Queen of Empire: A fantasy romance (The Relic Trilogy Book 1)

by HR Moore

  * * * * *

  Marcus endured a few more minutes of Cleo's overexcited squealing before cutting past her, placing his hand firmly on Anita's waist, and drawing her away. 'If you will excuse us, Cleo, there's something I promised to show Anita.'

  Cleo raised an eyebrow, Anita's face flushing a soft shade of red. Marcus placed his hand on Anita's back, guiding her inside, into the hall, and up the stairs.

  'You promised to show me something?' said Anita. 'That the best you could come up with?'

  'Does that girl ever get tired of talking?' he said, ignoring Anita's jibe.

  'Not that I've witnessed'.

  'And anyway, there is something I want to show you.'

  'Oh?' Anita looked at him warily.

  'This way,' he said, when they reached the top of the imposing staircase, his hand refusing to leave Anita's back as he ushered her through a vast door.

  They were in a large sitting room, with floor to ceiling windows and light curtains that wafted softly in the breeze. Anita looked at Marcus, her eyebrows raised. 'This is my suite,' he said. 'I wanted you to have a good view.'

  'Of what?' she asked.

  He led her out onto the balcony, this one directly above the one they'd been standing on minutes before, just as the night sky lit up with an explosion of twinkling lights. 'Of that,' he smiled.

  Anita walked, open-mouthed, to the stone railing. She leant against it as the next release of energy hit the sky. It was beautiful and she'd never seen anything like it. Not only could she see the smoky, shimmering lights, but she could feel them too. It was extraordinary, a series of small bursts like popping candy on her skin.

  Marcus couldn't take his eyes off her; a light seeming to radiate from her as she watched the display. He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her waist. 'I thought you'd like it,' he murmured, as he bent his lips to the base of her neck, gently brushing them against her delicate skin.

  The movement sent delicious shivers down Anita's spine, all the way to her toes, then back up to rest where Marcus' fingers caressed her through her clothes. Could he feel that too?

  Marcus slipped his hands around Anita's waist and pulled her back towards him, enfolding her in his embrace. She didn't fight him, leaning her head back against his shoulder, resting her hands on his arms. They watched the rest of the display in silence, Anita's skin greedily drinking in the sensory assault.

  It ended, and Marcus drew her back inside, her skin still tingling, both from phantom energy bursts, and the continued contact between Marcus' skin and hers. 'We had better go back downstairs,' he said softly, 'unless we want to give the gossip mill something else to talk about.'

  Anita smiled in agreement, hiding her disappointment. 'I suppose you have a point. Can I use your bathroom, and I'll join you down there? I'm assuming you have a bathroom up here?'

  'Through the bedroom,' he said, pointing to the right. 'You might want to wait a while before coming to find me; I'm going to apologize to Dad. It's better to do it when the castle is full of people. Hopefully he'll be full of Ginger Champagne or something stronger by now.'

  Anita laughed. 'Good luck,' she said, heading for the bedroom.

  To her surprise, Marcus' bedroom had windows on both sides. One side looked out onto the balcony where they'd just been standing. The other…who knew?

  The bedroom was exactly what Anita had expected. There was an enormous four-poster bed, covered with the most comfortable looking duvet and pillows Anita had ever seen. The bed had been turned down and there was a sprig of lavender on the pillow. Of course, thought Anita, they have people to turn down their beds!

  The rest of the room was sparse. A large wooden chest at the end of the bed, a mahogany dressing table in front of the balcony window, and a round table with a chessboard inlaid. The chess pieces were beautiful, made without embellishment in silver and gold. The pieces had been left in the middle of a game and Anita wondered who Marcus let in here to play.

  Once she'd freshened up in the bathroom, which came complete with a spectacular roll top bath, Anita headed back into the bedroom. She couldn't resist seeing what was on the other side of the mystery windows, so walked over to have a look.

  As she approached what she could now see were, in fact, doors, she sensed powerful energy the other side. Peeking through the curtains, Anita found Alexander's familiar, delectable form lying on a stone bench. Without hesitation or thought, she opened the door and stepped through. Alexander sat up as she appeared.

  'Anita,' Alexander blurted, both his tone and his body language communicating his surprise.

  'Hi,' she said hesitantly, for once managing to keep her energy under control; probably something to do with all the alcohol she'd consumed. 'What are you doing here?'

  'Getting away from everyone downstairs,' he said. 'Sometimes all the energy waves get to be too much.'

  'I know that feeling…where's your date?' she asked, relishing the opportunity to fish for more information about this mysterious man. 'What was she called again?'

  'Patricia.' Alexander's face cracked into a clandestine smile. 'She's probably got a search party out looking for me by now. Excruciatingly boring and wildly stuck up,' he said. 'I only agreed to come with her as a favor to her father.'

  'I see,' she said, raising her eyebrows, surprised by this sudden rush of information.

  'Anyway, what are you doing up here? I'm surprised Marcus let you out of his sight after your show earlier.'

  Alexander's tone was brisk, but she could sense his interest in her too, although his upfront appraisal took her by surprise. It was one thing to think things like that, but quite another to come out with them. She paused, moving to sit down next to him, just far enough away to mean their skin didn't touch, but close enough for agonizing awareness of his proximity.

  'He's gone to find Austin to apologize for our dance,' she said. 'Judging by the way Austin was glaring at us, I can't image it's going to go well.'

  'No, I wouldn't have thought so,' Alexander said slowly, studying her. 'Austin is a dangerous man to cross you know, and you've done it more than once.'

  Anita waved her hand dismissively. 'Why does it matter? You'll all go back to Kingdom in a couple of days and Austin will forget he ever knew I existed,' as will the rest of you, she didn't add.

  'Is that really how you think this will play out?'

  'Yes,' she said firmly.

  Alexander propelled himself to his feet then turned to face her. 'Anita, Austin doesn't just forget about people like you. You're powerful. Very powerful. As I've told you before, you'd be a valuable asset for someone like him. And Austin isn't the only one who's interested in you, especially after your display at the Chase, and after tonight's performance, you'll take some forgetting.

  'Austin will view what you did tonight as a public humiliation. Not only did you have the audacity to turn up with his son, but you made a spectacle of the first dance. People will be talking about that for years. Austin will never forget.'

  The mood between them had shifted from open and light-hearted to fierce.

  'So what?' He was lecturing her, and she didn't like it. 'Even if he doesn't forget me, what's he going to do? And what do you mean I could be a valuable asset? And who else is interested in me? I have no idea what your riddles mean,' she said crossly, mainly at herself, because she hated it when she couldn't keep up.

  Alexander took a frustrated step away, running his hands through his disheveled hair. 'Did you see the woman downstairs with ginger hair?' he said, turning round with a sharp purpose that Anita found distracting. 'The one that always seems to be hanging around not too far from Austin?'

  Anita nodded dumbly; now she thought about it, there did always seem to be a woman fitting that description hanging around.

  'That's Amber, and she's head of Austin's private security and research team.'

  'His what? What does Austin research?' Anita smirked, even more confused.

  Alexander threw Anita a menacing look, wip
ing the smile from her lips. 'He researches people like you. Powerful people who he wants to either use or get rid of.'

  The words landed and Anita went pale. 'What do you mean get rid of?' she asked quietly, the wind snatched from her sails.

  'I mean kill, Anita.' He rounded on her to bang the point home, looking like he might shake her.

  Anita looked up at him, confused. 'Kill?' The word hung in the air like a threat. 'And Marcus? Does he want to use me or kill me too?'

  'No,' he said quickly, reassuringly, a shadow flashing behind his eyes that Anita had neither the ability nor the inclination to process. 'Marcus doesn't know the full extent of Austin's activities. Either that or he ignores them. Your best bet is to stay as close to Marcus as you can. Austin won't risk losing Marcus.'

  'Won't risk losing him?' she said, not understanding.

  Alexander's exasperation was palpable. 'If Marcus falls in love with you, which he seems well on his way towards, and he finds out that Austin is a threat to you, there's a risk that Marcus will choose you over Austin. That would drive a split through the Mind line, and Austin can't afford for that to happen in the current climate.

  'Austin needs all the support he can get, and he'd rapidly lose supporters if there were another rift in his family. He suffered too many defections when he and Melia separated. Austin won't risk losing Marcus too.' He said the words quickly, as though this were obvious, something that merely required a quick recap.

  'What do you mean defectors?' she demanded. He was making her feel obtuse, and she was nothing of the sort.

  'You really know nothing, do you?'

  'It would appear not,' said Anita, standing up too, turning her back on Alexander and walking over to lean against the railing.

  She felt Alexander's energy soften, heard him take a deep breath.

  'The Descendants rule by right; that much is true,' he said. 'But that doesn't mean we don't have politics. We're not the only influential players. The academics and the councilors are both formidable groups in their own right. They have powerful individuals, those with significant energy, and they know secrets about various Descendants; secrets we wouldn't want to get out.

  'Melia was a senior Mind academic when she and Austin married, which brought Austin supporters. Those supporters abandoned him when they split. Another rift may cause Austin to lose more support, something he would like to avoid.'

  'But what if Austin lost all his supporters? What difference would it make?'

  'Worst case scenario? It could lead to a total loss of confidence in the current system, especially if it coincided with a large drop in the energy…ring any bells? Ultimately, it could lead to an uprising and the Descendants being overthrown.'

  Anita gave him an amazed look; was he mad? 'But that would never happen. It would mean we'd never have a chance to be free of the Gods.'

  'The prophecy may already be broken. Some think it's better to take an eternity with the Gods than a lifetime with the Descendants. The balance is fragile, far more fragile than most people realize. Austin, on the other hand, is only too aware of its fragility, so the safest place for you is next to Marcus.'

  'And if I don't want to be next to Marcus?' she said, spinning round to look at him.

  'You do,' he replied simply. 'I can read your energy, remember?'

  'Don't worry, I remember,' she said, searching his eyes, looking for…something. 'How do you hide your energy?'

  'What do you mean?'

  'Do I have to spell it out for you?' she said, trying to recover some balance.

  Alexander said nothing, holding her gaze until she continued.

  'You have extremely powerful energy, but I've only had glimpses of your true power. Most of the time you hide it, or suppress it, or something. You've told me I need to get my energy under control, I'm asking how?'

  'It's not as simple as that,' he replied. 'It takes practise. I'd have to show you; it's not something I can easily explain.'

  'Then show me,' she said.

  'Now is not the time, and I doubt Marcus would be pleased.'

  'Why do you say that?'

  'He's like a child with a toy; he doesn't like to share. Now, if you will excuse me, I should probably go and find my date and offer to take her home.'

  Alexander headed back inside, but turned just before he reached the door. 'Do not tell anyone about this conversation, especially not Marcus. Do not let on you have any idea about any kind of politics. Do not try to find out more. Stay as close to Marcus as you possibly can; make him fall in love with you, and avoid Amber and her henchmen at all costs.'

  With that, he disappeared through the door, leaving Anita infuriated, confused, deflated, excited, full of questions, and above all, intrigued. She had to get him to show her how to hide her energy…

  Anita was still preoccupied when she reached the top of the stairs, almost bumping into Marcus, who had just ascended them. He reached out and grabbed her arms to stop them from colliding.

  'I was going to send out a search party,' he teased, leaning his head down towards her, the heady smell of cigars on his breath.

  'Sorry,' she breathed, trying to pull herself together. 'I was just admiring your suite and enjoying the time away from prying eyes. How did it go with Austin?'

  'It could have been worse,' he shrugged, quickly changing the subject. 'I think we should get you a drink,' he said, leading her back downstairs and into the bar.

  Marcus handed Anita a glass of Ginger Champagne before they joined Bass, Cleo, Missy, Henry, and, to Anita's surprise, Gwyn, on a group of sofas around a low table in front of the fire. Cleo was leaning against Henry; obviously they'd reconciled. Bass, Missy and Gwyn were sitting awkwardly on the opposite sofa, Bass not sure what to do with his arms, wedged between the two women.

  Marcus and Anita sat on a third sofa, their legs touching. Marcus stretched out an arm along the sofa's back and Anita leaned in, getting comfortable, ignoring Bass' regular glances. They sat chatting and laughing for hours. Henry made pompous comments, Bass tutted about how much energy was wasted on the light show, and Missy barely said a word. Gwyn was paying Bass more attention than was strictly necessary, and Cleo shoehorned as many provocative comments in as she could.

  Marcus and Anita laughed easily along with the rest of them, but Anita couldn't shake the feeling they were being observed. Amber was nowhere to be seen, but Alexander's warning had made her uneasy.

  Eventually, Bass got up and indicated it was time to leave. He was taking Missy, Cleo, and Henry back to Empire and offered to take Anita too. Anita nodded. 'That would be great, thanks.'

  Marcus looked crestfallen as he walked them to the front door, where Bass' car was waiting. The others climbed in, but Marcus pulled Anita back towards him. A look of panic swept across her face, concerned that Marcus would try to kiss her here, in front of everyone, including Amber, who had just appeared at the door. But instead, he leaned in and whispered, 'This is not finished.'

  A thrill of excitement shot down her spine. 'Goodnight, Marcus,' she said, holding his gaze before climbing into the car with the others, to be whisked down the magnificent drive and back to Empire.

  * * * * *

  Anita was the first to be dropped off and they let her out at the end of Cordelia's road so they wouldn't have to make the tight turn outside the cottage. Anita climbed out of the car and called her goodbyes to its drunken occupants, picking her way along the uneven ground.

  She had given up on her shoes and was carrying them in one hand, holding up her dress, now too long, with the other. Wisps of hair had escaped their pins, falling around her face, and her mind was foggy from the wine. She couldn't wait to fall into bed.

  It was misty and the only light came from the moon, Anita glad she knew the road so intimately. She approached the cottage, surprised by the powerful energy she could feel up ahead, and immediately tensed, on guard. She kept moving cautiously towards the house, trying to make as little noise as possible. Her heart raced as she con
sidered whether she should stay and fight, or turn and run. But out of the mist, emerged a familiar, lean figure leaning against the garden wall. He was clad in a dinner jacket with his bow tie and top button undone, and Anita stopped dead when she saw him.

  'Marcus?' she asked, pulse now racing for a different reason.

  'Hi,' he said, smiling when he saw her, pushing himself easily off the wall and walking towards her.

  'What are you doing here?' she said, laughing in relief.

  He stopped just in front of her with a teasing smile. 'You forgot something,' he said, his energy building, an electric tension filling the air between them, drawing them together.

  She looked up into his chocolate brown eyes and he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He dropped his fingers to her neck, caressing the soft skin below her ear, a smile dancing across his lips. He pulled her slowly towards him, bowing his head to meet her waiting mouth.

  Shivers of energy passed between them as they kissed, slowly at first, the taste of cigars and ginger mingling with his vanilla scent. His hand went to her cheek, pulling her to him, deepening the kiss, his tongue probing hers. Anita was lost, the ground disappeared, her head spun, senses useless as she responded to him.

  Marcus pulled back, both hands now on her cheeks, his face an inch from hers, hungry eyes full of unsated desire. She dropped her gaze, raised her hands to his waist, ran them upwards, over every ridge of his toned torso. Then, she pushed him back, forcing distance between them, her hands still on him as she looked up, eyes on fire.

  Marcus' carnal smile showed he understood both her silent rejection and the gauntlet she'd laid down.

  She closed the distance for a short, final, calculated kiss. 'Goodnight Marcus,' she said, in a slow, sultry whisper, before brushing seductively past.

  'Goodnight,' he replied, matching her tone as she veered off the path towards the back of the cottage. There was nothing Marcus loved more than the thrill of the chase.

  CHAPTER 8