The Mating Ritual: Werewolves of Montana Book 9

by Bonnie Vanak

  “Anger is an easier burden to bear than grief,” he murmured, remembering his rage and sorrow when Eleanor died.

  Gideon began to understand. The power had not vanished. It had merely been transferred.

  “I had a little magick regenerated because I am royal. But women in this kingdom are powerless. We are chattel, used for men’s pleasure, with no rights. You saw what Theo’s life was like—hiding as a boy. It was not because boys are revered. It is because girls in this kingdom are taken to be sold as slaves. My sister, Alyssa, is awaiting the transport. Soon, she will become a sex slave to a cruel Fae in the Skin world who relishes raping little girls. She is only six. It will kill her.

  “Those who are not selected for transport simply vanish. I heard rumors, and I believe they are true, that my father’s inner court sacrifices them and uses their blood in dark magick rituals.”

  His stomach clenched and his heart rate dropped in pure shock. Dear goddess…this was the true evil Oren had hidden. And all these days he’d had inklings from the nobles, but only Alia had told him the truth.

  “Why did you not tell me before?” he asked. “Why keep this terrible secret from me?”

  She made a helpless gesture. “What could you do? Your magick in this kingdom is not powerful enough to fight my father. Lord Ekim charged me to assassinate you. He is the noble in charge of guarding the tower where my sister is captive and in turn for me spilling your blood, he would arrange to have my sister escape. Once your blood was spilled, your father would declare war and in the chaos, Ekim would arrange to kill your father. My brother would ascend to the throne, and declare peace.”

  Gideon stared. “It’s an asinine plan.”

  “We are desperate. It is the only way we could free ourselves. Oren gains in dark power each day, and the Crimson Wizard cannot best him, even if he desired to.” Tears streamed down her face. “I have lived as a boxed jewel because of my royal status. But my fellow female Fae are degraded, debauched and abused. I vowed to my mother I would do whatever I could to right this wrong.”

  Alia bit her lip. “You are within your rights to punish me. But know this. I fell in love with you, Gideon. You brought me out of the shadow where I existed, and filled my life with joy and hope. I would rather spend a few hours with you than have an eternity without you.”

  Insight filled him. Alia had hidden a dark secret. All her life she’d been miserable, but didn’t care about her own joy. Like him, she cared only about the fate of the women in her kingdom. Desperation had driven her to do this.

  Gideon saw his life, and hers, as if for the first time.

  Despite all his magick as the Crimson Wizard, his spirit had not been as powerful as Alia. Real strength was being powerless and having the courage to never give up. This woman, whom he trusted and had fallen in love with, had opened his eyes at last.

  “This is why the goddess removed my magick,” he murmured. “Not as punishment for aiding Tristan, but to open my eyes to the truth. I had grown too reliant on my powers, whereas you used whatever means you could to aid your people.”

  Finally she looked at him, two wet jewels shimmering with misery.

  “What are you going to do with me?” she whispered. “Kill me?”

  10

  “Some would say I would be justified to do so.”

  The deep timbre of his smoky voice stroked over her like a velvet lash. Her husband was well within his rights to slay her.

  Dagger in hand, Gideon approached until she could see the green flecks in his deep blue eyes, count the times the thick vein at his throat throbbed with the steady beat of his heart. She rose, instinct nudging her to back away. She kept inching backward until she hit the wall. Alia splayed her palms against the cool surface.

  “I trusted you,” he said softly. “With my heart, my soul, my very life.”

  “I know.” Alia raised her chin, steadying herself to meet death. Please, let Alyssa live. Please spare her.

  His free hand shot out, wrapped around her throat in the lightest of grips. She quivered, but made no attempt to run. If he stabbed her in the heart, she could not blame him, for her betrayal had been the deepest cut of all.

  “Before you do what you must, I beg only one favor. It is not for myself.” She swallowed the last of her pride, feeling it slip down her throat like acid. “My own life matters not. Only the lives of the women in this kingdom are important. Find a way to free my people.”

  Motionless, he looked down at her. Then he raised the dagger. Alia braced herself, her soul pierced with grief. She did not know why this Fae compelled her, why her spirit felt drawn to him. All she knew was the thought of separating from him filled her with heart wrenching anguish.

  Gideon stabbed the wall behind her.

  She released a shaky breath.

  Expecting him to squeeze tight the hand he still wrapped around her throat, she was stunned to feel his thumb stroke slowly over her pulse. “Alia,” he murmured, his touch sensual and gentle. “I asked you to trust me.”

  Gathering her courage, she looked straight at him. “I will, if you will trust me, Gideon. You give me so much, except yourself. You don’t share with me who you truly are or why you chose to go through with this marriage and if it is for the sake of peace, then why is peace so important? The only time I’ve seen the heart of you is in bed.”

  His thumb stilled. “You are right. No more secrets, wife.” He pushed a lock of hair behind her pointed ear. “I’m going to tell you everything. And then, together, we will figure out a way to defeat your father and rid this damn kingdom of the evil that threatens it. But what I will tell you must remain between us.”

  He made her sit, and then took a deep breath. His smile seemed rueful. “When I finish telling you, you may want to try to kill me all over again.”

  Alia’s heart raced. “Gideon, that’s not funny.”

  “I’m not joking.” He looked straight at her. “I am not Prince Gideon of the Winter Kingdom. I am the Crimson Wizard.”

  Her breath caught. “No. It’s impossible,” she whispered, shock making her feel faint. “The Crimson Wizard is immortal and omnipotent. You’re an ordinary Dark Fae prince!”

  “My magick is Dark Fae.” He stretched out his hands and studied them. “I was stripped of my Crimson Wizard powers by the goddess Danu as punishment for aiding a friend, a fellow wizard. She sent me here, to your kingdom, under the guise of glamour. The only power I have is the magick I had when I was a mere mortal, the powers of a dark Fae.”

  Her head swam with this new information.

  “Our marriage served a purpose – to unite the two kingdoms.” Something flickered in his gaze. “I had planned to marry during my mortal life to do the same – and bring an end to the Fae Wars.”

  Stomach clenching, she tried to digest the shocking news, but her logical self could not comprehend the truth. “If you are the Crimson Wizard that makes you… very old.”

  “I am fourteen hundred years old.”

  Something deep inside her stirred, an ancient memory, perhaps. She had no time to entertain memories. She was too busy trying to grasp at the seriousness of what he’d revealed. Alia fisted her hands. “You’re right. I do wish to kill you all over again.”

  But she didn’t. She had fallen in love with this man, only to find out he was an imposter. Anger and grief knotted her stomach.

  “How could you do this?! Everything we’ve shared is a farce!”

  A muscle jumped in his jawline. “Danu arranged it all, glamouring me so everyone, but those closest to me such as Kieran, would think I was the youngest son of the Winter King. I had little choice.”

  “You could have told me!” She fisted her hands, trying to control their shaking. Her stomach knotted with grief and fury.

  “And if I had had told you from the time we were married, with all the spies in your father’s kingdom, there was a chance they might discover the truth. As the wife of the Crimson Wizard, you faced far greater danger than as a par
ty in a marriage agreed upon by both kings. Since I had lost my wizard powers, I could not guarantee your safety.”

  White lines bracketed his mouth and his brow knit. “I vowed long ago to never again let a woman under my protection risk her life.”

  His words made sense, but her emotions were in a whirl. Gideon the Crimson Wizard! She felt used and deceived. No longer able to control her emotions, Alia lunged at him, pushing him against the wall. “You lied to me! All this time I thought you were a Dark Fae, not a member of the Brehon!”

  She began beating at his chest, all the misery and anger boiling up inside her. “I should have aimed for your heart, not your shoulder! You used me for your own purpose! And now that you have what you wanted, you will end this and leave all the women in our misery?”

  He made no attempt to defend himself, but let her hit him. Gideon was far stronger, but he did nothing until her rage turned to sobs.

  “I loved you, damnit! I was forced into this marriage, just as I was forced into trying to kill you. I loved you and you played me for a fool!”

  “Alia, stop.”

  He caught her wrists. She would have struggled, except for the shocking move he did next.

  The Crimson Wizard, the guardian and judge of all Fae, the immortal who could slay her with a single flick of his finger when his powers returned, fell to his knees before her. He clasped her trembling hands.

  “Forgive me, my love,” he whispered. “I never intended to hurt you. My greatest purpose was to discover the evil tainting this kingdom. Never to deceive or harm you, Alia.”

  Alia hesitated, not knowing what to think. She waited.

  Grief and sadness shadowed his expression. “I swore I would never love another woman when I lost my Eleanor almost a thousand years ago. I am sorry for deceiving you, Alia. But I don’t regret our marriage. Not for a single moment.”

  She went still as he gazed up at her. “I will never stop loving Eleanor. But I am certain that my heart is ready again because I’ve fallen in love with you, Alia.

  “Your strength, your courage and your dedication to your people are but few of the qualities I treasure. Most of all, I cherish your tender heart and your selflessness. Once all I craved was power and control as the Crimson Wizard. My biggest fear was being powerless. But I lost my magick and found you. You are far more precious to me than the powers of all the Brehon.”

  A hank of dark gold hair curtained his face as he lowered his head. “I had always intended to tell you the truth, indeed, I planned to tell you before Danu lifted the deception from the eyes of the Fae. I do not know what fate brought us together, Alia, but no matter what happens to me, I will always love you. And when I return to my position as the Crimson Wizard, I will arrange for us to be together.”

  She blinked hard, struggling to regain her composure. “How is that possible?”

  His smile was sad as he lifted his face to her. “I will do what I must so we can be together. Perhaps give up my powers as the Crimson Wizard and give them to the other wizards of the Brehon, if Danu will arrange it so they will protect and judge all Fae. I will not abandon my duties to my people, Alia. But nor will I abandon you.”

  Wonder filled her. No one had ever given up so much for her. She was the Fae who did all for everyone else. “Would you truly do that for me?”

  Gideon stood. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead, a sweet, gentle kiss filled with tenderness. “Yes. I would rather live a single day with you, then spend immortality without you.”

  Then he added in a low voice, “The choice is yours. If you choose to end our marriage, I will arrange it with Danu to grant your freedom.”

  Alia’s anger and grief began to dissolve. He had chosen to tell the truth. So would she.

  “No. I love you too, Gideon. We share no ordinary love, no ordinary bond. I don’t understand it, but I know in my heart we were meant to be together.”

  He waited, searching her gaze.

  “Some part of me sensed your true self, but I denied it,” she continued. “When you visited my father’s court last month as the Crimson Wizard and you gazed at me, I felt we were connected. My head denied it, but my heart did not.”

  She touched his cheek, her fingers trailing against his skin. Gideon sighed and leaned into her caress.

  “I pledged my heart to you, Gideon. I did not wish to hurt you, and I tried to think of a way out of doing so. I would rather die myself than hurt you again,” she whispered.

  Her husband was the Crimson Wizard. The wizard who had not ignored the cries of the Seelie Fae women, but who had not heard because the powerful, growing dark magick covering this kingdom had disguised them.

  Deep inside, her heart knew this Gideon and the Crimson Wizard were the same. She’d felt it in his touch, his passion when he made love to her.

  “I forgive you for trying to kill me,” he said, and his mouth twitched in a smile.

  She touched his lips with her finger. “And I forgive you for keeping the truth from me, husband. But no more lies. No more secrets between us.”

  “None. I promise, wife.” His gaze was solemn. “And now, let’s work on a plan to destroy your father and regain the Summer Kingdom so your brother will rule.”

  11

  They didn’t have much time left to strike at her father.

  Wrists chained together, Alia followed her husband into the throne room. His prisoner.

  Hidden in her skirts was a sharp dagger she’d strapped to her thigh.

  In a box Gideon carried was a replica of the poisoned blade she’d used on him. Gideon would present it as evidence, an excuse to draw close in order to steal the scepter.

  Stealing his diamond scepter was key to toppling Oren. The diamond was filled with pure dark energy.

  Alia fisted her hands, struggling to keep her composure as the curious courtiers stared openly at her.

  I am the wife of the immortal Crimson Wizard, who lost his powers when Danu punished him for aiding Tristan, the Silver Wizard.

  Powerless no more. Alia had seen Gideon grow in strength. Soon, he would regain all his powers. But he lacked the magick to eradicate an ancient Summer King. They could not wait, for Oren must be destroyed before the evil he spread overshadowed the entire kingdom.

  His fellow wizard, Xavier, had confirmed Gideon’s suspicions a short time ago. The drug that killed Maeve had been pure dark magick, the same poison coating the blade she’d used to stab Gideon.

  Chains rattled as she followed Gideon. He halted the required five feet from the edge of the dais. On the throne, her father gripped his scepter, the diamond glowing black.

  “King Oren, I bring evidence of your daughter’s crime. She tried to kill me.” Gideon spoke boldly and with confidence.

  Gasps from the assembled courtiers. Instead of beckoning Gideon forward, as normal court protocol demanded, Oren laughed. “I know.”

  She tried not to let panic grip her. She and Gideon planned to approach the king, then she would pretend to bolt and during the distraction as the guards chased her, Gideon would seize the scepter.

  “Guards. Take my daughter away to the antechamber.” Oren smiled. “Then, Prince Gideon, you and I will have a talk.”

  This wasn’t going to work.

  The moment the guards threw her into the antechamber. Alia began working on freeing herself. The chains were breakable, but Gideon had to make them look real.

  A voice spoke from the shadows. “Alia. Alone at last.”

  She knew this Fae. But what was Silvia doing here? Alia stared as her friend emerged from the corner, her hair mussed, her eyes wild.

  “Silvia ? How did they find you?”

  A slow smile. “I came to court on a certain request.”

  Alia’s heart raced. Here was the real enemy. Power pulsed from Silvia, pure black energy that pushed at Alia’s brain, threatened to suffocate her. She gasped for air.

  “W-ho requested y-you?” Alia stammered, struggling to speak amid the gathering darkness
in the air, the pure heaviness.

  “My real lord. The Dark Lord. He asked me to kill you. All the other deaths, they fed him power. But you, what you carry with you, that magick… with the power you carry, once he has absorbed it, I doubt the goddess Danu could defeat him.”

  Alia stared in horror as her former friend tore at her face, leaving bloody furrows. But nothing could prepare her for the blood-curdling shock when the wounds healed and Silvia’s face changed.

  In the place of her friend was Lord Ekim, the noble who wished Alia to assassinate Gideon.

  Silvia gouged her flesh again, and assumed the face and body of a woman and the wounds healed once more.

  “D-dark glamour,” Alia whispered.

  “The darkest. Lord Ekim was the first blood sacrifice to my lord. So noble and good, he wished to bring me under his protection and marry me when King Oren noticed me. I met him in the forest, and fucked Lord Ekim…and slit his throat.”

  Ekim had been kinder to her than her own father. Grief pierced Alia, but she kept working at her bonds.

  “I drained his power, and gained the ability to use glamour once more. And then pledged my services to the Dark Lord. He has tried to gain a foothold in our kingdom, but the Crimson Wizard’s warding always kept him at bay. With Ekim’s murder, I opened a door. I became your father’s mistress to get close to him and turn him to the true power waiting for King Oren.

  “I made Scathal, and the drug ate away the addicts. For Oren, the drug took away the grief and pain of losing Willow. It slowly eroded his reason and sent him on the descent into madness. ”

  “The white fungus I saw in Cantabria…” One link fell open and she worked harder to loosen the others.

  “Five Fae addicted to the Scathal fled to the neutral town to escape the madness in their brains. The townspeople saw what they were and evicted them, but not before the drug’s residue poisoned the building the addicts inhabited. Each time another Fae became addicted, the fungus grew.”