Page 35 of A Flame of the Phoenix (An Heir Comes to Rise #6)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Tauria
T auria missed Nik with a soul-deep ache everyday. The fact she had no certain countdown as to when she would be reunited with him made the pain unbearable. She thought of him now, as she stared over the lands of Fenstead from one of the highest balconies of her castle. They’d returned from Valgard days ago, and Tauria was antsy more than ever to return to Nik so they could start preparing for the colossal army preparing to descend upon them.
She thought about leaving, but she was so close to achieving a victory on her homeland that she couldn’t abandon that now.
Tallia arrived at her rooms. Tauria had employed her before she’d left for Valgard under the guise of being in charge of hiring staff to run the castle. Mordecai had barely reacted to Tauria’s proposal, allowing her to begin restoring the castle to some sense of structure.
The Fenstead rebel had been less than enthused about her new position, but no one could deny it was a perfect plan to slowly grow allies within the castle walls. Tallia reported the number of staff she’d managed to recruit so far as soon as Tauria was back from Valgard. It wasn’t as many as they would need to attack from the inside without being immediately overwhelmed, but they couldn’t bring too many new faces in too soon without arousing suspicion.
Tauria paced her room, growing antsy and impatient. “The full moon is tomorrow,” she said, chewing at her fingernail as she stared up at the glow in the sky. So beautiful yet sinister.
“You really think he plans to use it to change you? Wouldn’t he have detained you by now?”
“He’s been allowing me freedom to roam the castle and recruit staff. I can’t be sure what his motives are.”
“Exactly. Something doesn’t add up.”
Tauria thought so too. She’d barely achieved any rest trying to figure out what Mordecai’s plan was.
She stopped pacing, coming to a conclusion that punched her in the gut.
“What if he’s waiting for Nik to come?” she whispered to herself.
“Who?” Tallia asked.
“Nikalias, the King of High Farrow.”
Tallia slumped down onto the edge of her bed. “Are you sure he’s coming to your rescue?”
“He’s my mate. Nik might already be close. I hoped to have some information, or Dakoda’s ruin if it was still here, and to have been able to escape before he made it this far.”
“Ah, I didn’t realize the mate part. I’m guessing Mordecai knows.”
Tauria nodded. This was like their close call in Olmstone all over again.
“Then we need to get you out. Losing our queen and the King of High Farrow would be detrimental for both kingdoms.”
“It can’t have been for nothing.” Tauria was exasperated, running a hand down her face.
Breaking their bond. Leaving Nik when he was gravely injured. Getting here.
Tauria refused to believe it had all been for nothing .
She raised a hand to her chest, feeling the thump quickening under her palm with growing fear as though it could be stolen come tomorrow night.
Tauria said, “We need to act tonight.”
“Tonight? Are you insane? We don’t even have two dozen of our people in this castle as staff yet.”
“But they’re assassins, are they not?”
“Fighters. We’ve been training to fight in battle.”
“Then I hope you’ve picked the stealthiest so far.”
“Tauria…what can this possibly achieve? Even if we somehow managed to eliminate the few dozen dark fae in the castle, all we’ll have done is locked ourselves in a grand cage that will not hold when Mordecai summons the armies to take it back. Have you seen our fields? Fenstead has been used as army holding grounds for decades. There are endless tents over the valleys.”
“You will manage to eliminate the dark fae within our walls. Because I’m going to make sure Mordecai is occupied for you to do it. Silent and careful. Then you’ll alert Berron, and the rest of the rebellion will come.”
“Then what?”
Tauria might have lost her mind. Her plan was reckless, uncertain, but she was running out of time.
“With the rebellion flooding these halls…you declare me your enemy right in front of him. I’ll flee with him.”
“No,” Tallia said immediately, launching to her feet. Anger firmed her face. “What was any of it for if you just run again?”
Tauria winced at that blow. “You have to trust I have a plan that benefits Fenstead after that point.”
Tallia huffed a humorless laugh. “You think I’d agree to let our greatest asset, our queen , sacrifice herself on a whim?”
All Tauria could see was a giant chessboard. Yes, she was the queen, and she was damned good at chess.
“You have to trust me. As your queen, this is my order.”
She called for Edith to help her change, and while she distracted the serpent in this castle, her people would cut off the heads that lurked in the corners.
Tauria stood outside Mordecai’s chosen room in her castle. It was a grand guest room in the east quarter, while he’d assigned her to the west quarter. She began to doubt her plan to keep him interested in her tonight when she realized he’d hardly shown an interest in her company at all.
Since seeing him with Dakodas, she had her suspicions that his ambitions were set far higher than just becoming the King of Fenstead.
Tauria straightened her poise and knocked gently.
Every footstep approaching from the other side of the door thumped her heart higher up her throat. When the door swung open and Mordecai stood in front of her, she resisted an instant urge to bolt away at the sight.
He was far less put together than she’d ever seen him. No jacket, just a plain shirt with open ties at the top to expose the top contours of his chest. No neatly combed hair—it was messy, as though he’d run his hands through the shoulder-length tresses many times tonight. She’d disturbed him in a rare moment of relaxation. It painted him in a light she wanted to snuff out. So…ordinarily dark fae. Though his wings were glamoured.
“I wasn’t informed you were planning to visit me tonight,” he said.
The awareness of his current vulnerable state seemed to register in him. He stood straighter, his face firmed harshly, as if to compensate for the roguish appearance.
“I didn’t know I would come myself,” she said, having to take a moment to swallow against her drying throat. “Until I found myself lonely tonight.”
Tauria put all her effort into taming her heartbeat.
His expression relaxed in surprise. “I see. Well, I am glad you came to me. Would you like to join me?”
Mordecai stepped aside, inviting her into his most private space. Tauria smiled, gliding in easily, even though everything in her rebelled at the mere thought of being sealed in intimate quarters with the ruthless, unpredictable high lord.
When the door clicked shut, the game began.
Inside his rooms, she didn’t expect the calmness the space invoked. She thought it was the familiar layout she knew—most guest rooms were the same. He’d even kept the accents of green, and the room was perfectly preserved in Fenstead style. She’d half-expected he would destroy the decor and make his living space match the vicious turmoil that lived within him.
She discovered she must have interrupted some kind of study, as there were papers and charcoal strewn around the small table in front of the fire between two low-set armchairs. Tauria gravitated in that direction, trying to catch a glimpse inconspicuously.
Tauria stiffened when Mordecai brushed by her. At the table, he shuffled a few papers, which piqued Tauria’s curiosity. She looked away as though disinterested, however. Giving her attention to the balcony, her nerves bubbled as she stared at the moon that was just a fraction off being full tomorrow night.
“Does something trouble you to inspire a restless night?” Mordecai asked, more gently than she was accustomed to.
“Our nation lingers on the cusp of war—it makes all nights restless, anticipating when battle might break.”
She trod carefully but tried to coax some intel from him.
“I’m sorry that troubles you. But rest assured, the war is not your burden.”
Tauria gritted her teeth, insulted by that.
“It is,” she said. “What are your burdens? I wish to share.”
Mordecai gravitated closer, not breaking their stare. Tauria had come prepared, though it twisted her gut with guilt and betrayal to Nik to be luring Mordecai into her web by subtle seduction.
“You need not concern yourself. Everything is going to plan.”
He loomed over her, and she felt frighteningly trapped in his shadow.
“You don’t trust me,” she accused bluntly.
Mordecai’s half-smile was amused. “What is it you wish to know? How our numbers are so great that even if Rhyenelle, High Farrow, and Olmstone stood strong with their forces, they would still not be enough to contend with us? Do you wish to know that this continent is all but ours?”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Timing is everything, my dear.”
“Like the full moon for Transitions.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Yes.”
“I want to be changed.” That request slammed between them like a gauntlet thrown. “Tomorrow night.”
Mordecai contemplated her request with suspicious eyes. His pause for answer tingled over her body with growing suspense.
“What changed your mind? The last we spoke of it, you were adamant it would not be necessary for your allegiance.”
“Because I realize you can’t trust me unless I do this. Maybe I can’t even trust myself. Nikalias will always come for me, and this will get him to see there is no getting me back. For my people, for yours, it is the ultimate declaration of unity and loyalty.”
He closed the distance but hovered behind her as Tauria turned to stare back at the haunting moon. Mordecai’s fingers brushed her bare shoulder, and she stifled a shiver.
“Are you truly ready to be mine?” the huskiness in his tone wasn’t lust—it was a taste of triumph.
“Yes,” she whispered. Tauria played the doe, but she was ready to strike as the stag with sharpened antlers. “I want it to be public.”
“That would bring me great pride.”
“Tomorrow night then?”
“As you wish.” Mordecai’s mouth leaned to her ear, and she stifled a shiver when his warm breath fanned across her skin. “We can make it quite the spectacle, as I received word today about an underground rebel force that has been building against me in this kingdom for some time.”
Tauria’s spine locked in horror.
“What’s left of the survivors after the dozens of savage dark fae have taken their fill to flush them out of their sewers…it will be most ceremonial to have the kingdom bear witness as you end the rest of them in your glorious new dark fae body. It will set the precedent for Fenstead’s new beginning.”
Just like that, everything she’d planned required sudden reassessment.
How had he found out about the rebels who had remained hidden for decades? Tauria could only conclude she had to be the cause somehow despite believing she’d been careful.
Her vision swayed, but she kept her footing steady. She couldn’t lose her composure or give the high lord the impression she cared. This was a test.
“I’m surprised it took you this long to discover them. I imagine they’ve been gathering for some time,” Tauria said coolly.
Inside, her mind raced in turmoil. Was she too late to warn the rebels underground of a possible attack?
Mordecai turned her to face him, and her chest constricted. His fingers grazed her chin, tipping her head back a fraction. The look he held her with was part-desire, part-fascination.
“I’ll admit, I haven’t trusted you. But once you are dark fae, things will change for the better here. You will rule as you always should have.”
Yes, she would.
The door to Mordecai’s room burst open, and he pushed her behind him. Tauria’s fear sharpened to see Tallia and the half-dozen other fae behind her. The rebel’s stance was braced to fight, her expression absolutely lethal, cutting into Tauria as much as the high lord.
“What is this?” Mordecai seethed.
He advanced a step, but Tauria hooked her hand around his elbow.
Tallia said viciously, “We’ve slaughtered every one of your serpents in this castle.”
With that news, Mordecai reconsidered his next move. Instead of bracing against them, he moved so fast Tauria’s gasp choked in her throat as his hand wrapped around it from behind her.
His mouth leaned to her ear. “If I discover you had anything to do with this before tomorrow night, I’ll kill you and replace this throne with someone loyal .” The last word was a hiss, and she whimpered in true fear when he dragged her back.
The balcony doors slammed open from the force of his body as he used her as a shield against the rebels attempting to throw a dagger or arrow. Next thing she knew, they were standing on the stone railing. Mordecai lifted her into his arms, and his wings shot them high.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To the war camp. Those pests won’t have long enough to warm a single seat before I slaughter them all.”