“Well, just in case, why don’t you ask if you can learn to fight too? You know, with that dagger Hugo gave you?” he suggested the twinkle back in his eye. “I’m sure Jack won’t mind teaching you a few tricks if you ask him,” he chuckled and winked at her.
She pulled a face and hit his arm.
“Hey! There’s no need for that!” he protested, laughing. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Yeah, you know I’m right.” He laughed as her face flushed.
“I don’t know that at all,” she denied haughtily.
He just prodded her in the ribs and grinned. “Well, if you don’t, you should. And if you don’t want Jack to teach you, how about Hugo?”
Diamond flashed him a filthy look but, rather than explain why that was a bad idea on so many different levels, she grinned. Time to get her own back. “Soo…tell me about Zane. Have you stopped playing hard to get and slept with him yet?” Then fell into peals of laughter at Tom’s cherry red cheeks.
***
Two weeks later Diamond cringed as Tom took another blow on his ribs. Despite a grunt and a stumble, he did not give up. Being so gangly made him look clumsy and awkward every time he moved, but it seemed Tom was getting the hang of fighting with a staff now. He ignored her whoop of encouragement. He had made the mistake of looking over at her on his first day, but not since. His bruises were only just fading.
Diamond knew she should leave; getting Tom into trouble again was the last thing she wanted.
Glancing over her shoulder at her friend, she walked away from the patch of open training ground. It was strange not seeing Tom as often now, but they were not children anymore, and their lives were taking very different paths.
Her loneliness, constantly tinged with fear, had become a familiar feeling. Jack had gone out to the valley so she hadn’t seen him since the dinner. Unsurprisingly, General Edo had gone with him. Diamond missed Jack far more than she should and, until today, had not dared venture out of her room alone. Kitty and Rose encouraged her to walk through the grounds with them every day, and they stayed to keep her company in her room when they could. But Diamond was still listless, waiting to see what her fate would entail. Without Rose and Kitty she would have gone completely mad.
Being watched every hour of every day and night by ruthless guards had worked Diamond into a regular state of panic. Daily anxiety attacks rendered her utterly useless. Controlling them with the help of her friends in the daytime was one thing, but once Rose and Kitty left, fear pushed against Diamond’s mind, her muscles tightening until it felt like her spine might snap. With orders not to lock her door, she often sat with her back against it, petrified the elite guards might see fit to attack her again. Thankfully, Attion had never been one of her guards.
Uttering a prayer, she thanked the goddess, and Hugo, for their favour. But sitting on the floor with her back against the door all night, every night had left Diamond tired and aching. It was out of necessity she began to re-learn how to control her panic attacks alone.
Imagining Hugo’s calming heat and magic wrapped around her body seemed the only way to retain her equanimity. The guards would not attack randomly she told herself time and again, until she began to believe it. It had taken five nights to persuade herself to move away from the door, and another two until she could lay on the bed and close her eyes.
Now, when Tu Lanah lit the dark night sky, her thoughts were much calmer. Every night Diamond delved deep inside her body, grasping the flickering ember of her magic whilst fixing Hugo’s face firmly in her mind. Her magic never felt like it would break free and take control, but fear of what Hugo would do if he sensed her connecting with it stopped her from coaxing its diminished existence into more. It comforted her to know that it was not smothered completely by the shield or the Queen’s spells, that it was still able to react to her touch and her thoughts.
Diamond had only seen Hugo four times since that night she had thrown herself at him; each time only at a distance, but she knew the guards reported to him about her comings and goings with Rose and Kitty. Occasionally his deep voice would resonate through her bedroom door; she would wait, hoping he would come in, only to curse him hatefully when he walked away.
Turning left, Diamond joined a gravel track. It meandered back towards the rear of the palace. Avoiding the front part of the palace grounds and the entrance to the Queen’s tower had seemed the wisest course of action since she had been venturing outside.
Her dark green tunic—another gift from her benefactor—flapped open. Sliding it off revealed a sheer silk blouse. She glanced around but, other than her silent guards, no one paid her any attention so she did not worry. The chill from the early morning air had evaporated and glorious sunshine warmed her skin.
Her body felt stronger again. Along with increasing her exercise, she had forced herself to eat properly. There was no room in her plan for physical weakness. Diamond walked briskly, her feet crunching on the gravel as her stomach grumbled loudly. She would eat breakfast before going to the library to research.
Her guards always stayed near the doors of the massive library, convinced she might try and escape. It made her life a lot easier, not having to explain her reading choices, so she didn’t care. Working towards her escape was the only thing keeping Diamond sane, and if the idiots wanted to believe she would actually try and run out of the front doors, then so be it.
A shadow fell across her path, blocking out the light from the sun. Instantly her steps faltered.
“Good morning, Hugo,” she said tightly, sounding anything but welcoming as he landed in front of her.
Metal disappeared in a shimmer of blue and silver as he tucked his wings in behind his back. “Good morning, Diamond,” he answered, equally guarded.
Diamond tried to stop her traitorous pulse racing as he ran his eyes over her, his gaze lingering on the soft contours of her breasts. She looked away and began walking again.
Hugo frowned. With one look—a silent command—the guards dropped back. He fell in step beside her before, without warning, spinning in front of her.
Unprepared for such an abrupt halt, Diamond banged into his massive body, momentarily stunned. Immediately irritated with him, she clicked her tongue against her front teeth. Her boots scuffed the gravel as she shuffled back—and gaped.
Garbed in his official dress uniform, Hugo stole her ability to speak. Blackened Silverbore armour gleamed against tough black leather. The outfit’s whole upper body seemed moulded around his defined muscles, accentuating his broad shoulders, large arms and trim waist. Emblazoned across his chest was the fierce jade green sea serpent of the Queen’s sigil.
Diamond wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sign of his servitude to the immortal Queen.
Hugo, in turn, cocked his head slightly to one side, studying her before taking one hesitant step forward. Diamond’s feet did not obey her command to step away; instead she inhaled deeply, cursing the fae blood and instincts that made her do so. His musky scent rushed her senses, making her head swim. Angrily she stamped on her racing heart, trying her best to calm her unsteady breathing.
A curse slipped out under her breath as her legs actually wobbled. Ridiculous! She couldn’t let herself be so affected by him. She still felt that familiar tug in her chest. How absurd to miss that magical touch so much. At his nearness, her magic flickered from an ember into a flame that licked along her bones. Diamond slowly raised her eyes to his face, her magic surging towards him.
He seemed taller than ever and twice as…well, everything: intimidating, handsome, imposing. She gritted her teeth. He was muddling her mind, that was all. She quickly pulled back her magic lest he feel it. Hugo’s eyes widened, his fists clenching as his nostrils flared.
Too late. Damn! Diamond struggled to curb her thoughts and her magic. But no matter how hard she tried she could not command it to withdraw. Wild and heady, it danced with his, sending shivers through her whole body.
Avoiding that beautiful sapphire gaze, Diamond coughed and sh
uddered, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes and resolutely distracted herself by studying his weapons, her own fists mirroring his.
They were both fighting whatever was going on between them. Forcing herself to step back Diamond took in the daggers sheathed on his waist and the knife hilts glinting in his vambraces. As always, his crossed swords sat snugly on his back. A few deep breaths and she again had control of her voice…if not her feelings.
“So? To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” she asked coolly, hurt that he had ignored her for over two weeks.
“The Queen has ordered your attendance at court this afternoon,” he answered bluntly.
“What? Why?” she sputtered, her stomach lurching sickeningly. She folded her arms across her chest in an unconsciously protective gesture. Breathe, she told herself.
Hugo’s eyes flickered at her stance, his body stiffening minutely. Diamond dropped her arms, her hands slapping loudly against her thighs. Sunlight glinted off his weapons as he stared intently. Hating herself for her weakness and hating him for her predicament, she wrapped a finger in her hair and began twisting it as her eyes darted about the gardens, looking anywhere but at the fae warrior who was both her friend and her enemy.
“I don’t know. But my orders are to make sure you are there,” he answered stiffly.
“Please, Hugo. I can’t. Those guards—they’ll hurt me again…you will…you’ll….” She could not do this, she could not go with him—she gulped air. Her breathing was wrong—this was all wrong. They were going to kill her or hurt her. She wobbled sideways. Her mind wasn’t prepared…she wasn’t prepared…oh gods…she couldn’t do it.
“Diamond,” Hugo said softly, but his eyes flickered to her guards, who watched the couple through narrowed eyes. “Slow your breathing down.”
Sparks flicked across her darkening vision. He stepped forwards. Diamond instantly stepped away from him. Fear stole her reason. The Queen….
Hugo grabbed her shoulders, so close now his scent made her head swim. Without thinking she blinked, gasping in surprise when her magic flared and her vision changed. Soothing and calming, his silver serpents wrapped around her arms, sliding over her skin, stroking her reassuringly. One floated and touched her face. Tears burned her eyes. She had missed his touch so much. Hugo angled his body so the two elite guards could not see the compassion on his face.
“Diamond, shh…. It’s okay. Take some slow breaths. In through your nose…that’s it, out through your mouth…keep going…slowly. That’s it.” Large calloused fingers reached for hers, disentangling them from her hair. “Leave your hair,” he instructed gently, his touch lingering against her hands before he let go. “Do not let her do this to you. Do not let her break you. It is what she wants: to dominate and control you, to play mind games with you. Whatever she orders this afternoon, you do it. Do you understand? Then you will stay alive. You are strong enough to survive anything she throws at you, Diamond. You just have to believe you are.”
Shocked by his words, she could only stare as he took a step back from her. It was hard to think straight with him so close and touching her like that with his magic. A laugh almost escaped her. How wrong he was about her. She couldn’t even breathe through her anxiety. She was weak in mind and body, and the Queen knew it.
Unable to meet his eyes, she jumped when he lifted his gloved hand. He immediately dropped it when she flinched away. It was not that she feared him, quite the opposite. The memory of his hands against her bare skin, of his hips pushing against hers, made her cheeks flame. She studied his boots. Gods, how could she want someone so much it hurt to look at him?
Oblivious, Hugo stared at the strand of coiled silver resting against the side of her face. A frown etched his brow, his fingers twitching like he wanted to smooth the knot away. Then he pushed his wings out ready for flight.
“Come. I will take you back to your room,” he said firmly.
“No! Thank you,” she barked breathlessly.
“Why not?” Hugo asked, his face smoothing into its customary mask.
“Because you belong to her! Because you are my enemy. How many reasons do you want, Hugo?” she cried. “I just don’t want to be held by you,” she hissed, knowing that was completely untrue.
“Really? Because I seem to remember you begging to stay in my arms the last time we were together,” he reminded her.
Diamond’s cheeks heated as he took another step forwards and, a little hastily, she was forced to step back again.
Hugo raised his dark eyebrows. “Diamond?” he whispered, angling himself further from the two guards watching like hawks. They could not hear nor see his face now. “I am not your enemy. I know you feel your magic reacting to mine whenever we’re close to each other—I know because I can feel it too,” he said. His scar twisted ever so slightly and she saw a smile curl the edges of his mouth.
Mortified, Diamond covered her embarrassment with a scowl. “It isn’t that…I mean—I can feel it but…. I-I’ll walk back,” she stuttered, her cheeks on fire now.
“Of course,” he said, smiling widely as he studied her hot face. For a moment he didn’t say anything before adding, “Enjoy your walk to the wall with Rose. I will fetch you from your room this afternoon at three thirty. And remember what I said: You are strong enough to survive anything she throws at you.”
His words were like a bucket of cold water to her face. She paled. What is his mistress likely to throw at me? Not daring another look at him, frightened she may throw herself at his mercy and beg him to take her away from the palace, Diamond hastily turned on her heel and marched off along the track toward the rear towers of the palace.
Rose donned a wool shawl and led Diamond by the hand. They walked through the manicured gardens and exited an ornately decorated metal gate that took them from the rear grounds into the large main courtyard.
Diamond’s jaw dropped open. The palace was impressive from the rear gardens, but the scale and grandeur of the whole thing from the front blew her away. Elegant granite buildings of various sizes rose above her. Tall spires, topped with green flags, reached for the blue sky. Turning on the spot, Diamond could see how the palace was built on a large plateau. On one side ornate bridges spanned mighty fissures that seemed to drop away between the rocky cliffs to an ocean—or perhaps even the city below. A long gravel road led to the distant palace gates.
Diamond slowly raised her eyes. The Queen’s tower loomed over her, pink and glittering and resplendent in the sunlight. Inside sat that wicked woman. Diamond turned away trying to calm her fear of what was to happen later.
Queen’s elite guards stood at attention around the edge of the manicured lawn watching all new arrivals. Diamond wondered if she might see Hugo again. More guards, adorned in gleaming Silverbore and leather armour, lined the grand steps and stood to attention either side of the main door. Holy gods, Hugo was terrifying enough on his own, but all of these warriors together made a fearsome sight.
The courtyard was buzzing with carriages, horses and people; smartly dressed men, women and fae coming and going in a steady stream.
“Those gates you can see are about a mile away,” explained Rose. “They’re normally shut, but the Queen is holding court today. The rich and landed always attend her, especially since the Rift Valley is so full of refugees, not to mention Prince Jack’s army. Most of this lot look like the lords who own estates in the Rift Valley. They are all fae, all territorial and are all well and truly disgruntled with the amount of refugees on their land. There is often trouble out in the valley because of it.”
“How do you know so much?” asked Diamond curiously, never having been interested in the politics of her own home town.
“Oh. It pays to know people. You know? Maybe a gorgeous warrior….” She smiled and blushed, dropping her voice so the guards behind them couldn’t hear.
Diamond’s mouth dropped open.
Rose just grinned and hooked Diamond’s arm, walkin
g briskly along the side of the gravel road towards the distant gates.
“Rose! Really? You mean you have a…friend who works for the Queen? Holy gods, how d’you get away with that?”
“Shhh! We’re careful, that’s how,” Rose said, eyeing the guards meaningfully.
Another thought struck Diamond, “Rose? Are you—you know—mated?” she asked, her cheeks warming. Not because she was embarrassed by the question but because she was thinking of someone else entirely.
Rose leaned in conspiratorially and grinned. “His name is Fedron, and he is twenty-four,” she grinned. “And no, we aren’t mated but,” she winked and smiled wickedly, “if he asked me I would do it, be his mate, I mean. It would be a huge commitment but I…well, I guess I love him enough.”
Not much of a declaration of undying love, reflected Diamond, but held her own counsel.
“He would need the Queen’s permission, and the cold-hearted bitch issued an order months ago. None of her soldiers are to mate until the war is over.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Fedron says he agrees. He says it wouldn’t be fair to me to go through creating such a bond when he might be killed. It means sneaking around so his superiors don’t find out, but that’s okay—mostly. Kitty knows—and my friends outside the palace.” She shrugged. “They don’t really like him. They think he’s taking advantage of me—but he’s not.” Her mouth turned to a stubborn line as if she were convincing herself, not Diamond, of those words.
It didn’t sound okay to Diamond; if anything, sneaking around and trying not to get caught sounded dangerous. “Oh,” she responded, not sure what else to say.
They walked in silence until Diamond turned back to get a view of the vast palace grounds from a distance. Towers, turreted walls and huge sprawling buildings with pointed spiked pinnacles stretched across the far breadth of the plateau. In front of the palace the impressive open grounds were dotted with groups of training soldiers and warriors. A large enclosure that looked like a barracks nestled up against the far outer walls.
A Bond of Venom and Magic (The Goddess and the Guardians Book 1) Page 23