by Eve Newton
“What did you do to me?” I ask angrily, standing there covered in his blood and semen.
“I cast a spell,” he says.
“Obviously,” I say and turn to glare at his back with my hands on my hips.
He is rifling through the clothes and comes out with a deep green gown, which he holds up for inspection. The gown apparently meets his impeccable standards and he walks back over to me as if nothing had ever happened. He lays it out on the bed and then takes my face in his hands. “I told you I don’t trust him or the two of you together and, Aefre, I don’t trust you. I have ensured that he will not be able to make any sexual advances on you. In fact, no male can. Except me,” he says, and he kisses me deeply to prove it. He turns and picks up the gown, holding it out for me to step into. I do because I can’t show him my anger. It will only fan the flame he has already got burning brightly, because yeah, I was going to consummate our union. I was going to consummate the Hell out of our union, many times, like a wild beast. But now my thoughts go past Sebastian.
“How can I trust you to take this off me when I get home?” I ask him, worried that Cole may never be able to touch me again. He pulls the dress up over my hips and I slide my arms into it while I wait for his answer. He turns me around and starts to do up the laces before he says, “I am your husband. If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?”
“Shouldn’t the same be said about your wife?” I ask archly.
“If my wife weren’t you,” he replies quietly. He pulls hard on the corset laces and I gasp. “It isn’t just about Sebastian,” he says and continues his brutal tugging. “The last time you were there you were raped, and I wasn’t there to protect you. If I can’t be there with you now, then this will have to do.”
And just like that, all is forgiven. He cinches the waist and ties it off and I turn and kiss him, making the most out of it as he may be the last man in the Realms that I get to kiss.
“Okay,” I whisper, and he strides into the bathroom, taking my trust with him. If he doesn’t undo this spell when I get home, I will kill him, so help me god. It is going to be torture to not be able to go near Sebastian. He is a mean, mean man.
“No, he isn’t,” I whisper to my reflection in the mirror as I Shift to Aeval. He is being my sire and my husband, and he is protecting me. I can live with that.
I Astral off to Earth and the Faerie ring. I should ask if there is one in the Underworld. I doubt it, somehow, as there isn’t any grass. Or at least not grass that is actually grass. It is a soft gray color and it grows on the ground, but it isn’t grass. I step inside and I am transported to my father’s land. It irks me slightly that my Powers don’t work here, although I can understand the Dragon side. It’s kind of sketchy with the basics, but nothing more than Shifting seems to work here. I would, however, expect my Fae Powers to work. I close my eyes and attempt to do the puff-of-smoke thing, but it doesn’t work. Must solely be a King thing. I quickly open my eyes after my failed attempt to move myself. I feel like I am being watched and it is really creepy because it is really quiet and very deserted. These lands are still at war with one another and it only just occurs to me that I am putting myself in danger by being out here all alone with no Powers to speak of. I rapidly head west and see my father’s palace on the horizon under a dark, gray cloud. I turn around and look east where the Light Fae live, and it is all sun and blue skies and birds and bees. Light where the sun rises and Dark where the sun sets. I find that quite ironic, as I happen to find the Light far more ominous than the Dark. Sebastian being the exception, of course. I turn back around and walk quickly, still getting the feeling I am being watched and followed, but soon I am on the black, brick path leading into the palace grounds. There is still hardly anyone outside, but as soon as the Dark Guard sees me, they usher me quickly inside and straight into my father’s waiting arms.
“Princess!” he booms. “We weren’t expecting you for another day.”
“I know,” I say, returning his fierce hug. “I hope that it isn’t an inconvenience to do this a day early.”
“Not at all,” Drake exclaims in delight and snaps his fingers. A dozen servants appear to do his bidding and in the language of the Faerie, he orders them around. I watch, not knowing what he is saying, and then find myself being escorted upstairs by a Faerie named Tabetha.
She leads me to a room that isn’t the one that I resided in before and I am grateful. I never want to see that room again. She pushes the door open and it is a beautifully decorated room, just for me. My heart swells that Drake has made this a home for me and I know that I am making the right choice. All I got in the Dragon Realms was a room overlooking the place where they execute the sinners. Not exactly homey.
“This dress has been waiting for you, Your Highness,” Tabetha says to me as she opens the closet and pulls out a beautiful cream silk gown, etched in black lace, holding it up for my approval. “We are so excited to see this union.”
I take the gown from her and twirl it around. It’s intricate, with thin straps and a tight bodice with a full skirt, as is the norm around here, but the hand stitching is exquisite. Black roses sewn so finely you can barely see the stitches. Instead of the usual laces, there are dozens of tiny pearl buttons all the way down the back. It must have taken someone an age to create this masterpiece.
“Perfect,” I tell her and her eyes light up, letting me know it was she who created it. She indicates that I turn around so she can undo the laces on my gown, and I do so dutifully, wondering where Sebastian is. The green gown drops to the floor and I turn around as Tabetha gasps, backing away from me. I look down and remember the damn bloody spell. I must look like a Halloween nightmare. I smile apologetically and say, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“A curse,” she says fearfully. “I can feel the magick from here.”
A curse? He cursed me? The sneaky bastard. A spell is one thing, a curse is a whole different bag.
“It’s nothing, really,” I try to reassure her.
She hesitates, but then moves closer to me warily. “Who protects you?” she asks as she fusses with the dress.
“My hus, err, my sire,” I say. I’m not sure why I didn’t say my husband. Perhaps because neither CK nor Cole are classified as my husband’s down here.
She doesn’t look pleased that I am harboring a Vampire curse on my person and she frowns. “How will you consummate your union?” she asks me.
How did she know that is what this was for? I narrow my eyes at her and she pales.
“I won’t say a word,” she says quickly. “You can trust me, Your Highness.”
Fan-bloody-tastic. If she does blab about this, who knows what will happen to Sebastian and, more importantly, to me? I think quickly on my feet and lower my eyes and say, “After what happened with Aelfric, my sire wanted me protected. Sebastian – Kalen – and I will be fine. He is not affected.” I feel bad about the lie, but she relaxes and thankfully believes me. Who wouldn’t after my casual reminder of my assault? I am a horrible person who deserves to be pushed into a moat of Dragon Fire.
Tabetha helps me on with my gown and starts to do up the buttons on the back.
“Where is Kalen?” I ask her.
“He will be here soon. Your father wants to keep this as quiet as possible from the Light, due to the unusual circumstances,” she says.
I suppose that makes sense. I feel quite bad for the Light in that moment as this is the second King they have lost in a matter of months. “Will Thrace not rejoice in being made King?” I say with a twist to my mouth that she snickers at.
“You know it isn’t about the Crown,” she says with a mock reprimand. “You are the prize, my Lady. The chance to help bring the blessed baby to our Kingdoms is highly sought after. If Thrace hears word of this union, he will stop it by any means necessary.”
“Oh, right,” I gulp, not happy to be reminded of my role in all of this.
Tabetha finishes off my gown and turns me around. Sh
e is staring at me in awe and if I weren’t so vain, I would blush. “Beautiful,” she says, and I preen at her compliment. There is a knock at the door, and she crosses to answer it.
“My girl, you look beautiful,” Drake says with a proud smile and now I blush. Compliments like that from a father of mine don’t come around every day. He pops my Princess crown, of black thorny roses, on my head.
“Thank you,” I say, and he takes me by the arm and puffs me out into the middle of the magickal forest.
Right. No messing about now, then. I suppose I don’t blame him for wanting to get this show on the road. I have, after all, been quite tardy in my duty to him. He probably thinks I will do a runner before we say the “I dos.”
My breath stops as I take in Sebastian, who is waiting for me. He is dressed in full Light King regalia, which is basically a manly suit version of my dress, complete with sword and crown. He is a sight to behold and my stomach cramps as I get lusty feelings for him. Clearly the curse is working already, and I am not even standing next to him yet.
He grins at me and I practically swoon. He looks so happy and I dislike that I am not doing this for the same reasons he is. But, do this I will, so I step forward and he takes my hand. A spark shoots from my palm to his and he looks down with a frown and then with a look of full understanding, he growls at me. “Damn that bastard,” he mutters.
I completely agree, all my feelings of forgiveness going out of the window as I stand next to the man I crave.
Drake clears his throat and indicates to the Faerie in front of us to get started. We step forward underneath a gazebo, covered in black and purple roses, with one cream one directly above our heads. I guess this signifies a Dark union with a Light participant.
I say “I guess” because they are speaking in Faerie and I haven’t a clue what is going on. Really must rectify that. I hate not being in the know. It drives me crazier than my overbearing sire does.
Sebastian turns to me and whispers, “Just repeat what she says.”
I frown at him because that is just leading to trouble. She could be making me his eternal sex slave or even worse, making him my one and only.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says with a laugh and I turn to Drake who shifts his weight uncomfortably. Actually, I see that is impatiently as his eyes dart about the forest and I turn back to Sebastian and nod. I take the leap of faith and repeat what I am supposed to and so does he.
In a matter of seconds, it is over and the Dark Fae presiding over us says, “It is done.”
Sebastian leans down to kiss me and the electricity between us is not the good kind. He curses and then looks up as Drake stands in front of us and I rub my sore lips.
“Well, well, well,” Thrace says. “Looks like I was just a second too late.”
“Looks like,” Sebastian says with a smug smile.
Thrace looks furious at the retort and with tight lips he says, “What are your plans now, Kalen? To get her with child?”
“First things,” Sebastian says as he takes off his crown, “is I resign.” He throws it to Thrace who catches it and stares at it and then at his brother.
“You can’t resign,” Thrace sneers. “You are King.”
“King, no longer,” Sebastian says. “I abdicate, with my wife. You are it, Thrace.”
Thrace turns his look to me and then to Drake, who is staying out of this Light sibling rivalry, but is on alert should someone start throwing magick around.
“If I am King, then she is mine,” Thrace says with a cruel smirk that chills me to my very core.
“No, she isn’t,” Sebastian says. “By law, she is my wife and unless you plan on killing me, by the way, I’d like to see you try, especially with her father standing right here, she will stay that way.”
Thrace hesitates, far warier of Drake than his older brother. I know nothing of Thrace’s power level, but I’d say he could probably give Sebastian a run for his money having practiced for all these centuries in Sebastian’s absence. Drake on the other hand could flatten him.
“How can you stand there and let this happen?” Thrace asks Drake. Quite boldly, I think.
Drake glowers at him and says, “My daughter was to marry Kalen. It was that way all along. Now that he has chosen to return to Earth, it makes no difference. They are united.”
Thrace grips the crown so hard it cuts into his palms. I get a whiff of his highly intoxicating Light Fae blood and my fangs almost drop.
Just as suddenly as his anger had come, it disappears, and he regains his smug look. “Well, now that I am King, I will change the law. You will lose her, and she will be mine.”
I gulp at that as Drake growls and Sebastian steps forward, ready to throw a punch.
Fortunately, Drake stops Sebastian by saying, “You cannot just change an eon’s old law. Your entire Council will have to vote unanimously on any changes you decide to make.”
“I will make them,” Thrace declares. “Mark my words, Kalen. You won’t get away with this.”
I turn to look at Sebastian, who doesn’t look too concerned. Drake on the other hand looks furious. “If you even attempt to lay one finger on my daughter you will see firsthand what happened to your father,” he threatens. “I do not take my fatherly duty to her lightly. You will suffer my wrath.”
Oh, wow. Go, Daddy! I am quite certain that Thrace is thinking twice about his declaration. He looks terrified and so he should. I don’t know the ins and outs of Aelfric’s demise, but I do know that CK knows and approved with gusto, so I’m guessing a head was removed somewhere in the process.
“We’ll see,” Thrace says. “Kalen, I hereby banish you from the Light Fae Kingdom. You will be executed on sight if you ever step foot across the border. You are marked as a traitor and I will see to it that you die for your betrayal.” He puffs out with a click of his fingers.
Yikes. What is with these creatures? They aren’t very reasonable at all.
Again, Sebastian looks unconcerned. I suppose as far as he is concerned it is a blessing that he can’t go back to the place that he longed to leave in the first place.
“Come,” Drake barks at us, now in a foul temper. “You have business to attend to. Quickly,” he adds with a pointed look.
I am guessing what he means is consummate the union and pronto before Thrace finds a way to stop that from happening and declaring our union null and void. Too bad it is going to be impossible for us to attend to this business.
Once back in my bedroom at the palace, I turn to Sebastian and he looks sadly at me.
“What are we supposed to do now?” he asks.
“We do what we can in order to ensure that this union is consummated,” I reply with a shrug.
“And that would be…what exactly, Livvie? Constantine has made sure I can’t touch you. I guess our secret is not so secret anymore,” he replies.
“I’m not entirely convinced it was a secret to begin with,” I say. I turn around and indicate he should start to undo my buttons, but even that has its consequences and he ends up with smoking fingertips.
“Fuck!” he yells in frustration. “If we don’t do this, we are both up shit creek,” he yells.
“Hush,” I whisper to him. “Someone might be listening.”
He strides over to me and spins me around and even as bolts of lightning surge through him, he rips at the gown, popping buttons all over the floor as he tears it off me. I turn back around, and his hair is standing on end and I laugh at him. He takes it in good grace and flattens it as he starts to undress himself. I take a giant step back as I feel my desire swell up again for him and it punches me in the gut.
I double over with an “Oof!” and he bends to help me up, only to be thrown back by the curse.
The air turns blue as we both mutter expletives that would make your toes curl. We stand up on opposite sides of the room, naked and wanting each other so badly, but unable to do anything about it.
“I will kill him for this,” Sebastian mutter
s darkly, and I sigh, it brings me back around to understanding a part of the reason CK did it. I explain it to Sebastian and his face softens.
“Oh,” he says. “I guess I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Yeah,” I say and flop heavily on the bed. Inspiration hits me and I sit upright again. “Wait, we are both extremely powerful creatures,” I say. “How is this curse beating us? If we put our minds to it, we should be able to beat it.”
Sebastian shakes his head. “You don’t know our sire and what he is capable of,” he says. “Even more so now.”
“Yes, I do!” I say, angry that he would dare say I don’t know CK. “I know about his power boost.”
Sebastian blinks at me. “He told you?” he asks in disbelief.
“Yes, we do speak, you know,” I say haughtily, and he has the grace to look sheepish.
“I know you do, Livvie. But he is… well, you know how he is. He didn’t even tell you about his family.”
Nicely played, arsehole. I glare at him as he reminds me of that rather large fact.
“Still,” I say. “We can beat this.”
“Doubtful,” Sebastian says.
“Look, all it takes is our bodies joining together, even for just a few seconds. Surely we can manage that?” I ask, thinking it will bring a whole new meaning to our electric connection.
“Uh, not quite,” he says and blushes.
Blushes? “Then what?” I ask.
“I need to, uhm, finish inside you,” he stammers, and I snort in amusement that he finds it so hard to say.
“Just like me and Xane,” I say and then seriously wish I had my tongue removed because I experience a backlash of power far beyond anything, I have felt from him before.
“Repeat that,” he spits out at me as he advances on me.