To Bleed A Kingdom, page 32
Either way seems cruel, but until I find who I've been searching for, there's not much else I can do. I'm stuck between a bad choice and an even worse one. But even as I say this to myself, I know it's not true. There is another way, one where I can guarantee the safety of every Seboian citizen. But it's risky, dangerous. If I were to do it and I was captured or killed, which is more probable than not, it could destroy everything I spent my whole life preparing for. Everything I've sacrificed for.
Shaking my head, I shove the thought aside, unwilling to entertain such a perilous venture. I know what I need to do. I should pretend I never met any of them and focus on my own search. Zenith said I had to protect Darius, but I'm sure I could figure out a way to get him to leave with me. No matter how gruff he may appear, he's a good soul. All I would have to do is threaten Aurora or his brother, and he'll do whatever I asked. He would hate me for it, but I suspect he already will when he learns the truth.
Mind made up, I attempt to form a plan, debating which kingdom to target next and the best route to take. But even as I do, knowing this is the only logical path to take, I also know that in truth, I could never abandon these people I've come to care about, even in the face of my quest.
“We can’t abandon Seboia,” I whisper to myself. But Amara answers all the same.
“Of course we’re not,” she replies, grabbing a charcoal stick and adding her own contributions to the sketch for Trip’s blade.
Feeling as if a weight has lifted off my shoulders, I fold one leg over the other, repositioning myself to face Amara. “What I mean is, we’re going to do whatever we can to help them.”
Pausing with the charcoal stick hovering above the parchment, she eyes me with a puzzled expression. “I know.”
That was easier than I thought it would be.
Shrugging internally at her odd behavior, I slouch in my chair while fiddling with my lip. “Alright, then. I need to figure out a way to tell Tristan and Zander. Zander shouldn't be an issue, but Tristan won't be pleased.”
“They already know.”
Focusing on the best way to present this deviation to Tristan, it takes a moment to realize what she said. “How can they? I just figured it out for myself.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Seeing my blank stare, she shakes her head with a soft smile. “From the moment we stepped foot on Seboian land, we knew you wouldn’t be able to leave without preparing them.”
“But,” I sputter, “it's not part of our plan.”
“When have we ever followed the plan? Hmm?”
“Well, I’m glad we're all on the same page,” I huff, irritated that I'm just now realizing what they've known all along. “But it would’ve been nice to be included in the plan.”
“I can't believe you’re just now figuring this out.” She tilts the sketch back and forth, appraising her work until her eyes widen with an epiphany and she slaps it to the table “Wait! Is that why you’ve had your face scrunched up like that? You've been debating whether we should stay or not?”
I grit my teeth. “Yes.”
“Huh. I just assumed you ate Lottie’s food and were starting to get the shits.”
“No!” I shout, appalled she would think such a thing. “That was my thinking face.”
“And your ‘I have the shits’ face.”
“How would you know what I look like when I need to shit?” I snap, irrationally angry at her for pointing that out to me.
She shrugs. “I'm observant.”
“You’re disturbing, is what you are,” I grumble in embarrassment, wondering how many other people have interpreted my expression that way.
“You know I’m thrilled you’ve finally decided to stay,” she says dryly as she lifts the coffee mug to her lips, before peering into it with a frown when she remembers it's empty, “but I have to say I wouldn't mind sacrificing a few of these Seboians to Brecca.”
I chuckle. “Me too.”
Amara scowls at the swinging doors. “Like Lottie, for starters.”
“Definitely Lottie.”
“Those asshole guards we met on the way in.”
“Every last one of them,” I reply, making a mental note to ask Darius what the pervert's punishment was. Hopefully it was painful and bloody. If not, I wouldn't mind extracting my own form of vengeance.
“The handsy drunk at The Quiet Harpy.”
“We don't even need to wait for Brecca to get rid of him. We’ll take care of him ourselves.”
“Griffin.”
“And Griffin.” I nod before rearing back. “Wait! What? Why would you sacrifice Griffin?”
“He's an asshole,” she replies, her expression darkening even more at the mention of his name.
“He rarely talks!”
“He’s always looking at me funny,” she huffs, folding her arms over her chest.
A shocked laugh escapes me. “He's an empath. He's not looking at you funny; he's reading your aura.”
“No he's not! He's always watching me with this pissed off expression.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I rub my temples, unable to comprehend why she would want the sweet Air immortal dead. “Maybe he likes you.”
She gives me a dry look. “Nobody likes me.”
“What I mean is,” I roll my eyes, “maybe he's attracted to you.”
Oh!” she shouts in surprise, obviously having not considered the thought. “Yes, that's possible, but no. I left with a male the other night and when I came back to the tavern afterward, he was furious. He lectured me about how reckless it was for me to leave with someone I don't know.” A flash of anger sparks in her eyes. “He treated me like a child!” Shaking her head, she dismisses the thought altogether. “If he was attracted to me, he wouldn't have treated me that way.”
Biting my lip to stifle a laugh, I state slowly, “That's exactly how a male treats a female he's attracted to.”
“Lena, Lena, Lena,” she sighs, patting my hand. “I know you're accustomed to every male you meet fawning over you, but for us simple folk, the ways of love and sex are a bit more complicated.”
“You must be right,” I reply, unable to keep the laughter out of my voice.
The bell tolls over the entrance, drawing my attention towards the door as it opens, casting a stream of light onto the dust motes swirling within the dingy inn as Aurora and Tristan walk in.
Tucked beneath Tristan’s arm, Aurora speaks quietly to him as they walk towards us. He smiles down at her, utterly absorbed with what she's saying, watching her with brown eyes full of affection. Aurora tosses her arms up, waving her hands animatedly as she recounts her story, and then he laughs. Eyes crinkled and smile wide, a loud guffaw punches out of him, deep and boisterous. A genuine laugh that I've never heard from him in all the years I've known him.
Tristan is a somber person, almost grim in his countenance. Preferring to deal with logic and fact over emotion, some consider him to be cold and unfeeling. Yet, he's never been this way with me. Maybe it's because we've shared so much together, but he’s never shied away from giving affection or receiving mine. But even if we are close, share a bond even, I can now see how reserved he has been, because Tristan has never been as relaxed around me as he is with Aurora. The overly observant man hasn't even noticed we're here yet; his sole focus is on Aurora as she steers him toward us. It puts a smile on my face to see him so happy, even as I feel a tightening within my chest with the knowledge this won’t end well.
Finally taking notice of us once reaching our table, his smile stutters and a nervous energy slips from him. My control is unwavering today, Gifts safely tucked within their cage. So for me to be able to feel nervousness from the usually unflappable man, there must be something horribly wrong.
Aurora claps her hands together, smiling down at us. “You’re already up. Perfect! Are you ladies ready to go?”
Frowning, I share a look with Amara and see the same confusion marring her face. “Ready to go where?”
“To the market,” she says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Tristan did tell you we were going today, didn't he?”
“No, he did not,” Amara says with a smirk, her whiskey eyes dancing with laughter.
“It must have slipped my mind,” Tristan replies with a wince, scratching the back of his head.
Aurora looks up at him with a stern look, and I press my lips together to stifle a laugh when I see his sheepish smile
Rolling her eyes, Aurora swats his chest. “Now you know. Are you both ready?”
“Aurora, I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Tristan says, his gaze darting nervously between me and Amara.
“Why not? It's just a bit of shopping. You already told me they haven’t been yet.”
“I do need to stock up on a few things, but…” Amara hesitates, her brows pinched as she watches me. “I don’t think it’s – ow!” she yelps.
I jerk my hand back from where I pinched her thigh. “We’d love to!”' I say with a winning smile, truly meaning it. Not the shopping part, of course. That sounds awful. But for being able to spend hours watching this new side of Tristan as putty in Aurora’s dainty little hands. I'll have teasing material for centuries. “I wouldn't miss this for the world.”
“See?” Aurora smirks. “I told you they'd love to. Come on.” She walks toward the door, no doubt in her mind that we’ll follow. “We’ll grab Zander from the brothel on the way there.”
Tristan tosses us a worried look and I chuckle when he groans, racing after Aurora.
No, no, no, I wouldn't miss this for all the realms.
“You said this was a bad idea,” Aurora says, her eyes rounded in horror.
“I did,” Tristan replies, his lips pressed in a tight line.
“Numerous times.”
“Uh huh.”
“But…” she says, seeming at a loss for what to do. “I didn't believe you. I thought you were being silly.”
Tristan gives her a dubious look out of the corner of his eye. “When have I ever been silly?”
She rounds on him. “I don’t know! It just sounded ridiculous that you couldn't bring two women out in public!”
“Does it seem ridiculous now?”
Whimpering, she buries her face into his chest. “No. If anything, you under-exaggerated.” Tristan rubs soothing circles on her back and she pops one eye open, watching Amara argue with the leathersmith. “What do we do?”
“Watch it play out.” He shrugs. “Make sure there aren’t any sharp objects nearby, and hope for the best.”
Aurora winces.
Feeling an immense amount of joy that I’m not the one on the other end of Tristan's disapproving stare, I tear my gaze from the couple, sweeping over wood beams and a burgundy leather canvas, passing by an arguing Amara and a blustering fae male, before continuing past the wooden displays of leather trousers and vests, to finally share a smile with an amused looking Zander.
Cheeks stretched in a wide smile, I raise a single finger. “I'd like to point out that I’m doing very well today.”
Zander snickers before his expression morphs into a mock serious one. “You are.” His lips twitch. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
Tristan snorts, and my hackles rise at the sound. “What was that for?”
“What? I didn't do anything.”
Ducking around Aurora, my hair slips past my shoulders, falling into a rippled sheet. “You snorted.”
“So?” He shrugs, feigning innocence. “I snort all the time.”
Eyes narrowing to mere slits, I open my mouth to tell the irritating man exactly what I think of him when strong arms wrap around my waist, tugging me against a broad chest.
“Hello, Beautiful,” a deep male voice whispers in my ear.
Chuckling, I pat his forearm. “Hi, Kace.”
“And where has my violet-eyed goddess been today? I swear I've been searching everywhere for you!”
“I doubt the brothel counts as everywhere.”
“It's a large establishment.” He rests his chin on my shoulder. “Lots of rooms to check. Alcoves, secret passageways.”
“Lots of orifices to check, you mean.”
“Ahh, you know me so well,” he says, pride in his voice. “See? A perfect match.”
“Let her go, Kace,” a deep, rumbling voice growls.
Snapping my head toward the sound, I suck in a sharp breath when I find the furious Fire immortal standing a few paces away. Hands fisted, lip curled, and his chest expanding with each angry breath, Darius’ glacial orbs flash with white fire, fixated on the arm currently wrapped around my waist.
“Oh, no! Someone’s getting jealous,” Kace taunts, tugging me tighter to his chest.
“And angry.” Raging is more like it. Most would be trembling in fear at the lethal air wafting from Darius, but I can only assume the Stars forgot a few crucial ingredients when creating me, because instead of removing Kace’s arms, I drop my head back instead, resting it along his collarbone as I watch the fire surge within Darius’ gaze, enlivening my nerves with a dangerous thrill.
“You know you love that possessive growl,” Kace says with laughter in his voice, flaunting his lack of natural instincts.
“It does cause a tingle here and there.”
“Kace,” Darius warns. Clenching his teeth, he flexes his fingers before curling them into a fist. I can see the blood rushing through the throbbing veins of his neck.
Kace presses his lips to my ear and lowers his voice to a whisper only I can hear. “Do you want to see how much more we can rile him up?”
Nope, Kace has no sense of self-preservation. Or else he's as crazy as the rest of us. I’d have to bet on the latter when I peek out of the corner of my eyes and spot a mischievous sparkle in his that I've seen all too often in Zander’s. One I’m sure has manifested many times in my own.
Raising my thumb and forefinger, I press them together until there's only a breadth of space between. “Maybe just a smidge.”
Kayce snickers, then smothers it, raising his voice. “Last night was amazing, my little fruitcake.” He groans, nuzzling my cheek. “The things you did with your tong– I’m kidding, I'm kidding! Ahhh!” Kace’s arms are suddenly torn from me, his body thrown through the canvas opening by a furious Darius.
“I was just joking, asshole!” Kace shouts from his spot on the cobbled pathway between stalls, but Darius pays him no mind as he stalks toward me.
And then he's there. All of him. Too much of him. So massive and imposing, he blocks out all sight, scent, and sound, banishing all else besides him and me as his intense gaze lashes into me, slicing straight to the core of my soul.
The bond flares, strumming along the tether until he rushes into me. His thoughts, his emotions, all of what makes Darius Darius crashes into me in a colossal wave, battering my senses and drowning me in an onslaught
But just as I submerge within its depths, choking on the sudden invasion, the waters calm and level out, transforming from a violent torrent into a gentle stream that’s more natural and smooth as it flows alongside me, intertwining with me. I suck in a breath, shocked that his presence alone could invoke such a euphoric tranquility. But as the shock subsides and logic prevails, I realize as much as I crave this feeling, as much as I'm desperate for it, until I choose to reveal all, this bond is still unwelcome, even if I'm beginning to realize it's no longer unwanted.
Shutting my eyes, I smother the link and I feel Darius' presence return to him with a whoosh, leaving me alone with myself once again. He frowns, clearly unhappy I’ve cut off the connection, before his eyes narrow and the tether vibrates. Darius tries and fails to reopen the bond.
I should be happy about this, thrilled even. I've managed to cast him out completely, where not even a shadow of him remains. Yet, even though I can no longer feel his emotions, which is exactly what I intended, I can't escape mine. Nor the hollow feeling within me that forms with his retreat.
Seeing his displeasure and feeling my own, I make an impulsively foolish decision, quite possibly a dangerous one, and loosen the clamp on the tether, allowing a trickle of the bond to seep through. I sigh in relief as he fills the void within me.
Kace slaps at the flaps of the leather canvas, jarring me back into the moment as he walks through the opening to the stall, rubbing the side of his scraped cheek. “You didn't have to throw me so hard.”
Darius snaps his arm out, pointing in Zander’s direction without removing his gaze from mine. “Stand over there,” he barks.
Kace tosses him an accusing glare while dragging his feet towards Zander, mumbling profanities all the while.
“Hi,” I breathe, but Darius says nothing. He just stares back with those glacial blue orbs. So wild and intense, it’s like he’s fucking me with his eyes. I've heard the saying before, but that's all I thought it was. A saying. With the desire curling within my belly and the sensations pulsating between my legs, I can no longer be sure.
Can you orgasm from just a look? Hopefully not, otherwise this situation may become quite embarrassing.
Attempting to regain some of my mental faculties, I clear my throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Aurora told me you’d be here today,” he says in his low, gravelly voice, speaking directly to me for the first time today. “I thought I’d join you.”
I feel a smile stretch across my cheeks. “Is that so?”
He glances towards my lips. Seeing the joy there, his mouth creeps up into a smile of his own. The dimple one I've become so fond of. “It is.” He swallows, his throat bobbing with the motion. “How are –” he begins to say, but his words cut off at the sound of a feminine growl, dragging both our gazes towards the source. “What's going on?” Darius folds his arms over his sculpted chest, brushing his arm on my shoulder. A physical hum spreads with the contact.
“Amara’s causing trouble,” I reply, watching her get angrier by the moment while the gangly male she's arguing with seems to be getting more flustered.
Peeking at me out of the corner of his eye, Darius’ lips curl into a teasing smirk. “You're not aiding her?”
