by A. K. Koonce
“Memory stones,” Waltry whispers.
I nod with a smile.
“Surely, he’s told you. It would be odd of my father not to have a very informed group of advisors advising him.” I cock my head and wait for someone to dare say the King never mentioned it.
I can lead a horse to water, but I can’t make him say shit against his King, now, can I?
Johnn is the only man in the room with the brain to stall the conversation. “I’m sure it’s in my notes, Princess Aries.” His smile is kind as he looks my way and begins pulling a paper from his folder.
Pen steps quietly into the room. Her gaze watchful, but her mouth sealed tightly shut.
“There is an urgent matter for the . . . royal house to decide on.” Johnn’s dark eyes scan his papers.
“The King. It’s for the King to decide on, Sir Johnn,” the man to my left, the one with the stern features, cuts in before Johnn can hand the wafting white page to me.
I don’t know this one. He’s old, with only a few gray hairs left on his balding head, but he wasn’t here when I was here years ago.
My fingers remain clamped with tension in my knuckles to keep me from ripping the page from the poor man’s hand.
“The King requested Aries handle today’s meeting. I apologize if it slipped his mind,’ Pen says without blinking at the men staring at her.
She’s confident. Perfectly confident.
Even for a liar.
“The King . . . is out at the moment. It couldn’t hurt for Princess Aries to step in. As the King said she would,” Johnn says carefully.
The guy with the stick up his ass shakes his head hard. His lips purse even more, and I swear, he must have licked a lemon right out of someone’s asshole before he got here.
“Actually,” Waltry says with a hesitant tone lacing that one promising word. Make or break it, Walt. Do it. Do it now! “I think in light of the king’s recent absentmindedness; we should reschedule today’s meeting until after he’s advised us further.”
Fuck!
Come on, Walt! You were supposed to be on my side.
You saw what happened to Grandmother Hyval, and the slow downward spiral her life took! And you’re willing to do it again?
I swallow hard but never drop my smile as I release the paper so hard, it flits out of Johnn’s fucking hand.
“Of course,” I smooth my dress and sweetly look from one man to the next before saying what my father always did. “You’re dismissed, gentlemen.”
Old Stick Up His Ass does not like that.
He’s not going to enjoy what I have planned next.
Not one bit.
18
A Favor
Damien
“Do you think the game she’s playing is dangerous for her?” I ask Zaviar as we trail quietly behind the Princess, who smiles at everyone she passes.
It’s like she’s an entirely different person right now.
“Everything in Aries’s life is dangerous for her.” Zaviar gives a maid a curled lip glare as he passes, and she scurries even faster down the corridor.
“Do you have to look like that?” My eyes roll as a heavy sigh shoves from my lungs.
Everyone’s exhausting today.
“Like what?” My brother has the audacity to ask with that same eat-shit-and-die look on his face.
“Never mind.”
“Let him pout,” Krave says, as his arm brushes my side. A tingling sensation races across my skin at the simple feel of his arm against mine.
I blink the distracting thoughts away and focus on the woman ahead of me.
We all do. Ryke’s the only one not concerned with wherever the hell we’re going now.
In fact—
The demon cuts in front of Aries and sweeps open the left-hand door for her. Aries smiles up at him as she slips inside.
Then he, too, strides in like he’s been here his whole life.
“Ryke! I missed—where have you been?” The young blonde girl, Pen, asks, her cheeks tinting a strange color of pink when she looks at Ryke with stars in her eyes.
Seriously, what is with everyone today?
“Uncle Gravier has been asking about Ari,” the girl keeps rambling. On and on about how we’ve all missed events here and there, and the king’s made excuses all over.
And still Aries just stares at her with that deranged smile on her face.
Until the girl shuts the fuck up about the king.
Finally.
“I think you should have Ryke. I see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you,” Pen says on a new topic that makes Ryke’s mouth drop open slowly.
But it isn’t one Aries wants to talk about right now.
“You lied for me,” Aries says flatly.
The smile falls from the girl’s soft features.
“I need a favor, Pen,” Aries adds, like she’s watched one too many mafia movies back in the Bin.
Pen looks around at all of us one by one, and I try my best to feign interest in her frilly white curtains on the far side of the bedroom. They match her white bedspread. Everything is crisp and perfect in this room.
Just like the young girl staring up at the Princess.
“What do you need?” The moment Pen asks it, Krave shuts the door.
The click of the lock should be alarming when surrounded by so many powerful people in such a small space.
But the girl’s features remain smooth. She’s . . . very composed, if nothing else. Royals seem incredibly good at constraining their emotions at all costs. False calm is their forte.
They’re just as bad as Krave.
And now, I see it up close and personal between the two women currently playing the game among themselves.
“Reschedule my father’s weekly meetings.” Long silver hair fans over the small of Aries back as she tilts her head at the girl.
“Okay,” Pen says slowly.
“And then don’t tell my father.”
“Why?” Pen’s false calm is now slightly less calm.
She’s not as good at the game as Aries, it seems.
“There are people in this kingdom who want to kill our King, Pen. Not everyone thinks like him. Not everyone despises demons the way he does. And not everyone wants their future to be his.” Aries’s words are spoken honestly and flawlessly, and they seem to give Pen a hard line between her eyebrows as she looks at the Princess.
“I know,” Pen says quietly. “Are you—is someone planning to kill King Gravier?”
The carefulness of this conversation is astounding.
Ryke sighs impatiently, while Krave just watches with that glinting look in his depthless eyes. When I glance to Zaviar, his hand is hovering over his heart. And his jaw is clenched so hard, he’s sweating.
He’s in pain. Again. And he’s too much of a hardass to admit it.
I shake my head at the asshole and keep my silence.
“At the moment, no one is taking action to kill him,” Aries says as her voice drops to a mere whisper. “But I’d like it to not come to that. To keep him safe, I’d like to take over for him.”
Careful, careful, Aries.
“You want to become Queen?” Pen asks, hissing the words out on a whisper that slithers around the room.
Aries swallows hard and takes a breath before answering.
“I don’t want to be Queen. I need to be. To keep demons safe. To keep my father safe. And to keep the people of this kingdom safe.” A tired breath slips from Aries’s lips, and it’s just now that I realize how much she’s carrying around at all times. She’s tired. But she’s still trying. “So. Will you do me a favor, Pen?”
The two girls stare at one another. The shape of their eyes and the sharp angle of their chins are so similar. The two of them seem more similar than either of them ever realized.
“Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it, Aries,” Pen says with a small lift of her chin.
Loyal.
They’re both unbelievabl
y loyal, it seems.
I just hope the young girl isn’t as reckless as Aries.
The world can’t handle two Aries Sinclaires, that’s for damn sure.
19
Diplomatic Ducks
Aries
I’ve met my father’s assessing stares for two days now. He hasn’t asked where I was. He hasn’t welcomed me back. He hasn’t much spoken to me at all, really.
He just watches.
I bet he wishes he had another fated mate to spy on me now.
None of it matters. Because today is the day I break the trust between him and his advisors.
The meeting room door swings open without a sound, and once more, those charming men walk in with laughter and smiles.
And once more, those smiles fall to the floor when they spot me.
And then Pen, who stands quietly behind me.
“Princess Aries. Good morning,” Johnn says with genuine politeness.
I like Johnn. He’s smart. Plus, he wants what I want. He just doesn’t have the fae balls to say it out loud.
“Morning, gentlemen.”
Old Stick Up His Ass full on grimaces.
Lovely.
“Good morning, Princess Aries,” Waltry says with a low bow that displays his graying hair.
We have two out of three on my side. Ish.
We also have Pen, which is immensely helpful to get that third duck in line.
“Will your father be joining us this morning, or will this prove to be another utter waste of time?” Ass Stick drones with heavy brows shadowing his dark eyes.
Fucking duck.
“Sir Timmons, I sent you a formal notice that King Gravier wishes for Aries to lead these meetings from now on in his absence,” Pen says swiftly like my ever-saving grace.
Sir Timmons-Ass Stick eyes the young girl.
Silence passes during this long, drawn-out show.
“It was signed in his pen, Sir,” Pen adds with a smile.
Wow. She forges signatures now.
What monster have I created?
“Princess, I do apologize. Please tell us what the agenda meant when it said ‘health conditions’.” Johnn’s smile could melt hearts.
Sweeter hearts. More innocent hearts—I pause my thoughts, and when I glance back at Pen, she’s blushing.
Ah, there’s the sweet innocent heart.
Johnn doesn’t peer back at my cousin at all, though. He’s too focused.
Which is good. That’s his job, after all.
“What I am about to say does not leave this room, gentlemen.” I pass my gaze over one man and then the next. They all nod. Aside from Timmons, but fuck a duck, this is sink-or-swim, and if I have to drown one fucking dawdling duck, so be it. “My father’s memory isn’t what it used to be.”
Waltry’s throat works as he swallows hard. His eyes now wider with the information he clearly suspected just days ago.
“We’re all a bit forgetful in our old age. It isn’t something to clutter up meetings over,” Timmons groans.
“Sir, please let her finish,” Johnn says.
“Finish what?” Timmon’s voice booms through the long room. “Finish wasting my time? Wasting this kingdom’s time? In all my years—”
“Her father’s mother has a history of Degenerative Remembrance, Timmons!” Waltry yells. His jaw clamps shut before he spews more than just information at the man seated next to him.
“Memory fleet,” Timmons says on a wavering whisper.
My gaze flits down to the glossy tabletop, and my big silver eyes stare back at me as I hang my head low.
“Aries,” Johnn whispers, his palm held just slightly over mine. “I’m sorry if Sir Timmons upset you, Princess. He won’t say another word.”
My lashes flutter up just in time to spot Johnn cocking a brow at the man across from him in the sternest brow cocking I’ve ever seen.
Tension slips into the room.
“I—I apologize, Princess. I did not know,” Timmons apologizes on a quiet but steady tone.
“He’s sick,” I say on my smallest voice, my lip wobbling dramatically. “I just want to protect him. I want to take care of him while he still remembers me.” I blink away the sudden wetness in my eyes, and it’s odd how hard it hits home for me.
Not for my father.
But for Hyval. No one took care of her. She tried to take care of herself. She tried so hard to keep her life together when no one was there to help her.
She and I are alike.
Except I have men who love me.
And they’ll never understand how much they mean to me.
I swallow hard, and it’s then that I realize how much of a twist my dramatic acting has shifted into real-life emotions.
Fuck.
“The King wanted to bring the kingdom together for a memorial for his son. He wanted a speech to be given,” Pen says, and I swivel in my chair to look at her.
That was not on the fucking script, Pen!
She ignores my wide-eyed stare, though.
Another party? For the brother I killed?
“The King isn’t in a position to give speeches,” Waltry warns flatly.
To my surprise, Timmons nods in agreement.
Look at how my little duck has found his place in line.
“I think . . . I think it might be best if Aries was a sort of . . . speaker for the King,” Johnn suggests with a mixture of confidence and caution.
My brows lift. It’s candid shock. Because quite honestly, who fucking knew it was this easy to take over a kingdom?
“I agree. Let’s schedule the memorial for late this week, but the King is not to address the public,” Waltry says severely, and I can’t help but smile at my secret triumph. “Aries will give the speech.”
My smile falls flat on the floor as I imagine the speech I could give for the man I murdered.
Fucking lovely.
20
The Love in Lust
Aries
It’s heart stoppingly terrifying how real a simple dream can feel.
Even if you know it’s just a dream.
Long fingers slide over mine just as they did once before. He claws at me for the tiny vial in my hand. The darkness of her tomb envelopes us, but I’ll always remember the feel of his nails scraping over my skin.
“Give me the ashes, Aries!” Nathiale screams at me, and his words carry on, racing over the walls of the solid brick room.
“Fuck you.” My fist collides with his nose, and I feel the warmth of his blood across my knuckles.
His head cracks against the pedestal that once held the demonic vial that’s fisted in my sweaty hand. He’s down, but his fingers dig into my boot in a matter of half a second. He’s dragging me down and clawing up my body.
It won’t stop. Neither of us will give in until one of us is dead.
Unless.
My thumb pushes off the cork, and the scent of embers fills my nostrils.
And then it literally fills my nostrils. I lift the small vial up close and personal until it drags over my upper lip.
I breathe in hard through my nose. My body attempts to cough it out involuntarily, but I feel it. It courses through my lungs and even farther. It’s a chaotic tornado within my veins. It’s a swirl of dust within my mind. It’s everywhere.
It consumes me.
Nathiale tears the empty bottle from my hands in the dense darkness and gives me a swift kick to my ribs as I continue dry heaving at his feet.
“Thank you, sister.” I can hear the sneer on his lips. The victory in his voice is hard to miss.
He’s going to be fucking furious when he realizes what I’ve taken from him.
He’ll kill me for this when he sees the empty glass vial.
But I’m calm as I lie there. I’m calm because somewhere, at the back of my mind, I know this is all in the past. And I know what lies in Nathiale’s future.
I know my father will banish me from his kingdom before the sun rises. I can almos
t hear the worry in his tone from all those years ago.
This is all just a dream.
“What kind of monster kills someone so violently, Aries?” Nathiale asks.
The darkness presses in on me.
I—I don’t remember this.
Did he really say that?
“You hit me so hard with the crown, you cracked my skull with the first blow. But you kept going until my blood painted your hands, Aries.” His voice slithers over me.
A tremble shakes down my spine.
“What are you talking about?” I finally ask.
A hue of soft golden light strikes up at the center of the room, just over the vial’s black pedestal. Its light spider-walks across the small room, lighting up what I’ve never laid eyes on in my entire life.
My heart drills in my chest.
The light crawls farther and farther.
And then my brother’s bloody, disfigured face is looking down on me. Flesh and hair hangs from his features, twisting his once-handsome appearance into something grotesque and unnerving.
“You want to know why Catherine left you? It’s not because you’re stronger now, Aries. It’s because you’re dangerous. You hurt her. You hurt me. You hurt everyone around you, sister,” he says through split swollen lips.
“Shut up.” I shove to my feet, but when I stand, I can’t take another step. My feet are glued to the dark, brick floor.
“Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll just shut up.” He tilts his mangled head at me. “I’ll let you talk for a while. Maybe . . . maybe you should say something nice about me.”
I blink at him, and the twisting feeling in my stomach lurches a little harder. “What?”
“Say. Something. Nice. About your dear, sweet, dead brother, Aries.”
Fuck.
He continues in that seething, roaring voice of his that scuttles over the walls and echoes into my chest. “Tell everyone. Tell them how you hated me, even when we were children. Tell them how you fantasized about burying me alive in our sandbox. Or pushing me down mother’s stairs. Or shoving a pillow over my face until I couldn’t breathe or speak any longer. Tell them that fond memory, Aries. Tell them. Tell them. Tell them!”