Chapter Thirteen

 

Kayden headed down to the hall and met chaos. Old food still lay on the banquet table, smelling like soured wine and meat that had gone bad. Dogs, never usually allowed inside the castle, lay about…overlaying the aroma of the food with the pungent smell of wet animal. Men fell where they stood, some seeming to come awake at the sound of his footfalls and blinking in obvious drunken stupors.

“What in the hell?” He bellowed the words, hands on hips as he surveyed the mess. “Who can explain this?”

Near the fire pit, long gone out, his brother roused, naked and wrapped in women. “Kayden?”

“Kallicrates, what goes on here?”

Emily’s hand closed over his arm. A zing of awareness, an increase of his power, came from the touch, but he chose to ignore his soul mate in favor of considering his brother.

“You’re back?” Kalli sounded confused as he rubbed a hand over his face.

“I’m back,” he agreed. “You have one hour to clean up this disaster. There’s a wedding today.”

“Who’s getting married?”

His guards, looking ashamed, began to move. Maids shuffled into the room, obviously hiding nearby, but not daring to enter the room that had been filled with who only knew what debauchery, the night before.

“I am,” he announced and Emily’s nails bit into his arm.

“To whom?” Kalli finally managed to focus bloodshot eyes on him and they went wide.

“Emily, my soul mate.”

“She’s fucking here in daylight?” Kalli nearly screeched the words then cupped his own head with a pained expression.

“Clean up, brother. My bride and I shall wed before the sun sets this day.”

Spinning to leave the hall, he ignored the fact that Emily had to race to keep up.

“Was that supposed to be a proposal?” Her quietly hissed words sounded more than a little annoyed.

“We’re destined to wed.” That someone tried to block him from that destiny more than annoyed Kayden.

“Destiny schmestiny. You’re going to have to be a bit more romantic, princey poo.”

Using the annoying name her sister created, Emily won no points with Kayden with her words. “We will wed. There will be no more discussion about who will be king. I will rule and that fool downstairs will back down, once the discussion—”

“We seem to be suffering from a failure to communicate.” Emily slammed to a halt, and Kayden almost didn’t stop to turn and face her. There was much to be done. They could talk later. Women, his included, wasted too much time on words.

“We can talk later. First, the wedding. I need to check on my father. I shall send a seamstress to my rooms. You wait there for her. We’ll talk tonight.” Decided, he strode further down the hall, not bothering to look back.

Emily would obey. She always obeyed. They could talk it all out once he’d secured the kingdom. She would understand.

****

Daphne hated the feeling of traveling through dimensions worse than flying. She preferred to keep her feet firmly on the ground.

As she again felt solid floor under her feet, she concentrated on not throwing up.

Then Narcissa came into view and she shoved the paper behind her back.

“Sister, what brings you here?” Narcissa demanded, hands on hips and head tilted. “I thought we agreed on the plan? Is she dead?”

“I just needed to pick something up. Be out of your hair in a minute.” Trying to spin and keep the paper out of Narcissa’s range of view, she headed for the door.

“What is that you have there?” Narcissa demanded. Daphne resisted, hanging her head. She shouldn’t feel ashamed or even bothered about giving Narcissa the paper. If Emily was dumb enough to give blood to her mother that could be used in spell casting, well, who was she to help her?

But it bothered her.

Passing her sister the paper, Daphne couldn’t meet her eyes. Maybe Narcissa wouldn’t know what it—

“Blood of the prince and our sister? Oh, clever girl. This is better than any poison I could ever concoct.” Narcissa snatched the paper and spun in a circle like she’d gotten a gift. “You’ll help me, of course.”

Opening a trunk, Narcissa bent to begin pulling things out.

Daphne swallowed hard. It tasted like a betrayal.

“I won’t help you. If you’re doing this, you can do it on your own.”

Narcissa stood up, eyes blazing bright green. “You will help me, or I’ll tell everyone what—”

Waving her words away, Daphne laughed. “The prince already knows everything I’ve done. I don’t have a thing to hide.”

The glowing green orbs narrowed. “I can kill you, you know.”

The casual coldness in her tone made Daphne shiver. “Seems a waste. You sacrifice a pawn to gain what, sister?”

The light went out of those perfect eyes, and Narcissa seemed to consider. “You would pick fat and frumpy over me? Daphne, I’ve been here for you. I did everything I could to take care of you and you’re siding with Emily? Now, when I need you most?”

More guilt piled on top of her already heavy heart. “You’re just trying to make me feel bad.”

“Is it working?” Narcissa’s smile was familiar. Her sister had always looked out for her, been her friend, and not judged even when she saw the dark ugly bits of Daphne.

“Kinda. Bitch.”

Narcissa dropped the paper, sweeping across the room and smelling like the only arms that ever held Daphne in her low points. Her hug, tight and comfortable, brought back memories of them as little girls. “I’m doing this for us, Daphne. No one to control us. No one to tell us who to wed, what to do, how to behave. I want us to be free.”

Free. The word used to be the driving force for Daphne.

Until she had it. She’d been free for years. In the other world, she could do what she wanted and only answer to herself.

She hugged Narcissa back, but her decision snapped into place. She couldn’t betray Emily, not for this. There were other ways, if Narcissa really wanted freedom. She didn’t want freedom. She wanted power.

“I know, Narcissa. And thank you.” The words had a hollow ring, but Narcissa didn’t notice, too happy to be getting her way. She only heard what she wanted.

“Good. Now, I need to prepare. Go, get dressed appropriately and we’ll meet again at dusk.”

Daphne nodded and headed off to start a plan of her own.