by CY Jones
“Everyone but my son out,” she shouts, dismissing us all.
With one last look in Kaiden’s direction, I turn and leave, glad I’ll be away from whatever conversation she’s about to have with him. I’m sure she’s about to lay it in on him, displeased with how things went. What she thought was merely a sheep, turned out to be the big bad wolf. She may have had the upper hand on me at first, but by the end, it’s clear who won this battle.
“Your move,” I whisper to the air as I turn, leaving out the double doors.
Chapter Fourteen
Winter
Out in the hall Tristan is waiting for me with his brother at his side.
“Winter, this is my brother Lucifer,” he says, introducing us.
Almost choking on a laugh, I gasp, “Lucifer? You have gotta be shitting me”
“Not at all fair princess,” he replies, eyes twinkling as he reaches for my hand, kissing it.
“I’m sorry. Your name took me by surprise,” I say sheepishly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lucifer says, winking at me.
“So, that was interesting,” Fabien says, walking up to us and clapping Tristan on the shoulder.
“Yes, imagine my surprise when my little brother shows up with a beautiful woman who he knighted himself to, leaving me with no choice but to publicly pledge my House’s allegiance to someone I don’t even know, so that he wouldn’t be executed for treason.”
“What?” I shout, looking up at him shocked. How did I miss this? “You didn’t say that could happen when you asked to be my knight,” I retort, looking sternly in Tristan’s direction.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew my brother would have my back,” he answers. His eyes plead with mine to understand. He might think that, but I’m sure he didn’t tell me because if he did, I wouldn’t have let him go through with it.
I’m so pissed at Tristan, I didn’t notice Lucifer produce a dagger and cut his palm until he’s nothing but a blur as he grabs my hand, and slices my palm open, pressing our palms together, mixing our blood. The effect is immediate. My ears pound with the sound of a thousand heartbeats beating together. Power like I never felt before flows through me, connecting me to each and every beat.
In a whisper, Lucifer chants, “blood of my blood, heart, body, and soul, I pledge myself, my people, my armies, and allegiance to Princess Winter of House Storm until she breathes her last, and death divides us.”
“What the hell Lucy? You could have warned her first,” Tristan growls as Lucifer removes his palm from mine, sealing the bond.
For whatever insane reason, I laugh. Hearing Tristan call his brother Lucy is completely hilarious to me. All the stress and tension from today leaves my body, and for once I don’t feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.
“Oh look Lucifer, you broke her,” Fabien says, looking amused.
I laugh even harder before I finally calm down from their frantic faces. Apparently, they think the pressure has finally gotten to me, and I’ve gone insane.
“I’m ok,” I gasp, holding my hands up. A slight giggle escapes my lips, and I quickly cover my mouth to muffle it.
“Ok, well what my brother so rudely didn’t explain was that he linked you to our House. Now, if you’re ever in danger our soldiers will feel it, as well as you will feel all our people,” Tristan explains.
“I kinda figured that after hearing his oath.”
The sound of applause catches our attention, and when I turn my head towards the sound, my gaze lands on the beautiful man with crystal blue eyes walking towards us.
“Bravo,” he says still clapping. Stopping in front of me, he gives me a deep bow. “I have to tell you, that little performance in there was the highlight of my day,” the stranger states, smiling widely, flashing his perfect white teeth.
“Prince Chaos,” Tristan says, through gritted teeth.
“Prince,” I gasp confused.
“Yes, pretty girl, prince,” he answers in a bored tone.
“Huh. How?” I ask lost as hell. Kaiden never told me he had a brother.
“Well, princess. I’m the dirty, dark secret no one likes to talk about. Something you and I have in common I hear,” he replies, looking me over in interest.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” I say to him, looking away.
“Long story short, my mother was tricked by your ancestor to fall in love with the fairy King of Spring Court where they produced a child, me. Tada,” he explains sarcastically.
“My ancestor?” I frown. “Who?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Chaos replies, waving my question away.
“What the hell? How are you even still alive?” I ask angry.
“You want to know why the Council hasn't killed me yet?”
“Yes, I thought they hated half breeds. You know, soiling the bloodlines and all that jazz,” I reply.
“They do. I’m just special,” he says vaguely.
“What does that even mean?” I question.
“Again, doesn’t matter. What does matter, is you, pretty girl.”
"Why are you so confusing?” I ask agitated.
“Because that’s just him,” Tristan answers cutting in. “Isn’t that right, cousin?” Tristan says, glaring over at him.
Cousin, so their related. What the hell? I’m so confused.
“You’re welcome by the way,” Chaos says.
“For what?” I ask, eyebrows raised.
“You used my power in there when you made the walls shake. Nice control by the way,” he adds, shocking me.
“I didn't use your power,” I reply, shaking my head.
“So, you’ve always been able to move the earth and make walls crumble? Not to mention yesterday when you were manipulating water on the ship. Oh, and waking you from that nightmare,” he whispers the last part in my ear.
Ok, seriously what’s with this guy? I wanted to tell him he’s insane, but all at once it hits me. Shocked, I look up and stare at his perfect face. More importantly his eyes. Crystal blue. The same color eyes that has been a part of my life way longer than I even realised.
“Fuck, you’re the God of Creation,” I whisper.
“At your service,” he says dryly. “I’m glad to see you have brains to go along with that pretty face. I would hate to be bonded to an idiot,” he adds, harshly.
“Hey, I didn’t ask to be bonded to you, and why are you so nonchalant about it? You can’t just give out information like that all willy nilly in a full hallway. You have no clue who could be listening,” I lecture him looking around.
“Unlike you, I don’t give a flying fuck who hears. No one here is dumb enough to challenge me.”
“Apparently someone did, or else I wouldn’t be bonded to you in the first place,” I whisper under my breath, but of course he heard me.
Hostility aside, we both stare at each other with what I’m ashamed to admit is sexual tension so thick no one speaks.
“Let's find you a room,” Fabien suggest, breaking up the tension. “We can’t have you pitching a tent out on the front lawn, now can we?”
“Great idea, I have just the room in mind,” Chaos says, grabbing my hand, and pulling me down the hall.
Traveling down a series of hallways we take so many twists and turns, I’m sure I will need a GPS to find my way out of here.
“How much further?” I whine.
“Almost there, beautiful,” Chaos answers.
“Where are we going anyways?”
“The royal wing. It’s located all the way across the castle. The furthest away from danger if the castle ever came under siege,” he explains.
“Why are we going there?” I ask.
Annoyed, Chaos looks back at me like he’s talking to a two year old.
“Because, beautiful, you don’t choose the rooms here, they choose you.”
“What does that even mean?” I question. I was confused, tired, and hungry, all at the same time, and most importa
ntly, not in the mood for bullshit.
“Does she normally ask this many questions?” Chaos stops long enough to ask Tristan.
Giving Tristan a glare that says answer him and you’re dead, he wisely keeps his mouth shut, and I hear Chaos sigh heavily and whisper, “pussy,” under his breath. Followed by Fabiens laugher, and a thump before he yells, “ouch.”
Finally, we stop in front of a wide door made from a polished dark wood and gold accents. I catch Lucifer giving his brother a weird look, and Tristan’s shrug. I don’t know why, but I feel a familiarity even though I’ve never been here before.
“Go ahead, try it,” Chaos says, pushing me forward.
“Pushy much,” I snap, glaring at Chaos, which of course, doesn’t faze him. I don’t think much does. Ignoring him, I turn my attention back to the door. This whole, the room chooses you bit was making me feel a little like Goldilocks. Getting it over with, I reach for the gold handle and turn. At first nothing happens. Confused, I grip the handle harder, and it cuts my hand. “Ouch,” I mutter pulling my hand back and the door suddenly slams open.
Laughing Chaos shouts, “I knew it. Apparently you were just right, Goldilocks.”
“First of all, stay out of my head, and second why did the door attack me?” I ask sucking the blood off my finger.
“I’ve already told you, the room chooses you. To do that, it takes a sample of blood. Sorry about that by the way,” he adds sheepishly, and if it weren’t for the shit eating smile on his face, I would have believed he was being sincere. “Anywho, this is the King chambers, and your father’s old bedroom. No one has been able to open this door since your father left, much to the Queen’s displeasure.”
He lost me at my father’s old room. Holding my breath, I step inside, and immediately I’m assaulted with his scent. It’s like he never left, and tears come to my eyes. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stand shell-shocked in the room, not really seeing it, but feeling it. I didn’t even notice when everyone except Chaos left until he wraps me in a warm embrace, letting me lay my head against his chest. From the little I know of the guy, comforting someone seemed so unlike him.
“I’m sorry,” I say wiping my eyes as I try to compose myself.
“It’s ok, beautiful.”
Stepping away from him I ask where the others went.
“They wanted to give you some privacy.”
“And you didn’t,” I reply, staring into his beautiful eyes.
“No,” he answers. “No one has been in this room in a couple hundred years, I was curious.”
“Is that the only reason why you stayed? Curiosity,” I question, raising my brow.
“So many questions,” he murmurs, closing the gap and kissing me soundly.
His lips are soft, and he kisses me like I’m the only person who matters in the world.
“Because you are,” he whispers.
“Stay out of my head,” I mumble against his lips.
Smiling, he kisses me deeper, gripping my ass, and pulling me to his hard body.
“As much as I would love to see what you look like out of this Xena Warrior Princess outfit, I know you’re exhausted.”
“What makes you think I would let you?”
“Beautiful, don’t ask questions we both already know the answer to.”
“Cocky much,” I say smiling.
“Don’t worry, beautiful, you’ll be seeing that cock soon enough. Come on, let me show you around."
"The room is basically the same as all the others except it’s the largest in the castle. This first room is the sitting chamber, or living room in human terms. Through there is the bedroom, bathroom, and through the door over there is the patio to your own bailey.”
“What’s a bailey?”
“Courtyard,” he answers. “Also, that’s where your familiars went, just in case you were wondering,” he adds.
“Oh,” I reply, yawning wide. It’s been a long day.
“Now, now, beautiful, don’t tempt me,” he groans, staring at my mouth and making me blush. “You should get a good look around, because when you wake the room will be different.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
I’m tired as hell and can feel the exhaustion deep in my bones. Him being confusing is just adding to it.
“All the rooms work on magic. Not only does the room chooses you, it also changes to the owner’s preference. The way the room is now is how your father wanted it. When you wake it’ll be the way you want it,” he explains.
“That is freaky, and cool all at the same time,” I answer.
“Get a feel for the room. I’m going to go rub it in Hera’s face that the chamber she always wanted chose her enemy,” he says, rubbing his palms together, grinning from ear to ear.
“Won’t she just kick me out, and make me choose another?”
“She can’t. The room chose you Winter. It will not choose another unless you leave for good. It will only allow the people you want to enter, and I don’t see Hera making that guest list.”
He’s right about that. Now that I met her, I didn’t want that bitch anywhere near me. It was too much temptation to kill her.
“Thanks Chaos. For everything,” I add softly. I don’t particularly remember my nightmare, but I know it was a bad one, and because of him I got through it. Understanding, he leaves me to my thoughts, humming a familiar lullaby as he walks out the door.
Before I crash, I take the time to look around. The room itself reminded me of home. The colors were the same, white, ice blue, and grey. The same white couches and grey fur rugs decorated the living space. The only difference are the antique tables, and older, priceless artwork decorating the walls. In the bedroom, a huge four poster bed made from black polished wood dominates the space, made up with black silk sheets, and covered by a brown fur blanket. A matching vanity sits by the wall, and I walked over to it, running my eyes over all the little knick knacks left on it. A ring with the House Storm insignia catches my eye, and I slip it on my pointer finger. In awe, I watch as it forms to fit perfectly on my finger. Walking over to my dad’s closet, I sniff his clothes, filling my nostrils with his scent, and it brings back memories from when I was little. I use to do this when I missed him when he went away on long business trips.
“I love you dad,” I whisper to the empty space. Exhausted, I tuck myself into the bed, and fall into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Kaiden
“What the hell Kaiden? You were suppose to bring back a scared little girl, not that,” mom screeches.
“What do you want me to tell you, mother? I did what you asked. It’s not my fault you don’t like the results,” I reply in a bored tone.
Narrowing her eyes at me, a clear indication that she does not appreciate the tone I’m using, she goes back to twirling her ring on her finger.
“She’s not the only one who didn’t come back the way I would like,” she states snidely. “Did you hear when that little tart threatened me? Threatened all of us with her little show of power.”
“What did you think was going to happen after you threatened her familiars?” I ask her exasperated.
“What I wanted was a meek little girl that can easily be kept in line,” she yells angrily.
I had to smile at that. Out of all the things that describe Winter, meek is not one of them, nor can she ever be controlled. I’ve learned that the hard way, and I can’t say I’m upset that I lost. Tuning back in, I listen to the rest of mother’s rant.
“Even after I sent that halfwit Raven to the shipping docks to rattle the girl, she still came back here filled with anger and defiance. I’m sure they’re already spreading rumors that she is the girl blessed by the Gods, destined to unite the species. Do you have any idea how easy this can all get out of control, or do you no longer care about being King of this kingdom one day?”
I should have known my mother had something to do with Raven just showing up today, but this time her manipu
lative ways affected me. Raven didn’t rattle Winter. If anything, it helped fuel an already blazing fire.
“I don’t see what the problem is mother. Almost everyone thinks it’s a myth, a children's story. Nothing to take serious,” I tell her.
“I can’t not take things seriously Kaiden. I’ve already lost one powerful household, and over a quarter of my armies to her as it is, and that was within the first five minutes of her being here.”
“Well, you wanted me to retrieve her and I did. I did warn you beforehand of what will happen if people knew an heir from House Storm lived.” I was so over this. Her complaining was giving me a headache. Already, my temples were pulsing with pain, and I wanted nothing more than to lay down in my bed. A luxury I know I’m not going to see soon since mom was on a roll, committing to this rant of hers.
“Well, excuse me if I didn’t want my only son to go insane, since you were foolishly under the impression that you could fuck your way into forgetting about the bond.” When she looks over at me, she takes a deep breath and calms herself down. Maybe she could tell I was ready to walk out on her, or maybe for once she’s acting like a mom and decided to show me pity. “What else happened while you were gone?” She asks.
“I’ve already told you. I located Winter where you said she would be. After doing my research, I found out about how her father had gone missing. I informed her about her past, and after an attempt on her life, we left and came here. On the way here, the veil blessed her with the sword you saw her use today, and we arrived shortly after you sent Raven, who by the way, pissed Winter off more than it made her unsure about herself,” I answer, giving her only the edited version. There’s no way I can tell her about Asterial, and his part in all this. She’s already freaking out about losing part of her army to Winter. I hate to see what she would do if she found out the Dark King has pledged allegiance to her as well.
“Is that it, son?” She questions.