by G. Bailey
“What did Aeon want to avenge?”
“Hold on.” Zander gently removes his arm and stands from the sofa. “I was a bit of a history nerd growing up and went through a major obsessed-with-the-gods phase.”
I watch him walk over to one of his many dark, wooden bookshelves. He sifts through the books, grabs a leatherbound one, and comes back over while flicking through the pages. He places it on my lap and points to a small passage titled THE RISE AND FALL OF AEON. Zander sits down beside me and I pore over the text, eager to learn about the God behind the Statue of Aeon:
After imprisoning the God of Life in Tartarus, Eris killed his human wife and trapped their young son in the mortal realm. Roman Emperor Nero, who sought eternal youth above everything, enslaved the boy in his quest for immortality. Nero killed the slave when his quest proved folly and by doing so, he lifted Eris spell, allowing Aeon to see his son one last time. Aeon watched from his doom in Tartarus what had become of his only child, abused, beaten, and killed, and his grief shook the realms. His fury burned his chains to ash and his tears flooded the seas of the human world. It was then when the Dark God appeared and asked the disgraced God of Light to avenge their fallen, and so became the age of the Fallen Gods.
“Fallen Gods?” I repeat, looking up at Zander.
He nods. “Yeah, in a different book, it says the Dark God betrayed Aeon by locking him back up in Tartarus once they were overthrown by Danica. Another text says he was protecting Aeon and that’s why his beast, Cerberus, guards him down in Tartarus.”
“Guards him against what?”
Zander runs a hand through his hair. “The ancient books are hard to translate, but the closest I ever got was ‘a light force enticed by a darkness that would wreak havoc upon the Zorya Sisters creation.’ So I can only assume it’s referring to the Enchanted Forest.”
“In all honesty, after what Eris did to Aeon and his family, I can’t really blame him for what he did. It says here that his son was just a child.” I stare down at the book, “
“I know.” Zander rubs my shoulder and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Every world has its good and bad people. We just need to focus more on the good...and kill the bad, especially when they’re titans.”
My heart jumps into my throat at the mention of titans. “Was Aeon a titan?”
“Nope. But like with all the gods, he was created by them.”
I tell him about my conversation with Eva and the vision I had of the titans.
“I think she wants to bring them back,” I conclude and Zander pulls back a little, frowning at me. “Is that even possible?”
He’s quiet for a long moment, his eyebrows knitted together. “It’s not impossible. But Eva isn’t powerful enough to unleash them. Not even King Ares could do it and he was the most powerful god in the Forest.”
“I know, but say she does manage to do it. Hypothetically speaking, of course...” I clench my eyes as the vision replays in my mind. The forest on fire; titans running amok; my lovers burning alive. “Who’ll be able to stop her?”
Zander chuckles and I peek through my lashes at him. “Hypothetically speaking, my lady, you will. You’re Corvina Fucking Charles and we’ll be standing with you every step of the way.”
My pulse quickens and heat rises into my cheeks. “This is why I love you all. No matter what happens, my guys will always be there for me, ready to kick ass.”
“Yup. It’s getting rid of us, that’s the difficult part.”
I smile and close the book with a sigh, my fingers brushing something hard. I glance down and find a compressed weed sticking out from one of the front pages. It must’ve been used as a bookmark or something. Curious, I flip to the page to get a better look at it.
It’s a dandelion.
Or rather, it was a dandelion. It’s dead now.
Zander drapes his arm over my shoulder again. I love how safe that makes me feel. “A gift from drunken Corvina. Did I ever tell you how sexy you are when you’re drunk? And clumsy. You could barely walk on the way back from the Drop.”
“Something tells me this is going to be a good story.” I cross my legs and wait for him to continue. I know for sure I can’t handle my booze, so I’m curious to learn what I did that night when I was drunk. “I vaguely recall you walking me home...”
“Walking?” Zander laughs. “I had to carry your sexy ass. You said I smelled like marshmallows and peppermint and then you bit me. You also made me make a wish with that strange weed.”
“And yet you kept the ‘strange weed’ all these mon—”
Zander kisses me on the lips to shut me up. When he pulls back, he’s grinning at me. Tease.
“What did you wish for?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at him.
“Now, that would be telling.”
“Oh, come on. No one believes in that ‘if I tell you, it won’t come true’ crap. I’m good at keeping secrets. Just try me.”
Zander takes the book from me and sets it on the coffee table, then he moves closer, bringing his mouth close to mine again. My heart skips a beat in my chest.
“You really want to know what I wished for?”
A shiver runs down my spine. “I do.”
“I wished for you, Corvina Charles.” His eyes gleam and the corner of his lips tilt. “That day and every day since.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. He slides his hands around my waist, and pulls me onto his lap, his cock pressing against me. I moan, deepening our kiss, our tongues dancing in perfect unison. Zander lifts me off the sofa and walks over to his bed, throwing me down onto the mattress. I let out an excited squeal and watch him pull off his shirt. His eyes never leave mine as he unbuttons his jeans and tugs them lower, showing me his sexy V lines that dip into his boxers. Placing his big hands on my hips, he pulls me closer and I open my legs for him.
“Gods, you’re beautiful, Vina, lying under me like this, your face flushed, legs open, ready for me.”
To torment him further, I bite my bottom lip and he groans.
“Fuck!” He yanks one of my legs around his waist, and runs his fingers up to my inner thigh, lifting up my dress. “You know what I kept thinking about at dinner?”
“Dessert?” I grin and reach for his boxers, pulling them down to let his gorgeous cock out. I always knew Zander was big, but sweet Selena, he’s big!
And I’m so ready for him.
“I kept thinking how I wanted my parents to go away so I could fuck you on the table.” His fingers glide over my slit, teasing until I’m moaning and writhing. “How badly I’ve wanted to claim you since I met you in the forest that day.”
He slides into me, and I let out a moan as he fills me for the first time.
“I’ve wanted you, too,” I breathe, tangling my fingers in his hair so I can pull him down for a kiss. His lips spread into a smile against my mouth. “Now shut up and fuck me, Zander Sabhain.”
He chuckles and thrusts into me, our eyes never leave each other. I can already feel the pressure building inside me, I hold my breath as pleasure tingles through my body, curling my toes against his silk bedding. My heart flutters as Zander covers my mouth with his, stifling my moans, his fingers circling my clit. His cock hits my sweet spot with every perfect thrust. I’m already so close.
Zander grabs my hair and pulls lightly, tilting my head up. He grazes the side of my ear with his teeth and moans, such a beautiful, masculine sound that I will never tire of hearing. I can’t hold back anymore, so I let go. Zander comes inside me at the same moment, his eyes changing from green to gold, and the look of utter euphoria on his face is something I will never tire of seeing.
“Gods, Vina…” His voice is breathless as he presses his forehead to mine, his cock pulsing inside me. “You’re so fucking perfect. And mine. You’re mine so long as you’ll let me love you.”
I push up and kiss him softly on his lips. “I will always let you love me, Zander, because I will always love you.”
“Royal hunt?
”
I frown at Pitch in the mirror while Master Gia adjusts my dress for the one-hundredth time. The plum fabric falls down to my ankles and the black velvet coat narrowing at my waist is heavier than I expected. I don’t understand why I need to wear this to go horse riding with my mother and her hunting party. It seems excessive and stupid to me, though the outfit itself is stunning.
“It’s customary for the queen to hunt on a full moon.” Pitch moves to my side and Gia stops fussing around me to give us some privacy. “It was King Ares’ favourite sport.”
“Of course. I can’t think of any other reason why the God of War would want to kill innocent wild animals.”
Pitch’s fingers slide down my arm, brushing the soft fabric. “I don’t agree with it, however, it’s a tradition that’s been done since the beginning of our time.”
“Traditions can be changed,” I tell him, turning around.
He lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Yes, they can be, and you’re the one to change them.”
We make our way to the stables in the courtyard. Queen Narah’s hunting party has already gathered and mounted their steeds. Pitch leaves me to mingle with them. I find the queen in the farthest away stable, stroking and whispering to a beautiful ebony horse with glowing red eyes. They match her hunting coat that reminds me of a rose bleeding on a black heart.
Tentatively, I walk over to her, she looks over with a smile. The smile fades when she sees me, and she clears her throat.
“Daughter, I am glad you decided to join my hunt.”
I bow my head. “Of course. I need to familiarise myself with fae customs.”
“Indeed. You will, after all, one day be queen.” She moves back from the horse and opens the stall to my left. “I had Alastair’s beast prepared for you. His name is Apollo, he is the spawn of my stallion. I found it only fitting that you rode him.”
Leading another black horse out from its stall, Narah hands me over the reins. Apollo is almost identical except for the white stripe running down his nose. He neighs and flicks his head impatiently and I step back, admittedly daunted about riding a horse. I’ve never done this before and now I’m really kicking myself for not getting any tips off Pitch. I glance at the queen, my hands turning clammy around the reins.
This is all going to end badly. I just know it.
“Take some hay and extend your hand slowly,” the queen tells me. “Let him come to you.”
I do as she says, and slowly, Apollo leans down to inhale my scent. I can’t help but smile when he bites the hay instead of my hand. In the corner of my eye, Queen Narah watches me for a long moment in silence. I turn to her and she immediately looks away but not before I catch the smile on her face. It reminds of the smiles my mum gave when I drew pictures, and she’d put them up on our fridge.
Whatever brief moment of softness Queen Narah showed is untraceable once she mounts her horse in two effortless moves. Her expression is all cold and steely again.
“You love animals, don’t you, Your Majesty?”
“They know not who we are, but only what we do. Animals don’t judge us based on our pasts, and therefore I cannot help but admire them.”
I climb the steps and mount Apollo with little to no grace at all. “Judging people on their pasts is a trait only magics and humans share.”
“Astute observation. Have you hunted before?”
“No, Your Majesty. I’m not a psychopath who enjoys hurting animals.”
I regret the words as soon as I say them.
Insulting a crazy queen? Check. About to be slapped by a crazy queen? Check.
Surprisingly, Queen Narah merely laughs. It’s quiet and vanishes quickly, but it shows me that she’s not entirely void of emotion. She clearly loves animals, besides I’ve always said that animal lovers can’t be truly awful people. Can they?
“Come. It’s time to hunt.”
Narah’s horse trots out from the stable, leaving my question unanswered. I stare down at Apollo, wondering how on earth to ride this beautiful, lethal creature. I squeeze my heels like Narah did, and to my relief, Apollo moves. I join the others in the courtyard where a man dressed in all black, wearing a white stag’s head blows a horn. The hounds set off, as do most of the hunting party. Pitch is nowhere in sight and it unsettles me. Why isn’t he coming with us?
“Your Majesty—”
“We are alone now, Corvina. You may call me mother.”
Talk about awkward.
“M-Mother,” I manage, the word strange to me when uttered aloud. “What are we hunting today?”
The queen glances heavenward and then kicks her horse into a trot. “The enemy.”
I can feel the colour draining from my face. What, or rather who does she mean by the enemy? I glare at the back of her head as she rides away and joins the others.
Something isn’t right here.
“Come on, Apollo.”
I motion the beast to follow, clinging to his reins for dear life. When I reach the pasture where the party has gathered, I finally get my answer as to who we are hunting today.
Humans.
Six of them have been released from a pen. They’re all scrambling around naked, looking for an escape. My stomach curdles in horror as I listen to their screams. There’s no way I can watch, nevermind be part of this. The hounds barking in the field only increase my fury. I squeeze my heels and charge towards them.
This isn’t a royal hunt. It’s a test.
And I’m going to fail with flying colours.
I reach the party just in time. The hounds have cornered a young boy.
“Call the dogs back,” I tell one of the hunters. He ignores me, charging after another human, so I turn to the other. “I said call them back!”
The men just stare at me like I’m crazy. Blood rushes to my face, my pulse pounds in my ears as rage swiftly takes hold of me. They will never take me seriously at this rate. I move Apollo in front of the leader of the party, ensuring he has no choice but to pull back.
“I am the Princess of the Dark and Light Fae, you will obey me. Recall your hounds. That’s an order!”
Their whistles sound, pulling the dogs back. I’m not even aware that I’m radiating dark magic from my body until one of the hounds runs up to me and scampers away.
“From now on, there will be no royal hunts in the Enchanted Forest.” I let my magic seep out and plunge into the earth, knowing the party’s horses back a few steps. “As your future queen, you will obey if you wish to remain within my kingdom.”
“This is an outrage,” the leader snarls at me.
Apollo moves over to his horse without me even instructing him to.
I glare at the rider like he’s just muck on my shoe.
“You were saying?”
The leader glances over my shoulder, I think to the queen, and then glares back at me. The dominance and power surging through my body is utterly intoxicating. My magic pulls out of the ground, wrapping around the leader’s throat. Now that he’s afraid, he has the sense to take me seriously and look away.
“Corvina,” the queen calls. “Unhand him, and come with me now.”
She turns her horse around and charges into the trees.
Reluctantly, I pull my magic back into my body. I give each member of the party a warning glare before I follow in her wake. Cruel, despicable bastards. Who in their right mind would want to hunt animals let alone humans? It makes me sick.
The queen’s stallion comes to a halt beside a steep slope. I carefully follow her down to a clearing with a mausoleum in the middle. The blood is still pounding in my veins. I can’t shake the screams and barking from my mind. Why didn’t Pitch tell me what the royal hunt was really about? I suppose it’s because I wouldn’t have gone, and therefore, I wouldn’t have put a stop to the barbaric hunt once and for all. He wants me to come into my own, and start acting like the future queen of his kingdom. He knew I would never have stood idly by and watched the fae hunt innocent humans.
“You have a lot to learn about politics, daughter.”
I’m still too livid to say anything, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing.
“A queen does not simply create laws on a whim, nor does she threaten to change traditions that have sustained her kingdom for eons.”
“Tradition?” I snarl, glaring at the back of her head. “That’s a strange word for savagery.”
She stops only briefly. “Hmph. I guess you also have a lot to learn about the fae kingdoms.”
I’m beginning to wonder if I even want to learn anything at all. My father enjoys watching humans dance until their feet bleed and my mother enjoys hunting them down. So far, the fae kingdoms suck.
“It was the demise of King Lycias, your great-grandfather, that started the royal hunts,” Narah explains, leading us deeper into the crypt. “Do you know why?”
Silence.
“During Lycias’ reign, there was no war or famine. He was a great ruler, beloved by all, even the light fae, and he believed that humans were our equals who helped balance the cosmos. When he opened our kingdom to them, blood was shed for the first time on our land. It was the greatest massacre the Forest had ever known. Thousands of fae died at the hands of man, including the king himself. It was my grandmother, Princess Levia, who created the royal hunts in honor of our fallen, and to remind humans that they will never again be welcome in our kingdom.”
My stomach churns. I’ll never get over how cruel some people can be. But the fae are not the victims in this, contrary to what they would have me believe.
“One wrong doesn’t make a right,” I say.
“My point is that traditions cannot be easily altered, especially when they were created to honour the people of this kingdom.”
It sounds to me like these traditions can be altered. The queen just doesn’t want to.