The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set

by Heidi Catherine

  “No,” he said, the grin still plastered to his face.

  “Then why are you laughing?”

  “I’m not laughing.” He left the doorframe to approach her.

  As he got close, her stomach pulled into the kind of knot she hadn’t felt for such a long time. Not since she’d thought she’d been in love with Edison. She’d promised herself she’d never fall for a man’s charms again, but Griffen was the kind of man who sent promises flying out the window.

  He reached for her and it was like time slowed down, then stopped. She waited to see what he was going to do.

  “You have celery on your lip.” He put a gentle hand on her face and swiped her lower lip with his thumb.

  Her cheeks burned like fire now. “You said you weren’t laughing at me.”

  “I wasn’t. You looked… cute. Green’s your color.” He pulled his hand away from her face and her heartbeat picked up as if to keep pace with the blood supply needed to keep her cheeks so flushed.

  “Celery isn’t cute,” she said, licking her lip where his thumb had just been.

  “Pip, I’m supposed to marry a Guardian,” he said in a rush. “My parents are tired of waiting. They want a decision soon.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed, scolding herself for how uncomfortable she was with this idea. She had no claim on this man. There were plenty of beautiful female Guardians who must be lining up to marry Griffen. She’d known this was going to happen one day. She just hadn’t known that the idea of it would hurt so much.

  “I told them I don’t want to marry a Guardian.” He blinked twice, searching her face for a reaction.

  “Why not?” she asked, barely able to disguise her relief.

  “Why do you think?” His hand returned to her face and he brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “Pip, surely you must know how I feel? I’m certain you feel the same.”

  “Griffen.” She looked up at him. As a Guardian, he’d been bred to be stronger and larger than an ordinary person. The top of her head reached his chest, making her feel tiny.

  “Yes, Pip.” His voice was gravelly, taking on a husky tone she hadn’t heard before.

  “Griffen, please,” she begged. “I don’t understand what’s happening here? What are you doing?”

  “I’m about to kiss you, that’s what’s happening.” The blue of his eyes flashed with irresistible mischief.

  She sucked in a breath and blinked. This couldn’t be real.

  “Is that okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, a slight movement of her head but enough to send Griffen’s mouth crashing to her own.

  His lips were warm and strong and she responded by kissing him back with more passion than she’d ever kissed a man before. Although, given that Edison was the only other man she’d kissed, this wasn’t all that surprising.

  So, this was what a kiss was supposed to be like. It wasn’t the meshing of lips, it was the meshing of every ounce of your being.

  A series of tiny pulses raced through her body. She wasn’t just kissing Griffen’s mouth, she was kissing who he was as a person. His tongue sought her own and tears stung her eyes at how vulnerable and beautiful the intensity of his desire made her feel. He wasn’t kissing a Princess. He was kissing her.

  He broke away, slowly peppering her with delicate kisses as he drew back. Now, there was another kind of grin altogether on his face. One that could never be mistaken for amusement.

  Her hand fluttered to her mouth and she took a step away to catch her breath.

  Ariel came back into the room at that moment with a large bunch of thyme in her hands.

  “Am I interrupting anything?” she asked.

  “I was just helping Pip out with something.” Griffen winked at Pip then dipped his head at Ariel and left.

  Ariel set the thyme down on the workbench and stifled a laugh.

  “Well,” she said. “I was wondering how long it would take him to make his move. Good for Griffen!”

  “What do you mean?” Pip abandoned her side of the workbench and went to Ariel, grabbing her on the arm. “You knew how he felt?”

  “Oh, my word!” Ariel laughed. “The whole village knows how that man feels about you. And how you feel in return, I might add.”

  “But… I didn’t…”

  “Your cheeks don’t turn that color for anyone else, my dear Pip. He’s a good man. I’m happy for you.”

  Pip looked down at the workbench. She wasn’t ready to talk to Ariel about her feelings for Griffen until she’d made sense of them inside her own head. How was it possible for a whole village to know more about how she felt then she did?

  “There are some people in the garden who want to talk to you,” said Ariel.

  “Who?” Ariel had Pip’s attention now. Nobody ever came here to talk to her. “Are you sure it’s me they asked for?”

  “I’m sure it’s you,” said Ariel, smiling. “Go on. These aren’t the kind of people you want to keep waiting.”

  Pip removed her apron and smoothed down her dress.

  “Do I look okay?” she asked Ariel.

  “Pip, you’re beautiful. I’m not sure how many times I need to tell you that before you hear me. Now, go on.” Ariel put a gentle hand on her back and steered her from the room.

  She went out into the herb garden to see three strangers standing beside the parsley patch with two Guardians hovering close by.

  “Princess Philippa,” said one of the Guardians, walking over to her.

  She winced, really not liking that title, but she understood the Guardians called her this out of respect. Except for one Guardian who always called her Pip. The same one whose lips had been connected to hers only moments ago.

  Her hand fluttered to her mouth again, as if it was obvious to everyone else what she’d just been doing.

  “You have some visitors,” said the Guardian. “May I present Raphael, brother to Queen Jasmine of Wintergreen; Micah, sister of Prince Jeremiah of Forte Cadence and Azrael, a healer from The Sands of Naar.”

  Once again Pip found herself speechless. This was no ordinary group of visitors.

  “My brother’s in the palace,” she said, not understanding why the Guardians had brought them directly to her.

  “We asked to speak to you first,” said Raphael. “But it would be an honor to speak to Prince Tate and Queen River when we’re done.”

  The Guardians remained close enough to let her know they were there if she needed them. Any one of them would lay down their life to protect her if required.

  “Please leave us,” said Pip, with a wave of her hand. Whatever this strange collection of visitors was doing here, they meant her no harm, that much was obvious.

  The Guardians nodded and left.

  “What brings you here to see me?” she asked, unsure who to direct her question at. Raphael with the golden hair and kind eyes? Micah with the dirt-stained face and feet that couldn’t keep still? Or Azrael with the wave of calm that surrounded her?

  It was Micah who stepped forward. “We’ve travelled a long way. Please, before we discuss what we came here to talk to you about, could we trouble you for something to eat or drink. One of your famous tonics perhaps?”

  “Of course.” Pip clapped her hands together. “Please, excuse my manners. Come in. We can sit in the kitchen.”

  “Are you sure your herbalist won’t join us?” asked Azrael.

  Pip wasn’t sure how to answer this. “Did you come to speak to her?”

  “We wanted to speak to both of you,” said Azrael. “But she said we were best to speak with you.”

  “Meant to, not best to,” corrected Micah.

  “Perhaps we can talk first then,” said Pip. “And then I can decide if Ariel needs to be persuaded to join us.”

  She led them through the garden, her mind swirling at the possibilities for their visit. Was it a tonic they were after? Whoever needed it must be very sick. Because clearly, neither whispering, magic elixirs made from oils, nor healings had help
ed.

  Or did this have something to do with Ariel’s earlier comment about her needing strength for what lay ahead? Whatever the case, she was going to need to tread very carefully here.

  Tate had always told her he believed in her. It seemed the time had come for her to start believing in herself.

  RAPHAEL

  THE BEFORE

  Raphael took a seat at Princess Philippa’s table, his feet throbbing from the long journey. It’d been days of walking, riding on wagons and sleeping under trees, but they’d made it here at last. If it weren’t for the healings that Azrael performed on them each night, he doubted they would’ve made it at all. The elixirs Raphael dabbed onto their collars had helped by giving them hope and focus, but it was the healings that’d kept them strong. They’d arrived in The Bay of Laurel in far better shape than they had at the Colony.

  Except now that he was seated in front of the person they’d come here to talk to, he was filled with doubt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t imagine this Princess agreeing to come with them to Feldspar. The way she’d reached out to stroke the leaves of the herbs as she’d moved through the garden had shown him how connected she was to her home. It was like she had invisible threads tying her down, in much the same way he felt about his apothecary. And it was clear that the herbalist didn’t want anything to do with them.

  Raphael shot Micah a look, trying to communicate all of this in a glance, but of course, that wasn’t possible and she seemed to take the desperation in his eyes as a sign that he wanted her to get on with the asking, rather than delay it.

  “Thank you for seeing us, Princess Philippa,” she said.

  “Please call me Pip.” The Princess set down a tall glass of tonic in front of them. “I insist on it.”

  “Thank you, Pip,” said Azrael, the first to pick up her glass and down the muddy liquid.

  Raphael followed suit, having no reason to distrust the Princess. The Bay of Laurel had joined the alliance with the other kingdoms. They were on the same side.

  The tonic was bitter and Raphael winced as he swallowed it down. It was thick too, like drinking a heavy soup, working to satisfy both his hunger and his thirst.

  He smiled at Princess Philippa—Pip now— to show his appreciation. She was an unusual looking woman, not quite what he’d expected. She was extremely petite, which meant her features stood out from her face with a bird-like sharpness. With dark blonde hair and pale blue eyes, she had a delicateness about her, like she could do with drinking a few more of her tonics herself.

  “Oh my goodness,” said Micah, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “You must’ve used a hundred lemons to make this!”

  Raphael grimaced. “It’s delicious,” he said, to cover the bluntness of Micah’s words.

  “It’s not meant to be delicious,” laughed Pip. “It’s meant to return you to strength. Micah’s right. There are plenty of lemons in there, although perhaps not a hundred.”

  “I feel better already,” said Azrael, although Pip was distracted by a man who was standing in the doorway watching them.

  He wasn’t tall enough or blonde enough to be a Guardian and Raphael studied his face carefully for a sign of who he might be. His hair was dark and tied back in a failed attempt to make him look tidy. His eyes had a serious glint in them despite the smile on his face and his clothes looked expensive, yet well worn. Raphael had never quite seen a man of such contradictions before.

  “Tate!” said Pip, going to the man and taking him by the hand to lead him to the table.

  Raphael stood from his chair so quickly it fell backward, as he realized who this man was.

  “Your Highness,” he said, dropping to a bow.

  Azrael and Micah let out simultaneous gasps and stood. Micah curtseyed like an expert, while Azrael copied her with some awkwardness.

  “This is my brother, King Tate,” said Pip, although Raphael couldn’t help but notice they looked nothing alike. He looked more like he could be Pip’s brother than her actual brother did.

  “Please sit back down,” said Tate pulling out a chair and joining them. “My Guardians told me of your arrival. You’ve traveled a long way to reach us here.”

  Raphael picked up his chair and sat down, not sure if the King’s presence was going to help or hinder them with this conversation. He seemed a man who could be trusted, but would he allow his sister to do something as dangerous as to go with them?

  “I didn’t realize you’d be joining us,” said Pip, running a hand through her blonde waves of hair.

  “I confess I was curious,” said the King. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not,” smiled Pip.

  “Actually, we were hoping that your herbalist might join us, too,” said Azrael. “She insisted we speak with Pip but this involves her.”

  “Just a moment.” King Tate nodded and left the room. Ariel may have been able to refuse to speak to them, but Raphael imagined she’d be unlikely to refuse her King.

  He took another sip of his tonic while he waited. This time he was expecting the bitterness and the shock of it was far less.

  King Tate returned and took his seat once more. “She’ll be here shortly.”

  “Let me introduce you to everyone,” said Pip.

  Micah tapped her foot on the floor as Pip made the introductions, leaving Raphael smiling at her impatience to get on with things. If her determination were an indicator of their potential success, then he was very confident of the outcome.

  “I believe you’ve met my brother,” said Micah.

  “How is Jeremiah?” asked the King, a shadow of grief flickering across his face. “And Queen Rose, of course.”

  Micah shook her head as sadness spilled into her eyes. “Doing as best they can in the circumstances, as I’m sure you understand.”

  “Terrible.” The King shook his head and Raphael noted the genuine sadness that took hold in his dark eyes. “I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child.”

  “Tate and River have a son and three daughters,” said Pip, her face filling with pride. “And another on the way.”

  “Actually, I think our Alchemist here may have had something to do with that,” said the King, turning his attention to Raphael.

  Raphael’s eyebrows shot up as he snapped to attention. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “Do you remember many years ago when you were only a young Alchemist, a man from our kingdom came to ask you for a fertility elixir for his King? My father, of course.”

  Raphael felt his face flush at the memory. He hadn’t given the man a fertility elixir as requested, instead handing over an oil blend that would provide calm. The man had seemed a little overwrought. And he hadn’t asked nicely…

  “I do,” said Raphael, cautiously.

  “Well, it certainly did the trick.” The King laughed.

  Raphael decided to keep quiet about the elixir for now. The King didn’t need to know that it had nothing to do with Queen River’s apparent fertility. Perhaps her just believing she was fertile had been what did the trick in itself.

  “It’s okay,” said King Tate. “We know you didn’t give us the right elixir. Our herbalist, Ariel, worked that out. I just always found it funny that it worked anyway.”

  Raphael let out a breath, relieved that this wasn’t a secret he was going to have to keep. “I apologize for attempting to deceive you.”

  The King waved his apology away. “No harm done. Now, tell me, how is your sister, Queen Jasmine? And King Ari, of course.”

  “They’re very well, thank you. They have three sons. Very spirited children, but healthy and happy.”

  Raphael yelped as Micah kicked him under the table. They’d agreed to use the despondent nature of their siblings to play on Pip’s sympathies so she’d be convinced to help them. He’d totally forgotten. King Tate had the sort of face it was hard to lie to.

  “Are you okay?” asked Pip.

  “Sorry, ye
s, just a sore back from the journey.” He rubbed his lower back for effect. “I was just about to say that my sister is well, apart from her constant worry that one of her sons will be taken, just like Princess Lily. It’s been very difficult for her. And King Ari, of course.”

  “I’ll never forget the day she went missing,” said King Tate. “Nor will my wife. We think about Princess Lily every day, wondering where she might be.”

  “The people of my kingdom feel very responsible,” said Azrael.

  “You’re from The Sands of Naar?” asked the King. “Are you also a sibling of the royal family?”

  “I’m a healer,” said Azrael, shaking her head. “Although Empress Rani is like a sister to me.”

  “You were at the wedding, weren’t you?” asked the King. “I remember you in the search for Lily.”

  Azrael nodded. “I’ll never forget it, either. It fills me with great sadness.”

  “Which is why we’re here,” said Micah, tapping her fingers on the table. “We’re on our way to Feldspar to bring Lily home.”

  “Feldspar?” It was Pip who spoke now, leaning forward in her seat and looking at them one by one.

  “We’ve looked everywhere else,” said Azrael. “She must be there. We’re certain of it.”

  “But how do you know she’s still alive?” asked Pip. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s been an awfully long time since she went missing.”

  Raphael’s heart sank at these words, for they were confirmation that Pip hadn’t shared the vision they’d had of Lily, calling for help on the bottom of the ocean. It would make things so much easier if she had.

  “Princess Lily’s alive,” said Raphael, firmly.

  “I think so, too,” said a female voice behind them.

  They spun around to see Ariel walking into the kitchen with a man Raphael assumed was her husband.

  “I’m Jacob,” said the man, setting down a heavy crate of potatoes. “The herbalist’s husband. Hope you don’t mind me being here, Tate?”

  Raphael tried to stop his eyebrows from raising at the informal way Jacob had just addressed the King. But when he looked closer, blocking out the distractions of the room, he saw something quite different pass between them. Something that only someone with his intuition would be able to pick up on. These men were father and son. But how was that possible?