Leena
Aside from the keep in Hireath, I’d never been inside a castle—and the one in Veles did not disappoint. The subtle beauty of it all was breathtaking. My heels clicked against the marble tiles with rich, dark veining, and we passed countless stone columns wrapped in jade vines. A glass dome ceiling provided an unobstructed view of the indigo night. Thousands of stars winked from above, adding their light to the dangling, golden chandeliers. Queen Elianna and her daughter sat at the two high-back thrones beneath an ornate arch. Guards lined the perimeter, and Isla positioned herself faithfully at her queen’s side, her hard gaze flitting between Noc and Oz. Maddox stood at his lover’s side. One day, he’d sit where Elianna did, but not until she relinquished the crown.
We’d come straight here from the gates, and none of the tension had dissipated from Elianna’s expression. With a pinched mouth and her arms firmly crossed over her chest, she glared at us with an intensity that made me sweat. Noc, for all his worth, seemed unmoved. Or maybe he was. Stock-still beside me, his expression was perfectly masked and his hands tucked in his trouser pockets. The only inkling that he was experiencing any sort of discomfort was the errant muscle feathering his jaw. Beside him, Kost mirrored his stance, and Calem and Oz stood by me.
“Speak,” Elianna said. “And make it quick.”
“We’d like to propose an alliance between Lendria and Rhyne. Before everything happened…” He let out a long breath, gaze softening. “Our countries were prosperous, thanks to unfettered trade. I’d like to reopen those routes, as well as set up a treaty ensuring we come to each other’s aid in the event of a war.”
Elianna’s voice was flat. “We don’t need your alliance or your trade.”
“Mother,” Jayla cut in as she leaned toward the queen, “don’t be so hasty. What about our southern borders? There’s—”
“Enough.” The queen’s voice rose, silencing her daughter. “We will not forge an alliance with the man who murdered my sister.”
“I didn’t kill Amira,” Noc said.
Elianna’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the armrests of her throne. “Lies.”
“I’m not lying. I am a murderer. I am responsible for the death of many, including your sister. But I did not kill her.” He looked directly at the queen, never faltering. “Amira died because of a curse that’d been placed on me. I didn’t know the extent of it; otherwise I never would’ve put her in harm’s way.”
“Twist your words however you want,” Elianna fumed, “but you won’t manipulate me into accepting a treaty we don’t need.”
Noc cleared his throat. “Are you certain? We’re aware of the mounting problems you face in the south, and we’re committed to helping. Now and in the future.”
In exchange for your immediate help against a threat we can’t possibly face alone. The thought rattled around in my head, and a weighted silence followed Noc’s promise, as if the queen knew there was something more to this bargain. Her mouth twisted as she studied him, her expression hardening by the second. Finally, she scoffed.
“You’re not even the king of Lendria, last I checked. How can you offer such assistance?”
Noc didn’t blink. “My pair bond and I are retaking the throne. You have my word that we will honor whatever agreement we come to here.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Her words cut like the edge of a blade.
“No.”
“Mother,” Jayla tried again, her voice firmer this time. “Please, we should at least listen to—”
“What my daughter fails to see,” Elianna cut in, snapping her gaze to Jayla before returning her ire to us, “is the nuances that you’re conveniently leaving out. The nuances that would drastically affect us and could leave us completely open to an attack from our southern neighbors you seemingly know everything about.”
She stood then, hands shaking by her sides. “You plan to reclaim your rightful place on the throne. As you’ve been blessed by the gods”—she indicated with a sharp nod the tattoo on Noc’s chest—“you hope your people will fall in line. But there’s no telling if Lendria’s army, the Sentinels who’ve pledged their loyalty to King Varek, will come to heel. And you need backing to convince them. Backing from an army you don’t have and one you think we’d willingly provide.
“And so you stand before me, before my daughter, and attempt to take advantage of our current state of affairs. Wrap a treaty and trade agreement in a bow and call it a wedding present.” Seething, she took a step forward. Isla moved with her, a shadow behind the crown ready and willing to strike if her queen were in danger. “Tell me why I shouldn’t execute you here and now, not only for this ridiculous notion, but for killing my sister so many years ago.”
“Because if you don’t help us, you’ll face an enemy even greater than the countries to the south.” The words fell from my lips with a quiet authority that silenced the room. Countless eyes turned to me, and I raised my chin so I could meet Elianna’s damning stare. “I promise you, we’re not trying to mislead you. I wouldn’t be standing here asking for your help, asking Noc to face his past, if it weren’t absolutely necessary.”
Before her mother could speak, Jayla stood and addressed me directly. “What danger do you speak of?”
“You met one of my beasts tonight, so you must know what I am.” Gingerly, I touched my bestiary and felt the weight of her gaze as she followed the movement of my fingers. “My name is Leena Edenfrell, and I am Crown of the Charmers Council. The former Crown, Yazmin, has aligned herself with King Varek and intends to awaken a beast that will turn our world to ash. If we do not stop her, everything and everyone will fall.
“There won’t be skirmishes along your border anymore,” I continued when neither Jayla nor Elianna moved to interrupt me. “No trade. No prosperity for your country. There will be nothing but fire. This I can promise you.”
Silence stretched around us, filling the throne room. My proclamation sat heavy in the air, and I waited as emotions coursed through Jayla’s gaze. Uncertainty. Fear. A glimmer of determination. Her mother, on the other hand, had gone cold. There was no telling what thoughts lingered behind her icy stare.
“I love my pair bond,” I said, turning to offer Noc a warm smile. “But I would never lie about something like this simply to aid his efforts to retake the throne. He didn’t want it to begin with. I know you likely won’t believe that, but it’s true.”
Finally, Jayla spoke. “There’s no stopping this Yazmin?”
“We’ve tried.” I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I’m afraid the only option left at this point is to retake the throne from Varek before she raises Ocnolog, the dragon beast, and unleashes his fury.”
“And if it’s too late?” Elianna asked, her voice surprisingly low. “If you can’t stop Ocnolog from rising?”
I looked at her and prayed she heard truth in my words. “Then we truly will need every ounce of help we can get to stop Yazmin and Varek before they inflict their will upon the realm.”
Shaking her head, Elianna stared at some indistinct spot over our heads. “This isn’t our war.”
“But it will be,” Jayla cut in.
“Jayla…” Her mother let out a long sigh full of burden. “Blind faith is dangerous. We can’t just trust their word. I can’t trust them. Not after what he did to my sister.”
Noc’s arms hung loosely by his sides. “I wish there was more I could say or do to prove my innocence.” Remorse racked his expression, and an ache formed in the back of my throat. I hated to see him like this. For a brief moment, I entertained the idea of summoning Onyx. If he judged Noc’s claims and found him to be worthy, then maybe Elianna would, too. Except… My gaze roved to the queen. She wouldn’t value a beast’s approval like Charmers would. With Onyx’s invisible flames and the private commune he’d hold with Noc, Elianna wouldn’t even see anything. There’d be no physical confirmation of Noc’s truth, other than a purring legendary beast, which could just as easily be a sign that Onyx liked Noc. I even doubted a Nezbit—a rare, bunny beast that could discern truth from lie with its radar-like ears—would convince her.
Jayla tipped her head toward Noc. “Tell me exactly what happened to my aunt.”
With quiet sadness, Noc recounted the story of the time he’d crossed a high priestess. She’d used dark magic, sacrificing her own life to curse his existence, making it impossible for him to truly love another being without condemning them to death.
“When I finally realized the extent of my curse, I was already dead. There was no point in trying to come forward with this information. The war was over.” He looked up at Elianna, taking in her stoic expression. “I’m not sure anyone would’ve believed me, anyway.”
The queen remained still. Her shrewd gaze never left Noc as he spoke. A minute stretched by before she shook her head. “You’ve had decades to come up with a story for your crimes. I simply can’t accept it.”
“I…understand,” Noc said.
With a tight expression, Isla took a tentative step forward. “You mentioned dark magic.”
“Yes.”
“That kind of spellwork leaves a trace that can never be removed.” Slipping one hand into her coat pocket, she extracted a quartz crystal orb no larger than a river rock. “One of my kind crafted this. It can detect the presence of dark magic. If your story is true, then the stone should react.” She tipped her head in a bow to Elianna. “With your permission, of course.”
“Do it,” Jayla said. She gave her mother an apologetic look. “Please.”
Neck stiff, Elianna relented. “Fine.”
Isla’s gaze bounced between the two royals before she finally extended her hand. The spherical gem lifted into the air, hovering first above Isla’s palm before floating to a halt before Noc’s chest. I held my breath as we waited for the stone to react. Aside from the one interaction I’d had with Eryx, I’d never known another mage, let alone experienced their magic.
Within seconds, a dark swirling ink filled the stone. The darkness was absolute, so much so that the sphere looked more like a void waiting to consume our world. Isla grimaced as she snatched the gem and tucked it in her pocket. “He’s telling the truth. Dark magic was used against him.”
Elianna’s mouth went slack, and then she slammed it shut. With a hard shake of her head, she looked away. “This…this proves nothing. We have no way of knowing if his curse—”
“Mother, stop.” Jayla’s voice grew in strength, and she angled her chin high as she stared down the queen. “There is no one I respect more than you. No one wiser. I have spent my entire life learning from you. If this were anyone else, anyone but Noc, you’d believe them. He’s spoken the truth, and so has his queen.” She looked to me, her eyes softening, before once again regarding her mother. “We must acknowledge that Ocnolog is real and that our country is in danger. We need to protect our people, even if that means forming an alliance with Lendria.”
Elianna’s jaw hardened, but she said nothing.
“Give the queen and me some time to discuss this,” she said, turning back to us. “You may stay in the castle tonight and rest. Isla, escort them to our guest quarters and see they are cared for. We’ll have our answer for you first thing in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I said with a bow. Noc, Kost, Oz, and Calem followed suit, tipping their chins down before straightening. Pressing her lips together, the queen left without another word. Several guards took off after her, and Jayla closed the short distance between herself and our group, Isla and Maddox on her heels.
“I appreciate your honesty.” A warm smile graced the princess’s lips, and she bowed before me. “Please forgive my mother. She’s been through nothing but dark times her whole life.”
“I understand,” I said. “And I’m grateful both of you were willing to hear us out, no matter the outcome.”
Jayla nodded. “Isla, their rooms.”
“This way,” the mage said tersely. With a jerky wave, she indicated the closest corridor lined with brass light fixtures and smooth walls. Jayla bade us good night and then looped her arm through Maddox’s, following the same path her mother had taken minutes ago. No doubt they were in for a longer night than either of them had expected.
The winding hall deposited us in a wing of rooms manned by guards. Isla said nothing more to us. Instead, she simply nodded at each door and waited as we entered our respective rooms one by one. When Noc and I stepped into our quarters, we caught some muffled orders from her to the other guards, but nothing unexpected. None of us were permitted to leave, they were to notify her if anything out of the ordinary happened, and something about shift rotations. We were still a threat to the queen and to be treated as such, even though we’d been granted reprieve for the night.
Sighing, I turned my back on the door. Our modest room housed a bed, a pair of nightstands, an armoire, and a rycrim heater. The slate, conical structure dotted in red gems gave off a faint glow, and heat simmered around it. Somewhere in this city, a larger core must have existed. And for a brief moment, I wondered if Isla or her family had a hand in the magical developments of Rhyne. Mages used to call Lendria their home—as well as those like Eryx who visited our island country in secret—so their leftover artifacts and magical objects weren’t completely foreign. But here? I had no idea. Clearly, at least one mage had aligned herself with a country other than Allamere.
Another question for another time. Isla’s alliance with the royal family was her business, and as far as we were concerned, she was a Rhynelander. We’d need her support, along with the rest of the Queen’s Guard, in the days to come.
Letting out a long exhale, I made a beeline for the canopy bed. Sheer fabric was draped from the simple wooden beams and tied back to the posts with a maroon cord. I sank into the mattress and let out a sigh. After discarding his overcoat and hat on a rack near the door, Noc joined me, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he said. “I expected Elianna to react that way. If I were in her position, we’d probably already be locked up or dead.”
“I don’t know if I believe that.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
I peered up at him, taking in his inquisitive stare. Noc had changed so much since I’d first met him. He’d once been cold and unapproachable, thanks to the priestess’s curse. And even after he’d eradicated that, he’d been forced to deal with the darkness of Cruor’s Oath. It’d twisted his mind and shattered the control he’d worked so hard to maintain. But now he was entirely free. And all those admirable traits he’d kept hidden away—his unflinching devotion to his family, his compassion, his drive to create a better world—flourished.
He was my partner. My anam-cara. And he would always strive to do the right thing.
“Because I don’t think you’d let your pain, no matter how great, place your people in harm’s way.”
With light fingers, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You always see the good in me. Every day, I’m grateful you walked through my door. Even if you held Kost hostage at the time.”
It felt like ages ago that I’d strolled into Cruor with Kost as my bargaining chip and demanded Noc lift the bounty off my head. Gingerly, I dragged my fingers along his wrist where that damning black mark used to be. The one that leaked poison into his mind and convinced him to kill me.
Now, we’d moved on to our next impossible feat.
Pulling his hand to my lips, I kissed his knuckles one by one. He sighed before cupping my chin and angling my face toward his, then, he captured my lips and stole the breath right out of my lungs. A shiver of pleasure raced through me, and suddenly I was acutely aware that we were alone. In a room all our own, with no family to keep us apart and nothing but time to kill until we heard Jayla and Elianna’s decision. We’d been told to rest, but…
My hands acted of their own accord, gripping either side of the deep cut of his tunic as I climbed into his lap. His hands went to my waist, anchoring me in place, as he let out a quiet, dark laugh. The warmth of his breath skirted along my neck, and I sucked in sharply.
“Trying to seduce me the moment we’re alone?” His playful accusation was full of heat, and he slipped a hand beneath the slit of my dress, caressing my thigh with barely restrained fingers. I ground into him, pleased to feel the evidence of his growing arousal. He groaned and pressed his forehead against mine.
“We haven’t been alone in…too long.” I bent my lips to his neck, tasted his skin, and reveled in the scent of him. A delicious hiss escaped his mouth, and satisfaction bloomed inside of me. Kissing his sternum, I moved my hands to the waistline of his shirt. With a forceful tug, I removed the garment, and was left with nothing but smooth skin to admire. The grooves and contours of his chest, his abdomen, called to me, and I traced each line with light fingers. A trail of gooseflesh rippled across his skin in the wake of my touch. Before I could travel further south, he captured my wayward hands and held them in place.
“You’re stopping me?” I asked, barely recognizing the whine of my own voice.
His answering smirk did wondrous things to my heart. “No, but I think we should get you out of that gown before I destroy it and we’re left to explain to the royal family why we can’t appear before them tomorrow.” His arm circled my waist, pressing me flush against him. “Unless you’d rather attend naked, but I doubt that’d help our case. Or maybe it would. Couldn’t say.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his reasoning. Reluctantly, I stood and turned my back to him. “You’re in charge of the lacing.” Earlier, I’d goaded Kost into helping me tie up the back of my gown, insisting he was the only one meticulous enough to ensure it’d be done correctly. He’d conceded and, of course, done an excellent job. Which meant it was impossible for me to get out of the damn thing without another set of hands.
Noc stood with me, first sweeping my hair off my neck before dragging his fingers down my spine. I couldn’t help but shudder. The scrape of his nails. The tug of the string as he slowly undid the artful ties. Anticipation ratcheted in me, and I swore he slowed down, intentionally taking his time with each eyelet and teasing my skin. He bent his nose toward the crook of my neck, and his breath tickled the curve of my ear.
Groaning, I nudged against him with my backside.
“In a hurry?” he asked, words gravelly and full of dark humor.
“No, but you’re so colossally slow.”
“It’s fun.” He kissed my shoulder and then nipped at my skin, sending a wave of longing through me. Finally, he reached the final tie just above my tailbone. His fingers dawdled there for a moment before he grabbed the fabric of my dress and slid it down my skin, taking my undergarments with it. Heat flooded me as his hand found my behind and he gave it a firm squeeze.
Thoroughly undressed, I spun around and pushed him onto the bed, then wasted absolutely no time in removing his breeches and drawers, much more eager to devour the sight of him completely bare. Gods, he was beautiful. Hard muscles cut from granite, shock-white hair just begging to be tugged. Endless ice-blue eyes full of love. Of desire. I never felt like anything less than wanted in his presence, and it was intoxicating. I kissed my way up his chest and felt him tense beneath me. By the time I got to his lips, he was just as impatient. He moaned before capturing me in a deep kiss, our tongues brushing against each other. Straddling his hips, I hovered over him. His gaze was full of hunger, and I offered him a coy smile before slowly positioning myself against him.
Grasping my hips, he slid into me and all rational thought fled. Every sensation narrowed to the feel of him, to where we were joined together as one. He angled my hips against him, deepening his thrusts, and stars bloomed behind my eyes. I couldn’t get close enough. Couldn’t possibly touch him enough. My fingers raked along his chest, leaving scratch marks in their wake. His answering growl was anything but a complaint. Need coiled tight in my belly, and I moved in time with him to try to relieve the building ache in my core. My name was a breathless exhale on his lips, full of heat and want. Sweat glistened along our skin as we moved faster, harder.
I called out his name as release shot through me, sending unending waves of heat through my limbs and turning me to liquid. He let out a curse as his own release joined mine. Our bodies trembled as I remained on top of him for a moment, only sliding off after placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Rolling to the side, he snared my waist and cradled me against his chest. His fingers drew lazy circles up and down my spine, and I sighed.
For the first time in days—weeks, even—I was content. And as he continued his progression along my back, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. The steady beat of his heart was a lullaby I didn’t have the power to deny. Slowly, sleep chased away the worries of our world. There was no telling whether or not we’d be successful in our tactic to secure Rhyne’s aid, but at least for now, we were safe. We had a roof over our heads. And Noc and I were together.