At least he made it interesting, and instead of cooping me up and making me crazy, it looked like he and Ryder must have discussed entertainments for me other than ‘spin the Fairy’ and my days weren’t as boring as a result.
In the mornings, he would escort me to Zahruk, who would spend an hour sparring with me. Nothing too strenuous, though, because of the babies. But I got some payback of my own for that little stabbing incident a while back. For some reason, Darynda and the rest of my handmaiden posse begged to go to these workout sessions (personally, I think it was to see Zahruk and any of the other guards that might have been working out in the armory without their shirts on.)
Darynda would not take her eyes off of Zahruk, and Meriel didn’t just track Ryder like he was dinner; all of the males were a buffet to her. I found out the first day of our sessions that she was half-Nymph and she was always hungry, or so it seemed.
After sparring, he would escort me to one of the many libraries where we would meet up with Dristan, who would bring out all sorts of dusty books and scrolls to help me understand Fae history and politics. It seemed that he had more talents than just being a flirt, and he was hoping that Ryder would utilize him as more of an ambassador. He was also very protective of the books in the libraries, and treated them like treasures. I learned a lot from these two as sessions usually devolved in them arguing about one topic in history, or another. Although they both dodged questions about how old they were, it seemed that for some of this history, one or both of these two were present as they were both part of Alazander’s guard before they were part of Ryder’s. I wasn’t sure why my handmaiden posse would always scatter, and seemed to have other things to do when history or politics were involved.
Adam had returned to the Dark Kingdom with the promise to return soon, and I did not see Adrian now that the trial was over. The trial had taken both Adrian and Vlad out of Tèrra for over two weeks, and they had to get back to their duties of monitoring the Mages. It seemed that the Mage activity had not slowed down there, even with the increase of more Mage trouble here in Faery. It was an indication that there might be a lot more of them than Ryder had initially suspected.
This afternoon Ristan had been entertaining me with classic movies—since we had Fae-per View, which was way better than Pay-per View. He could think of a movie, and it would play on the wall like a projector.
He bet me that I couldn’t beat him at chess, so I had the first time, at least. He’d won the second, and I’d won the third. Each had a price…and we got to choose what it was. I planned on tormenting him with chick flicks, and indulging in some perfect girl time, since he insisted on babysitting me.
We watched Beaches first, which backfired. I bawled my eyes out and he patted my back awkwardly. He made me watch Goonies next, which with his reciting each of the characters’ dialogue in a replicated voice, had me rolling with laughter. He was a sport and painted my nails, which in the end looked like I had allowed a one year old to go wild on my digits.
“You are the worst nail painter, ever,” I said, holding my hand up to inspect it.
“Who’s the idiot that wanted me to paint their nails? And shit, this stuff stinks like Pixie farts,” Ristan complained.
“Wait until you catch a whiff of the remover,” I said, smiling evilly.
“Nice try.” He barked with laughter as he glamoured the polish off with a twist of his fingers. “Hungry yet?” he asked, yet again. He had been dropping these not so subtle hints every couple of hours since he had gotten here. I was starting to think Ryder was paying him to ask that question. Either that, or he couldn’t wait for Ryder to take over.
“I fed from him yesterday,” I replied flippantly. I’d done more than feed; I’d jumped him as soon as he’d come to my room, ripping his clothes off before he could even grasp what I was doing and gorged on him. Not that he’d complained when he’d figured it out.
He’d slammed me against the wall, even though he’d made sure to not hurt my midsection, and after I called him dirty names for being gentle, he’d made me scream his name until I’d lost my voice. He’d also broken the bed, which, hey, you wouldn’t hear me complaining about it.
“Why are you always so nice to me?” I asked Ristan as he leaned back and put his hands behind his head on the bed leisurely. “Out of everyone here, you seem to be the most willing to help me.”
“You make Ryder happy, Flower. I like him better when he is happy. He hasn’t had an easy life, and I like seeing him happy with you. I am also here to protect you from anyone seeking to harm you. Besides, it gets me out of the tedious bullshit that the others have to sit through, like holding court and listening to everyone bitch and moan over what they think they are entitled to.”
“Oh,” I replied and exhaled slowly, considering what he’d said.
“Still—” he was cut off; his eyes flashed red and began swirling.
“Ristan?” I asked. When he didn’t answer, I moved to touch him.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Danu’s voice said from behind me. “You touch him, and you will follow him into the vision, child.”
I spun around and leveled my gaze on her. She was dressed in an elegant light blue outfit of lace, and silk. Her black hair hung loose, falling in gentle waves around her slim hips. “You,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“Me,” she agreed with a beautiful smile on her full mouth. “It’s time to choose, Sorcha. Life or death?”
“That’s pretty vague, Danu; even for you,” I replied, placing myself firmly between her and the Demon who seemed lost inside the vision.
Her eyes went from Ristan’s slumped form on the bed, to me, and back again. “Interesting.”
“Still waiting,” I continued. I didn’t trust her, and I sure as hell didn’t trust her with the Demon after the shit he’d told me.
“It’s time to choose whether or not you will allow Faery and your children to die because you insist on hanging onto that last thread of humanity you have inside of you. That last little bit of disbelief. It’s your choice. I cannot make it for you. I had thought, given who I had paired you up with, that you would be an easy sell. Adam caught on and embraced it, even as he was in Transition,” she replied softly as she took in the wide variety of nail polish.
“I can just choose to accept you?” I asked guardedly. I wasn’t born yesterday.
“Of course, Sorcha,” she said, holding up bottle after bottle and examining each one at her leisure. As if she had all the time in the world. “There really isn’t a catch, so please stop assuming I am a monster. You are being rather rude, considering I am here to help you.”
“No one in this world does anything for free.”
“We do, my child, if our existence depends on this world surviving,” she replied inside my head.
“Stay out of my head,” I warned.
“I’ve been inside of your head since the day you were created. I set the events in motion that created who you are and who you were meant to be. Ryder was only following what I’d given him for his path. He had to see the evil, which he’d been born of to stop it. You had to endure hell to become a warrior and protector. Sometimes living through something so horrible will shape our minds, and make us stronger in the end. Like you.” She turned and continued her perusal of the polish. “Of course I didn’t want them to die; they were a perfect match for you. The Guild was the perfect place to hide you while you came into womanhood. Transition came much faster than I expected, but of course Ryder figured out the clues and found you sooner than I had intended him to.”
“So, you are saying you planned it all?” I raised a brow and took a step closer.
“Much of it. You exceeded most of my expectations. I couldn’t stop the Mages, or Joseph. Faolán put a little kink in my neck; however, his greed fulfilled what he was supposed to do. I can see the future and how each choice shapes things. I can set events into motion. However, I cannot directly interfere with free will and I can’t stop bad things from happen
ing. Sometimes those bad things are necessary, like what you saw in the maze. From death comes rebirth, from fire comes reshaping and reseeding. Fire shapes and molds in the forge. What are trials in life but fire? They shape and mold. There are some things that even I cannot foresee. Like your participation in the Wild Hunt, although that swan dive was a nice touch.” She smiled, and dipped her head to me at her words.
“Why me?” I asked.
“You have a fire in you that most of the High Fae lack these days. They grow careless in age, bitter even. Many have lost their compassion along with their emotions. They lose touch with what I created them for. They are the keepers of this world I have created. I used part of my soul when I created it. If Faery dies, that part of me will die as well. All creatures of Faery have a small piece of me within them. While many Gods have perfected their own worlds, mine was built to be…interesting. Perfect is so boring, don’t you agree?” she asked, turning to look out the window beside her.
“Yes,” I answered hesitantly, wondering where she was going with this.
“Good. I’m glad we agree on this,” she replied. “Sorcha, I can hear you loud and clear. I can hear your thoughts louder than anyone else in this world. You are special to me; I gave you a part of me no one else has. In fact, I gave you enough that you could be considered my own daughter.”
Wow…put the brakes on Becky! She did not just say that!
“Oh, but I did.” She smiled and shook her head. “He’s right; you are quirky and fun.”
“Who is right?” I asked slowly.
“The Demon; he has a soft spot for you.”
“What did you give me?”
“That’s a story for another time. Right now, we need to worry about what is coming, and less about the details of how we got here. There are, shall we say, several concerns conspiring right now and you need to let me in. If you don’t, you and the babes won’t live through it. One of these concerns is Faolán. He’s a power hungry Fae, and trust me, there is nothing worse. He has discovered what you are carrying and even now he is trying to figure out how to get into the coronation,” she stated.
“Do you ever bring good news?” I scoffed.
“I’m a Goddess. I never bother myself unless it’s important. I could tell you how the whole world of Faery is depending on those infants, but you’ve already been told that. Adam was open; he allowed me in and embraced the power I had to give him. He is ready for his trials. It’s your turn, Sorcha. Let me in so I can protect you. Accept me so those infants have a fighting chance.”
“Fine; tell me how,” I growled.
“I can only tell you that you have to want to accept me, to accept Faery. I wanted you in the human world partially so that you could learn the things that the Fae lack. One drawback to living as a human, is accepting that a Goddess can help you. Humans can be either sheep or cynics, and with what you have been through to create your strength, it has made you self-reliant and compassionate. It also made you skeptical and a bit cynical, child. You need to have a lot of faith, and trust me.”
“When is Faolán coming, and how will I know he is here?” I was getting frustrated as her idea of help was causing more questions in my mind than answers.
“Sorry, I can’t interfere directly. I can only push you in the right direction. When the time is right, you will know,” she whispered with an impish smile on her lips. “You will survive this, Sorcha. You are a survivor; you were born with the right tools to get the job done. Let me in.”
She sifted out, and I watched as Ristan jolted upright in the bed and shook his head.
“What the fuck, Flower!? What happened while I was under?” he asked as his eyes scanned me from head to toe, ensuring I was unharmed. “Are you alright?”
“I’m okay. You just kinda got all swirly eyed, and went all lights are on yet no one’s home on me.” It wasn’t a lie, because he’d done just that, right before Danu had sifted in.
Chapter Thirty-Three
I was dressed and standing in front of the mirror. Darynda had Faelyn glamour a dress in crimson red, which was a work of art. I looked like a work of art. My hair was in an updo, which still gave me a soft look. It had been decorated with strands of gold weaved throughout it. The red dress was silk, which hugged each curve. I had gold and platinum bands over my forearms and upper arms.
She’d allowed me my way about applying very little makeup beyond the Big Apple Red OPI polish, and lipstick. They’d gone on and on about how I had the pregnancy glow, but I hadn’t told them it was more of a Ryder stopped by for dinner glow.
Those curves were showing a lot more this week. According to Eliran, I was firmly in my second trimester, which had me looking for each change every minute of the day. Right now, the dress hugged the tiny little baby bump that kept reminding me I was no longer fighting my own battle.
I was fighting theirs as well, which was okay since they were mine. Ryder’s, too, but for now, they were all mine. I waited until the room was empty before I allowed myself a side view of my blossoming body.
My boobs were out of control and sore enough that I noticed them a lot more. I hadn’t gained much weight, which seemed to upset Eliran, but I was okay with it. My hand smoothed over the gentle swell that was proof that I was pregnant.
“Wow,” Adam said from where he’d snuck in behind me.
“Hey,” I whispered as his eyes flowed over my body, taking in the changes.
“You look amazing,” he replied with a boyish grin.
“You look pretty good yourself, Dark Fairy.” I smiled, taking in his formal clothing. He was dressed in his midnight colored cloak, and matching black pants. His hair was slicked back, and his brands were visible from the sleeveless shirt he wore beneath the cloak. Fae didn’t have formal wear. They wore their cloaks, and Caste color. Kind of like the Scots, with their family Clan’s plaid.
“I’m your escort…along with half the Elite Guard. He keeps you hidden from the world.”
“The Mages keep him on his toes,” I replied.
“Are you happy?”
“I will be,” I grinned wickedly, “soon.”
“Oh-oh,” Adam said with a sparkle in his green eyes.
“I’m going to fight for him. He’s my ever after, Adam. I’m willing to fight to keep him,” I said with enough force that he knew I wasn’t playing around.
“He’s also the man who knocked you up and is engaged to another woman.”
“He is, but it isn’t something he himself set into motion. He’s going to get out of it, and he’s going to do it soon.”
“If he hurts you…” he let the threat hang in the air unsaid.
“If he hurts me, you won’t have to kick his ass, Adam, because I will.”
“That’s my girl,” he said proudly.
I smiled and hooked my arm through his and allowed him to escort me to the door where several others of the Elite Guard stood waiting for us. Ristan took in the dress with a low whistle. Zahruk and Sevrin smiled politely, even though their eyes widened at my approach.
I took in their wicked looking armor. The armor seemed to be multi-functional as they wore it to my presentation, all formal court events, as well as the trial. Dristan had shared that Ryder was more liberal about the guard not wearing the helmet and mask headgear than his father had been. Ryder felt that the headgear should only be worn when heading for, or into battle. They also wore weapons as usual; though these were jeweled with black and red stones, the only indicator that they were ‘dressing up’ for tonight’s events.
“Flower, you look good enough to eat,” Ristan whispered as we started down the hallway.
“If you bite me, I will bite you back, Demon.”
“What makes you think I won’t consider that foreplay?” he asked, raising a brow high on his forehead.
“Is that all you think about?” I asked as his lips turned up, and a devilish smile splayed across his mouth.
“I think about tying my females up, making them scream, a
nd beg for more. I also like hot wax and long walks in the sand. Does that count?” he asked with heat burning in his eyes as he said it.
“Kinky fuckery, Demon. Keep that shit to yourself.” I laughed and shook my head at him.
“I like it. What can I say? It does it for me.”
The men around us laughed as I joined in with them. Ristan settled down as he slipped into bodyguard mode.
“Okay, so first things first: it has been decided that the coronation will be more of a casual event than what has happened in the past. Ryder has decided to attend in Fae form rather than his Horde King form. He wants to send a message that this will be a very different rule than what Faery has experienced with the Horde King’s in the past. There will be a small feast that is really just for the Horde, no outsiders at this time. They will go on and on about who is who and then it is nothing more than a sit down formality. Ryder is going to have to be seated beside his intended future bride. No going all Witchy on her. It’s only for show, and he needs to act like the Horde King more than ever tonight, even though he will not be in that form. Then he will hear the challenges, not that they could take him. This is a formality as the Heirs are chosen by Danu. This is just a chance to air out past grievances so that the new monarch will better understand what was not liked about the old monarchy,” he snorted, “and there was a lot not to like, so this could take a while. Keep in mind that it will become an open house, so to say, so it won’t just be the Horde airing their grievances; it will be those from the other Castes, too. After the challenges will be the coronation where Danu’s high priest will come in and bless his reign, yadda, yadda, ceremony over, and then we can party. You are still to stay within his sight at all times, even with the precautions being taken tonight. We don’t know if your parents will be here, but Liam is already inside the castle. Just keep in mind that when this gets heated, that they can’t sway the outcome, but it’s going to give us a good idea of who is going to give Ryder the most trouble.”
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