Peyton and Genevieve were also neighbors who lived in the lower housing district. They each had younger siblings and had been inseparable since they met in school. They were complete opposites, but it seemed to work for them thus far. Griffin was from the industrial district. He had five younger sisters and did his best to help his single mother support them. Jonah’s parents were scholars; also an only child, he had spent as much of his life with his nose in a book as I had. Finley’s parents were explorers. They traveled to far lands and were mostly absent from his life.
As I listened to stories of their childhoods, I realized just how much this camaraderie really meant to me. I shared my story with them and answered questions as well as I could. I had always been on the outside looking in. I never fit anywhere, and here with them . . . it almost felt like I did.
My sides were hurting from laughing in earnest at a story Luca was telling of the time he dared Briony to shift into her fox and run into her grandmother’s hen house when they were children. Her grandma had beat her hide before they scrambled to collect the terrified hens. Luca felt guilty and tried to take the blame, which resulted in his own beating and chores for both of them for a week. They cleaned that hen house from top to bottom.
“I haven’t looked at eggs the same since!” Luca bellowed.
Rowan appeared in the doorway, and we all abruptly stopped, straightening our positions, awaiting some sort of chastisement. He frowned at our reaction almost as if he felt guilty.
“I have only come to escort the princess to her room. Curfew is soon,” he explained, and I stood, quickly making my way to the door.
“I’ll see you all in the morning!” I waved happily as I allowed Rowan to escort me out of the barracks. I sighed sadly as I heard the animated laughter pick up again as Briony began to tell her side of the story. I began walking away, sad that I wouldn’t get to hear it.
“I apologize for pulling you away,” Rowan said softly, surprising me.
“It’s OK. I know you’re just doing what you think is right,” I admitted, wishing for one night I could be normal.
“It is a lot of responsibility to bear the title of nobility,” he intoned, and I shrugged in defeat. He was right. It was a lot of responsibility.
“I am glad you have bonded with the others. I enjoy seeing you happy.” His voice was a near whisper, an admission in the darkness as we made our way back to the palace.
“What else makes you happy, Rowan?” I wondered aloud, but I received no answer.
***
Morning came early, and I was braiding my hair in the mirror when Farran popped into the bathroom, startling me. I knew what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth.
“I’m not telling you where it is.”
“Please, Vivi, the curiosity is killing me!” he groaned. He had tried to convince me multiple times this week to allow him to see the necklace again.
“Figure out a way to disarm it somehow. I’m not letting that witch harm you in any way,” I said, finishing my braid and turning a scowl on him that he returned fully. He looked even more pale and sickly. I tried to bring it up, but he brushed me away every time. The everyday magic use was draining him.
“You heard her,” Rowan rumbled as he entered behind Farran. He yelled in frustration before quickly disappearing.
“Ready?” he asked, looking at me in the mirror.
“You know it,” I replied following his lead.
We entered what I had taken to calling the “ritual room” and saw a still-grumpy Farran and Adelaide. I hadn’t seen much of her this week, and I sensed tension in the air when we entered. Rowan barely acknowledged her, and I tried not to smile. Trouble in paradise?
“All right, hurry up. I haven’t got all day,” Farran grumbled. I frowned unhappily at him. His grumpy behavior wasn’t normal. He started the spell, and Adelaide held the dagger out but gasped when she saw my thigh. I blushed.
“It’s part of the blood magic, a sacrifice of sorts,” I told her as her eyes roamed my leg.
“At least you made a cute little pattern with them.” She sounded condescending, and I’m sure she meant to.
“Thanks. It was Rowan’s idea,” I replied, unable to help myself. Her hand on the blade tightened. OK, not the best idea to goad someone who was holding a weapon. She didn’t move, though, as I angled myself to make another precise mark.
When Farran told her to put her hand on the cut she hesitated, and for a second I didn’t think she was going to complete the exchange. Finally she sighed and pushed her hand against my outer thigh a little too hard. I involuntarily gasped at the sting of pain it sent through me. I looked at Rowan, who was seething. When the exchange was finished, she slumped.
“You should be more grateful to Vivienne, instead of allowing petty jealousies to cloud your judgment. Do not harm her again,” he barked at Adelaide as I exited the room. I froze just outside the door.
“I’ll gladly let her have you to show my gratitude. I was finished with you anyway,” she hissed.
“You did not have me to begin with,” he grumbled, walking out the door and spotting me still standing there. He shook his head and led me to the bathroom to clean my wound, as had become routine. As he was bandaging my leg, a stray hair fell into his face. Without a thought I brushed it back from his eyes.
His hair was silky and thick. I had to fight the urge to burry my fingers deeper into it. He leaned against the counter, hands on either side of me with his eyes closed and turned his face into my palm. I shuddered with pleasure at the concession and gladly rubbed the stubble of his jaw with my thumb. I couldn’t stop myself as my hand slipped back into his thick mane, and he leaned into me closer. Before I knew what was happening, his face was at my neck. He inhaled deeply, his nose brushing my neck, and chills ran across my skin in anticipation. The small contact had sent my heart racing in my chest. When his nose ran along my jawline, I practically turned to jelly, wrapping my arms around him to support myself.
He stiffened at the action, and when he tried to pull back, I tightened my grip. I could feel every tense muscle in his shoulders and neck through his thin shirt. I took a turn at taking his scent in and was almost drunk on it when my lips fell on his neck. He jumped, trying to pry my arms from him and defuse the situation, but when I wrapped my thighs around his waist, all attempts at escape were lost. He groaned as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me tighter to him as his lips left a trail of fire down my neck. I arched my back, trying to give him better access, but the angle was odd, and he seemed to notice it as well.
His hands were under me, lifting and turning, quickly pressing my back into the wall. The sensation of his movement while my legs were still firmly wrapped around him was tantalizing. His hands quickly slid up the back of my shirt, and everywhere our skin touched felt like it was catching fire. A soft moan escaped me when his lips finally found mine, and he responded eagerly to the sound. His tongue entering my mouth sent shockwaves to my very core. In a quick sweeping movement, my shirt was up and over my head. Before I could even protest, his mouth was at my chest, and I didn’t care about anything for a moment. When I felt his deft fingers at my bra I froze, and he noticed.
He let out a groan and tried to separate us, but I wasn’t having it.
“Just wait, OK?” I begged, hugging him around the neck, still tightly clinging to him. He turned back to the counter and slowly lowered me onto it. When I noticed his very evident arousal, I blushed full. He groaned at my reaction and bent down to put us eye to eye. He was beautiful with his hair disheveled and his eyes wild. I could see he was gearing up to say something that would mar this moment in my mind so I leaned in and slowly, gently pushed my lips to his again. Please don’t take this from me.
“You are so very terrifying to me, Vinnie.” I heard the truth behind his words, but it was absurd to think that he would be afraid of me that I almost laughed.
“Right back at ya.” I smiled and received an up-close view of the dimple for my trouble. I couldn
’t help myself. I quickly pressed my lips to it before it abruptly disappeared.
“Vinnie . . .”
“Can’t you just let me kiss you every once in a while?” I jibed and he sighed.
“This complicates things.” He gestured between the two of us.
“Do you want to be with anyone else?” I pushed him further.
“No.”
“Me either,” I said happily, and he frowned.
“But you should be, Vinnie. You are young! You shouldn’t limit yourself to one person who can’t give you what you need.” He drew back, determination filling his eyes. Why did he think he couldn’t give me what I needed?
“Can we just give it a try?”
“No.”
“No one has to know . . .” I whined, reaching for him as one of my bra straps fell from my arm. His eyes watched it fall. I quickly moved to pull it farther off, regretting my earlier hesitation with everything in me. His hand covered mine, firmly stopping it, and sliding the strap back into place.
“Vinnie, no one who would hide you would be worth your time, and you should never even entertain the idea of compromising yourself in such a way.” His eyes held mine and softened. I dropped my chin, embarrassment hitting me hard. Tears welled in my eyes, and I tried to blink them back. He tilted my chin up and hissed out a curse as he wiped my eyes.
“I just don’t understand,” I complained, hurt squeezing my heart. He winced.
“You can feel my emotions again, can’t you?” I whined, and he nodded. “Since when?”
“It has slowly been returning to me. I feel your hurt, I feel it all, and this is exactly what I was talking about. I cannot bear to be the one to cause you such pain.”
“Then stop denying me,” I groaned, and he chuckled darkly, looking deep into my eyes. I saw his indecision.
“If only it were so simple.”
“You have to understand where I am coming from, you give me so many mixed signals! It’s hard to keep up. Your mouth says one thing, your eyes say another . . .” I admitted, tired of this back and forth.
“I would very much like to get to know you better and for you to know me. Is that acceptable for now?” he asked timidly, and I smiled.
“Someday soon, you’re going to regret the time you wasted trying to resist me,” I joked, and he laughed.
“Come on, Vinnie, let’s get you to training.”
***
An hour later we were warmed up, muscles loose and ready to work with our actual weapons. It was daunting to look around our group and see the gleam of metal instead of the safety of wood. Rowan had paired everyone with a guard to fight against. I was terrified. I looked around at the groups; Briony and Malachi, Luca and Tamora, Finley and Tasmin, Griffin and Silas, Peyton and Marlowe, Genevieve and Willa, Jonah and Felix. My partner, of course, was Rowan.
Our task was simple: block whatever the guards threw at us. I don’t think I could ever truly be afraid of Rowan, but when he was instructing, he was more than a little intimidating. He stood with a sword in hand, honey-colored eyes gleaming in the sunlight. His hair was tied back from his face, and his jawline was as sharp as his cheekbones were high. I took in the full sight of him and before I could even let out a sigh, his blade was at my neck, and his beautiful lips were pulled into a tight line.
If this were a real fight, I would have already been dead . . . but since it wasn’t, I tried to recover. I pulled my small dagger in a sweeping motion that sent his blade successfully away from my neck without harming either of us. I almost smiled, but too soon he came at me again, and I was blocking with every move I had ever learned. He was relentless in his attacks, which sent me scrambling and stumbling. For every successful block I managed, he had made it past ten more. There was no possible way I or any other person could ever have kept pace with him, and I had a sneaking suspicion that even then he was holding back. Anger and frustration started taking over around the same time I was sure my butt was going to be purple from landing on it so often.
My tigress roared within me, angry at feeling threatened and making me sloppy. This show of strength didn’t sit well with her. When he knocked my dagger from my hand and sent it flying, I roared, my tiger clawing its way to the surface and bursting forth. This magic was different than my healing magic, and though I hadn’t been draining it, it should have been dampened.
As my eyes met Rowan’s, I had the urge to bite him, to show him who was stronger. I wanted to sink my teeth into the flesh of his neck. His eyes flashed yellow as I leaped at him, lion replacing the man that was in front of me. My tigress was smaller than his lion, but she didn’t know that. I slammed into him, paws wrapping around and trying to pull down his weight. His big paw swiped me off easily, and I roared pacing around him, looking for an opening.
“Are you planning to kill me, Vinnie?” His voice burst into my mind and I froze. Was I going to kill him? Probably not. Wait, what was I even saying? Of course not. My tigress disagreed.
“She wants me to neutralize the threat.”
“You are the one who is in control of her, not the other way around.” Rowan scoffed, but I opened my mind and let him feel her fighting for control.
“That is very strange . . . come let me set her at ease,” he said, and I walked over to him slowly. His big paw pulled me into him, and he rubbed jaws with me before licking my ear and lowering his head and eyes. My tigress purred, calming.
“She likes that.”
“Yes, instinct drives the tiger. Her mind should not be so separate from yours. You must find a way to connect the two more firmly. Her instincts should join with your knowledge, creating a higher sense of being. It should become easier. Do not fret.” He shifted back and I followed suit, turning to address our captive audience.
“I’m working through some aggression issues,” I lied, and the others tried to pretend they didn’t notice.
“That is enough for today. Everyone have lunch and meet back at headquarters to discuss strategy.” Rowan smiled timidly, alarming everyone further. I laughed at the suspicion in the eyes of the rest of the group. Rowan usually wouldn’t give the afternoon off, and he certainly wouldn’t smile while doing so. I turned to leave so the others would know it was all right and it wasn’t some kind of “lesson” he was trying to teach. Besides, I had an uneasy feeling that was slowly settling in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn’t right. I looked around and saw that everyone was perfectly fine . . . but where was Farran? When I thought of him, my chest tightened. I needed to find him.
I quickly shifted and took off in a run, trying to catch his scent. People gasped, hopping out of the way as I barreled through the busy streets in my frantic haste. Where are you, Farran? Show me where you are! I pushed my power behind it and saw a flash of my room filter across my vision. Without a thought as to why, I raced through the gates and courtyard gardens, shifting only when I reached the top. Breath heaving and muscles aching from the exertion, I finally made it to my room and swung the door wide.
A quick survey showed me that Farran was lying sprawled on the floor at the foot of my bed. Clutched in his hand was the necklace from Narissa. I tore it from his hand, but I could feel that it was too late. The necklace was empty and the charm had taken hold of him instead. Dark magic swirled around his head as if it were the focal point of the spell. Wait, hadn’t Farran said it was a seeing spell? What could he be seeing right now?
Rowan was there in an instant, taking in the scene and lifting Farran onto my bed. He checked him for injury, and I paced the floor, feeling panic consume me. His face was pulled tight as if he was in pain, his body stiff as a board. Rowan entered the bathroom, confirming that he had found the hiding spot. I followed him, throwing the necklace back into the hole and sliding it shut. I raked my hands through my hair, catching tangles and pulling, wrenching them free in frustration. This was all my fault.
“Stop it, Vinnie.” Harsh and demanding, his voice rang in the silence, successfully pulling me back into the roo
m.
“What do we do? How can we help him?”
“I am not certain.”
“Go and get Seraphina,” I snapped.
“I will not leave you until another arrives to take my place.”
“You will,” I growled, and his eyes narrowed in defiance. I let out a frustrated hiss before joining Farran on the edge of the bed to get a better look at him. It’s all right, Farran. You’re going to be all right. I sent him the thoughts to no avail. I grabbed his hand to reinforce them, and a stabbing pain went through my head. My whole body ached in an instant. Memories began flashing through my mind.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I hated having to sneak through the woods like some common whore to see my lover in the middle of the night, but if I wanted this particular satisfaction, it was necessary. All eyes were on me in the daylight, but as the next queen of Reinhelm I considered it par for the course. I was headed to a nearby Shuni camp to see Richard for a well-deserved treat. In my opinion, Shuni in their raw passion are far better lovers than Conduits with their reserved air. I heard a giggle, and I froze. Who would be all the way out here at this time of night? I heard laughter echo low and deep, and I stiffened. I knew that laugh . . . anger flashed through me as I began slowly making my way toward the muffled sounds.
Fury rushed through me when I saw them pressed into a tree, nearly indecent in the moonlight. How dare Alaric think he could get away with doing this to me? His broad back shifted lower, kissing her neck and her beautiful face fell back, head pressing against the tree. Milky skin, a shock of dark hair, and icy-blue eyes shone with pleasure. I muffled my gasp and almost laughed at the sight of the Shuni Princess Alma in such a state. She was a notorious tease from what I had heard, never showing interest in men in any substantial way. With her soft curves and entrancing eyes, she was coveted by many, and here was my fiancé sneaking around with her in the moonlight. This was almost too perfect.
***
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Alaric and Alma walking in the market, holding hands and talking to passersby. Just last week my plan to tear them forcibly apart had been thwarted by the games kings like to play. He was showing her around a kingdom that would become theirs. The kingdom I was promised. I had been tossed to the side, my family shamed by the act, and yet here she was, a whore caught and outed only to be handed the keys to the kingdom. She stole this from me, and I was going to take something irreplaceable from her.
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