by L. J. Stock
I’d done everything I could to help, and my father was trying to arrange another guard for him, one he didn’t know quite as well as Aiolos. Though no matter who was placed at his side, he would know them in some capacity.
It had been almost two weeks since that night and we were finally being allowed to translocate back to Mortisali so we could attend the memorial service for all those who lost their lives in the battle. The security detail was insane from what I understood of Rasmus and Damon's conversations. Damon had taken to living vicariously through him, even though Rasmus, now my full-time personal guard, wasn’t there much himself while I’d been confined to the farmhouse.
We were taking my family back with us when we went, including Mom, Steven, Oliver, and a pregnant Liana. It was a trial period for them to see if they were comfortable with the way things were run there. A room had been prepared for them and we were going to stay for a couple of weeks to let them taste the real Mortisalian lifestyle. Once all of the security measures were in place, it would be one of the safest destinations in any dimension. As far as my brother and his family were concerned, that was a huge selling point, to them as well as myself.
“What about the villages?” Damon asked Rasmus, bringing me back to the present. I was standing at the window, watching the horses run around the paddock. Rasmus and Damon were sitting at the dining room table with Zander, talking about security for the memorial. It was going to remain in place after the fact so the palace would be considered a stronghold.
“There are soldiers in all of the surrounding villages. It's the first line of defense. Anyone heading toward the palace will have to pass through one of those first. The lands in between have been reinforced. Some of the cameras and sensors that Zander was able to get us have been set up in the forests and the infrareds have been placed intermittently around the perimeter so if the veneficus try to mask themselves, they'll still be caught. The place is locked up tight. They'd be idiots to try another attack like the last one. We'd be ready for them.”
“I feel useless.” Damon sighed, throwing himself back in his chair and running his hands through his hair. I knew he would rather be out there checking and double checking the perimeter himself. It was in his DNA. He wouldn’t rest until he’d had the chance to look for himself, and I could almost count on the fact that he would sneak out there the moment we got back. I made my way over to him and planted a kiss on his head as a show of moral support. I knew how he felt. It may have been more amplified than my frustrations, but I still understood.
“Guys, would you excuse us a second?” I asked. I wanted to reassure him and make sure this was really what he wanted. We hadn't talked about it much since the revelation, and I was worried that this was all going too quickly for him. We’d spent the last two weeks together, reacquainting ourselves, testing the boundaries of our new relationship, and, against all odds, falling deeper in love. We just hadn’t talked about whether his being part of this was okay with him, or if it was a deal-breaker. I knew he loved me, but I also knew he loved his job. The two of us had avoided the topic up to that point, but I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. I needed to clear the air.
Rasmus and Zander gave us a nod and stood up, leaving the area. There wasn't much privacy in this house – we were packed in as tightly as sardines – but there was enough to talk and that’s all I needed. I made my way around him and slipped into his lap, my hands resting on his shoulders.
“Do you regret it?” I asked, hating how unsure I sounded to my own ears.
“Regret what?” he asked, kissing my nose and pulling my body tighter against his. It was weird having the freedom to show our affection for one another. The two weeks we’d had together had been quite an adjustment period.
“Falling in love with me,” I said quietly, brushing the hair from his forehead. “Your life has changed so much and I know you hate being so inactive like this. You weren’t really given much of a choice, and no one asked you what you wanted.”
“You're worth it, Cass.”
“That's not what I'm asking, Damon. You lived for your position in the Regius Custos, and now, you're the one being protected. I can see it in your eyes.” I ran my fingers down the edge of his defined jaw and captured his eyes with mine. “You hate not having the freedom to fight for what you believe in. Being wrapped in cotton wool like this... You're distant.”
“You're right. I did live for my position in the guard, but that was before I found you again. If you think for a second I would give you up for that, you're insane. I love you, Cass. I have from the moment I found you all those years ago.”
It warmed my heart to hear him say it. It even managed to chase some of the trepidation away. However, just because he loved me and believed that I was worth this sacrifice, it didn’t mean that he was happy. I needed to get all of my worries out before I felt completely at ease with this decision.
“I just don't want you to resent me. I don't want to be the reason you have to give up the life you want. I love you, too, but I want you to be happy. I don't want to take what you love away from you.”
“Then shut the hell up.” He grinned. “Stop worrying so much. I'm not going to lie to you. I am agitated and frustrated at the moment, but life will return to normal and we'll be back in the palace soon enough. Your dad told me he'd find me something, and he did. It's not official, but he's keeping me in the guard as the trainer for soldiers and new recruits, and, possibly, one of his official advisors.”
I recoiled slightly in surprise. It wasn’t so much that he’d met with the king. I understood his need to clear things up. It was more that he hadn’t spoken to me about it, and I wasn’t even sure when he’d found the time. We’d been spending so much time together lately.
“You went to see him.” It wasn't a question. I already knew the answer. He would never have been able to stay away for that long.
“I'm sorry.” There was remorse in his voice. He felt bad about the omission, but that hadn’t been my intention. I really didn’t mind that he’d gone.
“Don't be. I understand. I just wish you would have talked to me.”
Damon smiled at me as his hand cupped my cheek, his fingers tangling in my hair so his thumb brushed the skin reverently. He leaned forward, inch by agonizing inch, as my stomach flipped in anticipation. His lips brushed against mine, making me hungry for more. I knew he was apologizing in his own way, and, I suspected, trying to distract me, but I was all for it. I didn't think I would ever get enough of this. I leaned into him greedily, parting my lips and closing my eyes, losing myself in his touch and indulging in this new freedom to express exactly how I felt about him.
He was everywhere.
I could feel him, taste him, and smell him all around me and it was intoxicating. I knew I'd loved him before, but without the restrictions we'd put on ourselves it made being with him all the more real for me. My heart grew with every moment I spent with him. How I'd ever thought I could live without him was beyond me. He was everything.
“Oh, man,” Alexa said sarcastically from the door. “I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing this.”
My lips curved against Damon's before I pulled away to look at my friend. She and Damon still antagonized one another every chance they got, but it was more playful banter than the snarky insolence it had been in the beginning. Even Galen had been nicer when he showed up, but I suspected that had more to do with the coveted spot on the Regius Custos he'd wanted opening up.
In all, we'd lost five of the Regius Custos, hundreds of soldiers from the king’s army, eight staff members and six guests. It was a long list and even though the families of most were giving them their own burial, the royal court was holding a memorial for them in the large grounds of the palace. Which was exactly why we needed the added protection. The last thing they wanted was another free for all at a gathering.
“Acantha sent me to tell you two to get ready to leave. Cass, you need to get dressed in Mortisali. Melody has made a dre
ss especially for the occasion. I'll be accompanying you over.”
“On my way,” I replied, my tone leaving no room to argue against the request I silently made. I just needed another minute. Alexa nodded and disappeared, leaving the two of us alone again.
“I love you,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his briefly before standing up. “I have to go, but I’ll see you in Mortisali.”
“I love you, too.” He smiled, his eyes watching me. “I’ll meet you outside your room to escort you down.”
“Not the bottom of the stairs?” I teased, my voice oddly husky.
“Go.” He laughed, standing up behind me. “We'll talk more later.”
I started to walk away but smiled as he caught my hand in his and pulled me to him again. His arms wrapped around my waist as he buried his face into my neck. It was how things had been since we'd found out we were two halves of a whole. Both of us seemed reluctant to leave the other. Even at night, when we had to go to our separate rooms – thanks to an archaic tradition – we stayed in the hall embracing and kissing, stalling on the hours we'd have to be apart.
My arms closed around him and held him against me, my fingers tangling in his hair as I fell into his embrace. They scratched his scalp gently. Much longer and they'd send someone else to come and hurry me up, but I didn't care. I was happy to be in his arms. A lifetime just wasn’t long enough to have together.
“Okay, now you can go.” He chortled, pulling away and kissing me on the forehead. I rolled my eyes playfully, but I knew he could see the love emanating from every pore of me, because I could feel it down to my marrow.
“I’ll see you soon, handsome.”
I walked away again, this time successfully, looking over my shoulder to give him a smile before I disappeared from his sight. Clambering up the stairs as quickly as I could, I met Alexa in my room. She looked amazing in her black dress that hugged her feminine curves. The vis liberi didn't have uniforms, so it was standard funeral dress for them. It didn't matter what dimension they were from; black and dark gray were the standard.
I wished I had the same freedom to dress myself, but as crowned princess, I had to wear a dimension fitting dress. It wasn't that I was averse to the fashion in any way. It was more due to the comfort level. As princess, I was expected to wear the heavy layers of black with a pooling skirt and train, as well as a small black veil that was designed to show respect to the families of those who had been killed. Alexa had translocated the dress earlier in the week to help Melody out with the fitting and I felt like a reverse bride. I didn't like the way it made me feel, although out of respect, I hadn’t argued, and I wouldn’t. We were, after all, honoring our fallen.
“You ready?” Alexa asked, motioning to the bathroom with a tilt of her head.
“I am. Where's Liana?”
“Zander's bringing her over, and your mom will bring Ollie again.”
“Rasmus?”
“He went ahead to check everything out. Stop being so paranoid.”
Like the responsible adult I was, I stuck my tongue out at her and made my way into the bathroom, picking up one of the bags we'd piled in there to transport over. With my family moving into the palace, we'd been translocating things steadily over the last week. The last of it was two bags Alexa and I were taking with us.
We made it to my bathroom in Mortisali without incident, and Rasmus was standing waiting to take the bags from us as we arrived. He offered me his right hand and Alexa his left to help us out of the bath. He was smiling brightly enough, but his eyes held the weight and sadness of the occasion.
“Welcome home, Princess.” He grinned. He'd been calling me Cass all week and the regression to the formal name did nothing to help my anxiety for the afternoon. I was already going to have enough people pumping me with formalities, without him adding to the weight. Not while we were out of the public eye anyway.
“Stop.”
“I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself.” He chuckled, taking the bags now that we were safely out of the tub.
I hadn't noticed her before, but Melody was standing modestly behind him in the doorway, alone. I hated that I had lost the other two. Penthea was murdered and Thetis had resigned to return to her family after she was attacked and injured. They were both huge losses and I hated that they'd put their lives on the line for me. I doubted many ladies in waiting had to double as bodyguards anywhere else. When my father had relayed the information, he’d promised he would see Thetis well taken care of, and it had given me peace of mind.
The moment I gave her a smile, Melody threw her arms around me in greeting and pulled back with a smile I wasn't sure I would find there. To be honest, even I was questioning why she chose to stay. Especially since it meant she was risking her life to save mine. The safety precautions would help now, but as far as I knew, the protocol for her was still the same.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Mel. I've been worried about you.”
She hugged me again. It was warm and full of honest emotion, and I reciprocated in turn, hoping she read the same emotions in mine. Before she could step back, Rasmus had dropped the bags he was carrying and wrapped his long arms around us both and squeezed tightly.
“Come on, Lexi. You, too.” He growled playfully, shuffling us toward her. Melody squealed under his direction and managed to get an arm free to slap at him, which was enough to make him relent and release us. The moment we were free, Melody gripped my hand and pulled me toward the room.
“Time for the man to leave. We have to get you dressed, Cass.”
I couldn't help it. I groaned.
It didn’t take long to get ready, and before I was able to take a breath, I was being escorted by my friends and Damon toward the open lands of the meadows surrounding the palace, where my father was waiting to walk with me to the podium. I didn't have anything to do in the ceremony other than stand next to the king as he delivered his impassioned speech. You only had to listen to him speak to realize how much affection he had for his people. Whether it was the people in the villages just outside of the palace property, the lords and ladies of the court, or the people in his employ, he respected them all and loved them because they were his people. They were the people he was meant to watch over and guide. The passion in his voice was so deep as he read off the names. I could see the faces of the people in the audience, their eyes welling with tears. Whether they were related to one of the victims or not, they were in mourning.
I felt the loss, too, his words cutting me deep. I hadn't just lost people I loved; I had lost people that hadn't known me, yet had put their lives in the path of these killers to save mine. I owed these families. There was no more taking this lightly. I had to save these people, and I had to save my family from the tyranny of Thánatos' presence.
Damon, sensing a change in me, laced his hand over mine and squeezed gently, offering me his strength. I could feel it running through our connection, hand on hand, all four of the elements mingling between us as my father's words lit a fire in me. The first half of the prophecy had come together. I had found my other half. That much was clear in the way the energy sparked between us.
I tried to stay still. I tried to give the king the respect he deserved as he spoke about the people whose lights had been stolen by our enemy. However, I was feeling pumped. I knew what I had to do. I felt as though I had a purpose. Before I could follow through with the prophecy, I would make my peace with these people and their families, with the villagers and the war-ravaged coast. I may not have been a queen, and I may have had a lot to learn, but there was never going to be a true education until I learned about the people. I had to find what they needed until I could rid the dimensions of Thánatos. There had to be a way to make their lives easier.
The king's voice continued to ring out across the meadow filled with people and I listened while I scanned the faces looking to him for help and solace. They trusted their king. They believed in him and everything he told them was ab
sorbed. I wanted that respect, because I wanted to help them.
It wasn't until the king stopped talking and the people bowed their heads that I felt I could really breathe. I wasn't sure how it came down to this – how the fire that had been in my father had translated into me, but it was there, boiling under the surface like adrenaline, waiting for me to finally take my rightful place and do exactly what I had been born to do.
I would marry Damon; of that I was certain. I loved him, and I knew in my heart he would be the only one I ever would. He and I were meant to be together and I wouldn't take that for granted. I would give myself to him, body, heart and soul, just as I would give the same to my people. I had sworn to be their sovereign and I didn't take that lightly. I would learn everything there was to learn about this dimension – about Mortisali and its people – and I would lead them out of the darkness and into the light.
Coming soon:
From The Shadows,
Book 2 in the Mortisalian Saga…
Glossary
Apollo –Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, twin brother of Artemis. He was the god of music, and he is often depicted playing a golden lyre. He was also known as the Archer, far shooting with a silver bow; the god of healing, giving the science of medicine to man; the god of light; and the god of truth. One of Apollo's most important daily tasks was to harness his four-horse chariot, in order to move the Sun across the sky. (GreekMythology.com)
Aqusate Province – Southern Coastal States. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, with a panhandle that includes some of Arkansas.
Arbormida - Situated in Arbormontis, upper northwest area of Washington State, where all of the trees are thickest and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Arbormontis Province - Ruled by Duke Benedict, one of the King’s closest friends. Located on the west coast, pacific Northwest. Florence, Oregon North to Alaska.