Platinum bands were slipped onto my biceps that held the head of a dragon with rubies for the eye. I watched as yet another cuff was placed above it, these ones were gold and the dragon’s eye was a brilliant diamond.
They stood back when that was finished and I waited for them to discover I was still missing shoes. Eventually, Darynda smiled and said it.
“She needs something on her feet. Something simple but beautiful,” she mused as she tilted her head and her lips lifted in the corners. “She also needs to learn how to smile more.”
“Darynda,” Zara said as she walked into the room.
“Well, she does,” Darynda said, smiling triumphantly as she fluffed her shoulder length auburn curls.
“Does she have a name? Maybe you should use it,” Zara said with an authoritative tone.
“You can all call me Synthia, and yes, I’d very much like something to cover my feet,” I said, stopping the argument in its tracks if that was where it was heading. I was nervous enough, and having them bickering would only make my nerves get worse.
Darynda clapped her hands and a gold box appeared. She smiled triumphantly and dug through the box instead of just glamouring on shoes. She held up jeweled sandals that looked anything but comfortable. I held out my hand and accepted them anyway. I had other things to do today besides playing dress up.
The shoes were surprisingly comfortable, and the jewels, even though they looked rough, didn’t scratch my skin at all. They’d been smoothed until they were soft on the tender skin of the foot. I turned and gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror. Holy freaking Fairy buckets, these girls were good.
I looked like a princess!
I mean, I was a princess…which was weird to say, (Not that I had out loud very much), but still, I actually looked the part now.
“Is it true that you hate Fae?” Keely asked, and got a stern shushing from Meriel.
“Who told you that?” I asked, ignoring Mariel’s shushes.
“Claire said that you hated Fae, and made a living off killing us.”
“Did she now? I used to hate everything Fae, but only because I watched the people who raised me slaughtered by them. They killed my family, and yes, I have killed Fae before. In fact, I killed a few just last week. I was raised by humans. I actually thought I was a human until Ryder brought me to Faery for the Wild Hunt.”
“Do you still hate us?” Darynda asked, coming into the conversation.
“I’d have to hate myself in order to do that. No, I now understand that not all Fae are bad, just like all humans are not good. I can’t blame an entire species for what happened to my parents. But, I also think you shouldn’t listen to rumors.”
“Claire said you took Ryder from her, she also said that you think you are above us. I personally like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I’m not one to judge a book by its cover, or listen to idle gossip from jealous women either.”
“Well, I think you should stop while you are ahead. Claire doesn’t like me, I get it. She obviously went above and beyond to feed the rumor mills with crap. I’m not going to indulge her in a battle of wits, because to me is seems she is missing hers and that wouldn’t be a fair fight, now would it?” I asked, meeting Darynda’s blue and green eyes with a grin.
“Wow, she wasn’t kidding when she said you didn’t play with words.”
“Probably the only thing she told you that was the truth. I hate word games, and I could care less who hates me over some lame ass rumor started by a bitter ex. So you were right to ask me, and I have nothing against the Fae in this world. ”
“Claire isn’t bitter. She’s enraged and rightly so since you have been moved into what is supposed to be reserved for the Queen of the Horde. Her sister is contracted to marry Ryder, this would traditionally be her room,” Zara blurted.
My head snapped around to stare at her. “Ryder plans on marrying?” I felt my blood pressure spike and my anger rise as I waited for the answer.
“He’s the King of the Horde; of course he will marry,” Darynda said carefully as if she wasn’t sure she should be discussing it with me.
“Claire’s sister?”
“Well, her half-sister. Ryder’s father made the contract, but he signed it. He has been engaged to her for years, but it’s uncertain how long before Cornelius demands they marry. Claire says it should be soon.”
“I thought the Fae married for gain.”
“And Claire’s family is one of the largest and most powerful in the realm, minus Ryder’s own family. He accepted Claire into the pavilion because she was gifted, but Abiageal is the oldest. The Horde normally stays within the Horde for the first marriage.”
“So Ryder will marry within the Horde?” I felt sick to my stomach.
“Well, yes. It’s been the custom of the Horde for as long as history has been recorded.”
“I thought that Ryder’s mother was the first wife, and she was a Dark Fae,” I said softly, trying to rein in my emotions at this sucker punch.
“She became the first wife when Alazander’s first wife died,” Faelyn supplied helpfully. I could only guess at that, based on the stories I had heard about him, he probably killed her.
I felt my heart sink to my toes. Ryder never said he’d marry me; he did say that if I hadn’t been the Light Heir, he’d keep me. I searched my memory for anything that he’d said that could have hinted at more between us then just being his concubine. I knew there wasn’t. Just that he’d keep me. Ryder had probably known all along that he wouldn’t marry me, or had things changed now that he knew that I was the Blood Princess, and that I was supposed to be Danu’s Heir. Didn’t that change things?
One thing was fore sure; I wouldn’t stand around and watch the man I love marry someone else. I’d have to make him love me, or leave him and hope he let me go.
Chapter Nine
Dristan, Sevrin, and Savlian arrived, dressed in the form fitting uniforms of the Elite Guard—sans headgear, and escorted us as a group to the crowded hall that was already filled with the waiting Horde. The room was unlike any other I’d seen so far in the palace, and had been decorated in crimson and black. A gigantic tapestry with the same design of the two Celtic dragons that had once adorned my hip and Ristan’s medallion covered one wall, only the dragons on the tapestry looked more fierce, and deadly.
My eyes wandered over to the back of the hall where the dais was and saw Ryder. His eyes watched me as I approached with the others. He was once again in king mode, his huge wings eclipsing the sun’s light that shined through the enormous stained glass window behind him. If it hadn’t been for the light coming in from the other windows, he would have been swallowed in the shadows they created.
The throne, on which Ryder sat, looked wickedly cool. The immense seat was created of black oak with skulls, and bones embedded in it. I narrowed my eyes, and with a sinking in the pit of my stomach, I realized that the bones were real. The arms of the throne were each finished with a skull on which his hands rested. Ewww…
To his right and slightly behind the throne, stood Ristan; Zahruk stood to his left, both wearing the black body armor of the Elite Guard. It was looking like all of Ryder’s men that had accompanied him in the human world were part of the unit as I was spotting them standing at attention at strategic posts behind Ryder.
Ryder looked to be in full control of the entire Horde; a proud beast, destined to rule them all. I shook myself from my inner thoughts as the group around me came to a full stop. We stood there until Ryder nodded, and all of the women in the room dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. Like sheep. Every male remained standing, which I thought was odd. I was the last to kneel, and only when I’d held Ryder’s eyes for a few moments before I silently and effortlessly dropped to the floor.
I felt like a stupid sheep, as if by going down, I was somehow admitting that I was his. As if! I only did it because I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of the entire Horde. Ristan had mentioned why we were here, and
Darynda had assured me that I couldn’t just skip it. It wasn’t until Ryder stood, and held his hand out that I got the first inkling of what was going to happen.
“Synthia, stand and come to me,” Ryder said in his multi-layered voice.
I shook my head, but even as I did so, I was working on standing up.
“This is the Blood Princess, and also the mother to my first born child. She holds the key to Faery in her womb. Ristan has seen our child, the one who will begin the healing of our world,” Ryder said, and the room exploded with cheering Horde creatures. “I’ll have a vow from my kingdom to protect her from harm, and your protection of my child, Danu’s heir.”
The entire assembly said, “Aye,” as one. When I reached where Ryder was standing, we were joined by most of his men, and some I hadn’t seen before, as they moved into protective positions. When Ryder held out his hand, I hesitated, but placed mine in his much larger one. He pulled me close, and crushed his mouth against mine. The room once again broke into loud cheers.
“Bow to your people, Synthia,” he whispered, and I quickly gave a clumsy curtsey to those gawking as I turned to face them. Yes, I was hopelessly fucked.
I watched as they bowed back, and then I was pulled back around, and tucked beneath Ryder’s arm as he once again took the throne, with me in his lap. Cheers erupted as Ryder held up my hand, but I pulled it from him and glared openly at him which seemed to impress the Horde all the more.
“She is off limits to every male here; she is mine.”
His eyes scanned my face, and I realized with perfect clarity that Ryder was the only thing keeping me protected in this place of monsters. He could read my expression, if his eyes softening were anything to go off. I watched as he lowered his gaze to my midsection, which was perfectly flat. They came back up to meet mine, filled with triumph and heat that I hadn’t expected to see in them while standing in front of the entire assembly.
The women stood, and music filled the room. Men moved about, bowing to females. It was as if I was watching an ancient scene of nobility play out before my eyes. There were wicked smiles on the faces of all of those present. I swallowed the urge to run, as men’s eyes turned toward us, in lust. As if the entire room expected Ryder to take me right in front of them. I narrowed my eyes on them. That shit was so not happening.
“You feel good in my lap, Pet,” Ryder whispered softly against my ear. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, turning to lean my head against his cheek.
He jerked his face away from me and spoke low and sharply in my ear. “I can’t afford to show a weakness, Synthia. It might look safe here, but there are those who would use you to get to me if they thought I was emotionally attached to you.” I stared at him, stunned. Talk about sending mixed signals!
“Sometimes I wonder why you fight so hard to save this place. Why fight for something that isn’t safe? You fight to fix the world, but yet you can’t even trust those within your own walls?”
“There are few I trust with my life. I fight because I love Faery; it’s my home. If something was happening to your world, Synthia, you would fight for it. You are a born warrior; we are more alike than you know.”
I fell silent, considering his words. He was right. I’d fight to save the earth, and everyone in it. I turned my head to find Claire glaring at us from across the room. She hated me, and it ran deep and ugly inside of her. She was a problem I needed to fix before I got too fat to do so.
*~*~*
We were dismissed from the throne room just a little while later, and Ryder went to a room just off to the side, behind the dais where his throne was. It must have been an office or meeting room as Zahruk and Ristan followed him. I was invited to the pavilion by Claire, but I skipped it and walked back to the room I’d been given. There was no way in hell that I was going to sit with Ryder’s harem and have lunch. It didn’t even make sense why they would have a lunch since Fae fed from emotions…not food. Maybe she planned on trying to make me miserable and feed off that.
I’d been so lost in my own thoughts, that I hadn’t even noticed the five handmaidens following me back to my room. Why hadn’t they gone to eat like the rest of the sheep in this place? I turned and eyed them, none of them looked happy with my decision to skip the meal. Sinjinn, Aodhan, and Dristan were following close behind the handmaidens.
“You guys don’t eat the food?” I asked.
“We serve you. Where you go, we go,” Darynda explained.
“So if I jump off a bridge, you’d join me?” Sheep…line up for the slaughter.
“A bridge?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“A bridge,” I said, and when it didn’t seem to register on her face, I explained it.
“Why would you wish to jump from a bridge?” she questioned, still confused.
“Never mind,” I said, and started walking down the hall in the direction of the room I was staying in.
They continued to follow me down the hallway and up the long winding staircase, and even though Sinjinn had offered to sift me up, I needed the exercise. I’d gotten little to none since coming here, and even though I was pregnant, I was staying in shape.
“I wanted to be alone,” I said over my shoulder as I took the steps beside Sinjinn, and the women who were behind didn’t fall back, instead they rushed to keep up with me.
“That we cannot do Princess. It is our duty to see you are well and cared for,” Darynda said calmly with a pointed look. When I refused to comment she crossed her arms and continued to follow me. I was pretty sure that she’d tap her foot impatiently, if she wasn’t walking at a brisk pace just to keep up with me.
“You want me fine? Leave me alone for a minute. In the last few weeks I have watched my best friend be murdered right in front of me, I found out I wasn’t human, I have been stabbed by Zahruk, almost blown up, given to the Dark Heir as his fiancée, kidnapped, met my fairy fucking family, and now I’m a whore for the fucking Horde King! You want me to be okay? Then get the fuck back for five minutes!” I was shaking, which only made me increase my speed as I fisted my hands at my sides.
The horrified looks on their faces made me feel like an ass, but I just needed a moment to breathe—alone. I needed to make a plan, and to do that, I needed to be alone. They didn’t leave; they stayed right freaking behind me.
“I’m sorry you have been through so much, but we did not do this to you. We are here to serve you, to make this easier on you,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry I freaked out, but sometimes the silence helps,” I replied softly with regret sinking in. She was innocent, and didn’t deserve my anger.
She smiled and nodded as she and the rest of the gals dropped back to give me a bit of space. Zara started whispering to the other girls as if I wasn’t even there.
“She’s a bust. The king will not enjoy her anymore. She already bears his child. He will move onto another concubine to strengthen his line,” she murmured as the others tried to shush her.
“You don’t know that,” Darynda whispered softly, and I found myself liking her even more. In this place, some of the women seemed a bit catty, but Darynda seemed to say what was on her mind, even if it was dead wrong.
“She’s already pregnant. It’s not like he will keep her in the Queen’s rooms now. I requested this position so that I could be close to the King,” Zara muttered behind me as we continued toward the room she thought I was about to be removed from.
“Claire speaks out of turn when she should hold her tongue. She’s bitter and ruthless as she hides behind a sweet face. We all know that. She twisted her words just to go with the men to the human world. She’s spoiled is what she is, and you would be wise to stop holding too tightly to her skirts. She has no intention of helping you. She wants the king even though he’s meant for her sister in marriage. She was gifted, and has been trying to be chosen as second wife or first concubine. Does that sound sane to you?” Darynda whispered heatedly.
/> “Synthia seems nice to me, and she isn’t rude and demanding. We may end up back in the pavilion, but at least we won’t be getting our faces slapped for choosing the wrong color dress for Claire. Really, Zara, think about it. How far are you willing to take this little torch you carry for Claire?” Meriel joined the whispered debate in my defense.
“I think Claire speaks true, and I for one plan on making it to his bed. I’m not meant to be a handmaiden. I was born to be so much more,” Zara retorted. I rolled my eyes and wasn’t sure if I felt sorrier for myself, or for the poor guys escorting us, having to listen to this crap.
“He hasn’t even turned his eye to any woman since he brought her here! Do you really think he is going to just boot her back to the pavilion? If his plan was only to secure a babe in her belly, his job is already done. Has been done for a while! Yet she’s still in that room,” Keeley softly added, her voice almost inaudible.
“Claire will have her out of that room before her sister steps foot in this place. She won’t stand for this wench being in that room. It belongs to her sister!” Zara’s voice raised a little at this, as the other four tried desperately to shush her quickly.
I turned and looked at Sinjinn, who was watching me closely. I lowered my eyes and walked briskly down the hall, noting that everyone was keeping up with me regardless of how fast I was walking.
“Claire is filling your head with nonsense. Synthia is the Blood Princess, not some wench. If I were you, I’d thank the Goddess you have an easy concubine who seems to be pleasant enough to say thank you!” Darynda continued softly.
“Everyone keeps saying how powerful she is, and yet she can’t even use glamour. She can’t even cast magic. You really think she can stand up against Claire?” Zara sniped, raising her tone.
“Have you ever considered that maybe it’s because she’s very powerful? How many concubines have you seen come into the pavilion with that mark on them? None! He doesn’t put his mark on anyone other than his Elite Guards. Yet she has it on. Did you ever stop to think that maybe she is too powerful to control without it?” Darynda mused. I sped up a little as I could now see the door to my room.
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