Lilya takes off my ring and hands me a simple white gold band with a sapphire stone. “Will you put this on me instead?” Lilya’s voice sounds so timid, I’m not sure how any man has ever refused her a thing.
“Of course. With this ring, I am your servant,” I repeat, sliding it onto her finger. I could’ve sworn this one would also be too large for her slender finger, but the second it glides into place, my eyes bug when I see it adjust to her size. “It’s a perfect fit,” I comment, voicing my confusion. We both let out a gasp when the sapphire turns from its deep blue to a blushing lavender that matches her hair. “What the…”
Fiora lets out a heavy, contented exhale, a smile brushing over her face. “It’s chosen ye. It will go with ye into the unknown. It will lead ye to the truth, even in the darkest of times.”
Lilya’s brows push together as she tries to slide it off, but can’t. “It’s stuck.”
Fiora chortles. “It will stay there until the ring senses it must leave ye to protect another. It’s been on my finger for five decades, and never left me. Now it’s yours. It’s my wedding present to ye, my dear.”
Lilya presses her hand to her heart. “I’ll take good care of it. Thank you.”
Fiora shakes her head. “No, lass. It will take good care of ye.”
My stomach drops, and I wonder if Fiora knows more than we do about the mess that lies ahead.
8
Honeysuckle
Lilya
“It feels wrong that you won’t let me pay for the ring I’m supposed to give you,” I finally voice to Prince Destino as we make our way through the backroads.
Alexavier sticks close to my side. “He didn’t exactly pay for the ring on your finger. I think you’re good, letting him pick out his own ring.”
The white gold band still won’t come off, so I’ve resigned myself to stop trying. Fiora’s always known more than I do about life, so I decide to trust her and leave it on my finger. I actually like the look of the lavender stone set against the shiny band. It was tarnished on her finger, but now it looks like a true fae trinket. The pretty thing appears to almost glow, even in the moonlight. I know this isn’t from Faveda. It couldn’t be. And it never shone this brilliantly on Fiora’s finger. I don’t understand.
“I feel like we rushed your goodbye with Fiora. She’s sort of your mum, isn’t she?” Des says with a polite bow of his head in my direction.
“We’re not the affectionate types, I guess. We love each other, and I owe her my life. Things are just different in Neutral Territory, I guess. Any day could be one that Fiora doesn’t come home, or I get attacked on my way back from the pub. It feels like we’re always on the cusp of saying goodbye, so this was just another one of those. The best goodbye I could hope for, I guess. No bloodshed, so, bonus.” I give the guys a thumbs-up, though inside, my stomach feels sick over leaving Fiora.
Des keeps his cloak tight around him, his hood down as we walk through the night. “I can’t decide how tragic that is. I’m going to go with: very.”
I shrug, unwilling to dissect the wound more closely. I’ve learned that if I can breathe through the pain, eventually I won’t feel it.
Lexi bumps my hip with his. “Are we to the point in our friendship where I can say that you look like you’ve got a lot on your mind?”
I cast up a smile at Lexi because he deserves one, and also because I want to feel one on my face. “Not much, actually. Just a constant stream of ‘What have I done? What have I done?’ So, the usual. Gearing up for the big announcement.”
Though we haven’t seen each other in sixteen years, it feels like the most natural thing in the world when his arm curves around my hips. We walk in step, his side warming my body when parts of me are determined to freeze over if they’re going to weather the storm. “You’ve got some time before the big announcement, actually. We can’t travel by day because, you know, our wussy vampire.”
I chew on my lower lip. “Oh, right. I don’t know why I forgot about that fun feature.” By way of apology, I offer to Prince Destino, “I’m sorry. I serve vampires all the time in the pub. I know the basics. You can’t go out in the sunlight or your skin burns. Silver in your bloodstream kills you. You drink filtered fae blood after you feed on a young colt and make the transition where you stop aging.”
“Awakening,” Prince Destino corrects me. “We call it our awakening. Once we reach the age we’d like to be frozen, we feed on the blood of a young colt. Then we have far less of a need for food. We mainly drink blood.” He flashes his fangs in my direction and hisses like a villain.
I fight back a wince. I can’t tell if he means to be funny or scary.
“I don’t need to be afraid of you, or any of the vampire Territorials,” I remind myself. “I’ve got Green Lightning in my system. You’ll get sick if you drink my blood. I know some vampire couples feed off each other, but I’m not up for that sort of lifestyle.”
Prince Destino stops walking, so we all pause, since he was in the lead. Facing me with all the seriousness of a court-martial, he speaks in a firm voice with no bite to it. “Of all the things in your life, I’m the one you should fear least. I know I can’t command that feeling to come about in you, but with Alex and Salem as my witnesses, I’ve never bitten a person. I mostly live off of filtered blood drinks, or animals, if I’m in a pinch. It’s against the law for us to drink blood from a fae. Besides, your blood’s not healthy for us unless it’s been legally donated and properly filtered.”
I do believe Prince Destino, and I hope that’s not the first step I take toward my demise. Vampire though he is, I just don’t see someone with kind eyes like that being a monster. “Okay, Prince Destino. That’s good to know.”
He flinches at my words, though I can’t imagine why. “Des,” he corrects me. “My mates don’t call me by my full name and title, and I can’t imagine my wife being so formal. We have to keep up appearances that we actually know each other and are in love.”
I hold up my hand to make a request. “If we’re putting in suggestions, I’d rather go by anything besides ‘honeysuckle.’ It sounds… I dunno, gross.”
Des chuckles, and the crinkles around the edges of his eyes give away the fact that he’s laughed often in his life. I like that. I like thinking that Lexi’s had a smile like that by his side. Though, this time, he makes an effort to conceal his fangs by keeping his mouth closed.
I feel terrible that I’ve muted a man’s smile.
Des points at my face. “I’ll work on a better nickname.”
I shove my hands in my jeans pockets while we walk. “It’s nice that Lexi has you. You seem like you’re good at laughing. Sorry if I made it weird with all that blood talk.”
“Not at all.” He dips his head in my direction. “Lexi, eh? We call him ‘Alex’. I didn’t realize we were allowed to call him ‘Lexi’. I quite like the sound of that.”
Lexi glowers at Des while Salem watches in his wolf form from a few feet away. “Enough out of you. Lily can call me whatever she likes. You, on the other hand,” he says to Des, “I’m still warming to.”
I love that he calls me ‘Lily’, as if no time at all has passed. Like we’re still two children sharing tea and secrets under the dining room table. Being near him is so healing, it’s practically painful, but I’m too selfish not to cling to his side. If Lexi’s around, the General won’t come after me. If Lexi’s in the room, the General can’t hurt me.
Salem snorts and jerks his maw up at the sky.
Des frowns. “Yeah, you’re right. We should get to the cave. We can all admire my charm later.”
“Cave?” I ask as we move forward at a faster clip. Salem takes the lead, barking twice to make sure we’re all jogging. It would probably be bad if I married a man and let him die in the same night.
Lexi keeps my pace, never moving an inch ahead or behind me. He dwarfs me by several inches, his longer legs swallowing ground far easier than mine. “We’re headed toward our secret meeting pla
ce. It’s on the outskirts of Neutral Territory, so we don’t have to watch our backs too much getting there.” As the trees give way to more rocky terrain, I get the distinct feeling this would be a fantastic place to dump a body. I’m running with three men into the unknown, hoping a cave will be what gives me safety.
My life’s plan was so much different this morning.
Neutral Territory is dirty, laced with dark alleys and plumbing that only mostly works. We don’t venture to the mountains or play on the black rocks that lead toward the tall peaks. We’ve got enough pain in our lives without adding rock climbing into the mix. Plus, the mountain touches two of the territories. We don’t want anything to do with them any more than they want to be near us.
When we reach the mountainside on the edge of Neutral Territory, I wonder just how good of a climber they expect me to be. I know that behind the right side of the mountain lies Drexdenberg—my future home. To the left is Jacoba, land of the shifters. Behind us entirely is Faveda, my childhood homeland. I’m acutely aware that I don’t belong in any of the three territories, but I’ll be expected to pretend I do.
“Fancy going for a climb?” Des asks, a smirk toying with his lips. Clouds, he’s handsome.
My mouth draws to the side. “Maybe this is the wrong time to mention it, but I’ve never actually scaled a mountain before.” If it was knife-throwing, I’d be all over it.
Lexi nods to Des. “Go on, brother. You’re the one who needs shelter the most. We’ll bring your bride up to you.”
Des displays his bum arm. “Would you mind spotting me? I got up there once tonight, but I don’t want her to have to rebreak my arm all over again if I twist it wrong.” He narrows his eyes at me in faux scolding. “She’s a wicked little deviant. Built for torturing poor, unsuspecting vampires.”
I snigger. I can’t help it. Des is easy to be around, even given the fact that we’re so very different. I crack my knuckles with a menacing expression, and he shudders away, playing along so at least we have one language we speak clearly. Silliness—the mother tongue of all good things.
Lexi turns to me with a softness to his eyes. “You know Salem well enough, right? If I help Des up the mountain, is it okay if Salem helps you?”
I glance over to the wolf, who sniffs in a perimeter around where we stand at the base of the jagged structure. I’m nervous around Prince Salem. Always both nervous and at ease. All fear usually dissipates whenever he stalks into the pub, but it’s not like we actually talk or know each other in any real way. My fear of him comes from how shockingly sexy he is—too pretty to look at directly most days, even though all I want to do is stare. Still, as I have precious few other options, I put on a brave face. “That’s fine. Fluff my pillow for me while you’re up there?”
Lexi touches my nose, smiling as if we were never meant to have grown up, and certainly not grown apart. Then his face clouds with seriousness. “Don’t die, alright? Like, if you were contemplating falling to your death, perhaps don’t try that. It nearly killed me when you died the first time; I don’t think I could handle it again.”
The only man I’ve ever had the urge to throw my arms around his neck is Salem, though I would never actually do such a thing with him in his man form. To remind my arms to remain by my sides is an effort I’m not sure I’ll have the strength for if Lexi keeps standing in front of me, looking sincere and wonderful like he is.
Luckily, he turns just before I give in to the childish urge. “Come on, you clumsy ox. Let’s get you up the mountain before the dawn shaves twenty pounds off your backside.”
Des shoots Lexi a glimpse of his middle finger, and for the life of me, I can’t explain why I love the sight of it. Maybe it’s because I like that Lexi has people who count on him, and that they care enough to make jokes.
When the two ascend in tandem, I cast over to Prince Salem, who’s still in his wolf form. “Sorry I don’t know how to climb mountains,” I offer, though really, it’s not a skill anyone in Neutral Territory would need to possess.
He paws at the ground and jerks his nose toward the steep incline.
Apparently, he’s not going to actually help me up the mountain, but spot me in case I tumble to my death. Super. I knew he didn’t want me near him. He always freezes whenever my finger brushes against his when I’m setting down his drink at the pub.
Though it stopped raining a good half hour ago, I’m still wet and shivering. The moonlight doesn’t do me any favors, casting shadows on the craggy bits I’m supposed to be able to count on for leverage. I have no idea how far up I’m supposed to be climbing, but Lexi and Des are already higher than my comfort zone.
This is what I have to learn, so this is what I’m going to do to survive. I’m a general’s daughter, after all.
I fit my fingers to the sharp and jagged surface, using the precarious hold to hoist myself off the ground. There’s never been enough food in the cupboards for me to weigh a whole lot, but I feel every pound I’m toting as I try to support myself with only the tips of my fingers and toes. My boots aren’t flexible enough to give me much mercy, but I do my best, gritting my teeth against the strain. I’m using muscles I didn’t realize I had, tightening my abdomen as I gain ground, one grudging inch at a time. I keep my eyes on Lexi’s boots, which are growing smaller as he climbs far faster than I ever will. He slipped through my fingers once, and there he goes again. I want to keep up. I want to be part of his world. Not Faveda, obviously. I want to be part of this rogue band of brothers who are determined to set this broken world on fire.
If only I can keep up.
I’m positive I must be ten feet off the ground, which makes my arms shake with worry. My biceps tense and loosen, tense and loosen, and I can’t see through the darkness to spot which bit of black rock is safe for purchase and which is smooth and will lead to a swift death. I’m fairly certain I can’t die from falling ten whole feet, but when the wind whistles at my back, I see my body being blown off the mountain and splattering on the stabby rocks below.
I reach for the next two-inch ledge, letting loose a scream when my fingers slip at just the wrong moment. Anxiety and adrenaline spike as my body fumbles loose from the mountain, plunging me two, fifteen, twenty feet.
Or five. I made it exactly five feet off the ground, which made my harrowing tumble no more than an embarrassing bump of my butt on the ground.
“Lily!” Lexi’s panic is met with his head poking out from about forty feet up along the mountainside. The cave is far higher than I can climb, and I hate that he knows it.
“I’m alright,” I call up to him. “Des is okay? He’s hidden?”
Des’ head juts out, looking comical next to Lexi. “I’m safe. You’re a sweet wife to ask, honey-flower.”
“Nothing with ‘honey’ in it!” I laugh up at him. Clouds, laughter feels good. It’s been a while. “Just Lily. My regular name is good enough. It’s more than I tell most people.”
“That reminds me, I’m still mad at you for lying to me about that.” Then Lexi glares at the wolf who’s pacing a few feet from me. “Help her, you oaf! Be a man.”
The challenge is loaded with instruction, and Prince Salem lowers his head as if it’s the worst thing in the world to be stuck with someone as useless as me. Or maybe he’s ashamed Lexi’s scolding him. Either way, it’s clear he’d rather not be around me, and now he’s stuck with toting my butt up the side of a mountain. “I’m sorry,” I offer quietly. “I can hold my own doing other things, but I’ve never needed to learn to climb a mountain before.”
Prince Salem stretches out his front paws, holding my gaze as I watch him transform. It’s like a wind that brushes over his body, absconding with his gray fur and leaving his enormous form on all fours. “Your belt,” he calls up to the guys as he stands. I scramble to my feet and skitter away so Des’ buckle doesn’t conk me in the head. I watch as Prince Salem picks up the leather strap and loops it through his own belt at his back, leaving the ends hanging loose behind him. He
jerks his head at me, not bothering to speak until I’m apparently standing in the wrong spot. “Over here. Harness.”
It’s like he’s purposefully piecing out his words, using as few as possible. He’s always been like that, but this time, I wish for something more. A little instruction or even some reassurance. Maybe a quick, “It’s okay you suck at scaling mountains. I don’t hate you.”
I stand behind him and pick up the leather ends. I’m so close, I can feel his body heat.
“Fasten it around your thighs,” he instructs.
I buckle the loop around me, letting it hang loosely just below my butt, giving me a sort of seat to rest on as he fits his fingers expertly to spots I hadn’t seen before. If only he would say anything, but I guess that’s always been my ungranted wish. “How do you want me?” I ask, unsure how I should touch him. If I’m allowed.
Prince Salem casts around with a strangled look of mildly-controlled panic, as if I’ve just asked him something terrifying. “On me?” He says it like he’s not sure, like he doesn’t have a clue how to do this, which scares me to no end. But this is Prince Salem. Though I know precious little about him, he’s one of the few men I’ve ever trusted.
“On your back?” This is so awkward. At his nod, I hop up on his back, wrapping my legs around his waist from behind. When he starts his climb, I bury my face in the side of his neck, closing my eyes and hoping this will all be over soon.
And also that it never ends.
I’ve always wanted to know what Prince Salem’s neck smells like. Though he always looks like he’s allergic to a straight razor, he smells faintly of aftershave. My body relaxes as much as it’s able as I fulfill my fantasy of taking in drag after delicious drag of pure Prince Salem. I get hits of evergreen mingled in with his cologne-ish scent. He smells even better than I imagined, and I have spent my fair share of nights envisioning exactly this moment (sans mountain and possibly falling to my death).
Vengeful Prince Page 7