Lust Born

by Jacquie Underdown

  “I know a place,” Tuti says. “Your mother used it to hide secret items. It’s a small chamber in the cellar that’s completely masked by stone.”

  “And if we all die—”

  “Then the spell book will be lost again, which probably isn’t such a bad thing considering the alternatives,” Gideon says.

  Ariana beckons Tuti with a curl of her fingers. “Come. Let’s deal with this now.”

  “Domascus, accompany them. The queen is not to go anywhere without a guard,” says Gideon.

  Chapter 45

  Domascus stands guard outside the door while Tuti and Ariana rush through into the bedroom. Ariana throws off her dress and changes into long tights and a tunic—both deep-red, almost black, so as to camouflage herself under the blanket of night should the need arise. She runs her fingers through her hair and ties it high into a ponytail.

  From the niche in the wall, she takes out the spell book. The pages beat with life and warmth as she passes it to Tuti. “Quickly, take this and hide it where you said. Domascus is to go with you.”

  Tuti shakes her head. “We’re not leaving you on your own.”

  Ariana paints a smile on her face. “I’ll be seconds behind you. There is something I need to do first.”

  “No, we—”

  Ariana points to the door. “Go. It’s an order.”

  Tuti sighs, but nods and flutters out the door.

  Now that she has privacy, Ariana runs back to the niche and collects the small enamel box that belonged to her mother. She hurries to her bed, sits down, and pulls the picture out of the box. She gazes at her mother’s beautiful young face, so familiar, yet this woman is a stranger.

  Help me find the strength I need. Pressing the photo to her heart, she closes her eyes. Help me to know all I need to know so that I can save Fiore. She breathes in deeply, reaching her spirit outward. Help me find the courage to do this. Please, Mom, if you’re there. Her chest feels so tight, her throat achy. Please, Mom.

  She senses nothing other than the memory of that brief interaction, real or imagined. She feels only the cold silence of her room and the fear in her heart that she can’t do this. Her eyes grow wet. Ariana sniffles. Please. Tears fall down her cheeks. “Please, Mom. Let me be brave.”

  No answer. No sensation of love and protection.

  She drops her hands to her thighs, her head lolling downward.

  “Arrr-iiii-aaaa-nnnn-aaa.” The softest of whispers.

  Ariana’s flesh prickles. The same voice she heard in her apartment all that time ago. Muscles rigid, her back tall, she peers around the room looking for the source, hoping to find her mother. But the space is empty.

  “Mom?” she says.

  The picture in her hand flutters out of her grasp and falls onto the bed, face down. Ariana flinches, and her gaze scatters across every surface of the room, searching for something, anything. Her focus falls on the photograph again. She snaps it up and looks at it closely. On the back, in very faint handwriting, is a poem she didn’t notice before.

  Tall with muscled limbs

  And eyes as dark as storm clouds

  A fierce Warrior

  Be warned, the vile malignant

  Scent of evil follows him.

  Ariana muffles a gasp with her hand. Again and again, she reads the poem trying to understand the message. A fierce Warrior? Malignant. Her heart thunders in her chest. She can feel it in her eardrums. Each breath is sharp and shallow.

  Gideon? Domascus? Reid?

  She shakes her head feverishly. “Not my Hadeon.”

  She shoves the picture back in the box, replaces the lid, and returns it to the niche. A deep breath in, and she strides to the door and out into the hall. Anxiety is sweeping through her body, tensing her muscles and making her nauseated.

  Could one of the Warriors be evil? She shakes her head, refusing to believe it. They have all protected her and had her interests at heart, each and every one, from the start.

  But the poem.

  Her own mother.

  She needs to find Hadeon and talk to him. Her stomach clenches tightly and acid churns in her stomach, wishing for an outlet. She bends over, hand against the wall, and dry-retches. Breathing deeply, she manages to stop her stomach from convulsing, though her eyes are watery. She wipes at them with her hand and stands up straight.

  She loves Hadeon. He loves her. There is no way in the worlds he is evil. And there is no way Mother Nature would pair her with someone who is.

  Her stomach tenses again, but this time for another reason—guilt. Guilt for even considering, no matter how miniscule, that Hadeon is wicked.

  No, this evil Warrior must be someone else.

  Chapter 46

  Ariana creeps along the hall under the flickering shadows cast by the wall-mounted candles toward the library. She needs to get Hadeon alone to tell him what she has learned. Together they can devise a plan. On top of the Sun Queen, they do not need an internal Warrior sabotaging their efforts. Her fists clench at her sides as she steps softly across the hard floor, attempting to make as little noise as possible.

  Outside the closed door of the library, she presses her ear to the timber, listening for what is said when her presence is unknown. The muffled voices of three Warriors—Hadeon, Domascus, and Gideon. She shudders to think that two of those Warriors could be working against her. In her short time in Fiore, the level of betrayal by those who are considered closest, family even, has been beyond anything she could have ever considered possible.

  Ariana recalls all the stories, fictional and not, she read about queens and kings and the continual attempts to usurp them, and realizes that this is the plight of anyone in this position. She shakes her head and sighs, because she expected more from a matriarchal society. She smiles sardonically. There was that word again—more. How much she has grown to expect more from herself and from those around her.

  Gideon wants Domascus to head back to Pursia Forest and join the battalions. Hadeon consents to the order. Footsteps echo toward the door. Ariana shuffles back against the wall and crouches into a darkened alcove. The door open and Gideon and Domascus stride out. Each are dressed in their black kilts, chests bare. Muscles ripple over their skin, along with Mira tattoos that seem more alive under the circumstances—the mouths opened wide, exposing sharp, white teeth and claws extended, battle ready.

  They walk to the end of the hall and Gideon pats Domascus on the back. “Be ruthless and we’ll win this.”

  Domascus nods, his features serious under the dim light. “I’ll do my best.”

  Another quick slap on the back and Domascus turns to the right, while Gideon spins to walk back down the hall.

  But Gideon’s face changes—crumples slightly. His dark, dark eyes roll back into his head, his eyelashes flickering over the whites. He’s mumbling something too soft to hear, but she can see his lips moving with words. He turns like a snake and palms Domascus’s back. A flash of light. Energy pulses outward and reaches Ariana like sharp talons clawing at her skin and eyes. Domascus’s body lurches, his legs crumple beneath him, and he slaps against the hard floor, head cracking as it makes impact. Ariana smothers her mouth with both hands to stop the scream from finding passage past her throat. Her heart slams into her chest. Her pulse rings in her ears. She pulls back out of sight and takes some deep breaths.

  A dragging noise sounds in the silence and she pokes her head back to see what is happening. Gideon is dragging Domascus’s enormous body along the floor and in through an open door of a room. He closes the door and strides back down the hall toward the library.

  Ariana shifts back out of sight again, trying to understand what just took place. Gideon just used magic to kill another Warrior.

  Magic? A man using magic? It wasn’t the way of things here. How the hell did he cast that spell? It was impossible, wasn’t it?

  At least now she knows who the enemy is. But the answer is not what she wants. Not Hadeon’s very own father. A scream of frus
tration nestles in her throat, but she gulps it back down. How is Hadeon going to react to this? Her heart clangs hard like a big bass drum—Hadeon’s life may be at risk from this man posing as a loving father.

  The footsteps grow nearer then the library door closes and the footsteps fade away inside. Hadeon is in there alone with that man. She stands, veins pumping with adrenalin. Her muscles are twitching. She shakes out her hands and breathes deeply, trying to quiet the internal noise, so she can look more composed when she goes back in. She must pretend that she didn’t just witness what she witnessed, nor know what she knows.

  She could walk in there and kill Gideon, put an end to the problem straight away. But how then does she explain to Hadeon why she would do such a thing—kill his father. No, she needs to tell Hadeon first, so then they can decide together how best to deal with Gideon.

  A flurry of color flashes from the corner of Ariana’s eyes.

  Tuti.

  She sighs, pressing her finger to her lips to ensure Tuti stays quiet. She beckons with her hand.

  Tuti’s eyes narrow and she flutters over silently. “What’s the matter?” she whispers.

  Ariana steadies her voice. “Gideon isn’t on our side. I just saw him kill Domascus using a spell. A fucking spell, Tuti. Is that even possible?”

  Tuti shakes her head, her eyes wide. “He killed Domascus? I…when…why? I don’t understand.”

  Ariana presses her finger to Tuti’s lips. “I don’t know why. But he can’t be trusted. Did you hide the spell book?”

  Tuti nods.

  Ariana sighs. “I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this. He’s Hadeon’s father. My God.”

  Tuti trembles and Ariana pulls her close for a hug. She needs the comfort as much as Tuti does.

  She steps back after a moment and looks into Tuti’s frightened blue gaze. “We can’t let on that we know. Can you calm it down when we go back in there?”

  “I…I’ll try my best.”

  “Just pretend like everything is normal until I work out how to deal with this. I need to get Hadeon on his own so I can tell him what I know.”

  “Of course.”

  Ariana takes a deep breath in and out. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 47

  Ariana opens the library door and steps through, Tuti trailing closely behind. As she treads deeper into the room, watching as Gideon and Hadeon’s gaze find her own, she has a thought. Tuti would’ve known about Gideon. Ariana had cast a spell to uncover anyone with ulterior motives. Is Tuti in on this too?

  Her body imperceptibly tightens and she casts a glance back at Tuti, knowing too well she’d be feeling and reading all of her emotions. Tuti’s face gives nothing away. Ariana’s blood boils, her stomach clenches, and her mind scatters, trying to determine what to do.

  Her focus falls to the coffee table beside where Gideon is standing—the spell book is sitting there in the open. The spell book, which Tuti said she had hidden, delivered directly to Gideon. And no doubt on its way to the Sun Queen.

  Hadeon holds out his hand, completely oblivious to the tension swarming through the room. “I was just about to come and get you.”

  Ariana manages a smile, knowing there are only moments until this all unravels. How the hell can Gideon do magic? And how great are his powers?

  “Is everything okay?” Hadeon asks, stepping closer and pulling Ariana into his arms.

  Ariana nods, but narrows her eyes, tightens her lips, trying to convey without words that she is lying and it definitely, definitely isn’t okay.

  Hadeon’s arms tighten around her. He bends and kisses her cheek, lingering at her ear. Ever so softly he says, “Do what you need to do.”

  She nods indiscreetly, moves out of his arms, and turns to Gideon. Tuti is at his side, both of them watching her.

  “Why is the spell book here, Tuti? You were ordered to hide it.”

  Tuti smiles smugly, but says nothing, eyes fixed on Ariana, just like Reid’s were during training when he was trying to anticipate her next move. Gideon’s chest expands and he glares at Ariana.

  “I saw you kill Domascus, Gideon. Why? Why would you do that?”

  Hadeon takes a step forward. “What?”

  She can’t look at him, because she can’t risk turning away from the enemies in front of her.

  “So you’re working for the Sun Queen? You’re one of her plebes too, even after she murdered your wife? Are you weak enough in character that she can coax you to do her bidding?”

  Gideon’s lips twist into a snarl.

  Hadeon tenses beside her. “What the fuck is going on?”

  Ariana continues with her smart-mouthed voice, wanting Gideon to react and to admit in front of Hadeon exactly what he is. “The gutless Warrior and his two-faced sidekick fairy. What did she promise you? A position where you can kiss her fucking ass every day?”

  Gideon’s snarl morphs into a condescending grin. “You stupid little bitch! Don’t you patronize me. I’d kill myself before I had to work for another woman.”

  Ariana narrows her eyes. “Then why?”

  He laughs. “You still don’t get it. But what more do I expect from the mind of a woman? Listen to me carefully, Queen.” He slows his words down, his tone full of mocking sarcasm. “I. Am. The. Sun Queen.”

  Ariana’s eyes widen. You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.

  “You traitor,” whispers Hadeon, disbelief and condemnation entrenched in his tone. A metallic whirr of noise as Hadeon unsheathes his sword and charges at Gideon.

  Pressure clamps around Ariana’s neck. She flings her hands to her throat. The necklace is tugging, digging into her flesh so hard. The chain slices into her neck until it snaps and soars through the air. Tuti snatches the necklace from the air and grins.

  Gideon lifts his hand and roars a spell, stopping Hadeon in his tracks. Hadeon strains, neck tight, muscles bulging, against a force unseen. He can’t move closer, can’t bring his sword down. Hadeon’s eyes are wide with bewilderment.

  Ariana needs to gain control and fast. She looks inside herself for a tether spell so she can chain their hands, bind their legs, and sew their mouths shut. But the words elude her. She can’t cast it off. She clutches at her neck again, feeling the naked, raw skin beneath. Without her necklace she can’t speak the language here.

  Her eyes widen with panic, and she meets Gideon’s gaze. He laughs and laughs and laughs with such ridicule in the throaty rumble.

  “I can’t cast spells,” she says in English to Hadeon. “Without my necklace, I can’t do spells.”

  Hadeon, still straining against an invisible force, says, “You don’t need it for spells.”

  “But I can’t speak the words,” she shrieks.

  Gideon laughs again, his eyes shining black like the scales of a snake. He says something in Fioren—an indecipherable series of clicks and tones—and Hadeon lifts into the air and slams back against the wall of bookshelves. The shelves shake and books fall to the floor as he smashes into it. Thick tree roots grow across his chest, arms, and legs, locking him in place.

  Ariana’s heart drums. Her mind is blank as the shock settles in. Gideon sets his black gaze on Ariana and again with the clicks and grunts, his hands gesturing wide. But she can’t understand a single word. Such regret storms through her veins for not learning the language.

  Stupid necklace. Stupid spell book.

  Both have been more of a hindrance than help. They’ve inhibited Ariana from learning how to perform spells intuitively and the language she was always meant to speak and should know.

  Hadeon says something to his father. Ariana knows a question has been asked in an incredulous tone, despite not understanding the content. Gideon answers. Back and forth words are flung at each other, while Ariana watches the interaction—clueless.

  She again tries to find a spell.

  Blankness.

  She can’t conjure a single word no matter how much her body and mind aches with effort. Hadeon says some
thing to his father and Gideon’s features tighten. He doesn’t answer for some time and then crinkles his nose, narrows his eyes, and the words fling from his snarling mouth. Hadeon’s response is an anguished groan; his gaze drops to the floor and his head lolls slightly forward. His face is a mirror of the emotional pain this betrayal is causing him.

  Hadeon raises his eyes to meet his father’s and yells with so much fury that all the books fall out of the shelves onto the floor with a crash. A smug grin fills Gideon’s face, and he swaggers forward until he is inches from Hadeon. He lifts his fist and smashes it into Hadeon’s face, again and again, the sound sickening as fist hits flesh. The grunts from Gideon are the worst. Ariana looks away as blood slides down Hadeon’s cheek when his flesh flays.

  “Stop it!” Ariana screams when the grunts keep up. She runs at Gideon.

  Gideon turns to her and backhands her across the face. Her head flings to the side and lights shine behind her eyes. All balance is stolen and she stumbles to the ground. His fist is like a sledgehammer. Her face tingles and throbs all the way to the back of her head. She remembers the conversation with Reid at Granny’s. When she mentioned wanting to learn how to defend herself with fists and Reid, incredulous, said he could snap her neck. How foolish she feels now. Reid was right. Physical fierceness would get her nowhere against a Warrior.

  The ground races to meet her, but weightlessness overtakes her before the impact. She lifts her eyes to find herself three feet in the air, flung back toward the empty shelves. She crashes against the shelving, one smashing directly across the middle of her back, knocking all the wind from her lungs. Tightness ropes around her as vines squeeze and trap her to the wall.

  Gideon grumbles something at them both and turns to Tuti. Her eyes widen as she looks upon this enormous Warrior charging at her. She screams and whirls to face the door, but he’s caught her before she can take a step. He’s like a giant bear compared to her fae-like frame. His big hands grip either side of her head, two quick snaps and she crumples to the floor.