A hitched breath took her, and she yanked out the small backpack. Just as she’d left it.
Hurriedly, she lifted up her gown skirt and wrestled the bag under the petticoat. She had just enough time to fasten the straps to the metal wires of her underskirt before the curtains swept to the side and Rain stepped into the alcove.
Cheeks flushed, Callie kept her back to him and stayed kneeling on the floor.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, tone like sharpened icicles. “Answer me, human!”
Callie cringed as he shouted down at her. Then, she scowled over her shoulder and let the tears fill her eyes. Forced ones.
“I needed a moment. Am I not allowed to cry in peace?”
Rain’s sharp features remained, and he crouched down beside her. She noticed the quick sweep his gaze made over the alcove.
“Your friend,” he began. “What is she to you?”
“Just that. My friend. My best friend.”
Rain gripped her chin, his fingers digging deep into her flesh. He didn’t believe her. “Do you love her?”
She gave him a watery smile full of the hatred within her. “Do I detect jealousy?”
Rain’s hand left her chin and found a fistful of her hair instead. Callie winced as he yanked her face closer to his.
“You know, sex has a bad effect on you,” she mumbled. “You were much nicer before we fucked.”
“I have no patience for your games tonight,” Rain spat. “I demand an answer.”
“And I gave you one. Yes, I love her. I’ve loved her since we were children, and I love her enough to sacrifice my life so that she can live hers. But that doesn’t mean I’m in love with her.” Callie wiped at her damp cheeks. “Does it matter, anyway? You yourself said that human love is fickle and pretty much meaningless.”
Rain’s lips parted as if to answer.
Words failed him, and he loosened his hold on her hair, dragging his hand back down to her face, and spreading his fingers out to her jawline.
Slowly, he traced his fingertip over her skin, wiping away a single tear.
“Time tells all,” he finally said. “And changes everything you think you know.”
Callie wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but found that she didn’t care.
Carefully, she pushed herself up, her heart rinsing in her chest. The bag could drop from her underskirt any moment, and he would cut her down for it.
He’d said it himself.
He was a killer. He wouldn’t hesitate.
“I should find Angus,” she said with a soft snivel. “I promised him a dance.”
Rain stood and blocked the way out of the alcove a moment.
She almost thought he was going to stop her, to … apologise. But the glimmer of sorrow in his eyes was gone so quickly that Callie was sure it’d been a trick of the light.
Rain took her by the arm and escorted her back into the court, where they found Angus rolling on the balls of his feet by the thrones.
After he’d worn her out with at least five dances—each of which, she hyperventilated through, terrified the bag would fall—Callie excused herself for the human alcove near the dais. It was meant only for those humans betrothed and wedded to the court folk.
Through the nook was a marble door that opened to a grand white bathroom, whose walls shone like fresh tears.
Princess Lilith’s husband stood at a stone sink, drying his hands with leaves bigger than the bag coming loose under Callie’s skirt.
She sat herself on the plush round seat in the middle of the washroom and waited for him to leave. The bag needed readjusting. And once that was done, she would do the most dangerous thing she’d ever dared to in her life. Even if it meant Meghan would hate her. It was worth it.
“Callie.” He set the leaf down beside the sink and turned to face her. “The High Paladin’s wife?”
Why he said it as a question, she didn’t know.
They were both aware of each other.
“And you’re Edgar,” she said with a tight smile. “A happy husband to a fae.”
Edgar gave a laugh that sounded like Christmas bells and carols. His brown skin glittered with traces of green glitter dusted over him.
“I see a congratulations is not in order,” he said. “Unwilling brides and grooms are not unfamiliar to these walls.”
“But not you. You’re willing.”
Warmth washed over his face as smiled. “I am. I love Lilith more than anything in either worlds.”
The most honest word she could speak fell from her lips. “How?”
“I was stolen as a new-born and brought to this realm, forced to live under the rule of a cruel master.” His smile faded to memories and he sank onto a stool opposite her. “Lilith saved me from my servitude.”
“And sentenced you to a life under her control.”
Edgar shook his head. “Even the highest of fae cannot keep a human under those conditions forever. There is always an expiry to our bargains. I chose to stay with the love of my life.”
“Rain says that fae love is eternal and deadly.”
“Isn’t all true love?” he said. “Fae are deadly by nature. It only stands to reason that their love is, too.”
Callie pursed her lips and looked away. She refused to accept that any human could want to be with one of them. But then, maybe his wife wasn’t like Rain.
“Does she threaten you?” she asked quietly.
“When she is especially furious with me. Those times are rarer now that we have been married for two centuries. I know when to step aside.”
“Two hundred years?” she hissed. “You’ve been here for that long?”
“It will have been longer in our world,” he said airily, a smile playing on his lips. “And yet, my wife has not tired of me. If she ever does, the Dowry will protect me. Not all fae are so willing to release the ones they once loved.”
“Won’t she be angry at you for using the Dowry?” At his perplexed look, she explained, “Rain left me to read about it in a book, but he never told me about it. I get the feeling it’s not something they want humans to know about.”
“In regards to your husband, I cannot claim to know his motivations. What I do know is that he has spoken of you to Lilith and he hopes to introduce you to his family at the next royal gathering.” He leaned closer and clasped his hands between his legs. “His reaction to you with your friend did not go unnoticed. Jealousy in a fae is something to be proud of, Callie. It means he feels more for you than you might know.”
Edgar left with his words lingering in the air, words that fluttered something in Callie’s chest. Hope. If Rain did feel strongly about her, maybe her next move wouldn’t be punished as severely as she’d thought.
Maybe Callie might survive to see out the rest of her plan.
After Callie had secured the bag and gathered her nerves, she braved the altar. Angus was perched on the cushion on the first step, and her cushion had been moved up to the side of Rain’s throne.
He turned his solid-gold gaze on her as she hesitated at the step.
Rain blinked. The question, the doubt, it was clear.
He wondered why she stood before him, hands balled into fists, and beads of sweat shining on her forehead.
Callie cleared her throat and raised her hands at her sides, palms turned upwards. Then, understanding shot through him like a bullet, and he made to rise from the throne. To stop her.
She didn’t give him the chance.
22
Callie announced, as loud as her voice would reach, “My husband. My Mate. The High Paladin and Prince of War, I come to you as your chosen wife of human birth.”
Everything went quiet.
The flutes stopped playing, the fae of the court fell to a hush not unlike the last time she stood before them and demanded Rain’s attention. All that could be heard were the murmurs and swishes of drinks in goblets.
Even the dance had stopped, paused in the silence, gone with the music.
>
And Rain…
Callie swallowed, and clenched her body tight as if to shield herself from him. But it was too late. He looked at her with those eyes that swirled like pots of molten gold, and in his furious gaze was a promise.
Stop now, or face the consequences.
His hand reached for the hilt of his dagger, and the leather wrapped around him creaked against the anger that filled him. “All in fae realm comes at a price, Callie,” he growled. “Caution would serve you well.”
Undeterred, she finished the practised words from the tome. “I am owed a Dowry, and I stand here to collect. Whatever favour I wish, whatever gift I demand, is yours to give. I demand the freedom of the human, Meghan O’Sullivan. I demand she be freed from the eternal dance that rests under your control and resides within your court, and I demand she be released into the human realm, where she will never be tracked or taken by another fae again.”
Not even whispers penetrated the silence of the hall.
Angus looked up at her with glossy eyes and a grim twist to his mouth.
Edgar’s dark skin had greened to match his glitter, and the Princess of the Scrolls settled back in her beige throne with a softness that rustled like parchment, a taut pull to her lips.
Rain stepped off the altar, hand on the hilt of his sword. His gloved fingers flexed as his boots touched the stone floor.
“As you wish, my wife, so the Dowry shall be paid.”
His words contradicted the dancing flames of his stare, and Callie’s slight hope of surviving withered just that bit more.
“Keeper of the Cursed, take the human chosen by my wife and release her into the woods from where she came. Do not follow her, do not place a trace on her. And,” he added, malice lathering his tone, “let her remember all that has happened to her in this realm. The human will be free from the court, but never of her memories.”
Callie’s eyes sank shut, and she cursed herself for her error. In her demands, she shouldn’t have allowed Rain’s ferocity to rattle her. She should have remembered the géis. Now, Meghan would be as haunted by the cruelties of the fae as Callie was, if not more.
The chance to watch Meghan be taken away from the court was stolen from Callie.
She turned just enough to catch a robed fae sweep towards Meghan on the platform before Rain came up behind her.
His hand shot for her throat and gripped—
Callie collapsed, darkness ebbing away at her sight. The choker around her neck constricted, and the magic dragged her down into the dark.
She didn’t sleep. Every whisper, cackle and cry crept into her ears, and the smells of rotten flesh and fruit snuck up her nostrils still.
Callie laid on the floor, submerged in a half-slumber for hours.
When Rain finally peeled her from the ground, he didn’t remove the spell. She was left to sag against him on his horse, the fear bubbling beneath her skin and choking her, until he carried her to the chamber.
Rain dropped her to the floor and the spell lifted.
Callie’s eyes shot open, wild with the buried adrenaline now tearing through her. She scrambled to her feet, gaze locked into his, her heart thrumming in her chest.
“You didn’t leave me any choice,” she breathed, urgent and pleading. “You have to understand, I couldn’t let her stay there—”
Rain took a swift step toward her, and before she could stumble back, he snatched a chunk of her hair and wrenched her to him.
There was nothing tender in the way he looked down at her.
No sympathy in his hash gaze.
“For one human to be released from the dance, another must take its place,” he hissed. “Meghan was not welcomed into my court—she was freed. Now, when the time comes for her firstborn, it is mine. Her child will be brought to my castle and raised within its walls as a ward or a servant. I will decide at the time.” His lips curled, baring his sharp teeth. “That is the price for your arrogance and foolishness.”
“You can’t do that,” she said, trying to pry his hand from her hair.
His grip only tightened, and she winced. “Sacrifice is no noble thing in this realm, Callie. You should have listened to me. What is the pain of a dance compared to the pain of losing one’s own child?”
“But she didn’t make the deal! I did!”
“I warned you, my insufferable wife. No matter what you do in this realm, you will always be one step behind.” Callie cried out as he ripped the crown from her head and threw it onto the vanity desk. “You have taken this too far, punishment is due.”
Callie jerked out his hold.
Rain released her hair, but followed her with slow, steady steps until her legs connected with the stool at the vanity desk.
“You will not leave this room, you will not speak to anyone, you will be what you want to be, Callie. A prisoner. And I will be your beast.”
Callie barked a frightened, sharp laugh. “I’ve been a prisoner since I got here and you’ve been a beast since the god-awful day you were born. Don’t pretend otherwise. I had to pretend once, in that bed with you, and thinking about it makes me ill. Do you what it’s like? Having to pretend I could stand you, acting as though I gave a shit about you, when you were gushing on about how much you felt for me—”
Callie’s words broke to a shocked cry.
Rain’s hand had shot out and struck her cheek so hard that she slammed into the vanity desk. Red hot pain exploded through her. Yet she hardly felt it through the sudden panic rushing down her veins to her curling toes.
A terrible silence lashed between them.
Before she could compose herself, or even look at him, Rain tore the choker off with a single swipe, his nails catching on her skin and tearing lines down the side of her neck.
Callie breathed hard, and steadied herself.
Her hand touched to her throbbing face. Sharp copper stung her tongue. Blood. It coated her mouth and spilled out from the corner of her lips.
Stunned, she turned her wide eyes on him.
Rain face twisted with rage just as he threw a dagger at her.
Callie screamed, her muscles jumping in her skin. She ducked just as it zipped above her, and her heart punched violently against her chest.
The tip of the blade sank into the wooden frame of the mirror, a mere breath from the top of her head.
If she hadn’t ducked…
“R-r-ain—what the hell are y—” Her words choked on blood filling her mouth.
Callie shrank back.
She shivered, her legs clenched tight under her skirt, trying to stop the bag from falling out and stop the trickle of urine that leaked from the fright.
“You’re insane,” she said, her voice shaking as much as her hands. “You’re absolutely mad.”
Rain’s lips warped into a furious sneer, and he clicked his fingers. “Goodbye, Callie.”
The vines rustled.
Callie looked at them in the archway. Horror sank her stomach.
Rain wasn’t closing the vines. They didn’t tangle together to cage her in. They parted from the stone and slithered through the air toward her. Reaching for her like the branches of a wicked tree.
Callie jolted from the desk and made to run past him to the alcove.
Rain grabbed onto her and sent her flying backwards before she could pass the bed. She landed on the floor, her head cracking against the pebbles, blinding white light dancing in her eyes. Her lungs burned from the impact and she tried to suck in a breath.
The vines got hold of her before she could come to, and coiled around her. Wrists, legs, neck, all bound in tight vines that grated against her flesh like thorned stems.
“Rain,” she managed, her voice a mere croak. “Rain, please—”
“You brought this upon yourself, Callie.”
Sadness touched his eyes as he stood above her, watching as the vines dragged her writhing body to the arch.
Callie grunted and tried to tear them from her neck, but they tightened until her f
ace grew hot with trapped blood and not even a whimper could escape their grip.
The mossy floor crumbled beneath her.
Callie’s legs kicked out and her wild eyes pleaded with Rain. He looked down at her coldly.
The floor caved, and she was sucked down into it, the vines holding her down.
The ground began to regrow over her.
And slowly, grain by grain, dirt covered her and took away her sight.
The last thing she saw was Rain, turning his face away and closing his eyes.
Then, she was buried in the dirt, able to catch the most fleeting of breaths, and utterly still.
Completely awake.
23
How much time had passed in the dirt was impossible to tell.
Callie simply existed. Her thoughts had left her dormant mind, air seemed to fill her mouth just enough to keep her breathing, and she lay as still as a buried corpse.
Time didn’t move underground. Not for the dead, and not for her.
The almost-dead.
24
Hands tore at the vines that bound her and ripped up the dirt holding her down. With every dot of dusky light penetrating the darkness of her grave, Callie’s eyes began to flutter.
When her eyes strained open fully, the faint shadow of a boy looked down at her. His arms shoved into the dirt and looped around her, then dragged her out of the tomb she’d been encased in.
“Callie.” A strangled voice, piercing through the thud of her mind. “Callie, wake up. Wake up.”
The boy shook her, over and over.
Her eyes stayed on him, dirt coating her parched mouth, and she shakily reached out her hand for his.
“Angus,” she croaked.
A watery smile filled his face. He nodded and choked on a sound of relief.
The boy held her for what seemed like hours before she could finally move on her own. Still, she reached out for his shoulder as she forced herself to stand, dirt partly caked over her eyes.
“Why did you do that?” she asked. “He’ll punish you for helping me.”
Feared Fables Box Set: Dark and Twisted Fairy Tale Retellings, (Feared Fables Box Sets Book 1) Page 28