by Ivy Clyde
“Doesn’t it bother you at all?” I asked. Boudica was here to be part of the harem too. I was aware of the truth but she wasn’t.
Boudica shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t want to fight anyone for a man’s affections,” she said in a grim tone. “Prince Eoghan can keep Alana or Eithna by his side. I wouldn’t care.”
“Why not?”
“I prefer the company of women,” she whispered. Leaning in close, she traced the outline of my chin. “I prefer sitting here with you.” A thrill shot through me as she smiled at me. “See? That’s why I don’t care about the prince. If you ever get lonely, you know you can come to me.”
I swallowed, unable to believe the violet-haired fae woman was hitting on me.
Her smile widened as she leaned away from me. “I think I’ve shocked you enough for the moment.” She gestured toward Alana who was screaming her head off at the servants. One of them just gave her the news that Prince Eoghan wouldn’t be attending the feast. “I would love to tame that one.”
A sudden chuckle escaped me. “You will steal us all for yourself?”
Boudica grinned at me. “If you will let me.” She winked and got to her feet. “I’m glad my time wasn’t wasted.” Tucking her book under her arm, she swept out of the room.
I stared after her, unable to make up my mind about her. She was the coolest fae woman I’d met so far. Highly intelligent and beautiful, she definitely deserved a harem of her own.
A while later, Ashlin and Caitlyn left the room as well.
“This is so demeaning!” cried Alana, marching over to where I sat. “Can you believe I am losing to that slut, Eithna?”
I glanced up at her, wondering if she was really so blind to her own faults. Unlike the other women of the harem, she couldn’t control her anger and irritation. No one would find her attractive despite her good looks and rich family.
“Tell me what you’re thinking!” she demanded.
“Nothing,” I said.
“I am going back to my chambers,” she huffed. “Cows like you don’t even understand when you’re being treated like shit.”
Her words stung me. Was Lucia treating the rest of us like we didn’t matter? Could she really be in an actual relationship with the dark-haired beauty, Eithna?
I couldn’t take not knowing anymore.
Rising from my seat, I picked up the front of my voluminous skirt and walked out of the door. The maids lining the corridor outside bowed to me in unison. When one of them stepped out to escort me back to my chambers, I stopped her.
“I wish to be alone,” I told her.
After the tantrum Alana threw, the maid didn’t dare object. Leaving her behind, I hurried back to my quarters.
Relief spread through me as soon as my gaze fell on the two soldiers near the doors of my room.
“Come inside,” I whispered, moving forward to push open the door.
Rowan and Leon stepped in behind me and entered the room. I closed the door and faced them both.
“What’s going on?” asked Rowan. Even though his face was covered by his helmet, I could recognize his voice easily.
“I want to see Lucia right away,” I said in a grim tone. “Do you know where she might be right this second?”
Rowan glanced at Leon before looking at me. “What’s wrong, Moira? Didn’t you see her at the feast?”
The urge to stomp my foot like Alana was overwhelming but I controlled myself. Taking deep breaths, I calmed myself enough to talk to Rowan. “She didn’t come to the feast. Eithna wasn’t there either. At this point, I am too worried to think of anything else.”
“Worried or jealous?” said Leon.
I frowned at him. “Both.”
Looking toward Rowan, he said, “If she is moving according to her set schedule, she should be in the bathhouse.”
“If she is following the prescribed routine,” said Rowan.
“Let’s check,” I said. “You know all about the vultures surrounding her. It was only last week she was being bled dry by Vishen in the woods. Who knows what could happen to her again?”
“Moira’s right,” said Rowan. “At the very least, we should make sure Lucia is safe.”
“Do you guys know where the bathhouse is?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Leon. “We know most of the areas in the Moon Palace because of the maps she supplied us. Come on, then. Let’s hurry there and see if she’s soaking in a bath.”
The three of us stepped out of my chambers.
Rowan and Leon led the way through the hallways. Since it was close to daybreak now, most of the maids and servants had already retired. A few still lingered around but they didn’t give us any suspicious looks. My luxurious gown and glittering jewels seemed to intimidate them. The sight of two tall, strong soldiers on my side also kept them out of my way.
I was taken out of the harem complex and into the main palace premises.
The hallways we walked were far humbler than those of the harem building. To our luck, they were oddly empty. No maids or servants walked these parts. Not a single guard or soldier could be seen.
“This feels odd,” whispered Rowan. “Why is this place so empty?”
“For privacy?” I guessed.
Leon glanced back at me. “Why would anyone want privacy? It’s not like they would remove all their clothes in their bedchambers and walk naked all the way to the bathhouse.”
“Still, it’s lucky there’s no one around,” said Rowan from the front. “There is no way to explain what we’re doing here.”
The corridor led us to a pair of massive doors, towering several feet over our heads.
“What exactly is in there?” I asked, staring at the heavy doors before me.
“It’s a royal bathhouse,” said Rowan. “I would expect it to have at least a bathing pool with smaller chambers for quicker baths and showers.”
“Go in and find out,” said Leon. “If a valet or the royal chamberlain sees us, we’ll both be in trouble. We can’t be here without prior permission.”
“What about me?” I whispered.
Rowan chuckled. “A royal concubine wouldn’t be punished for entering.”
I looked into the reassuring glances of my mates. Gathering my confidence, I pushed open the door. It slowly creaked open under the pressure of my palms.
Light spilled in from behind me, casting a block of light in the dimly lit room.
“Call us if you need us,” whispered Leon from behind me and shut the door. At once, I was plunged into the dark shadows filling the vast space before me. Far ahead, I noticed the flickering light from candles but their flames had a haziness to them, as if they were sitting behind a gossamer curtain. I slowly walked toward them but came to a sudden halt.
“Let me help you bathe, My Prince,” said a girlish voice.
Sounds of deep chuckles reached me.
“I am almost done, darling.”
My heartbeat sped up. That was Lucia’s pretentious male voice. My feet inched closer.
Soon, my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the dark room, helping me locate a woman on the edge of a rectangular swimming pool. She sat by the edge and dipped a small, white hand into the water. Scooping up some water, she sprinkled it toward the tall, lean figure standing in the pool.
“Allow me to climb out now,” said Lucia. The shape of her lithe body was revealed as the thin white fabric of her robes stuck to her dampened skin. Her hands trod the water, moving away a bunch of rose petals floating near her.
Anger and jealousy burned in my chest. Lucia was truly spending a happy, playful time with Eithna.
At least, she is safe, I thought, struggling to quell the urge to hurt Eithna.
With a loud splash, Lucia climbed out of the pool. Eithna stared at her body with wide, unblinking eyes. A very tiny part of me was glad Lucia was in disguise. Eithna might think she was drinking in the sight of a male body but I knew the truth. Still, it was little consolation to the way I was feeling at the moment.
I hid behind a pillar as the two of them stepped away from the pool.
“Your Highness, why don’t you let me stay with you tonight?” said Eithna in a soft voice.
“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” replied Lucia in an equally honeyed tone. “The nobles don’t like me splurging all my attention on you. They’ve been pressurizing me to mingle with the other ladies of the harem.”
“They are a bunch of vicious women,” said Eithna. “Don’t let their looks fool you, especially the girls from Lord Vishen’s manor. Even Violet is as scheming as Alana. Neither of those girls loves you as I do. I am the only one who truly cares for you, My Prince.”
My anger focused on Eithna now. How dare she spout such lies?! She was as terrible as Alana. Perhaps, even worse than Alana. At least, Alana was honest with her feelings. Eithna was a snake, hiding her real nature and striking when you least expected it.
My skin prickled. Alert, I became aware of the way my magic was suddenly reacting. My gaze shifted from Eithna and Lucia. They weren’t the cause of the warning. Something or someone else in this room had caused it. I looked around the shadowy corners until my eyes caught movement nearby.
Nearly melting in the shadows of the room, two men were steadily inching their way toward Lucia. My gaze swung around the room, detecting two more figures in black moving toward Lucia and Eithna. The long swords in their hands glinted in the dark.
So far, they hadn’t detected me. Staying hidden behind the pillar, I desperately looked into every corner of the vast room to see if there were more men waiting to ambush Lucia. There was no way I could shout out to Rowan and Leon just yet. It would alert the assassins and make them attack Lucia faster.
Before I could decide what to do, three figures attacked Lucia. She was quick enough to jump away but Eithna was hit hard on the head. With a surprised gasp, she dropped to the ground.
“Oh no!” I moaned as more black-clad men fell on Lucia. She was able to snatch a sword from one of the men attacking her. Spheres of silver light burst out through the palm of her left hand, illuminating the whole space in bright light.
This time, I was able to see a row of black-clad men stationed onto an overhead balcony overlooking the swimming pool. My heart shrunk in my chest as I took in the bows in their hands. They were tightly stretched with the tips of the arrows pointing toward Lucia.
Unaware of the danger lurking directly over her, she was fighting the men keeping her distracted. Any second, those assassins would let down a rain of arrows on her. The taut, expressionless faces of the men told me they wouldn’t care even if one of their comrades got shot by an arrow.
The shouts and gasps from Lucia and the men she fought should have been enough to alert Leon and Rowan. Even the sound of metal crashing against metal was too loud to be ignored. I glanced toward the door. It was still closed. Where are they, I thought as panic choked the air out of my lungs.
They would be in danger too if they came, spoke a calmer voice in my head. Then what? I asked the same voice. How do I protect my mates?
Kill, came the command.
Suddenly, the panicky haze cleared from my mind. I knew what I had to do.
Closing my eyes, I called to a very specific part of my magic, the one that could wrench out the magical cores out of my enemies’ chests. Last time, it came out to protect me. This time, I needed it to protect my mates.
Cool mist seemed to flow out of the pores of my body. Opening my eyes, I saw black miasma-like smoke coming out of my skin. Focusing my attention on the group of men who sat with taut bows, I directed my magic toward them.
New gasps rose up among the sound of fighting. The black miasma flowing out of me cast an impenetrable black curtain over the men in the gallery overhead. Their screams rang out in unison as spheres of pure white energy were sucked out of their chests.
The desperate screams brought everyone else to a halt. The men in black clothes watched their companions dropping onto the floor like flies. Their corpses were still but the massive holes in their chests couldn’t escape their notice. They stared back at Lucia, their gazes reflecting the fear they felt.
Cold rage still burned in my chest. How dare they attack someone I loved and cherished? I was going to destroy them and their masters. Turning my attention to them, I channeled my dark powers toward them.
By now, Lucia had spotted me.
She watched me with a calm expression while the men around her screamed for mercy. A soft smile lit up her face with an inner glow. At that moment, it was just the two of us. The dying screams of the assassins seemed muted as I met her gaze.
The room was littered with the corpses of the fallen men. Dust of silver rose into the air, telling me they were all dead.
“Moira.” Lucia’s voice made me look up at her. She stood before me now. Fierce pride glowed in her emerald-green eyes. “Thank you for saving my life once again. You’re truly turning into a hero.”
“Don’t joke!” I shouted. Tears sprang to my eyes. My hand moved on their own accord and slapped her across the face.
“Moira…” Lucia’s face went white. She hadn’t looked this scared while facing over half a dozen men with swords.
“How dare you do this to me?” I screamed. “How dare you risk your life playing this stupid charade? Let’s just go kill all the nobles and end this right now. I am sick of seeing people trying to kill you all the time. Fuck this! I don’t even care about anything anymore. Let’s just go back to Lost Sanctum and live there. I will do anything as long as you don’t have to be in danger anymore.” Loud sobs escaped me as I wept like a complete lunatic.
“Moira, I’m so sor-”
I didn’t want to hear her say sorry, so I did the only I could to shut her up. Stepping closer, I pressed my lips to hers, cutting off her unnecessary apology.
Lucia’s body stiffened against mine but I didn’t stop kissing those warm, closed lips. My tongue darted out to swipe over them. I’d wondered how they’d taste for far too long!
Lucia’s lips parted for me. Almost tentatively, she kissed me back. Her hesitation pricked my heart with more thorns. She was this unsure of my feelings for her?
Grabbing her shoulders, I pressed my body against hers and thrust my tongue through her parted lips. She tasted of strawberries and honey. I drank from her and savored the addictive sweetness of her mouth. The heady fragrance of jasmine enveloped all around me, drowning my senses until all I could feel was her warmth, seeping in through the fabric of my clothes, and the feel of her velvety tongue curled around mine.
All these days, I’d wondered how it would feel to kiss Lucia. Would it be the same as kissing my other mates or would it be different?
Well, it was definitely different with Lucia.
Our kiss was aggressive and hot enough to make me want to tear the damp clothes off her body but there was also a need to be gentle with her. We were allowing the heat between us to consume our bodies from deep within. This kind of patience was both painful and sweet at the same time.
My core clenched hard with need.
Suddenly, I felt Lucia’s teeth sinking into my bottom lip.
“Oww!” I gasped, touching the stinging spot. My finger came away with a smear of blood on it.
Lucia was breathing hard, her eyes reflecting the glowing dusts of silver rising all around us. With a jolt, I realized I was making out with her in a room full of dead fae men.
Death and sex…why did they always seem to go hand in hand when it came to me?
The scene brought memories of the night I was poisoned and nearly raped by a gancanaugh. Rowan had to take me to save my life. We ended up having sex before the burned corpse of the gancanaugh.
“What are you doing here, Moira?” asked Lucia in a grim tone. “Does anyone else know you’re here?”
“Rowan and Leon are waiting outside,” I said. “It’s strange they didn’t come in to help you.”
Lucia swept past me and moved toward the door. “There is a seal on
this door. No one on the outside can hear a thing going on here. All for the best, I think.” She made a complicated hand gesture and uttered a few inaudible words. To my surprise, the heavy doors opened on their own accord.
Rowan and Leon squinted at us from the threshold. Slowly, their expressions changed as their gaze took in the dead bodies littering the floor of the bathhouse.
“What the fuck happened in there?” asked Leon while Rowan’s gaze raked me from head to foot.
“Are you okay, Moira?” asked Rowan in a tight voice.
“I’m fine.” My eyes fell on Lucia. There were small cuts marring her arms and oozing blood. I had been too blinded by my anxiety and lust to have noticed them before.
“They will be here soon,” said Lucia in an urgent tone. Her gaze softened when she turned to look at me. “We will pick up where we left. Trust me. But for now, you have to leave.”
“We have to go,” said Rowan in an equally urgent tone. He grabbed me by the elbow. “Let’s go, Leon.”
I heard it too. The sound of footsteps and the familiar jingle of metallic armor were steadily coming our way.
“Come on,” said Rowan, tugging on my arm.
I looked back at Lucia.
“Don’t worry about me and don’t say a word of this to anyone,” said Lucia. “Of course, they are exempt.” She gestured toward Rowan and Leon. “You two, make sure you’re not seen as you leave this place.”
“Got it,” said Leon.
Before I knew it, I was being dragged away from the door of the bathhouse and down a corridor.
21
Lucia
My heart raced like I’d flown at top speed through a sky of thick, impenetrable clouds. Adrenaline and magic coursed through my veins, nearly making my mind go blank. The sudden appearance of the assassins, the clash of swords, the sudden emergence of the pitch-black miasma, the ear-shattering screams that followed, the kiss with Moira…
I closed my eyes, willing my senses to calm down, and focus on what was to come. This wasn’t the time to break down emotionally. Taking several deep breaths, I steadied my magic.
The sound of a hundred footsteps coming my way suddenly stopped.