Realms of Stone and Gold

by C. E. Olson

  Chapter Fifteen

  Aine

  From the moment Trys flies away to the moment Aine watches Varis jump from that tower, she's sure she doesn't take a breath. The dirt is worn from her pacing and the noise she makes in concern echoes around her, but Trys catches him with ease and swoops out of sight.

  All that does is bring more worry to the surface, but the peryton doesn't leave her in distress for long. He flies down out of the trees and Aine's heart stops at the amount of blood coming from her mate. “Varis?” Aine climbs up onto Trys' back and holds him close as she begins to heal him as much as she can. “Where can we go, Trys? Where is safe?”

  “Not this realm,” he answers. “We need to get to the portal. Hold on tight, Echo will follow on her own.”

  “Okay.” Aine feels horrible leaving Echo behind, but she knows the beast is more than capable of surviving anything that might come her way, so she hangs on tight and hopes they make it without being seen. It's a risk for Trys to cross realms, but the fact he's willing shows his dedication to Varis more than any words possibly could.

  Trys takes off as carefully as he can as Aine holds Varis’ body steady. They travel south for too long, trailing blood behind them the entire way, but Echo is waiting for them when they land. “Told you. Now stay put,” Trys orders as they cross through the portal. There are human guards waiting, but Trys takes to the sky again, dodging spears until they're far enough away that the guards can't reach them.

  When Varis’ body starts to slip, Trystrel adjusts his wings to keep him balanced and slowly descends to the ground over a small collection of huts. Aine is nauseous all over from the ride, but when Trys finally lands, her sickness is forgotten and quickly replaced with concern for her mate. “He hasn't awoken... I healed him and he hasn't awoken.”

  Trys bows his head to inspect Varis himself, but before he can respond to her, Reeve comes running out of his home.

  “What in the bloody hell happened?” He scoops up his younger brother and runs into his house without looking back.

  “Stay close, Trys.” Aine pets his face with a silent gratitude and then follows Reeve, knowing there is a high possibility that he might throw her out. “He fulfilled his oath and killed the Lunar King, but I don't truly know what happened. I wasn't inside with him.”

  Reeve scoffs. “Of course you weren't. Just like a monarch to send my brother into danger alone.” He lays his brother on the couch and runs for fresh water, then returns to his side with a damp cloth. “If you weren't inside, how do you know he succeeded and this wasn't Sontar?”

  “I felt it. The moment he was relieved from his obligation, I could feel it... but I couldn’t feel how badly he was hurt until a few moments later. I sent Trys up to get him and told him to jump. He didn’t want me to go up with him, Reeve.” The confused look on his face has her feeling compelled to explain, but instead, she shoves him aside slightly and continues her attempts to heal Varis. “Come back to me, my love,” she whispers.

  His chest rises and falls slowly, but Varis doesn't open his eyes. Reeve lifts up Varis’ shirt to check for damage and finds none — the wounds have completely scarred over thanks to Aine’s ministrations. “He’ll wake up soon,” he says without any confidence. “Just like my brother to take a bloody nap when we’re all waiting for him.”

  “Well, if any of us deserve it.” Aine pushes him aside slightly and leans down to kiss Varis’ cheek.

  “Bloody hell... I told him not to sleep with you.”

  Aine narrows her gaze at him and grips Varis’ hand softly. “Shut up. I’m still a queen, you know.”

  “I’m still a queen, you know,” Reeve mocks. “A queen who nearly got my brother killed. I don’t care what kind of magic you have between your legs, you’re still trouble.”

  “Magic between my legs?” The audacity Reeve has to speak to her this way has her nearly forgetting he’s Varis’ brother — his only family. He must sense the danger in her eyes, because he switches tones when he speaks to her again.

  “Whatever, as long as you didn’t dismember my brother, I won’t kick you out of my house.”

  “I’d like to see you bloody well try,” Aine retorts, ignoring the bit about Varis’ member. In their short time of sharing those moments, she’s grown very fond of the body part between Varis’ legs, and the last thing she’d ever do is cause it any harm.

  Reeve gives her a few moments of privacy to find Varis some clothes for when he wakes, and when Laix returns home, Reeve fetches some hot water for a bath.

  Within minutes, she can already tell she likes Laix. They offer her water, and when Aine asks them how they got stuck with Reeve, they return a smile that tells Aine they aren’t stuck at all.

  “We met at a bakery, believe it or not. He was looking for a certain kind of cake except he didn’t know the name of it, but as he was describing it I knew exactly what he was looking for. I lost my place in line to approach him and tell him he was looking for shortcakes. He argued of course, asking why in the hell would it be called a shortcake, but the baker overheard us and told him I was correct. He wouldn’t let me leave after that, insisted that I share a shortcake with him, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. There’s more to Reeve than he lets show.”

  Aine smiles, because of all the ways to meet the one you’re meant to love, she thinks that has to be the cutest. “Well... there’s more to Varis as well, and he tried to kill me the night we met. I believe Reeve is a good man just like Varis. He’s just a little protective.”

  “Damn right, I am.” Reeve closes the door with his boot, his muscles straining from the huge bucket of steaming water in his hands. “Shouldn’t we all be protective of the ones we love?”

  For once, Aine doesn’t have an argument at all.

  “IT SMELLS LIKE REEVE in here,” Varis mumbles into his pillow. “Why does it smell like my brother?”

  “Don’t lie, best smell in the world,” Reeve quips.

  Aine runs over with a scoff and decides to ignore him. “Varis,” she whispers as she touches his forehead. “How was your nap?”

  He rolls fully onto his back with a groan. “Not long enough, and my dreams weren't nearly as good. How—” Varis sits up slightly and squints at both of them. “This isn't good.”

  “No, it isn’t. Didn’t I tell you not to touch her? Now look at you.” Reeve joins them, and contrary to his words, he doesn’t look at Aine with anger.

  “She's my mate. Or, I guess I’m hers, since humans don't really have those. I didn't know until after we dropped you off, I swear,” Varis says quietly.

  “You didn’t, but she did.”

  Reeve bumps her arm lightly and Aine shoves him. “Your brother is his own sort of torture. I already explained it all to him and he still thinks I’m to blame. I’m a bloody queen, not a god.”

  Varis gets to his feet and looks at the stains covering the couch below him with a grimace. “I think I'm the bloody one,” he responds. “Between the two of you... not even a sponge bath?” he teases. “It's okay, I get it. Reeve was too concerned you chomped my bits off and you were too concerned about missing my bits to strip me in front of a guest. I understand.”

  Reeve chuckles at Aine’s eye-roll and then speaks as if she isn’t right next to them. “So what’s the verdict, how much did she bite off?”

  “I didn’t bite off anything! I didn’t use any teeth at all.” It’s out before she can stop it, and when Reeve howls with laughter, she fails to hide her blush.

  “Jokes on her, I like a little bit of teeth,” Varis admits, but the laugh that follows makes him cough. “Alright, will someone tell me how I got here?”

  Aine speaks up before Reeve can, happy to change the subject. She fills in all she can from the moment he freefell from the window, but as far as the fight he had before it, she’s completely clueless. “What happened in there, Var?”

  “Erm... would you believe me if I said ‘nothing?’ I went in there, killed Sontar, and decided to see what
it felt like to fly?” Varis asks, but his face falls when he sees their expressions. “I was doing fine until I let Sontar talk. If I'd have just killed him and moved on, I'd have been fine. I gave the other guards too much time to catch up to me, and by then, the floor was already covered in blood and bodies. Not as easy to maneuver as you'd think. One of them stabbed me in the back, another one stabbed me in the shoulder. That's the last thing I remember.”

  Aine’s heart breaks for him as she helps him walk toward Reeve’s bathroom.

  “Did you see his face? The cowardly fool that stabbed you in the back?” his brother asks before they’re out of ear shot.

  “You know I did. It's fuzzy, but I'll know him if I ever see him again. He’ll also have my axe.” Varis frowns deeply, then checks his boot for something he doesn't find. “I lost the dagger you gave me, too. And your bow.”

  “You kept your head. That’s what truly matters.” Reeve starts cleaning up the couch and Aine wholeheartedly agrees. “Let her clean you up. You stink.”

  With a chuckle, Aine pulls him into the bathroom and starts helping him out of his blood-stained clothes, wiping down his skin with the extra towels Reeve laid out for her. “He’s right. I know you love your axe, but I have a feeling you’ll see him again. You came back to me. That's what matters.”

  “Good thing I'm just as lethal with other weapons,” he remarks with a smirk. “But yes, I will miss it if I don't find a way to get it back.”

  Once he’s clean, Aine helps him into the bath and sits on a wooden chair. “Axe or no axe, the weapon doesn’t define the man. I’m sure you’ll be unstoppable with whatever you choose.”

  “I died in that room, Aine. Or, I should've. I'm not unstoppable.” He sinks into the water and leans his head back, reaching over to gently take her hand. “But you should see the other guy. Sorry I didn't bring you his head.”

  Once again, her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, but she squeezes his hand tightly. “It’s okay, I trust you.” She bites the next question back, but only lasts a moment before she blurts it out: “Did you... happen to see my wings?”

  He shakes his head slightly. “No. He wasn't in the throne room when I found him. Sontar, he — he said some things,” Varis says carefully. “Are they true? That you won't ever be able to formally bond with me because they're gone?”

  When tears fill her eyes, Varis tries to get out of the tub to comfort her, but she holds him firmly in place and climbs in the tub with him instead. The closeness already feels better, but she feels raw and open. “That is what they’ve always told us. I honestly believed I’d never find a mate because of it, but I also knew it was always a possibility. That’s why I never left my castle.”

  “And your mate climbed into your bedroom window and tried to kill you.” He runs his hands up her back to touch the scars there and kisses her chest. “We don't need it.”

  “No?” Aine wraps her arms around his neck. “How did it feel? To kill the man who broke your mate.”

  Varis bites her gently. “I don't know, Your Grace. No one has broken you yet.”

  Aine genuinely smiles in response. “You’re right. He’s the broken one, not me.” For years, she’s felt as if something is missing, that much is true, but those feelings haven't plagued her at all since the moment she met Varis.

  “Broken and headless, as he should be. And you, on the other hand—” he trails his fingers down her body and pulls them closer “—are the opposite. Whole, and with a very pretty head. Thank you for using it to save mine.”

  “You have a pretty head as well, didn’t have a choice, really. It’d be a shame if I didn’t have another opportunity to ride you.” Aine grins, knowing this isn’t the time or place for such affairs, but she can’t help it. She’s far too happy he’s alive.

  Varis, however, seems to think it's a perfect time. “Mm. And would you do exactly that if I told you I'm accepting you as my mate? Bond or no bond, wings or no wings.”

  “Well, that’d make me very happy.” Aine kisses him heatedly, not able to hold back after hearing those words, and without warning she lifts herself up to slide down onto him. They swallow each other’s moans as she begins to move as slowly as she possibly can, trying not to spill the water onto the floor.

  When Varis kisses the length of her neck and bites down, there’s nothing to stifle her noises that time. Aine is positive the entire house can hear her, but she can’t find it in her to care.

  Varis stretches her in ways no one ever has before, and she craves that full feeling whenever their bodies aren’t intertwined. The fact that he was almost taken from her back at the Lunar Court isn’t lost on her, and it drives her to ride him more desperately than ever before.

  “Aine.” Varis’ hand slides up her chest and grips just under her chin as he kisses along her jaw. “So bloody good.”

  It makes her smile. “Yes... you are.” Aine pauses her bouncing to roll her hips, groaning at how perfectly their bodies move together. “Squeeze harder, Var.” When he complies, Aine’s body begins to tremble, the small amount of pressure on her breathing has her floating above them as she finds her first—second—third release.

  His smile can be felt against her skin, only solidifying how much he truly enjoys bringing her to climax, and after her fourth, his hand tightens even more. Aine can’t talk now, can’t tell him how amazing everything he’s doing feels — but when he starts thrusting up to meet her movements harder, she knows he’s nearing the edge.

  “Varis... my love...” Aine grunts out. “Please...”

  What she’s begging for is completely beyond her, and she can’t even focus on the fact that Queen Aine doesn’t beg anyone for anything. She can’t focus on anything but the man below her, and when he finally releases all of his tension inside of her, he slumps against the tub and smiles up at her.

  “You said ‘please.’”

  “Shut up!” she hisses. “If you tell anyone I—” the inability to lie freezes that threat on her tongue “—do you have to be a little shit while you’re still inside of me?”

  The laugh he releases is so beautiful she can’t help but join in with him. He may be insufferable at times, but if she had the choice, she’d still choose him.

  BY THE TIME THEY’VE dressed again and made their way back to the living room, Reeve is in the kitchen helping Laix cook supper.

  “Now that I’m good as new, I'll need to go see Balian,” Varis says quietly. “If I don't, I'll be on the run for the rest of my days. Neither realm will be safe.”

  The calmness she was feeling is instantaneously gone. “And what will you tell him?”

  “The truth, or as much of it as I can. If he suspects I'm lying, he'll torture me for the truth. Best to just give it up front and hope there's still a shred of decency in him.”

  “Torture?” Aine looks to Reeve, pleading with her eyes for him to talk sense to his brother. “Reeve.”

  Luckily for her, he picks up the hint. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Varis. He could kill you on the spot.”

  “He won't,” Varis argues. “If that is his decision, he'll want to make a spectacle of it. His people hate me, you know they do. Balian will want to make it public and loud, not something that happens behind closed doors. You know that as well as I do.”

  “Is that supposed to bring us comfort?” Aine asks. “To know that he will torture you before he publicly kills you.”

  “The Queen’s got a point there, but if you go, I’ll go with you.”

  Varis nods. “I won't say no this time, but you'll have to trust me. I shouldn't come to any harm as long as he doesn't suspect me of lying, but Reeve, you'd be collateral damage. Take me in as your prisoner.”

  “Prisoner? Why? In hopes he’d pardon me for being associated with you at all?”

  Aine can’t believe her ears. “Then I’m coming, too.”

  He twitches. “He won't hesitate to kill you, Aine. Not publicly, no fanfare. He'll kill you the second he lays eyes on you,”
he argues. “Reeve?”

  “Bloody hell. Aine, you can’t come. How would you even help, anyway?”

  “I can take care of myself just fine. Caught you two idiots easy enough.”

  The brothers share a look, but Varis doesn't seem happy. “You caught us because I was too worried about Reeve. What do you think will happen if Balian turns on me and you're both there?”

  As much as she hates to admit it, he has a point. “And you think it’s possible to get him to see reason?”

  Another look between them, another silent exchange. It's enough to make her want to read his mind. “Possible, yes. I have to believe that he didn't know who Sontar really was. And if he did, this time, Reeve and I will be ready.”

  Aine hates every part of this plan, but without a better one on the table, they really don’t have a choice. She exhales a deep breath and deflates before their eyes. “You better come back to me, Varis Kester.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Of all of the stupid ideas Varis has ever had, he's positive this is the stupidest. Reeve is quick to agree, as is Aine, but their agreement doesn't do a lot to change the facts: Balian will find out, whether Varis tells him or not. It's better to face this head on and deal with the consequences than spend the rest of his life hiding. It’ll be fine, he tells himself. I've served Balian well over the years.

  Yet, as Reeve secures the shackles around his wrists, not even the small pin that Varis can pull to unchain himself is helping to put him at ease. It isn't just about him anymore. Maybe it never has been.

  “Are you sure about this?” Reeve whispers under his breath.

  “No, I'm not,” Varis admits. “But I want it to be over, and this is the quickest way to do that.”

  “It's also the quickest way to lose your head, and mine, too.”

  Varis eyes his brother and sucks in a breath. “Then let's do our very best to make sure that doesn't happen. If he takes my head, hurl yourself out the window. It worked for me. Come on.”