Burnt Magic, page 11
“So, my changeling parents?” Leira prompted, signaling the king’s attention back to her.
“Ah, yes. Well, we couldn’t leave them like that, could we? We wiped their memories and sent them on their way. I believe they started a new life together in one of the neighboring towns.”
Leira’s lips pulled into a thin line.
“And how does she feel about that?” she pressed. Despite not naming her, the king and queen seemed to know immediately who she was referring to, and I watched as the king’s face turned red all of a sudden. A strange sort of tension filled the air.
“Yes... well... about that.”
“When are we sending her back? There’s no need to delay or keep her here any longer, is there? Now that I’ve returned?”
Queen Eirlys cleared her throat, setting her tea down delicately on the table in front of us.
“My darling, I’m afraid... in your absence... things have become a little complicated.”
Leira’s eyes narrowed now.
“How so?” she responded icily, her words full of bite. The temperature dropped ever so slightly, and I tensed in my seat.
“Well... there was an incident,” Queen Eirlys admitted. To her credit, despite her daughter’s icy gaze, she held her own chin high as she spoke. Like mother, like daughter. “The war finally ended just over a year ago, you see. And after Prince Kyran returned from the frontlines... he initiated his house’s traditional bonding ceremony.”
Leira’s cup shattered in her hands, spilling hot liquid all over her. Her yelp echoed as she leaped to her feet—just as the king waved his hand and cooled the hot tea instantly, tiny blue sparks settling atop the liquid. Snapping his fingers, he beckoned for the staff to assist.
Leira’s fists clenched at her side, the tea immediately forgotten.
“Where is Katrina?” she demanded, her eyes sharp and full of anger.
“She was chosen, darling,” Queen Eirlys responded simply. “After all, the lands thought she was you. She is competing in your place.”
“You let this happen?” Leira cried, throwing her arms up and nearly knocking out one of the fae staff trying to pat her down with fresh towels.
“Leira!” King Ashayn scolded, and it was the first time I’d seen either of them raise their voice at her. “That’s enough. We did attempt to stop her from joining—but she went behind our back and had herself marked. After that, there was nothing we could do.”
Leira began to pace, her eyes wide.
“So, what now? She wins and takes my throne and my destined betrothed? How are we supposed to send her home if she gains actual royal status?”
“We are aware of the laws,” Queen Eirlys replied firmly. Leira let out a deranged laugh, shaking her head.
“She’s not even competing for me. She is me! Once marked, you can’t just leave the competition. Not until a bride has been chosen! It was supposed to be me!”
Her shrieks echoed off the walls, fresh tears forming in her eyes now. She collapsed in an armchair beside us, burying her head in her hands. She spoke her next words through gritted teeth.
“I have waited my entire life for this moment. I was supposed to get my life back. I was supposed to marry Prince Kyran. But she has become far too accustomed to these lands... to my life. It is not hers to have! All of this was supposed to be temporary!”
I couldn’t help my curiosity.
“Can I ask why Leira was sent to our world in the first place? Why a changeling has taken her place here?”
“I would also like to know this,” Percy prompted, leaning back against the couch and resting his arm leisurely over the back. Leira leveled a glare at both of us, but Queen Eirlys’s expression was gentle.
“Of course you may know—we are involved in your affairs, and it seems you are already somewhat involved in ours.”
She lifted her tea again to take a quick sip before continuing.
“Many centuries ago, there was a darkness in our lands. It destroyed one of our twelve kingdoms—but a great sacrifice eradicated the evil and saved us. However, it was only temporary, and a prophecy was foretold by a seer who resides in the Kingdom of Thymelle. She warned us this great evil would return and would specifically target our daughter.
“This evil did eventually return, so for Leira’s protection, we switched her with a changeling. She was sent to reside in the human world until the war was over, while the changeling posed as her for all political purposes within our lands. Nobody—not even the people of our own kingdom, outside of trusted palace staff—knew about the switch. So, the person pretending to be Leira right now... everybody believes that it is Leira. Nobody knows that she’s been missing this entire time.”
“And there, you see the problem,” Leira said in a strained but steady voice, shaking her head again. “If Prince Kyran marries Katrina, he will not know that she isn’t me. But it’s too late to reverse the mark—she must compete, and he will choose her! We already agreed that we would choose each other.”
“Fortunately for you, Leira... one of the twelve contestants died a few weeks ago,” Queen Eirlys interrupted, causing Leira to clamp her mouth shut as an unsettling moment of silence fell around us. “While it is certainly tragic for Navea and her family... Prince Kyran is currently short one contestant and has not been able to continue the trials until he restores the fated number.”
Leira’s eyes lit up.
“So, I can join?” she breathed, sitting up in her chair. It wasn’t lost on me that she didn’t seem to care that someone had died nor want to know how they had died.
“Not so fast,” King Ashayn interjected. “If you do this, there will be backlash for our kingdom. All of the land will learn that we deceived them for years and years—that a human attended their events and befriended their young and is currently competing for the sun prince’s hand in marriage. It is a terrible scandal, no matter our original intent, and you need to be prepared to carry that weight if you reveal Katrina’s true identity.”
“I’m prepared,” Leira said instantly, without so much as blinking, as she stood once more. “I waited for him. And he promised me that we would be together. So let the kingdom judge us—I am prepared to navigate any storm. But I am not about to give up another moment of my happiness so that she can continue to steal my life.”
She practically snarled the last part. I hadn’t realized Leira could harbor such viciousness for a single person or that she had the capacity to care this much about another individual who wasn’t herself.
“Very well, then,” King Ashayn agreed. “It is your choice, and it will be your kingdom. But now, we must cease this conversation—we have preparations to make for tomorrow night’s celebration, do we not?”
“Oh, yes!” Queen Eirlys exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “This cannot wait a moment longer—Leira, darling, please see yourself upstairs and your guests to their room so that they can get ready. There are hot baths waiting upstairs and a change of clothes for you all.”
I stilled.
“I’m sorry... did you say room?” I echoed, and she offered me a bright-eyed smile, reaching to sip the last of her tea as her gaze flicked between Percy and me.
“Of course—you should be together, should you not?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Percy was faster as he cut in, leaning forward.
“Your kindness is much appreciated.”
The queen offered him the same warm smile for a brief moment as she set down her tea cup. My hands turned to fists as she and the king got to their feet, heading for the nearest door, their minds clearly already focused on the next task at hand.
When I glanced at Percy, I had half a mind to strangle him—and that urge only strengthened as he leaned back on the couch, swinging his left foot up to rest on his right thigh and returning my gaze with a superior, smug look that said:
Your move.
Leira led us up so many flights of stairs, I was huffing by the time we finally reached our guest room. Percy had barely broken a sweat, irking me even more as he leaned casually against the doorframe, waiting for me.
“When you’re both ready, you can head downstairs to the dining hall for dinner,” Leira said, turning to us both. “I have a lot to familiarize myself with before the ball tomorrow night, so I’ll take my meals in my quarters. If there’s an emergency, send for me, but otherwise... don’t.”
Percy raised an eyebrow at her as her lips pulled into a thin line. Without so much as another look at us, she hurried off down the hallway until she disappeared from sight. I couldn’t help but wonder what the kingdom was in for now that she had returned home—and clearly hungry to make use of the power and status she’d been deprived of for so long.
With Leira finally gone, I whirled on Percy.
“What do you think you’re playing at?” I hissed, and he shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets.
“It’s better that they think we’re in a partnership—we’re in foreign territory, and we need to be careful what information we reveal to them.”
I scoffed, folding my arms.
“That’s a fucking excuse and you know it,” I seethed back, but his expression betrayed nothing as he turned toward the door.
“If you say so,” he said coolly, pushing against the door and walking inside. Pursing my lips, I followed him a moment later, my head turning to take in the sights of the bedroom.
Much like the rest of the palace, the walls were painted blue and gold, with white arched windows and deep-blue curtains. But unlike the rooms downstairs, these windows had more detail—with gold swirls embedded into the stained glass. As I walked across the polished floors, past the ginormous bed, I passed through another set of doors leading to a whole separate sitting area. It was then that I noticed a third set of doors leading to private bathing chambers, which Percy was already peering his head inside of through a large door.
At least there was a separate room from the bedroom. I could sleep on the couch if I really had to. Though there had to be another bedroom in this ginormous palace I could stay in. Perhaps I could still convince the queen to put me somewhere else.
“After you,” Percy offered, as he turned back to me and stepped aside from the door leading to the bathing chambers.
“Like hell I’m going in there with you,” I insisted, my voice full of venom as I folded my arms. Despite my childish, bitter, stubborn words, I was actually itching to bathe the dirt and blood and stench of decay off me after everything we’d been through. A part of me hoped he’d let me go first and that I could wash it all off in peace.
“Fine,” he shrugged again, and regret bubbled up inside of me. He’d already been shirtless, his button-up long since discarded somewhere between me using it as a sling and being healed with his blood. But in one swift motion, he unbuttoned his pants, stepping out of them so fast, I barely had time to avert my gaze.
My cheeks were already flushed. I turned to leave.
“There’s room for both of us,” he sang out after me. I gave him the finger, not bothering to look back as I exited and dragged the sliding doors to the sitting area shut behind me. Asshole.
Now alone in the bedroom, I drifted around the spacious area, my gaze drawn to all kinds of things. The vanity was fully stocked with palettes of pressed makeup, dainty perfumes, and bejeweled hair clips. A grand standing wardrobe awaited mere paces from it, twice the size of the one that had been in my room in Nolan’s castle, but I didn’t want to go poking through all the clean clothes until I’d at least washed the grime off my fingers—and that would require going into the bathing chamber.
Continuing my investigation of the room, I found a bookshelf next—the kind that was built deep into the wall itself, stacked with rows and rows of elegant tomes. Some appeared to be history textbooks, others works of fiction. Curious, I plucked one off the wall and opened it, discovering I could somehow understand the text inside despite it clearly being written in a different language. Perhaps the books had been enchanted.
I settled in a nearby armchair, the plush seating making me sigh as I sank into it. I must have read for at least an hour before the distraction faded and irritation began to prick my mind again. I was itchy and cold and could feel dry earth on my skin. Smell the lingering scent of death in my hair. How fucking long was Percy going to take in that stupid tub?
No longer able to focus on the words in front of me, I snapped the book shut and left it on the arm of the chair, marching back toward the sitting room. Pushing the doors open once more, I continued through to the bathing chamber, my fingers curling around the gleaming doorknob—
—then froze as the memory of Percy’s naked, god-like body conjured to my mind. Was I really prepared to walk in there and see that again?
Did I even have the self-restraint to resist him like that?
I heard a soft splash, and I gritted my teeth, the yearning for hot water and cleanliness stronger than any shame I had. Pushing the doors open with a hard shove, I walked into the chambers.
And my eyes widened with shock.
It wasn’t a tub. It was a fucking bathhouse.
Built into the ground was a bathing pool the size of my entire bathroom and bedroom combined back home. Long floor-to-ceiling glass windows hinted at a view of the mountain range in the distance—though it was mostly hidden by the current snowstorm raging outside, a mere whisper against the enchanted glass.
Soft, dimmed lighting filled the chamber, giving it a gentle ambience. Rows and rows of taps poured bubbly liquid into the steaming hot water. I lost track of the scents of lotus and sea salt that wafted through the air.
And sitting dead center against the closest edge of the bath, his back to me and head tilted backwards, was Percy. He rested his elbows on the edge, his eyes closed in a relaxed, contented state.
“So, you’ve finally decided to join me.” He hummed without opening an eye.
“You could have told me it was a bathhouse,” I snapped back.
“Would it have mattered?” he asked, finally opening one eye as he tilted his head further back to look at me. “I did say there was room for both of us.”
“Just hurry up,” I insisted, folding my arms as I stood waiting. “You’ve been in here almost an hour.”
He laughed.
“Only an hour?” he replied, smirking back at me. “Well, I’ve got plenty more time to kill. Why rush?”
I suppressed a groan of frustration.
“You can get back in when I’ve had my turn,” I sighed, but he stretched his arms leisurely, sinking deeper under the water until his shoulders were completely hidden by bubbles.
“Nobody is stopping you, Fontaine. There’s plenty of room.”
I seethed, stalking a few paces closer to him.
“Did you miss the part where I said we’re done?” I asked lowly. He shrugged without looking at me.
“Not at all. And I don’t see what that has to do with this. This is a shared space—clearly—and the fact that I’m gloriously naked under all these bubbles doesn’t mean we can’t both bathe like civilized beings.”
I wanted to fucking scream.
He smirked, then added tauntingly, “Though I’m not surprised that you’re struggling with the concept, Fontaine. We both know you fantasize about me... you can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Get. Out.”
He let out a long huff before rising again. Turning toward me, he rested his elbow against the edge again.
“Say please,” he taunted, his mouth curving into a wicked smile. I drew my lips closed so tightly, I swear they could have molded together. He chuckled lowly, as if expecting as much, and my blood boiled.
Fine. I would play his little game. After all, it was nothing he hadn’t seen before. And if he wanted to torment me so badly, he’d soon learn that was nothing compared to what I could do.
Reaching for the neck of my dress, I dragged it slowly until it fell limply down my shoulder. The exposed skin was enough to grab his attention, and his smile slowly vanished.
Tugging at the laces at the back of the dress, I let the ribbons loosen themselves, the dress sagging as it came undone.
And then it fell, exposing the bra and underwear I’d had on. Hooking my thumbs beneath the fabric, I pulled the underwear down and stepped out of it, then unclasped the bra, letting that fall too.
I stood bare before him, and all he could do was stare back, completely transfixed.
At my body. The one he’d never have again in his long, immortal, miserable life.
Tilting my head up as if it were nothing, I walked slowly over to the edge of the bath, sighing at the first lick of hot water against my toes, my ankles. I let the water lap over me as I descended the steps until I was submerged to my hips, my breasts, then my shoulders.
I leaned my head back into the water until my scalp was submerged, wetting my hair, and I ran my hands through it to get all the debris out of it.
The moment my ears left the muffled water, cool air hitting them, I heard it.
“Fleur.”
Percy’s voice was gravel, and an innocent smile formed on my lips as I closed my eyes.
“Well, you were right. Plenty of room,” I sighed, emphasizing my sweet sarcasm as I pretended to busy myself with my hair. “Thanks for the encouragement, Renaud.”
Opening my eyes again, I waded through the water, heading for the opposite end of the bath, and heard sloshing from behind me. Smirking, I turned.
Percy had pulled himself out, over the edge of the bath, moving like a blur. I only saw a glimpse of him, running his hand through his hair urgently as he exited the bathhouse, the door slamming shut behind him. And then I was left utterly alone... just as I’d originally wanted.
Still, I couldn’t shake the hollow feeling that ate away at me in response.
I pulled on the first pair of pants and shirt I could find in mere seconds, desperate to get as far away as possible. I needed to get outside, to jump straight into the freezing lake below the palace, because not even the coldest shower in this godforsaken land could have tamed the hardness of my cock right now.
