Fang and Claw: Nocturne Academy, Book 2

by Anderson, Evangeline

  “And their queen too,” Ari said, nodding. “But don’t worry,” he added, apparently seeing the stunned look on my face. “That won’t be for some years, until my father decides to step down and give me the throne.”

  I shook my head.

  “I…I don’t know what to say.”

  Ari frowned. “Is something wrong, Kaitlyn? Are you regretting coming home with me?”

  “It’s not that exactly. It’s just…I had no idea about any of this,” I told him. “I mean, I knew you were some kind of prince in your land, but I never imagined you lived in a giant Taj Mahal built for dragons—excuse me, Drakes. And I didn’t know you wanted to get married, either. Or bonded or whatever you call it. Ari, I’m only sixteen.”

  “Don’t worry, L’lorna.” He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Our nuptials don’t have to happen right away. It’s enough that my Drake and I have claimed you as our own and everyone knows it.”

  “Do you really think your father is going to let you get away with this? Um, marrying me, I mean?” I said, which still sounded weird, though I thought I was getting more used to it.

  “Do you really think I’ll let him stop me?” Ari countered, frowning. “I claimed you in the middle of the Audience Chamber in front of witnesses for a reason, Kaitlyn—I wanted to make it very clear that you are my choice.”

  “But why did you choose me?” I asked. “Was it…was it because of Jalli?” I asked in a low voice. “Because she’s got a, uh, problem and I’ve got a problem?” Although her disability and my scars weren’t quite the same, they were still both reviled in the Sky Lands.

  “Neither of you have a problem” he said firmly. “You’re both beautiful. And I chose you because my Drake and I fell in love with you.”

  I looked down at our joined hands—his so big and smooth and perfect and my own smaller, scarred one. There it was again—he loved me. Why couldn’t I say it back to him?

  “Ari,” I began but he shook his head.

  “Don’t say anything until you’re ready,” he told me. “In the meantime, we need to get ready—you have to meet my mother soon.”

  I grimaced. “I doubt she’s going to like me any better than your father did.”

  Ari sighed.

  “Nevertheless, you must meet her.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “I swear we won’t be here long, Kaitlyn,” he said earnestly. “I just need to make my parents understand that I’m not giving you up, no matter what they say or do, and then we’ll go back to the Academy. I promise.”

  I thought longingly of my Coven-mates and the warm security of the Norm Dorm. It had seemed like a perfectly logical idea to go to the Sky Lands with Ari when his Drake had asked me to—now, I wasn’t so sure.

  “Okay,” I said, trying to keep the unhappiness out of my voice and not quite succeeding. It wasn’t very pleasant to be someplace where everyone hated you. Well—not everyone. Ari loved me and I thought I could definitely count Jalli as an ally. But other than that, I was alone in a place where I was most definitely not wanted.

  Ari handed me a towel and turned his back considerately, so I could wrap myself in it. This left more of my scars exposed to him than I liked, but when he turned around, there was no change in his eyes when he looked at me.

  “We need to get you something to wear,” he remarked, though I thought his gaze lingered on my exposed flesh. Not in a disgusted or condemning way though—more like he liked what he saw, though I couldn’t understand why. I mean, I could understand any guy looking at a normal, unscarred girl in a towel and liking it but in my case…

  “I do need to cover up,” I said, looking around for another towel I could put around my shoulders and arms. Another for my legs would be nice too. “You must not…I mean, it can’t be easy for you to see me like…like this.” Meaning that this was the first time he’d seen me so closed to being undressed with most of my scars on full display.

  “That’s not the reason you need clothes,” Ari objected. “If it were up to me, you’d stay as you are, L’lorna.” His pale amber eyes were half-lidded as he spoke and he was still giving me that look—as if I was normal…desirable, even.

  “How can you want me for your queen?” I blurted out, when he continued to look at me. “How? Now that you’ve seen me…like this?” I nodded down at myself—the pinkish-white scar tissues twisting around my arms and legs, especially on the left side where I had gotten the worst burns.

  Ari looked surprised.

  “How could I not want you?” he asked simply. Why can’t you see yourself like I see you, Kaitlyn?”

  “And how is that?” I demanded, putting a hand on one hip. I didn’t understand him—truly I didn’t.

  Ari took my hand and drew me to him.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured. “Beautiful inside and out, my L’lorna.” He kissed me gently on the cheek and then drew me close to him. “Bite me,” he murmured in my ear. “You’re going to need strength to get through this encounter.”

  I wanted to protest that this was no time for lunch, but when I saw the vein pulsing in his throat, my fangs grew long and sharp and my throat felt dry. Maybe he was right—maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get a little extra strength before I went to meet his mother.

  I sank my fangs into his neck and the emotions rushed though me—through both of us—so strongly than Ari groaned and leaned back against the edge of the tub. It was as though the feeling of me biting him—drinking from him—actually made him weak in the knees.

  I knew it certainly made me feel weak. I leaned heavily against him as I took the hot, sweet, wild blood that flowed into my mouth like a river of golden fire. I felt his Drake with us too—sharing in the sensations—and I welcomed him to join us. He was part of this too—part of Ari and part of me. It was right for the three of us to be together in this way—somehow I knew it in my bones.

  At last I had enough and stepped back a little. I expected Ari to let me go but he surprised me by pulling me in close again and kissing me hard, tasting his own blood on my lips. The way he looked at me was enough to make me feel weak all over. But what he said surprised me.

  “Quickly, before your fangs shrink back to normal, bite your thumb.”

  “Uh…what?” I looked at him, confused.

  “I have marked you but you never marked me in return,” Ari explained. “You need to mark me now, to strengthen the tie between us, Kaitlyn. It will help when you meet my mother.”

  “All right.” I knew that marking him as he had marked me would draw us together, but I also knew it wasn’t a permanent tie—not as if we’d become Blood Bonded. Which, despite everything going on, I didn’t feel ready for yet.

  Baring my fangs, I pressed the pad of my right thumb to the needle-sharp tip of my right fang. There was a sharp little pain and then a droplet of crimson welled up on my thumb.

  “Press it to my forehead,” Ari instructed, ducking his head so I could reach him. “Mark me as your own, Kaitlyn. Claim me as I have claimed you.”

  Feeling a little shy about the whole thing, I nevertheless did as he said. I pressed my thumb with its little droplet of blood to the spot between his eyebrows and murmured,

  “Ari Reyes, you are mine. And…and I’m marking you so everyone will know it.”

  That same tingling, foaming feeling like baking soda mixed with vinegar rushed over me again and I could tell Ari was feeling it too. He let out a low groan and pulled me closer to him, pressing me against his hard, muscular body as the rush of power flowed out of both of us like an invisible wave.

  “Dios, Kaitlyn…” His voice was low and rough and then he looked at me, his eyes filled with wonder.

  “Ari?” I whispered. “Are you…are you all right?”

  “I’m better than all right—I’m yours now,” he murmured. “You own me—body and soul, Kaitlyn. My Drake and I will belong to you forever.”

  “Oh, Ari…” I didn’t know what to say. The way he was looking at me made me feel breathless—tig
ht and achy in places I usually tried not to think about.

  I was just leaning in to kiss him again when a knocking on the wooden door of the private bathing chamber startled us apart.

  “Just a moment,” I called and Ari went to open the door.

  “It’s just me.” Jalli came in with a bundle of clothes in her arms and wide eyes. “I felt what you two were doing, even through the door. Ari did you just…mark each other?”

  “I had already marked Kaitlyn,” he said firmly. “What you felt was Kaitlyn marking me in return.”

  Jalli’s eyes got even bigger.

  “You didn’t Blood-Bond each other, did you? You know if you did, Papa will have no choice but to exile you for bonding without his will!”

  “No, we haven’t done that. Not yet, anyway.” Ari gave me a significant look. “I thought it was better not to push quite that hard,” he added.

  Well, seeing that he had already brought me to the very public Audience Chamber and declared in front of everyone that he was going to make me his queen, I supposed it would be better not to press our luck. Plus, Blood-Bonding was forever—which is a scary long time when you’re only sixteen. I was kind of glad that Ari had chosen not to have us do that yet—I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment.

  After all, we weren’t like Megan and Griffin who had found out they were meant to be the reincarnations of the Witch Queen and her Blood Knight. They had been fated to be together forever, which wasn’t the case for us.

  As far as I could tell, Ari and his Drake had simply fallen for me and decided to have me, even though it was against the Edict and broke every single rule and norm his people had about who an Alpha-to-be ought to pick to rule by his side.

  That was romantic and wonderful, of course, but it wasn’t foretold by some kind of prophecy or fated to happen or anything like that.

  So I was content to stick with the marking for now and I thanked Jalli for the clothing and waited until she and Ari both had stepped outside the room to get dressed.

  I hoped I could make myself presentable—the stack of rich clothing would no doubt help. But I had a bad feeling nothing I could do would make Ari’s mother like me.

  79

  Ari

  I was glad I had thought of having her mark me and tie us closer together. My Drake roared within me in approval and agreement. We were committed now in a way we hadn’t been before, he informed me. Our tie would be that much harder for my parents to break.

  And that they would try to break it, I had no doubt. My Sire would see my choosing a mate for myself, instead of making a careful selection from the noble females of our land, as a rebellious act. Never mind that he had done exactly the same himself when he picked my mother over all the other rich and royal women his own father had assembled.

  As for my mother—well, that remained to be seen. I had at last gotten her to agree to meet Kaitlyn with an open mind. But she had shaken her head and a look of sorrow had come into her large dark eyes, so like my little sister’s.

  Still, I was hoping that my L’lorna would get a better reception from her than she had from my Sire earlier.

  After a few moments, Kaitlyn came out of the private bathing chamber. She was wearing the long formal robes of a Drake noblewoman and the deep turquoise shade of the satin they were made of set off her one visible eye to perfection. I wished I could convince her to pull back her curtain of hair and show the rest of her face as well, but I knew better than to ask it of her.

  Kaitlyn was still shy about her scars—she didn’t even like me to see them, let alone anyone else. I only wished she could see herself as I saw her—that she could appreciate her own beauty. But I sensed the day she did that was a long way off—if it ever came at all.

  For now, she looked lovely and I told her so as I offered her my arm.

  She blushed, the creamy pale brown skin of her right cheek going rosy.

  “Thank you,” she murmured and took my offered arm. Her chimeling, Mr. Seahorse, sat on her shoulder, looking around alertly.

  When I saw Jalli casting awed looks at the little creature, I was glad all over again that he had decided to adopt Kaitlyn. Chimelings were said to bring powerful good luck with them anywhere they went, and the fact that one had chosen her for a companion spoke volumes about her worth. Despite the fact that she was a Made Nocturne and not a Drake and had scars from her time in the fire, the chimling on her shoulder couldn’t be ignored or dismissed.

  “Come,” I said to her and Jalli. “Mother is waiting.”

  I saw Kaitlyn take a deep breath and Mr. Seahorse chimed softly, as though sensing her anxiety. I half expected her to ask me to turn back into my Drake and fly her home to Nocturne Academy.

  Instead, she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders.

  “All right,” she said, in a voice that trembled only a little. “Let’s go.”

  80

  Kaitlyn

  Ari’s mother’s chambers reminded me of something out of the Arabian Nights. There were intricately woven carpets on the white marble floors, chaise lounges strewn with pink silk cushions, and enormous vases as tall as I was, filled with vividly colored fresh flowers. Gauzy silk drapes hanging from the arching marble ceiling, dividing the large room into smaller spaces. Behind one of them, I could see the shape of a woman.

  “Ari, is that you, my son?” she called.

  “Yes, Mother. And I have brought my L’lorna to meet you,” Ari responded.

  This exchange had the feeling of something staged or rehearsed, I thought. Or maybe it was just the customary way for a son to introduce his fiancée to his mother—I wasn’t sure.

  Ari’s mother came out from behind the silky curtain then. She was a lovely woman in her forties with the same big dark eyes and long dark hair as Jalli and she was dressed in rose-pink robes embroidered with golden thread. She came forward, holding her hands out to me and smiling but her eyes were sad…so sad.

  “My dear, I welcome you,” she said, but she almost seemed to be choking on the words. I had the awful feeling that she was just doing this for Ari—because he had asked her to—and that actually meeting me and seeing how very unsuitable I was for her son was ripping her heart out.

  “Hello,” I said, feeling miserable to see her so unhappy. I wanted to add, I’m sorry, but should I apologize for my very existence? Should I beg her pardon for being who I was? I couldn’t do that. The old Kaitlyn might have, but I was gaining a sense of self-worth and I had been working hard not to put myself down anymore. So I only said, “I’m sorry I’m not what you expected,” which was the best I could do.

  She shook her head.

  “My dear, none of this is your fault. When a male’s Drake chooses a female, she has little say in the matter and how well I know it.” She looked at Ari. “My son, has your Drake truly chosen? Is there no way to change his mind?”

  “Mother.” Ari frowned. “You of all people should know better than to ask me that.” He drew me close and put an arm around me. “Kaitlyn is the only one for me and my Drake—we have marked each other and she is my L’lorna. I will never give her up.”

  Ari’s mother looked sadder than ever but she nodded.

  “I understand, son. But if you force your father’s hand in this, it will cause trouble throughout the kingdom.”

  Ari frowned. “Mother, surely you’re exaggerating.”

  She shook her head.

  “I only wish that I was. There have been murmurs against him ever since he abolished the practice of leaving deformed babes upon the rocks before their seventh day comes. Some say he is trying to dilute the Drake bloodline and I am very sorry to say that you breaking the Edict and bringing home a female with no Drake lineage at all will only add to the discontent in our lands.”

  “The Edict is no more,” a voice from the doorway said.

  Everyone’s head jerked up and I looked over to see a tall boy about Ari’s age standing just inside the entrance. He had jet black hair and flashing black e
yes which seemed to be emphasized by his choice of clothing.

  Rather than the formal, flowing robes which everyone else wore here in the Drake palace, he was wearing tight black leather trousers and a black leather vest that left his arms bare. Tall black boots completed the look.

  He looked like he was dressed for fighting rather than the niceties of the Drake court, I thought. But rather than his clothing, his bare arms drew my attention the most.

  He seemed to have some kind of intricate tattoos running up and down the backs of both arms. In fact they almost looked like dragon scales—black ones with a crimson-red sheen to them. I frowned, wondering if they were to indicate what his Drake looked like. If so, it would have to be most unusual. In all the tapestry portraits I had seen in the long gallery hall, none of the Drakes depicted had black scales.

  “The Edict is dead,” he said again, coming into the room. “We all felt the ripple of power when it died. There is nothing now to keep the various breeds of Others from intermingling. Well, as long as they have equipment of the correct configuration,” he added cryptically.

  I frowned—what was he talking about? And who was he?

  “Hello, cousin,” Ari said evenly, nodding at the new boy. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Jalli had a completely different reaction.

  “Cousin Saint!” she cried, and ran into his arms.

  The dark face, which had been devoid of emotion, suddenly broke into a reluctant grin as he swung her up in his arms and gave her a tight embrace.

  “Hello, Jalli—it’s good to see you again,” he said, before setting her carefully down again and making sure she was well-balanced before he drew his hands away. He made a deep bow to Ari’s mother. “Aunt, I hope I may trespass on your hospitality for the night. I promise I’ll be gone early next morning.”

  Ari’s mother gave him a tired smile.

  “You are always welcome here, Santiago—you know that. I hope everything is well at home?”