by Serena Nova
“Look what I found,” a voice behind us said. I knew who it was. I would recognize that cold voice anywhere. We both slowly turned around, I glared at Icas Nox. He stood in the doorway, at the other side of the hall. We had almost reached the door that would lead back to the small corridor.
I was suddenly relieved that Mara hadn't been there, I didn’t want to get her into trouble.
“Where do you girls think you are going?” Icas asked, while he moved closer. Astra and I took a step back, almost at the door.
“For a walk,” I answered cheekily, while we kept moving, Astra angled behind me, her hand in mine, trembling.
Icas’s face turned dark. “Nobody comes into my house without an invitation. Nobody takes what is mine.”
“I’m not yours,” Astra spat out. I was happy that she still had some spine even while she was cowering behind me. It all must have been one hell of a roller-coaster for her. It made me proud of her that she still could stand up for herself.
“Oh, yes, girl. Your parents promised you to me. I have it all on paper.” He waved a hand in the air. He now stood still in the centre of the hall, blocking the main entrance. The door was at our backs, and if we moved fast enough, we could get through it. I wasn’t sure it would work, he would be after us in seconds. I needed to think of something else.
The driver popped into my head. I needed to stall, and I hoped that the hour I had said to him would be over soon. And that he would come to my rescue. I hated needing to be rescued, but I needed it then. Wishing with all my heart that someone would barge into the door, knock it off its hinges and save us.
My thoughts hadn't even finished when the doorbell rang. We all looked at the door, confusion on Icas’s face. I didn’t dare to be relieved, didn’t dare to let that feeling go through me.
Nobody moved. Someone rang the doorbell again, followed by a loud pounding on the door that startled Astra. I felt her huddle more behind me. That was the moment for us to move. Before we could turn, the door blew open.
And I didn’t expect them.
10
“Your Highnesses.” Icas Nox bowed low to the four males standing at his door. I stared at them. Astra dropped my hand and moved to stand next to me.
“Your Highnesses.” She bowed, too. I still stood there, with my mouth hanging open.
All four of them looked at me, and suddenly, I remembered to close my mouth.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked them, still not connecting the dots.
“Saving you, it seems,” Rayan said, a grin on his face. I looked them all over, but he was the only one smiling. Cian looked pissed, while Averey and Flynn didn’t show a single emotion. That scared me more than Icas Nox did right now. He was still bowing towards the Kings.
“I don’t need saving,” I answered. I heard Astra’s humpf at that. “Yeah, cliché. I get it, As. But it is true. We didn’t need any prince on the white horse shit. I was handling it,” I whispered to Astra. Not low enough, apparently, since I heard Rayan laugh. I was getting annoyed that the Kings themselves had come. Yeah, that was something that irritated me. If it was the Protector from the car, I wouldn’t have minded, instead it was them. I bristled, my fingers twisted.
Before I could say anything more, Averey stepped into the hall.
“Why is this girl here?” I moved in front of Astra; a reflex. Averey frowned at me. He lowered the finger he had been pointing towards Astra and looked back towards Icas.
Icas looked up, his face in a scowl for a second before relaxing. Astra looked back at me, she had seen it, too. I shrugged and waited for what he would say. I hoped Averey had seen it, too.
“I wanted to give her some time to visit her family before she would be introduced into the Selection process. It can be demanding of someone’s time.” His face was smooth, nothing looked out of place with that lie.
“You’re lying!” I said while I stepped forward, my fists clenched. “Mara told me.”
Someone to my right sucked in a sharp breath. I whirled around to see Flynn’s eyes were big, his posture stiff. Cian and Rayan’s eyes were wide, too, except there was no pain in their faces, not like Flynn’s had.
My body reacted to his pain, and I took a step towards him, and he took a step back.
“Who is Mara?” I heard Astra asking behind me.
I turned towards her. “This little girl that lives here, she helped me find you. I promised I would protect her and take her with us.”
Astra narrowed her eyes at me. “What little girl?” she asked, the question clearly sounding through.
“The one that helped me find you. Dark-brown hair, dark eyes. About twelve years old, I think. She wore pink pyjamas with these cute bears on them.”
Astra shook her head, frowning at me as she answered, “I haven’t seen a girl, Isa.”
“I know, she disappeared when we got out of the room he kept you in.” I pointed towards Icas behind me. The room was utterly silent, listening to our conversation. “I think she hid somewhere, she was scared. She led me to you. She-she helped me,” I told her again. I had started doubting it all.
“There is no little girl in this house. Hasn’t been one here for years,” Icas said. I whirled around to face him.
“I know what I saw, who I spoke to,” I said, my temper taking over. The whole thing had become confusing in seconds.
“Isadora, it is only Icas in this house and his staff. And believe me, there aren’t any children here,” Averey said, his voice low, almost as if he needed to keep a trapped animal calm.
That was the moment I realised I had taken a fighting stance, ready to protect what was dear to me. Ready to fight that monster in that house. The one who killed his wives and let a child run around alone.
“We need to go,” Flynn said from the door. I tried to relax my stance as Astra moved closer to me.
“Yes, we need,” she said, while she placed a hand on my shoulder.
Flynn turned around, his movements harsh and quick. I looked at Rayan, an eyebrow pulled up in question. He shook his head, and my gaze moved towards Cian. But he had already turned around to follow Flynn.
“We will talk about this another day, Icas,” Averey almost growled out. He, too, turned around and walked after the others. Astra pushed me a little, and we walked past Icas. I glared at him, and his eyes turned cold as a grin spread over his mouth, chilling me to the bone. Rayan waited for us to pass him before he then walked after us.
We walked into the night, the sky filled with stars and a slither of the moon visible. We walked towards the two cars that were waiting in the driveway. One of them with the Protector who had driven me there.
I gave him angry look. He chuckled in response. “You said, after an hour I needed to get back-up.” He pointed towards the Kings, who had moved into both of the cars. “They were already on their way so that was easy.”
Astra and I moved to the last car, the same car as Flynn and Rayan sat in. Flynn sat in the front, and the Protector got in next to him, the Protector started the car right away. We drove behind the other car, back towards the Castle. Following the same route I first had taken. The darkness hid the forest, and the lamp lights of the car showed there was life in the forest. Eyes lit up in the dark shades, almost if ghosts were staring back at us, hovering in the air.
The silence in the car was deafening. Even Astra was silent. I got that, she’d had a long night. I squeezed her hand, happy to have her back safe.
My mind wandered back towards the little girl, Mara. I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.
“Who is Mara?” I directed my question to Flynn; they were the spitting images of each other, after all.
He froze, and for a second, I thought he would stay like that. But he moved to look out of the window, without answering.
The answer came from next to me, from Rayan.
“Mara was Flynn’s little sister.”
The was vibrated through me. Still I asked. “What do you mean, ‘was?’” I
hadn't wanted to believe what he had been implying. Not after I had felt her, held her hands in mine. Saw the twinkle in her eyes, the spark of courage that shone through her fear. I would never forget the fear that I saw.
“She died,” I heard Flynn answer.
“I’m sorry,” I told him, while reaching out my hand to touch his shoulder over the back of his seat. I hesitated and let it hover in the air for a moment, merely to drop it down. I was not sure why I wanted to touch him, comfort him like that. I meant it, I was sorry. I hadn’t known that she was dead. And it hadn't explained how I had talked with her or even saw her.
“They were young, she was twelve when she died–” Rayan said, He was cut off by Flynn’s “Don’t.” And with that, the car had turned silent again. We drove for a few minutes before I couldn’t hold my question any longer. Again.
“How old were you?” I asked Flynn.
The silence remained, and I didn’t think he would answer me. The silence became deafening just before we reached the driveway of the Castle. We passed through the gates, stopping in front of the steel doors. A déjà vu feeling invaded me, and I grabbed hold of Astra’s hand.
“I’m here,” she said, almost as if she had read my mind. I let go of her hand, so she could get out of the car. Rayan had gotten out, too, leaving me alone with Flynn.
“I was fourteen,” he said before he got out of the car. She had been twelve years old. I had talked to a girl that had been dead for years. A chill crept over my back, slowly up my spine.
I had talked to a ghost, it was the only explanation I had. A spirit.
My thoughts were interrupted by Astra. “Are you coming, Isa?” she yelled from the top of the stairs. The Kings weren’t with her, just the Protector who had drove me.
“Yeah.” I moved out of the car, my mind still on Mara and the promise I had made to her. To keep her safe, to protect her. I would find a way to keep that promise. She should be happy somewhere and not trapped in that house. My mind was made up. I placed the problem away, it was something I needed to figure out later. When I was alone and able to use my magic without any witnesses, I could try and summon her, see if I could do something from there.
Astra linked her arm with mine when I reached her, practically dragging me into the Castle.
“Can you believe we are finally here?” she asked, almost sounding cheerful, but I heard the exhaustion lingering in her voice.
“Yeah, great,” I mumbled in answer.
“Ladies, if you would follow me. I will take you to your rooms,” the Protector said. I didn’t know his name. That needed to change, and I needed to thank him for helping out.
“That would be great . . .”
“Lars,” he said.
“Thank you, Lars, for tonight also,” I told him.
He directed us toward a big staircase in the middle of the room. How I had missed that one the first time I had walked in here, I didn't know. We went upstairs, and he led us towards the right.
“Your rooms are at the end of this hallway, they are near the Kings’ quarters,” Lars told us while we walked through a big hallway lined with doors to our right and windows to our left. I could feel the protection magic vibrating off of the glass, letting me know it was well-protected. The curtains were all open, letting the moonlight through. We could see the other side of the Castle and in the middle, a garden. The garden was covered in shadows from a few trees that reached the roof of the three-story high castle.
I stopped walking when I spotted him. I knew it was Flynn, his bulk standing out from everything else around him. I couldn’t see his eyes, still I knew for sure he had been looking at me.
“Are you coming, miss?” Lars asked when he noticed I stood still.
I turned my head his way and nodded. When I looked back into the garden, Flynn was gone.
We reached the last two doors at the end of the hallway.
“Miss Bronac, your room is this one.” He pointed to the door at his right.
“Miss . . .” He left it open for my name.
I answered with “Isadora.”
“That one is your room.” He pointed to the door at his left, the one closest to the double doors. I looked up and noticed there were figures on it, carved out of the wood; aged by the years, worn by the use.
Before I could study the doors better, they swung open, revealing Rayan standing there.
“Ah, exactly the people I was looking for. Lars, you can go. Thank you.” Rayan looked towards the Protector and then back to me.
“We want to talk to you both tomorrow. We would like it if you both could come for lunch.”
He looked at me, instead Astra answered, “Of course, Your Highness.”
“Try to get some sleep, okay?” he said while he folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the doorframe. He looked sexy like that, his blond hair glistening in the lights of the moon and the lights of the hallway. I shook my head at that thought, willing it out of there. It was so not the time to think of those things. I yawned and looked back at him.
“Okay,” I said, while I tried to stifle another yawn. Rayan’s eyebrows flew up, and his mouth opened for a second only to close fast. He had expected me to go against him, however I was so freaking tired, I hadn't noticed it. Still, I had fought Ilunias, Astra had been kidnapped, and I had gotten her back all in one day. And after all that, I was back in the freaking Castle. With four good-looking Kings. If that was the first day, I shouldn't want to know what the next ones held.
“Um, your Highness,” Astra said.
“Yes,” Rayan answered, his gaze still on me.
“My suitcases were in the car that took me to Icas’s house. I have nothing here; do you know if I could get them back?” she asked him. I had totally forgotten about my bags, too.
“Oh, shit, where are mine?” I looked around me, as if they would have been summoned to me by my question. A chuckle had me looking up.
Cian walked up towards Rayan. “What is she doing?” He pointed my way.
“Looking for her bags, I think.” Rayan gave me his signature smile; the one he seemed to have on his face all the freaking time, the one that gave a girl weak knees and drool in the corner of her mouth. Cian chuckled again, a low and deep chuckle that did funny things to me.
“I need to get some sleep,” I mumbled to myself.
“Yeah, you do,” Cian answered. “And as for your bags, they are in your room.” He pointed to the door Lars had showed me.
“Good. As, you can borrow something from me if you want. For tonight.” I told her, when I pushed open the door. I had totally ignored the two Kings that stood in the doorway. It was late, really late, and my mind couldn’t handle anything more at that time. I kept seeing them naked. It was a shame I was tired, it would have been a fun and nice moment with myself.
Astra followed me into my room, where my bags were placed on the sofa that stood in the middle, in front of it a small coffee table; two chairs were on either side of it. A fireplace dominated the room, and big windows looked out towards the wall that surrounded the castle. There was also a small table with two chairs to eat at. Another door led towards the bedroom, I caught a glimpse of a bed in that room.
I pulled out some stuff, placed my weapons lovingly on the coffee table, and grabbed a pair of pyjamas for Astra, more of t-shirt and sweatpants. I slept in sports bras and sweatpants, it was all I could have given her.
She grumbled a thanks and took them. Before she could move towards her own room, Rayan entered. “I’ll see you girls at breakfast tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you up here around eight, so I can show you the Castle.”
“Thank you, Your Highness, but that won’t be necessary. I think we can find the kitchens on our own. We wouldn’t want to keep you from your work,” Astra said, politely.
“Oh, no problem at all. I want to. It will be fun.” He winked at her and then moved out of the door.
“Good night,” Cian said, and he waved at us before he walked away, to
o.
Astra and I looked at each other. I shrugged, not knowing what to do about that. A yawn took over again.
“Let’s get some sleep, Isa,” Astra said, while she walked towards the door. Her eyes were downcast and her movements hesitant.
“Are you okay?” I asked her. She stopped and turned around. Her face was all I needed to see before I rushed towards her and pulled her in for a hug.
“It is okay, As, you’re here now, you are safe. I’ll protect you, I will!” I whispered into her ear.
“I know,” she mumbled into my shoulder.
“I was so scared, they bound my magic. I couldn’t do anything. Not until we left the house again.” Relief surged through me. Because if she had still been bound, that would have been a problem. Something I could have fixed, but it would have been a little painful for her.
“I think they spelled the car and the house, As. I was spelled, too. I slept like the dead in that car.”
“You always sleep like the dead,” Astra joked. I did not, you learned to sleep lightly in the school, part of the Protector training. Always keep an eye out for danger.
“Are you good to sleep alone?” I asked her while I pushed her away a little, holding her by her shoulders, so I could look at her again. The doubt flickered into her eyes. “Come, you can sleep in my room tonight.” Seeing her relax and watching the relief filter over her face, I knew it had been the right thing to say. I wouldn’t want to have slept alone after something like that, either.
So, we walked into the bedroom, I turned on the lights, the curtains were already closed. A four-poster bed greeted us. We both changed into our pyjamas and slipped under the covers.
The soft sheets moved over my exposed stomach, and the pillows felt like a cloud. I knew I would be asleep in minutes. Luckily for me, I heard Astra’s words just before she, too, fell asleep.
“Thank you, Isa. Thanks, Sis.” And with that I was out.