Tanith & Shaw (The Fealty of Firstborns Series Book 1)

by H. V. Rosemarie

  “Your bath is—Holy Ghods! Tanith, you can’t—Ugh!” Kenna grabbed a scroll of paper off the desk and charged the bed, swatting Shaw repeatedly until he dropped the mirror and stumbled towards the door. “She is naked, you perv! A. Respectable. Woman. Ugh!”

  Tanith covered her mouth to suppress her laughter before she pulled her nightgown up again, listening to Kenna slam the door closed behind him. She turned with her hands on her hips.

  “You can’t encourage that kind of behavior, you know? Men. I swear,” she chastised before shaking her head. “Your bath is ready. Come on, now. You stink.”

  Obediently, Tanith followed her and practically jumped into the tub, enduring a fierce scrubbing, lathering, and washing while Kenna went over the details of her trip. Apparently, staying with the monks in the mountains was far from the resort vacation she thought she’d be subjected to. She and Bear had their own Opalewn—a large dome with a bed, living room, and kitchen stuffed inside. The bathrooms were shared, and she went on to tell Tanith that Bear hadn’t gotten the chance to thank her for running back inside.

  “All in all, seven out of ten, would recommend. I think I’ll have one of the monks come to me this time, though. I didn’t realize just how much I missed this place,” the blonde chatted on as Tanith patted her hair dry with the towel.

  Kenna scanned the wardrobe, picking through fabrics until she pulled out a sparkly red gown. “This one is fabulous.”

  Tanith shook her head quickly. “I know I just slept for a week, but I’m still exhausted. No way I’ll be able to lug that thing around on me all day.”

  The maid pouted. “But—”

  “No, thank you. I’m aware that you just got back from a fashion-less place but have mercy on me. What about this and… this?”

  She’d reached for an off-the-shoulder, billowy white shirt and a long, sleeveless black dress with a neckline below the bust. It was form-fitting and had a long slit up one thigh.

  “Not as fun as this one, but fine,” Kenna agreed, putting the red number back on the rack and helping Tanith into her pick. After some arguing, Kenna agreed to no makeup and settled on brushing Tanith’s hair back into a high ponytail, curling the ends.

  “This is comfortable,” Tanith noted in an effort to cheer her friend up.

  The maid scoffed. “It’s your first conscious day as a fae. I’m not knocking it because it is cute, but we could so do better.”

  “Agree to disagree.”

  +

  Riven was in his bedroom, much to Tanith’s surprise, and Kenna had escorted her to the top floor, showing her where it was.

  “You don’t have to knock. Just tell him you’re here.” the maid informed, pushing her forward a step. “Use the mind link.”

  “I don’t know how,” Tanith whispered.

  “Think of him. His face. His scent. Then… talk.”

  With a short sigh, Tanith imagined the king’s tan skin. She fixated on his metallic scent while visualizing his silver hair and gray eyes. I’m here.

  She waited, and there was nothing. No response. She tried again, breathing deeply. Riven? I’m here.

  After a moment, she heard his voice loud and clear. Come in.

  “He wants me to come in.”

  Kenna nodded. “Then go. I’ll be back to tend to you tonight,” she promised, starting back down the hall.

  Tanith faced the door. It was like the others, wooden and carved into a thoughtful design. This one was stunning, with the side of a grand castle on one part and a lavish garden on the ground. There was a man who stood between the flowers, his mouth open and a rose in hand as he spoke skyward. Not to the heavens, but to the woman on the balcony. She looked down at him, listening. A romantic scene if Tanith had ever seen one.

  With care, she opened the door and let herself inside. The bedroom was empty, decorated so finely it put hers to shame. Everything was silver or black and there was a full sitting room on one end complete with sofas, ottomans, tables, and trinkets that looked like they’d been collected over several centuries.

  Riven sat outside on the balcony, his crown hung off the ear of his chair and his silver hair unbound. He faced the ocean, the city at his back, and he’d returned to his casual clothes. The armors were gone, his white shirt exposing the top of his chest and a pair of tan trousers matched with it. He was barefoot and brooding, but he looked up at her, and that demeanor quickly changed.

  Tanith met him outside and embraced him as he stood, pulling her close to his body and resting his chin atop her head. For a few moments, they stood there, letting the breeze pass by.

  “You’re one of us now,” he said, chest rumbling against her cheek.

  She pulled back and smiled slightly. “You’ve wanted this from day one, haven’t you?”

  Riven nodded, sitting back down. Tanith lowered herself into the seat across from him. “That’s no secret, but it doesn’t change the fact that…” He shook his head. “The Nihm. Why would you throw yourself in front of it?”

  Tanith shrugged. “I didn’t think too much about it. You could have been swallowed whole. Ward could have been poisoned. I just did what I thought felt right.”

  “But you could have died,” the king expressed, something akin to concern and confusion in his eyes.

  She fought the urge to laugh. “Dying isn’t the same for humans as it is for immortals. You can choose to die whenever you want, or not at all. My people are born knowing death is quick to follow. One misstep—one accident or mistake could end us, and living in fear of that is no way to get through the days.”

  “I suppose not,” Riven agreed. “I would still like to put it on the record that it was a stupid decision.”

  “Noted.”

  “And I want you to promise me you’ll never do anything like it again.”

  Tanith tilted her head. “I’m immortal now. I won’t be so easily killed.”

  “That isn’t the point,” the king insisted. He looked frustrated. “I don’t want you to put yourself in danger at all. Not ever. I don’t want to risk losing you like I almost did, and I have too many things to worry about to try and mask the fact that I’m drawn to you for any longer.”

  After a moment, Tanith answered. “Well, you weren’t doing a very good job of it in the first place.”

  Riven’s gaze widened in surprise, and that time, she did laugh. “I’ll admit it wasn’t my best-kept secret, but I wasn’t fawning over you like I’ve seen many a man do to the object of his affection before.”

  “Right, because telling me that I could wear nothing around the castle if I so desired is nothing if not subtle,” she quipped.

  He nodded, smirking. “Slip of the tongue. Don’t count it against me.”

  Tanith let out a heavy breath as she glanced out over the trees. Her home. It would take some getting used to. “You seemed troubled when I came in. Is there something happening with my mother again?”

  The king swallowed. “I don’t want to lie to you, but I don’t want to push you either. You just woke up.”

  “I can take it,” Tanith insisted. “What is it?”

  The silver-haired man looked out across the water again as though he could see more of Ellesmere than just a faraway outline. Even with her fae vision, Tanith couldn’t, but the shapes were slightly clearer. The trees. The beach.

  “Ekko decided to go home, but he’s been waiting for you to wake up first. He wants to say goodbye, but he isn’t willing to pretend he found the Sight. He doesn’t feel like lying is the answer.”

  Tanith closed her eyes for a moment. “And now that I’m fae, I can’t do it either.”

  “Exactly. I had intended to keep him for four more days—Just until I could make the island invisible before your mother attacks, but my spies have given me other news. Her troops are ready. They want to come early, and all they need is her permission. It could be tonight that they set out, or tomorrow. There’s no way to know, and there’s nothing we can do except send Ekko now and close up. Even
then, two hundred years from now, we face the same dangers.”

  They always would. So long as the humans were alive, they would be a threat, and she knew it, but there had to be something they were missing. There was always something to be done. “What if we could make my mother pull back? What if we could do something to make her and every generation after leave the island alone?”

  Riven straightened, his gray eyes eager for answers. “I’m listening.”

  She almost couldn’t believe she was suggesting it, but it had been a wild month, and if it could solve the threat of war…

  “My mother is a lot of things, and she’s even been on the wrong side of history, but I have no doubt that she’d turn around if she knew I was choosing to stay. Not only to live here but to integrate among you. To help lead the fae. We could make it so that if she goes to war, she’s going to war against her own daughter.”

  The silver-haired man smirked, humored by her train of thought. “Are you proposing marriage to me, princess?”

  Nodding, Tanith replied. “I am.”

  THE END