“Are you all right, Rhysand?” Merry asked, her hands full of lace and silk. She was the only one left of those who raised me to call me Rhysand.
“Yes, Merry. Thank you for this. If you’ll inform Alaric that we’re back, Elena and I will meet him in the study.”
“What about Soren?”
I frowned, momentarily distracted. “What about him?”
“He’s been in a mood ever since you left. Frankly, we’ve all come close to running him through with something or another. Pardon, my lord. He requested,” she said through gritted teeth, “that you speak with him upon your return.”
Waving a hand, I said, “Fine, invite him to the study as well.” I didn’t have time to dwell on our resident misfit vampire prince.
“Of course, my lord, right away.”
“Thank you, Merry.”
I followed the tug on the link between us, my feet taking me to her without conscious thought. Elena looked up as I reentered the stairwell with the garments in hand. Her own palms were at her stomach as though she felt the same strengthening in our bond as I did.
“Here,” I said, choosing not to comment on the change. If I chose not to acknowledge it, it wouldn’t be real. “It’s time to meet my clan.”
17
Elena
Dragons were members of the Avian Clan, like my family and I, but they were ancient, more ancient than any other Avian. They’d been ostracized due to their resistance to capital culture, but were coveted for their power and strength and the fact that men ruled their clans instead of women like the rest of Aurelian shifters. Unlike the Avians in the capital, Dragons were steadfast in their loyalty to members of their clan. They didn’t backstab, power grab, or try to outmaneuver. No doubt they wouldn’t take kindly to me, but there was nothing I could do about that.
I’d faced adversity before and I likely would again. Provided they didn’t try to kill me, I would fare better than I had in the castle I hoped.
Rhys watched as I stripped out of his cloak and the rest of the clothes he’d ruined. Was I mistaken or was that satisfaction I saw in his eyes as I discarded the dress and underclothes in exchange for the borrowed ones? The throbbing connection between us hadn’t abated like I thought it would after our fevered coupling in the aviary. It pulsed as though our lovemaking had intensified it. An ouroboros of desire. The more we fed it, the more hungry it became.
Once I finished, he took my hand and pulled me out into the hall. Everything about it was grand and worn slightly as things did when they had been well used, but well made. The stone floors were soft with use and the great ceilings softly cream with age. Sconces magicked with flame flickered, turning us to shadow as Rhys led me down the hall to a grand staircase that fed several of the main levels, emptying out into the center of the castle itself.
Everyone stared.
Rhys either didn’t notice, or didn’t pay attention to the gawking as we traveled down the main staircase. My cheeks must have been blood red by the time we finally reached the first floor. I was meeting his people in a borrowed dress with aftershocks still running through my system. Maybe Rhys had the right attitude. He wouldn’t care. Maybe I shouldn’t either.
I was still a princess, and I’d be damned if I let anyone else make me feel like less than what I was due.
I’d done that enough my entire life, from the Council to the temple. Even in my relationship with Gideon, now that I thought about it. He’d always looked at me like I never quite lived up to his expectations.
Well, no more.
I wasn’t going to be ashamed to be by my mate’s side. He’d given me every reason to be proud to be his, and I wanted his people to know I accepted him with my full being, if not quite yet, with my heart. The heart in question was in my throat as he pulled me into a cavernous room.
I noticed nothing other than the books from floor-to-ceiling. I’d never seen anything like it, not even at the temple, which had a room full of religious texts that only the priests read. I’d never had much time for reading, preferring to be outside making mischief or working later when I lived at the temple. In fact, this room reminded me a lot of the temple. There was a mystical, reverent quality to it that made me want to worship.
Rhys let go of my hand and moved into the room, but I was too busy turning in circles, gaping at my surroundings. The shelves were a burnt umber, a deep, rich brown with red undertones and a glossy coating. There had to be dozens of shelves all the way up to the cathedral ceiling. They stationed ladders on rails on each wall for easy access. Jewel-colored glass speckled some shelves. Decorations, maybe? I itched to take a closer look, to explore the volume and discover why Rhys felt they were important enough to collect.
I felt you could learn a lot about someone based on the books that lined their libraries. Were they dry tomes about history and philosophy? Or were they drama-filled fantastical stories with delicate illustrations? I’d have to sneak down here one day and find out.
Catching myself inching toward the closest shelf, I pulled back the hand that had already risen up to snatch a book and glanced around guiltily. My breath caught when I realized we weren’t alone. There were two men standing at Rhys’ side.
To his right was a man so beautiful it hurt to look at him. Hair the color of fine-spun gold, eyes as green as emeralds, and ears which curved delicately upward. Those eyes danced with amusement, as though someone had told a particularly funny riddle. But it was the faintly purple incandescent rune tattoos on his hands that gave away his immortality. He was one of the fair folk. A faerie. What was a faerie doing in the Northlands? It was rare, very rare, to see one outside The Vale.
If I was surprised at the Fae, one glance at the other man to Rhys’ left took the strength right out of my legs and struck fear into my heart. He hadn’t bothered to stand from the lush, velvet seat where he sprawled elegantly. One hand toyed with a deadly dagger and the other rested on his thigh, one black-tipped nail tapping out a rhythm as he smirked at me. But it wasn’t the dagger or the black striations that spider-webbed across his skin that scared me. It was his eyes. Blood red and gleaming, they bored into me as though he could see through my skin to the life-giving blood underneath. The vampire licked his lips as though he could read my mind.
A dragon, a fae, and a vampire sounded like the beginning to a very bad joke, but there was nothing funny about having the three of them in the same room.
Rhys crossed to me and wrapped a hand around my waist. With him by my side, I was able to move closer to the two imposing men. Recalling my vow to remember who I was, I straightened my spine and looked from one to the other, not shying away from meeting their eyes.
“Elena, I’d like you to meet Soren… an aquantaince, and Alaric, my second-in-command.” He placed a hand on the blond fae’s shoulder and squeezed. Alaric gave me a gentle smile as though to say he were harmless. “If you have any concern, he’s the one you should go to.” I noticed he didn’t say I should go to Soren.
“Lovely to meet you,” I said and tilted my head. The questions I burned to ask were on the tip of my tongue.
“You as well, Lady Blaque.”
“Yes, yes, all good and lovely,” Soren said with an acid drawl. “I’ve come as you instructed, like a good little pet, now I’d like my dinner. Warm this time, if you please. If I can’t have it from the source, you could at least make certain it’s not the same temperature as your precious ice river.”
Dinner? I shivered. He meant blood. Where did they get it? Not from people, I hoped.
“Relax, sweet. He feeds from animals while he’s here.”
“Soren,” Rhys said to the insouciant vampire, ignoring his demands. “I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Princess Elena.”
“Unless you’ve brought her as a snack, I don’t give a damn.”
“Ignore him, Elena,” Alaric drawled. “He gets cranky when he hasn’t eaten. Or when he has. Truth be told, he’s cranky more often than not.”
“You would be
too if you were being kept against your will. Not all of us are royalty.” For a moment, I thought he was talking about me, but his eyes were on Alaric.
Royalty? What did that mean?
Before I can ask, Rhys said to me, “Soren was caught feeding on our people—”
“Like the parasite he is,” Alaric mumbled, to which Soren bared his sharpened canines.
There were vampires who traveled outside of Erebus, their territory? Everything was hanging. Humans were attacking Immortals. Fae and vampires were migrating outside of their territory. I couldn’t discern if Acasia was changing for the better… or for the worse.
Naturally reading my thoughts, the oaf, Rhys added, “Soren is finishing up a five-term sentence as one of our spies. One for each life he took.”
I turned to Rhys with an amused glance. “You have spies? Why?”
“I like to keep abreast of the goings-on,” he answered with frustrating vagueness. I wished I could read his mind, too.
Soren snapped his fingers and shook back his too-long ebony hair. “Dinner,” he ordered, then gritted his teeth together. “Please.”
“In the kitchens,” Rhys answered.
Soren got easily to his feet. There was an animal grace about his movements, almost feline, as he ambled out of the library. He couldn’t shift into a bat like ancient myths, but the demons that infected the vampire race may as well have been animals, only they possessed the worst characteristics of us all. Dark, soulless creatures, all they cared about was feeding their appetites. Lust, power, sex. They could never have enough. Without morals or ethics, they took what they wanted without remorse.
“Are you sure it’s safe to have him around?”
I knew Rhys would be listening. I smiled a little when I heard, “We forced him to do a blood pact. He can’t feed on anyone or leave the castle without my approval until his terms are up. You’re safe here, I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He lifted my chin for a kiss. “I promise,” he said out loud.
“All right,” I said.
“I have to meet with my men, they should be here soon, but Alaric would be happy to give you a tour of the castle.”
I experience a flash of dismay, but it passed quickly. I couldn’t be with Rhys in our little bubble forever, much as I’d enjoyed it.
“Of course,” I said and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you later?”
“I’ll be back in time for dinner.” After one last hand brushed over my hair, he was gone.
I turned to Alaric, who didn’t alarm me quite as viscerally as Soren, but that was the allure of the fae. If vampires were demons, the fae were angelic. Except not as pure of heart. Fae were devious. They loved to play tricks and delighted in always having the upper hand. If Rhys left me with Alaric, he must trust him. Truth-be-told, his golden good looks made me want to be at ease, but I made myself remember you could never drop your guard around a faerie.
“I’d tell you that you have nothing to fear from me, but we both know you’re going to be on your guard, so I’ll refrain. Instead, why don’t I show you the castle and you can ask me anything you want to know about Rhys?”
I was too intrigued to be cautious. “Really?” I asked, and followed him out again with one last glance as the library. I couldn’t wait to go back and explore when I had more time. Considering this was now my home, I supposed I had all the time in the world.
“The castle is organized in levels. The main floors are for meeting areas: the ballroom, dining room, the library, etcetera. Above that are the guest levels, then the living quarters. When we’re finished with the tour, I’ll show you to Rhysander’s room.”
So we would be sharing rooms. Interesting. I knew some mates didn’t. As I pondered what that meant, Alaric gave me a tour of the main floor from the elaborate ballroom to the dining room with the biggest fireplace I’d ever seen and a table big enough to fit nearly fifty people. My favorite place after the library, though, was the greenhouse and lush gardens. I didn’t think there’d be a garden since we were so far north and as far as I knew, it was nearly always cold. Magick must keep the beautiful blooms alive.
Alaric led me through the garden, humoring my questions, as I studied each bloom. It reminded me of the gardens I used to tend at the temple, which felt so far away now. So much had changed.
“He has no family left. His father went on to be with the Goddess a long time ago and his mother died in childbirth. There were no other children,” Alaric said, when I asked about Rhys’ family.
So we were alike in that regard. I wonder if that’s why he agreed to help me with my father.
“How many clansmen live here?” I asked to distract myself from images of little ones who had Rhys’ eyes and baby dragon wings. Goddess help me, but the image made my stomach turn to mush.
“Most of the Dragon-Clan live in the city and a good portion work here in the castle. There aren’t as many left so Rhys likes to keep them close.”
I bent to sniff a red rose which bloomed from a bush nearly as tall as I was that grew from a chunk of ice. “Incredible,” I whispered. “They must be an extraordinary clan to come together during such strife.”
“As close as I’ve ever seen.”
Straightening, I turned to Alaric and tilted my shoulder. “How do you know Rhys? I’ll admit, I’ve never met a fae outside of their own territory, so I’m curious. Are you under punishment like Soren?” Somehow, I didn’t think so. Alaric didn’t give away much, but from our brief interaction, I didn’t get the impression he would give in so easily. Behind the congenial facade was a calculating man. I had no doubt he observed me for any faults or areas of weakness.
He could observe all he liked. There would be no weakness as far as he and Soren were concerned.
Alaric led me to a garden bench and gestured for me to sit. “Rhys is a smart man, smarter than many give him credit for. He found me near death one day during his travels. He saved my life in exchange for my fealty to him. I’ve been with him ever since.”
“Forgive me, but it sounds like enslavement.”
“No, my lady, on the contrary, a man’s word means everything to the fae. He promised to save my life. When he made good on his promise, I made good on mine. Fair’s fair.”
It never made sense to me how fae could be so wily and so dependable at the same time. I tabled my curiosity on the subject for a later date. I had enough problems to deal with.
“Is there anything else I should know?”
He hesitated. “I would stay away from the crypts underneath the castle, if I were you. Rhys is very protective of them.”
“The crypts? What is—”
“Why don’t I show you to Rhys’s room? He should be finished now and I’m certain you’re weary from your journey.”
I knew when I was being brushed off, but I didn’t argue. Pushing my luck on the first day wasn’t wise, but I was sure there would be other opportunities to discover the secrets in the mysterious crypts.
I wondered if it had anything to do with his former mate.
There were still so many things I had yet to learn about Rhys. Before I’d left Aurelia, I’d been certain I didn’t care about his past. Our arrangement was business-like and that was fine with me. Then, I’d nearly lost him and I realized, somehow, it had become anything but business.
18
Rhysander
“It’s truly not necessary,” Elena protested. She perched at a vanity, brushing out the dark sheet of her hair as I sat on the bed, watching her. I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her.
Alaric had deposited her safely at my door and I wasted no time informing her of a welcome ball we would throw at the castle the following night in her honor. Members of my clan had been waiting lifetimes to see me mated. Or rather, they’d waited lifetimes to see the curse broken. All their hopes were on me, on us. It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I wondered if she felt the pressure to save them as I had for so long.
“I can�
��t think of anything more necessary.”
Goddess help me, but I wanted to show her off to all my clansmen. Not because I believed she would break the curse or because I wanted her to be the mother of my young, but because of who she was as a person. She was strong and capable. Kind and thoughtful. Truly better than a beast like me deserved.
My dragon wanted to have her on our back and fly her around the Northlands again, like a prize we’d claimed. I compromised with a ball instead. She was lucky I convinced him otherwise because I was starting to think he had more influence over my decisions than I thought where she was concerned.
“But I’ve only been here one day. I won’t know anyone.” She bit her lip, worrying the flesh between her teeth.
She was impossible to resist. The bond between us was an ache in my stomach every time I was away from her. After I left her with Alaric, I tried to distract myself with checking on my men once they arrived, then directing where to put our things. The longer I was away from her, the more I needed to see her. I’d never heard of the bond being so strong and I’d certainly never experienced it.
Even now, it tugged at me, pulling me like a hook around my spine, urging me to get closer to her, take her in my arms, and make her mine again. She still smelled of me, but only faintly. The bond urged me to touch her, taste her, take her. It consumed me to the point it was all I thought about.
I shook my head to clear it. “You’ll have me. Your Leisha will be there. So will Alaric and Soren.”
Deal with the Dragon (Immortals Ever After Book 1) Page 13
