“Yet we’re all treated like we’re about to go on a murdering spree, even if we’re properly medicated.” There weren’t many objects in the room, but the few items suspended midair around him, trumping up the menace that swirled inside his heart. There was no point in giving himself a headache anymore by attempting to control his magic. “I’m not dangerous. I wear my gloves and, apart from just now, I never take them off.” His eyes cut to Benjamin. “I would never hurt her.”
Benjamin’s voice was quiet with weight. “I know that. I also know that the Chancellor’s going to have something to say about this.”
The room was quiet as Adam and Benjamin studied Cordray as he watched Rory. “What’s your Pulse?” he asked both men.
Adam snorted. “None of your business. I’ve already given you space in my castle, and I regret it very much. You don’t need to go poking around in my private life.”
Benjamin shot Adam a withering look. “Don’t listen to Adam; he’s always in a mood about something.”
“Yes, being electrocuted puts me in the cheeriest of dispositions,” Adam droned.
Benjamin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “My Pulse works sort of like a filter, rather than pressing impulses into people. I can read false intentions. I touch a person, and if they’re trying to deceive me, I can feel that.”
“Like a human lie detector?”
“Exactly.”
Cordray swallowed. “That sounds pretty useful in your profession. Bet you’re wishing you’d Pulsed me in the beginning to see if the pill would actually work on me.”
Benjamin shifted against the wall, his arms moving to cross over his chest. “Yes, well, had that even been a possibility I’d known to question, I would have.
Cordray’s mouth tightened. “I only Pulsed Adam because he looked like he was going to attack Story.”
“Who?”
Cord grimaced that he’d let her nickname slip. He jerked his chin at the lifeless girl on the bed. He looked away, embarrassed that he’d let himself attach so easily to her, when he was layered with so many deadly secrets. Not that he could have resisted the pull she had on him. If he was being honest with himself, not even the fact that she might still be engaged to Prince Henry registered a retreat in his mind. He’d never felt as calm and settled as he had when sitting next to her on the couch after their dinners together every night.
Cordray cleared his throat and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I don’t go around hurting people at random.”
Adam stood and paced the room as he took it all in, listening to Benjamin go back and forth with Cordray on how best to secure Rory’s safety, and interjecting when necessary. His gait had slumped off-kilter after the painful shock, but he didn’t complain. On the contrary, it seemed that whenever Cordray apologized for the attack, Adam only grew more surly. “Rory is my oldest friend. Of course I’d never harm her. But don’t apologize for defending her from what you thought would be an assault. Apologies make men look weak.”
Cord couldn’t help but spout back, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
Adam stiffened at the sass, but instead addressed Benjamin. “You’re certain she didn’t prick her finger? She should’ve been awake by now.”
Benjamin moved to the window, staring out at the autumn leaves falling on the vast expanse of overgrown land as he spoke. “Cordray saw the whole thing. The man didn’t have a needle. He Pulsed her.”
“Then why isn’t she awake?” Adam growled, a low rumble vibrating his chest.
Benjamin kept his eyes on the red, yellow and orange leaves that were falling on the tall shrubbery designed to keep the world out. He noticed Adam’s wince when a wolf’s howl sliced through the quiet, but didn’t address his flinch. “The position of Chancellor is a coveted seat. King Hubert holds only slightly more power than Rory’s father. The king even has to consult the Chancellor before he enacts new laws. It’s a system of checks and balances that’s fragile, but it works. There have been countless failed attacks on the two men, so oftentimes the miscreants refocus their attacks on Rory.” He let out a heavy sigh that filled the room with a weight of sadness for the state of the darker parts of the world. “That means Prince Henry’s security needs tightening, as well.”
Cordray nodded. “That’s what I’ve been thinking. If they can’t get to the Chancellor, then they’ll pick off the next generation of rulers.”
Benjamin nodded. “Malaura would love to get her hands on you. Rory was smart to keep your relationship private. Once Malaura knows you exist?” He shook his head.
Adam didn’t hold back his growl. “I don’t need any talk of her in my house. Her name has done enough damage to me.” Then he turned his head over his shoulder and spoke through gritted teeth at the golden candelabra that he’d brought in to rest on the end table. “I told you to shut up. They don’t need to know about that.” Then he paused, as if listening to a voice that Cordray and Benjamin could not hear. “It’s nobody’s business but mine.”
Cordray’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything about Adam addressing a brass candelabra as if it was a person. The thing was two feet tall, and bespoke of old wealth.
Benjamin cast Cordray a covert look to be cool, confirming that yes, Adam was a very ill man in ways that weren’t fixable by plastic surgery. He cleared his throat and continued, turning his attention back to the snow that fell several stories below. “Malaura always wanted more influence, so she dipped into the database of Lethals who’d registered to take the pill, gathering them to herself to form a sort of army. What power she lacked, she made up for with force, acquiring people who could outperform the others. It’s why she chose Remus to be her protégé, even though he’s not a Lethal. He understands things about magic better than anyone. Lucky for him that he got out from under her thumb when he was still young.”
Adam paced in circles around the room, shooting Rory looks of concern as the minutes ticked by. “But the old witch forgot one thing. We run on a democracy. She was voted out of office, and her more violent followers were locked up. If I had to guess, I’d bet that it’s her people behind Rory’s attack.”
“Everyone thought that when her brother Hubert was voted in, all those problems would go away. He’s a good man.”
Cordray couldn’t take his eyes off of Rory. “But we still have Lethals who are drumming up the stigma all of us get branded with. So all of us pay the price, living in our cabins in the woods, and keeping away from daughters with fathers who love them.”
“The kingdom’s been mostly at peace ever since, though Malaura’s always out there in the shadows, planning who knows what. There’s the occasional attack, but that’s to be expected.” Benjamin moved over to the bed to check on Rory, prying up her eyelids before he gave her a paternal kiss on the forehead. “Everyone assumed Malaura would go away after she was voted out. She murdered twelve guards when she came back at the kingdom-wide celebration that happens whenever the king or the Chancellor have a baby. Rory was a month old when Malaura cursed her, and she’s carried that weight ever since.”
When it seemed Benjamin was unable to continue, Adam finished the dreaded tale, his words clipped. “‘On the child’s twenty-fifth birthday, she’ll prick her finger and die.’ Not exactly a lullaby, but that’s what Rory got from Malaura.” Adam flinched when the evil ex-queen’s name escaped his lips. “And I said we weren’t going to talk about her in my home!” Adam whirled on Cordray, his anger coming out in what was almost a roar. “You’ve brought nothing but disaster into my house!”
Benjamin crossed the room and popped the flat of his hand to the beast’s chest. “Sit down, Adam. We get it; you’re angry at the world. Don’t take it out on the new guy.” Then Benjamin addressed Cordray with sadness shining in his eyes.
Benjamin rubbed his forehead, wishing the trail didn’t end where he saw it all heading. “After Malaura doled out her curse, Rory’s uncle did something incredible for her. Remus loves his brother so much t
hat he sacrificed five years of his lifespan to issue out a counter to Malaura’s curse. It’s hard to enact a counter-curse, but Remus is just that powerful. He was only twelve years old, and he was able to find a way to give us some hope.”
Cordray wanted to pace the room, but he knew any sudden movements would make the men uneasy. “I know all of this, and none of it scared me away. Instead of dying, Remus twisted the curse so that Rory will prick her finger on her twenty-fifth birthday, and fall into a deep, unshakable sleep – not unlike the one she’s in now.” Then to her, he whispered quietly, “Come on, Story. Wake up already.”
Benjamin ran his hand over his face. “If the only antidote to her impending coma wasn’t true love’s kiss, I would have sent you away the second I learned you were Lethal. I’m not sure which is more dangerous at this point – you, her curse, or the fact that you might be the only cure for her curse.”
Cordray flexed his fingers a few times, looking down to keep his thoughts private. “I haven’t said that to her yet. It’s only been a month.” Though as he said it, he felt the sting of falsity on his tongue. The words were there, but logic made him tuck them back inside.
Adam snorted dismissively. “I’ll never understand our society’s obsession with love.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Benjamin retorted. “Love is the only thing that can unravel the hate it takes to come up with a curse. Remus’ counter-curse was strategic. At twelve years old, he understood things about the world that most of us will never grasp.”
Cordray moved his chair closer to Rory’s bedside, making eye contact with Benjamin to silently tell him that he wasn’t going to touch her without permission, but he’d tolerated just about all he could of the distance between them.
“Careful,” Benjamin warned, though he didn’t move to separate them further.
“She’ll be fine. I won’t touch her. Now that I know what to look for, I can guard her better when we’re out and about.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t leave him alone with her, unless you want to be guarding royal babies in nine months. He’s a heartbeat away from coupling with her right in front of us.”
Cordray was about to bite back with an acerbic retort, but suddenly nothing else in the world mattered, because Rory began to stir.
17
Caffeinated Kisses
Though most were intimidated by Adam and gave in to whatever he wanted, Cordray shoved the man aside so he could help Rory through her first moments of wakefulness. He leaned over the bed, casting aside Benjamin’s command that he wouldn’t touch her. The moment her eyelids fluttered, he knew he didn’t have the self-control to step back. He was gentle with her, holding her hand and lifting it to his cheek. It was an intimate touch, and one they’d done many times before when they were alone. Cordray needed to be near her, to ease some of the pain life had heaped on her lovely head. “Hey, Story. What’s your Rory?” he asked with a small smile that was meant just for her. Though he still had questions about her attacker, and the dangerous nature of her title, her needs came first.
“What? Are we… I don’t…” She blinked hazily until her eyes finally were able to focus on his – bright brown pools that shone only for her. “Cord,” she breathed, and the sound was laced with relief at the sight of his face.
Benjamin threw his arms in the air. “Well, that didn’t last long. So much for you keeping your distance.”
Cordray held himself back for two whole seconds. Three. Four. On the fifth, he decided she was cogent enough to be able to push him away if his advances were unwanted. Slowly and with so much longing, he could scarcely be parted from her a moment longer, Cordray closed the breath of a gap between them. He lifted her under her torso a few inches, and gently brushed his lips to hers.
Her lips were soft, and after the shock wore off, moved easily with his – as if they’d been kissing for years, but were still enjoying the fruits of their first time. Cordray moved slowly, knowing she was something to be cherished instead of conquered and kept. But he wanted to keep her – to himself, safe, and in his arms.
He let out a vulnerable bleat when her hand rose clumsily to touch on his cheek. Every time she touched him, it roused an exposed nerve that came from living a life so isolated from society. The need for her touch burned raw inside of him, so he leaned in, silently begging for more – ever more. Neither of them cared that they had a stunned audience. They were entranced that something so magical had happened to them.
When his tongue lightly swept across hers, Rory’s legs curled up under the satin comforter, her body responding far easier to him than either of them would’ve thought possible so soon after her eyelids opened. She arched her back as his kiss sent sensation to the muted parts of her, awakening her senses and making them both crave more.
Soon she was sitting up on her own in the bed. His kiss was like caffeine to her system – rousing her and focusing her foggy mind. When Adam and Benjamin slipped out to give them some privacy, Rory tugged on Cordray’s collar, giving in to the longing that never went away. They dedicated that slice of time to exploring, to unwinding, and to playing. The world slowed, and for a few precious and blissful moments, there was only them, and only this kiss.
Cordray didn’t know how or why he could be expected to resist the pull she had on him. Finally allowing himself to give in to the desire he’d been tucking away for the past two hours felt like the first breath he’d ever had. Cordray inhaled the sweet, subtle fragrance of her hair as he lightly tugged on the raven waves that had enticed him at every turn. He didn’t mean to bite down on her lip, but the sensation only pushed them further and further past the point of no return.
The kiss came to a crest when Rory swooned, her heart working hard to keep up with her libido. She went limp in his arms, though she didn’t go completely under.
Cordray laid her back down and kissed her forehead, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. “Easy, easy. Are you alright? I’m sorry. That was all me.”
Rory’s lashes fluttered as she held on to consciousness. “Cord,” she whispered, her voice falling softly around them. Then as her world came more into focus, she glanced around the room with a frown. “Why are we here?” Then her eyes widened when it dawned on her that there was no way he could be at Adam’s haunted castle and not have been introduced to the mentally unstable man. “Whatever Adam said, I apologize. He can be… He’s not well.”
Cordray responded by leaning over and stroking her lips with his, too sedated by their kiss to care about much else.
18
Two Pills, Two Rulers
It was a week of Benjamin sticking close to Rory’s side, but eventually the usual mania that followed an attack came to a crest. Benjamin’s team identified the aggressor as Benedict Freeman - a man who’d been dead for five years.
“Clearly the man stole Mr. Freeman’s identity, which puts us at square one as far as tracking down whoever ordered the attack on you. I’m too old to assume he was acting on his own. The threat isn’t neutralized simply because he’s dead.” Benjamin was matter-of-fact, while the other guards in the household had been reassuring to the point of making up outright lies to pacify Rory’s mother.
Leah Johnstone was in a state in the wake of her daughter’s abduction. She attended her daughter’s lessons, and even rode with her alongside Benjamin to drop her off at work. After one tutoring session with Tyren, Leah ruled him unsuitable for instructing her daughter. She fired him, handing the reins of her daughter’s education back to her brother-in-law.
Studying under Remus was far less stressful for Rory, even with her mother watching. Cordray had been taken into the fold once Benjamin had informed Remus of the above and beyond magic of which the man was capable. Remus was enthralled at the prospect of tutoring someone so naturally gifted, a giddy gleam dancing in his eyes whenever he uncovered a new layer of Cordray’s abilities.
“Uncle Remus, I’m certain I’m standing incorrectly.” Rory frowned, embarrass
ed at her lack of ability. It had been years for her, and the china cup had never budged. She’d made her peace with her limitations over the course of her life, but now that her boyfriend had been brought into her sessions, it renewed a competitive drive in her she’d long put aside.
Remus moved next to her and adjusted her gait. “You’re standing just fine. Hey, don’t beat yourself up. You’re back with me now. Tyren isn’t here to run you down simply because you’re fallible, like the rest of us.”
“There’s fallible, and then there’s failing. In front of my boyfriend, no less.” Her voice lowered, adding a tightness to her facial muscles.
Remus tapped his finger under her chin, which was prone to drooping when she was caught in melancholy. “Cordray is gifted. No matter who he’s studying with, he would outperform them.”
“Stop being gracious and logical. Call me a child and have done with it.”
Remus touched her nose, as he’d done when she was little. “You’re being a child. So you have limitations. We all do.”
She shot him a dubious glare. “Name five of yours.”
“I’m far too handsome, far too gracious, my magic is sometimes too powerful, I’m too wealthy, and…” He looked up at the ceiling, and then shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t think of a fifth fault that I have.”
Rory sniggered. “You’re impossible today. Whenever you get around Cord, you get all goofy. You love that you finally get a student who challenges you.”
Cordray glanced up from the book he was studying titled “Timeless Spells for Timebound Magicians”. “It’s fine, Story. I run circles around you in the kitchen, too. Get used to staring at my sweet backside.” Cordray turned a page and began scanning it. “What does it matter if you’re better than me at some things, and I’m a little ahead of you at others? Isn’t that how a good team works? Plus, you know all this stuff – in Latin, no less. It’s only a matter of time before your body catches up with your brain.”
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