Hellfire and Honey, page 22
I opened my eyes. The witch’s body remained twisted and broken. His fists clenched tightly, his teeth a harsh line.
The ground crunched when I fell to my knees. I brushed a strand of dark hair from his face and he looked up.
“It hurts,” he said.
This body would never be healed. The demon’s power hadn’t been strong enough to sustain it. This man was given a death sentence the moment the creature entered him, but he wasn’t sentenced to more pain. The demon was gone. There was plenty of room in my cage.
“Shhhh,” I said.
My fingertips barely grazed his skin, but he flinched at the touch. His pain ran red-hot through his body, a spiderweb of connections. I took them all. Aches and fever spilled into me, along with regret and terror. Memories of things I’d never done splashed through my mind—ambushing a band of merchants on the road, eating through the tender flesh of their stomachs, searching for the cries of a child, eager for young blood on my tongue, and the horror as the demon pulled away at the last minute, letting Elis taste the bitter bite of a human heart.
Elis. That was this man’s name. I took Elis’s pain and suffering into my cage and my magic cradled it and held it close. One by one, it ate them away, tearing them into pieces too small to ever find again.
“Thank you.” Elis closed his eyes and rested under my hands.
“Knife,” I said. My throat burned.
Cynthia crept closer, watching the crippled body next to me. She handed me a dagger.
I trailed my fingers down Elis’s chest and found that sliver between his ribs where his heart beat. The knife cut, quick and true. His eyes never opened.
“It’s done,” I said.
Exhaustion clawed me. I wasn’t strong enough yet for a battle like this. My stomach heaved and I threw up next to Elis’s body.
“The demon is gone?” Kadence asked. “You were able to use your magic?”
“No.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “He invited me into his mind and I pulled him out instead. He’s dead.”
Dizziness forced me to the ground. The sun crested in the sky, warming me. When did I get so cold?
“We have to ride straight to the castle,” Cynthia said. Voices blurred, fading at the edges. “It’s not safe to stop for the night.”
“That was one demon.” Rayhan’s face held a red hue and tension leaked through his voice, barely covering a trace of terror. “There were eight of us and we barely survived one of those bastards. How many are coming?”
“Four thousand, five hundred at the last estimate.” Zavier sounded grim, but it was hard to tell. My mind couldn’t quite decipher the words.
“I’ll carry the queen on her horse,” Kadence said. Strong arms lifted me from the ground. I fought for a moment, sanity warring with exhaustion, but my body gave out. Despite the surprise of his tender touch, I settled into the king’s warmth and listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
One thought danced in my head, unbound and floating.
Four thousand, five hundred. Four thousand, five hundred.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The humid air sat heavy against my bare skin, chilling me to the bone. Two days of horseback riding without sleep and minimal breaks left me battered and sore. I abandoned my coat inside and the cold soothed my aching muscles.
The balcony off my room peered over an open field, solitary trees scattered across it, like wooden ghosts. Their leaves had dropped, and they were prepared for the first snow, which would come any day. A fire crackled behind me, spilling warm light onto the balcony. The castle’s rich red-and-orange stones bathed the spacious room in comforting hues. Rugs stretched the entirety of the room, cushioning each step. The thick bedspread, the leather couch pressed against the wall opposite the fireplace, even the tapestries, were woven from shades of black and grey. Splashes of red popped in unexpected places, a bloodred vase on the bedside table, a single red rose resting on the pillow. I expected the dark decor to make me feel trapped or secluded, but I was beginning to like it. The room felt like a nest, someplace safe to curl up.
My first glimpse of the Kingdom of Vari Kolum had been at the peak of night, visible only by the moon and torches from an entourage of guards that escorted us into the castle. My window faced away from the city and I didn’t dare wander the castle to sneak a peek. My authority didn’t reach here. This was Kadence’s kingdom, and I was a guest. I didn’t need the residents to eat me in the hallway.
Ruby, one of Kadence’s staff with strawberry-blond, curly hair, had brought me a black dress with red buttons trailing down the back. Composed mainly of thick wool, it was lined on the inside to avoid scratching my skin. The tight top exposed a generous amount of cleavage and the bottom fell to a straight hem.
Jon Chan. Two guards. Bryn. Elis. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
I didn’t want to start a list, but the names rolled through my head. I was not a stranger to death. It is a constant companion on the battlefield, sometimes foe and sometimes friend. These last few deaths weighed on me. We had found peace, only to have it snatched away.
I hadn’t heard the door, but cushioned footsteps toned behind me. Kadence hesitated in the balcony doorway. He wore a formal uniform, a jacket with two rows of silver buttons over a collared shirt, the same one from my coronation. His breeches were tucked into black boots that reflected the firelight. He looked like an officer ready for a celebratory ball, rather than a king at war.
His gaze brushed me up and down. My cheeks were already stained pink from the cold and I was confident he couldn’t see a new blush highlight them. Fire smoldered in his eyes, and just for a moment, the predator saw more than its prey. He smoothed his face and the expression faded like the last days of summer.
“I thought you’d like to see the city.” He kept his voice flat, professional, afraid I might catch an edge of emotion. I could tell by that tone it was important to him that I saw his city and that I liked it.
Kadence cleared his throat.
“For strategy and tactical reasons, of course,” he said.
He wanted to pretend he didn’t care. Fine.
“Of course.” I brushed past him and shrugged into my new coat. It fit perfectly and was warm. Feeling flowed back to my numb skin.
Kadence led us down a stone hallway that opened into a common room. Bookshelves and chairs nestled in the corners, leaving an open space to walk through. The tapestries and paintings here wore colors. An abstract canvas caught my eye, odd against the rugged castle walls.
Kadence led us to a winding staircase circling up to one of the castle’s spires.
He must have felt my hesitation and glanced back.
“This way has the best view.”
It could also be the best place to push an annoying queen to her death. Memories of Kadence shoving me against the window that first night flooded my mind. My steps faltered. Did I trust him enough to follow him?
I couldn’t deny the nagging feelings building in my chest every time I looked at the man. In the few months we’d been together, the hatred that used to burn in his gaze had settled to a different kind of flame. Perhaps returning to his childhood home, where his parents had died, and where his blame toward my people began, would rekindle old biases. Had these emotions between us grown a firm foundation, or were they still spider silk waiting to collapse at the next breeze? I bit my lip, wondering if my bravery was strong enough to find out.
Kadence heard the change in my pace. He paused and stepped down.
“Almost there.” He held his hand out.
I searched his face, looking for the rage and pain he once poured onto me. His expression remained hard and focused, but something sparkled in the depths of his black eyes. Something hopeful.
His hand felt warm in mine. He pulled me up the last flight of stairs and an open doorway spilled us onto a wall walk. The chill grew stronger up here, unprotected by the castle walls, and noisy too. Birds screeched as we interrupted their perching and a symphony of voices floated from the grounds below. The sun shone on my head, but its rays didn’t beat away the cold.
“Over here.” Kadence turned.
The bulk of the castle stretched before us. The blocky, rectangular structure ate away any open space for gardens. The building climbed five stories, two more than my home, with four spires like giant arms reaching to the sky. The stones outside matched the ones inside and the winter sun highlighted the warm tones.
Vari Kolum stole my breath. Buildings stacked six or seven stories tall, casting shadows onto the castle grounds. Grass peeked through cut divisions where parks peered between structures. Open pavilions housed market stands, barely visible from our distance. Most shocking was the plethora of color. Each building sported a bright, vivid color. Some buildings switched halfway, as though the top had been constructed later. A river rolled behind the city, cut off by the sprawling structures. The perimeter wall was short and less extensive than ours, designed to keep out wildlife rather than catapults. Farmland stretched in the peripherals, spanning too far to see.
Words caught in my throat.
“What do you think?” Kadence’s flat voice held a cautious tone.
I couldn’t deny its beauty, nor did I want to. The vibrant colors reminded me of life and laughter. I imagined children running through the playgrounds, the sky painted rainbow, feeling safe surrounded by stone guardians.
“It’s so colorful,” I said. “From your interior decorating, I expected something darker.”
“If you stepped inside any of these buildings, your expectations would be fulfilled. We like to feel close and confined, comforted and safe,” Kadence said. “Some historians speculate that it’s an evolutionary trait. When our species first emerged, we had to hide in caves during the day and only venture out at night to avoid being killed.”
“Do you think they’re right?”
He shrugged. “I think sleeping in a dark room is more comfortable than sleeping in a cave.”
“Then why does everyone wear black?” I asked.
“Fashion changes, Sal.” A hint of laughter colored his tone. “In ten more years, clothes might look more like the outside of the city than the inside.”
My country had tried to find this kingdom for centuries and I was glad we never did. The thought of these great structures, people’s homes and livelihoods, torn down and the foundations burned stirred my heart with sadness. We had less than a week before the army of the dead marched on these walls. Determination grounded me like steel. They were my people now, whether any of us liked it or not. We might not defeat the demon horde, but we were going to try, together.
“What are you thinking?” Kadence whispered behind me.
I turned to face him.
“I’m thinking about the battle,” I said. “We’ll need to build up the walls so the demons can’t scale them. The mountains will be a natural barrier, but we could dig trenches to funnel them into one area. They’ll breach the gate and the walls eventually, but we could have a good number cut down before then…What?”
Kadence’s blank stare disappeared. He searched my face with a look I didn’t recognize.
I crossed my arms. “We don’t have to do trenches, if you have a better idea.”
“Forget about the trenches, Sal.” Kadence shifted, locking both of my arms in his hands. At this distance, the heat of his body pressed into mine through the bulky coat. A knot twisted in my chest—expectation, apprehension, uncertainty.
“Do you know what I was thinking?” he whispered. “I was thinking about when you walked toward that demon, unarmed and blank, like you were in a trance. I thought I was seconds away from watching you die. I have imagined your death for years, in hundreds of different ways, preferably by my hand. When it was right there, in front of me, do you know what I felt?”
I shook my head. His scent filled my lungs, fire and smoke and new leather.
“I felt scared. And then angry. I wanted your death, for me, for my parents, for the thousands of my people that had been slaughtered in the war. But in that moment, I would have given anything to keep you alive.”
His eyes locked on mine. “I felt like I was betraying my people and I didn’t care.”
Kadence’s gaze shifted to my lips. He bent slow, as though asking permission, giving me time to pull away. My heart leaped into my throat. Fear and desire warred, freezing me in place. He slid one hand under my chin, lifting my face to his.
His lips were soft. He kissed me warm and tender, asking instead of taking. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think beyond his hands on my body. The knot in my stomach loosened under his touch and something hungry took its place.
I tilted my head and kissed him back. I claimed his mouth with mine, inviting him for a deeper taste. My hands trailed the edge of his jacket, fumbling with the buttons.
Kadence growled against my lips. I gasped and he caught it in his mouth, wrapping his hand behind my neck and pulling me closer. His skin burned like fire against mine. A distant part of my brain recognized that my coat had tumbled to the ground.
I plucked at the buttons and stripped Kadence’s jacket off. He released me and pulled the shirt over his head. I caught a flash of a sculpted chest, toned and chiseled, before he pressed against me.
He kissed me harder, demanding. He was a spring rain and I was dying in the desert. He was sweet and safe, and strong and terrifying. I gave him everything, and he took it.
He abandoned my lips, setting kisses down my neck. I leaned my head back and gave him room, exploring his body with my hands. He softened under my touch, arching for more. His fingers found the buttons on the back of my dress and the fabric fell off my shoulders. Bitter cold bit at my skin, but his hands chased the chill away.
Kadence lifted me to the wall walk, his arms my only anchor against gravity. We perched so high, the fall would be fatal. He stepped between my legs, one hand holding me around the waist, the other searching for the clasps of my brassiere.
I leaned into him, eager for his touch, eager for everything he was willing to give me.
Someone coughed.
We froze.
A young man in black overalls lingered in the doorway. “Yo—Your Majesty.” His cheeks painted red and he studied the floor. “You told me to tell you when the advisors were ready.”
Shame at being caught in such an improper position burned my cheeks. I ducked my head and push against Kadence’s chest. He lingered, hunger in his eyes, and I thought he might not move. After a moment, he took a reluctant step back, and I turned away from the boy, pulling up my dress and blindly latching the buttons.
“They’re, um, ready, Your Majesty.” The boy hesitated a moment longer and then running footsteps faded down the stairs.
Kadence sighed.
I straightened the dress and ran a hand through my hair. Curls bunched in my fingers. It was hopeless.
He watched me, his expression turning hard again.
“Kadence,” I said softly.
“Don’t. I’m sorry if that was embarrassing for you.”
“I did not say that.”
Sharp anger cut through his face.
“You didn’t have to.” He grabbed his clothes. “Let’s go.”
His bare back retreated down the stairwell, leaving me confused and alone in the cold.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I tumbled through the unlocked door, sweaty and out of breath. Kadence was long gone by the time I clambered down the spiral staircase, leaving me to search for the meeting room alone. The castle resembled a twisting maze. Some hallways led to dead ends, others slipped onto balconies through solid wood doors. I flagged down a maid in the hall, who had looked at me with wide, scared eyes and stammered directions in a whisper. Maybe my status as the enemy queen frightened her, or maybe my anger at Kadence had seeped into my face.
Everyone in the room stared at me. I forced a smile, smoothed my dress down, and slipped into the nearest open seat. Zavier waived from the front. Rayhan, who sat next to the old witch, lifted his chin. My pulse slowed as the familiar drone of a council meeting resumed.
“Now that everyone is here,” Kadence avoided looking at me, “what’s our status?”
Chairs lined both sides of the room, facing the center. A thick black carpet lay underfoot, but the natural stone walls remained unpainted. A podium stood at the front, but Kadence sat in a simple chair beside it, his feet stretched out and crossed in front of him. His hands were folded on his lap, and he looked peaceful, comfortable. I fought the urge to slap him.
Zavier stood.
“Our witches have begun preparing the entrance locations for the transportation spell,” Zavier said. “Unfortunately, we lost one spellcaster on the journey here, which will slow our troop transport.”
Bryn. My heart stung at the memory of her death.
“How much will it be delayed?” a petite woman with long black hair asked. She sat near Kadence and was almost two heads shorter than him. Her height made her appear young, but creases at her eyes and mouth put her at about forty, though vampires aged very differently than witches. She wore a dark-brown dress and a wool shawl draped across her shoulders. A natural rosy glow filled her face.
“We expect an additional ten hours to move all the soldiers, Madeline,” Zavier said.
“That’s manageable,” Madeline said in a crisp voice.
“Has housing been prepared for the troops?” I asked.
Kadence’s dark eyes cut to me. The mood in the room shifted. Everyone suddenly found something else to look at.
“Are you doubting my ability to provide for your people?” he asked, a dangerous whisper.
“I am verifying that our people have places to stay,” I said.
“My King?” the black-haired woman chimed in.
Kadence’s face softened. “Yes, Madeline?”
“I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you need to shake it off,” she said. “The queen has made a long, dangerous journey to a new land. She’s trusting you to provide for her army. The last people she trusted with that task stole them away and damned them to a life of suffering. You need to watch your tongue, before it leads you beyond return.”
