Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1)

by Stephanie Bell

  Caspian steps in front of me again. Fury practically oozes off him.

  He’s jealous! I almost burst out laughing at the ludicrousness of it.

  “Princess, you are barely dressed,” He stresses every word. His eyes flicker up and down me, glazing over slightly as he looks down at the corset.

  My heartbeat slams against my chest as he stares down at me. After a moment he shakes his head as if coming out of a trance and glowers at me. “Go get dressed. Now.”

  His eyes widen and I’m pretty sure he realizes his mistake as soon as he's said it.

  No one commands me.

  Frustration crosses his face and I can feel a wicked smirk pulling at my mouth.

  “I don’t think so, General. Besides,” I lower my voice so only he can hear. “He won’t be the first man to see me in my undergarments. I look pretty good, don’t I?” Caspian’s jaw drops, and a strangled sound comes out of him. I sidestep him and march straight up the blue-haired healer.

  “Thank you for coming. This arm has been giving me quite a bit of trouble and I have a pretty big competition coming up soon.” I smile up at him and bat my eyes. I can hear Caspian’s growl as he comes up and stands directly behind me, glaring at the man.

  The healer looks from me to Caspian, and back. “Would you prefer someone else to come, Your Highness?” He asks politely.

  “Yes,” Caspian says, putting an arm around me and pulling me protectively into his side.

  I roll my eyes. “Please try and ignore him. He takes his jobs way too seriously.” I dig my good elbow into Caspian’s side, and he releases me with a grunt.

  “What’s your name?” I ask him casually.

  “Jeremiah, Your Highness.” He says with a smile.

  “Are you a good healer?” I ask.

  “Yes, Your Highness. I’m one of the best in Centralia.” His smile broadens with pride.

  “Well, then Jeremiah. You are exactly who I want to be with right now. Where would you like to start this? On my bed?”

  That didn’t come out how I meant it to. I almost apologize as the poor healer tries to hold back his laughter. But it's hearing Caspian’s gasp of shock that has me smiling my biggest smile up at the healer.

  “Yes, Your Highness. The bed will do fine. Can you lay down on it, please?” He asks as he refuses to look in Caspian’s direction.

  “Of course. And please stop calling me ‘Your Highness”. Any man that sees me in my undergarments is allowed to call me Adeline.” I smile sweetly at him as I sit on the bed.

  His smile is filled with humor and with a dart of his eyes towards Caspian, he winks playfully at me. “Well, then. It’s an honor to meet you under these circumstances, Adeline.” He says my name with a purr, and I can barely contain my laughter.

  Caspian stands stoically against the wall looking at the healer like he might yank him away from me at any minute. The murderous look on his face would cause any sane man to run away. Thankfully, my new healer friend doesn’t seem phased at all.

  “Would you go into the sitting area and retrieve my bag, please?” He asks Caspian.

  Caspian's jaw hardens as he stares the healer down.

  “Caspian weren't you just telling me how you love to be helpful?” I ask sweetly.

  He narrows his eyes at me, then nods and stalks from the room.

  Jeremiah looks down at me and chuckles. “Well, he’s a bit protective, isn’t he?” He asks as he helps lower me onto the bed.

  “Surprisingly, so,” I say with a chuckle.

  Jeremiah studies my arm and the large bruising on my stomach, then the shackle marks on my wrists. “Adeline, did he do this?” He asks quietly. All the mirth has drained from his voice.

  “Caspian? No, I don’t think he would ever hurt me. Well, not physically anyway,” I mutter. Wincing as the healer’s hands start probing my stomach.

  “If he’s so protective, why didn’t he stop it from happening?” Jerimiah asks.

  I slide my gaze over his shoulder and see Caspian standing there, frowning at me.

  I meet his eyes and let him see the heartbreak in mine, “I wish I knew.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Caspian spends the rest of the time leaning back against a wall behind the healer, watching us closely.

  Jeremiah takes an oil out of his bag and pours some of it into his hands, then he rubs them together. I watch him as he prepares for the healing.

  He’s exceptionally handsome, I think absentmindedly.

  His blue hair is sticking up all over his head and the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles at me. He hums a tune as he works and I lay my head back as it’s soothing melody settles around me.

  He reaches out and gently rubs the oils onto my stomach. Coating the whole area up to my corset and down to the top of my high waisted pants. I bite my lip and glance in the opposite direction. I’ve never had a man touch my bare stomach this way. It’s way more awkward than I thought it would be, but there’s no chance I am going to say something with Caspian standing right there.

  Jeremiah must notice my unease because he smiles reassuringly. “This is lavender oil. It will strengthen my healing power and hopefully get you healed up in plenty of time to participate.”

  He moves to my arm and gently begins rubbing the oil there.

  “Do you always use oil before healing?” I can't help my curiosity, I’ve only used my healing power a few times, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Maybe I can pick up some pointers.

  “Well, not always. It is possible to heal someone without it. But that healing is usually pretty painful and can have some rough side effects for both the healer and the person being healed.” He speaks calmly, but there is an excitement behind his voice.

  “What kind of side effects?” I ask as I slide a glance over towards Caspian and see him listening too.

  “Well, if it’s a minor healing. For a cut, or fracture of some sort. The side effects could be minor. Lightheadedness, dizziness, exhaustion. Something like that. If someone is healing a major injury. It could be a lot worse.”

  “What if a healer that is just learning their powers, heals someone who has broken their back and is near death?” Caspian asks suspiciously.

  Jerimiah raises his brow at the question and flashes Caspian a curious look. “That’s oddly specific, but if that happened, the healer must have been extremely powerful. Or emotionally attached to the patient and their emotions took over, which could have caused all kinds of problems. The patient would technically be healed, but there would still be lingering traumas, both mentally and physically.”

  Surprise runs through me as I glance over at Caspian.

  He ignores me and focused his attention on Jeremiah, “What about the healer? What would it have done to her?”

  “Well, that takes an extreme amount of strength. She pretty much would have poured all her power into the patient, draining her body of magic entirely. So she’d be in a weakened state for quite some time. Symptoms would include extreme pain for sure, but mentally, she would have been absolutely tormented. Her magic would have most likely absorbed all the patient's trauma, both physically and emotionally, and pulled it into her instead.

  "Basically, her body would react as if she had personally been the one who'd been dying. It would pretty much shut down and refuse to heal her until her power replenished.” He shrugs as he inspects my arm.

  “Princess?” Caspian growls at me and I avoid his gaze. Frustrated, he walks around to the other side of the bed and takes my hand in his. “Princess?” He asks again and I can hear the devastation in that one word.

  I close my eyes, fighting the wave of emotion that hits me full force.

  There was so much pain in the dungeon. So much heartbreak. It had hit me so powerfully; I hadn’t even thought about why it had broken me then. Could I really have taken Caspian’s pain and emotional turmoil too?

  A tear slips down one of my cheeks, but I ignore it. I turn my head to look at Jerimiah and I see re
cognition flash across his face as his eyes dart from me to Caspian and back. “You healed him?” He asks in surprise.

  I give a slight nod, “Can you heal me before the trials begin?”

  Jerimiah shakes his head slightly. “I’ll do what I can, Adeline. But your body will only willingly heal when you give it a chance to. Weeks or possibly even months. Anything I can do now will be a temporary fix and it's going to be painful. I’ll have to force your body to heal against its will. If you're not careful, your body will break at the first opportunity. You can’t compete in a trial in your condition.”

  He hesitates for a moment and narrows his eyes at me, "Let me see your back."

  My body locks up and I glare up at the ceiling, locking my jaw stubbornly in place. "You only need to focus on my stomach and arm, healer. I can handle the rest."

  "Adeline, if you want me to heal you, you're going to have to show me your back." A determination laces his voice and I cringe as I hear Caspian's low cursing.

  "No," The word comes out a whisper as I fight the emotions trying to take over. Just thinking about the pain in the dungeons, makes my back start hurting again. If I admit to the pain, it will all come crashing back in.

  Caspian's face appears in my line of sight. His brows furrow as he studies me. "Why won't you let him see your back? I saw it earlier, it looked fine."

  "Looks can be deceiving, can't they Adeline?" The healer's soft voice has me squeezing my eyes shut.

  Panic starts bubbling up in me and I force them back open to stare imploringly at Caspian. "If I let that pain back in, it will kill me, Caspian. I can keep it at bay until after the trials, then we'll heal it. But I can't do it now, it's too much." I reach my hand up and rest it against his cheek. "Please, don't make me do it."

  Caspian's hand reaches up to cradle mine and he leans his face into it while he studies me.

  "Can she function without healing her back right now? With just healing her stomach and arm?" He asks Jeremiah, but his gaze never leaves mine.

  "Technically, yes. But, if she pushes herself too hard, she'll die."

  Caspian flinches at the statement. "Are you sure, Adeline?" He asks me quietly.

  I stare up at him and unwanted tears begin to flow down my cheeks. “I don’t have a choice. Let’s get on with it, please.”

  Sighing Jerimiah places his hand on my stomach and a pale blue light shines from under his hands. It blasts into me and takes my breath away.

  “Let me know if it’s too much, Adeline,” Jeremiah mumbles as he pushes more magic into me. I feel it grab onto the broken ribs in my stomach and violently yank them back together. Forcefully mending them. A scream tears through me and I tighten my grip on Caspian’s hand.

  “Should I stop?” Jeremiah asks.

  “No, if she wants you to stop, she’ll tell you,” Caspian says with dread in his voice.

  My body starts shaking from the anguish of the violent healing. It bucks under Jeremiah’s touch and I can feel my magic screaming in torment, begging it to stop.

  “I need to move onto her arm, but she has to stop moving. You’ll have to hold her down.”

  I feel strong arms wrap around me and pin me to the bed, forcing me to stay still. Caspian’s scent surrounds me, and I try finding comfort in it. But the pain is too much.

  “This is going to hurt. Be ready,” Jeremiah says as he grips my arm and I feel the magic wrap around the broken bones, forcing them back together. I press my face into Caspian’s chest and scream. The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I beg my magic to come out and heal me, but it refuses.

  I open my eyes as Jeremiah sets my arm gently back on the bed. All the color has drained from his face and he collapses backward into a chair.

  I struggle to get to him, to help, but Caspian is still pinning me to the bed. “Jeremiah…” I say in between clenched teeth.

  “Jeremiah is strong. Healing you took a lot out of him, but he’s going to be okay. He just needs a minute.” Caspian speaks calmly and surely.

  As if to agree with him, Jeremiah holds up his hand and waves me away.

  I turn my attention to Caspian as the pain begins to subside. A blush travels to my cheeks when I realize how he was able to pin me down. He is laying on top of me with his legs tangled around mine. His left arm is wrapped tightly around my good arm pinning it to my side and holding my chest to his. While his right arm is pressed against my other shoulder and his hand is wound through my hair.

  All of this while I’m in my corset. Great.

  “Really, Caspian?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

  “Well, you know how I like to be helpful.” He flashes me a playful grin as he leans in and kisses my forehead.

  My heart aches at the gesture and he stares down at me for a moment, as if he wants to say more. But he ends up releasing his grip on me and slowly moving to a sitting position beside me. “How do you feel?”

  I glance at Jeremiah who nods at me to try and move around. So, I gently lift my left arm. The pain is still there, but it’s a dull throbbing pain now. I move to sit up and find the same thing with my stomach. Everything still hurts, but at least I can move around without blacking out. I purposely ignore the pain in my back.

  “It feels much better. Thank you, Jeremiah.” I smile at the healer. “I owe you. If you ever need anything, please let me know.”

  He flashes me his teasing grin and says, “It was payment enough being able to heal a healer princess in her undergarments, Adeline.”

  I throw my head back in laughter as Caspian groans loudly and falls dramatically back on the bed.

  Caspian picks up my shirt and throws it at me with a smile on his face. “Now, will you put your shirt on?”

  I chuckle as I ease my arm through my shirt sleeve, wincing slightly at the lingering pain. Jeremiah comes over and helps me pull it up and over my head.

  There is a commotion in my sitting area, and someone starts yelling. Caspian is off the bed in an instance and rushing towards the door. It bursts open with such force I’m surprised it doesn’t break. The guards that broke my arm stand there sneering at me, with my arms stuck halfway into my shirt, and my corset exposed.

  “If only we’d known you looked like that under those men’s clothes. We could have had a lot of fun in the dungeons, Your Highness.” A guard snickers.

  Jeremiah shoves me behind him, hiding me from the guard’s view. But not before I see the rage flashing through Caspian's eyes. He grabs one of the guards and throws him into the sitting area. I hear yelling and things breaking.

  He's going to kill them.

  Jeremiah must have thought the same thing because he yanks the shirt down over my head and we sprint towards the sitting area.

  We find one guard laying on top of a broken table and Caspian pinning the other guard against a wall. The guard is tall, muscular, and rather terrifying in his own right, but he looks like a kitten compared to Caspian, who looms over him. Caspian's hand grips the man's throat and pins him a foot off the floor.

  “We’re sorry, General! We had an order to get the Princess. The trials will start soon. All of the Elects are being collected,” The guard says, staring at Caspian in terror.

  Caspian, no more deaths because of me, remember?

  You've got to be kidding me. He tortured you, broke your bones, and just threatened to take you forcefully. He deserves to die.

  I know he won't listen to me, so I say the one thing that I know will get his attention.

  Yes, but you're the one who shackled me, making me defenseless. You laughed when he hurt me and you sided with the man who murdered me. You are the one who broke me, Caspian, not this man.

  A terrifying growl came out of Caspian and I can see the muscles under his shirt bunching as his body shakes. The guard's face pales, and he looks like he might pass out.

  “I will escort her down there and you will never come near her again. Do you understand me?” His voice is no more than a whisper, but the malice behind it h
as the guard bobbing his head up and down. Caspian drops the guard onto the floor and both guards run from the room.

  “So, it’s time then?” I ask him. His back straightens as he turns to face me with a frown on his face.

  “I suppose so. Are you ready?” He looks doubtfully at my bare feet.

  “I will be. Just give me a moment,” I turn and stalk into my bedroom, finding a pair of brown boots sitting next to a chair. I sit down and pull on some socks and the boots. I glance at the mirror and see my red curls mussed in every direction. I reach up and braid my hair into one singular braid down my back, grunting as my arm screams in protest. One last look in the mirror shows me I’m as good as I’m going to get.

  I walk out into my sitting room to find both men talking together in a corner.

  “She shouldn’t be competing. The slightest movement could rip the healing apart. If that happens, her body might not recover from the trauma. Ever.” Jeremiah says to Caspian.

  Caspian sighs and drops his hands to his side. “If I could keep her away from the trials, I would. But there is no chance in hell anyone could keep her from participating.”

  That’s enough of this. These two getting along is even more disturbing than when they're fighting.

  I cleared my throat loudly. Interrupting their conversation. “Are we ready to go, Caspian?” I ask him.

  “Yes, Princess. I’m ready if you are.” He walks up to me and very carefully clips a bracelet onto each of my wrists. They are thin bands of iron inlaid with intricate green and gold designs. Every elect has to wear some sort of magic dampening device during the trials. The law says there is no magic allowed, they wouldn't want anyone to have an unfair advantage. The irony doesn't escape me that I’ve finally embraced my magic, only to have them locked away, again.

  Jeremiah catches up beside me as we’re about to leave the room. “Adeline? I’ll be one of the healers on call during the trials. If you need me, please call me.”

  “Of course, Jeremiah. I will, thank you.” He nods and walks out the door.

  Caspian catches my arm as I pass by, his eyes searching mine. “I thought you never lied.”