The Last Lullaby (The Spellsinger Book 1)

by Amy Sumida

  “Actually, that's a perfect segue into something else I wanted to discuss with you.” He grimaced. “Before we get into the possibility of us, I have to ask if you'd like to know about the uproar you caused in Tír na nÓg?”

  “Uproar?” I frowned. “What are you talking about? There was nothing left for me to do. The threat was eliminated, and the relic went back to hibernating on its mountain.”

  “Yes,” Declan agreed, “but a certain king thought your departure was too abrupt. I ask again; would you like to hear about it?”

  “What did he do?”

  “Nothing too horrible, I suppose.” Declan shrugged and looked a little disappointed. I wasn't sure if his disappointment stemmed from Torin not doing anything horrible or from me wanting to know about it. “King Torin threw a few things. Some of them were cast out of his kingdom entirely, like Queen Oonagh.”

  “What?” I gaped at him.

  “I believe Torin came to his senses after you left.” Declan was watching me carefully. “He seems to have regrets over the way your relationship ended. Oonagh is said to have screeched obscenities at him while she rode away from the castle . . . after being escorted out by Torin's knights.”

  “Holy shit,” I whispered.

  “Yes, I was a little annoyed to have missed it.” Declan made a face.

  “And then what?”

  “And then?” Declan shrugged. “And then Torin became even more beastly. He snaps and snarls at his own people and hasn't been seen in public in months. I'm told that the onyx fey, who love their king to the point of absurdity, are actually relieved he's chosen to become a shut-in. That's how horrid his behavior has become.”

  Something was fluttering inside my chest, some nasty little seed of hope. I tamped it down and hardened my heart against its questing roots.

  “He shouldn't have kissed her,” I said callously. “If he still cared about me, he shouldn't have kissed Oonagh.”

  “Indeed,” Declan agreed. “But after telling you this, I feel inclined to ask you once more. Are you over Torin? I have no desire to compete with his memory.”

  “Torin made his choice.” I sipped my wine pensively. “It may be petty of me, but I'm glad he regrets it. Beyond that, I refuse to allow him any kind of hold on my heart.”

  Something vibrated in my stomach, lower than that demon-seed hope. This felt harder, like a warning. A rung bell.

  “Excellent.” Declan's eyes flitted over me with unrestrained interest.

  “Shall we see how much you'll be able to hold onto?” I gave Declan a hot look, despite the churning in my belly.

  In fact, I knew I acted because of that feeling. I needed to do this: take immediate steps to relieve myself of the love I still bore Torin. Declan not only heated my blood; he came without baggage. That was the problem with Banning, and perhaps it was also the reason I hadn't felt aroused by him. Banning brought our past with him, and if I screwed things up between us, it would damage him doubly. I couldn't deal with that kind of responsibility right now.

  Declan had none of those issues. The mere fact that he was a Shining One king prevented us from getting too serious. Declan would need a queen to marry eventually, which meant that anything between us would be temporary. I liked the idea of temporary. Forever was a mighty long time for an immortal.

  His eyes widened. “Now?”

  “Yes, now.” I nodded my head toward the building behind me. “This is my hotel.”

  Declan pulled some money from his pocket and flung it on the table. He stood so swiftly, his chair rocked, and he had to steady it before he held his hand out to me. I looked at his elegant hand, the pale, long fingers, and then lifted my eyes to Declan's. I slowly stood, placing my hand in his.

  “I think you'll find my grip to be very satisfactory,” Declan purred as I led him up to my room.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Declan's hands were on me as soon as the door was locked behind us. I turned into his arms, welcoming the fierce seduction. One strong hand went to the nape of my neck and held me still as his tongue lashed with mine. I moaned into the kiss. That's right- this was how it felt to want someone, to need to feel the press of their skin against yours. I had missed the feeling, and now that it was back, I wanted more. My hands tore blindly at his clothes, pushing his shirt from him and casting it to the floor. The smooth curves of hard muscles were revealed to my questing fingers as the sound of a zipper announced Declan's eagerness to undress me as well.

  I stepped free of my dress, but as soon as I pressed my body to his, a horrible headache struck me, and I swayed on my feet. Declan caught me effortlessly, swung me up into his arms, and laid me on the bed. I groaned as he pushed the hair away from my face, and anxiously peered down at me.

  “Elaria?” Declan eased onto the bed beside me. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  “I don't know.” I was already recovering. “That was so strange. Never mind; come here.” I reached for him.

  Declan shimmied out of his pants first, so that we were both down to our underwear. Silk boxers on him and black lace on me. Then he slid over me, his narrow hips parting my thighs. I sighed in delight. There's nothing like wrapping yourself around a muscled, male body. But as soon as Declan was nestled against me, pain surged through my head again. This time, it came with an awful panic.

  “No,” I gasped. “Stop.”

  “Elaria.”-Declan stared down at me in shock-“Are you enchanted?”

  “Am I what?” I blinked.

  “This has the feel of magic to it.” Declan sat back and pondered me. “How do you feel now?”

  “Fine,” I scowled and sat up as well. “It's only when we start to get intimate . . .”

  “That this illness overtakes you,” Declan finished for me. “Yes, I see that.”

  “Fuck!” I swore and jumped up. “I thought it had worn off. It had to have. Torin wouldn't have been able to . . . oh shit.” I laughed scornfully. “That's why he was so upset. He probably couldn't get any farther with Oonagh than we were able to go just now.”

  “Did you perform some kind of binding ritual with King Torin?” Declan's brows lifted.

  “Yes.”

  “That doesn't make any sense.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can't imagine why Torin would bond with you, if he intended on leaving you in the end.” Declan shook his head.

  “The relic started it; we just went along. Maybe he didn't want to seem like an ass by refusing it.” I shrugged. “Whatever it was, it doesn't matter anymore. The relic is asleep. It can't defend its spell. I'm going to fix this right now.”

  “The relic cast the spell?” Declan stood. “Elaria, you may not be able to remove it.”

  “Just watch me,” I growled.

  Then I began to sing. I'd be damned if I allowed Torin to hinder me after he betrayed me. Hell no, I was going to break this enchantment and move on. Nothing was going to stop me from getting my life back. I may not be the Queen of Song anymore, but I was still a spellsinger. A damn good one.

  I had the perfect song for breaking the relic's hold on me. Clairity's “Exorcism.” A subtle, slow burn of broken dreams transforming into a catharsis. An evolution of healing from the loss of love. The low hum of the lyrics surged up into a swirling cadence of freedom. Exorcism indeed. I needed to banish the ghost of my ex-lover. I closed my eyes to the power of the song, letting the magic fill my throat and rush out of my lips. It spiraled around my body, tingling over my skin before seeping back inside me. It was one of the few times I'd spellsung myself.

  The words were full of righteous renewal, a woman remembering who she truly was and becoming herself again. I cast out the demons of a false affection and then sought to repair myself. There was denial in the music, a rebuke against the damage done, but also acceptance, and finally, release.

  I saw Declan gaping at me as my skin began to glow. He stood in a sort of trance, then eased closer. His hand lifted slightly, as if he wanted to touch me but wasn't
sure he should.

  “Elaria,” he whispered in wonder.

  I let the magic multiply, let it manifest within me and climb to an apex of anguish. It was over at last, time to move on. Time to let him go. Goodbye, Torin.

  The spell broke. I fell to my knees with a whimper, the words dying in my mouth. Their death left a bitter taste behind, hard to swallow. As I fell, I heard an anguished roar, echoing up to my balcony from the street below. Declan was immediately beside me, cradling me. I blinked up at him in confusion.

  “That sounded like...”

  “Torin.” Declan scowled, and helped me stand. “Impossible.” He stepped out onto the balcony, and stared down to the plaza with widening eyes. “How did he find us?”

  “No,” I whispered, coming up behind him. “Not here. Not now.”

  I looked down, following Declan's gaze. Sure enough, there was Torin. He was just wobbling to his feet, as if he'd been struck down. There was a crowd around him, good Samaritans making sure Torin was all right. But he waved them off and looked unerringly up to me. I inhaled sharply at the fury in his eyes, and backed away from the balcony.

  “Looks like we're about to have company,” Declan slipped into his pants. “Allow me.” He held out my dress for me.

  “How can you be so calm?” I asked as I stepped into it.

  “What else is there to be?” Declan zipped up the back, and then slid his shirt on. “In fact, I look forward to this. We can settle things between you two once and for all. I won't have to worry about him coming back into your life and”

  “Elaria!” Torin's voice came from the other side of my door. “Open this door, or I'll break it down.”

  “Persephone poison you!” I swore as I headed to the door. “Stop making such a racket.”

  I swung it open and met his eyes. Torin's stunning, cerulean eyes. His stare was still furious, but the fury was replaced with something else as it flickered over me. Something even stronger than rage. Something I'd never thought to see in his eyes again.

  “Why?” Torin growled as he slammed the door behind him. “Why would you leave like that? Without speaking to me first?”

  “King Torin,” Declan made his presence known.

  “King Declan,” Torin narrowed his eyes on Declan. “Get out before I kill you.”

  “Fuck you, Torin,” I snapped at him. “Declan is here by my invitation. You are not.”

  “Get out!” Torin roared at Declan.

  Declan looked at me calmly.

  “Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “You probably shouldn't be here for this anyway,” I said to Declan. “Can I meet you down in the cafe after this is finished?”

  “Of course. Take as long as you need.” Declan gallantly kissed my hand and then left, closing the door quietly behind him.

  “What the fuck are you doing with him?” Torin growled as soon as Declan was gone.

  “You don't get to ask me that,” I snarled.

  “Elaria”-Torin took a deep breath and ran a hand through his wild hair-“I have been all over this human world searching for you. I've had spies everywhere. I tried to get that son of a bitch Cerberus to tell me where you were, but he refused. In fact, he threatened me with physical harm so ridiculous in nature, I'm fairly certain it's impossible to achieve. The only reason I found you today was because I had someone watching Declan. Now you say I don't get to ask you why he's here?”

  “You don't.” I lifted my chin. “You were the one who cheated on me.”

  “The hell I did!” Torin shouted.

  “Oh?” I lifted my brows. “So that was someone else I saw kissing Oonagh?”

  “No, that was Oonagh kissing me,” he snapped. “I don't know what part of that moment you witnessed, but if you had watched a little longer, you would have seen me push her away. Violently.”

  “Declan saw you first.” I narrowed my eyes on him. “Then I saw you. That would have given you plenty of time to remove her from your person.”

  “You've obviously never been attacked by Oonagh.” He rolled his eyes, then suddenly deflated, as if all of his energy had been sapped away by his rant. He dropped onto the edge of the bed and stared at me mournfully. “All of this because you saw something that meant nothing.”

  “It wasn't just the kiss,” I tried to hold onto the anger, but part of me was beginning to doubt my interpretation of the event. I replayed it in my head. Torin's hands had been at Oonagh's waist, but had they been holding her or pushing her away? I wasn't sure anymore. “You withdrew from me. We hadn't slept together in days. And Oonagh was always there, always touching you, looking at you like you were hers.”

  “I was trying to set things right in Tír na nÓg,” he huffed. “And part of it was a settlement for you. As far as Oonagh, she's always acted like this. Why would you suddenly be suspicious over her?”

  “What?” I eased forward a little.

  “Which part?”

  “The settlement.”

  “I was negotiating tribute for you,” Torin explained. “It was rough going and I was exhausted. Then you started sleeping in the guest room. I thought you didn't want to be bothered with my attentions. That maybe you were tired too.”

  “The fight you had with Oonagh,” I whispered. “When she left Onyx . . .”

  “How do you know about that?” Torin scowled.

  “Declan told me,” I shrugged. “Just before you arrived.”

  “I cast Oonagh out of my kingdom after I found your letter.” His jaw clenched. “I couldn't stand to look at her. Then I began to search for you. I finally found your home in Hawaii, but you weren't there. It was empty, just as you left me. Damn it all, Elaria.” Torin shook his head. “How could leave me like that? After everything we went through, how could you think I would cast you aside for Oonagh? Oonagh!” He spat the name like it was a curse.

  “I . . .” I blinked in shock. “I thought the relic's spell was broken when it went back into hibernation. I thought your desire for Oonagh had returned.”

  “No, it wasn't broken, not that it would have mattered if it had been,” he sighed. “You broke it just now.”

  “Yes, I know,” I whispered.

  “That hurt, little bird.”

  “Yeah, it did,” I agreed. “I'm sorry.”

  “I'm not.” He stood, a hard expression settling over his face.

  “You're not?” I felt my stomach drop.

  Damn him. I had just begun to think we had a chance again, and there he went, dashing it all to pieces.

  “No.” Torin brought us together with a single step. “Because now you'll know that what I feel for you has nothing to do with a spell. You'll know that we're together because we want to be, not because of some bond the relic has forged between us. You'll know that the reason I don't look at other women is because I think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And you'll know that this is real.” He pulled me against his chest and kissed me.

  It was a slashing, punishing kiss, but it quickly morphed into pure passion. My arms fell limply to my sides in shock as the taste of him brought memories exploding to life within me. My heart started pounding and tears filled my eyes. Internally, I shouted at myself, “Kiss him back you fool!” And I did. I wrapped my arms around his wide shoulders, and clung to him like he was the last real thing in my world. And I kissed him. I kissed him with every ounce of emotion I had. All those nights of pain, those numb days, and those screaming fits of fury. And the love, the deep well of love that was somehow still overflowing inside me.

  When Torin and I finally pulled away from each other, my cheeks were drenched with tears, but so were his. I blinked at that, swiping at my eyes to see him more clearly. Yep, Torin was crying. His long lashes were spiked wet, and his eyes were bluer than ever with that shine over them. Of course the man looked amazing, even when he wept.

  “Don't ever scare me like that again,” he whispered, and pulled me back into his embrace. “Do you know what you've put me through? How did you expect me to live
without your song in my heart?”

  “You?” I teased. “I stopped bathing.”

  “You what?” Torin pulled back in mock horror.

  “Shut up,” I huffed.

  “If you ever suspect me of wrongdoing again, speak to me first.” Torin bracketed my face with his palms. “Don't just pack your things and leave, Elaria. That was cruel and cowardly. Behavior unfitting of a queen. I never expected it from you.”

  “I'm not a queen anymore,” I whispered to him. “I thought that might be one of the reasons you didn't want me.”

  “Because you weren't a queen?” Torin's eyes widened. “Do you think I'm somehow restricted by my status? That a king can only marry a queen?”

  “I . . . yeah,” I frowned, trying to remember all I'd heard about fey monarchy. “That's how it sounded.”

  “You met Duchess Branna.” He shook his head.

  “Duchess Branna . . . yeah. And?”

  “Branna is Parthalon's wife.” Torin wiped at my wet cheeks. “A ruler can marry whomever they wish. If that person happens to be another ruler, it works out to their benefit. But it's not necessary. I could marry a woman with no magic at all, if I chose to. She would be my wife, but she wouldn't hold the title of queen. That title is earned through magic; it can't be gained through marriage.”

  “So Branna . . .”

  “Has the magic of a duchess.” Torin nodded. “Just a step down from queen. Not that Parthalon cares.”

  “So the loss of the relic doesn't concern you?”

  “It's kind of a relief,” he admitted. “The relic seemed to have its own agenda. I was constantly worried over what it might do to you. To us.”

  “Like bind us together?” I lifted my brows at him.

  “That was something I started, if you'll recall.” Torin smiled. “And another reason your departure baffled me. I made a vow to you, Elaria. It may not have been a vow of marriage, but it was a considerable one. With or without the power of the relic behind it, it meant a lot to me. I can't conceive of you walking away from that. Or of you thinking that I would walk away from it.”

  “The heart can be silly sometimes,” I shrugged.