Laura held up a forefinger. “One moment, please. I have to double-check on something.” Laura pulled out a wand from the side of her skirt and tapped it against her forehead, her eyes closing in concentration.
Rosamund pulled at his hand. “Don’t do this. I never wanted you to do this, not for me.”
Seth removed his hand from her grip and stroked her cheek. She was as smooth as porcelain, but he preferred the rough vibrancy that marked Kira. “Promise me that you’ll go on that picnic. Better yet, jump in that lake. Make sure you start at the shallow end.”
“I’ve finished conversing with my supervisor.” Laura’s voice broke through and both Seth and Rosamund turned toward the dark-skinned fairy godmother. “Seems the switch is a go. Say goodnight, Prince Charming.”
Lethargy infused his limbs and his vision blurred. He closed his eyes, but when he opened them again he was on the bed, his legs too long for the mattress.
Rosamund was crying. He tried to lift his arm to wipe away her tears, but no hand reached her face. His limbs wouldn’t obey the commands of his brain. “You shouldn’t have done this,” she kept saying. “Why did you do this?”
“Don’t cry.” That was his voice? It was so small, so far away. How could he lead his kingdom with a voice as unimpressive as that? Focus. Focus on Rosamund. “It will be all right. I have a true love and she’s going to be here soon. And if a dragon is dumb enough to stand in her way? She’ll hand him his ass.”
Not to mention his ass was in trouble. Kira was going to be so upset with him over this. But… His eyes slid shut, impossible to keep open anymore.
But first I’m going to get another kiss.
Chapter Eleven
Kira should have been riding, as hard and as fast as she could push her horse to go.
Instead, she did what? Waited just outside the town, where she would have a spectacular view of Seth and Rosamund when they entered and proclaimed to all that the curse was over and their wedding would be forthcoming.
The cheers would be deafening.
She picked up a rock and threw it hard against the trunk of the tree across from her. The thunk was hardly satisfying, and she looked around for a bigger one.
Then vibrations began under her feet, and within moments it went from a low buzz to throwing her around like a ragdoll and knocking her into the tree. She wrapped her arms around the trunk to stabilize herself just as the last vibration hit, and the ground stilled once again.
What was that? And then came the answer as a roar bellowed over the land, long and loud and terrifying.
Dragon? It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. The curse was broken. Seth had saved the day. Nothing was going to stop the fairy tale story of the prince who saved the princess.
“I’m afraid that’s not quite how it happens, child.”
She knew that voice. From her left… “Sara?”
Sara from the tavern, as grandmotherly as ever, her face marked with generous laugh lines and eyes that gleamed with merriment. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to give you a little support. You’ve got quite the job ahead of you.”
As Sara talked, Kira’s birthmark began to warm, similar to when she’d fought the fey the night she and Seth had left the kingdom. But instead of the stab of a red-hot burn, this time the warming was soothing and gentle, the way it felt when she sank into a hot bath the end of a long day. She held up her wrist to show Sara her mark. “What part do you play in this? You said I was fairy-marked.”
“I did? Well, then you are. I’m usually right about these things.” Sara sat down on a fallen log, folded her hands in her lap, and kept her gaze on Kira, her whole attitude one of patient and good-humored expectation.
The birthmark burned hotter and the whisper of memory tickled the back of her mind. Something was here, something that happened before. She knew this woman from before their meeting at the tavern— long, long before. There was a…question? —No, not a question, it was more—purpose. Something to do with purpose.
Her mind churned and uprooted, but there was no image to grasp, no word to enlighten. Whatever she and this woman shared, her mind would not give her the answer, so she asked the source. “The tavern wasn’t the first time we met, was it?”
“No, not at all. We met a very long time ago.” But when Kira parted her mouth to speak again, Sara waved her question away. “We’ll discuss that later. Right now, we have a curse to break and a prince to save.”
Seth. The dragon. Kira crouched down so she was eye level with Sara. “Where is Seth? That was the dragon I heard, wasn’t it? Why is there a dragon loose when Seth is with Rosamund?”
Sara reached out and patted Kira’s hand in support. “Because I’m sorry to say, the curse was fulfilled.”
“No.” Sara didn’t know Seth. Sara couldn’t know that he’d never allow that to happen. “Not possible. I saw him leave to go to Rosamund. He would never break his promise.”
“No, no he never would.” Sara’s voice gentled and filled with respect. “And he didn’t. He kept his word. Rosamund isn’t asleep.”
“You said the curse was fulfilled! You’re making no sense.” Panic snaked through Kira but she pushed it back, because what she was thinking – what she was thinking was not possible and didn’t happen. Couldn’t have happened. Seth was fine. “You said the curse was fulfilled, so that means Rosamund is asleep.”
Sara’s eyes weren’t merry now, and her laugh lines were greatly diminished. “He promised that little girl he would not let the curse take her, and he didn’t. Instead he took the curse upon himself.”
Kira grabbed the old woman by the shoulders and gave a hard shake. “You’re lying! He went to her to break the curse. Seth is fine. It can’t touch them now!”
Sara made no move to break free. Instead, she placed her weathered hands over Kira’s and held them. “Do you believe that man could make love to you but still marry another woman? Is that who you think he is?”
It was meant to be one night, just one night, for her to carry in her heart the rest of her life. It wasn’t meant to change anything. It wasn’t meant…
No.
Is that who you think he is?
No.
It had been her victory over Rosamund, hadn’t it? No, that wasn’t what Seth was. With their loving, she had won, hadn’t she? Over the curse, over Rosamund, over the circumstances that had defined her life since the moment she realized she loved Seth, the same moment she’d realized she could never have him.
Her knees buckled, rocks and branches bit into flesh and muscle as she sank into the muddy ground. Her fault. She cursed Seth. In her determination to have him, to win, she left him vulnerable to the curse.
The gentle touch of Sara’s hand on her cheek caught her attention. “Enough of that, child. You’re not evil, you’re human, and you’re in love. So is he, and if anything, you are two of the most admirable people I’ve ever met. So enough self-flagellation. What’s done is done, and we move on.”
We move on, we move on. “Yes, we move on,” Kira agreed. She drew a deep breath, pushing away the doubt and self-pity with it. There would be time in the future to revisit this, time to reflect on her failings then. Now, she had work to do. She rose, her posture ramrod straight. “What needs to happen to save Seth and Rosamund?”
Sara rose as well, the smile coming back to her face. “We need two things. We need you, and we need a fairy godmother.”
The persistent burn of the birthmark flared in response to the words and Sara stood there, straight and tall, her eyes filled with a knowledge and a power no human could possibly have, knowledge and strength even that evil creature she fought hadn’t projected. This woman… well, she wasn’t a woman, was she?
The burn intensified.
Yes, yes, I understand the symbolism. Kira motioned between the two of them. “So we have both of those things. Now what?”
Sara’s smile widened, as if in approval of Kira’s acceptance. She clapped her hands three times in quick su
ccession. “Now we get to the fun part.”
***
“This Elf King sounds like a real jerk.”
Sara gave a great, loud, long-suffering sigh. “I know he’s made your life particularly difficult and I truly sympathize, but try living in the same land as the royal oaf the last several millennia.”
That little piece of info caught Kira’s attention. “Just how old are you?”
There was a tsk, then, “Never ask a woman’s age. What is it with young people? No sense.”
“Apologies, madam.” They were trailing through the forest on foot. Sara had been very firm that they needed to walk to the castle, and what use was having a fairy godmother around if you weren’t going to listen to them? The only thing to do was trust and move. Speaking of… “We’re getting near.”
“Yes, which means soon I’ll have to leave.”
Kira stopped walking. “You said I needed a fairy godmother. You said you would help.”
“And I am, by what I’ve told you so far and what I’m going to tell you now. But I can’t go into battle with you.” Sara reached out and gave Kira’s hand a firm squeeze. “In the end, we all battle alone.”
Except she wasn’t alone. She carried Seth within her, the power of his love and friendship as strong as if he were beside her. And she carried purpose, the pure will to save Seth. He was counting on her.
He had never failed her. Damned if she would fail him now.
Sara’s smile turned impish and knowing. Could fairy godmothers read minds? Then Sara started to speak, and all of Kira’s attention was on her words. “First, you must realize the dragon is not real. Someone is guarding Seth, but the dragon is nothing but an illusion.”
“Am I going to be going up against the Elf King?” Somehow, the thought of facing the being who started all this twisted her stomach in a way the roars she heard earlier couldn’t touch.
“The Elf King doesn’t cross over to this side, but you will face his servant.”
The echo of malevolent tones skittered over her skin. Her dread must have shown on her face, because Sara said, “You can defeat him. He is powerful, not invincible. But you fear the wrong battle. This will not be a battle of swords, but of wills. The Elf King couldn’t care less about a mortal life won or lost. What he wants your misery, your despair. That is the fight you fight.”
Kira had grown up with a sword in her hand. Blade and sharpened edge she understood and respected. What Sara was talking about was outside anything in her experience, and more terrifying than the slice of steel against skin. “Just what am I facing?”
“He can see into your heart and drag your weaknesses out to parade in front of you. If you give any quarter, he’ll have you, and Seth is doomed.”
Chapter Twelve
Kira had only walked a few moments alone when the dragon appeared above. It was black and monstrous, blocking out the sun as it landed before her, wings extended. The smell of sulphur and smoke surrounded it, choking her, while its long neck brought down its head to the ground, its eye as tall as she was.
Kira beat down any fear that tried to rise and squeeze the air from her body. Sara said it was fake and the elderly godmother had her trust. Her wrist burned as never before as she pointed her sword at the magical creature. “Show your real self, servant of the Elf King. I have no time to be dealing with illusion.”
“Ah, you are one of Sara’s.” The voice came from inside the dragon, but not its mouth. It had an echoing quality that suggested its source was far away. “Do you trust the fairy so deeply that you will take her words to heart?”
“Yes.” And she did. At this moment, Sara and Seth were the only two she trusted – and that trust was absolute.
With that, the burning of her wrist flared and deepened and burst through every nerve-ending of her arm. With a yell, Kira thrust her sword forward through the dragon’s eye.
She felt nothing solid underneath her blade. The dragon shimmered and disappeared, and the same fey they had encountered on the road was now before her, reptilian as she remembered, his dark eyes malevolent as they took her in. She was violated, stripped raw, every dark and dirty part of her left out for consumption.
He smirked then, circling her. She moved with him, not allowing him access to her back. When they completed their circle he said, “I see you became his whore.”
Rage beat against her skull at his words penetrated. How dare he mark and soil the night that was everything to her? What right did such a disgusting thing have to talk about her love? “Shut your mouth. I don’t expect something like you to know about people in love.”
He laughed, the high-pitch turning her stomach to such a degree she feared she might vomit. “You might have been in love, but was he?”
The insidious voice poked and prodded her defenses, but she refused to allow it to penetrate. “I never required him to be. Now get out of my way or I’ll force you to move.”
“What can you do?” His smile was a repulsive sight, vile and malignant, without a shred of warmth or human feeling. “You are alone. No father or mother, manipulated since birth by two pompous and prideful kings. Considering your background, I’m not surprised you’d fuck another woman’s betrothed. Did you want him to alter his course?”
Only Seth mattered. She would pay for her sins however this life required of her, but she would not allow Seth to suffer for her choice. She would not let this creature manipulate her. He was nothing but an obstacle to be removed.
He stepped closer, his head tilting in a mock semblance of empathy. “Of course you did, but didn’t you deserve it, after all? After everything they’ve done to you, to him, don’t you both deserve some happiness?”
So seductive. She could almost feel the words petting against her, freeing her from her guilt. Their fault, their fault, not you, take what you deserve, make a life with Seth. “No one deserves anything in this life. Things happen. Rosamund proves that.”
He dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “One spoiled princess feels the bite of life. How does that compare with what you’ve been through?”
She recalled Seth as he talked of Rosamund that night, the pain he still felt when thinking on the princess. “None of us deserve what she’s been through.”
“Then if no one deserves it, why go through all this trouble to take it away from her?” He approached her, his body displaying a slithery grace that had an almost hypnotic quality. His eyes were a swirl of colors, never stopping on one shade long enough that it was identifiable. “You don’t deserve the misery either, do you? Does Prince Seth? Of course not, and I can help. I can give the curse back to her if you work with me. Think on it—the princess will be locked away, and Seth will be yours forever.”
Against her will, his words worked themselves into her skin. Why not her? Rid of her, and Seth is yours. “I can save Seth without you.”
He reclined against a large tree, crossing his arms in front of him in acceptance of her challenge, his eyes holding hers fast. “Maybe, but even if you do, all you’ll have done is put him out of your reach forever. He will be married to her, and you will live the rest of your miserable life alone. You can’t tell me one night was enough for you.”
No, it never would be. Being in his arms every night for the rest of their lives wouldn’t be enough. The love and belonging she’d experienced last night was so complete, no other time in her life ever came close. She could almost imagine their hearts had beaten as one.
“Help me, Kira, and I’ll give you everything you desire. I’ll give you a life with the man you love. Why should you suffer? Why should you be denied?”
She was going to save Seth to watch him marry another woman. A woman he would make love to, a woman who would carry his children. Why should Kira suffer the rest of her life? Why shouldn’t she get what she wanted for once – for once? Seth loved her, didn’t he? He might be mad at first, but he would come to understand. After all, he wanted to be with her as well. Last night couldn’t have happened if he didn
’t. And once they were together, they could leave their fathers, and these kingdoms, and Rosamund—
I made a promise, and I won’t fail her.
The echo of his words banged against her head, almost painful in their intensity.
Yes, Seth did love her, and he wouldn’t understand abandoning Rosamund. And she would not love him as well as she did if he could.
Kira brought her sword up before her face and gave a small salute before bringing the weapon to the ready. “If you think I’m going to let Seth down because you like listening to the sound of your own voice, you are sorely mistaken. Now, you can move, or you can die.”
The smile faded, and his eyes narrowed as they assessed her. After a long moment, the evil creature disappeared.
Kira closed her eyes and stood there for long moments, doing nothing except breathing in the clear air. She was flayed from the inside out, the deep dark places of her own heart and mind that she pretended didn’t exist lay before her in their grotesqueness. She could never again pretend innocence of her own baser nature.
Swords might not have clashed in this battle, but there would be scars nonetheless.
A strange peace gradually settled in her, and she glanced around to verify the fey was gone. He was.
It was time to finish her part in this tale.
Her feet knew the path to take. There was no hesitation over turns or steps. She ran into the castle and chose the stairway that led to the tallest tower.
She pushed open the door and her eyes zeroed in on the bed in the middle of the room. Seth lay on the small bed, his long legs dangling off the edge. The only sign that this was something other than a normal nap was that he was fully clothed down to his boots and his normally darker skin had a pale undertone.
A small, blond woman was sitting beside him, holding his hand. At Kira’s entrance she leaped up and stepped away from Seth, though she made no other sounds or movements.
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