by L. V Russell
I gave one more glance to the Spider, then allowed Laphaniel to lead me up the steps and away.
I could feel all eight of Charlotte’s eyes on our backs as we left.
Chapter Twenty-One
Thick and heavy clouds bled against the night sky, hiding the stars behind a swirl of purple and black. Thunder bellowed over the trees, loud enough to shake the ground beneath us. Lightning ripped holes in the world above.
The night was alight with a cacophony of shrieking birds and the baying of unknown beasts, while the distant crash of water against rock thundered over the unearthly cries. It all added to the wild and feral dance, calling to the darkness, warning those who feared the shadows to stay away.
It was my wedding day, and the world was screaming.
We stood, soaked to the bone in front of a sprawling lake. Laphaniel wore Unseelie black, the darkness of his shirt seeming to swallow up all light. All light, save for my borrowed, shimmering gown of spun spider-silk, glowing beside him with every flash of lightning. It clung to my skin, neckline low and sweeping, the sleeves flowing down to end in points at my fingers.
Mist coiled up from the water, ripples forming where dark heads emerged from the depths. Black eyes peered from the murk, slick heads tilting sideways before vanishing without a whisper.
The imposing shadow of the Unseelie Castle loomed in the distance, its twisting spires cutting through the storm clouds whirling above it. I could feel its presence from where we stood, a thrum of strange Glamour that set my teeth on edge. I knew Laphaniel felt it too, his Glamour wavered around him constantly, edgy and restless.
I stared down at the newly-skinned corpse of a hare lying at our feet, then to the blood coating Laphaniel’s hands. It was our offering to the hooded creature standing in front of us.
Blood ran in trickles from the fresh meat, the skin glistening with the raindrops washing it clean. A gnarled hand reached forwards, the folds of a tattered cloak lifting to reveal white bone with the remnants of torn flesh still hanging from it. The hare was lifted from the ground, the sound of it forcibly torn in two echoing sorrowfully across the lake.
“Kneel.”
We obeyed without question, Laphaniel taking my hand as we lowered ourselves onto the sodden earth. A rotting hand cupped my chin, tilting my head up so I could glimpse the face beneath the ruined cloak. I wish I had looked away.
Pit-like eyes met mine, soulless within a face of twisted muscle. A lipless mouth gaped open, a maw of inch long teeth jutting from pale gums that dripped with chunks of our offering.
I closed my eyes, shutting out the nightmare in front of us. How could something as wonderful as marrying Laphaniel be a thing of love and hope when it involved so much blood and darkness and fear?
It seemed to follow us everywhere, tainting everything we held dear with black and red, leaching away any good that was still within us. I had to wonder what would be left of us when it was all over.
Blood swept across my forehead, hot and wet. It trailed down the bridge of my nose to slide against my lips. I turned as Laphaniel was anointed in the same way, red streaking across his face in a primal ritual that had nothing to do with love.
The ceremony was Unseelie incarnate. I couldn’t help but think that Laphaniel imagined his wedding day to be something far removed from the blood and sacrifice he was kneeling for.
I could visualise the indulgent ceremony the Seelie would have held if he had wed Luthien and became king…the enormous feasts lasting for days, the music…the utter abandonment of morals and clothing as the wine flowed like water.
A celebration, not a sacrifice.
“The rings?” the cloaked thing rasped, holding out his hand for the box.
He emptied them onto the filthy ground, scattering the remains of bone and sinew over the muddied rings, whispering under his breath. I didn’t understand the words he spoke, but I felt Laphaniel tense beside me.
With a quick swoop of bony fingers, the rings were dropped into our waiting palms—the larger one nested within my hand, while Laphaniel held onto mine.
So very gently, he lifted my hand and slid the ring into place. “Wherever our lives lead us, I will always be at your side, to whatever end, Teya. I am yours, and only yours, and we are bound so tight that even death cannot pull us apart. I will love you for all time, and for whatever lies beyond that until there is nothing left.”
I nodded, blinking away the tears in my eyes so they streaked through the blood, smeared over my face. I took a breath, clinging to Laphaniel’s hand as I slipped his ring onto his finger. It fit so perfectly it was if it had been made for him.
“I could never have guessed,” I began and paused, waiting for my voice to steady. “that when I first met you, I would end up loving you in a way I never thought was possible. My life was a thing of darkness and regret and shame…a hopeless place. You gave me hope when I had nothing, love when I believed I deserved no such thing.” I smiled through my tears. “You took away my guilt and became a bright light in a very dark sky, and for that, I am yours, for every last moment of forever.”
Laphaniel leant in to kiss me, meeting my mouth with a hunger that made me ache for him. I could taste the rain on his skin, cold and crisp mingling with the scent of spice and fresh soap that overpowered the taint of blood, so there was nothing but him.
We broke apart at the rasping words of the hooded creature. “The ceremony will be complete upon consummation, and what was done here upon sacred earth shall never be broken.”
We both turned, but the creature had gone, disappearing into the shadows and leaving nothing behind but a pile of bones. Laphaniel scanned the tree line, letting go of my hand to push the soaked hair from his face, his eyes widening as he turned back to me.
“What are you doing?”
I grinned as the wet earth chilled my exposed skin, the raindrops sliding down my neck to my bare breasts and along my stomach. Laphaniel watched them trickle down, his breath catching, fuelling the fire that was raging up within me.
Black swallowed up the violet of his eyes, his gaze turning wholly predatory, his lips parted, a low snarl slipping from his mouth. I knew he could see me…all of me. Not just naked skin, but everything beneath, my beating heart…my soul.
Unfettered, wild Unseelie Glamour swarmed around us, feral and as dark as night. It was alluring in a way I had never experienced before…frightening, but oh so tempting.
“Consummating,” I answered, my words almost lost to the wild winds. “Were you not listening?”
He swore, my name an oath against his lips before he joined me. His mouth found mine, biting down while his hands knotted in my hair, tugging my head back so he could kiss my throat. Teeth nipped the soft skin at the hollow of my neck, moving slowly down to the swell of my breast.
I dragged his shirt off, my fingers running over the raised mark on his side, before trailing lower and lower still. He gasped against my mouth. I didn’t stop until there was no longer a barrier between us until there was nothing but rain-slicked skin moving together with a passion that outshone the storm that continued to rage around us.
We lay together, entwined and panting for breath, Laphaniel still atop me as he planted little kisses down my nose until he reached my mouth. I kissed him back deeply, arching my hips so I could pull him closer.
“Again?” he said, breathless.
“Unless you feel you’re not up to it?” I teased, rolling my hips again, enticing a lovely moan from him.
“Not here,” he said, cradling me close, his mouth at my ear, “Not in the cold, in the rain.”
I stared up at him, my hands running lazy circles over his back. “Do you want to go back to the castle?”
“I wish it were anywhere but there, but I want you spread out on a bed, surrounded by furs beside a roaring fire. I want to find the wine cellars and drink them dry with you.”
The rain did not ease up while we made our way back to the castle, our sodden clothes clinging to our skin
. I began to shiver beneath my borrowed gown, the spider-silk stained with blood and dirt and Laphaniel’s muddy handprints. Despite the rough treatment, it hadn’t ripped.
I clung to Laphaniel while we raced through the gardens. Even the oppressive misery of the Unseelie labyrinth couldn’t crush the joy thrumming within me. I clung to the feeling and savoured it.
We found a servant’s entrance that led through the vast kitchens. Fire pits roared to life set deep within the floor, and bubbling pots overflowed into the flames, making them hiss. Giant spits roasted entire carcasses, turned by imp-like creatures with bulging eyes.
A great beast with the head of a bull shouted curses at scurrying faeries, spittle flying from blackened lips. It turned to us, hands coated with blood and flour.
“If you are not here to help,” it roared, “or to be skinned and served for supper, get out of my kitchens!”
We fled through the wooden doors, ducking as the beast flung a heavy pot our way. It missed and caught something else; instead, it’s squeals of pain and outrage following us up the winding stone steps.
I paused for breath, leaning against the wall. Laphaniel rested his head beside me, sniggering.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh in too long,” I said, not wanting him to stop.
“There is something oddly freeing about running with you, Teya Jenkins.”
I ran a finger over my wedding band. “Am I still Teya Jenkins, then? I’ve never asked if you have a surname or not.”
“Would you take it if I did?”
“I would, yes.”
A lovely smile lifted at his lips. “Faeries don’t really have a second name, not in the way you do. Royalty and Nobility usually follow an ancient name to prove legitimacy, but that ceased to be important once Sorcha cursed us. I do not know who fathered me, so I have no family name to give you.” He paused for a moment, suddenly looking unsure. “Some fey use the season and place of their birth.”
“Which would make yours?” I prompted.
“Winteroak.”
“Was it a particular oak tree, or a forest of them?”
He gave me a sidelong glance before pushing himself away from the wall. “An oak tree, somewhere far away, by the docks in the east. I think she was waiting for my father to return.”
She. His mother.
I smiled, threading my fingers through his. “Laphaniel Winteroak.”
“You can have it, too, if you like it.”
Oh, how I loved him.
“Teya Winteroak.” The name sounded perfect upon my lips. “I think it will do nicely.”
We found our room on the fourth floor with little difficulty, and without incident, which I was thankful for. I pushed open the heavy carved doors, yelping when Laphaniel swung me up into his arms to step into the room.
“I know it’s not our home,” he began, not letting me go. “but it is considered good luck, and we could always use a little more of that.”
He settled me down onto one of the plump sofas, the dark velvet soft and luxurious. Furs dripped over the edge, with large silken floor pillows scattered over the rugs sweeping the floors.
I tilted my head, my eyes following the thick branches that ran through the walls. The stone had cracked around it, scars led down to the floor, and ivy had begun to grow in the crevasses, a glimpse of green amongst the black. The tree was nothing like the beautiful bough curving around Laphaniel’s bedroom, with its changing leaves and soft blossom. Rot had set in, the black bark cracking just like the wall. It trailed above us, stagnant, unmoving, nothing but twisting petrified wood.
The enormous bed dwarfed most of the room, made entirely of the deadened ebony wood. Its four posts nearly touched the high ceiling, the points sharpened like arrow tips. Heavy black curtains oozed to the marble floor like shadows, and more furs lay heaped over the mattress, soft and white, and warm.
All the walls gleamed with the same black obsidian that dominated the castle, polished to a high shine and left bare, with no tapestries or paintings to soften it.
Laphaniel joined me upon the velvet sofa, shrugging his soaked shirt off before catching my mouth with his and kissing me deeply.
The flames blazing in the fireplace warmed my storm-chilled skin, though Laphaniel’s hands were still cold as they moved over me. My stained dress rumpled further beneath his fingers. I felt the bruises on my skin as his hands wandered.
I swallowed.
He caught the tangles of my hair, forcing my head to the side to nip at my neck.
I closed my eyes, my words the barest of whispers. “Please stop.”
He was off me before I could blink, anguish painted across his face. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head, swiping the tears from my cheeks. “I’m being stupid…nothing happened…I’m just…”
“No,” Laphaniel cut in. “You were attacked, and it was awful, and you have handprints on your body.” A low growl rumbled from him. “You have every right to…”
“We literally just had sex by the lake,” I said, choking on the memory. “I didn’t freeze up then, I didn’t even think…”
“Exactly, you didn’t stop and think,” he said, so softly. “And now you’re thinking and remembering.”
“I thought…” I began, my hands trembling as I reached for him. “I thought I was okay…I…”
The rest of my words fell into a strangled whimper, bubbling from my throat with a raw sob.
Laphaniel shifted, so I was cradled against him while my body shook in hollow gasps. He said nothing as he held onto me, his hand tight against the back of my head, his body stopping me from fraying completely.
He waited for me to stop dragging air into my lungs to release the frantic hold I had on his arm before he spoke. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head, not meeting his eyes.
“Do you want to talk to someone else?” he continued gently. “You seemed friendly with the Spider.” There was no judgement in his voice; only a deep need to take my pain away. “Is there anything I can do?”
I blew a rasping breath through my lips, feeling oddly cathartic after sobbing in Laphaniel’s arms. My head ached, the last few sleepless nights creeping up upon me. “Can we lie together, in bed, to sleep? Just for tonight?”
Laphaniel scooped me up once more and carried me over to the bed. He lay back against the soft pillows and wrapped his arm around me, so I rested against his chest. “For as long as you need.”
Outside, the wind threw the rain against the windowpane, the storm continuing to rip apart the night. I fell asleep with surprising ease, dragged under into an exhausted and thankful slumber.
Hazy, strange sunlight woke me. The new dawn spilling violet shadows through the heavy clouds. I had been wrapped in a bundle of furs with my head barely poking out, snug but a little too warm. Wriggling loose, I stretched, causing Laphaniel to shift beside me and roll over, one hand over his face as he slept on.
Reaching over, I gently picked up the wooden disk tied with a leather cord around his neck, running my thumb over the carved marks etched into it. It looked so simple, so ordinary, but watching him sleep undisturbed was a wondrous thing to see.
He was relaxed, snoring softly, his whole body no longer tense to fight off his nightmares. It was the first time since he had been dragged back that I hadn’t been woken by his screaming.
“How long have you been watching me?” he said, his eyes still closed.
“Not long enough.”
Laphaniel rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “For a moment, I forgot we were here.”
“For a moment, I did too,” I said, resting my head on his chest. “For just one fleeting moment, it was just us, curled up together a thousand miles away.”
The fire burned low, the candlelight soft and still. In the distance, the sounds of shrieks and cackles spilled over into the quiet.
“About last night…”
“Don’t you dare apologise, Teya,” Laphaniel w
arned. “Pretending everything is okay, nearly killed me—learn from my mistakes.”
“Maybe we should try again?”
“No,” he replied, tugging one of the furs up over us both. “I’ll still be here whenever you’re ready.”
“What if I’m never ready again?”
He traced a hand down the side of my face, his eyes fixed on mine. “I’ll still be here.”
Closing my eyes, I leant into him. The feeling of heavy paws and rancid breath lingered too fresh in my memory, the bruises on my skin still tender.
But memories fade,
as do bruises.
Even scars fade given time, and I had lived around my share of them.
“Laphaniel?”
“Hmm?” His sleepy rumble made me smile, but it faded at what I was going to say next.
“I signed a contract with Niven,” I began. “While you were unconscious.”
Laphaniel pushed himself up. “What kind of contract?”
“I signed it in blood,” I continued, sitting up beside him. “I had to sign, or she threatened to throw us out, and you were too sick, you wouldn’t have made it through the night. I have no idea if it was the right thing to do.”
“What did it say?” His face was unreadable.
“The Unseelie want land from us, some stars as well. They are going to sever contact with us when everything is over and execute anyone who dares trespass. I think that’s everything.”
“We can deal with the loss of land when the time comes and will be more than happy never to deal with them again.” He took my hand. “I would gladly give up every tree, every rock, and glittering star if it meant keeping you safe.”
“You’re not mad that I signed something I don’t really understand?”
“No, I just wish I could have been there for you.”
I sighed. “I think Niven planned it, so you weren’t.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
The door to our room clicked open even though we had locked it. Mist and shadow curled around the tall form of a faerie with cloven feet and arms that stretched down to the floor. Long white hair tumbled over her naked body, and her green eyes darted to all the corners of the room before settling upon us.