And he called me his girlfriend. With everything going on in our lives, this was pretty minor in comparison. But hearing him say the words sent shivers up my spine.
Bash was great, but I would never feel for him the way I do for Rowan. Already, he was more than a boyfriend. We were becoming best friends too. I wouldn’t give up on us, and if that made me the most selfish elemental who ever existed, I didn’t care. Marrying Bash wasn’t the answer. I had to find a way to heal Dad and restore balance to the elements. If my father returned to power, the air court would no longer be vulnerable. He would restore the faith of the council and make sure Valac paid for the damage he had done.
If I wasn’t going to marry Bash, becoming the akasha was the only option I had left. I stared at the bag at the end of my bed. The akasha journals, the keys to my future, were tucked inside. Crawling over a mountain of blankets, I reached for the bag. With my fingers only inches away, the door to my bedroom burst open. I leaped higher than a house cat, screaming at the top of my lungs.
Ariel was out of breath. Had she run here from somewhere far away? She was panting as she stood under the door frame. With her hand on her chest, she said, “You scared the crap out of me. Why did you scream?”
“I scared you?” I stood on my knees. “You busted into my room, remember?”
She glanced at the door, then back to me. “I’m sorry. My entrance was a bit more dramatic than I intended.”
“What happened?” I got off the bed, searching the room for my bathrobe. I glanced up and said, “Spill.”
“I ran over here when I heard the announcement.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?” I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I stopped rummaging through my closet. Something was telling me I wasn’t going to like the answer.
Tilting her head, Ariel seemed surprised by my response. “That you’re marrying Sebastian. That you set the wedding date for six months from now.”
I wasn’t sure I heard her. Everything was blurry before I got my coffee. “A wedding date? Who told you that?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying you didn’t make the announcement?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. We never discussed setting a date.”
She stepped back, nervously biting her fingernails.
The expression on her face worried me. “What?”
Ariel rubbed the back of her neck. “Marcus was with me when we heard the wedding announcement.”
Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. “What?”
“No worries.” She waved her palms in the air. “I told Rowan that Sebastian was helping you. I said the announcement was probably part of your plan.”
“He doesn’t trust Bash.” I just assured him everything was fine. Now he’ll assume that Bash announced the wedding to get closer to the crown. A throbbing headache erupted at my temples, making me dizzy. “He’ll never believe that. Is Marcus still here?”
“Marcus left already.”
She was feeling responsible for this. I didn’t want her to feel bad for something completely out of her control. “It’s okay. I need to explain things to Rowan. If Marcus believes Bash is helping me, Rowan might not overreact.”
“So you’re not upset?”
If Marcus planned to tell him that the wedding date was part of my plan, this might work out. Rowan might be open to it. This news could be a good thing. I pulled Ariel into a hug. “Not at all. I’ll talk to Rowan. I can fix this.”
I hope.
Ariel had a curious look on her face as she tapped her finger against her bottom lip. “You’re all glowy this morning. Did something happen between you two?”
I tried to act nonchalant, but my cheeks burned. “Rowan referred to me as his girlfriend.”
Ariel sat on the edge of my bed, patting her hand against the space next to her. “Sit. I want to know every last detail. Don’t skip over anything.”
I spent the next half hour giving her the blow-by-blow. I made sure not to leave out any of the commentary and included all of the action sequences. After a thousand questions and several squeals, she was finally satisfied. Ariel laid back on the bed with her arms behind her head. “Wow, I seriously need to get Marcus to the beach.”
I laid down next to her, turning my head to face her. “Have you and Marcus ever … you know.”
“Twice,” she smiled. “He was my first. My only.”
“What was it like?”
Ariel was quiet for a long moment. I worried I was getting too personal. “It hurt a little at first, but he was gentle. I don’t regret it. I wish we could see each other more.”
Every time she spoke about him, her entire face lit up. When I saw them together, they both stared at each other as if no one else was in the room. I wondered if my face looked like that when I spoke about Rowan. “You think he’s the one, don’t you?”
“Without a doubt.”
After a while, I showered and ordered breakfast. I shared eggs, fruit, and toast with Ariel. While we ate, I couldn’t get the wedding date announcement out of my head. I had to find out who had made the declaration. I doubted it was Bash. Only yesterday we worked out the arrangements of our deal. Although he had made it clear that he felt differently, he wanted to earn my trust. The food in my stomach curdled, imagining how I would eventually have to break his heart.
With my belly full, I searched through my closet for the right outfit. Since I would be speaking to plenty of air elementals today, I decided to dress the part. I changed into one of the yellow sleeveless dresses I had seen so many around here wearing. I kept my hair simple with loose waves and applied natural-colored makeup. Ariel nodded with approval when I came out of the bathroom.
Even my fashionista was impressed.
I adjusted my strapless bra. “Do you have any idea where I might find Bash?”
“I saw Sebastian earlier this morning.” She tided up my room. “He was standing outside by the fountain.”
“Let’s start there,” I said, following her out the door. There was a chance he had already heard the announcement. I was sure he would be as upset as I was. I had to discover the truth. But most importantly, I had to clear this up. Mom was completely oblivious to all of this, even though I had just promised her no more secrets. If she heard I was set to marry Bash in six months, without knowing him or the situation, she would go ballistic.
I followed Ariel outside, stopping ever so often to greet members of our court. I had to keep up appearances. Reports of attacks against air elementals continued to flow in daily. With that in mind, I had to keep my cool. They had to believe we had this catastrophe under control. The last thing we needed was a retribution attack against the fire court. Although the assaults were coming from rogue fire elementals, we could not hold the entire court responsible for the actions of a few.
Once I reached the massive stone fountain, I flashed back to a memory of Rowan. I could never forget his perfectly sculpted torso. That kind of body only came from years of training and deadly battles. It was enough to make my entire body blush. Leaning over the edge, he had run the cool water over his face. His glamoured scars practically glowed in the sunlight. It hurt my heart to imagine what had happened to him. To say he had a traumatic childhood was an understatement.
I snapped out of my daydream when Ariel tugged on my arm. “There he is,” she said, pointing to Bash. He stood in the middle of a group of young female air elementals. As he spoke, they smiled and giggled. Each of them hung onto every word out of his mouth. I didn’t blame them. All air elementals were beautiful, but there was something extra about him. Even in the simple yellow garments, he managed to stand out. He was captivating. The way he spoke made others pay attention.
As I made my way over, he excused himself from the group. In a louder-than-needed voice, he said, “My future queen. I am so pleased to see you.”
Once we reached each other, Bash cupped my face in his hands. I grabbed his wrist,
a little tighter than needed. I noticed all the stares. “What are you doing?”
There was a look of determination on his face. He had a plan. “Play along. It needs to be believable.”
I was about to say something when he kissed me. A satisfied noise came out of his throat. It took me a minute to realize what was happening. When I tried to wiggle away, his grip tightened on my cheeks. I couldn’t pull away. I growled in my throat, then bit his bottom lip hard.
“I think you drew blood,” he barked.
That got his attention. “Don’t do that again,” I said quietly through clenched teeth.
“They need to believe we are together,” he said, dabbing his lip with his sleeve. “Couples kiss when they greet each other.”
I glanced around the area. Elementals in clusters whispered to each other. Some even pointed at us, leaving no question as to what they were discussing. I had caused quite a scene. Ariel stood a few yards away with her mouth open. My reaction to Bash’s kiss must have caught her by surprise too. I turned back to Bash, still pouting over his bitten lip. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I don’t do well with surprises.” I reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers. “Next time you want to make a public display, let me know in advance.”
“I’m sorry too.” Bash’s shoulders slumped. “I should have thought it through.”
My mind drifted back to my purpose. “Someone announced that we’re getting married in six months. Before this gets too far, we need to squash it.”
“Oh,” he said, taking a step backward. “I know all about it.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “How did you hear about it?”
“I was the one who set the date.”
“Why would you do that?” I shrieked, ready to explode. “Do my parents know? Has anyone outside of this court heard about it?”
“I talked it over with your father,” he said. “An official announcement went out this morning.”
Does this mean that Dad told Mom? Energy tingled at the tips of my fingers. My power itched to come out. I took deep breaths, trying to keep myself under control. I narrowed my eyes. “How could you do this? I told you last night how I felt. You know I don’t want to be engaged.”
“I remember everything you said. What I did today is going to help you.” He clasped his hands on my shoulders. “If I court you, there would be no time for you to work with the akasha journals. We would have to make appearances all over Avalon. With a date set, the other elementals will assume you’re making wedding arrangements. The council will leave you alone, and you can work on igniting your powers. It’s the perfect plan.”
I was angry but trying to see things from his point of view. Public appearances would take up a lot of my time. If we were set to marry in six months, there would be no questions regarding the future of our court. It would seem as if everything was already in motion. Plus, I would have time to study the akasha journals. His plan could work out much better than mine, but I had to explain things to Mom. She would need assurance that this was all a ruse.
“Okay, you might be right,” I acknowledged. “But you should’ve told me about your plan beforehand.”
The corner of Bash’s lip curled into a smirk. “I had every intention of telling you, but then the kiss happened, and you know how well that went.”
“Do you have any more of that wine you made?”
He handed me his leather pouch. “Anything for you.”
I drank the contents as I waved Ariel over. “Bash explained everything. We’re going to move forward with the plan, which means we need to plan a fake wedding. I will need you to—”
“I will take care of everything,” she shrieked. “I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to plan a wedding.”
“You did hear the part where I said this was a fake, right?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She pulled me into a bear hug. “I still get to plan it.”
“Okay, then,” I shrugged. “I’ll focus on the journals, while you plan my big fat fake wedding.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rowan
Fire elementals filled the throne room.
Xavier had done his job. I went to my quarters to change into my red ceremonial robes. I had to look the part, show them my dedication to our court. Wearing mortal clothes would do the opposite. Beneath my robes, I slipped my sheath and sword over my shoulder. It wasn’t customary to bring weapons to this type of meeting, but I had to be cautious. There was a good chance some of my audience would be spies for Valac. The invitation went out to all members of our court.
If Valac had any balls, he’d come and challenge me. But he knew he’d never beat me one-on-one. Hiding behind an army suited him much better.
As I made my way down the hallway, my leather boots clicked against the obsidian flooring. I could hear their conversations from within the throne room. Most of them were talking about me. There was also some shouting. Typical for a fire court gathering. Although we were one court, some types of elementals didn’t mix. It was well-known that goblins and ogres had been feuding for centuries. The goblins were smart, yet sneaky, little monsters. They enjoyed toying with the much larger, less intelligent ogres. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the goblins tried to take out one of the big guys. It wouldn’t be the first time.
For centuries, the fiercest gabriel hounds guarded the royal family. But the protectors of the fire court weren’t here, so I would be vulnerable. I had prepared for this. After a deep breath, I placed my hands on the metal door and pushed my way inside. The room silenced the moment I came into view. They followed me with their eyes as I moved through the crowd. Some snarled, others whispered. I didn’t want to appear nervous. Instead, I tipped my chin up and headed toward the throne—Prisma’s throne.
Instead of walking up the lava rock steps to the chair, I turned and faced the horde. “I am Rowan, the last remaining member of House Djin. I have called you here today to ask for your allegiance. Since Liana’s death, I have spent the last week in the mortal world. I have witnessed fire attacks on the air and woodland courts. The battles between our courts have shifted the elements out of balance. We are responsible for the fires, volcanic blasts, and other natural disasters, causing massive panic and death all over the world. The only way to fix all of this is to end the hostility between our courts.”
“They attacked us first,” a male voice shouted from the back of the crowd. “They came into our territory and killed members of our court. Are we expected to forget the loss of our friends and family?”
Most of the fire elementals were unaware of the charges against Liana. They did not know the air and woodland courts attacked because they thought King Taron was a prisoner in this castle. Due to the circumstances, the fire elementals had little time to prepare, and many died. “The other courts cannot be held accountable for our losses. When Valac kidnapped King Taron, he ignited the war. But we can end it together.”
Yelling broke out, making it hard to hear anyone's voice. The most common phrases I could understand were, “Why should we trust you?” and “You abandoned the court.”
It was nothing I hadn’t expected. I spent most of my life in the mortal world. Very few of these elementals knew much about me. They had only heard the rumors or what had been told to them by Liana and Valac. “I never abandoned you. With every decision I made, I had the best interest of the court in mind. My loyalties are to this court.”
Arguments continued to break out in the crowd. Some were increasingly distrustful, but others wanted to hear my plans for the future. Fists were flying in a couple of small clusters. A few times, flames shot out. It was getting out of control. Right now would’ve been a good time for Marcus to return. A roar from a gabriel hound would be enough to shake the room, drawing their attention back to me. Unfortunately, he wasn’t here. I had to come up with another solution before someone got killed.
A high-pitched scream soared over the noise from the hostile crowd. Every elemental covered their ears, though i
t did little to block the sound. Pain seared through my eardrums like they were about to explode. I fell to my knees, lowering my head to the ground with my eyes squeezed shut. There were only a few elementals who could make that sound: banshee and siren. Sirens were water elementals that liked to use their voices to seduce. Banshees preferred to scream. This one was a powerful banshee.
Abruptly the noise stopped.
When I glanced around, every elemental in the room was lying on the ground. Blood dripped from a few of their ears, while pained moans seemed to come from every direction. My head still vibrated. I rose before anyone else, searching the room for the banshee. I hadn’t noticed that a dark-skinned female stood by the door. Her black hair hung low down her back while her tight snow-white dress showed off her curvy figure. A wicked grin curled the corners of her cherry red lips.
She had to be the one responsible.
I managed to get to my feet, fire bursting from my palms. I tore my robes off. The burned shards of fabric fell to the ground. I reached over my shoulder, releasing the sword from its sheath. “That’s quite an entrance you made.”
“I wanted to hear what you had to say,” she shrugged. “The crowd wasn’t cooperating.”
“I have a feeling you came for more than my speech.” I stepped over elementals as I made my way through the crowd. “Did you come to swear your allegiance, or are you here as a spy for Valac?”
She reached for a blade leaning against a wall, examining its sharp edge. “The rightful ruler of the fire court has my allegiance.”
I gripped my sword tighter. “And who is the rightful ruler?”
“That’s what I came here to decide.” She ran toward me with her sword pointed at my chest.
Our weapons collided with a loud clank. We pushed against one another, fighting for control. Each time I blocked the assault, our swords scraped together. It sounded like fingernails screeching down a chalkboard. She moved quickly. Her level of training was obvious, but I was up for the challenge. Matter of fact, I enjoyed it. I was itching for some action. Elementals around us crawled out of the way, while others cheered with delight. Fire elementals always enjoyed a good battle. “You fight well, but you won’t beat me.”
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 37