by L. J. Stock
Damon chuckled and rubbed his chin on my head. “So how did our beautiful daughter end up in the category of cheating sires?”
I shook my head and giggled. I loved it when he reverted back to speaking like someone from a Shakespearian play.
“I was thinking about them, and how they never had much choice because of the arranged marriages. I want our daughter to marry because she's in love, not because we picked out someone with noble blood with a stick up their ass.”
“How very progressive of you.” Damon laughed, moving to nuzzle my neck.
“I'm serious, Damon. You've seen Steven and Liana, Alexa and Zander, Rasmus and Shannon—hell, even you and I. We weren't forced into a relationship and we're happy. You see all of these predetermined couples, and it's no wonder the dukes and so on cheat. There's probably something going on for the women at home while the men are here, too. It's their only way to find happiness.”
“You make it sound so sordid.”
“In a way it is, but then I see couples who chose to be together and I feel hope. I can't imagine ever wanting anyone other than you.”
I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks. As comfortable as I felt with Damon, admitting how deep my feelings ran sometimes brought a small wave of nervous energy over me. I felt as though I was baring my soul to him. I never wanted to lie to him, but being this transparent took a little getting used to.
“I will never want anyone but you,” he said, dropping a kiss into my hair as his arms closed tighter around me. “You're all I ever think about. When you're close, I can't think of anything but touching you, kissing you, hearing your voice or burying my face in your mane of hair until I drown in it, in you. When you're away from me, I think of the next time I will see you so I don’t panic that I’ve woken up and you’re still gone. When I sleep, I dream of you and I together.”
I smiled at the window, knowing he would feel the shift in my mood. The familiar itch in my body was growing yet again, and the thought of having him all to myself in a place no one could enter without our consent was too much for my tired body. It seemed like an eternity until our wedding when we were together like this.
I tried to quiet my body. It seemed my father had the proverbial key to my philosophical chastity belt. It was frustrating as hell, but Damon was a man of this world, and tradition and a king's order made him immovable, regardless of my own beliefs from my own dimension. As though he knew what I was thinking about, his arms tightened around my waist pulling my back flush to his chest as he dropped kisses against the exposed flesh of my shoulder.
“You're teasing me,” I accused, rubbing my cheek against him.
“At this point, I do believe I'm teasing myself.”
“Yet you always manage to remember your chivalry. If left up to me—”
“I know exactly what would happen if it were left up to you, Vita Mea. It's the only reason I don't let myself go too far.”
I couldn't help but laugh at that. He was right and he knew it. Turning my head, I claimed his lips and ended the moment on a smile.
“You know, the way this is all working out, it takes the spontaneity out of what's going to inevitably happen. Have you thought about that?”
“Not going to happen. It was a valiant effort, though. I do have my eye on my prize, Cass. How I get there is neither here nor there. When it happens, I have no doubt in my mind it will be perfect, spontaneous or not.”
“I know that, but—”
He silenced me with another kiss. This one was a little deeper and far less controlled than normal. It wasn't as though we spoke about sex often, and in all honesty, the ease with which we did was refreshing. I really didn't mind waiting for him, but when he pressed my buttons like he did, my body and hormones seemed to take control, propriety be damned.
As I leaned back to my place against Damon's chest, the sun beat through the glass of the window and warmed my skin, making my vision pink through my closed lids. If I could have stayed like that for the rest of my life I would have been happy. It was all I wanted—peace and Damon and days and nights filled with—
“Cass, you in here?” Alexa called from somewhere close to the door, and I sighed. My temporary world with no war, no threats and no prophecy suddenly melting away around me.
“Window,” I replied with a sigh, as Shannon and Rasmus came wandering toward us from the cavernous room. It wasn't difficult to figure out what they'd been doing. Shannon's hair was a mess, and Rasmus' casual uniform wasn't as pristine as it had been less than an hour earlier.
“Oh wow, subtle,” Alexa teased, ruffling Shannon's hair as she got close.
Shannon was unabashed and shrugged with a twinkle in her eyes. She was trying to tame her wild hair, offering me a grin as she slipped onto the end of the window seat and leaned against the opposite end to face us.
“The last of the vis liberi have arrived,” Alexa said with a sigh. “Coinciding with the arrival of the first of the latros in the forest.”
Damon sat up behind me, and his arms were the only thing that stopped me from falling face first into the stone floor as he jostled me out of my position against him. Apparently, he deemed this information more worthy of his attentions than the last of the vis liberi appearing.
“What? Why didn't you start with that?” he asked while he secured me in my new position. I gave Shannon a look, blowing the loose strands of my hair from my face, and she grinned.
“It's on schedule, Damon. It's not like we didn't expect it,” Alexa said, rolling her eyes. “Grigori is monitoring the security cameras with Zander. We think they're starting phase two and we'll be surrounded by this evening. Now we have to convince them that we have no idea they're there, so the king has them flying the royal standard and the vis liberi out there working the gardens.”
“What about the guests for the ball?”
“They're aware of the plan. Most who have been replaced are willing to stay out of sight so the illusion works. Sideris insists that he be allowed to ride into the palace alone, but he's been warned not to attend. He would do something stupid. We all know that. Your father tried using the whole conflicting circumstances with Damon, aka the groom, excuse to deter him from coming. You know how the baron and Damon like one another so much and all... but the fool's having none of it. So we've told him it’s been canceled. As for the rest of them, as long as we create the elements for the guests brave enough to attend to escape, we should be okay. Many of them have been replaced by vis liberi anyway.”
Damon was growing more agitated by the second, and I knew he wanted to go and check on all these plans himself. He'd been a Regius Custos for too long to relinquish control without seeing these plans and their progression with his own eyes.
I shuffled to the side and gave him a reassuring smile. “Go.”
“No, it's fine. I—”
“Go, Damon.” I laughed, patting his knee. “I understand you need to be there. You can take Ras with you.”
“No. I will not—”
“I'm not unprotected. I have Alexa and Shannon here. They're more than capable of looking after me for an hour. I won't accept no from either of you. You need to know what's going on, so go sate your curiosity.”
Rasmus and Damon looked at one another and I could see the doubt pass between them. Neither were comfortable leaving me alone. I wasn't sure what they thought was going to happen, especially considering there was a plan in action. I had the regulation two guards by my side. Two people I was more than willing to trust with my life.
“Just go already or you're going to insult Shannon and I,” Alexa huffed. “We're not incompetent.”
Damon gave me a fleeting kiss as he stood up and offered Alexa a nod of thanks. It was weird not having them banter as much as they used to. There was the occasional comment, like the one Alexa had just thrown at him, but the days when they were at each other’s throats were over. According to Zander, they'd both been worrying so much about me they had worked together to find me and
bridged the odd gap that had been there before.
I'd never told them that they'd almost had us executed when they'd raided the enemy’s camp and taken the underworld nymphs. Shannon and Grigori hadn't thought it was relevant, and Rasmus and I had agreed that it would only cause more problems. The nymphs they'd freed had deserved liberation and we weren't planning on making them feel guilty for that.
No matter what could have happened down there in that dungeon, it hadn't. We'd escaped. We were home, and the rest was just a distant memory, something to put behind us. As far as I was concerned, no one needed to know a damn thing about it.
Alexa moved out of Damon’s way as he joined Rasmus, and the three of us watched them leave, talking in hushed tones amongst themselves.
“He still drives me insane.” Alexa laughed catching my gaze as she slid onto the window seat on my other side. “And you're marrying that infuriating man. You’re going to have to explain that to me one day.”
“You don’t need an explanation, just one word... Zander. As much as I love him, he's hyper and loud, yet you love him.”
“Fair point. Only we're not married yet.”
“Not for lack of trying on your part.” Shannon laughed, dodging Alexa's hand as she tried to flick her nose.
“He’ll propose when he's good and ready, I suppose. I know he loves me and that’s good enough for me.” She paused and lines marred her brow as she huffed out a frustrated breath. “I'm still pissed off that we can't go and get bridal magazines for you, Cass. I didn't realize we'd be under house arrest, too.”
Shannon raised her eyebrows and smiled. “We can't get them now because there’s too much on the line. I'm sure we can make a trip before the actual wedding, though.”
“A lot of help that will be to poor Melody. She wants to get started on that project of hers.” Alexa spread her arms dramatically. “She has a vision.”
I hadn't thought about the wedding dress since the plans to turn the engagement party into an offensive attack had begun. I’d been so focused on this ball, my part in the plans and the execution and escape to the new palace, that my thoughts were focused solely on the task at hand. The only time I thought about the wedding at all was when I was with Damon, and most of that time was spent thinking about after the wedding.
Being reminded of what was coming up was a good thing. Sat between these two women, I realized what a rare opportunity I had. There was something I had needed to address since the engagement. I'd been trying to get them together and alone for weeks now, but the two of them had their own schedules to keep up with.
“Guys,” I said. Grabbing their hands and silencing them with a grin, I continued with a deep breath. “I was thinking of asking Liana to be maid of honor, but I was wondering… would you two be my bridesmaids?”
Two sets of arms engulfed me the moment the word ‘bridesmaids’ was out of my mouth. I wasn’t sure what to do now these two warriors had gone girly on me. I was stuck in the middle of them both, laughing as they gave me their responses, and that was exactly as Grigori found us as he rushed through the door with his hand on the pummel of his sword.
“I heard your screaming from down the hall,” he said gruffly, his eyes passing over us individually. He crossed his arms over his broad chest as he raised an eyebrow, glaring as though stuck between humor and exasperation. I should have known he wouldn't leave me alone for long with the other two gone from my side.
“Gori.” Shannon laughed, as she and Alexa released me. “We're fine. Cassandra is fine. We were just...”
“Having a moment,” Alexa finished, giving him a wink. To my surprise, Alexa had been the most accepting of Grigori since he’d come into our lives. She seemed to have an understanding of what we went through in those dungeons, and also what he'd done—and risked—to keep us alive. After Acantha had retold the prophecy and Grigori’s part in it, she'd had nothing but respect for the guy.
“I'm sorry, lyubimaya. I didn't mean to interrupt your moment, but I would be far more at ease knowing you were safe. Especially with the veneficus so close now.” His comment was directed at me, and I gave him a warm smile and a nod of understanding. He took his job of guarding me very seriously. Even Damon couldn't deny how dedicated he was.
“Well, I guess we should get back to helping get this place ready.” I sighed. “Gori, I'm guessing there's no more running for me now?”
“No. I'm sorry, dorogaya moya.”
I sighed and shrugged. It was bound to happen eventually. We didn't have much longer to wait until we were leaving, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad, as long as I trained in the castra's gym. There was no way I was going to let my guard down this close to a fight. It didn't matter how much they didn't want me to fight. Experience had proven they could want as much as they liked, but it wouldn't change anything if I was cornered and out of options. Hadn't that become the case over and over again in the past?
If I had to fight, I was going to be prepared.
“I suppose we best go check this out and see what we're up against.” I sighed, knowing Grigori would want to be where he could watch the men he'd once fought beside. He was the one who knew what to look for. If it gave him a peace of mind to keep me close then I would do the things that needed to be done in areas he needed to be in.
I was ready for all of this to be over with. I was ready to be in the new palace, away from the threat with the people I cared about, and my ever tenuous future.
Chapter Twenty
“What do you mean you've canceled the ball? I thought the whole point of this was to make them believe we were going ahead with business as usual,” I said, my hands on my hips as I looked between the men in front of me. I was stood beside my father, facing the Regius Custos and Grigori.
Every time we turned around, something else had changed. For the last couple of days, I'd felt as though I were sat in the middle of a carousel, watching as the decisions moved around me, twisting into something new the more I passed by. First was moving it back a day or two to confuse them and make them second-guess their intel. Then we were supposed to keep ourselves concealed amongst the crowd in the room, which I was completely against, and now, they were canceling the attendance for all of the nobles.
“It's just too risky to bring any of the nobles in now,” Alec said gently. “We've sent the best vis liberi we have to their homes through translocation, and they'll be arriving at the palace in their stead. We're going to have it appear to be a ball, but the ball will now function as an ambush. We'll be in our formal attire, but also be waiting for them. They believe they have the element of surprise…”
“They believe that you wouldn't think they would make the same mistake twice,” Grigori said helpfully with a small bow.
“So we're playing our parts, but we'll be ready for them.”
“Then why is the princess still here?” Rasmus and Damon asked together, small smirks appearing on their lips. This was why Damon trusted Rasmus so much. They thought the same way. It was a question that had passed through my own mind, but I didn't mind being here. I wanted to make sure it was all carried out with precision. I didn't want any more losses, even though it was inevitable.
“Because they'll be looking for her as they approach. I want her and Damon in the middle of the dance floor at all times, surrounded by armed soldiers. They'll be expecting water or fire to be close by but they'll never suspect Damon will use his wind to translocate them or that he'll now have the ability to call his element to him. Shannon and Rasmus will follow them. Alexa and Zander will take the king and Grigori and we will all close in behind. We've sent the Colliers and Acantha to the safety of the new palace in preparation. We don't need more complications, no matter how much they would like to be here.” Alec nodded at me in assurance, but he was missing the point.
I sighed out loud to show my displeasure at his reference to my family as a complication. I hated when they acted without talking to the king or I. I knew they meant well and that we would continue
to act normally, but things had changed drastically in thirty-six hours, and whatever semblance of this being an engagement celebration there had been, was now gone.
We were only hours from the ball and they'd sprung this on us without warning. The shift in plans made perfect sense and I agreed with their assessments. Knowing the dux and my family would be safe made it a little easier to face. It didn't, however, appease our need to know so we could plan in advance.
Looking up at the king, I raised my eyebrows in question. The secrecy that was hanging around us and the guards while all of the preparations were going on left me uneasy. All it would take was for one small detail to be omitted and it could mean life or death for any of us. I was almost certain there were things the king knew and I didn't, and maybe even some vice versa. This keeping information from the family was just wrong… and dangerous.
“Why were we not informed?” the king finally asked, his hand landing on the small of my back as though he knew what was irritating me.
“We needed you to go about business as usual, Sire. They've moved in over the last fifteen hours and are watching us closely. More importantly, they're watching the two of you. They focus on the areas you both access. If anything were to appear different, they would know. They've been studying your routines.”
That also made sense, but as the king, my father often had advisors approaching him for different things. If they had been studying our routines as Alec and the rest of the guard seemed to think they had, it would be more unusual for him not to be approached. It was just too late to worry about that now.
“So why are you speaking with us now?” I asked.
“You should be in your chambers readying yourselves. They're unable to monitor you there. Damon will be carrying an extra sword should you need it, and Alexa has a dagger to attach under your skirts in case the situation should turn dire. We don't believe you will need it, but it's better to be prepared.”
Something occurred to me as I allowed my gaze to trail over the faces of the men closest to me. The men I trusted the most. “If they’re watching us so closely, how have they not noticed most of the furniture is gone? You’d think that would be the first thing they noticed.”