“I don’t need anyone. I have some salve inside my room.” He managed to get onto his knees, but I saw that he was struggling.
I locked my arms under his armpits and hoisted him up. "I’m coming with you,” I insisted, whether he wanted me there or not.
He grumbled, but I think he knew he needed help. Either that, or he was too weak to protest.
Once inside the castle, we headed down several flights of stairs. When we reached the bottom, I realized we were going to the dungeons. I should’ve been more specific when I ordered Jarrod to give him a room in the castle. I followed Rowan as he stumbled down the gloomy hallway, lit only by tiny candles inside rusted metal wall sconces. We came to stand in front of a rotted wood door.
Rowan stepped inside.
He raised his arm, and every candle kindled all at once. The room was just as dismal as the hallway—walls made of gray brick with no windows. A toilet positioned next to a small sink at the far end of the room. Slow drips of water tapped against the brown-stained basin. The distinct smell of mold lingered. The only decor missing was iron cell bars. Jarrod had made his feelings about Rowan as clear as water.
He rummaged through the top drawer of a wooden dresser, pulling out a round glass container filled with a white substance. He sat on the corner of his double bed, wincing as he tried to take his shirt off. I positioned myself behind him. Gripping my hands around the bottom trim of his shirt, I lifted slightly, revealing a cascade of bruises around his shoulder blade along with a deep incision. Careful not to touch the wound, I raised the shirt over his head.
My whole body went rigid when I saw his scarred back.
He curled around; face grimaced from agonizing pain. "I can’t hold the glamour. The iron weakened me.”
I was immediately embarrassed by my reaction. It was insensitive. "I’m sorry I flinched. I’m still getting used to it.”
“I can try to—”
“No,” I stopped him before he could finish. “I don’t want you to use a glamour around me ever again. I like you exactly as you are, right now.”
A small smile appeared on his lips. “Injured and possibly dying?”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, maybe not exactly as you are right now, but you understand.”
“I do.”
His smile faded when I touched his shoulder. I had barely made contact with the tips of my fingers. When I tried a second time, he flinched. I pulled my hand back. Conscious of his discomfort, I shifted farther away. “I’m sorry.”
"It’s okay,” he said, grabbing my wrist. "Can you help me with this salve?”
Rowan placed the glass container in my hand. I spun the lid open, dabbing some of the contents into my palm. The cream was cold to the touch and as thick as my body moisturizer.
"What is this?” I asked, putting my hand to my nose, taking in the clean peppermint scent.
"It’s a mixture of salt, aloe, and grounded-down herbs from the woodland court.” He made a pained face as he shifted his body into a different position. “The salve will clean out the wound and remove any iron residue. I should heal quickly.”
I examined his shoulder. Cuts, dried blood, and bruises were all I saw. I took a closer look at the scars on his back as an ache swelled in my chest. I was responsible for his pain. He had lost his wings when he refused to take my life and has been there for me since he saved me in the forest. All this time, he had defended me, trained me, and watched over me. After all he had done for me, it broke my heart to see him suffer like this. "Does it go directly inside or around the outside of the wounds?”
"Both.”
My fingers trembled as I carefully applied the cream with my index finger. He growled but stayed in position. I glanced at his face every couple of seconds. Each time he was watching me intently. His stare sent my pulse racing. I needed to say something. Anything to get his mind off of the pain. "Why didn’t you want to be king?”
The words came out so casually. Even I was surprised.
His lips pressed together, and I didn’t think he was going to answer.
I cleared my throat to end the uncomfortable silence. "I don’t think I need salve anymore. Do you have anything I can use as a bandage?”
Rowan held out his hand, and I gave him the container. I was surprised when he stood without any trouble. Whatever this salve was, it seemed to work at lightning speed. He opened the drawer, placing the salve inside. When he shut the drawer, he kept his hands on the dresser, and his head lowered. "I turned down the crown so that I could protect you.”
Stunned by his response, I froze.
He continued rustling through other drawers, pulling out several jars. As he appeared to read the side of the container, he continued, "I couldn’t be king of the fire court when I was camped out in the woods behind your mother’s house.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “How long were you there?”
“Six months,” he said, bluntly.
“I don’t understand.”
Rowan found a new salve, bandages, and some tape. He sat back on the bed. "Taron exiled my adopted brother and sister after they tried to rescue Prisma. They could’ve been in the mortal world for weeks, maybe months before they died.”
Exile was much worse than it sounded. If any fully-grown elemental stayed long enough in the mortal world, they would age to the number of years they had lived. If they were seventy in mortal years, they would slowly age until they reached seventy. But the elementals that were centuries old couldn’t age that high. Instead, they would lose all their power, become helpless and eventually die.
That’s why exile was the worst punishment for the oldest elementals.
“Where do you suppose my siblings might go to seek revenge?” Rowan raised his pierced eyebrow. "I killed Prisma. Who might they kill to hurt me?”
I went numb. "Dad should’ve told me the truth.”
"I tried Kalin. I really did, but Taron didn’t believe you were in danger. He trusted his knights would keep you safe.” Rowan rubbed the new green salve across the cuts on his ribs. He tried to hide the strain as he applied the dressing but flinched each time.
After watching him struggle to hold the bandage in place while he peeled the tape, I took the adhesive out of his hand. “Let me help you.”
He didn’t object. As I sealed the tape over the bandages, my fingers touched his bare skin. It took me a second to realize goosebumps had surfaced on the tops of my forearms. I crossed my arms to try to hide them. Despite the sweat, dirt, and blood on his skin, there was still a hint of his natural cinnamon scent. Even covered in muck, he still managed to be devastatingly gorgeous.
I was staring again, and I wanted to smack myself. I quickly pushed away those feelings and refocused on my task. I dressed Rowan’s wounds. When I finished, he moved toward my corner of the bed. We sat next to each other in parallel positions until he leaned backward, balancing on his elbows. I was entranced, watching the candlelight dance across the ripples in his stomach.
He snickered, and I assumed he caught me checking him out. My cheeks instantly burned. "I still don’t get it?” I blurted out, trying to take the attention away from myself. "Why would you give up everything for a girl you barely knew?”
"Why does it matter?”
We’re back to him refusing to answer my questions. Things were going so well, and then he put up the brick wall all over again. "It matters because you don’t want to tell me.”
Rowan sat up, leveling our eyes. “It’s over and done.”
This time, I approached him from a logical standpoint. Maybe then he’d have no choice but to answer. "If you were king, you could’ve sent an army to protect me. Why did it have to be you?”
"I was curious, okay,” he said in an agitated tone.
“You were curious?” I stood with a smirk on my face. "About what?”
He growled. "Prisma thought you were the next akasha, and she was willing to give up her crown to stop you from ascending. I’ve never seen her put it all on th
e line for anything or anyone. It got me thinking that there might be something to it,” he shrugged. “I guess I wanted to see for myself.”
The akasha was an elemental who could control all four elements. As far as I knew, there hadn’t been one for at least a century. And none of them had ever been a halfling. Why would she think I was one of them? Had my father known about this? My arms dropped to my sides. "Do you think Prisma was right?”
"When I was in the mortal world, I was convinced she was wrong. You were a halfling that seemed to have no elemental in you.” He rose. “But when I saw you use your power, I started to believe it was possible.”
I laughed. “Every time I’ve used my power, something went wrong.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He rubbed his hand over his jawline. “You spent your entire life in the mortal world with no powers. When you came to Avalon, I was expecting your abilities to come along slowly. But you felt your power within minutes. Then when you used it, well, you remember what happened.”
“Yeah, you got knocked on your ass.”
He rolled his eyes.
“You take all of that, then you add in the other pieces.” He started counting on his fingers. “Taron kept you out of Avalon until you were sixteen. He never allowed you to train with other elemental children. He never told you about the attempt on your life. It kind of makes you wonder what else he was hiding.”
That was a lot to digest. “I’m not the next akasha. I can’t be. What reason could he possibly have for hiding something that important?”
“Since I’ve known Taron, all he has ever done was try to protect you. If he thought your life was in danger, it kind of makes sense.”
My head was swimming, but I couldn’t process any of that. Not without speaking to my father. And since I couldn’t speak to him, I directed my questions back to Rowan. I sensed something was missing from his story. “Still, if you were king, you could’ve sent knights to observe me. They could’ve reported anything unusual that might point to me being the akasha.”
“What are you getting at?”
“There was another reason you stayed.” Although he looked annoyed, I kept going. “Something you don’t want to admit.”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions. This interrogation will go a lot faster if you tell me what you want me to say.”
I was getting to him. Now I was sure there was something he wasn’t telling me. “Why did you give up your crown and spend months of your life protecting me?”
“You’re right,” he replied with irritation in his tone. “I could’ve sat on a throne and sent thousands in my place, but I wanted it to be me. I didn’t trust anyone else around you.”
“Why?”
He threw his hands up in the air in disgust.
“Why?” I repeated with more urgency.
“Dammit, Kalin,” he growled. “I wanted it to be me because I knew I could keep you safe. Better than your knights, better than anyone else because you mattered to me, okay?” He shook his head, then spoke in a softer tone. “It was a job, at first, and then it became something else.”
I closed the distance between us. “If it wasn’t a job, what was it?”
“I started to get to know you.” He gazed up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh. “You were so ridiculous and innocent. And beautiful. All I wanted to do was protect you.”
Rowan thought I was beautiful. With everything going on, I shouldn’t have focused on that admission. But I couldn’t help it.
His eyes filled with something I hadn’t seen in him before: hope. "More than anyone I’d ever met, you deserved to live. I knew then I would’ve killed anyone who tried to hurt you.”
My heart pounded like it was about to burst out of my chest. "And after everything that’s happened, how do you feel about me now?”
He smirked. "You drive me crazy half of the time.”
“And the other half?”
He took my hands and placed them around his neck. I had to remind myself to breathe. "I’ve spent the other half trying to pretend I’m not falling for you.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“You tell me.” He pulled me closer, and then his mouth was on mine. I felt electrified from the top of my head to my toes. It was one of those romance novel kisses that I never thought happened, and yet here I was, having it happen to me. His fingers slithered down my back, settling on my hips, while his arms tightened around me until there was no space left between us. Everything else in the world disappeared except the feel of his hands on my skin.
I let out a gasp.
He pulled back for a second, staring into my eyes as if he searched for my approval. My lips trembled, parting slightly. He kissed me again. This time, his mouth crashed into mine. He was voracious. My mouth opened wider, and he slipped his tongue inside, teasing me in a way that made my toes curl. With each passing second, my body ached for more kissing, more touching. It was intoxicating. When he nibbled on my bottom lip, I let out a noise I didn’t know my body made.
I let him maneuver us onto the bed with him on top of me.
Tilting his head, he leaned in until he was right above my collarbone. His hot breath tickled my neck as he kissed his way to my ear. Whispering, he said, "I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”
An electric force pulsated through my body, urging me toward him as if we were magnets. "Then, don’t stop.”
His body relaxed next to mine as he slid his leg firmly between my thighs. My hands curled, gripping the comforter as if my life depended on it. He watched my expression as his fingers crawled through my hair, behind my ear, and down the side of my neck. My eyes fluttered. His hand curved around the side of my face, and his lips brushed mine. I pushed my body weight against him until he was lying on his back. I straddled on top of him.
He moaned.
All of the confusion and tension between us had culminated into this moment. I was energized by desire as Rowan ran his fingers under my shirt, unfastening my bra. And then, without warning, he grabbed hold of my hips and sat me next to him.
No, no, no!
"You don’t hear that?”
Once I left hot-guy-fantasy-land and paid attention, it sounded like a riot of voices echoing through the ceiling. "Whatever it is, it can wait.”
Rowan got off the bed, slipping on another shirt. "After what happened at the council meeting, I don’t think it can.”
I was sure my disappointment showed all over my face, but he was right. "Okay, let’s go find out.”
He pulled me into his chest, pressing another long, lingering kiss on my lips. A tiny groan escaped from his throat. "On second thought, I’d rather ignore what’s going on upstairs.”
"Tempting, but I think you’re right. We do need to see what’s going on.”
"It’s the right thing to do.” His classic smirk appeared. “Besides, you probably need some time to recover.”
“You wish.”
When we reached the main floor, we heard a lot of noise coming from the great room. Rowan put his arm out, blocking my way as he unleashed his sword. Elementals had filled the room to the brim. I followed him as he weaved his way through the crowd. Swarms of knights flowed into the outdoor courtyard. Leather and metal body armor had replaced the array of yellow outfits I had gotten used to seeing around the castle. Iron swords hung from their hips. The swell of voices made it impossible to understand what anyone was saying.
I faced Rowan. "What could this be?”
He scanned the room. "If I had to guess, I’d say war.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kalin
Nervous energy raced through my veins as I searched for Jarrod.
If Rowan was right, and this was preparation for battle, they planned to attack the fire court. I had to stop this. Dad would’ve never started a war without exhausting every other available option. Not to mention, I had no solid proof that the fire court was responsible for his disappearance. My stomach soured as I passed by
dozens of air court knights holding shields with my family crest in the center. Nothing about this felt right.
When I finally found Jarrod, he stood next to King Orion. Woodland knights were all around them. Their armor matched our own except for the green tree painted on their breastplates. This situation was beyond bad. I should’ve seen this coming when they were speaking at the high council meeting. Orion was my father’s closest friend. If he thought that the fire court was responsible, I couldn’t talk him out of attacking.
Rowan’s hand curled around my bicep. "Think before you go charging over there. We still don’t know anything for sure.”
I had to save the accusations for later. I needed to calm the mood before something happened that we couldn’t take back. "I have to stop them.”
"I know,” he replied, releasing my arm. "I’m right behind you.”
Sweat pearled at the nape of my neck as I approached. Jarrod noticed me first. "What is the meaning of all this?”
"I’m relieved to see you, Princess. We searched for you after the council meeting, and no one could find you. We feared the worst.” Jarrod glanced down at my white tank top covered in blood and dirt. "Have you been injured?”
I could see right through his fake concern. He had defended me at the council meeting, but I couldn’t forget that he was the one who handed me the enchanted wine. "No, I’m fine. Rowan brought me back to the castle when the fighting broke out. You still haven’t answered my question.”
Orion put his hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “Thank you for getting the princess to safety. We are indebted to you once more.”
Jarrod took a glance at Rowan but did not offer him any gratitude. "One of our spies has told us your father is a prisoner in the fire court dungeons. We’re going to attack at sundown.”
Since when did the air court have spies? "Did this spy bring you any proof?” I looked at Orion. “What about the treaty?”
"The treaty is void,” King Orion replied. “Liana brought this upon herself when she attacked during the council meeting.”
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 22