Page 12

Lonan

I throw Achlys out and Kai tosses the girl back into the cell, grabs my arm and marches me directly to my rooms. I feel leaden and distant.

Kai presses me to a chair, places a glass of liquor in my hand then disappears. I stare at the wall, lost. A few minutes later, he’s back with Lilac, Tazi and Caspian. He hands out liquor like candy and plops on the couch.

“We have a problem,” he rumbles.

I grab the bottle off the table as he quickly explains what happened in the basement.

Tazi makes an irritated noise, “Do you believe that Ordained?”

Lilac nods, “No gain to lie.”

“Except sowing confusion and dismay, allowing their family to get an upper hand,” Tazi suggests tartly.

Caspian jumps in, “He’s an air, I knew that; we’re assuming some variety of vampire bat?” He arches an eyebrow and I take another drink. “If so,” he continues, “I believe the claim. I knew a few back in my... wilder years, and they spoke several times on the variety of blood flavors, including how emotions alter it. I imagine a family would taste similar.” He shrugs, “Creepy though, that this one has drank from all the royal families enough to clock their unique taste.”

Kai stands, pacing. He’s well and truly agitated. “A daughter of the king? Or... a sister? Too young to be an aunt; and he had his—all male—cousins killed years ago.” He spins and does another lap. “To what end? And why does no one know of her?”

I frown, as I try to force my mind to focus on the matter at hand. “A daughter would be a good sign. Someone to take over after him, proof he can father children.” I shake my head. “No, she must be a sister. A threat.”

Lilac blinks. “A threat to his throne? Listen, Lonan, I’m pretty fucking suspicious of her, but if she could be controlled... she’s just as good as one of Gaeba bloodline. Mayhaps better. A smoother transition. Her being Alder’s sister rather solves the problem of who will be monarch after we kill Alder.”

Kai stops in front of us and takes the bottle from me and drinks deep. I raise an eyebrow. “If she’s Alder’s sister, who hurt her?” Kai’s face is pale. “Those marks, the magical restraints...”

I nod slowly. “The king is the only answer that makes sense.”

“Because if anyone else was responsible for her being held, she’d have run to Alder for safety. But instead, she came here. To his enemies.”

Caspian leans back, placing his ankle on his knee. “Or it’s a trap.”

I shake my head, still dumbstruck. “Out, all of you.”

My order is quiet but everyone stands. I’m struggling with shock. I’m overwhelmed, an unusual feeling for me. I’m usually calm and in control, but this is the most unexpected discovery.

As soon as my door is shut, I slip into a hot bath, and let my eyes drift close.

WHEN I WAKE, MY WATER is cool, though that’s never bothered me. I notice the room is dim; the sun has gone down. I stand and dry off, and only one thought is in my mind: Allie. Or, not Allie. But her. The girl. The Stonesthrow.

I toss on clothes, loosely belt my sword around my waist and I slip out of my rooms on bare feet. I tiptoe past Kai’s rooms and head downward. I pass some workers, but they ignore me. I head straight down to the gaol.

As I swing the door open, her pretty face turns upwards from where it had been resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around them. Her coral eyes are blank. Neither animosity nor fear, just... tenuous. I shut the door behind me and cross the room. I sit on the floor on this side of the bars across from her.

She rubs her cheek against her knee and rests her face, looking away from me. Her rich blue dress looks black in the dark, a stark contrast to her near white hair, which is now loose.

I stare at her a long time, watching her as she stares at the wall, silent.

Finally, I speak.

“What is your true name?”

The silence stretches and I fall in on myself. I had been sure she would confide in me.

“Ollie.”

“Ollie,” I repeat. It feels right. Fuck, it feels so right. “Is it short for something?”

She turns to look at me finally. “Oleander.”

“Oleander,” I repeat, again, like an idiot. “Oleander Stonesthrow.”

She glares. “Do not say that.”

I’m merely so happy she’s meeting my gaze again, that I scoot forward, extending my hand through the bars.

She looks at it and glances away.

I leave it out. “Your Alder’s sister.”

She glares again, and it’s so adorable I have to bite back a smile. I let my hand drop.

I continue, “And he kept you imprisoned. And now you need safety. I can do that Ollie. I can keep you safe.”

She looks at me for a long moment before shaking her head silently. I can almost see the gears turning in her head.

“Just tell me, sweetheart. Tell me everything. Naught will scare me away.”

The skeptical look on her face slowly fades. She slides closer to the bars and ever so slowly holds out her hand. I take it gently, elated as I feel the magic dance upon my skin.

“Why do I feel as if I can trust you, Lonan?” Her voice is small, afraid in a way I’ve never heard before.

“Because—” I stop myself, shaking my head. “Because you can,” I smile, winningly.

Her eyebrows draw together and I shift her hand in mine.

She takes a deep breath and whispers, so quietly I barely hear, “I don’t want protection.” She licks her lips. “I want revenge. It’s all I’ve wanted since I escaped decades ago.”

Something sparks inside me at those words. Love and desire and need and sorrow. I squeeze her hand before gently pulling mine out. Her eyes are so sad and confused that they cause me to quicken my steps to the keys. I hurry to unlock her door and slowly, very slowly, walk inside her cell. I stop, not touching her, and kneel down next to her. I hold my arms out, expecting her to hop into them.

Instead, she eyes me evenly, totally still. “You’ll kill him.” It’s not a question.

“That has been my only goal for years, Ollie.”

“And...” her eyes study mine. “You’ll put me in his place.”

I nod, slowly. “Of course, my little Queen. And I’ll be at your side. My spirit mate . I will stand with you against the entirety of Faery if need be.”