by Shona Husk
A very short leash.
Not a spy this time but a Court Liaison. Someone who could stab him in the back if he wasn’t careful. He glanced at Darah. She’d never stabbed him in the back.
“I need someone who I trust completely.” Because he obviously didn’t trust Henry. “And someone who knows the ways of my Court and your Court.”
“And who would want such a job where loyalty is split?”
Felan smiled, it looked warm almost welcoming and that was the trap. Felan was far more dangerous than he appeared. “Not split, Henry. You are my subject, accepting my title and your Court exists because I deem it a useful experiment. I want you to be able to communicate with my Council directly. Perhaps we shall even hold the occasional meeting at your Court so you don’t feel as though you are not part of things. Let me make it very clear that when you walk out of here you do so as one of my allies. And I do not tolerate betrayal. I sent my own mother to the river to secure my path to the throne.” The smile hardened.
Henry lowered his gaze. He had to think for longer than three seconds before he spoke. So he kept his mouth closed and bowed. When he straightened he knew what to ask without actually accepting or refusing. “Who will the liaison be, Sire?”
Part of him hoped it would be Darah for purely selfish reasons. But having her around would also make things complicated. Just once he’d like to know what was going on in her head, and more importantly her heart.
“Darah merch Hathor.” Felen indicated for Darah to step forward.
Ever the obedient fairy, she did. In a long flowing skirt and a simple tank top all she needed were some flowers in her loose hair and she’d look like a hippie. He didn’t think she’d appreciate the comparison. She inclined her head at Felan and didn’t bother looking at Henry.
“I trust you two will work well together to ensure that there will be no further problems.”
While he’d never been to school, Henry knew when he was getting told off by an authority figure. “Of course. I’m sure Darah will be able to answer any questions I have and keep me from getting into trouble.”
Felan turned away and flicked his finger in Henry’s general direction. “You are free to leave Annwyn at your leisure. Whenever you are brought across the veil by the Hunter you will need my permission to leave again.”
Another warning and a reminder that he was very much stuck with Annwyn looking over his shoulder. For a moment Henry stood there, but that appeared to be the end of his hearing. He bowed again even though Felan wasn’t looking then glanced at Darah. She hadn’t said anything and her face was unreadable—as usual.
Whatever. He should’ve known better than to get involved with a fairy.
He walked toward the doors and they swung open. A ghostly figure held each door, waiting for him to pass. He shivered. Annwyn was not a place he wanted to live. Then he kept walking until he reached the trees that marked the doorway between the veil. He glanced back at the castle, now lush and green. A beauty that most humans could only dream of.
He understood the attraction to all things fairy too well.
Chapter 22
Darah watched Henry walk away. She was tempted to leave with him, but after he’d brushed her off last night she refused to let him do it again with witnesses. And now she was stuck spying on him until Felan decided that he was no threat.
The Darkling Lord. There’d never been such a thing before. However no one had ever accomplished what Henry had and got the Greys to work together for something other than their own benefit.
She turned around. Felan was talking to the Hunter about changelings with dangerous gifts and how they needed to be watched better.
With the sentencing over gradually the other fairies on the Council left and it was just her and Felan. He sat on his throne as if he knew she’d be the last to leave. No doubt he planned to judge a few souls before spending time with his wife and babies. The duties of King always coming first.
“Darah, I thought you’d be across the veil already.”
He wanted her to leave so soon?
“I have to pack first.” She’d unpacked thinking she’d be staying. It was beginning to seem as though he’d like to banish her but couldn’t.
“This is still your home and you are free to come and go.”
“Am I? I feel as though you are trying to distance yourself from me. Being sent across the veil to babysit Henry and his Greys is almost like being made one of them.”
Felan stood, a frown forming as his eyebrows lowered. “That wasn’t my intention. You have been loyal and paid the price as a shadow servant. I’m letting you go, so you can follow your heart while still keeping you on my Council as reward.”
He took her arm and they started walking out of the Hall of Judgment. Was he not going to judge souls today? Had he sat only to give the illusion of dedicated King?
“Duty and status won’t make you happy. Not really. When I was fighting, I wasn’t fighting for the throne. I was fighting for Jacqui. Sulia wouldn’t have let her live, or me. I didn’t do what I did out our duty. I did it out of love—just don’t spread that around.” He smiled.
Darah realized they had stopped outside his chambers.
She was still on his Council and he wasn’t trying to get rid of her. Of all of the fairies she trusted Felan’s words more than most. “My sole job for you is to watch his Court?”
Felan sighed as if he didn’t want to be explaining himself. “Do you love him?”
“I don’t know.” She thought that she might.
“He loves you. I can see it when he looks at you.”
She found that hard to believe. The only reason Henry had taken her to bed was because he knew she was dangerous and wanted to keep an eye on her—which is exactly what she’d done to him. They really did deserve each other.
“I can assign someone else if you’d rather stay here, but I don’t think that’s what you really want.”
It wasn’t. The short time she’d spend in Henry’s Court had felt so real, like she was doing something of worth. “I do want to return. I want to help him, but then I feel as though I’m being disloyal.” She couldn’t even look Felan in the eye when she spoke.
“His Court is mine now. Go and enjoy. Take a risk, Darah. Falling in love isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Losing love is.” The shadow servant standing by the door opened it for Felan and he disappeared into his chambers to be with his wife and babies.
The door closed and she stood there for another couple of heartbeats before moving.
Had she had it and lost it without realizing? She’d kissed him in front of people in the Hall of Mirrors—did he not understand what that meant?
Obviously not because he’d told her that they didn’t belong together. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Unlike deals where a person must keep their word love was fickle. It was why the old Court had placed little value on it and seen it as a weakness.
She glanced at the closed door again.
If the King wasn’t afraid of people knowing he was in love with his wife, why should she worry? She took a few slow steps then walked faster back to her chamber. She needed to get across the veil and time was moving much faster over there.
After sleeping for several hours Henry got up, showered and went down to the bar where he held Court. While he’d been away only days in Annwyn nearly three weeks had passed. Somehow word had already gotten around that he was now a titled lord. While he’d stolen the names and lives of lords before this was one he’d earned. It would take a while to get used to.
The effect on the Greys was immediate though. They were bowing and carrying on.
That wasn’t the only change. He listened as Kaid gave him a rundown on what they had done while he was away. It almost sounded as though they didn’t need him. The idea of him was enough.
Then Kaid started on the troubles. Greys had started misbehaving. More had arrived and Kaid had turned none away. Even Kaid saw this as some kind of last chance refuge
for fairies on this side of the veil. He wondered what his Court appointed watch dog would say about the increase in numbers—assuming she turned up.
Thoughts of Darah would have to wait. He needed to get his operation back on track. “Get me an appointment with the Deputy Mayor. I need to start making money instead of bleeding green.”
Kaid laughed. “That would be an improvement on black.”
Henry shot him a look. “When the liaison arrives I’ll hold a meeting. All are to attend. Until then we say nothing else, okay?”
“You escaped Annwyn, you should be happy.”
Yeah, he should be. He had official sanction to operate. The Greys would get a chance to have their sentence reduced. Marlis would be proud. It was a pity it had come too late for her. The pang of loss caught him off guard. In Annwyn he’d been able to push everything aside, now he was here it was all waiting for him. Everything except Darah.
He wasn’t happy. He didn’t want to name it, or acknowledge it. But he missed Darah. He missed trying to work out what she was faking or feeling, leading him on or letting have more rope than he needed to hang himself. He regretted pushing her away and wished he’d spent his last night in Annwyn in her bed. She’d never said she didn’t love him and sometimes she acted as though she did. Then in the next moment she was colder than ice and twice as brittle. He didn’t know what to do or how to win her over.
With her appointed as liaison he knew their game wasn’t done.
However he didn’t know if he was ready to continue. All he knew was that the next move was hers, not his and he had to wait. He hated waiting.
Chapter 23
Darah stood in front of the casino. Dusk was darkening the sky. Like the first time she was going to keep tabs on Henry for the King; this time she knew what she was getting into. She knew the rules and she knew Henry.
In trying to put distance between them he’d been trying to protect himself. Perhaps she should’ve told him that she cared about him and not just what he was doing, but those words were hard to find and harder to say. To admit to being in love went against everything she’d ever learned about surviving at Court.
This Court was different.
She walked through the doors and glanced around. The casino was still closed for business but a few Greys were playing at the tables. She knew where she’d find Henry if he was here. Although for all she knew he was at one of the gardens and checking out the progress they’d made.
As expected he was sitting at a table in the bar talking to his informal Council. Only Marlis was missing. It was a shame she hadn’t lived long enough to see Henry become the Darkling Lord. Penn and Kaid glanced up. Henry turned and looked at her.
Would he invite her to sit or would he try to exclude her? No, he wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize his plans. That meant he had to be civil—that didn’t mean that he had to play fair.
After a moment he beckoned her over. As she crossed the floor he said something to Kaid and Penn, and they both stood. Both gave her a nod and then left. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. What was clear was that she’d missed a meeting.
Henry turned and rested one elbow on the table. She sat opposite him. They were totally alone.
“We have about an hour. Then there will be a meeting for everyone so I can make various announcements.”
“Were you going to wait for me?” Or was he going to make her job as hard as possible? She’d hoped that they could at least work together. She wanted more.
“How long do I need to wait?” He didn’t hide the tension that formed on his face or the echo of pain in his dark eyes.
They weren’t talking about work anymore. “You were the one who told me that it was never going to work, and who stayed up cavorting while I slept alone.”
“That was just sex you were offering. You said yourself that sex means nothing between fairies. I don’t want that. I want more than that with you, but relationships never work when only one person is willing to take the chance.”
“And you are the expert?”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “I have had more real relationships in my short life that you’ve had in your long one. I know what it’s like to care about someone and lose them. I’ve been willing to let myself feel. I’m not sure you know what that even means. We might both belong to Annwyn, but we are as different as the moon and the sun. As much as I love trying to guess what’s going on in your mind, I can’t live like that.” He paused and looked away for a moment. “I might be a darkling, but I deserve more than scraps.”
Did he really think her heartless?
He went to stand and she put her hand over his. “I pleaded your case with the King. I helped Kaid keep things going while you were in Annwyn. I kissed you in the Hall of Mirrors.”
“That wasn’t some kind of fairy game power play?”
She could tell from his expression that he didn’t get it. That was a public declaration, but in his mind he though she was still playing games. She shook her head. “I wasn’t afraid of people seeing that I was with you.”
“I love you isn’t that hard to say, Darah.” He reached out and touched her cheek.
It was though, as it meant putting her heart on the line for Henry to scar. “I want you, I want you to succeed. I didn’t ask for this job, but I want to be here with you. I was prepared to give up being on the Council to be with you, but you told me you didn’t want me.”
“You looked happy to be in Annwyn. I never expected you to choose.”
“Of course I was happy to be in Annwyn. It’s my home. But I don’t have to live there to be happy. Being with you makes me happy.” She didn’t dare breathe as she waiting for him to react. If he turned her away again now, it would hurt twice as bad.
He sighed and smiled. “If you can’t say it, how about you show me?”
“Are you sure you want me now?” Her pride wasn’t going to let him gloss over his previous rejection.
He pulled her onto his lap then gripped her hips and pulled her closer. “See how much I want you?”
“Are you sure it’s not just sex?”
“Are you?” He held her gaze.
“Yes. I want to be with you.” She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him, slowly as if learning the feel of his lips against hers all over again. She may not be able to say what he wanted to hear yet, but she could certainly show him how she felt. “How long until that meeting?”
“They can wait…we’re involved in very complex negotiations.” His fingers slipped under her shirt and traced over her skin.
Darah smiled and undid his shirt. “Very complex…although I’m sure we’ll both be happy with the outcome.”
Afterword
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading The Darkling Lord. I hope you enjoyed Henry and Darah’s story. If you are looking for more Court of Annwyn stories, there are several others in the series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/87490-court-of-annwyn
In order they are:
The Outcast Prince
Lord of the Hunt
The Changeling Soldier (novella)
To Love a King
The Tenth Life of Vicki Torres (short story)
The Darkling Lord
Singer of Death
Taming the Assassin
Reviews are the online word of mouth and I appreciate all reviews readers leave.
If you’d like to find out when my next book will be out you can sign up to my new release newsletter http://mad.ly/signups/119074/join, follow me on twitter @ShonaHusk or like my Facebook page www.facebook.com/shonahusk
A list of my other titles in other genres follows as well an excerpt from The Changeling Soldier (Court of Annwyn 2.5). Singer of Death and Taming the Assassin will be out in 2015
Thank you!
Shona
Excerpt
The Changeling Soldier (Court of Annwyn 2.5)
Isaac was never ready for the biting cold or the exhaustion of this
dream, even though he must have experienced it hundreds of time. Snow was falling, dusting his clothes, and the battleground was silent. Battles weren’t silent. They were noisy and confusing as hell.
He drew in a breath, the cold cutting his lungs, and took a moment to orientate himself. His palm rested on the snow where he was kneeling. His other hand was wrapped around the hilt of a sword; the blade was coated in blue, sticky gore. That he was holding a sword didn’t bother him now, but it still felt wrong in his hand. He was used to guns. There were no guns here.
The blue was more concerning. Blood? It smeared skin and leaked from the wounds of the other fighters. It had to be blood even though people didn’t bleed blue. It wasn’t human blood, though. It was fairy blood.
The sword grew heavy in his hand, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold on to it for much longer. Exhaustion and cold seeped through his body. As he exhaled, his breath clouded. He glanced around looking for a change in the dream, but everything stayed as it always was. He knew this place and had fought this battle all his life, yet things were clearer, sharper now. When he’d been a child, the death had been hidden from him.
He squinted against the glare of the sun on the snow. The battle was over. Around him were the bodies of the fallen. Their pretty faces would never smile again. They looked so young, too young for this. Everywhere he looked, bright blue stained the snow.
Usually he’d wake up now. He waited for the jolt, but it didn’t come. Panic made his heart beat faster, but he was familiar with adrenaline and didn’t let it take over. He’d wake up…eventually.
Obviously there was something new to be revealed. That was how this dream worked.
People…fairies—that was what they were—gathered around a woman on a white horse. The battle had been stopped on her command. He stood and took a few steps forward, his feet sinking into the snow.