by Huss, JA
He waits for us at the gate, like a groom waiting at the altar. And then, unsure what the protocol is when you have two dates, he improvises and takes my left hand in his right and Isabella’s right in his left. Brings both of them to his perfect, pouty, sexy fucking mouth and kisses them at the same time.
“My God,” he breathes. “I am the luckiest man alive.”
Then he offers both of us his arms, and we hook our hands into the crook of his elbows, and let him lead us towards the fantastical magic of the central gardens, which are lit up with fairy lights and tinkle with the sound of soothing wind chimes.
People are still behind us. They are taking pictures now. Memorializing the moment when they realize that their High Court King has not just one Queen, but two.
He stops and pulls us close. And we pose for them. The younger girls squeal with delight. The boys, of all ages, look at him with envy. And us, with lust.
And then Cooper turns his head and kisses me on the lips. Lingering as his tongue caresses mine and I begin to swoon.
But then he pulls back, and gives Isabella the same kiss. When he’s done, she’s breathless, just like me.
And that’s when I realize—I might’ve been wrong about Isabella.
Very wrong about Isabella.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - COOPER
“Wow.” I can’t take my eyes off them. The gowns, the hair, them.
Them, Cooper?
This is not about a “them”. It’s about one girl. The girl you love.
“Cadee,” I say, taking her hand again. “You…” I have to stop and shake my head. “You are… breathtaking.”
“Hel-lo?” Isabella says. “I’m here too.” But it’s not a bitchy interruption. More of a playful one.
I smile at her. “You as well.”
“I can take a hint. You two kids have fun.” Then she points a perfectly manicured finger at Cadee. “Don’t wear him out too much. I get him later.”
I kinda laugh at that. And then stop abruptly. Because this is a little weird.
“Bye,” Cadee says softly.
Then we both watch Isabella saunter off in the direction of Lars. “Lars,” I say.
Cadee puts a flat hand on my chest. “Never mind Lars. He’s busy with Valentina and Selina, from the looks of things.”
She’s right. Lars also has two girls. But they are not dressed up like twin queens the way Isabella and Cadee are. And he is not wearing the regalia of the High Court King. So fuck him.
“Come on.” I take Cadee’s hand and lead her into the gardens. “This place looks amazing. Let’s check it out and get a drink.”
Cadee looks up and around in awe. And there is much to be in awe of. Over the past few weeks the landscaping team has been busy building pergolas and rearranging the gardens from their original designs. I could tell that this bothered Cadee at first. And I don’t blame her. These gardens are her real legacy at High Court. The only place that was truly hers.
Until the new Fang and Feather dorm, that is.
But she’s genuinely impressed with what they’ve done. While there have always been hundreds of rose bushes in the central garden, now the pea-pebble pathways have thousands of yellow petals scattered on them. There are fairy lights strung all over the structures. They all converge from the four corners of the garden and attach to a fifty-foot pole to form a shimmering canopy that makes even me feel like I’ve entered a magical place. A castle tower straight out of Rapunzel has been built around the pole and the school banner is waving in the breeze at the top.
You can’t have a High Court homecoming without a tower. Where would we lock up all our princesses?
I grab two champagne flutes going by on a tray, then hand one to Cadee.
She holds her glass up and the golden liquid sparkles in the fairy lights, and I find all that and more when I see the reflection in her eyes. “What should we toast to?” she asks.
“The future, of course.” I pause to really look at her. I want to burn this image of her in my mind forever. My girl in the woods. The one who has always been on the edge of things is now the only thing anyone can see.
Cadee smiles. “I’ll drink to that.” She touches her glass to mine and we sip our champagne. Just looking around, taking it all in. “I don’t even know what to focus on at first. It’s just all so… pretty. My father would’ve loved this design.”
“Yeah. I think he would’ve. But I’ve got one more surprise to show you. Follow me.” I lead her over to the tower built around the pole and open the secret door.
Cadee laughs. “What? It’s a real tower?”
“They’re always real.”
“I know they get built every year, but I never knew people could go up into them.”
“Only the King.” I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “And his Queen.”
She blushes a little and I love that about her.
“Come on.” I keep her hand and pull her inside the door. Then we ascend the narrow wooden staircase. At the top there is just an opening, but no door. So we meet the crisp fall wind when we step back out into the night.
Above us are the fairy lights and the snapping of the High Court banner as it waves in the breeze. Down below people are dancing and the music is loud. Thumping and pulsating. There are tables and chairs and a bar on either end of the garden. But servers go by, so no one is standing in line for drinks tonight.
We pivot in place and I let her take it all in.
And then I realize something. “You’ve never gone to a school dance, have you?”
“Nope.” She gazes up at me like I’m her King. “I used to watch the homecoming though. Before my dad died. I used to help him set it up too.” She looks at the spectacle before us and sighs a little. “But I never did sneak in to any of the dances.”
“Not even once?”
She shakes her head. “Not even once. I was really intimidated. And anyway, my parents always took me up to Poplar Lake on dance nights because kids would be in the woods until all hours and they would often wake us up. So when you were having your dance, I was probably in front of a fire pit roasting marshmallows.”
The beat of the music shifts from thumping to something slow and acoustic and all the moving bodies down below are suddenly paired up, clinging to each other.
“Well, that’s a tall order to compete with,” I say. She giggles. “So I’ll have to make sure this is the best night of your life, Cadee Hunter. One you’ll never forget.” Then I bow and extend my hand. “Would you like to dance, my queen?”
She sucks in a breath and nods, placing her hand in mine.
I pull her close. The front of our bodies press against each other. My hands slide to her hips, then over her ass as she rests her cheek on the top of my shoulder and sighs.
Our swaying can barely be called movement, let alone dancing. The space up here is just enough for us to shuffle around. But none of what we’re doing right now is about dancing.
We’re quiet for the entire song. And I don’t know what she’s thinking about. Maybe what comes later tonight.
But that’s not what I’m thinking about.
I’m thinking about how much I love this girl. And how I don’t deserve her. And how one day, she might wake up and figure that out. One day she might understand that she is better than me. In fact, that’s almost a certainty.
When the song ends I take a small step back so I can see her face. “I have something else to show you.”
“Something better than this?”
“So much better than this. But you’re having a good time, right?”
“It’s definitely shaping up to be one for the books. I don’t even mind wearing the same dress as Isabella. We…” She looks at me and—is she blushing?
“You what?”
“We look kinda hot together. Don’t you think?”
“Kinda?” I laugh. “You two are stunning. I don’t know what to think about it, to be honest. I feel very lucky tonight.”
“Truth. But seriously, you’re not upset about having to share the night with Isabella?”
She rocks her head back and forth a little, thinking her answer through. “I’m not gonna lie. She said some weird stuff while we were being dressed. And the afternoon started out a little bit creepy—she kidnapped me.”
“Ah, shit. I forgot. I was kidnapped too.”
“You were?”
“Yeah. But anyway, go on. What did she say?”
“Lots of stuff about marriage, and kids, and…” She pauses. “Maidens.”
“Maidens.” I repeat the word to buy myself some time.
“I’m like… your fucking handmaid, Cooper. It’s pretty creepy.”
“Yeah. It is.”
“You don’t sound too surprised. So you knew about this?”
“I’ve heard rumors. But that you were mine? No. I didn’t know that until this afternoon when my father told me.”
“That’s because I wasn’t. I was Dane’s Maiden.”
“Yeah. He mentioned that too.”
“OK. I know we’ve all come to this unspoken agreement that my mother was actually the one who killed Dane, but… do you believe it?”
I shake my head. “Not for a second.”
“So why is your father looking out for me?”
“I don’t know, Cades. I swear. If I did, I’d tell you.”
“Well.” She leans in to me a little. “I’m not going to dwell on any of this. I love this night. And even though Elexa was my attendant today and she is a total fucking bitch, I didn’t mind the bath with Isabella.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You took a bath with Isabella?” I have to allow myself a few seconds of fantasy over this revelation.
“No. Not together.” She half-heartedly slaps my shoulder. “Side by side tubs. And everyone was naked. That was fucking weird. But then I found out that Sophie will be Elexa’s Maiden when they graduate, I guess.” She pauses to look at me. “Are we still playing Dante’s game?”
“I dunno, Cadee. It doesn’t seem likely, does it?”
“Then… what should we do? Come up with a new one? Talk to them? I’m going to throw a dinner party for Thanksgiving. Not Thanksgiving Day, but the day after. At the inn. That’s a good idea, right? Invite them all over for a party and then we’ll sort it all out. Because I’m starting to get really confused.”
“Starting to?” I laugh.
“Right?” She smiles back at me.
“Sure, Cadee. I think that’s a good plan. A dinner party at the inn sounds almost as nice as this.” Then I pause to frown. “Are you worried about the tomb tonight?”
Cadee sighs up at me, her face beaming with happiness. “Nah. This night is all about us. And I don’t even care what happens at the tomb. I feel like a… I don’t know. A reporter. I’m there to gather facts. See what it’s all about. That’s all.”
“It might get weird,” I caution her.
“Might?” She laughs. “Cooper, this whole place is weird. It’s always been weird. I just didn’t realize it because I grew up here and have never been any farther than Poplar Lake. I’m the frog in the pot of water. At first, it’s cold. And the frog has no idea that the heat has been turned up. I never noticed the weird shit that was all around me.”
“I don’t like that analogy,” I say. “You do realize the frog dies at the end?”
She giggles. “Yup. I do get that. But what can we do? We decided we were not going to run.”
“No, we’re not gonna run. There’s no point. We need to go out on our own terms.”
She shrugs. “So whatever.”
“Aren’t you even a little afraid though?”
“Of what? What could they possibly do over there at the tomb? Some creepy ritual? Aren’t we expecting that?”
“Dane was killed in front of a hundred people, Cadee. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that something like that could happen again.”
“Sure. And that was ballsy. But if they wanted me dead none of this pageantry would be happening. Right?”
I’m not sure, so I say nothing.
“Like I said, I’m an observer. I just want to see it. Then we’re out of here in the spring. So who cares?” She pauses and looks at me. “You’re not having second thoughts about leaving?”
“No.” It comes out quickly. “No way. I’m out. And I’m taking you and Isabella with me. We’re not getting caught up in this shit.”
“So then… who cares what happens? Dane won’t be there. That was my biggest worry about this year and now, he’s gone.”
Yeah. That’s kind of convenient. But I don’t say that out loud.
“So… should we go back down and join everyone?”
I look down at the dance floor. Lars is out there. Valentina, Selina, Isabella—all of my summer pledges. And I suddenly want to be somewhere else. I want to keep Cadee all to myself for as long as possible. “Do you want to go down there?”
“I will if you want to, Cooper. I don’t care where we go as long as we’re together.”
“What kind of shoes are you wearing?”
“What?” She laughs.
“Show me your shoes.” She lifts the hem of her dress up to reveal slipper flats with intricate gold beading down the sides. “Perfect.” Then I take her hand. “Come on. I have something else to show you.” I lead her down the tower stairs, then over towards one of the gates and when we get there, we don’t go left or right on the main bridle trail, but instead, I lead her through the trees until we come up on a mostly hidden footpath.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. It’s just a little further.”
“If you were anyone else, I’d be creeped out about taking a walk in the dark woods.”
I look over my shoulder and smile at her. “I promise, it’s not that creepy.” She laughs. Then stumbles, and I whirl around to catch her before she falls. “You OK?”
“I’m fine, Coop. But where is this place?”
“Just right up here.”
We continue walking on the path and I try to point out the tree roots as we go so she doesn’t stumble again. The moon is full tonight, but the woods filter out most of the light before it reaches the ground.
The path I once traveled as a boy is mostly overgrown now. Which is a good sign. It means no one really comes out here anymore. And that means there won’t be a bunch of partiers messing up my plan.
The path abruptly stops and Cadee looks around. “This is it?”
“No.” I push a few leafy branches aside and take her into the underbrush with me.
“Oh, my God, Cooper. Where the hell—” But then she sees it. “Holy crap, what is that?”
I take her over to the old wrought-iron gate and push it open. The hinges creak loudly and a few small animals scurry away in the underbrush. “Cadee Hunter, meet my great-great-great-grandfather, Vernon Valcourt. Founder of the High Court Schools.”
“Wow.” Cadee shakes her head. “That is… some statue.”
She’s not kidding, either. It is some statue. Part man, part lion, and part swan. Obviously, this is where the whole Fang and Feather thing originates. But it’s also a throne. The main part of the memorial is the chair. Good old Vernon is sitting on it, but only his face and lower legs are in relief. The rest of his body is smooth and flat, so when you sit on it, you’re like… sitting in his lap.
Yes, it’s very fucking weird. But everything around here is weird.
The lions are mainly heads that protrude down from the top of the throne. Mouths open in a roar, long fangs threatening to bite the head of whoever dares to sit on Vernon. But they each have half a body in profile that make the throne look a bit like a wingback chair.
The swans are the base of the throne, their long necks arching up and around to make the armrests. And like the lions, they are in profile. Their wings aren’t outspread, but tucked against
their backs to form the sides of the chair.
I lead her over to it and then we climb seven stone steps and stand on the pedestal that supports the statue, looking up at Vernon.
“So this is the guy who started it all?”
“Yup,” I say. “That’s the asshole himself.” I sit down on the throne and pat my lap. “Come here, Cadee.”
She grins at me. Then climbs into my lap and straddles my thighs. “This feels a little sacrilegious.”
“Good. That’s what I was going for.” I gaze up into her eyes as my hand begins to find its way underneath her elaborate skirts.
“Cooper.”
“Shh. Don’t think about it. He’s long dead and this is our night.”
My fingers find the bare skin of her thighs and I kiss her at the same time. She kisses me back, slightly breathless, her mouth opening against mine, her tongue sweeping in to lick me.
I find her panties and pull them aside, my fingers gently probing the wetness between her legs. My other hand is already unbuckling my belt and then she’s shuffling her skirts aside to help me.
We’re still kissing when her cool palm finds my rapidly hardening cock and begins to pump me. I want her so bad in this moment. I do not care that we’re sitting on a stone throne out in the middle of a forest.
She is going to fuck me out here in the woods. Not for the first time, either. This has always been part of my fantasy of Cadee Hunter.
And without another word, she lifts her hips up and places my cock at her entrance as I hold her panties aside to make room.
Then she is sinking down on me and we both moan as I fill her up and she squeezes me tight.
From there, it’s just a bit of rocking, a whole lot of kissing, and the full moon shining down on this one small opening in the darkness.
She fucks me slow. Her hands on my face. Right alongside my cheeks as she moves her hips back and forth across my thighs.
I don’t know what will happen later tonight at the tomb. But I do know this—it won’t matter. Because forever more, when I think about this night, I will picture my queen in my lap as we fuck on the Valcourt throne.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - CADEE