Chapter Thirty

Salome

“Hope you’re ready to jump into a pit of vipers,” Gwenn said as she watched a servant help me secure my crown.

I groaned. “Please, don’t remind me. I’m not sure I’m ready to face the Council.”

She sneered. “Trust me, no one’s ever ready for that bunch of pompous arses.”

“You’re not helping, you know.” My fingers toyed with the white lace on my sleeves. “I’m already nervous as hell.”

“Hey, you wanted honesty, so I’m giving it to you.” She grinned, revealing a dimple in her left cheek. Her golden hair was secured at the nape of her neck with a turquoise ribbon. Her sword blade glinted in the sunlight as she stood near the balcony door.

It’d been two days since my coronation and the Council, although unhappy with a human as their queen, accepted the fact that I’d been marked with authentic tattoos. It still pissed me off that I’d been forced to allow them to investigate the validity of them.

Imagine a bunch of snotty nobles touching and prodding you, even going as far as calling in a practicing spell caster to make sure we didn’t trick anyone with the tats. Because yeah, every girl I knew wanted flipping ink on her forehead. Well, in this case, golden markings, but still.

At least when it was said to be legitimate they’d shut their mouths. Nevin might be king, but several nobles seemed hell bent on undermining him, even though the people as a whole loved him, despite his many years imprisoned in the human world.

Nevin admitted a lot of the continued support and love had a great deal to do with Gareth, who’d kept things running in his absence. He’d protected their people, reigned in his place, and kept the Council in check.

Speaking of Gareth, Nevin had him helping with some newly recruited soldiers this morning, although he’d promised to have him back in time for the Council Meeting.

“You’re ready now, Your Highness.” The servant bowed to me.

My cheeks warmed. “Please don’t bow to me.”

“It is the way things are done.” She smiled.

Gah, I’d never get used to this.

“Let’s get you to the meeting.” Gwenn walked across my room and opened the door for me.

Sweat beaded my upper lip, and already I felt my pits getting wet.

You can do this. Just stick to your guns and don’t let those idiots bully you.

We wound down the long corridor and moved downstairs, where Gwenn took the lead and ushered me through a stone archway and into a private room. Already several Council members were seated at the long, mahogany table. Nevin sat at the head of it, an empty place to his right. That seat was where Gwenn guided me.

“What’s she doing here?” Rowena pointed to Gwenn. “She was banned from the Council, or have you forgotten your place?”

Gwenn’s shoulders went rigid, and I placed a hand on her arm. “She is my guard and goes where I go.”

“Are you insinuating that you’re not safe in the Council Chambers?” Rowena smirked.

That stupid cow. She was trying to make me look bad. I glowered. “Of course not. However, my guard made an oath to never leave my side. And since I’m here, she’s here. Furthermore, you will address me not as your equal, but as your queen.”

Several pairs of eyes followed my every movement as I took the chair next to Nevin. Gwenn bit her lip, and I could tell she was trying hard not to laugh. Beside me, Nevin took my hand, giving it a squeeze. A moment later, I watched Gareth move into the room and stand near the wall.

Rowena opened her mouth then shut it again.

“My darling, you’ve made it.” Nevin leaned over and kissed my cheek, which I was sure was for show. “Since the queen is here, we can get underway. As you all know, we’ve gathered to discuss the continued threat from Winter.”

“I hate seeing him kiss you like that.” Gareth’s eyes met mine.

“I know. Trust me, I’d much rather have your lips on me than his…”

“Maybe we can arrange that later?” He gave me a quick wink, then turned back to watch the Council.

“I think we need to march on Winter with a surprise attack,” a man sitting to Rowena’s left said.

Nevin sighed. “As much as I respect your answer, Lord Ballock, I don’t see this working or being advantageous. We’ve lost too many soldiers as of late. We can’t march into Winter in the dead of the cold. Our men would never survive. We need to find a way to try and draw more of their forces out before we set siege to them.”

“Then what do you suggest, Your Highness? To continue to let Winter’s armies take out our outer lying villages?” Lord Ballock said.

“No. What I suggest we do, is send word to our people and have them move back within our walls. Then we can better protect them. Right now, we need to strengthen our borders. And with a new queen, we have the power to do just that—without sending Summer’s armies to their death. Besides, Lord Gareth was able to draw some intelligence from a guard who worked at the Winter Palace. It seems like there might be another way inside. But before we can try to attack, we need to make sure our own people are safe first. We’ll also need to find more volunteers for our armies.” He braced his hands against the table and I noticed his nails digging into the wood, like if he didn’t keep them there he might use them to strangle Lord Ballock.

“I agree—we know we can hold our own borders, you’ve been doing it for centuries,” I said. “And if we can train more people in combat, it’ll give us bigger numbers to work with.”

Rowena slammed her fist on the table. “Are we going to listen to a human who has no idea how to run a kingdom?”

My blood boiled hot as a volcano beneath my skin. I gripped hold of the table, half tempted to punch her in the face.

Geez, I sound like Kadie.

Nevin shot to his feet, his gaze hardened. “You, Lady Rowena, will never address our queen as ‘some human,’ nor will you speak to her that way again. You will apologize. Now.”

The room fell silent as death.

Rowena’s face turned crimson as she lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Nevin heaved. “That goes for the rest of you too. One more snide comment or remark about my queen and I’ll have you removed from the Council. She has been marked by Faerie, which means she was chosen to rule our kingdom and you will respect her.” He glowered at them each in turn. “For now, we will plan on strengthening our borders. In the coming days, if any of you should come up with a better strategy, then I will take it into consideration. At this time, I will adjourn this meeting. Everyone is excused to prepare for tonight’s ball. I expect to see you all at the celebration to welcome our new queen.”

Chairs scraped across the floor as the nobles stood and left the room. When they were gone, Nevin glanced at me.

“You did well today. You showed them they can’t push you around.” He smiled.

“Um—did you miss the part where I kind of pissed everyone off?”

“No. But they’ll get over it. It’s time they realized they’re not the ones running the kingdom. They’re here to give input and guide our decisions. However, they are not the final say. As of late, I don’t think they know what’s best for our people. They’re more concerned with protecting themselves. Besides, we’ve tried twice now to storm Winter’s walls. Both times have failed. We need a new plan. We need more manpower. If the Spring and Autumn Courts still existed, then I’d humor another well launched attack on Winter.”

With Gwenn and Gareth at our heels, we made our way from the Council’s Chambers and upstairs.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”

When we stopped outside my door, Nevin cast a glance down the hall. “The rest of your belongings should be moved into my chambers soon.”

My mouth went dry. “I know.”

“We just need to make them believe we’ve consummated our marriage. Nothing more, as I promised you and Gareth.”

Fake or not, I hated that we had to do this. Nevin was gaining my trust as a friend, but just pretending to be his true wife felt like a betrayal to the man I actually loved. With a sigh, I went into my room to get ready.

Nevin swept me into his arms as we glided across the ballroom floor. Music floated on the air—beautiful, twinkling songs, wrapping me in invisible arms.

“You look lovely tonight,” he said, one hand resting on my waist, the other entwined with mine.

“Thanks.” I gave an uneasy smile, trying not to notice all the people watching us…including Gareth. It was so hard pretending to be in love with Nevin when all my eyes and heart noticed was Gareth. Especially tonight, seeing him dressed up in his tan breeches and dark blue tunic, his skin shimmering bronze beneath the glow of the lights. I sucked in a deep breath and drew my attention away from him.

Instead, I glanced about the room. Candles floated in the streams of water that wound about the outside of the room. Flower petals covered the marble tiles.

We spun around, and I lifted my head. Other Fae clapped their hands and swung about the room. Laughter filled the area as people joined in the dances. Everyone was having fun.

Nevin dipped me back, my loose hair nearly grazing the ground. He pulled me back up with a snap, and my hands caught his biceps. He spun me out then brought me in again.

It seemed that everyone had forgotten their troubles, at least for the moment.

Even I was having fun. But then my thoughts drifted to Gareth. I swallowed hard, the smile slipping from my face. It was hard to have a good time, knowing that we had to sneak around just to talk with one another. We’d never get the chance to dance in public like this or show affection unless it was behind closed doors.

Thoughts of him sobered me.

Nevin caught my chin. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I—I think I need some fresh air.”

He stared at me, seeing through my lame excuse. “Is it really fresh air you need?”

“No.”

“Why don’t I have Gwenn see you to your room?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll see you later, okay? Sorry I didn’t send Gareth, but I don’t want any rumors starting tonight. Not with this being so new.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

He waved to Gwenn, who hurried over to us. “The queen isn’t feeling so well; can you bring her upstairs?”

She bowed. “Of course. Come along, Your Highness.”

I gripped hold of the arm she offered as we made our way out of the ballroom.

“It’s all right to live your life, Salome,” she said. “There are some of us with whom you need not pretend who your heart belongs to.”

“H-how did you know?”

She gave a soft chuckle. “I’m getting good at reading you.”

“Great. And here I thought you hated me.”

“We might not always see eye to eye, but it is my duty to protect you, and I take my job seriously.”

When we arrived to my quarters, she went inside and looked around. When she determined it was safe, she flagged me in. “Gareth wants you to be happy. Trust me, he’ll find ways to see you, but he knows all that’s at stake. And don’t worry about all the dramatics between Gareth and Nevin. They’ll blow over like the summer breeze, they always do.”

“Even knowing he’s okay with this charade doesn’t make it any easier.” I sighed.

“No. He’ll always be a part of your life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make new memories and be happy.” She patted my back. “If you need me, I’ll be posted outside your door.”

When she left, I took off my crown and pushed out onto my balcony. The cool air kissed my skin. Moonlight reflected off the river below; the trees swayed in the breeze. Stars pulsed and glittered above like tiny lightning bugs. For a moment, they reminded me of home, where I used to run around with Grandpa in his backyard, trying to catch them in jars.

“You look beautiful tonight.” Darach came up behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t know how hard it is to only be a bystander at the ball.”

I turned to face him, my back pressed against the railing. “Well, you could’ve come down to dance.”

“Can you imagine the gossip about the queen twirling about the room by herself?”

I chuckled. “Um—yeah, I see your point.” My gaze met his, and my smile melted away. “It must be hard for you. To be here, yet not be a part of this world.” To see me with Nevin, I wanted to add.

“It is.” He caught my hand and brought it to his chest. “But I can feel your touch. And you can see me and interact with me. Even if I have to live out the rest of my days like this, I can still find moments of happiness. You’ve been a good friend to me, Salome.”

The scent of autumnal leaves and spices hung heavy in the air. “Since you’ve been helping me learn how to wield a sword, the least I could do was offer you a dance. So would you like to dance?”

“More than anything,” he whispered. With a gentle tug, he brought me into his arms. Music from the ballroom seemed to echo in the night. We glided across my balcony, the moonlight shining down upon us. I clung tight to him as if he were here in the flesh and blood and not just a ghost.

I rested my head against him, and for a second, I swore I heard the loud thump of a heartbeat. This was the third time I sensed a life force within him. My gaze shifted to his. His eyes glittered, and I could almost feel his happiness pouring out of him.

With a smile, I took a step back. I faced the kingdom below again. From behind me, Darach’s arms wrapped me into a loose hug.

“Sometimes, I forget I’m dead.”

“Believe me, you feel very much alive to me.”

He chuckled. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time.” He embraced me from behind and placed a light kiss along the back of my neck. A tingling sensation spread across the base of my neck, much like it had the night Nevin kissed my forehead and my tattoo appeared. “If only we could’ve met before all this,” he whispered. “When we could have had a normal companionship.”

“I promise, we’ll find a way to help you. To free you for good.”

“If it means leaving you and Nevin, I’m not sure I want to do it.”

My throat tightened. What drew me to him? Made me rush to him when things seemed to get out of control?

Because he reminds you of Gareth and Kadie all rolled into one.

Which could prove troublesome. It’d be hard to explain my sudden close friendship for a ghost —a man who was no more but wanted so much to be in our world.