Page 16

Queen Donelle’s palace was just as grand and impressive as anything I’d seen. Like the rest of the Silver Forest, it was shades of paleness, from white to silver. While the vampire palaces I’d been to were built like huge mansions, with sprawling estates, this seemed to have grown into a massive tree. A real tree this time, with broad branches and leaves as wide as I was tall.

The guards walked in a tight formation around us. Luken’s arm kept tight around my waist, his eyes never staying still as he took in everything around us. He showed no sign of awe or nerves, and I couldn’t read him.

“Have you been here before?” I asked him.

Luken nodded once, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. It seemed like it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. I wanted to question him more, but he sent me a warning look, and I swallowed my questions. We were approaching the large doors to the palace.

“Brace yourself for luridness,” Luken told me. “Elves are shameless, at least the ones in the Silver Forest.”

The head guard glanced back at us and snorted. “If you mean we’re not ashamed of our bodies and the pleasure that can be derived from it.”

“What sort of—” I started to ask, but we were through the entrance. And I got to see for myself what Luken meant.

It seemed as though we had just walked into an orgy. My jaw dropped as the sounds crashed into me from every angle. Moans, groans, grunts, and screams of pleasure. The smell was just as strong and made my face grow hot. There were no couples, at least not that I could see. The smallest group of people fucking each other was four, three men with one woman, filling her from every angle. I clenched instinctively, thinking it seemed unpleasant. But the look on her face said she was enjoying it in great detail.

Lurid wasn’t enough to describe what I was seeing. But I couldn’t look away. With every new act I saw, I wondered how it would work between Luken and me. None of the group sex stuff would work—I had no desire for that—but otherwise… What sort of things did he want? What sort of things did he have experience in?

I finally ripped my eyes away and dropped them to the floor. It seemed that even my wildest fantasies about sex were… basic . The two times Luken and I had been together weren’t adventurous at all. All at once, I wondered if it had been a very underwhelming experience for him, if maybe he was frustrated at how much he’d had to hold back because of my inexperience. If he wanted to bring in handcuffs and whips and use positions I’d never considered.

I didn’t have long to sit with my feelings of inferiority. We were whisked from the entrance up two long sets of stairs, where we were finally deposited in a spacious apartment that the guard announced was the queen’s chambers. It was decadent and plush, filled with furniture and elaborate art pieces. It was so packed together that I had difficulty navigating the minefield.

Queen Donelle sat on a low sofa, wearing… very little. Her gown was made of a gauzy material thin enough that I saw the shape of her areolas and the dark triangle of curls at the juncture of her thighs. Her hair was loose, spread out around her as several maids brushed it. It was so long that she could have wrapped it around herself like a blanket several times over. Her skin had a mother-of-pearl sheen, constantly shifting colors. Her face was exquisitely beautiful.

She was, simply put, the most beautiful person I’d ever seen. Even more beautiful than Luken, though I didn’t feel any of the same sexual stirrings for her as I did for him. I couldn’t stop staring at her. Even more so when Donelle’s eyes latched onto Luken. Her pupils darkened, and a smile twisted her lips as she slowly looked him up and down. Luken’s posture loosened, his arm dropping from me.

“Queen Donelle.” He bowed. “It’s good to see you again.”

“My dear little Luken. You’ve grown since I saw you. Became a man…” The queen waved her hand, and the maid started to braid her impossibly long hair. She crossed her legs, the translucent fabric shimmying up her legs as she did so. “You look exactly like your father. I was so very disappointed to hear when he died. He always promised to bring you to visit me again, you know, when you were old enough.”

Luken chuckled, sounding utterly relaxed. “He planned to do it, too. Unfortunately, there was that… incident that made him feel it was unwise to bring his heir to your courts.”

“And now you’ve brought yourself.” Donelle touched her collar, sliding her hand down over her breast, and her gaze finally flickered to me. “With your human wife. I saw the account of your wedding. It was rather…” She paused, tilting her head to one side. “ Quaint . White does so complement your skin.” Her gaze lingered on my scars. I had to bite back the urge to defend myself. She kept staring at me as she spoke. “I would very much like to hear how you found yourself married, Luken. I always thought you’d be like your father. He only married your mother for political reasons, but this little girl can’t have given you any sort of political edge.”

I bit back on surprise. I’d never considered how Luken’s parents got together. But it made sense. Marriage for the elite was all about forming alliances and connecting kingdoms. Had Luken spurned the other kingdoms by marrying an innkeeper’s daughter?

“A man must make himself into his own image,” Luken answered smoothly.

Donelle’s gaze snapped back to him, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was nearly impossible to meet her gaze. The expression on her beautiful face might be smooth, but I got the distinct feeling that she was measuring me up. And I was found lacking.

“What brings you trespassing in my kingdom?” Donelle asked, arching an elegant brow.

By this time, the maids had braided her hair into several ropes, which they were weaving together. They moved with such efficiency, I wondered about it. Donelle’s hair was still long, but growing shorter as they worked it. How heavy must it all be? How did Donelle hold her head so still? Was it magic?

“We are searching for the temples where the Gods’ tributes are kept,” Luken answered. “My wife has a sister among their number.”

Donelle frowned. “What are you doing that for? She should have already said goodbye. Nobody goes to the temples unless they are invited by the Gods.”

“Or,” Luken said slowly, “they plan to challenge the gods.”

Donelle grew very still. Even the maids stopped their work. She clapped her hands, and the maids left at once, filing out. It was only then, as they brushed by us, that I realized each one of them was wearing togas woven out of their own hair. The guards filed out after the maids, leaving us alone.

“You plan to challenge the gods?” Donelle asked, rising to her feet. Her hair magically floated behind her. Ha! I was right.

Luken smiled. It was the cocky smile I knew all too well and made my body respond instantly. His shoulders went back, and he lifted his chin slightly. “I do. And I plan to win. You must know about the prophecy that was made all those decades ago. It’s going to be fulfilled.”

Donelle glided forward, her gaze never leaving him. It moved up and down his body. Her nipples hardened beneath the sheer fabric, and her pupils dilated. A surge of jealousy roared through me, seeing how she obviously wanted him. I moved closer, wishing I had more of an inspiring presence to warn her off. Luken didn’t show any sign he was uncomfortable with her interest.

“This is very… fascinating information.” Donelle started to circle us, but her gaze continued to skim over me as though I wasn’t there. “You are certainly powerful. Your father chose well to mate with us elves, even if your mother…” She paused before Luken and cast one more glance over me. A satisfied smile spread over her face as she dismissed me as a threat once and for all.

Anger bubbled beneath my skin, and I tightened my grip on my staff. We needed her. Bashing her head in right now would not be a good idea.

“The night I conceived Draven, useless as he is, was one of the greatest of my life,” she purred.

Luken’s jaw tightened.

“Where is your half-brother?” Donelle asked, a knowing smile on her face.

“He’s one of the reasons we’ve come here, Donelle,” Luken answered. “Draven has been causing trouble. I suspect he’ll be coming through Silver Forest on his own way to the temples. Perhaps he’ll even seek your aid.”

“He’d be a fool if he tried,” Donelle replied dismissively.

“You are his mother,” Luken answered. “Is it really that foolish?”

“After what he did the last time I let him into my halls, yes.” She shrugged one silvery shoulder and continued before either Luken or I could ask what she meant. “I knew you weren’t just here for a visit, but I must admit I’m disappointed. You’ve been king these three hundred years, and you’ve never once tried to come to be before. One might even think it’s an insult.”

Luken bowed slightly. I wondered how much it grated on him, playing the submissive act. “I’ve been busy. Rebellions, attacks on my crown, and of course, the Blood Trials to oversee every fucking year.” His voice grew bored as he spoke, and he spread his hands with a wry smile. “And of course, I couldn’t come to you unfed. I’ve had a difficult time keeping my personal donors alive.”

“I’ve heard. But you really oughtn’t think I’m so opposed to being drunk from.” Donelle laughed as she ran a hand down Luken’s arm. “I wonder how much of your father’s skill you inherited. Is he a good ride, little human? Though I suppose to you, all vampires are a good ride,” she said with a laugh.

Fury and jealousy reared through me, and my jaw clenched. I wanted to bash her over the head, but I managed to stop myself. She must not have watched the Blood Trials if she didn’t know that a staff was my weapon of choice. “I wouldn’t know. He doesn’t let me be on top,” I gritted through my teeth.

Luken twitched. Some emotion flashed through his eyes, but it was gone before I could fully see it.

Donelle’s eyes widened in surprise, probably because she wasn’t expecting me to be so bold. Her gaze flashed to Luken, but she focused on me again quickly. Her lips twitched and she let out a high, silvery giggle that made me flinch.

“Oh, I’d top him,” Donelle said casually. “It takes a strong woman to tame vampire men, and you…” Her giggles grew to an all-out derisive laugh. “You simply don’t have what it takes.”

“I have enough to be his wife,” I spat at her. “He chose to make me his queen. So what does that tell you?”

Donelle smirked. “It tells me that he must be very… pent up.”

She ran her hand down Luken’s arm again. Her eyes darkened as she lifted her other hand and pressed it to his chest. She tilted her head slightly, and I knew she was going to kiss him. Luken shifted slightly, moving his feet. But he didn’t pull away. Donelle ran her hand down his torso. As her fingers brushed against his belt, a murderous rage washed over me. No way in hell was I standing by to watch this happen!

I didn’t have a plan before I attacked. I was moving before I realized what I was doing, swinging my staff at her. She moved quicker than I anticipated, too. One moment, she was groping Luken, and the next, she had my staff in both hands. She wrenched it from my hand and spun, kicking me in the stomach. I was thrown back, slamming into a large vase that shattered.

“Don’t,” I snarled between gasps, “put your hands on my husband.”

Luken rushed to my side and pulled me to my feet. Worry flickered in his gaze, but also anger. “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” he hissed.

I gaped at him. What did he think I was doing? I was trying to keep that woman from feeling him up!

“You are my husband,” I snarled at him, shoving at his chest. “ Mine .”

Donelle laughed. Her gauzy clothes floated around her as she twirled my staff expertly in her hands. My heart sank. It wasn’t that she didn’t watch the Blood Trials. My first assessment was right. She knew what I was capable of and utterly dismissed me as a threat. It was clear that was the case with how easily she disarmed me.

“How do you expect to tame him when you can’t even top him?” Donelle asked.

Luken turned. “Enough. I didn’t come here for my wife to be beaten up. I have things I need to discuss with you, Donelle.”

“Then we will discuss them.” She dropped my staff and clapped her hands. The servants and guards streamed back in. “But for her attack on the queen, your wife will be imprisoned.”

My hand tightened on Luken’s arm.

He was silent.

Silent.

The guards grabbed me and dragged me away. The last I saw of Luken, he’d turned to Donelle, and she had her hands on him again. Fury and jealousy rushed through me again, but I was overpowered by the sheer pain of knowing he wasn’t going to try to stop it.