A Curious Twist of Lime

by Heather R. Blair

  “Let the other magic folk be,” he advised me. “Their ways are not ours.”

  My New World ways, he’s still fond of calling them. While Samuel has always been a bruin between a rock and the hard skulls of his people, he’s got a pretty hard head of his own. He’s needed it. Many of the bruin folk, like my old second Stephen’s father, have little patience for the monarchy in general.

  After the bad taste Samuel’s predecessor, Nazary, left in a lot of mouths, who could blame them? Nazary was addicted to pomp and circumstance, a court king who cultivated a relationship with Court of Fire that many saw as nothing more than bootlicking. It rankled. Bruins have changed since Odin first brought us to this world, but not so much as all that. Samuel brought both dignity and strength back to the crown, though he kept our ties with the Firebird King civil as he is far from stupid.

  Bruins have a habit of isolating themselves, from both humans and other FTCs. Our duty is to the land, and the land alone. However, I’ve always believed it’s easier to serve the land if you understand all the peoples that inhabit it. In my old role, that had earned me the respect and fealty of most of the FTCs in my realm. Nymphs, dryads, even satyrs considered me their king, but here, Samuel is king of bruins—and bruins only.

  He blinks up at me now, and I pull up a chair so I’m not looking down on him. Asher is the only other one in the chamber, though my ever-present shadow is hovering outside of it.

  “I trust your companion is doing well?”

  “Yes,” I say, my tone crisp. “Fully recovered.”

  “So, she’ll be leaving us shortly?”

  My spine straightens and it’s an effort to keep my tone mild. “In time. We still need to find her people.”

  “Oh?” He plucks at his bedcovers, those once-strong fingers trembling slightly. “Does she know where they are?”

  “Most likely England. Other than that, she hasn’t a clue.” And I don’t know if Alice realizes how much time has passed. It is highly unlikely she has any people left, but I intend to help her find what I can.

  “How is that possible?”

  I hesitate, not because I want to deceive Samuel, but because he has enough on his mind without the worry of what Alice may or may not be. There is still no real evidence she’s this conduit thing Konstantin talked about, but Samuel would want to know why a human was stolen from Earth and tucked away for centuries in the most backwater of Odin’s realms.

  And I don’t know what to tell him.

  “She was taken away when she was quite small. Her memories are very vague. It will take time.”

  “I see.” He stares at me for a minute, then glances at the other side of the chamber. “Asher?”

  “Yes, sire?”

  “I’m feeling a powerful urge for some of that Nidaveliren beer. We have one cask left, do we not?”

  “I believe so.” The major domo pushes away from the wall. “I’ll have one of the servants f—”

  “Fetch it now please. Talking is thirsty work and it may well be we’ll be making a toast before the night is done.”

  Asher’s pale eyes move from me to the king and back again. He bows, low enough to kiss the inlaid ebony floor. “Certainly.”

  After he draws the chamber doors closed behind him. I look over at Samuel and fold my arms.

  “Why?”

  “Because that beer is also in the farthest corner of the storage rooms, it’ll take him a half hour to get there and back. Especially if he stops to report to the Count on our meeting, as I fully expect him to.”

  I lean against the chair. “When did you stop trusting Asher?”

  “It’s not that I don’t trust him.” Samuel also leans back against his mountain of pillows, his tone grave. “But Asher has been at court far longer than you or I. He plays this game better than we ever could. This time, though, he’s betting on the wrong horse. Isn’t he?”

  For a moment I say nothing. The king shows not a hint of the impatience he must be feeling as I contemplate my answer. Time is running out, for both Samuel and I. Despite the immaculate cleanliness of this room, a stale odor lingers. One I recognize all too well. Hel reeked of it. Death is close and looming closer, and unlike me, Samuel has no way to escape it. “Your mind is made up then?” I say finally.

  “Georg, we both know my mind’s been made up for years. A better question would be, have you made up yours?”

  Well, I had.

  Until last night, when Alice threw a monkey wrench into my plans. I stare up at the ceiling. Accept the crown, knowing full well my mate is a human?

  But what if I’m wrong? It’s been known to happen.

  Not this time, my bear rumbles.

  I know. And the reason I know this is last time it wasn’t me fighting my bear, but the other way around. I fell for Seph hard, because she was my childhood friend, because she was bold and bright and beautiful, and yes, because she fucking needed me.

  Or I thought she did. Regardless, I loved that witch. I still do. Love that has changed—like everything changed when I left Hel—but that kind of love isn’t something I have the ability to forget, though gods know I tried.

  I don’t love Alice. I barely know her. And yet…I do.

  I know she risked herself to save me. I know how much courage it took her to brave the forest again to come after me again, when she asked my help.

  I felt her fingers shaking in mine when she crossed that bridge, but she crossed it anyway.

  I saw the look on her face when she stepped between me and Kolya.

  And I looked into her eyes when we kissed last night and understood what my bear had figured out the first moment we saw her.

  Mine.

  The timing is for shit, and not fair to either of us. But it’ll work out.

  It has to.

  “Yes, I have made up my mind.” I say, every word clear and sharp with promise, not just to Samuel, but to myself—and though she doesn’t know it yet, Alice. “The answer is yes.

  The king doesn’t smile, but satisfaction lights his tired eyes. “Good, because the Elders are on their way.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “So sure of yourself, were you?”

  “More like, sure of you. This is what you were born to. More than that, they need you, Georg.” He shakes his head, a grim set to his mouth. “I’ve done them a disservice. If we are to survive into the next millennium, things have to change here. The way you changed things in the New World. We can no longer afford to isolate ourselves, or we—and this very planet—will go extinct.”

  Samuel straightens, his eyes fierce as they hold mine. “I’m entrusting you with the very fate of our people. You understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Good.” He leans back again. “Then you understand that the human is a distraction and she weakens your position here at a time when support is critical.”

  I should have known he wouldn’t let the issue go so easily. Samuel is far too keen not to recognize a political threat when he sees one. But the truth is, by the time Alice becomes a real problem, Samuel will be gone. There is no reason this fight needs to be his.

  I force a shrug. “I can’t just abandon her.”

  “Perhaps not, but you can entrust her care to someone else.” Samuel looks contemplative. “Let them help her find her way home. What about Agatha?”

  “Agatha?” I love my aunt. After all, the woman did have more of a hand in raising me than my own father, but Aggie sure as hell wouldn’t be my first choice to play guardian for Alice. There is kindness in her, but it’s firmly buried under a layer of claws and teeth.

  The king nods. “Send for her.”

  It’s an order and one I decide not to argue with. Rough as Aggie is, she’s loyal to the bone, and having someone else to look out for Alice at Hearthstone while I’m otherwise occupied is not a bad idea. Though hiding what Alice is to me from my aunt’s keen nose is going to be next to impossible. “As the king commands.”

  Samuel’s lips twitch at the drynes
s of my tone. “Enjoy my commands while I’m here to give them. Soon enough you’ll be on your own.”

  I sober instantly. “Samuel—"

  He waves a hand. “Let’s not be maudlin. There is too much to do. Once your aunt arrives to deal with the human—"

  “Her name is Alice.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Will Alice be able to occupy herself until Agatha arrives? We need to prepare for the Elders visit. There is no time to spare for entertaining your guest.”

  “If you allow her free access to the library, I’m pretty sure she’ll entertain herself.”

  “Truly? She is a reader?”

  I nod.

  Despite himself, the king looks intrigued. Samuel is a dedicated seeker of knowledge, whether that knowledge flows from a forest, or between the pages of a book. “After so much time in Niflheim, it’s astonishing the woman is not mad as a hatter.”

  I choke at the reference. “Yes, well, Alice has her own defenses against such things.”

  “Such as?” he asks, just as I catch a familiar voice outside the doors.

  Before I have a chance to answer, the bedchamber doors open. Konstantin escorts Alice into the room.

  Her eyes go wide at the sight of the king in bed. Instantly, she drops a pretty curtsey, dark hair falling over pick cheeks. “Your Majesty,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry. I only saw Konstantin in the hall and asked if he knew where Georg was. I didn’t mean to impose.”

  Samuel inclines his head. “Trouble yourself not. I hope you are doing well.” His words are coldly polite. Alice’s color deepens as I frown.

  “Quite well. Thank you for asking.” She gives him a nervous smile. “Just a bit of a headache this morning. Margarita is a very odd potion, isn’t it?” Her hands are twisting in her skirt. “I’m still not sure I understand the point of it.”

  The king raises an eyebrow, glancing at me with sharp eyes before his gaze comes back to Alice. “How so?”

  “Well, if it’s meant to help a person have fun—then why does it make one forget whether or not any fun was had?”

  Samuel rubs his chin, to cover his suddenly twitching lips. “I see your point. Perhaps the key is taking this potion with a friend who can fill in the details.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “What did you need Georg for?” I may be imagining it, but there seems to be more warmth in his voice now.

  “Oh. I was trying to find the library. But then I got turned around, and I wondered if I shouldn’t ask permission f—"

  “Are you in the habit of dog-earing pages?”

  She looks scandalized. “Of course not.”

  A ghost of smile, before his tone hardens. “Then permission is granted. I am sure Konstantin can guide you to the proper hallway.”

  She blinks at the abrupt dismissal, then curtseys again. “Thank you, your Majesty.”

  “A moment, Samuel,” I murmur as she scoots for the doorway.

  Before he can protest, I put a hand to the small of her back and lead her back into the hall myself. Konstantin follows, looking coolly amused. Ignoring him for the moment, I steer her into an alcove.

  “How’s the head, darling?”

  She winces. “Better now. That potion was very powerful, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does it normally make people behave… oddly?”

  “Define oddly.”

  She frowns up at me. “I think you know.”

  “Odd has been known to happen.”

  Her shoulders straighten. “You can tell me. I embarrassed myself, didn’t I?”

  I smile and stroke her cheek and the hint of rose blooming there. “Not at all.”

  Her lips part. “You slept in my bedroom,” she manages. “Why?”

  I shrug and fold my arms, leaning back against the door. “You asked me to.” At her intake of breath, I clarify. “The nightmares.”

  “Ahh.”

  I watch her bite her lower lip, remembering its satiny softness and doing my best not to push her back against the wall and reacquaint myself with her taste.

  “Someone took my dress off last night.” She’s trying for matter-of-fact now and not quite getting there.

  “Hmm.” I scratch my beard, pretending to be deep in thought. “I believe I remember something about that.”

  “Georg.” There’s a dangerous sparkle in her eyes. Like when she got between me and Kolya on the castle road. My sweet Alice has her limits. I decide to stop teasing her.

  “You got hot in the middle of the night.” I shrug, trying not to think of how she looked, flushed and tangled in the sheets. “I heard you struggling and got up and helped you get it off. That’s it.”

  Her body slumps in obvious relief. Relief that irritates me.

  “Did you worry I took advantage?” I growl.

  Her cheeks flame before she takes an uncertain step back, her gaze darting away. “No. I worried…that I asked you to.”

  “The only thing you asked for was another kiss.”

  “Oh.” Her look is first relieved, then puzzled, those eyebrows furrowing before rising high. “Wait. Another kiss?”

  “I’d apologize, but the only thing I’m sorry about is that you don’t remember it.“

  She frowns. “That wasn’t fair.”

  A tiny stab of guilt pierces my amusement. “Alice, I sw—”

  She lifts a hand and smacks it down on my chest. It’s not a slap, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a love tap either. It’s still not much more effective than beating me with a feather duster.

  But when she goes to her toes, winding my hair around her fingers and tugging me down, it’s like I’ve been sucker punched.

  “It’s not fair that you remember our first kiss and I don’t,” she breathes a scant inch from my lips.

  By the time I realize her intent, she’s already kissing me. And none too gently.

  Fuck me.

  Her taste is just as potent as before, lips soft and searching, hesitant but determined. Just like Alice herself. That maddening scent wraps around us—lilacs and rain and the promise of rumpled sheets and long days in bed. My hand slaps into the wall above her head. I want that. To shut away the coming royal shitstorm and explore this thing between us for days on end. But I can’t. It takes every ounce of restraint I possess to let her control the kiss, and even more to let her to break it.

  When Alice drops her hand from my shirt and pulls back, her lips are swollen, a bemused smile curving them.

  “There.” She straightens my shirt where she mussed it and pats my chest once before stepping back. “That’s better.” Her breathy sigh is resigned. “I suppose you need to get back to the king now?”

  It takes several slow calming breaths before I’m able to push away from that wall, and her. “That would be best,” I manage through gritted teeth. “And he may be keeping me busy tonight and over the next few days. But I will come to you when I can. And then, Alice, we will talk.”

  She swallows at the look on my face. “Alright.”

  I point to the left. “Follow the corridor until you see the blue bruin, turn right and the tapestry of Medeinė will be on your left, remember?”

  With a suddenly shy nod, she moves past me and I can’t help myself. I yank her close and kiss her again. When we’re done this time, Alice staggers back, her eyes dazed, fingers to her lips.

  I like that look and by the gods I want more of it. But now is not the time.

  I give her a gentle push down the hallway. She sways once or twice before catching her balance. She’s not the only one off balance.

  Miss Alice Liddell just pulled me a little farther down a very slippery slope. There are so many reasons why I need to go slow here, but instinct doesn’t give a shit about those reasons. Neither does my goddamn cock.

  My eyes follow her progress around the corner as I address the mercenary who has silently observed all. “I’ll be with the king for the rest of the night. Keep an eye on her.”

 
Konstantin pushes away from the wall without a word and follows Alice down the corridor and out of sight.

  With a growl, I open the door and head back inside to face the king.

  11

  How did one barely remembered kiss become three?

  How did a giddy awareness become this all-consuming joy? I practically skip all the way to the library, happiness an effervescent bubble in my chest.

  With a grin, I throw open the library doors, the sight of all those books stretching my lips even wider. The day may have started with rocks in my head and a bad taste in my mouth, but things are looking up.

  I step inside, breathing deep. The smells of books doesn’t take away my giddy mood, but it does ground me somewhat. I remember what I am here for. Knowledge.

  My talk with Jada made it clear I am behind the times, but how far behind?

  Perhaps that’s my starting point. How long since the Master took me from my home? There is so much I can’t remember, and even more that is relentlessly hazy, but one thing I do remember is my birthdate. August 18th, 1855.

  I need a newspaper. I push the dial on the wall, giving a fond smile to the glowing orbs above me.

  It’s surprisingly hard to locate a paper, but finally I find a stack tucked away on a bottom shelf. The Times drops from my numb fingers a few minutes later. I fall into one of those low soft chairs as the sheets of newsprint rustle against the carpet.

  2019?

  How in god’s name is it two thousand and nineteen? I’ve lost a hundred years and more.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, and then another.

  I knew it would be like this. I don’t know how I knew—but I did. From the moment the Master took me into Niflheim, I knew I would never see my family again. But seeing it in black and white somehow makes it incredibly, painfully real.

  They’re gone. I’ll never get them back. My fingers tighten on the arms of the chair, the brocade rough against my skin. Those hazy dream-memories and Papa’s watch are all that remain of the people that loved me.