Elena frowned at me. I had eyes only for those lips. “Alaric, maybe. But I wouldn’t consider Soren someone I’d like to know. Leisha has kept to her rooms since she realized there was a vampire in our midst. I think she’s scarred for life after the attack.”
Chuckling, I said, “He’s not too bad once you get to know him, bloodsucking aside. I’m sure she’ll settle once she gets used to being here.”
“I find that hard to believe. You said you made a blood pact with him? What does that mean? I’ve never heard of it.” Her voice was thick with doubt. I couldn’t blame her. Vampires weren’t beings I’d recommend trifling with.
Unable to resist any longer, I rose to my feet and crossed to her. Standing behind her at the vanity, I took the brush from her hands and resumed brushing her hair. Smiling faintly in amusement, she began rubbing cream over her face. I’d never been the domestic sort before. My previous mate had preferred to keep separate rooms, and for that I was grateful, but I could get used to this. It was only her first night in my rooms and they felt more like home than they ever had.
“A blood pact binds a vampire to their word. When I found Soren had murdered clansmen, I tracked him down to a cave outside the city. I caught him unawares and roasted him until he was nothing but blackened meat and bones.” At Elena’s gasp, I added, “It wouldn’t kill him. A vampire can only be killed if you remove his heart and destroy it.”
“Sounds disgusting,” she said.
Nodding, I continued, “He agreed to the blood pact, which involved the exchange of blood between those making the pact, in order to save his own skin. He’ll never be able to take another’s blood without their explicit consent and he won’t be able to leave the Northlands until his terms as my spy are complete.”
“Why would you even want him for a spy?”
I set the brush aside and moved her hair until it lay in a sleek waterfall over one shoulder. “Vampires can be useful under certain circumstances. As you know, they’re able to coerce their victims so they don’t feel any pain during the feeding process.”
She shivered. “I’m aware.”
“Well, they’re also able to use this coercion even when they aren’t feeding. It’s useful when I need him to get information from a particularly unwilling subject.”
“Rhys, I have to say...you keep some interesting company.”
“None as interesting as you.” Or as beautiful, but it went without saying.
Giving a little laugh and smirking at me through the mirror, she said, “You’re only saying that to get me into bed.”
“Now who is reading whose mind?”
“I don’t have to be able to read your mind to know what’s on it in that regard.”
She let me pull her to her feet and toward the bed. Already her heart was beating double time. “Maybe one day you’ll be able to read my mind, too.”
“How?” she asked.
“For true mates, sharing thoughts happens whenever both mates accept the claiming bond.” I fingered my mark on her neck as her eyes went to my own bare skin. “If that were to happen, you could hear and speak to my mind as well.”
The thought wasn’t as horrifying as I thought it would be.
Which should have sent fear streaking through me.
But it didn’t.
Instead, I took her to bed and loved her well into the night. If the walls hadn’t been made of the thickest mountain stone, the entire castle would have heard her screams.
Every time I woke up to her, I liked it a little bit more. She hoarded the covers, liked to sleep with her legs and arms wrapped around me like a snake shifter, and came awake as grumpy as a beleaguered cat, but it amused me more than irritated me now. Which I didn’t care to examine too closely.
For the first time since my first mate, Valeria’s death, I felt a measure of hope. It was so foreign that when I blinked myself awake and saw Elena sleeping next to me after our first night home; I frowned and rubbed at my chest. There was a tender ache in my heart I didn’t know what to do with. Ignoring it seemed wisest.
Instead of dwelling, I pulled Elena closer to my chest. She was sleeping as I learned she always did, with one arm around my waist and one ankle thrown in between my legs. It was as though she was afraid I would sneak away in the middle of the night and she was making sure she woke up if I did. Her hair was a tangled mess, even though she’d brushed it thoroughly the night before. I knew because I liked watching her. It pleased me to make her writhe against the bed as I licked her until she begged me to stop, in part because I knew it meant I’d get to watch her at the vanity again.
She came to slowly as I ran a claw down her spine. Groaning and turning from me, she murmured, “No, I’m not ready.”
“You have half the day left to prepare, sweet. Plenty of time to get ready for the ball.”
Her eyes popped open. “Half the day? What do you mean half the day until the ball?”
“It’s nearly noon, pet. We slept in.”
“I don’t think I can be ready in five hours. I don’t know if I even have a dress appropriate for the ball.”
A smile curled at my lips. “You do. I’ve left it in your dressing room. One of the maids will help you.”
“Will you send for Leisha?” She nibbled at her lip. Now I wished I hadn’t mentioned the ball. I liked soothing the discontent from her every morning.
“Of course. Your dressing room is through that door.” I pointed and added, “I’ll have a tray brought to you. I’m sure you’ll be hungry.”
She gave me a lingering kiss that nearly had me saying fuck the party, and then she was slipping from the bed with one of the thin sheets wrapped around her body. The door closed behind her.
Already, I wanted her back with me.
Music filled my ancestral home like it hadn’t in a long time, too long. It echoed through the halls along the stone like a heart being brought back to life. The orchestra brought their song to a close, and all eyes went to the dais, where Elena was standing, unsure. Her maid hovered behind her, her face blank.
But I only had eyes for Elena.
She wore white again, the color of my clan. This dress was a simple column of shimmering fabric. The cutouts at her hips, stomach, sternum, and collarbone both enticed and concerned me. Despite my brutish nature, I’d never been the possessive sort. Until now. The flashes of her skin and glimpses of her shadowy form beneath the layer of fabric were certain to drive me mad by the conclusion of the ball.
She scanned the crowd until her gaze found me. I cast out my thoughts to feel hers. I’d grown used to gauging her emotions without conscious effort. Being without her, even for the short period of time while she got ready, felt like I was missing a part of myself.
“There he is,” I heard her think. I sensed the wave of relief that washed over her as if it had been my own.
I left Soren and Alaric, who had been conspiring about the human attacks, to climb to where Elena was standing. Her smile as I grew closer was as automatic as mine. I brought her fingers to my lips and felt her shiver.
“You are radiant,” I said, voice gruff. It took supreme self-control not to scoop her up and take her back to my rooms. My dragon flapped his metaphorical wings impatiently. Scales glimmered on my hands.
At the sight of my visible struggle for restraint, Elena smiled silkily. “I take you like the dress?”
My hands went to the cutouts at her hips and I let warmth gather in my fingers, causing her to shiver under my touch. Remembering there were a hundred other people in the room, I turned, placing my hand on her back, which I realized was also bare. The attendant announced our names, and I led us to the center of the dance floor as the orchestra sailed into a dreamy tune.
“I like you in the dress even more,” I said close to her ear. I didn’t need to read her thoughts to know she liked it when I whispered to her that way. Her trembling body told me all I needed to know.
“Who are all these people?”
I glanced up fro
m her for the first time. My clansmen were hovering at the edges of the dance floor with pensive expressions. They were as hopeful as I Elena would break the curse, but they were also hesitant to trust another mate for their Lord. Part of me knew how they felt, but the other—the other didn’t care if she was going to break the curse or not. I only wanted to live long enough to enjoy her.
“They’re your new family,” I answered truthfully. They may be hesitant, but the Dragon-Clan was, and always had been, loyal to its people. As my mate, no matter their reservations, they would be loyal to her—family to her—as well.
Her head twisted from side to side as she tried to take in the sheer number of people around us. “All of them?”
“All of them.”
“I suppose they’re all watching to see when we’ll add one more, huh?”
Smiling, I said, “Not literally, but yes.”
“No pressure.”
“At least we’ll enjoy trying.”
At that she smiled. “Why don’t you introduce me to them?”
19
Elena
“I want to show you something.”
Rhys tugged me toward an empty balcony. The lilting music from the orchestra trailed behind us as he shut the doors to give us privacy. My heart was soaring as high as we had the day before. The girl who had been banished to the temple had been welcomed with open arms by the Dragon-Clan. I felt more at home in their midst after one day that I had throughout my whole life in Aurelia. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but for now, I was going to enjoy it without reservation.
“What is it?” I asked.
Rhys pulled me to the gardens where Alaric had given me a tour. The hot, sweet scent of flowers tickled my nose. He brought me to a birdbath with a small pool of clear water.
“Rhys? What are we doing?”
At first, I thought he was going to pull me into his arms for a tryst, then when he didn’t, I frowned. He lifted his hands and waved them over the water as he chanted words in another language. The surface of the water rippled, and I started to question him again when an image moved across top of the water.
“My men and I communicate with a spell we learned from casters that has been passed down for generations. We call it mirroring. It allows you to view another through any reflective surface or, in this case water, to see a window into another place. I wanted to prove to you that I remembered my promise to help you with your father. It isn’t safe to bring him here with the humans attacking travelers, so this compromise the best I can do for now.”
Whatever I had expected, it wasn’t this.
As he said, an image of my father appeared over the water, shone through it like a fluid mirror. If I had to guess, I’d say the viewpoint was the very window I’d opened in his rooms the day I’d arrived at the castle. He looked worse than ever. His skin was sunken into his cheeks, his body frail and worn, as though a stiff wind would cause him to disintegrate. Gideon sat at his side, forcing a draft down his throat, murmuring low words of encouragement.
I didn’t know when I’d moved closer to the water, but my hand was gripping the edge so hard my knuckles were bone white. “Oh, Father,” I whispered to his reflection.
Rhys wrapped a comforting arm around my waist. “I plan to send Soren out to discern the cause of these attacks and the threats on your life. I believe the two events are linked somehow. As soon as it’s safe, I want you to know we’ll send for him. I promise you this on my life.”
I hadn’t even thought of him being attacked. Newfound horror spread through me. What if something happened to him while I was away and couldn’t help him?
Rhys pulled me close, until my head was cradled on his chest. His big arms wrapped around me. “Nothing will happen to him, sweet. He’s safe for now at the castle. Despite what you may think, Soren is the best at what he does.”
That I couldn’t deny, but I still ached with impotent anguish. There was nothing I could do for my father when Acasia was too dangerous for him. I would have to trust Rhys when he said he would help. I did trust him. I shouldn’t. Every whisper and rumor in the capital warned me away from him, but my mate had been kind to me, and honest. And I wasn’t the sort of person who turned their back on an agreement.
“I believe you,” I said against the thud of his heartbeat. “I only hate there isn’t more I can do for him.”
“Tomorrow, you can tell Soren everything you can recall about the attacks, as I have. The more information he has, the easier it will be for him to find those responsible.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Finally, I looked up at him. He was magnificent in breeches and coat the color of smoke. The cut emphasized the broadness of his shoulders and the tapered strength of his hips. “Thank you. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them. Thank you for sharing this with me. You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did. You left your only family behind, and though my clan is now yours, I know how much they mean to you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make my mate happy.”
I don’t know how to explain what happened next. It felt like the essence of me, the part mired in our ethereal connection, reached out to him. I yearned to be as close to him as possible, in every way. It was only supposed to be an arrangement, a deal, a sham, but our bond was becoming more real to me than anything in this world.
My eyes closed, furrowed, as I tried to understand what was happening. The connection between us had only been one way before now. He could read my thoughts, could speak into my head, but never the other way around. Trying to concentrate, I reached my mind out and felt the bond that linked us together, a mixture of the two of us. I traced it back to its origin and felt Rhys, in his purest, most honest form.
Panic threatened. “Rhys?” I whispered.
“I feel it,” he said, sounding as flabbergasted as I felt. He was trembling underneath my hands.
“What’s happening?” My voice quivered.
“I-I don’t know, sweet.”
I traced the line of the connection, feeling where it started in the center of my spine and flowed out from my belly across the distance between us. Before it had only been a hint, the feeling of being moored to another physical being. But now...now I could sense Rhys on the other side.
It was indescribable. I couldn’t make out his thoughts or speak across the bond into his mind like he could. It was as though I could sense him through a glass wall. Everything on the other side was muffled, but now I could hear it, even if I couldn’t understand it.
Reaching out a metaphysical finger, I stroked the glass wall. Rhys shivered around me as though I’d touched him. “Wow,” I said in awe. “Can you feel that?”
His voice was hoarse when he spoke. “I can feel you. I can see you touching me.”
When I opened my eyes, he was gazing down at me, his eyes that striking, otherworldly blue. “Do you think they’d mind if we skipped the rest of our own party?” I asked.
Rhys left early the next morning to meet with Soren and Alaric to discuss Soren’s next assignment. I’d already relayed everything about the attacks that I could remember. I peeled myself quite reluctantly from the bed, but decided I should track down Leisha to see how she was transitioning. So much had happened in so little time. I didn’t want her to think I had forgotten her.
After sending word with Merry, who I’d come to love in the short period of time since I’d been at the castle, I dressed and ate a small breakfast of fruit, toast, and lemonfruit juice. By the time I finished, Leisha returned a note by way of Merry saying she’d meet me in the orchard just outside the castle grounds.
I’d heard of the orchards, which had been magicked long ago to bear fruit in the frigid temperatures of the Northlands, so I was eager to see them. I had so much to tell Leisha and couldn’t wait to hear what she thought about our intriguing new clansmen.
Those I’d met at the party waved to me as I left the castle. It was so refreshing not to be judged by everyone I met. They knew about my dark secret of cou
rse, and they didn’t care. It boggled my mind. They saw me as some sort of savior instead of some sort of oddity.
As I ventured into the orchard, I wrapped my cloak more tightly around my shoulders and did my level best to forget about the warmth of Rhys’s bed and the comforting crackle of the fire in the background. Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t spend all day in bed with him.
The thought put a smile on my face. It was a beautiful day and somewhat magickal underneath the full blooming trees. I still worried about my father, and wished I could see my brother, but for the first time in my life I had hope, thanks to Rhys.
I found Leisha a ways into the forest. It was so thick I couldn’t see the castle or even the sky overhead. She was sitting at the base of a tree and stood when I came into view.
“Princess, I’m so glad you made it. I was worried they wouldn’t let you come.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said and pulled her into a hug. “I’ve been meaning to set aside some time to speak with you, but it’s been a whirlwind since we left the capital. So much has changed already. I hope you’re settling in well. The Dragon-Clan has been so hospitable.”
As we walked through the orchard, Leisha seemed to choose her words carefully. “Hospitable, yes. I’m grateful you made time for me. I’ve been worried for you.”
“Worried? Whatever for? I hoped you enjoyed the ball. I thought it was beautiful.”
Leisha grabbed my arm, her expression pinched. “My lady, I’m worried because you don’t seem to believe you’re in any danger. Your mate murdered someone. We were attacked coming here. What makes you think you’re safe with him?”
I took Leisha’s hand in mine. “I appreciate your concern, but Rhys would never hurt me. Those men who attacked us were human, and the Dragon-Clan is doing everything in their power to find out who orchestrated the ambush. I know you were scared, and you had every right to be, but Rhys won’t let anyone harm us. I promise you.”
Deal with the Dragon (Immortals Ever After Book 1) Page 14
