upright. Instead of standing, he leaned forward, leering at us.
I wondered if his legs would even hold him, but I maintained a polite, but alert, posture. Fae glamour was meant to deceive, and he could probably be at me instantly, a dagger in my stomach, if he so desired. Haemen’s eyes wandered over us for a moment, then slid over to Folas where his gaze lingered, his cheeks flushing briefly. He blinked and licked his lips before he drew his attention back to us. “Let them kill each other.”
At the wave of his hand, our clothes transformed into white fighting leathers. We both held a long, sharp knife in our hands. I could strike out at Briar in an instant, before she even knew what to expect, but I wouldn’t. I wasn’t fooled by their charade.
“No. I refuse to fight her.” I threw my knife to the ground.
His lips twisted up in a sneer. “Then you have just forfeit your life.”
“I don’t think so.” I held out my hand to Briar, who placed her own knife in it. In the blink of an eye, I stood behind Folas, my knife at his throat. “Tell me, how much is the life of your lieutenant worth?”
“Calm yourself, vampire,” a gentle voice said. The woman from the crowd stepped forward, her hands clasped together at her waist. She was tall, having several inches on me. Her ice blue eyes held a calculated, intelligent look as she strode towards us. Both Briar and I moved at the same time, ensuring that the king, the queen, and the new fae woman was in our line of sight.
Her eyes never strayed from the blade at Folas’ throat as she came near me. “You say you want to work with us. We’ve had outsiders come to us in the past with similar motives, but in the end, each species serves their own kind. Why should we think you are any different?”
“I can’t speak about the past,” I began, my hand still tight on the knife and Briar close to my back, protecting it, “but we all want the same thing. To stop Korin and the Phoenix from bringing Trianus back from the dead.”
Haemen snorted, his eyes tight and ever shifting to Folas. “Our kind can take care of those beasts just fine, when the time is right. You are a fool for indulging them, Oona.”
“Perhaps.” Oona stopped in front of us. “But they intrigue me. Why go after Folas instead of taking the opportunity to fight their way out or killing each other?” She said the last part without any emotion, as if it would mean nothing for me to kill Briar.
“Because he seems to be the most valuable fae in the room,” I answered. “Wanted not only by the King, but—” I loosened my hold over Folas and took a step back, bending slightly in a polite bow and lowering my hand, my palm out, offering her the knife. “also by the Queen.”
Briar gasped, her face snapping towards the woman, her eyes wide. The woman on the throne disappeared in a puff of smoke and Folas glared at me hatefully. But the woman, the real Queen of the Fae, only held my gaze with an amused expression.
“You are swift and observant.” Her nose wrinkled. “But I have yet to determine if your motives are altruistic or not.” She turned to Briar, eyeing her up and down. “As for you, I don’t like what you’re wearing. It’s too rough for such a beautiful face.”
Briar narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know whether to say thank you or punch you in the face.”
“You’ll do neither. It’s beneath your status.” She snapped her fingers. Briar’s body glimmered, and in the next second, her fighting leathers transformed into a long black gown, cut so low in the front, her breasts nearly burst from the thin material.
Haemen grunted then chuckled, relaxing now that Folas was safe. His eyes roved over Briar’s body. He reached for several more grapes, shrugging. “Eh.”
“Whoa,” Briar gasped, staring down at her dress. “Nice rags, but not really my thing.”
Oona, the Fae Queen, ignored her and approached me. “I can feel your power, different from the wolf. Yours is darker. More dangerous than hers. By the shadows in your eyes, you know how deadly you are, correct?” She narrowed her eyes. “Your glasses are an interesting touch. You have no need of them. Why do you wear them?”
“I’d like to discuss our plans,” I said, trying to avoid Briar’s questioning eyes. She didn’t need to see or know the dark side of me.
Oona’s slender finger brushed my cheek, leaving an icy coolness in its wake. “Such control you have! I wonder, what would happen if you unleashed the Kiss’s sweet poison?”
I leaned forward to stare into her eyes, summoning just a hint of it to the surface. “You don’t want to know.”
She visibly shivered.
“Have you heard enough, my Queen?” Haemen asked, looking bored. He adjusted his weight, trying to lean forward, but in doing so, he had to spread his legs wider, exposing himself fully to us.
“Holy purple cocktapus,” Briar breathed, her face paling.
Oona spun around toward Haemen. “I have not had enough. Not even close.”
Haemen groane
d and wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Send them away or kill them. We don’t need their kind in our palace. They are stinking up the place.”
“Your majesty, please,” Folas began, but the King interrupted him.
“Can you or can you not do your job?” he roared. “Must you rely on help from a blood sucker and a mutt?”
Both Briar and I bristled. While Folas explained to him our importance, Oona returned her attention to us. She ran a finger up Briar’s arm and hooked it into the top strap. She pulled it down slowly, seductively, nearly pulling it off, but stopped just short of it.
“I like your body,” she said to her. “You’re soft in all the right places.”
“That’s what I hear,” Briar answered.
Oona turned to me. “And you. Your body is hard, but I feel heat burning through your veins.”
“Enough!” Haemen yelled at Oona. “Leave. All of you.”
“I want them,” Oona said, eyeing Briar and me. “For the evening.”
“I can’t stay,” I blurted, flustered by the sudden turn of events. I had things to do, not be some fae Queen’s plaything.
Haemen chuckled. “My Queen gets what she wants. Go with her and if she’s satisfied by sunrise, you may just leave with your life.”
“I will not—”
Briar grabbed my arm hard, silencing me. “We’ll go. It could be fun, the three of us.”
Folas glanced from me to her, his mouth turned down. By the hesitant look in his eye, he hadn’t expected this either.
“Then it’s settled. Follow me.” Oona gracefully turned and guided us toward the wall to the side of us. I thought it was a dead end, but as she approached, a section of the wall slid back, revealing another hallway. I glanced back at Folas and Haemen. The King burped and shoved more food into his mouth, leering at Folas, who just stared after us.
My heart was heavy as I continued onward. What were we doing? I couldn’t have some tryst with my roommate and a fae Queen. What was Briar thinking? What was I thinking following after them?
