Write, Wrote, Written discussion
Folderless Writers
>
The Native Princess (comments would be great)
Mariettedr wrote: "Mint wrote: "Done! Finally got to the latest update. Phew! Hoping to read more of this story :D Too many questionable things that are yet to be found out."Hi Mint.
Any questions so far? Anything ..."
Hmm.. Let's see...What is the real color of Nayali's eyes? What is that secret Nayeli made to Duke Faure? Who is the tiger? The stag? the snake? What is the role of Haule? Who and what is Nayeli?
What's a Therian? Is the Alpoca a real bird or not? I tried searching it in google, but i kept suggesting the alpaca llama haha
Mint wrote: "Mariettedr wrote: "Mint wrote: "Done! Finally got to the latest update. Phew! Hoping to read more of this story :D Too many questionable things that are yet to be found out."Hi Mint.
Any questio..."
You ask all the right questions - I like it.
The real color of Nayeli's eyes are simply blue. But once she gets upset or excited they tend to slightly light up / glow. It's caused by the Therian Blood that runs in her veins. Her blood is Royal and her blood is Wild - what it entails will be revealed in time ;)
Hael Young is Nayeli's Lunar. They share an intense friendship and the term "Lunar" will be explained in due time.
The Alpoca bird is 100% made up. Like Akira had said the night of the Courtas Ball: The bird looks like a raven but its colorful - red and blue. The Alpoca shares Nayeli's Royal Colors - which is also red and blue.
A note of all the Colors:
Maya Isles: Red & Blue
Aiden & Akira Estrella Royal Color: Navy
Duchess Leilani Kubovy of Keldarilly: Dark Green
Duke Leynar Kubovy of Keldar (older brother to Leilani): Dark Green
Duke Daniel Parnell of Panit: Light Blue
Aemazon Warriors: Black
The Domain Kingdom: Grey
In Akira's dream she said the Stag will be bitten by the snake. Nayeli and Hael believes Duke Faure Jevric was the Stag. They believe there is more to his death than meets the eye and Nayeli is trying to "provoke the snake" to prove it.
The Tiger and the Snake will be revealed in time. The wolf as well.
The promise Nayeli made to Duke Faure Jevric was to make sure his rules and regulations regarding his wildlife of the Seneca Woods would remain unchanged by the new Duke/Duchess appointed to Eldenwood. Faure Jevric believed in protecting the wildlife and not hunting them down.
Please feel free to ask more questions!
Thanks for reading.
Mariette
Chapter 11 - A Meeting with a SnakeShe leaned towards him, resting her chin on his chest. Her lovely blue eyes peeked up at him. She was still gloriously naked, a teasing smile touching the left side of her mouth. He couldn’t stop looking at her, staring at her, feeling the burn of her touch. Her body ran so hot, he wanted to plunge her into a bath of cold water, jumping in along with her.
“Are you tired?” she murmured softly. “We didn’t get much sleep.”
Aiden smiled back at Nayeli, trailing his thumb over her cheekbone and stopping to touch her earlobe. Early dawn was pushing through the open windows and fell onto the bed with them. Sunlight greeted Nayeli’s bare back, lighting up her dark hair. He marveled at the sunbeams on her body.
“Is it time for me to leave?” he asked, his voice soft.
“You should never have come,” she reminded him, her smile broadening.
“Believe it or not,” he began, twirling a piece of her hair between his fingers. “I came to your room to talk, not to kiss you.”
“Kissing is the least of the night’s problems,” she said, bemused.
He marveled at her moving lips, the light that touched her eyes. She was so beautiful with her tangled hair and sleepy eyes, he had to reach out and trail his finger over her bottom lip. He couldn’t resist touching her.
“What would you like to talk about?” she asked, kissing his fingers.
“About the Kubovy family,” he said and her smile faded altogether.
Her eyes slowly left his, looking down at his chest. “I’m listening.”
“The Kubovy family had been loyal to the Estrellas for five generations now. They are loyal to me and I am loyal to them. They have never wavered in their devotion to the throne. Currently they lead a third of Adarmar. And they do it well.”
He waited for her to jerk up and object. He waited for her to demand his loyalty to her. After all, she was naked in bed with him. But he couldn’t leave this bed without explaining it to her. To his surprise, she kept quiet, her eyes returning to his face. She was listening. Something she rarely did, he added to himself.
“They feel they have right to Eldenwood, that my family owe them at least that much. Adarmar would be divided without them. They are important to me. Can you understand that?”
“I understand entirely,” she said, holding his eyes. “But it’s not about who you choose as Duke or Duchess. It’s about shielding Faure’s legacy. He was different to the rest of Adarmar. It is what the people of Eldenwood cherish most. I want to fight for what they want.”
“I understand entirely,” he said, repeating her previous words.
They fell silent for a while, staring into each other eyes. Nayeli moved her legs, tangled with his. Her naked skin against his own made his veins run red, his heart exhausted.
“You won’t be able to protect me,” she said to him, surprising him. “In the days to come. You will have to be the King and the King can’t stand up for me when the heat becomes unbearable. I will have to fight my own battle and you will have to allow it, not interfering.”
“I know,” he murmured back. “I can’t side with you because I want to protect you-”
“Please don’t attempt to defend me in front of them,” she said, her eyes asking him pleadingly. “We will fight and you have to allow it. If you defend me – they will think I am a child. When we enter that room, when we sit down to meet, we both must forget this past night. Our heads must be clear.”
“I won’t side with you,” Aiden said and her brow pulled together slightly. “Because I don’t agree with you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Each Duke delivers all his lands have to offer for the growth of Adarmar, all except Eldenwood. It’s not fair to ask my Dukes to work their lands to the fullest and not ask the same of Eldenwood.”
Slowly, Nayeli pushed herself away from his chest, looking down at him in disbelief.
“Even the Maya Isles produce their surplus to Adarmar. Why can’t Eldenwood? Now I’m not asking for it all, but at some place in time, Eldenwood needs to deliver. I don’t believe in inequality. Everyone produces, Eldenwood must too.”
“But it’s different in Eldenwood,” she said, crossing her arms over her naked chest.
“I know,” he said, watching her carefully. “And I will keep that in mind.”
“But Aiden-”
“Don’t tell me know,” he said. “Tell me in the meet.”
She squared her shoulders, her lips in a thin line. Her gaze edged on a glare, watching him intently. For some reason he found it quite alluring.
“Come here,” he whispered to her. She kept her stance, ignoring his request. “Come here, Nayeli,” he ordered gently, tapping his fingers on his chest.
She leaned forward and he waited for her to put her chin on his chest again, to stare up at him with her alluring eyes, but instead she dipped her head forward and claimed his lips. She took his bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down with a sudden fury. He pulled his lip out between her teeth, yanking away from her.
“You infuriate me sometimes,” she said, frowning at him.
He touched his lip in shock, tasting a faint tang of blood. He was stunned by her boldness. She cocked her head to the side, frowning down at him. It nearly sent him over the edge. Was it possible that this woman could surprise him more?
She turned away from him to climb off the bed, but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. He sat up and reached for her, catching her by the hips, her back to him. He pulled her into his arms, her backside pressing against his chest.
“I infuriate you?” he asked into her hair.
She looked at him over her shoulder, her lips close to his. “You make me want to say very un-ladylike things.”
“Hmmm,” he breathed into her ear. “What kind of things are those?”
She shivered in his arms, a slight tremble running through her body. He enjoyed every moment of it. She didn’t answer him, trying to steady her breathing.
“I’m going to go take a bath,” she said finally. “When I come back, you should be gone.”
“Is that what you want?” he breathed into her ear.
“Yes,” she said, her voice unsteady.
She moved against his chest, making her way out of bed. He leaned back into the bed, watching her bare backside as she walked for her bathing room. He stared at the bird that filled her left shoulder in ink. Her black hair was tangled and it was his doing, he thought proudly. She opened the door to the bathing room, peeked back at him on the bed and quickly closed the door behind her again. Aiden smiled to himself, untangling his limbs with the sheets on the bed and getting up. Without even hesitating, he moved towards the bathing room, opening the doors again, and making sure they are tightly shut behind him.
Nayeli left her chamber, her skin alive and her heart on fire. It felt strange to be outside, already longing for her bed. The bed she had shared with Aiden Estrella, the King of Adarmar. She crossed her arms, holding her heart inside her chest. Did he have any idea how red he made her body run? After the meet she should get out of the castle for a bit. She needed to-“Princess Nayeli,” a voice sounded behind her.
She jumped around, almost dropping her heart to the floor.
“I do apologize,” Duke Daniel Parnell said, stopping in front of her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Duke Daniel Parnell,” she said, bowing her head at him and calming her features.
“Princess Nayeli Faye,” he acknowledged with a bow of his head. “I’ve hoped to catch you on your way to the meet. Can I walk you there?”
“It would be a pleasure,” she agreed, turning to walk with him. Her eyes travelled over his light blue Colors.
He fell in next to her, his posture stiff. He was uncomfortable in her company, she realized. Putting a polite smile on her face, she spoke kindly to the Duke.
“Are you well, Duke Daniel?” she asked.
“Why, yes, I am. Thank-you, Princess. But I wondered if I can have a word with you before entering the meet.”
“What do you have on your heart, Duke Daniel?”
He shrugged hesitantly. “The Kubovy family.”
Nayeli wanted to groan, hearing that family’s name for the second time this morning. “I’m listening,” she said, trying to sound as polite as possible.
“They dislike me,” he said, coming to a halt. “They dislike me because I don’t always agree with them.”
Nayeli turned to look up at him. She had to stop herself from jumping forward and embracing the Duke. She wanted to smile, to laugh and rejoice. If it wouldn’t have been so very inappropriate, she might just have done it.
“I have a great deal of respect for them and I think they lead their lands well. I have much to learn from them, but regarding the matter of Eldenwood, I think they are wrong.”
“You want Duke Faure’s regulations to stand?” she asked hopefully.
“At first I thought that I might let it go and agree to what the King and Duke Leynar decided. But somehow you were able to climb the tree and punch Leynar right in the face,” the Duke said, a smile at his lips.
“I have plenty of fight still left in me.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, Princess,” he said, his smile faded away. “I will stand with you in this meet, support Faure’s legacy, but I won’t stand for acts of defiance.”
Nayeli’s hope slipped slightly. He was talking about her promise at the funeral. Before she could defend herself, he continued.
“I serve the Estrellas,” he began. “Fully and completely. I won’t do anything to harm my friendship and trust with them.”
“I understand,” she found herself saying, nodding her head.
“One more thing,” he said, uncertain.
“You can speak openly with me,” she said, sensing his hesitation.
“I hope I am not the first to warn you, that you are prepared,” he said, loosening a breath. “The Kubovy family doesn’t always play fair. And I guess that is why the seats they sit on are so high.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her spine tingling.
“They will bait you into making a mistake. They will taunt you and flaunt your mistakes at Eldenwood. And to the King.”
“You say that as if you’ve experienced it.”
He lifted his chin. “In some depraved degree I respect their adoration for Adarmar. They won’t hesitate in doing what they must in fighting for the Kingdom they worship. They don’t trust easily and they don’t take kindly to new faces. Especially if that new face is a Native.”
She nodded.
“As long as you can ignore their lure into making mistakes, I can stand with you in this regard. But, Princess, and with all the respect in the world, I won’t be seen at your side if you plunge yourself into shame by succumbing to their ways in gaining what they want.”
She swallowed uneasily. “Thank you for your honestly. But I am prepared for whatever they throw at me.”
The Duke looked unsure, doubting the Princess he barely knew. “Just be careful, Princess,” he said, his voice lowered. “And don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
With that, the Duke straightened his spine and squared his shoulders. Without exchanging more words, they took the stairs up to the council room.
They sat down at the long table without Duke Faure’s Council. With fewer voices in the room, they would discuss Eldenwood between them. Aiden sat at the head of the table, Duke Leynar and Duchess Leilani to his left, Nayeli and Daniel to his right. Nayeli found the meet extremely frustrating. Every time she wanted to get a word in, Duke Leynar overruled her and took the lead. He talked so much and so loud, neither Nayeli nor Daniel was able to get a word in.
Duke Leynar were already discussing the prices they could fetch for the wildlife in Seneca Woods, already declaring lands that would produce crops. He was talking of the opportunities of trade the lands could open for Adarmar. Aiden smiled every time he heard about new trade channels that could be established with Kingdoms around the world. The Duchess Leilani nodded at everything her brother said. No matter how preposterous his words were, she stood with him.
Nayeli interjected quite a lot with his plans, demanding they be dismissed, but the Duke continued with his notions nonetheless. And it was just as she had made Aiden promise, he never defended her. He didn’t intervene and he waited for her to fight her own battle. He was granting her the wish she asked for and she found it difficult since the Duke of Keldar made it impossible to get a word out.
She was about to lunge at the Duke from across the table when the doors to the council room opened. All of them turned their heads to stare at the tall figure that filled the door. Folding his hands in behind his back, he smiled humorously.
“You started without me?” he asked, innocently.
Aiden stood. “We will speak with you once we are done here, Whittaker.”
“Or I can intervene now,” he said and gave a step towards the table. He looked around the faces at the table, settling his eyes on Nayeli. Holding her eyes, he made his way for the chair next to her. He sat down next to her, his large figure looking extremely uncomfortable in the small chair.
Aiden was still standing, glaring at the man that dared sit down next to her.
“Please have a seat, Estrella,” the Whittaker said, gesturing to Aiden’s chair.
Nayeli wanted to hide her face underneath the table, not wanting to see the disrespected look on Aiden’s face. Aiden pressed on the table, leaning towards Eiric.
“Please state your business here,” Aiden demanded, fury lining his words. Nayeli wanted to cringe away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
Eiric placed papers on the table, pushing them towards Aiden. “The King Jairo Whittaker of the Domain Kingdom had been provided with wildlife by Duke Faure Jevric for years now. It’s the agreement they had made to keep the people of the Domain Kingdom out of the Seneca Woods. These were the terms. We would like to continue with the agreement and I truly think it is a fair one.”
Aiden pulled the papers closer to him. “I have no knowledge of this agreement.”
Eiric shrugged. “Not my problem-”
“Oh, this is absurd!” Duke Leynar declared. “We don’t trade with the Domain Kingdom. And we never will.”
“I would suggest that you-”
“Are you listening to this, King Aiden?”
“Like I said, the agreement serves as a way-”
“Duke Faure should never have allowed this and neither will we allow it now.”
“He agreed to what was best-”
“There is nothing good about an agreement with the Domain Kingdom.”
Abruptly, Eiric Whittaker stood, his chair toppling over behind him. The crash of the chair sent the room into silence. Aiden stiffened, ready to jump if he had to. The enormous white-haired man scared her into Duke Daniel Parnell’s side, cringing away from the mountain next to her. Eiric leaned over the table, glaring down at Duke Leynar.
“If you interrupt me one more time, I will send your little head home to your mommy in a basket,” he said through clenched teeth, and added: “Along with strawberries and cream.”
Would it be inappropriate to clap her hands? Nayeli thought, suppressing a smile. Aiden didn’t take his eyes off the tall threat, waiting for Duke Leynar to snap back. But to everyone’s surprise, the Duke was silent, his eyes boring into Eiric’s.
Eiric cursed impolitely, standing and looking at Aiden. “I would suggest you renew the agreement if you want the people of the Domain Kingdom out of your Woods. It’s safer that way, for your Kingdom and its people. Not that I care about either of them.”
“I will look into it,” Aiden said, holding his stare.
“Immaculate idea, Aiden Estrella,” he said, his eyes traveling over the members at the table. Nayeli didn’t dare meet his gaze. “There is something else I would like to discuss with you. If your power-hungry people could clear the room, we can settle the matter easily and quickly.”
“I think everything that needed to be said in this meet, was discussed,” Aiden said and Nayeli’s heart dived. She wasn’t nearly done! But at one glance from Aiden, everybody was standing to leave the room. Resisting a groan, Nayeli accepted her predicament.
One large hand came down on her shoulder, keeping her in her chair. Nayeli stiffened, fear clutching her heart once she realized it was Eiric’s hand on her shoulder. It didn’t go unnoticed to Aiden and he watched the Whittaker with clenched teeth.
“The Princess can stay,” Eiric said, his hand still on her shoulder.
All eyes darted towards Nayeli as they left the room. She longed to go with them. But once they left, the doors to the council room were closed and it left Aiden and Nayeli alone with the Whittaker.
“Let go of her,” Aiden demanded calmly.
Eiric let go of her shoulder, instantly laughing at Aiden. “If you can’t bear the thought of anybody touching her, why didn’t you marry her?”
Since everybody was standing except for her, she found her feet. “That is none of your concern, Eiric,” she snapped.
“Then tell him,” Eiric snapped back at her.
“Excuse me?” Nayeli demanded. “Is that why you are trapping me in this room with the two of you?”
“I would advise you to inform your King of your recent offer.”
Her heart went cold as Eiric talked. “You have no right,” she spat.
“You don’t want him to know?” Eiric asked. “That will be your biggest mistake.”
“Enough,” Aiden demanded, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them. “Tell me what is going on.”
“King Jairo had proposed marriage to the Princess Nayeli,” Eiric said simply, giving a step away from the anger radiating from Nayeli’s body. She wanted him dead, she will kill him herself, she vowed.
She turned to explain herself to Aiden, but she was met with a shocked face. Aiden didn’t hide his surprise, he stared at her in horror and concern. Her brow furrowed at his anxiety, watching him start to shake his head at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice soft. No longer King, but Aiden.
“I refused him,” she said. “I don’t intent to give him what he wants.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want. He will come for you. He will use you to hurt me.”
“Finally somebody understands,” Eiric said in the background.
“And why do you care?” Nayeli snapped at Eiric.
“Because I’ve seen Jairo cause wars because he merely desired something.”
“I’m not a thing-”
“You are to him,” Aiden said.
“He hates the Estrellas, Girl. And if he can hurt them by pursuing you, he will,” Eiric declared.
“Why are you really here, Eiric?” Aiden asked. “Why are you warning us? You don’t owe me anything.”
Eiric laughed. “I’m not doing this for you, fool! I’m doing this for my people in the Domain! They don’t deserve to die in a war with the Maya Isles nor with the Adarmar Kingdom.”
“Surely he isn’t stupid enough to take us on,” Aiden demanded. “He can’t possibly be that imprudent.”
“He’s one of the smartest, slyest men I’ve ever met. After hating you for so many years, why do you think he’s only acting now?”
They kept quiet, watching the Whittaker.
“Because something has changed, a horse in a game of chess had been moved,” Eiric revealed.
“What horse?” Aiden asked, standing next to Nayeli now.
“That I don’t know,” Eiric said, more to himself than to them. “I’m just the bastard brother, remember?”
The room felt silent, Eiric looking away from them.
“Thank you,” Aiden said eventually. “For the warning.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said, his voice hard. “I did it for the people of the Domain, not for either one of you.”
Eiric picked up the chair he had sent to the floor, shifting it back into place at the table. “I’ll be out of Eldenwood as soon as you made your mind up about the agreement for the trade of wildlife. I need to go back with an answer.”
Aiden nodded. “I’ve still got my eye on you, Whittaker.”
“Of cause,” he said, his smile returning. His eyes rolled over Nayeli before turning for the door.
Nayeli turned to look at Aiden. “Aiden, please-”
“Another secret,” he spat and cursed. “You should have told me the moment that filth had neared you!”
“You had enough on your plate-”
“I am the fucking King,” he barked. “I will always have loads on my plate, but you don’t keep things from me, Nayeli Faye! I’m so tired of surprises from you!”
She stared up at him, searching for words.
“You won’t tell anyone about what was said in this room,” he continued. “Crying war is not what my Kingdom needs. I will handle this accordingly.”
“I don’t want you to handle it. I want to help-”
“You have done enough,” he demanded and stepped around her. She swung around, wanting to say more, but he only glared at her as he made his way towards the door. She wanted to run after him, to explain. But there was nothing to explain, nothing she could make better with mere words.
i have the idea of who the wolf is. And I hope my guess is right hahaha :D Got confused with the snake though.
Nayeli collected herself, cursing under her breath in frustration. She blew out a sigh, and then pulled life back into her lungs. Shaking the strain off her shoulders, she left the council room. She wanted to find Hael, needing to look into the eyes of a friend. But instead she turned the corner and found completely different eyes waiting for her at the end of the stairs. “Can’t you just leave me alone?” she asked, rolling her eyes daringly at the Domain Warrior.
He fell into step next to her, following her. “I want to apologize,” he said, not looking apologetic at all. In fact, that ever-present smug smile was touching the corners of his lips. He always seemed like he would laugh at her at any moment. Maybe he was laughing at her, mocking her ways.
“I won’t even accept an apology from you,” she said sharply. “That in itself you might just report to the King.”
“Which one?” Eiric played.
“You are playing with me!” Nayeli exclaimed, coming to a halt and turning to glare up at him.
“I invited you to play the game with me. You refused, remember?”
“It’s not a game,” she snapped. “It’s my life, and quite frankly, I think it is discourteous of you to do so. If you don’t have respect for me, I would prefer you keep it to yourself.”
His brow furrowed at that, his smile knocked off his face. “We should speak alone,” he insisted. He looked around them, searching for spying eyes. “I’m going to touch you,” he warned and when his eyes turned back to Nayeli, he had hold of her. He pushed her back into a room behind them. She protested, but his hand came down on her mouth to keep her from screaming in surprise. She yelped once his hand touched her face, wanting to pull away, but once they were inside the room, he pushed her away from him again and closed the door. They were in one of the reading rooms of the castle.
She flung around and glared at him. “You have no right in pushing me around, you snake!” she blurted out, furious for being handled without her consent. “I would suggest that you-”
“Most interesting choice of words,” she heard him saying, his eyes fixed on her.
She closed her mouth, her mind echoing her words back to her. She stopped at snake.
“Snake,” she repeated, glaring at him accusingly.
Stepping away from the doors, he neared her. “Yes,” he confirmed. “I am a snake.” Her heart kicked at her chest, her eyes widening. Watching Eiric, he lifted his sleeve to reveal the inside of his upper arm. She found herself staring at a tattoo of a curled up snake that reached for its own tail. She stepped away from him, swallowing loudly and touching a hand to her chest.
“Does this mean something to you?” he asked, eyeing her carefully.
“How long have you been in Eldenwood?” she asked, her voice on the verge of shaking. Had he been here long enough to murder Faure?
“Most interesting question,” he said, his eyes not leaving her.
“Answer me,” she ordered, her hand still clutched to her chest.
“You’ve been playing your own game all along, haven’t you?” he mused.
She kept silent, her breathing loud in her ears.
“Well, if this isn’t grand,” he said, amazed. “What have you discovered so far?”
“I don’t feel comfortable in this room with you,” she said after another silence. “I am going to leave and you are going to let me.”
“Ah,” he said, his mouth turned down at the side. “I don’t think so, Youngling.”
She met his glare, his face serious and annoyed. She knew then why he always forced a smile to his face when interacting with humankind. Once his smile was gone from his face, he was a deadly façade. His brown eyes seemed a shade darker than usual, watching her carefully and ready to jump if she dared move. His mouth was still turned down at the sides. His stare turned over into a challenging dare the longer the silence between them stretched.
“Are you going to murder me as well?” she found herself asking, her voice daring and clear. Her heart rate ascended at her boldness. Eiric was surprised by her words but he tried to hide it. His glare softened.
“No,” he said simply.
“But you did kill the Duke,” she said, hoping that he would confirm it for her.
His face became troubled then, his eyes moving away from her face. Looking down at the floor, he folded his hands in behind his back. He shook his head at himself, a slight v forming between his eyes. He was young, she found herself thinking. He might be as tall as the Misstic Mountains, his heart as hard as stone, but she would guess he was about in his mid-twenties, maybe younger. He might be young, but he had seen tenfold more than any human being should have ever seen.
“I hoped that you won’t know,” he finally said.
She released a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding. “I am right, then?” she demanded, needing to know the truth.
“I need you to trust me, Nayeli.”
An involuntarily bubble of laughter escaped her lips. “Trust you?” she blurted.
“Yes,” he said, lifting his eyes to look at her. “You can’t tell your King that the Duke was murdered-”
Nayeli gasped, giving a step away from him, her breathing uneven.
“Duke Faure-”
“Don’t say his name-”
“-was killed with a native plant from your homeland,” he finished, his hands still tucked in behind his back.
She felt light-headed, her lungs clutched in a smothering grip. “Why would you do that?” she demanded, her words not her own.
“They wanted to make sure that if they were discovered, the blame would be averted at you.”
She felt bewildered, a curse leaving her lips.
“I had to make sure that no one discovered the cause of his death,” he continued.
“I can’t be in this room with you any longer,” she said, her hands shaking at her sides. “Now let me out!”
He moved out of her way, holding his hand out to the door. “Then leave, Princess. Run. But ask yourself why am I telling you all of this.”
“I don’t know what you want from me!” she yelled at him.
“What I want?” he spat back, his voice raised. “I want you to stop fighting for the lives of animals when there are human beings you can fight for!”
“I don’t know what you mean by that! But I have no interest in finding out-”
“Yes. Run! I should have known it was your way,” he retorted in scorn.
Furiously she darted past him to rip the doors open, not daring herself to look back at the accusing auburn eyes and straight blond hair. She wanted him out of the castle, she wanted him gone, and she never wanted to see him again. His warnings of war were only more horses in his game of chess. She wanted to play no part in his game. Cursing, her feet started moving faster. Soon she found herself running towards her chamber, her breathing unbearably irregular. Pushing into her chamber, she slammed the door shut behind her, dropping to the floor with her back pressed against the door. Her chest heaved in and out, her throat hoarse. She was scared, no, she was petrified.
Chapter Twelve - She Is A Wild Flower Hael pulled open the curtains to Nayeli’s room. She jolted awake on her bed. Hael turned to regard her. “Sleeping the day away,” he observed. “Well, while you were dreaming, I was out asking around in Eldenwood Town. I have news.”
She sat up to look at him with a puffy face.
“Seems like the Eiric Whittaker had been in Eldenwood for longer that we had known,” he continued but stopped once Nayeli nodded.
“I know,” she said softly.
He stiffened. “Oh. Did your meet go well?”
“It feels like I barely got a word in,” she admitted. “The Duke of Keldar spoke over everything I wanted to say. But at least the Duke of Panit stood with me.”
“And what of the Whittaker’s claims?”
She visibly shivered. “He’s the snake, Hael.”
Hael stared at her, confusion lining his brow. Had he heard her right? “The snake?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
Hael cursed softly, using a few of Nayeli’s favorite lines. “Is there a reason you haven’t reported him yet?”
“I’m not going to report him.”
Hael’s eyebrows rose at her. “You’re not?”
“No.”
“Why not?-”
“Is it possible for a dream of portent to change, Hael?”
He shrugged, coming to sit down next to her on the bed. Concern touched his heart. “Perhaps. But to me it sounds like nothing had changed-”
“The wolf,” she said and laughed desperately. “He wouldn’t even be in Eldenwood if I didn’t make him come here. He would not have been here if I didn’t intervene.”
“You’re right, that is not how dreams of forewarning work. They come true on their own without the help of others. If the wolf was meant to be here, he would have been. It might also be that the forewarning had changed. Nothing is fixed, that much I know.”
Nayeli shook her head, unsure.
“If it had changed, Akira would know,” Hael said.
“She doesn’t like to talk about it. I won’t know how to even ask that of her.”
Hael shook his head. “We should leave this Court, Nayeli.”
“But my promise-”
“The lives of wildlife are not more valuable than your own.”
His Princess shook her head at him. “No, Hael. We will see it through to the end. Come what may, I have to at least attempt to stand for the customs of the Eldenwood people. What if it were our customs they wanted to change? Wouldn’t you want me to fight for it?”
“Of cause,” he said, his voice lowered. “Of cause I would.”
“The Duke of Panit is standing with me. I will see this through.”
“You sure you can trust him?”
Nayeli frowned, about to answer him when a knock at the door made both their heads turn towards it. Hael hesitated, meeting eyes with Nayeli before standing up and getting it. On the other side he found a servant girl with a tray in her hands.
“A message for the Princess Nayeli,” she said and awarded him with a polite curtsy.
Hael stared at the tray in her hands, his eyes widening at its contents. He took the tray form the girl, bowing his head in thanking her. He shut the door quickly, turning to Nayeli with a worried glower.
“What is it?” she asked from the bed.
Lowering the tray onto the bed, Nayeli frowned. It was a letter addressed to her and along with it a red wildflower. He knew that flower well, knew how deadly it was. Nayeli watched him, her eyes questioning his silence.
“It’s a Drogonflower, Nayeli,” he said. “A wildflower only found in the Maya Isles.”
“It’s poisonous, isn’t it?” she said, angrily.
“When taken in, it will suffocate you. It affects the lungs.”
Angrily she plucked the letter from the tray. She opened it hastily, tearing it open to read. “Nayeli. I want you to trust me. My apologies for this morning.”
“What does that mean?” Hael snapped.
“Eiric Whittaker,” Nayeli said, lowering the letter away from her. “He can be very confusing.”
“I would say,” Hael snickered, his eyes on the flower. “Polite words mean nothing when he is threatening you with poison.”
“It’s what he had used to kill Duke Faure,” she said, her voice soft. He watched her as she closed her eyes to take in a breath. She looked so much older than she was, he found himself thinking. When her eyes opened, she reached for the flower.
“What are you doing?”
To his horror, she tucked the flower in behind her ear, blossoming beside her face. “He spoke about what “they” wanted. Eiric gave away that he wasn’t alone in his indiscretions. If anyone here are involved with him, I will flaunt to them all that I know the truth.”
Hael took an unsteady breath. “If I ask you not to do that, would you refrain from it?”
“They need to know that they won’t get away with it.”
“You don’t even know who they are. Please, Nayeli, don’t threaten when you don’t even know who you are threatening.”
“You’re asking me to let it go?”
Hael stood. “I’m asking you to be careful with your life. Don’t get too caught up in this burning flame between Kings and Dukes. I know Eldenwood is important to you, but don’t forget our homeland is most important. Your life matters to them.”
Her features softened, removing the flower from her hair. “And to you?”
His lips turned up into a smile. “You’re my Lunar Sister. What do you think?”
“That I should marry you,” she said, turning a smile up at him. “That you are the only man in the world that understands me.”
Hael licked his lips, smiling down at a woman he loved dearly. A woman he would kiss a snake on the lips for. “That is very tempting, Princess. But unfortunately I would hate to be called Prince.”
The set to Aiden’s shoulders and the glower on his face told Jon that his meet with his nobles had not gone well. Jon watched as Aiden poured his troubles into each blow he brought down on him. They were sparing, the music of swords crossing filled the air around the two of them. The folk of Eldenwood were gathering around them, staring at the King as he fought an Aemazon Warrior. Aiden was dressed in a navy tunic, his Royal Color deliberately chosen for the fight against the Aemazon’s black. Many of Adarmar’s folk had made their way down to the Aemazon fighting fields at Adarmar Castle to catch a glimpse at the fighting ways of the Warriors. It was an attraction to everyone, for the folk and for the many Lords in Adarmar.
A blow from Aiden made Jon stumble to the left. He found his feet again, thrusting out his sword to block a force from Aiden. He would have to get himself together if he wanted to win against the King that glowered at him. It wasn’t fair, Jon decided with a smug smile. It wasn’t fair that Aiden was using Jon to drive out his frustrations.
Every time Aiden struck his sword forward, he had to wonder if the King was picturing Jon with the Princess Akira. Jon knew his friendship with Aiden’s sister was trouble, more trouble than Jon wanted in life. But for some or other reason, he couldn’t get himself to stay away from the trouble Akira offered him. The way Akira smiled with her delicate features was driving him insane. He couldn’t stop thinking about the sweet girl’s lips, her flawless skin and soft chestnut hair.
As if Aiden could hear his thoughts, he came down on Jon with a strength only a King could have. Jon met his sword with his own, keeping him at bay. Aiden’s shoulders were ridged with tense, every bit the challenge Jon knew he would be. Jon had to admire the way Aiden moved around his sword, his moves were flawless in their execution. His swordsmanship was immaculate. The way his wrists rolled along with the sword was the liking of an artist and his brush.
Jon played along with the artist of combat, allowing the King to spar with him across the field. The people couldn’t take their eyes off them, the crown around them thickening the longer the fight stretched. Giving the King a win crossed Jon’s mind, knowing well that Aiden needed something to lift his spirits. But Jon pushed the thought aside, stepping towards Aiden and turning the tables. Jon pressed down on Aiden, challenging him to the limit. But Aiden was strong, meeting Jon’s challenge. Jon knew quite well what the King was doing in challenging him to a spar. He knew the people of Eldenwood needed to be distracted, needed something to entertain them after the death of their Duke.
They kept at it, pushing each other. Sweat lined their brows, their breathing hoarse. They were tiring, but neither was willing to go slower. Aiden glared at him and Jon had to smirk. Surely Aiden’s sour mood was caused by a set of bright blue eyes and a mop of blue and red feathers. Well, a few blue and a few red with a single white feather these days. Jon had wondered why she had added the additional white to her Royal Colors. He would ask her, he decided, and met a blow from Aiden.
Jon had his horse’s reigns in his left hand, letting the horse trail behind them. Akira walked next to him, her eyes marveling at the vista around them. Jon had always been curious about the Seneca Woods and had decided to explore the mystical place. Selfishly he had invited Akira to come with him. The invitation had thrilled her, her smile never faltering. “Oh, Jon, thank you for bringing me with you,” she marveled and reached for his hand, tucking her own into his. “Do you think it’s dangerous in here?”
Jon smiled down at her. “Of cause it is, Princess.”
She moved a little closer to him, clinging to his side as they walked. The ground was surprisingly even, allowing the horse to follow them. He won’t go deep into the woods with Akira by his side, but his curiosity was flaring and she seemed to enjoy the thrill the woods offered. The trees were not too tightly woven, allowing enough space to move in between. The heads of the trees touched, leaving them hiding from the blue sky.
They walked until they reached a clearing of trees, sunlight pushing its way through to create an opening in the woods. Akira’s face lit up, letting go of his hand and moving towards the sunlight. She lifted her face to the sky, savoring the warmth on her skin. Jon found himself staring at the picture of her facing the sun. She was so delicate and finely built, he had to take the opportunity to trail his eyes over her.
“Come and see, Jon,” she said, lowering her eyes to him. “Can we stay a bit?” Jon nodded his head, his eyes still on her. “Bring our blanket then!”
Jon tied the horse to a nearby tree before getting the blanket and taking it to her. She seized the blanket out of his hands, throwing it open for them on the grass. The sun was welcome on his shoulders, pressing the coolness of the woods aside.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked up at him from the blanket. “Or are you too big-headed for me now?”
“Big-headed?” Jon asked in surprise, sitting down next to her with their legs sprawled out before them, leaning back onto their hands.
“You won a King in battle!” she mused. “Surely you are too popular now to spend your time with little old me?”
Jon smiled, remembering his victory of the morning. He had to win, he reminded himself. He couldn’t let Aiden win him when the news of his loss will fall on the ears of a Whittaker. The Domain Warrior needed to know the Aemazon Warriors were as strong as ever, maybe even better than in the past.
“I guess I could have invited someone else,” Jon played. “But you seemed the easy choice.”
“Easy choice?” she queried, stealing a glance at him.
“Yes,” he said simply, letting his words hang between them.
Akira stared up at the sky as the seconds ticked by. But eventually she turned her eyes back to him with a frown. He ignored her, lifting his face to the sun.
“What do you mean by saying I am an easy choice?”
“Don’t overthink it, Princess.”
Her frown deepened, her delicate features pulling into a scowl. “Is there someone else you would rather like to share this clearing of trees with?”
Jon gazed at her from the corner of his eye, not answering her and watching as her mind started to run.
“You fancy someone else,” she accused, her tone lowered.
Jon leaned back onto his backside. “Lie back and enjoy the sun with me.”
“But I want you to answer me first.”
“I don’t fancy anybody, Akira. Now enjoy the sun with me, won’t you?”
She looked away from him, her eyes on the woods around them. She seemed to be slightly dazed, her mind not with him.
“Stop fretting, Akira.”
She lied back next to him, both of them staring up at the sky. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t know if you will answer me truthfully.”
“Then don’t ask it,” he said, loosening a breath.
“Then I want to ask you a different question.”
Jon groaned playfully, leaned to his side and propped himself up on his elbow. He looked down at her, a slight smile touching the sides of his lips. “What is on your mind, Princess?”
“Aiden say that you are unbound,” she said shyly, turning her eyes up at him.
“I am an Aemazon Warrior, I am bound to a person, not a place.”
“But what if someone else wins your loyalty?”
He leaned his head to the side, frowning at Akira with a smile on his face. “You already know the answer to your question. Do you think I am suddenly going to give you a different one? Do you want me to say that if the hearts of the Warriors are won by someone else that I would stay with the King of Adarmar?”
A silence stretched between them.
He shook his head at her. “I will go where my people go.”
“Are we not your people?”
“Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses… It’s not my world, Akira. I want no part in the politics of Royals.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, staring up at the sky again. “You’re not very romantic, Jon.”
He frowned at her, waiting for her to continue.
“Just when I thought it was so romantic of you to steal me away from the castle, you end up telling me that you don’t even like me.”
“I never said that I don’t like you, Princess.”
“But not as much as all the other women you fornicate with.”
“Just how many women do you think go through me bed?” he asked, offended.
“I won’t know. But clearly they are more worthy of you than I am.”
It made Jon laugh, his head tilted back for his laughter to escape. Her head shot towards him, offended that he would simply laugh at her.
“Let’s not talk about who is worthy of who here,” he said, his eyes meeting her narrowed gaze. “Putting the complications of our everyday lives aside, aren’t you going to kiss me?”
Akira instantaneously sat up, turning towards him with her eyes widened. “What?” she uttered in disbelief.
“Did you think I brought you out here to talk the day away?”
The smile that touched Akira’s face made his heart leapt in delight. Excitement took hold of her eyes, her smile broadening from ear to ear. Her rosy cheeks were flushed in exhilaration.
“I really hope you are not teasing me, Jon,” she murmured to him, her voice soft.
He reached out to tuck a strand of her hair in behind her ear. Her cheeks reddened, her eager eyes becoming more reserved. She was nervous, he realized. The previous time they had kissed, she had been intoxicated in more ways than one.
“I think you are the most delicate thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, his voice lowered between the two of them.
“I don’t break as easily as you might think,” she dared, bringing herself closer to him. Sitting on her knees in front of him, she placed both her hands on either sides of his face. Her small hands were warm against his skin, her fingers softly touching the knot of hair at the backside of his head. He kept still, waiting for her to react.
Her eyes slowly left his, stopping on his mouth. Her lips parted in anticipation, moving her face closer to his. To his wonder, she slipped her finger to his bottom lip, curiously touching it. He could only marvel as the beautiful Princess started touching most of his face. She trailed her fingers over his cheekbones and then felt her way across his jaw. She trailed two fingers over his mouth, lowering her hand to take his chin into her grip. Bringing her gaze back to his, she stared at him.
Her innocent brown eyes were so striking, he couldn’t resist in reaching for her and pulling her mouth to his. She didn’t resist, eagerly meeting his lips. He lost himself in the sensation of her mouth on his. The smell of her drove him senseless, kissing her carelessly. With her arms wrapped around his head, they held their lips together, moving with each other.
Akira momentarily lifted her lips away to take in a gasp of air, her breathing exquisitely uneven. Her body was even more responsive than Jon could have guessed it would be. Eager to taste more of her, he took hold of her light figure and pulled her onto him. A thrill of delight came from her mouth, pressing down on the blanket at either side of his head. Their lips met once more, taking all of each other in.
She moaned his name into his mouth, slowly reaching for the buttons of his shirt. She made it to the third button when Jon caught her hand. Their lips still linked, she pulled her hand out of his and undid the button. Reaching for the next one, Jon caught her hand again. She tried pulling her hand out of his grip, but he made sure she wasn’t able to escape this time. She broke the kiss, glaring down at him.
“Are you going to take off your own clothes then?” she asked.
“I’m not taking my clothes off,” he said, watching her narrow her eyes at him.
“Well, I have slightly different plans,” she said boldly, holding his gaze. Before he could even reply, she started loosening her dress. Her dress came together at her left shoulder, fastened with a bronze clip. The dress hugged her upper body, narrowing into her middle and finely built hips before falling to the ground. The clip on her shoulder came loose before he could stop her. He started forward to immediately tie that dress back together again, but she saw him coming. She jumped up from the blanket, escaping his grasp.
“What’s the matter, Aemazon Warrior? Do I make you nervous?” she asked playfully and turned back to him. Holding his unimpressed stare, she slit the dress off her shoulder. Her dress dropped to the ground and Jon’s heart kicked him in the chest. She was only clothed in her undergarments now and looking down at him with alluring eyes. She was more seductive that he had given her credit for. She elegantly stepped out of her dress and came closer to him. He had no words for the goddess that kneeled in front of him, the sun beautifully embracing her skin.
“Do you want another kiss, Warrior?” she asked, wetting her lips for him.
He couldn’t help himself. He just couldn’t resist. He didn’t want to resist. He took hold of the goddess, claiming her keen mouth. Without breaking their kiss, he moved her onto her back. Her obedient body took him onto the blanket with her. She moaned against his lips, her hands making their way into his hair. His warrior knot came loose, his hair escaping. He was shocked at the power she had over him, shocked that she was able to seduce him into holding her half-naked body in his arms.
“We should stop this, Akira,” he breathed against her lips.
“We are only kissing, Jon,” she moaned back, her eyes closed in bliss.
He found himself staring at her closed eyes, her lips parting as invitation for him to do with her whatever he wanted. His gaze travelled to the garment that covered her chest. Without her permission, he undid the clips between her breasts. A satisfied smile played with her mouth, her eyes opened to slits and watching him push the obstructions out of the way to reveal her chest.
“I want to see you,” he whispered, his mouth touching her skin. An involuntarily breath escaped her mouth, her eyes closing and her lips parting. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered for what felt like the hundredth time. It made her back arch towards him, her chest touched by uneven breathing.
With her eyes still closed, she fought to gain control over her breathing. Jon lowered his lips to her skin, slowly planting soft kisses down her stomach and reaching her navel. To his surprise, Akira grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head up to look at her. Her eyes were driven by craze. She brought his lips back to her own, taking possession of his mouth. He could taste her desire and he savored the feeling of her yearning for him.
“Great seas, Jon,” she said throatily. “If this feels so good, how does it feel with both of our clothes off?”
Jon couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Her innocence was her most striking quality. A quality he had no intention of ridding her of. Cupping her face in his hand, he brought his lips down over hers once more.
Chapter Thirteen - The Black Wolf Akira crushed a few Ember leaves in an empty tankard. She needed to calm her mind, needed to soothe her beating heart. Jon May had no idea what he was doing to her, the control he had over her body. She has never responded to somebody in the way she had with Jon. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
Once the dried leaves were finely crushed, she moved over to the heath’s fire. Lighting the Ember, she watched as the smoke dwindled out of the tankard. She closed her eyes to take a deep breath, but a knock on the door made her jump, dropping the tankard to the floor.
“No, no, no,” she mumbled to the leaves on the floor. “I’m coming!” she screamed at the door, dropping to her knees and wiping the leaves together with her hands. She tried getting them back into the tankard, taking care that the flame was dead and more smoke won’t travel out of it. Hiding the Ember next to the fire in the heath, she quickly wiped her hands and made for the door. Her heart jumped in her chest as she opened the door. She had hoped it might be Jon, but to her horror the Princess Nayeli was looking at her with a polite smile.
“Good evening, Princess Akira,” Nayeli said, bowing her head.
“Good evening,” Akira mumbled, startled. “Princess Nayeli.” She bowed her head quickly, looking up at the Princess. “Is something of fault, Princess?”
“No,” Nayeli said. “I was merely wondering if I can have a moment of your time. In private, if I may.”
Akira nodded her head and gave way to let the Princess into her room. Nayeli came into the room and she closed to door behind them.
“I apologize for the intrusion,” Nayeli began. “But like always, I have peculiar questions for you.”
Akira frowned. “You want to ask me about my dreams.”
Nayeli hesitated, folding her hands into her lap. “Would you tell me what you’ve been dreaming?”
“You know I don’t like to talk about them.”
“Please. Just humor me.”
“You believe they mean things,” Akira wondered out loud. “They don’t.”
Nayeli’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Please, Princess.”
“Even if I wanted to tell you, I can’t. I haven’t dreamt much in the months that have passed. Nothing worth mentioning. Nothing of tigers.”
“Oh,” Nayeli said, frowning. “Nothing?”
“They’re gone,” Akira found herself saying. “And I am glad.”
Nayeli seemed to be uncomfortable, crossing her arms and blinking at Akira. She didn’t say anything more, merely stood in silence. Akira wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she knew that Nayeli would want to talk more about her dreams. Or maybe about her lack of dreams. She definitely wasn’t interested in discussing it.
“I should let you sleep,” Nayeli finally said, making for the door. Akira sighed in relief, feeling guilty for being glad to see the Princess leave her room. Nayeli turned at the door, giving her another look.
“I bid you good-night then, Princess,” she said.
Akira stepped closer to her. “Good-night, Princess.”
Nayeli lifted her gaze towards Akira and there she stopped. Akira waited for her to leave but she didn’t. Instead she moved her nose around, sniffing Akira. It was so strange to see somebody lifting their nose towards her, she didn’t even have a chance to pull away from Nayeli.
“Ember,” Nayeli breathed.
Ice touched Akira’s spine, heat pricking her cheeks. Abruptly, Akira folded her dirty hands in behind her back, staring at Nayeli. “Excuse me?” she asked, innocently.
“Jon May,” Nayeli breathed in horror. “The Ember was for you!”
Akira shook her head wildly. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Where is it?” Nayeli demanded, stepping around Akira.
“Princess Nayeli, please calm down-”
“No,” she snapped at Akira. “Aiden will murder me if he finds out I’ve provided you with Ember!”
“You provided the Ember?” she shrieked. “I didn’t know-”
“That is why Jon May visits the slums, isn’t it? To provide you with a substance that is illegal to your kingdom!”
“This is not Jon’s fault!”
“What would Aiden say, Akira?!” Nayeli shouted at her, anger burning in her eyes.
“You can’t tell him!” she found herself saying. “Please, Nayeli, you can’t!”
“Where is it?” Nayeli demanded.
“What?! No!” Akira screamed back at her. “You won’t take it from me.”
Nayeli ignored her, walking around her bed and ripping open the drawers to her cupboards. Akira was clutched by dread, watching as Nayeli lifted her last bit of Ember out of her drawer. She should have hided it better.
“Please, Nayeli, I beg you. Don’t take the Ember from me. I need it-”
“Your brother already hates me enough for everything I’ve done to him and lied to him about, this won’t be one more thing to add to the stack of lies-”
“You think my brother hates you?” Akira found herself asking. “You know nothing, Nayeli! You’re blind and ignorant of the man you call King. And if you think you can tell him that Jon May has been supplying me with Ember, then you are the most selfish person I’ve ever met! He will make sure I never see Jon again-”
“That sounds like a good idea right now-”
“You’re not my mother!” Akira exclaimed. “You have no say in the things I do. If I want to use Ember, I will do just that!”
Nayeli ignored Akira, sniffing again. Akira started in amazement as Nayeli located the tankard of Ember close to the fire.
“How did you?-”
Nayeli threw the tankard out of the window, sending it into the night.
“Get out of my room,” Akira found herself saying. “I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to look at you! I hope that you will be eaten by the Tiger!” Akira said through clenched teeth.
Nayeli smirked at that. Akira wanted to rip that smirk from her face.
“I’ve already fought the Tiger,” Nayeli said, lifting her chin at Akira. “Would you be able to do the same, Young Princess?”
Akira’s world felt like crumbling. “You’re scaring me,” she said to Nayeli, her throat thick with tears. “You’ve always scared me. Now please leave.”
“With pleasure,” Nayeli said, taking the Ember with her.
During the night, Nayeli kept tossing and turning between her sheets. She could still smell Aiden in her bed, could still feel him trail his fingers over her shoulders, her neck and her face. When she closed her eyes, she could see his dark eyes looking back at her, demanding all of her. His hunger for her had her stomach in a knot, but it was his anger that troubled her. She had infuriated him so many times, she thought. How long until he would snap? How long until he decided he have had enough of her? Half asleep, her consciousness coming and going, she heard the door to her room open. She mumbled Aiden’s name, hoping that it would be him. But when she opened her eyes, a figure stood in the darkness of her room. Nayeli jerked awake, sitting up in bed and staring at the figure. Fear claimed her, widening her eyes in the dim lighting.
“Please help me,” the figure said through tears. “Please, Nayeli.”
The moment she heard the person say her name, Nayeli realized who it was. She slid to the side of her bed, lighting a candle and looking up at Akira.
“Akira?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Snakes,” Akira said, a sob leaving her lips. “Everywhere I look, I see snakes.”
Nayeli stood. “They can’t hurt you, Akira,” she said softly. “They are only dreams.”
“The black wolf!” Akira cried out, sobbing.
“What about it?-”
“I dreamt of smothering!” Akira yelled, dropping to her knees in front of Nayeli. “Please, Nayeli, I can’t bare this! Release me from this misery-”
“No,” Nayeli said, knowing well that she was begging her for Ember.
“Please!” she screamed at Nayeli, pressing her hands to her temples. “Make it stop! Quiet down the cries for war-”
“War?!” Nayeli gasped. “What war, Akira?”
“Thousands and thousands of Alpocas will come for the Tiger,” Akira said hoarsely, her chest heaving in and out.
Nayeli started at Akira in dread. “Why would they have to come for the Tiger? Where will it be?”
“It will be alive,” Akira said, her bottom lip trembling with a sob.
Nayeli stared down at Akira on her knees. It was unbearable to watch, unbearable to hear each sob leave her lips. Nayeli kneeled in front of her. “Do you want to feel better?” she asked, each word a prick of guilt in her heart.
“Yes, yes, please,” Akira begged.
Nayeli reached for her, bringing her to her feet and guiding her towards her bed. She had only lit Ember once before in her life. She had barely had the chance to breathe in the smoke before Hael had found her and scolded her for it. She hadn’t tried it since.
She took note from Akira’s way of lighting it, using a tankard. Hoping she had done it right, she sat down on the bed. Akira was lying on her back, soft cries still leaving her lips. She hadn’t stopped crying, Nayeli wasn’t even sure if she was fully awake. Nayeli exhaled, lying back onto the bed next to Akira. They were both facing the roof.
“Just breathe,” Nayeli said softly.
“Thank you,” Akira said once she smelled the Ember.
They both closed their eyes, breathing the smoke of the Ember in and out. Nayeli could feel Akira calming next to her. Her crying had stopped and her breathing started to even. Nayeli felt the effect of the Ember find her, making her numb to the world, yet making her feel very much alive as well.
“Do you know why your secrets hurt Aiden so much?” Akira asked, her eyes closing.
“Why?” Nayeli asked, taking in a breath of Ember.
“Because my father had promised him the perfect wife.”
“What do you mean?” Nayeli asked, feeling as if her words were leaving her mouth very slowly.
“My father told Aiden that you would keep all of his secrets. And that he would keep all of yours.”
Nayeli took a moment, mulling her words over.
“What secrets of Aiden are those?”
“Royal Blood is powerful. You know that because you are Royalty, too.”
Nayeli turned her face towards Akira. “You are powerful, Akira.”
“Not as powerful as you,” she said, also turning her head towards Nayeli. With their eyes tied together, Akira found Nayeli’s hand, clutching it in her own. “You are the woman my father had promised his son. You were supposed to keep each other’s secrets.”
Akira wiggled herself closer, her eyes closing and sleep threatening. She felt her own eyes droop in exhaustion too.
“Nayeli,” Akira whispered to her. “I think the black wolf is in trouble.”
Her head heavy and clouded, Nayeli mumbled with closed eyes. “He is too stubborn for trouble.”
Akira exhaled loudly. “When my defender leaves my side, I fear we both will be in danger.”
“Keep the wolf close,” Nayeli mumbled with closed eyes. “Keep the wolf close.”
Akira curled up next to Nayeli, moaning in exhaustion. “You had lit too much,” Akira mumbled to her. “But don’t worry, we will merely fall asleep. We won’t dream, I promise. Just don’t let go of my hand.”
Nayeli’s eyes shot open when someone touched her arm. Lurching awake, she dropped the Ember tankard to the floor. Jon stared at the tankard and burned leaves that sprawled across the surface. Jon May. It must be past early dawn. She had arranged with him for training this morning, what time was it now? Nayeli shook her head, trying to clear it and take in the dread of her night. Akira was still asleep next to her on the bed. “Well, this is quite peculiar,” Jon said softly, his eyes leaving the Ember on the floor and resting on Akira.
“I have so many things to say at you, to scream at you,” Nayeli said and rubbed her temples.
Jon crossed his arms. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
Nayeli rubbed her head, slightly fogged by the events of the nights. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“You can start with what I am looking at right now.”
Nayeli glared up at him, a soft little curse leaving her lips. Not softening her stare, she explained to Jon what had happened, about taking the Ember from Akira and what had happened after that. She left out the part of what Akira’s dreams entailed. She ended off with explaining the Ember on the floor at which Jon merely raised his brows.
“I did not realize her fits were this extreme,” Nayeli said, looking at the sleeping Akira. “Should we wake her?-”
“Are you going to tell the King?” Jon asked, not moving from his spot, his arms still crossed.
“Akira would hate me for it,” she said softly. “And you would probably too.”
“How can I blame you from stopping me to provide her with a foul substance such as Ember?”
Nayeli shook her head. “Do you make her use small amounts?”
“I only provide her with bits every few days. She handles it well, regulating it carefully.”
Nayeli rubbed her eyes, her head cloudy. “You should take her back to her room,” she said, standing up from the bed.
Jon didn’t object, coming closer to wake Akira. Nayeli could only watch as the Warrior’s heart softened the closer he came to Akira. He leaned over her, saying her name softly. She started stirring on the bed, Jon’s name a moan on her lips.
“Let’s go to your room,” Jon murmured at her.
Akira smiled at that, opening her eyes and looking up at Jon. “It’s all I want you to do,” she murmured up at him. Jon glanced uncomfortably in Nayeli’s direction.
“Let’s go,” he said, holding a hand out to Akira. She took it with a smile and Jon pulled her out of bed. When she was on her feet, she noticed Nayeli standing a few paces away.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening at Nayeli. “I’m in your room.”
“Yes,” she said. “You came to me in the night, don’t you remember?”
“I do,” Akira said, lowering her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“All is well,” Jon said to her, his hand on her shoulder.
“I made a fool of myself,” she said to Jon, turning into his chest. Jon stiffened at Akira’s affection but didn’t pull away from her.
“It’s alright,” he said to her. “Now let’s leave Princess Nayeli to her day.”
Avoiding Nayeli’s eyes, Akira let Jon take her from the room. They disappeared out the door, closing it behind them.
Snakes, Akira’s voice rang through her ears. Everywhere I look, I see snakes.
Hael had requested Akira for a walk. She had almost refused, not wanting to show her face after the night she had shared with his Princess. She wanted to curl into her bed and stay there for the rest of her life. But after thinking it over, she had decided that she would accept his invitation. Walking with him around the back of the Eldenwood Castle, she wondered if he had asked her for a walk to discuss her dreams. But his conversation had been polite so far, a smile on his face and his eyes kind to her.
“I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you since we’ve arrived in Eldenwood,” he said. “I apologize for neglecting you.”
“A lot has happened in the last few days,” she said, enjoying the sun on her face. “I’ve been busy as well, there is no need to apologize.”
“I enjoy your company. I wish I could share it more often.”
“You can. All you have to do is ask.”
“Then I shall, Princess.”
She smiled when he called her Princess with a grin. She liked the way his navy eyes would lit up, enjoyed seeing him smile at her. Her conversations with him were easy, if only everything could have been this easy, Akira thought.
“Do you have a title?” she found herself asking.
“No,” he said with a kindhearted snort. “We are not so fond of titles in the Isles.”
“Princess Nayeli has a title.”
“Because she’s the Princess,” he said, shrugging with a grin.
“And what about your family?”
“They are rich and ignorant, I guess.”
“Rich?” she asked, bemused. “The ladies must like that.”
“I don’t care for wealth,” he defended. “And the ladies like me because I’m so charming, not for my father’s lands.”
He made Akira laugh, stepping closer and looking up at him. “I can agree to that. Don’t you think we should go dancing again?”
“I’ve already made the mistake of stealing you from your bed once. Well, I guess I can do it again.”
“Or we can go riding?” she asked hopefully, not ready for their walk to come to an end. “I know my way around a horse.”
“You don’t have other things to tend to?”
Akira made a face. “What things could be important at this time of day?”
Akira waited for him to smile back at her, but his gaze went past her to the stables. His face turned into a troubled frown, eyes narrowing. She followed his gaze, turning around to look back at the stables.
“I have to go find Nayeli,” Hael said, rushing past her.
Akira’s eyes widened, watching Duke Leynar Kubovy stand over the body of a fox. The fox’s white pelt was drenched in red.
“I’ll find Aiden!” Akira shouted after him and ran for the Castle.
Nayeli watched in horror, taking in the white Sarctic Fox on the ground. A Sarctic Fox was one of the most endangered species in the Seneca Woods. Her beautiful white pelt was covered in blood, her stomach cut open and a sack of cubs hanging out of her stomach. She knelt down next to it, her eyes wide. Her breathing hitched, her heart breaking at the sight of the death of the mother and her cubs. Leynar Kubovy spoke next to her, the words of “what price she could fetch” somewhere in his words. She couldn’t listen to him, couldn’t take in one word he uttered. The more she looked at the bundle of death in front of her, the more her rage built. Her hate burned in her veins, her fever climbing. The animal of her heart was scratching the surface, pleading for release.
Nayeli didn’t fight it and she was overcome by the black and white senses of an animal. Every reasonable thought she had worked on since she had turned eighteen years of age was pushed aside. Her humanlike rationality was gone. She embraced the Wildness of the Tiger as she turned her eyes up at Leynar Kobuvy.
Her eyes were burning, knowing well that they would glow in their hate. Laynar cut himself off mid-sentence, bewildered by Nayeli’s stare. She stood, holding him pinned underneath her glare. She moved forward with the grace of her Tiger, the Wild stalking its Prey. Her shoulders wanted to move with her, wanted to force her onto four legs, but she kept her shoulders squared, her glare stalking the Duke.
Moving up to him, the silent Duke gave a step backwards. Animal instinct prickled, ready to jump if her prey were to flee. She came closer and he stepped back further, watching her bewildered. He said something to her but she could no longer understand him. Words were no longer her way of thinking.
She lifted her hand, so abnormally human to her, and clawed at his face. He didn’t take kindly to being scratched, Nayeli realized, gliding her upper body backwards to escape his coming fist. A growl ripped out of her mouth as she pushed the man away from her. He tripped and fell to the ground. He tried rolling away from her, cursing at her, but she was on him before he could escape. The Duke cried out once she bit down on his neck, cursing her and rolling with her in the dust. He was strong, hitting her with a panicked force. She didn’t care when his blows hurt, she couldn’t even feel them. Encumbered with hate, the Tiger felt for her. She didn’t need to be scared anymore, didn’t need to care for the world. She could give herself over to the Wild without ever looking back. People were shouting at her, but she was too lost to listen.
Aiden was making his way towards the stables, a panicked Akira at his side. She tried explaining to him what had happened, having seen Duke Leynar Kubovy with a dead fox out of the Seneca Woods. Aiden grimaced at what he had done, knowing well that Nayeli was going to be furious. He was so tired of fighting with her, but he knew she wouldn’t let it go. The seas only knew what she would say. Aiden neared the stable in time to see Nayeli jump at the Duke. The Duke yelped in surprise when she bit down on his neck. He stopped in shock, watching as they rolled in the dust, taking in the way they clawed at each other. Duke Leynar was reaching for Nayeli’s neck, struggling to get his grip on her. But she held him at bay easily, her eyes filled with Wildness.
Life shook him, pushing him forward. He had to stop it, he had to save them both.
But a hand grabbed Aiden’s arm, bringing him to a stop. He turned to glare at Hael Young.
“Politically, I think it best if you don’t intervene,” he said into Aiden’s face, pushing him aside. Aiden watched as Hael rushed down on the fight, instantly grabbing Nayeli off the Duke. In one sweep, he had her in his arms, swinging her away from the fight.
She screamed a terrible animalistic sound, struggling against Hael, wanting to push past him. The Duke was instantly on his feet, cursing at Nayeli so severely that Akira turned her face away from them. Blood ran down the Duke’s neck. The anger on Nayeli’s face didn’t fade, her eyes never leaving Leynar. She was beyond reason.
Aiden cursed, feeling Akira’s head shoot up at his words. He didn’t meet her gaze, not being able to look away from Nayeli. He had been a blind fool, he shouted at himself. If he had ever wondered, he knew now. He knew what he was looking at, he could recognize it. Recognize her. This was what his father had meant all those years ago, he realized in shock. This is what his father had prepared him for.
Hael had her trapped in his arms, half of her over his shoulder. He hurried away from them, heading into the Seneca Woods. Aiden knew what was coming, knew what was happening. The Duke of Keldar was turning towards him, speaking with him, but he couldn’t listen to him now. More important things demanded his attention. He needed to know.
Aiden’s feet found life, starting forward in a run. He followed the direction in which Hael had taken Nayeli. Reaching the Woods, he ran deeper into it. His ears peaked, listening for them. He didn’t stop and made sure nobody was following him.
Finally he heard them.
Hael was shouting frantically at Nayeli, demanding her to stop, but it sounded like he was failing. He shouted at her desperately, unknowingly guiding Aiden towards them.
He pushed into a clearing of trees and stopped once he saw Hael in the talons of an ice-white Tiger, black stripes lining its body. The creature was clawing at him. His clothes were ripped and the Tiger’s white paws were stained in his blood. Hael curled himself into a ball, his eyes wide in horror and probably praying for his dear life.
“Stop!” Aiden demanded and the Tiger immediately lifted its head to look up at him. “Stop,” he ordered again, his heart in his throat.
A pair of icy blue eyes beheld him, its clawing stilled. Intrigued, it stepped away from Hael and gave a pounce towards Aiden. You can’t fear it, his father had said, his voice loud in his ears. You don’t have to fear it, Aiden.
“Be still,” he commanded and lifted his hand, holding his palm out towards her. She cocked her head to the side, calming and sitting back onto her hind. Her cold eyes pierced his heart, not moving her eyes off him.
Hael found his feet, clutching his hand to his bleeding side. “How did you do that?” he blurted, his eyes wide.
“My Blood is Royal,” Aiden declared, his palm still held out to Nayeli’s eyes.
“What?” Hael demanded. “That is all you have to say?”
He lowered his hand, his eyes tearing away from Nayeli. “I am Royalty,” he said to Hael and abruptly turned away from him. The Tiger moaned after him, his hair rising in response. Her call for him threatened to stop him, but he kept his feet moving and headed for the end of the Woods. The Tiger snarled, her scream a loud demand. His body pulsed in response. She wanted him to obey her, him to bow to her and to give into her command as Queen.
He could still hear her, could still feel her, and soon the call for him became words. The smothering presence of the Tiger faded away as she gained control over her body. Nayeli called after him and he could hear her feet touch the earth stride by stride, running after him. He felt her near him and once she was close enough, he swung around and brought her to a sudden stop. She had Hael’s cloak around her bare body, pulling it around her and staring dumbfounded at him.
“You knew?” she asked him, her eyes still glowing.
He shook his head, realizing what a shock she was to him.
“You are Therian,” he accused, anger touching his throat.
“How do you what that is?-”
“Because my father had taught it to me!” he barked at her, sudden fury closing down on him. “I thought he was educating me, but he was preparing me for you!”
“That’s impossible-”
“He was right, you know,” Aiden said, his body shaking in rage. “You would have been perfect. You are perfect,” he breathed in anguish. “But I don’t fucking trust you.”
She started to shake her head at him, stepping forward. But Aiden immediately recoiled from her, moving back.
“Aiden, please,” she said softly.
“You didn’t want to marry me, didn’t want to share your secrets with me,” he declared, every word leaving his mouth slowly. “You wanted to live your life without me.”
“I can’t,” she said, her throat thick with tears. “I can’t, Aiden.”
He shook his head at her, his heart hardening. “It’s King Aiden,” he corrected.
She stared at him in confusion, tears leaving her eyes. “Please-”
“Only people I trust can call me by my name, people I invite into my life. You are not one of them. And the Blood of my Royal Fathers hear me, Nayeli Faye, that you will remember it was you that made the decision. You have made the decision yourself the moment you decided to break an agreement that was made by Kings.”
Tears ran freely down her face, staring at him bewildered.
“You’re the most selfish person I’ve ever met,” he found himself saying. His words bled from his heart. “You wanted to be free, remember? You wanted to be selfishly free! And now you can be. But not here, not in my Kingdom. You’ve done enough here.”
“You want me to leave?” she asked, her voice overcome by her anguish.
“I don’t want you in Eldenwood!” he barked at her. “I don’t want you near this place. And I would suggest you return to your Isles until I was able to calm down the Kubovy family.”
Her eyes were widened in shock, knowing well the horror of what had happened to her moments ago. She wiped a hand across her wet face, her eyes of light filled with distress. He had to look away from her tears. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt, but he couldn’t bear being hurt by her either. She wanted to be free, but it was a thing Aiden could never be. He didn’t have the choice of freedom. He couldn’t hand someone else his Kingdom to rule. He had planned to share his trapped fate with his future wife in ruling Adarmar. But Nayeli was not that wife. No matter how his heart longed for her, he realized she would never want him and his Kingdom. She had made her choice months ago, if only he had listened.
“I thought you wouldn’t understand what I am,” she finally said.
“Well, you thought wrong,” he retorted. “It was just one more lie for you to hurt me with.” He took in an unsteady breath. “The traveling party will leave at dawn, get your things,” he added before she could say more. He didn’t trust his heart to look at her again. Tucking away her beautiful blue Tiger eyes, he closed his own and turned away from her. He was too furious to think, to hurt to reason, and his Royal Blood too responsive to the creature behind him. The Seneca Woods of Eldenwood called for him with each stride he took towards the Castle. His heart longed for it in return, but his father had taught him well.
A King belongs in a castle, not in the Wild, was his father’s words and Aiden had to live by it every day of his Royal Life.
Hi Guys Let me know what you think and if you have any questions?
Please tell me if anything is unclear.
Thanks for reading ;)
Mariette
OMG I LOVE IT! IT SOOO PERFECT! IF IT WAS A BOOK I WOULD BUY EVERY COPY! AMAZING! SPACTACULAR! MARVELOUS!
ฬเll๏ฬรђเภє wrote: "OMG I LOVE IT! IT SOOO PERFECT! IF IT WAS A BOOK I WOULD BUY EVERY COPY! AMAZING! SPACTACULAR! MARVELOUS!"Hi Willowshine!
So glad you like it ;) Please feel free to give any advise or to ask questions.
Will post more on the story - so much more to come.
Enjoy!
Mariette
Chapter Fourteen - The Flike 'n FlannelShe leaned back into her chair, staring up at the ceiling of the tavern with a mug of ale in her hand. Nayeli found herself sitting in the Flike ‘n Fannel, a tavern in Londer Town. She was a night’s ride south of Eldenwood and a night’s ride away from the King of Adarmar. Dawn would meet her soon and Eldenwood would realize she had left.
They would think she had fled in the night.
Maybe she had.
Hael wanted to leave immediately, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t have been able to stay in anyway. Why would she? She’s been asked to leave the place and to never go back. She lifted her mug to her mouth, drowning it and ordering another.
She couldn’t think about Eldenwood, didn’t want to think about what she had done. From the moment she had reached Eldenwood, she had reaped havoc. Her scene on the grievance day clawed at her mind, her promise to Eldenwood’s people burning a hole in her chest. Each day she travelled away from them would hurt her more. But she deserved the hurt. She deserved worse. Their Duke had been murdered and they would never know the truth about his death because she couldn’t speak up. Not that it mattered now, since her voice was dead and her actions of attacking a Duke much louder than her voice could ever be. She had lost control with the Duke. She had given herself to the Wild, not strong enough to face the anguish of the Duke’s treachery. It had been wrong. It had been her foulest mistake.
Her thoughts travelled to Hael and her already brooding mood turned even darker. He had been brave during the night, stating that his cuts were nothing to worry about. But she wasn’t blind and she could see the blood that slowly seeped through his bandages as they rode. Great seas, she could even smell it. Hael had thrown himself into his bed once they had reached their Inn in Londer Town, passing out in exhaustion without even tending to his cuts again.
The only thought that gave her hope was knowing that she was talking him home. They had decided not to travel down the Adarmar River like the traveling party would, they were going south-west and straight to the Maya Isles. There was no need for her to go to Adarmar Castle, no need for her to travel with the King’s party.
She had left Jon behind. The thought made her swallow uneasily. He was going to be pissed, she knew. He was part of her traveling party and now he would have to join the King’s party.
He would be fine, she hoped.
“Keep the wolf close,” she mumbled to herself. At least Akira would be safe with her protector by her side. “That black wolf.”
She drowned the last bit of ale in her mug, pleased to find another was already being served to her. She smiled politely at the barkeeper, drinking more of the ale. At least it was of good quality. After the day she had been through, poor quality ale would not have quenched her hurt. Her eye caught her hand, realizing there was still blood underneath her nails. She cursed to herself, swallowing down the lump in her throat with more ale.
She didn’t want to reflect back on Eldenwood, but the memory of the King in her bed quickly found her, overwhelming her throbbing heart. If she closed her eyes long enough she could almost feel his touch on her again, could almost smell him. It stung to think about it. It hurt to remember him being carefree and lighthearted with her. She opened her eyes and found them blurry. She blinked to clear her vision and to see her mug of ale in front of her.
She lifted the mug to her lips but plucked it down on the table once a tremble touched her spine. The core of her chest faltered at the thought of the King she had met in the Seneca Woods. She could remember it clearly, still see his hand lifted towards her to calm her. Her Tiger had obeyed him when he had spoken, when he had commanded her to be still. She had never felt that kind of tranquility as a Therian before. The King had spoken out a demand and she had fallen at his feet in compliance. In that moment he had taken control over her Wildness. It had felt extremely exhilarating to her, being able to share the Woods with another compelling presence.
She had to take a big gulp of ale before thinking about the King’s father. My father told Aiden that you would keep all of his secrets and that he would keep all of yours. Akira’s words rang through her heart. Akira’s words were so loud in her head that she had to refrain from screaming at everyone around her. Akira had said that they were meant to keep each other’s secrets and the King had mentioned it in the Woods as well.
Her Tiger was her biggest secret, one she would have kept for the rest of her life. Nobody knew, only her Lunar. She couldn’t possibly flaunt it at the world, couldn’t even wrap her head around people knowing about her. She pushed her ale aside, her head lowered into her hands. She was so certain that Aiden wouldn’t understand her, wouldn’t accept her Tiger. But she was so utterly wrong she could only hang her head in disgrace. His father had taught him all about her and her kind.
“What does it mean?” she found herself mumbling in wonder at her mug.
Was it possible that the King’s father had known what she would become? It is the only reason why he would teach the ways of the Therian to his son, to educate him for what is to come into his life. But if the King’s father had known about her, did that mean her own father had told him?
She shook the thought aside, not wanting to admit that her father might have betrayed her secret to someone else. Her father couldn’t have known her Tiger would take her once she turned eighteen years of age. There was always the chance that the gene won’t take and she would be safe. Her father could not have known she would fall into the Wild mind of a Tiger.
Chapter Fifteen - I Apologize For Touching You The travelling party had left Eldenwood at early dawn. The Kubovy family and the Duke Daniel Parnell had hastened in gathering their things in order to travel with them down river. Even with the travelling party doubled in size, everyone immediately noticed that the tail of the party was reduced to only one man. The Princess Nayeli and Hael Young had already left, their horses gone from the stable. Nobody had said anything about it, not even the Duke Leynar Kubovy. In fact, Jon found him to be quite silent after his fall-out with the Princess. Jon smiled by himself, making sure nobody was watching him as he rejoiced in the thought of a girl being able to pin that obnoxious Duke to the ground.
Jon was going to miss his fighting sessions with Nayeli. She was a strong fighter and as light on her feet as only a woman can be. His smile faded slightly at the thought, wondering where Nayeli had gone to. He wasn’t aware of what had happened after the fight. The word around the castle was that the King had chased the Native Princess and her Native friend into the woods. Jon frowned. Why would he chase them into the woods?
“Royals,” he snorted by himself, shaking his head at their politics.
When he had heard the travelling party was leaving, Jon had gone to the stables to ready their horses, only to find that his party had left without him. No, he wasn’t impressed that his travelling companions left without him. In fact, he was pretty fucking furious. Now he had to trail behind in the Kubovy family’s dust all by himself.
They were in their second day of travel now, the end of day lingering. They were nearing the next town where they will stay for the night. Jon sat back in his horse, slowing into a walk with his eyes on the setting sun’s colors on the Adarmar River. They were two days away from Eldenwood, where would Nayeli and Hael be now?
Jon stiffened in his seat once he heard someone running down the traveling party. He kept his stance, watching as Aiden came down the party on his horse. His gaze found Jon’s, his horse coming up to him.
“Jon, this is madness. I told you that you can come ride up front with us,” Aiden said, his horse falling in next to his.
Jon regarded Aiden, watching him curiously. “Are your brooding mood over yet?”
Aiden loosened a breath of hopelessness. “I don’t think I will be in a good mood ever again.”
Jon smiled by himself, bemused. “The word around the party is that everyone is too scared to even approach you. They fear for their heads.”
“They should fear it,” Aiden snapped. “I’m tired of people fucking me around.”
Jon didn’t reply to that, their horses moving forward in silence.
After a while Aiden exhaled another long breath, his eyes on the river.
“You can always hide away back here for a while,” Jon said casually, not meeting Aiden’s eyes. The King took in his words and Jon could feel him calm in his saddle. His tense shoulders relaxed, his grip on his reins loosening. It pleased him to see his friend find a moment’s calm in his company. They’ve been back and forth with each other for last few weeks, not finding their usual center in their friendship.
“Sorry for handing your ass to you in front of all the people of Eldenwood,” Jon said playfully.
Aiden thinned his lips, his mood as sour as ever. “I thought I had you. I could taste my victory, but you had to come back in full force to catch me off guard. Was it because of the Whittaker in Eldenwood or because Akira was watching?”
Jon turned to look at Aiden, his smile gone. “Are you going to have a go at me now too?” Jon asked.
Aiden groaned, shaking his head at himself. “I’m sorry, Jon,” he muttered. “I’m just not myself these last few days.”
“We both know why,” Jon declared, looking away from him and shaking his head.
“Oh, please don’t even mention it.”
“All I’m saying is that your mood is affecting everyone around you, the entire party is walking on eggshells because the King is out for blood.”
“I am out for blood!” he snapped. “What happened between my Duke and the Princess of the Maya Isles was unforgiving.”
“Alright, alright,” Jon said, trying to calm the King. “Don’t snap at me.”
“You don’t understand,” Aiden began. “I was planning on giving the Eldenwood Court to Leynar Kubovy.”
Jon snorted lightheartedly. “That would’ve been a mistake.”
Aiden turned his gaze towards him, frowning. “Why?” he asked simply. “They’ve been loyal to the Estrellas for five generations-”
“Yes, yes, I know. You don’t have to remind me.”
Aiden grimaced, still watching him. “Then why?”
Jon loosened a breath. “I don’t like your politics. I don’t want to get involved.”
“Answer me, Jon. Tell me what you are thinking.”
Jon shrugged. “They’re powerful.”
“That I know. Even more reason to keep them content.”
“No,” Jon insisted. “Currently you consist of five Courts and the Maya Isles. Six Courts in total. The Kubovy family already leads two of your Courts, which is a third of your Kingdom. If you give them Eldenwood, they will lead half of your Kingdom. No Duke should be able to match the King’s power.”
“Even with Eldenwood at their side, they won’t be a match for the rest of Adarmar. With the Maya Isles at our backs, they won’t even consider it,” Aiden said, his face changing once he took his words in.
Jon took a moment before answering. “As I see it, our relationship with the Maya Isles is quite fragile right now. Without them, Adarmar will be weak.”
Aiden grunted. “You mean to say that my relationship with the Princess of the Maya Isles is fragile.”
“I mean to say that you should strengthen that bond. All you see is pretty bright eyes and provocative tanned figure, but she’s much more powerful than she leads on. She’s a shrewd woman with the mind of a Royal. She has given into your demands for years now, not fighting you on them, but what happens the day when she says no to you?”
“In what world has Nayeli ever listened to me?” Aiden demanded.
“You’re making it too personal,” Jon said. “She’s given her Kingdom to you. Take that into account before bringing your personal quarrels into play.”
“Personal quarrels?!-”
“Oh, come on, Aiden, I know you’ve been bedding that woman. Do you think I am such a fool?”
Aiden groaned. “A fool is anyone who thinks she ever listens to me! Look what had happened in Eldenwood-”
“Just because she had fought for what she believes in, doesn’t mean she wanted to defy you. Everything she does is not about you!”
“Why are you defending her? She attacked a Duke of my Kingdom-”
“He deserved it,” Jon barked, his horse coming to a halt.
“I can’t believe you of all people are defending her,” Aiden declared, his horse stopping a few feet away from Jon’s.
“I’m not defending her! I don’t even like her! But you are enraging a very powerful woman, Aiden. You’ve pushed her aside and it’s going to be your biggest mistake.”
“You think I need her and her Kingdom-”
“If you don’t think so you are blinder than I ever could have imagined.”
“Enough!” Aiden cried out at him. “I’ve heard enough.”
“You asked for my opinion and there you have it.”
“Good thing you are not on my counsel,” Aiden said, his voice softening.
Jon crossed his arms, not looking at him. “I have one more thing to say.”
“Oh, dear seas, help me-”
“I believe you are overlooking the best candidate for the Eldenwood Court.”
“Oh, really?” Aiden mused.
“Yes,” he said, his heartbeat slowing. “Your sister.”
Aiden turned to Jon in surprise, his features soften. Jon’s words had instantly silenced him, his mind set into a run. Jon watched as Aiden thought the choice over.
“Akira?” Aiden asked finally. “You think she is ready for something like this?”
“I think with Eldenwood under your wing, you would be powerful and would put the Kubovy family in their place.”
Aiden held his gaze. “You know this will mean that Akira won’t be in the Castle anymore, she will go live in Eldenwood.”
“That is your biggest concern, King? That an Aemazon Warrior would miss her?”
“Of cause not,” Aiden retreated.
“Then why would you hesitate on this choice? Maybe you are the one that doesn’t want her to leave.”
“Oh, stop baiting me, Jon.”
A smile found Jon’s lips, watching his friend. It was clear on Aiden’s face that he liked Jon’s idea and that he was considering it. A smile even touched the corners of Aiden’s lips. For a moment, Jon had wondered if he would ever see his friend smile again. His mood surely did seem better now.
Nayeli and Hael didn’t travel as fast as she would have liked. Hael was hurt and he couldn’t move too fast. Putting their haste aside, they had decided to make the most of their travel back to the Isles. They towns and villages they passed through were places they haven’t seen before. The lands were rich in crops and produces. The fields were green in their productivity. Between towns, farms covered the lands, fat and healthy livestock everywhere to see. The Isles received many of these traded crops and livestock, it was a satisfied feeling to see where it was coming from. For the night, they stopped at a larger town with a big and busy Inn. The Innkeeper was so busy running around to please all his customers, he didn’t ask a lot of questions when Hael came in to book two rooms. Once the rooms were booked, Nayeli was pleased to find that the busy Innkeeper didn’t even notice who she was. It happened often in Adarmar. For some reason people didn’t expect a Princess to keep a low profile, which meant mostly she was regarded as just another Lady, or sometimes even as just a native girl passing through. Secretly, she liked being able to hide from her title every now and again.
Hael showed her to her room but she made sure she went to his instead. Hael regarded her with a smirk and raised an eyebrow. “You want to see, don’t you?” he asked.
She shrugged at him, sitting down at the table. They rooms were very basic, yet elegant in their simplicity. There was a big bed in the center of the room, a few furnishing chairs with reading lanterns, and a small eating table with two chairs. Lifting her hand, she patted on the table. “Please let me help you clean your cuts.”
Hael remained in his spot, crossing his arms. “I know what it does to you to see them.”
“Don’t I deserve it?” she murmured, her voice soft and eyes lowered to the table.
“No,” he said, stepping closer to her. “You will only end up moping and avoiding my eyes.”
“If I promise that I won’t, will you let me help you with cleaning your bandages?”
Hael sighed defeated, starting to take his riding shirt off. Nayeli casted her eyes downward, not watching him get undress. Once he was only standing in his brown riding pants, he came to lean back against the table in front of her. She lifted her gaze to his and to her surprise, he reached out to take her chin into his hand.
“You won’t whine in my ears about this?”
She shook her head up at him. “Sit down,” she said, patting the table in front of her.
She took off Hael’s bandages, relieved to see his cuts were not as deep as she had thought. It was still a sight that gave her chills, claw marks lining his rips and side. She didn’t trust her voice to speak, instead she unwrapped the last of the bandages and placed them aside. He reached for his pack of healing supplies, putting it on the table for Nayeli. Without speaking, she started cleaning the wounds. Hael’s gaze went past her, not looking at the cuts on his side.
When she was done cleaning the cuts, she stood to wrap his middle with the bandages. She was busy tying the last strand when a knock on the door made both of them jump. She gestured for him to stay put, stepping away and going to the door. It was late, too late for someone of the Inn to bother them. She opened the door and found a servant standing at the door.
The servant looked annoyed and didn’t say much when he handed the serving tray to Nayeli. She took the tray, her heart dropping at its contents. Closing the door behind her, she brought the tray to Hael. She plucked it down on the table with a loud crash, a curse leaving her lips.
Hael turned to look at the Drogonflower on the tray. “The Whittaker?” he asked, shocked. “And no note this time?”
“He’s here,” she said, pacing back and forth in front of him. “I should face him and get it over with.”
“I’m coming with you,” Hael objected, reaching for his shirt.
“You should stay up here-”
“Forget it, Nayeli,” he snapped, pulling on his shirt.
They came down the stairs and found the busy Inn had changed. Suddenly it had gone quiet. The clientele had all retired to their rooms. The common room was cleared of people, only one man remaining at a table. And what a mountain he was in the empty room. Eiric heard them coming, rising up from his seat. A slight smile touched his mouth. Alarm gripped Nayeli’s throat, her grip on the drogonflower in her hand tightening.“And that is how I clear a room,” he mused out loud. “By just being me.”
Nayeli looked around the cleared room, knowing well why everyone had fled the presence of the Domain Warrior. Even the Innkeeper had disappeared.
Nayeli opened her mouth to speak, but closed it once Eiric started clapping his hands at her. A delighted smile played with his face, his clapping loud in the empty room.
“What are you triumphant about?” she asked, her voice sharp.
“I’m applauding your attack on the Duke of Keldar,” he claimed, ending his clap and folding his hands in behind his back.
“It’s nothing to congratulate me on,” she snapped.
“But I’m so thoroughly impressed, you wildling,” he continued.
Nayeli and Hael shared a glance. Alarm touched his features, his shoulders squared in unease.
“This must be Hael Young ,” Eiric said to both their surprise. “I know your name well.”
“You do?” Hael asked, unbelieving.
“Of cause! The day the Princess was born, your own mother was only at the start of her seventh month of pregnancy. But for some reason you had fought your way out of her womb, emerging strong and healthy. It was so miraculous, it was declared that the only explanation could be that you were meant to be the Princess’ Lunar bond. You were the baby that had been delivered to Maya Castle to be raised along with the Princess. From the look of things, the people of the Isles must have been right, because here you are, still at her side and moving through the world with her.”
“You know what a Lunar bond is?” Nayeli asked with a frown caught between her eyes.
“Most Lunars marry each other-”
“Don’t even start with us,” she snapped, shutting him up. He still looked bemused, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them.
“I would like to speak with you, Nayeli,” he said after a lingering silence.
“Then speak.”
He glanced at Hael. “Can I please do that without your Lunar Brother glaring at me like I might jump at you any moment now?”
Nayeli looked at Hael and found that he truly was glaring. She stepped closer to him, touching his arm. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Hael tensed, not taking kindly at her dismissal. He shot a look at the Warrior once more before he turned away from them. She watched him go and once he disappeared out the door, she turned and found the Warrior watching her in return.
“You should stop sending me flowers,” she said boldly, dropping the flower onto his table.
“Do you know why I am sending them to you?”
She rolled her eyes at him, her own bemused smile touching her mouth. “Because you secretly fancy me?”
“Oh,” he pondered playfully. “You’ve noticed.” Her eyes widened, not sure if he was playing with her or telling the truth. “But that is not why I am sending you the flowers,” he finished.
“They’re Drogonflowers.”
“And you know what they are used for?”
She merely nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She didn’t want to grasp the fact that she was standing in a room with a man that knew very well how deadly the flower could be. Discomfort touched her spine.
He picked up the flower, holding it out to her. “I’m sending them to you because I want you to smell them.”
“They’re poisonous-”
“Their smell isn’t poisonous,” he said, urging the flower closer to her. “But the smell is quite dominating. If you learn to know its sweet scent, you would pick it up if you were to find it in your food.”
“Is that how you killed him?” she snapped, giving a step towards him.
His face faltered, touched by repentance. Taking in a breath, he leaned back against his table. He placed the flower next to him, his gaze on the floor.
“Do you understand why I had to do it?”
“You didn’t have to kill him-”
“If I didn’t, someone else would have,” he said, lifting his eyes to her face. He stared at her with v forming between his eyes. “But it had to be me, because it was only me that could conceal the Duke’s true cause of death. I made sure his death was not pinned on you.”
“I didn’t ask for you to defend me,” she declared, furious that someone had planned to use her in Faure’s death. “And I don’t understand why you would want to.”
“Because I know, Nayeli.”
“You know what?”
He cursed loudly. “I know that you’ve been accepting slaves into the Maya Isles from the Domain Kingdom.”
An involuntarily gasp escaped her lips, her spine turned to ice. Bewildered, she lowered her hands to her sides and felt the urge of wanting to jump at the Warrior, to grab the Drogonflower and force it down his throat. He shouldn’t know about this, couldn’t know! Her cheeks flushed, her heart drumming loudly in her ears. He was the King of the Domain’s brother. And he knew. He knew she was taking in slaves on her borders. Her heartbeat accelerated as she took in the consequences of what his words could mean.
“Calm yourself,” he murmured. “You’re secret is safe with me.”
“That is a lie!” she blurted. “Nothing or nobody is safe with you! I’m saving those people, Whittaker! I give them homes-”
“I know,” he snapped. “Why do you think I am here? Why do you think I am urging you to fight for people and not for Eldenwood’s animals?-”
“And have you told your King?” she asked in alarm.
“Of-fucking-course not,” he said. “If he had to find out, you would be dead before the end of day.”
She exhaled loudly. “What do you want, Eiric?” she demanded. “You want to use this information to extort me into doing something for you? Is that it?”
He laughed at her. “Extort you?” he entertained. “I want to fucking help you, Nayeli.”
She cursed out loud, boldly stepping closer to him. “Help me? He’s your brother-”
“And I loathe him!” the mountain of a man cried out. His sudden change in mood made her heart jump into her throat, looking up at the mountain. “Do you know how many thousands of men he has enslaved in his kingdom? Do you have any idea how many fathers have been taken from their families?! He wrecks lives as far as he goes!”
Like he wrecked your life? She found herself thinking, but refrained from saying so. Instead she stood her ground, holding his eyes. “What do you want me to do, Eiric? Why have you come all this way to tell me this?”
“Come with me to the Domain Kingdom,” he said.
She found her mouth to be dry, swallowing uneasily. “And do what?”
“End slavery.”
She narrowed her eyes up at him, taking in his words. She mulled over his actions of the last few weeks. He truly was the most perplexing man she had ever met. But she knew fairly well what he was proposing to her. She refused to think of what Aiden would say.
“To end slavery, you need to end King Jairo Whittaker,” she said, her murderous words leaving her mouth slowly. “And what then, Eiric? You become King?”
“Why, Princess, I’m offended,” he said. “Do you really think I am made to be a King?”
“Do you want me to answer that?-”
“Jairo Whittaker has a son,” he cut her off. “A bastard boy like me.”
Nayeli remained quiet.
“I believe the ways of being a King can be taught to him. We can help him.”
“And how do you suppose we get past Jairo Whittaker?”
“You’re a beacon of hope to the slaves of the Domain, don’t you realize that?” he began. “Word has travelled about you. Every slave that manages to escape, runs to your border. From what I hear, most of those slaves have been accepted into your armies.”
Nayeli frowned. “I’ve offered them other choices.”
“But they want to fight for you. They follow you now, you are their Queen.”
“I am not a Queen,” she uttered. “I fall under the reign of King Aiden Estrella.”
“You were made to reign over your own Kingdom, not to follow Aiden Estrella.”
She lowered her gaze away from him, slowly crossing her arms. “Eiric…” she whispered. “I serve the King of Adarmar. I will never oppose him, no matter what you say to me. If by helping you in your cause will hurt my relationship with Adarmar, I don’t want any part in it.”
“Someday you are going to feel different about what I am proposing to you now,” he said, suddenly taking her by the chin and tilting her head up at him. “I apologize for touching you, but I need you to look at me.”
His hand dropped away from her face and she held his stare.
“You haven’t been pushed far enough by Jairo yet. Not like I’ve been. But he will hurt you, Nayeli,” Eiric said slowly. “And when that day comes, you’ll regret not listening to me tonight.”
“Well, until then I will be in the Maya Isles-”
“Haven’t you been listening to me?!” he asked, his voice raised. “Like I’ve told you and your King, Jairo is planning something.”
“Then tell me what he is planning!-”
“If I knew that I would have told you. All I know is that his eyes are set on Adarmar and the Maya Isles. Whatever his plans are for either of the Kingdoms, I don’t know.”
“Surely he isn’t imprudent enough to think he can take us to war?”
“I’ve seen his confidence, Nayeli. Clearly the change he has set into motion is a perceptive one. He’s already murdered one of Adarmar’s Dukes. Or have you forgotten that?”
“And what do you want me to do about this? Talk to Aiden about it? Because I’m sorry to disappoint you but he doesn’t even want to be in the same room as me-”
“You’re little lover’s quarrel is very adorable and all, but I would suggest you take a step back and look at the bigger catastrophe at your door.”
She scowled at him, narrowing her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, a curse ready on her lips, but he spoke before she even had the chance.
“You’re in danger, Nayeli. And even if it pains me to say this, you are safer when you are around Aiden Estrella.”
“I’m going home,” she objected.
“I would advise against it-”
“I don’t care what you advise-”
“You don’t care that you are in danger?”
She snorted. “What danger?-”
“You’re being followed,” he claimed through clenched teeth, annoyed by her. “And not just by one person. I’ve located two so far.”
“It’s probably just Aiden.”
“One of them, yes. But to whom does the other man belong?”
She stared up at him. “You think someone would try and hurt me?”
He picked up the flower on the table. “Smell this.”
She didn’t need to bring the flower too close to her nose to smell all of it. Her Tiger senses heightened as she touched the flower and sensed its dominating sweet odor. It pleased Eiric when she sniffed the flower, a relief smile touching his face.
“You should go and rest,” he said, his voice calm. “I want to leave before dawn and escape your followers.”
“I am going home,” she warned him. “And going nowhere with you.”
He crossed his arms, looking down at her with a smirk. “Is that what you think?”
She squared her shoulders, holding his gaze. “I bid you good-night, Whittaker.”
Entertained, he licked his lips. “Good night, Native Princess.”
Chapter Sixteen - Appointing You to EldenwoodAkira stared at him in alarm.
“You want to do what?” she asked in shock.
“I want to make you the Princess of Eldenwood.”
Akira laughed. “You’re a very amusing man, brother.”
Aiden looked at her across the table. He gestured at the documents in front of him, picking up his quill. “Does this look like I am fooling around?”
“Stop writing!” Akira shrieked. “Don’t you dare put my name on those papers.”
Aiden lifted an eyebrow at her, the quill still in hand. They were in The Klink, their last destination before Adarmar Castle. It was early morning and most of the travelling party was already ready to depart by this time, ready to make their way towards Adarmar Castle. They were both dressed in their riding clothing, ready to move on from their current town. Holding her gaze a few moments longer, he dipped his quill in the ink and started completing the papers. Akira crossed her arms, staring at him in puzzlement.
“You can’t make me to this,” she said. “Can you?”
“Of cause I can, but it would go easier if you complied,” he said, not looking up from his paperwork.
Akira started panicking. “Does this mean I will have to attend your meets?”
He ignored her question, not feeling the need to answer it. Akira stiffened uncomfortably in her chair and as each second passed she grew more restless. The only sound in the room was his quill dancing over the paperwork.
“Aiden,” she said after a while of silence. “Are you sure about this?”
“I truly think this will be good for you and for our Kingdom. Eldenwood is a beautiful Court, it will please me immensely to see my sister lead the lands.”
“But I’ll have to move there!” Akira choked out, rising from her seat. “I don’t want to leave my home.”
“You will stay with me in Adarmar Castle until you’re eighteen years of age, only then will you move to Eldenwood.”
“But that is mere months away.”
Aiden stopped writing, looking up at his sister. “It will be hard on the both of us, Akira. But soon Eldenwood will become your home and you will be happy there. You are not far away from home, you can come to Adarmar Castle anytime you want.”
“Are you doing this to get me away from Jon?” she demanded, coming around the table and stopping next to Aiden. He looked up at her.
“This has nothing to do with Jon.”
“You want me to spend my time with nobles and not with an Aemazon Warrior. Why don’t you just admit it?”
“This choice was not made on who you spend your time with. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Jon yourself.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
“It was Jon who suggested you as Duchess.”
She fell silent, staring past Aiden. He watched her mind run, her face saddening.
“He wants me to leave?” she asked, her eyes lowering to the floor.
“No, Akira. But we both believe that you will flourish as the Princess of Eldenwood.”
She looked back at Aiden, her face hardening. “If I sign these papers I will be the keeper of these lands?”
“Yes,” he confirmed and pushed the papers closer to her.
She didn’t say anything as she picked up the quill and dipped it in ink. Aiden watched his sister step forward and claim Eldenwood as her own. He smiled, knowing that it truly was the best decision to make. Akira signed the documents, putting the quill down again. Then she turned back to Aiden, meeting his eyes.
“So I am the Princess of Eldenwood now?” she asked.
He smiled at her. “Yes, you are. Congratulations, Princess.”
“You’re not going to discuss this with your nobles first?”
“This is my choice, not theirs. I have the final say. I will send a letter to notify them all about my decision.”
“Well, since you’re already sending out a letter. I will be sending another along.”
Aiden lifted his eyebrows at her. “What kind of letter?”
“To notify them all that Duke Faure Jevric’s principles regarding his lands and wildlife will remain unchanged.”
Aiden’s face wavered, all signs of a smile gone from his lips. “You can’t be serious, Akira. The Kubovy-”
“This is what I want,” Akira insisted. “If you expect to me lead the lands, you need to trust me. Or are you going to oppose my very first ruling as a leader?”
Aiden clenched his teeth, watching his sister. “I don’t know if this will sit well with the Kubovy Family.”
“I don’t care. As Duchess of Eldenwood and Princess of Adarmar, I will make sure the people of Eldenwood are content with me as their leader.”
Aiden watched his sister in amazement, his face softening. “Well, alright then.”
Akira’s eyes widened when he didn’t put up a fight. She continued. “And I don’t want people of the Domain Kingdom in my lands. We will keep the agreement with them if that helps us in ridding them from the Seneca Woods.”
“I agree,” Aiden said with a nod of his head.
Akira hesitated and eyed her brother carefully before stepping towards him at the table. “Please make sure the Princess Nayeli receives the news?”
Aiden held her eyes before nodding his head again. “I will make sure she is notified.”
“Do you think she will accept me as the new ruler of Eldenwood?”
Aiden frowned. “Why do you care about how Princess Nayeli feels about this?”
“I know she’s been difficult these past months, but she inspires me, Aiden. She’s so strong and confidant in everything she does. I envy the way she can demand Adarmar’s attention.”
“I’ve asked her to leave Eldenwood and not to go back.”
“I know,” she said, her eyes pleading. “Please notify her that she is welcome to visit Eldenwood and its new Princess anytime she wants.”
“Akira-”
“Please do it, Aiden,” she said before he could even get a word out.
Aiden took a breath before picking up the quill again. Akira was a difficult as ever, as defiant as he knew she would be. Her Royal Blood instantly wanted to lead and demand. He was glad to see he wasn’t the only one with strong Estrella blood.
“I’ll send the letters out,” Aiden said, not looking up and continuing to write.
“Thank you,” she said, touching his shoulder and peeking over it. “I have a lot to learn, Brother.”
Touching his sister’s hand on his shoulder, he smiled. “You will be surprised to see how ready you are for leading. It’s in your blood.”
The silence between them stretched and Aiden continued writing. She glanced over his shoulder every now and then, reading as he wrote. The Kubovy family was going to be difficult about Akira’s decisions, and although Aiden would have liked to explore Eldenwood’s opportunities, he had to respect his Princess and Duchess’ decision. At the end, it was the best choice to make and he knew it. For the sake of Eldenwood’s people and folk, this would be best for them. He admired Akira’s courage to stand for Duke Faure’s procedures and conventions.
Even the decision about the Domain Kingdom he respected. When they had left Eldenwood he had left orders for the Whittaker to remain in Eldenwood until they’ve reached a decision. He didn’t need that man walking around in his Kingdom. Not with the Native Princess off on her own. His hand tightened on his quill at the thought. She had run off because he had asked her to leave Eldenwood. But running off on her own with only an injured native as her only protection filled him with concern.
“Speaking of blood,” Akira said next to him, her voice lowered. “Do you remember what father used to say about us?”
Aiden swallowed, thinking of Nayeli’s Tiger. “Yes, I remember.”
“He had said that our Royal Blood is powerful.”
“I remember.”
“The Princess Nayeli thinks my dreams mean things,” she said, her voice soft and hesitant.
Aiden dropped the quill, turning to look up at his sister. “And do you believe her?”
Aiden watched as his sister swallowed uneasily, meeting his eyes with concern. “I hope they don’t.”
“Did something happen in your dreams?”
“There’s a lot of death,” she said, her voice strained.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“No,” she objected. “I really don’t. But Nayeli has a way of drawing it out of me. She analyzes them like they’ve truly happened.”
Aiden’s heart sped up. So, Nayeli wasn’t blind to the properties of Royal Blood. But why didn’t she ever sense him?
“The Stag was killed by the Snake. Then the Snake and the Tiger fought over the Stag. The Snake was to blame for the Stag’s death, but the Wolf didn’t know that.”
Aiden’s eyebrows rose, staring at his sister in puzzlement. He knew her words meant something, he had always known. Of cause he knew. But he had never been able to unravel her dreams. They were all animals and he couldn’t identify them. When she was younger she had dreamt of birds and wolves. Every night she spoke of the colorful bird and its ways. He even remembered that Akira once enjoyed dreaming about it. The bird had offered a sense of hope.
“Do you remember the bird you dreamt about when you were still a child?”
Akira smiled fondly. “Nayeli said it was called an Alpoca.”
“An Alpoca?”
“A bird that lives in their homeland. It looks like a Raven, but it’s colorful. Mostly red and blue. Like her royal colors.”
He nodded his head. “Do you think Nayeli is the bird in your dreams?” he found himself asking.
“Please don’t start with me, Aiden. It will drive you insane if you try to analyze my dreams. They are too unclear to listen to,” Akira said and stepped away from him. She shrugged at him, touching her temple. “Besides, even if it sounds right, Nayeli can’t be the Alpoca because the bird is dead.”
Aiden’s throat tightened. “She’s dead?-”
“The bird is dead and Nayeli is very much alive, we both know that!” Akira insisted. “Don’t you see? These dreams are misleading and will drive you senseless!”
Aiden stood. “How did the bird die?”
“Oh, stop it, Aiden!”
“Was it the Tiger?”
Akira’s face faltered. “How did you know that?”
“Nayeli is the Tiger, Akira.”
Akira visibly shivered, her hands send into a tremble. “No,” she insisted. “No. Nayeli said we would fight the Tiger together. She promised me that we will both survive it!”
Aiden watched his sister entangle herself in the dreadful dreams that ruled her life. He remembered now why he had given up on asking her about them. It hurt her to talk about it. It caused her to tense into an interwoven ball of anxiety. He could sense her tears threatening, her eyes pleading him to stop asking about it.
“These dreams are not real, no matter what father had said.”
“Come here,” he said and opened his arms to Akira. She walked into his embrace, pushing her face into his chest. Silence fell on them, holding her in his arms. He felt her find calm in his arms, her shoulders relaxing. She loosened a breath, her grip on him tightening. She was everything to him. How in the world was he going to find the courage to let his beautiful, young sister go to Eldenwood without him?
Akira marched up to the door to Jon’s room. About to bang it off its hinges, but the door suddenly opened. Akira glared at Jon, lowering her hand. Jon stared at her in confusion, clearly sensing her fury. Pushing him into the room, she slammed the door shut behind them. “You want me gone?” she demanded at him.
“Well, good morning to you,” he said.
“You want me to leave Adarmar Castle?”
He closed his eyes, taking in a breath. “Akira, no-”
“You’re looking at the new Princess of Eldenwood!” she exclaimed. “Thank you for the recommendation, Jon May! And congratulations, I’ll be gone from your daily routine and you won’t have to worry about me anymore-”
“Do you truly think I want you gone from my life?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “That is plainly what you want! I guess I can understand that you don’t want to deal with Princess with her addiction to Ember!”
“Keep your voice down,” he snapped. “And this is not about Ember and neither about what I want. This is about what the folk of Eldenwood needs, what Adarmar needs-”
Akira found herself cursing at him. His eyes widened at her in shock. Yes, Jon May, she could curse just as well as the Princess Nayeli Faye. They didn’t differ too much in their age, and if she can demand what she wanted, so can Akira. She stepped towards Jon, her hurt burning in her chest.
“You’re never going to do more than kiss me, are you? You are never going to tell me that you love me. You won’t because you think it’s wrong.”
“It is wrong, Akira,” he insisted. “We’ve been through this before. I can’t care for you, you are not mine to love.”
“Are you even capable of loving?” she found herself saying.
“Clearly not!” he exclaimed. “Because no matter what I do, I will always hurt you. No matter which way I turn, you will never be mine.”
“I don’t care about politics! I want to know if you would want me to be yours. Forget about Adarmar and answer me. Would you want me?”
“I can’t have you-”
“Answer me, Jon. Do you want to love me?”
He shook his head in frustration, clenching his teeth. “It’s not that simple and you know it.”
“Then simplify it. Please.”
“Simplify it?” he asked. “Alright then, let’s do just that. Would you throw your little crown to the ground and come with me when the Warrior’s loyalty is won by someone else?”
“Why would they want to follow someone else?”
“Answer me, Akira.”
Her face changed, her outrage clear. “You want me to leave Adamar? To leave Aiden?”
“When the day comes, would you come with me?”
“But why do I have to give up my titles and my home? Why can’t you leave the Warrior’s?”
Jon’s face twisted into a knowing smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He held her stare, shaking his head at her. “I need to give my people up in order to be with you, but you aren’t willing to do the same for me.”
“That is not what I said! I just meant that it would be easier for you to do it-”
“Easy for me to give up the people that cared for me long before I’ve ever met you? Just give up on the people that shared slave pits with me? People I’ve fought for my entire lifetime? They are my life, Akira. It’s who and what I am. The fact that you don’t understand that obviously states how little you know about me.”
“I know you, Jon-”
“Then you won’t ask me to give up my people-”
“I want to be with you.”
“If that is true, put your crown aside.”
“I can never do that to Aiden and you know that!”
“Yes,” he snapped. “And neither can I! I won’t be the one to take his sister away from him. I won’t, Akira. He’s my friend and my King. We are both loyal to him-”
“Do I have my answer then?!” she demanded.
Jon cursed in frustration. “I should never have kissed you.”
Akira wanted to scream out loud, scream her frustration at him. His words hurt more than he would ever realize. She balled her hands into fists at her sides.
“You shouldn’t even have befriended me in the first place!” she said, her nails digging into her palms. “I don’t want to be your friend.”
“Then I’ll stay out of your way-”
“I’m glad I am leaving,” she found herself saying. “I can’t wait to leave you and Adarmar Castle behind me.”
Jon fell silent, his eyes locked with hers.
“I’ll make a new life for myself in Eldenwood. Without you.”
Jon’s eyes lowered to the ground. “Yes, Princess, you will.”
Before tears could touch her eyes, she turned away from him. There was so much more she wanted to say, so much more she wanted to yell at him. But her throat was swollen with tears and she didn’t have the courage to cry in front of him. She opened the door with a shaking hand, quickly closing it behind her again. She stopped for a second, listening if Jon might be following her. But the door remained closed and deep down she knew he wouldn’t.
She walked in a daze, her heart dragging on the ground behind her. She reached her carriage, her belongings already packed and the horses ready to leave. Her rider opened the door for her to get in, but instead she stopped and turned around. Her eyes searched the grounds around her, her eyes coming to rest on Aiden. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he turned to look at her. He was standing next to his horse, ready to mount it. But as their eyes met, he held the horse’s reign out to one of his navy guards. He came closer to her, holding her eyes. Without saying anything, or asking why tears were leaving her eyes, he took her hand and climbed into the carriage with her.
Akira was asleep in his lap, the carriage moving over the rocky terrain. Aiden stared out the window, his eyes on the Adarmar River. He thought of the first time he had seen Nayeli in her Therian form. That day he didn’t know what he was looking at, of cause. He hadn’t possessed the courage to admit that the Tiger’s blue eyes were familiar to him. It was smart of her to cross the river before Changing. It left a river between her and the town of people. She had been calm that day. She had Changed in peace, choosing to let her Tiger out. When her control on her Tiger loosened willingly, the creature would be calm once she was Changed. But if she fought it, the creature would emerge in an angry state. Like in Eldenwood. She had been furious at what the Duke had done to the Sarctic Fox and her cubs. The Tiger was even more furious, clawing its way out of Nayeli.
He closed his eyes, relieved that Hael had the sense to get her away from the people that surrounded her. He had known what she was turning into and Aiden was glad the man had the nerve to battle a Tiger.
Great Seas, a Tiger.
Of all the forms the Therians had taken in history, why did she have to be something so vicious and brutal. Nayeli was a young woman, her smile kind and her eyes always lit with compassion. Why would she be cursed with such a malicious creature? She was dealt with a fate that would rule her for the rest of her life. He truly hoped that she was eating enough to satisfy the creature that shared her heart.
Aiden’s thoughts travelled back to Hael Young. Surely the man had been dealt with a heavier hand than he could hold. He was the only one helping Nayeli with her struggle. Even though he didn’t much like the man, he was glad she had someone to share it with. But she would have to learn control, Aiden knew. She could have ripped Hael apart in the woods if he hadn’t stepped in. She would have to learn to obey once she was in her Therian form.
Guilt touched his heart. He could help her. He had the means to teach her the control she needed. But if she wanted his help, she would have to ask for it. Stubbornly he shook his head. He won’t give in to her. He had given too much of himself already. If she wanted something from him, she would have to ask him herself.
Her Tiger had tried to demand him in the Seneca Woods. She wanted to be Queen, to overpower him. But he was much stronger than the creature could have anticipated. He was powerful, his Blood Royal. He was the King of Adarmar and an animal won’t demand control over him. He was the King and his Kingdom belonged to him, not to her Tiger.
“Yer Majesty,” a guard said next to the carriage, snapping him out of his reverie. “The Duchess Leilani Kubovy seeks an audience with you.”
Aiden opened the curtain of the carriage, looking out at the guard to nod his head. Aiden groaned quietly, wondering what in the Seven Seas would the woman want from him now. Was she already conflicting his choice as Akira as the Princess of Eldenwood? He looked down at his sister in his lap, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Akira?” he asked and she instantly sat up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, rubbing her face. “Is it Nayeli?”
Aiden found himself smiling at his sister. When did she start caring so much about the Native Princess? He was glad to know he wasn’t the only ensnared one.
“The Duchess Leilani seeks an audience with me.”
“Oh,” she said, fiddling with her hair. “Is this about Eldenwood?”
He shrugged. “It might be.”
“Then I’m coming with you. I can defend myself, you don’t have to do it for me.”
When the carriage came to a stop, Aiden helped his sister step out of it. The entire traveling party came to a stop, everyone’s eyes on them. Word had spread about the new Princess of Eldenwood, he realized. Akira glanced at him, her eyes slightly widening in delight. It made him happy to see his sister excited in a way, nervous with anticipation of what was to come.
Akira’s eyes went past him and he followed her gaze. Behind them his nobles were making their way up to their carriage. The Duke Daniel Parnell was smiling from ear to ear, lifting his hands to clap them together. Aiden was relieved to find the Kubovy family smiling as well, joining in with the clapping of their hands. The entire party started clapping their hands in congratulations. Aiden found himself doing the same. Akira was stunned by their approval, clearly underestimating how loved she was by the people of Adarmar.
The nobles stepped forward, coming up to Akira to congratulate her. Leynar was more reserved in his congratulating, but at least he was polite. The young Duke Daniel Parnell was looking at Akira with eyes that surely should make Aiden uncomfortable, but he pushed it aside for now. If the Duke admired her, he wasn’t going to stop him.
It was Leilani that surprised him the most.
“I’ve already started planning,” she began. “There should be a ball in your honor, Princess Akira. We will rejoice together in celebrating the news. Tomorrow night,” Leilani chirped. “We should hold the ball tomorrow night in honor of our beloved Princess.”
Aiden smiled at the idea, looking at Akira for approval. She nodded her head, meeting eyes with Leilani.
“It’s settled then,” Aiden said. “I will send a rider to the castle to begin the preparations.”
Jon was standing next to his horse, leaning back against it with his eyes closed. He welcomed the sun on his face, lost in thought. Akira’s words were still fresh in his mind. He tried convincing himself it was for the best, but his heart protested nonetheless. He heard someone walking closer to him and when he opened his eyes he saw Aiden coming closer. “Akira cried this morning when we left The Klink,” Aiden said, gently.
Jon leaned his head back against his horse, staring up at the sky. He didn’t want to think about it and he definitely didn’t want to discuss it with the King of Adarmar.
“Is it time we have that talk that we’ve been avoiding for months now?” Aiden asked, clearly uncomfortable.
“After this morning you don’t have to worry about it,” Jon said and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of the sun on his face.
“I don’t want the two of you to fight.”
Jon shook his head, his eyes still closed. “You don’t have to trouble yourself about it.”
“Look at me, Jon.”
Jon turned his head to the side and opened his eyes to look at Aiden, still leaned back against his horse. He locked eyes with his King.
“Would you tell me what happened?” Aiden asked.
“I told her she should go to Eldenwood.”
Aiden fell silent, taking Jon in. Then he frowned. “Do you want a title in my Kingdom, Jon?”
Jon closed his eyes and snorted kindheartedly. “So I would be worthy of your sister?”
“I’m not questioning whether you are worthy. I don’t care who you are or where you come from. I’m asking whether you would like to become a lord of Adarmar. As a lord, you can court my sister freely. But I won’t let you court her as an Aemazon Warrior. If you ever choose to leave me, I won’t let her go with you, Jon.”
“She doesn’t have any plans in ever following me away from you, Aiden. She will never leave you, don’t you know that?”
“I hope that is true.”
Jon stepped away from his horse to face his King. “Akira is going to find herself a young lord to marry and forget all about me. It will happen sooner than you think. Now would you please stop being angry with me and move past this?”
He watched as Aiden’s brow furrowed, his eyes moving to meet Jon’s. Aiden crossed his arms, staring back at him with his eyebrows tied together. Aiden took in a breath, holding his stare as she spoke.
“I’m not angry with you because you fancy my sister.”
Jon snorted. “Then why the sour notions these last few months?”
“Oh, you both must think I’m so very daft,” he snapped.
“What do you mean-”
“I want you to take a message to the Native Princess. She has escaped the man I’ve sent after her. I want you to find her and tell her I’ve appointed Akira to Eldenwood.”
“I’ll go,” Jon agreed. “But what did you mean when you said we must think you are daft?”
“I’ll send you the documents to deliver to the Princess,” Aiden said and turned to walk away.
“Aiden?” Jon asked.
He stopped for a moment. “Let it go, Jon. This is a fight to have with my sister, not with you. And I will take her on about it. But not today.”
“But Aiden-”
“That’s enough, Jon,” Aiden cut him off and walked away.
Chapter Seventeen - Songs in Her Native TongueNayeli sat back into her horse’s saddle, loosening a breath. The day was coming to an end and the town they had to stay at wasn’t too far away. She rubbed her eyes and rolled her neck. She was stiff from riding and the road was getting long. Maya Castle were days away and she was already tired. For a second her thoughts travel to Aiden’s travelling party. They should be nearing Adarmar City by now. They were almost home.
Hael caught onto her tension, his horse coming closer to hers. To her delight, he quietly began humming a song. She smiled at the song he chose. It was the same song they had sung to Akira that night they had painted her face. The night they had shared with Akira felt so long time ago, but the memory made her smile nonetheless.
She glanced at Hael, softly saying the words to the song in their native tongue. Hael’s humming turned to singing, a smile playing with his features. He knew so well how to distract her. She would always laugh when she heard their song. Loosening her grip on her reins, she sang along with him.
When the song came to an end, they heard chuckles behind them.
She peeked over her shoulder at the Whittaker. “Still following us?” she asked and sighed.
“What a lovely song. If I understand correct, it’s about an older woman than has an eye on a younger lad?”
Both Hael and Nayeli looked around at him.
“You understand the native tongue?” Hael asked.
He nodded. “Many of the slaves in the Domain can speak it. When you sing too fast I tend to lose you, but mostly I understood.”
“That is quite surprising,” Hael said, turning to look at Nayeli again.
Holding his eyes, they shared a glance. At first they had tried to escape the Whittaker on the road, but later on they accepted that there was no escaping him. He followed them, insisting that they needed his protection. Hael was better by now, his cuts starting to heal well. But the Whittaker insisted that they couldn’t defend themselves. Nayeli was still waiting to see against what she would need to protect herself, but she gave it up and decided to simply ignore the man that trailed behind them.
They came to a town called Glance, the sun gone from the sky by the time they entered the town. It was filled with lights and quite larger in size since it was the town closest to the border of the Maya Isles. Tomorrow they would travel to a nearby Crossing between the two Kingdoms and head into the Isles.
They had stopped at an Inn where the Innkeeper had immediately recognized Nayeli. The man almost had a heart attack at the sight of her. He had grabbed for words, explaining that he only had only one room available when she wanted two. Nayeli had assured him it will be alright, taking the one room. The man had kept insisting that he could clear more rooms for her, but she had quickly waved him away and made sure Hael had paid well for their room. She would share the night with him, he wouldn’t mind.
Hael came into the Inn after tending to their horses and the Innkeeper showed them to their chamber upstairs. She helped Hael clean his bandages once the Innkeeper had left them. Hael was quiet as she cleaned his wounds.
“You’re healing well,” Nayeli murmured to him as she fastened the last bandage around his ribs.
Hael stood up, cautiously touching his side. He made his way over to her belongings.
“There is something I want to do,” he said and picked up her white cloak. “You wear this one the most, right?”
“I liked the color even before I realized I would be claimed by my Therian gene. I never imagined my Tiger would be white too.”
Hael nodded his head. “I’ll use this one then.”
Her brow furrowed. “For what?”
Hael took a packet out of his pocket. “I’ve arranged this with the stableman of the Inn. I’ve been trying to acquire it for some time now, but it’s not easy to find.”
She moved closer to him. “What is it?”
“It’s anti-poison. It obviously doesn’t work for every poison in this world. I have no idea if it’s strong enough to help against Drogonflower, but it’s all I’ve been able to buy.”
Nayeli swallowed uneasily. “You’re smart to think about it.”
“I’ll sew the anti-poison into the hem of your cloak’s hood. It would be easily accessible for you.”
She nodded her head. “I will go down to the kitchens and ask for sewing essentials. I’ll let them send it up to you.”
“It’s for the best, Nayeli.”
She nodded her head and left the room to go to the kitchens.
After helping Hael with the sewing of their cloaks, Nayeli came down from her room to sit at one of the Inn’s tables. Hael had gone to bed, resting his wounds. She wanted to order a mug of ale to unwind after a long day, but feeling the eyes of the room on her, she settled for water. She didn’t need stories to travel to the King about her indiscretions. Her mug of water was placed in front of her and she subtly rolled her eyes at it. This was surely not going to lift her mood. She took a sip of the water and placed the mug back on the table. She sighed dramatically and when she lifted her gaze she stared into a pair of auburn eyes watching her from the door. She met the Whittaker’s glance, watching him. He wasn’t traveling in the colors of the Domain. If it wasn’t for his size, he might have blended in with the rest. But his long, blond hair that fell to his shoulders was a beacon in the dark room.
He was handsome, she found herself thinking.
Especially when he was looking at her like she was this marvelous creature he had discovered. In some way it was flattering to have a man like him adore her so. She didn’t know what to make of his plans for her, but she found herself standing up front her chair. It pleased him when she started walking towards him. Before anyone could notice, he slipped out the door. She followed him out, leaving the staring eyes of the Inn behind her.
Outside the streets were lit with lanterns. It was a beautiful town, a beacon to its surroundings. Nayeli searched for Eiric and when she couldn’t find him, she stepped out and walked down the street. She knew he wouldn’t let her out of his sight. She came up to a tavern but stopped at its door when she sensed someone behind her. She turned around to look at Eiric.
He shook his head at her. “Not that one.”
“No?” she asked, playfully reaching for the door’s knob.
“There are men of the Domain in town, in that tavern specifically,” he warned.
Nayeli frowned at him, troubled by the thought of Domain folk in Adarmar. “Why are they here?”
“There can be many reasons.”
“Are they looking for you?”
“I would prefer to avoid them.”
“And would they look for me?” she asked.
He nodded his head, lowering his eyes. “They will be spies for Jairo.”
“Oh,” she said and stepped into the street, away from the tavern.
“Searching for a place to drink is very unladylike,” Eiric said and a small smile tucked at his lips.
She stepped closer to him and lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m not as perfect as you imagine me to be.”
His smile broadened. “You think I picture you as perfect?”
“Don’t you?” she asked, stepping around him and continuing down the street. She smiled once she heard him follow her.
“Aren’t you just full of yourself,” he teased. “I give you one compliment and I have to be reminded about it every day.”
They rounded the corner and to her surprise Eiric walked up to a tavern. She came to a stop and turned into the tavern with him. Inside the place was bustling with people. She moved through the crowd with Eiric until they reached the counter and he ordered ale for them. Placing the mug in front of her, a bemused smile touched his features.
Holding his eyes, she took a sip of the ale. The taste lingered on her tongue, tasting like freedom. When tomorrow comes she would put everything that had happened in Adarmar behind her. She would forget her mistakes, she would forget Eldenwood, and hopefully she would be able to forget Aiden’s fury. His words were still pricks of hurt in what was left of her heart. But tomorrow she would be out of Adarmar and she would be free again. She drank more of her ale, drowning away her thoughts of Aiden Estrella.
It must have been an hour or two after midnight, the town coming to a rest. The tavern was cleared of people, leaving Eiric and Nayeli alone at a table. Nayeli sat back into her chair, her eyes on Eiric. He had a lute in his hands, playing with the strings on the instrument. His words were slurring but he kept up his beat, singing playfully along with the strings he tucked. The instrument looked small in his tall embrace. Placing her mug on the table, she reached for the lute.
“My turn,” she ordered and took it out of his hands.
She played with the strings, her fingers moving together. Eiric clapped along with the beat, his eyes closing. They were both tired, too tired to go to bed. So she kept playing. Soon she found herself quietly singing along. Eiric’s eyes opened at the sound of her voice, looking at her in wonder.
She had found his company to be easy for most of the night. Once they had decided to leave their differences aside, she found herself enjoying him. She didn’t want to, knew she shouldn’t, but somehow he had been able to charm her into spending the evening with him. She stopped her song to take a gulp of ale.
“I have a song I want to sing,” he said and kindly reached for the lute again. Handing it back to him, she licked her lips and leaned back into her chair. Eiric hesitated a moment longer before touching the strings of the lute. He cleared his throat.
“I might pronounce some of the words wrong, so forgive me. It’s a song that the slaves sing over and over in the slave jails and pits.”
She frowned. “I’m not sure I want to hear it.”
But she nodded reluctantly as he began playing and brought her ale to her lips.
A song they sing in the slave jails and pits, she wondered. She thought it might be crude, might be about death or their struggle, but she truly was surprised when Eiric started the song. When his words joined in, chills wrapped around her heart. Placing the ale back onto the table, she crossed her arms and glared at the Whittaker. She held his glare, his fingers ultimately leaving their struggle with the lute. Lowering the lute away from him, he sang the song louder. Her native tongue filled her ears and clutched her chest. Eiric kept singing, knowing well how it was making her feel.
“It’s a song my father had taught me as a child. I use to sing it in the kitchens of our castle.”
Eiric stopped singing.
“I know,” he said, lowering his eyes away from her.
“It’s a song about hope,” she said softly.
“And a song that infuriates the King of the Domain.”
She licked her lips, taking in a breath. “Is that why he’s toying with me? Because I offer his people something he won’t?”
“He doesn’t see the slaves as part of his people. He sees them as entertainment. But it upsets him when his entertainment sings in the Native Tongue.”
“So my entire Kingdom infuriates him?”
“Just as much as your alliance with the King of Adarmar.”
She shook her head, her eyes dry and probably red. “I’m going home tomorrow.”
“Yes,” he said with clear disappointment.
She drowned the last bit of her ale and stood. “You think that by playing a song out of my childhood that you would persuade me to go with you to the Domain Kingdom?”
He stood as well, staring down at her. “I played the song because I thought you would like it.”
“No. You want to convince me to fight with you against the never-ending struggle of slavery.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She hated that he towered over her and she decided to do something about it. She pulled her chair closer and stepped onto it. Eiric was entertained by her move and kindly laughed at her once she came to stand on the chair. She faced him, looking him straight in the eye.
“Well, hello there,” he murmured at her.
She found a smile tucking at her lips as well, her feet unsteady on the chair. She tried steadying herself and positioning her feet better, but the chair was unstable and she faltered slightly. Eiric’s eyes widened when she almost slipped off the seat, catching her by her arms. He fixed her on the seat and quickly pulled his hands away from her.
“I apologize for touching you, but you’ve drunk too much for fooling around,” he said sternly.
She laughed at him and it seemed like he didn’t like being laughed at. “Why do you do that?” she found herself asking.
“Do what?” he snapped, his eyes red from all the ale.
“Apologize for touching me every time.”
He wondered about her question, looking past her. “People don’t like it when I touch them.”
“Because you’re so intimidating?” she asked, their eyes finding each other.
“You find me intimidating?”
“And handsome.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You really must be drunk beyond your mind.”
She held his eyes and smiled. “I’m going to touch you, Eiric,” she mocked and reached for his hair. She took a strand of hair between her fingers and started rolling it around her finger.
“Is the Princess of the Maya Isles twirling my hair around her finger?”
“You don’t like it?” she asked and let the strand of hair go. “What do you like then?”
He held her eyes, the room falling quiet around them. “I have curious taste.”
“And are you curious about me?” she asked and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Eiric remained quiet at first, a smile touching the side of his mouth. “And if I am?”
“If you are, you should follow me into the Maya Isles,” she said, her hand touching the side of his neck. He swallowed underneath her touch. “How old are you, Eiric?”
“Too young to have seen the things that I have. And old enough to know when I should be turning away from the Princess in front of me.”
She grinned at him. “And are you going to turn away from me?”
“I should.”
“And if I kiss you?”
“I’m not gentle enough for you, Princess,” he said with a knowing smile.
“I have the heart of a Tiger, I can handle it.”
“Well, I’ve never kissed a tiger before.”
She grinned back at him, his words meaning so much more than he could realize. Reaching both her arms around his neck, he stiffened uncomfortably. Toying with him, she played with his long hair behind his head while staring into his eyes with a wicked smile. His eyes dropped to her lips, watching her smile at him.
“Don’t you want to kiss me, Eiric?”
“I can’t kiss you.”
Her smile disappeared, staring into his eyes. “You always act so tough. But you’re not tough at all.”
“Excuse me?”
“You warn me that you are not gentle enough for me, but when it comes to it, you can’t even kiss me. If you’re not even brave enough to do this simple thing, how are you going to convince me to fight with you against your King?”
Eiric’s hands clasped down on her hips, tucking her body closer to him. She startled in surprise, her eyes widening but not leaving his.
“What I am going to do with this Wild rebellious side of you?” he asked nonchalant and brought her lips to his. His lips came down on hers without a care in the world. Her heart pounded in her ears at the way he carelessly kissed her. She held onto him, hoping that she won’t fall off the unstable chair. His kiss deepened, alarming her heart. His hands travelled down her sides, stopping on her hips again. He took hold of her body in way that warmed her cheeks. In a way the Whittaker still frightened her, but he was causing her body to react in ways she couldn’t explain to herself.
Sensing her distress, Eiric began smiling. She opened her eyes and looked up at his bemused face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Eiric gave her another quick kiss before she could do so.
“It’s very entertaining,” he mused.
“Entertaining?”
“Yes,” he began. “Your little fight with your lover is quite amusing to me.”
She removed her arms from around his neck and wiped her mouth. “He’s not my lover.”
Eiric laughed. “Surely you know how dangerous it is for Kings and Queens to fight?”
Nayeli stepped off the chair, needing to get away from him.
“I’m not a Queen,” she muttered over her shoulder, making her way for the door.
“You can walk away from me, but the truth will remain the same. You are not a Queen, you are thee Queen. To more Kingdoms than one-”
She closed the tavern door behind her before she could hear the rest of his claims.
The next morning Nayeli and Hael took care to get out of town before anyone could notice. Nayeli wanted to cross the border between Adarmar and the Maya Isles before Eiric Whittaker could follow them. She did not know what to make of him, but she had decided he was too much of a risk to befriend. She truly did believe in the devotions he wanted to fight for, but currently she was caught in enough trouble for the time being. In some way Eiric was right, it did not do any good for Aiden and Nayeli to be caught in a feud. But she would resolve her problems with the King of Adarmar. How she would do it, she did not know, but she would find a way. She found herself wanting to see him, wanting to meet her eyes with his. They travelled for about two hours and then reached the crossing. Guards in navy clothing crowded the grounds, moving about in their busy day. The crossing was crawling with people, carriages and horses that wanted to pass through. Nayeli sat back in her saddle, smiling at the thought of passing through the crossing and seeing her own Royal Colors on the other side. The guard recognized her immediately, closing in on her. They greeted her with respect, like always. By now she knew a few of the faces that worked the Crossing and greeted them kindheartedly. Henry Myers was the head of the Crossing’s guard. When word got around that she was at the Crossing, he came her way immediately. She smiled at the man she had gotten to know over the years, dismounting her horse.
He bowed his head in greeting. “Princess Nayeli. Hael Young.”
They bowed their heads in return. “Master Myers, it’s a pleasure to see you,” she said.
“Likewise, Princess.”
“We are crossing over to the Isles. Time for me to head home after Duke Faure Jevric’s Grievance Day.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his eyes moving past her. “But before you cross over, there is someone here to see you.”
Nayeli frowned, turning around to look at the person Henry was talking about. A smirk touched the sides of her mouth at the sight of Jon May making his way through the people. He was dressed in his Aemazon Black, his head held as high as ever. His fetching features were a breath of fresh air after days on the road. Selfishly she glanced past him, hoping she might see the King with him. But he stopped in front of her without Aiden and he somehow looked displeased.
“Well, if it isn’t Adarmar’s newest Warrior Woman,” Jon said and held two letters out to her.
Her smile faded. “Good day, Jon,” she said and took the letters from him. “And what is this?”
“Something that will please you. Do you always get your way, Princess?”
She lifted a brow at him. “Not always,” she said sharply.
Jon didn’t reply, watching her open the letters. They were about Eldenwood and she knew they would be. Aiden had appointed a new Duke or Duchess. Nayeli swallowed anxiously, her heart heavy. She had made a promise to Faure that she would take care of Eldenwood’s people and wildlife. It was over now. It was out of her hands and she would have to step aside and watch as everything about Eldenwood was to be changed.
Hael stepped closer to her, sensing her dread and peeking over her shoulder at the letter. Nayeli read on.
“Princess Akira?” Hael exclaimed next to her.
Nayeli looked up at Jon. “Akira will be appointed to Eldenwood?”
Jon nodded his head slowly, looking away to avoid her eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder how he felt about it. Would it mean that he and Akira will be moved apart? Had it been Aiden’s idea to take his sister away from Jon?
“All of Duke Faure’s conventions will stand, his wildlife untouched,” Jon said.
Hael smiled, looking at Nayeli. Her heart wanted to jump out of her chest in delight. She wanted to run to Akira and throw her arms around her in thankfulness. She would never be able to explain her gratitude towards the Princess. Akira had done what she had longed to do. She was going to be the perfect leader of Eldenwood. Even better than herself, Nayeli thought fondly.
A smile touched her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was so very pleased with Aiden’s decision, but she couldn’t bring herself to rejoice in his choice. Eiric Whittaker crossed her mind, stomping on her spirit. He had killed Duke Faure. The man she had kissed mere hours ago had killed the Duke of Eldenwood. She still didn’t know why Faure had been killed. She still didn’t know what the King of the Domain Kingdom was planning. There were Domain people in Adarmar, watching all of them. She had been so caught up in her troubles with Aiden that she had not been listening to what the Whittaker had said.
Appointing Akira as the new leader of Eldenwood would obviously not be what the Domain King wanted. Nayeli felt her Wild blood stir in her veins, the Tiger scratching the surface.
Without saying anything, she started to open the second letter.
“It’s an invitation from Duchess Leilani Kubovy herself,” Jon explained. “She wanted me to tell you that they are willing to put the past behind them if you are. If you accept their invitation to the ball in Princess Akira’s honor, all will be forgiven. For the sake of Adarmar, I would suggest you accept the invitation.”
“We will definitely be attending,” Nayeli said, staring at the invitation from Leilani.
“Then we should get on our horses and get to Adarmar Castle. The Ball is tonight. If we leave now, we will make it in time.”
Nayeli handed the letters to Hael, turned away from them and walked towards her horse. She mounted her horse, bowing her head at Henry Myers and turning her horse around. She needed to get to Adarmar Castle, she needed to get to Akira.
“I’m relieved to see you are eager to make peace with the Kubovy family,” Jon said as a man handed him the reins of his horse. He smirked at Nayeli before mounting.
“If we are going to lead Adarmar together, we will have to get along. You never know when you might need them, even if they are very different to me.”
“Will need them?”
“We’ve been declared as one, Jon. We will fight together in whatever comes our way in the future. We protect Adarmar together.”
Jon looked puzzled, curiously looking her over. But she didn’t have time for talking, she needed to get to Adarmar Castle. She needed to get to the Princess Akira. She was in trouble without the wolf by her side. Looking away from Jon and his curious wolfish smile, she started her horse forward. Hael fell in beside her, riding away from the border of the Maya Isles.
Chapter Eighteen - Come Out to PlayAkira walked through Adarmar Castle’s gardens with a small smile on her face. It felt good to be home. It felt like she had been away for months, not weeks. The people of Adarmar City welcomed her as the Princess of Eldenwood, congratulating her everywhere she went. The people seemed to be pleased with Aiden’s decision and it delighted her immensely.
“You haven’t stopped smiling since you’ve been appointed to Eldenwood,” Duke Daniel Parnell said, smiling fondly at her.
She walked next to him and enjoyed his company as always. She looked up at him shyly, a smile on her lips. Daniel has not stopped giving her most of his attention since arriving at Adarmar Castle and she adored every moment of it.
“Will you come visit me in Eldenwood, Duke Daniel?”
“I most definitely will, Princess. I look forward to seeing you reign.”
The thought was blissful to Akira. She liked the Duke. He was a mere two years older than
“Is there a reason why you’ve invited me on this walk, Duke Daniel?”
He grinned confidently. “Why her and she related with him naturally. He was kind and ruled his lands well. Aiden was fond of him as well.yes, I wanted to ask you something.”
Her heart swelled. “Well, go ahead and ask then.”
“Well,” he started. “We always enjoy each other’s company and I find you to be quite enticing.”
“Enticing?” Akira mused, confidence touching her shoulders.
“Why yes, and I think that a Princess should have someone to attend the ball with. It is after all a ball in her honor. Don’t you think you should attend it with a young Duke?”
Akira’s smile widened, flattered by him. “Do you know of a young Duke that might be available?”
Daniel chuckled, eyeing her fondly. “Well, if you’ve gone down your list of men who you would like to attend with and they all turn you down for some bizarre reason, would you consider attending the ball with me?”
“You think I have a list of men I can choose from?” she mused.
“Most definitely.”
Akira giggled softly and heat slowly touched her ears. She came to a stop to turn and look at Daniel. He met her eyes, waiting for her to reply to his request. Jon crossed her mind, paining her heart, but she pushed the thought of him aside quickly.
“It would be a pleasure to have you by my side tonight,” Akira said with a smile. “I can think of nobody else I would rather go with.”
Daniel seemed delighted, smiling ear to ear.
“Now let’s talk about Eldenwood,” he said and they continued their walk. “I was in your shoes not too long ago. I would be honored to give you some advice.”
Akira fell into step next to him, soaking up his words. But eventually her thoughts drifted slightly. She has not spoken to Jon since they have left The Klink. Aiden had sent him to find the Princess Nayeli and deliver the news of Eldenwood to her. Akira hoped with her whole heart that she would come to the ball tonight. Somehow it seemed impossible to celebrate her new position without her. Hopefully Jon and Nayeli would make it to Adarmar Castle in time. She did not want to talk to Jon, but having him so far away from her made her restless. Pushing the thought aside, she smiled at Daniel again.
Aiden was dressed in his Royal Navy, ready for the ball in his sister’s honor, when someone knocked on his door. His heart gave the quickest step and truly hoped not to find Nayeli at the other side of the door. Although he had found himself longing to see her, he was not ready to face her yet. The last time they had spoken had been in the Seneca Woods. He was not fond of thinking back at the Tiger and its blue eyes, in fact, the thought haunted him. If Nayeli was to make it to the ball, he would not be able to meet her eyes. He had too much to say to her, too much to scream at her. How was he supposed to ever look at her again after all the terrible things they have said to each other? After asking her to leave Eldenwood…
But his biggest dread was facing her now that he knew what she was. He could not let her Therian Blood demand his obedience. No, he would not allow it. He was powerful and he would show her just how prevailing he was. Lifting his head, he opened his door.
“Jon?” he said in surprise and made way for him to come into his room.
“She’s here,” Jon said simply. “She would be done and ready in time for the start of the ball.”
Aiden nodded his head. “Thank you, Jon. Where did you find her?”
“At The Crossing near Glance. They’ve been travelling very slowly because Hael is hurt. I don’t know what happened to him, but sounds like he is doing better by now.”
“They travelled alone?”
“Looks like it.”
Aiden looked him over. “And why are you not dressed?”
“There is no need for me to attend this ball.”
Aiden watched Jon, crossing his arms. “I want you to attend as representative of the Aemazon Warriors.”
“This has nothing to do with the Warriors,” he said stubbornly.
“Akira would want you to attend, Jon.”
“No,” he insisted. “I can’t bear it.”
“You’re the one that suggested her for the position.”
“And it was the right choice. But I can’t think why she would want me there.”
Aiden kept his eyes on Jon, watching the man that fancied his sister. If there had ever been a man he could accept into her life, it would probably have been Jon. He knew the man well and he considered him a trusted friend. He knew Jon would never intent any harm towards Akira. She called him her protector. But it did not change the truth. He was an Aemazon Warrior and she was a Princess. Their worlds were very far apart. If they were to pursue one another, it could never end well.
“Aiden,” Jon started after a long silence. “There is something I need to tell you. After our last conversation I am starting to suspect that you might already know, but either way, I need to tell you.”
“Yes,” Aiden found himself saying. “I already know and truly hope that we are referring to the same matter here.”
Jon closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. “You know that Akira struggles with her dreams and fits. I’ve been trying to help her with it.”
Aiden touched his brow in distress. These past few months it had been easy for him to overlook what Akira was busying her with. It had been easy to ignore the smell of smoke in her room, but the moment Jon would confirm it, there would be no way he could overlook it any further. He hoped there would be a different reason for her confinement to her rooms.
“What have you been supplying her with, Jon?” Aiden asked sharply.
“So, you did know?”
“I suspected Akira. It was only later that I realized you must be involved.”
“I’ve been providing her with Ember,” Jon admitted, looking away from him.
Aiden cursed unbelievingly. “Ember?” he asked in dread. “My little sister has been lighting her room up in Ember.”
“We’ve kept it to a minimum-”
“I don’t want to hear it, Jon.”
“You need to understand that-”
“You can stop explaining. This is not something I want to hear. Needless to say, you will stop doing it immediately.”
“She would find other ways to get it.”
“The Princess of Eldenwood will not be lighting the place up in Ember. I’ve worked hard to rid my Kingdom of it. I can’t allow this.”
“You think she’s going to listen to you?”
“Oh, no, Jon,” Aiden mused with a smile on his face. “You got her into the mess and therefore you are going to fix it. You will get her off the substance. She must be able to go without it by the time I send her to Eldenwood. I will help where I can, but you must be the one to convince her to stop it.”
“She will listen to you, not me.”
“I need to start educating my sister in the ways of leading lands. I can’t do that while I’m fighting with her over Ember. Great Seas, Jon, Akira trusts you with her life. I am sure you would be able to come through to her.”
Jon shifted his weight uncomfortably on his feet. “It will take some time.”
“You will start by attending the ball tonight. That is an order, Jon.”
Jon groaned, glaring at Aiden. “I guess then I’ll be the one in the scarlet dress,” Jon played.
Aiden grinned at his friend. “I’ll take you for a dance.”
“From what I hear you’re already going to be busy enough.”
Aiden let out a long sigh. “Yes, the Duchess Leilani has her claws in me. She insisted that I attend with her. I couldn’t decline since she had arranged this entire affair. She’s been running around the entire day.”
Jon grunted. “I’m glad to hear that I’ve missed it.”
“She means well. How could I possibly refuse her invitation?” Aiden asked and opened the door to his room. With Jon following him, they left Aiden’s chamber. Outside his chamber they found a servant with a message. Jon talked about the ball and about what the Duchess Leilani must have in store for them. But Aiden’s attention was quickly stolen from Jon once he read the message.
“What is it now?” Jon asked.
Aiden cursed and crumbled the message in his hands. “Go get dressed. We have a visitor attending the ball.”
“You are not serious,” Jon exclaimed knowingly.
“Yes,” Aiden confirmed. “The Whittaker is not done with us yet.”
“I look ridiculous,” Hael muttered, looking down at what he was wearing. Nayeli eyed the way her Royal Colors complimented his attire. Nayeli smiled at him. “You look like a Prince.”
He groaned. “I don’t need to dress like a Prince in order to catch Akira’s attention. We are already fond of each other.”
“The entire ball is going to demand her attention, Hael. If you want a woman like that to notice you at all, you will dress like this. You need to be at her side every chance you get, alright?”
“You really think she might be in trouble?”
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Nayeli pressed. “Please take care to watch what she eats and drinks. And watch Jon’s drink too, she tends to drink his wine.”
Hael let out a long sigh. “And what happens when a Princess of Adarmar falls to the floor due to a native plant from our homeland?”
Nayeli closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know. But you have to anti-poison, right?”
“Like I’ve said before. I’m not sure if it will work.”
“We have to try. For Akira.”
“Or perhaps someone else,” Hael muttered with concern.
Nayeli shook the thought away, clearing her head. “I should get dressed.”
“I’ll leave you then,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll go find out who is attending the ball with Akira.”
“If she’s with Jon, she ought to be safe. But for the rest of the time, try your best to be at her side.
Hael nodded his head and winked at her before leaving her room.
Once Hael left, she turned to the dress she has chosen for the night. The dark blue dress was not something Nayeli had ever worn before. She had worn Adarmar clothing and had dressed like a Duchess or Lady, but this dress had been made for a Queen.
Nayeli braided only a few red and white feathers into her hair, not too much. She wanted to be herself, to acknowledge that she was different, but her dress would prove that she can be a part of Adarmar’s Kingdom. There had been too many cries for war to be comfortable with. If there was going to be any warfare on the horizon, Nayeli would stand by the Kingdom that had become a part of whom she was today. The Maya Isles are a part of Adarmar and she would accept that fact tonight. She will show Adarmar’s people that she was content with her lot as Aiden Estrella as her King.
The thought of Aiden made her chest tighten. She was not sure whether she was ready to see him. She had hoped that he might come and see her before the ball, but so far he had not been anywhere near her. He would still be mad but hopefully not as furious as he had been in the Seneca Woods. His fury was not something she wanted to face again tonight.
Once Nayeli was dressed, she found herself standing in the silence of her room. Where was Aiden? She did not expect him to accompany her to the ball, but somehow she had hoped to see him before leaving her room. She blinked her eyes, anxiety clutching her throat. She gazed at the mirror, taking in the spirit in blue. Her eyes were illuminated by her dress in their magnificence. Staring at the stranger in front of her, her lips parted to let in a breath.
Did Aiden Estrella have any idea how captivating he really was to her?
Walking away from the person in the mirror, she left her chamber. She walked down the halls of Adarmar Castle alone. Nearing the Great Hall, she could hear the chatter of the people coming to the ball. Her breathing still uneven, she turned a corner.
Her heart kicked into her throat once she stared at a pair of coffee eyes and shocking white hair. She halted and stared.
“Not pleased to see me?” the Whittaker asked, his smile creeping onto his face. He was dressed in the Domain’s Royal Grey, wearing his Kingdom’s color proudly. To her horror, he was holding a drogonflower.
She took in a sharp breath. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Be calm,” he ordered with a smile. “And smell this.”
Anger rose in her blood. “I see you have a fresh supply of Drogonflowers.”
He cocked his head to the side, his eyes rolling over her dress. “I was handed a fresh supply at The Crossing between the Maya Isles and Adarmar, along with orders to come to Adarmar Castle immediately.”
“And what would your orders be here?” she demanded.
“I don’t know yet.”
Nayeli cursed, her chest taken with panic. “If you hurt anybody here… I will hurt you back, Eiric. I promise you that.”
Her words amused him. “And what if my orders are to hurt you, Nayeli Faye? You’ve declined Jairo’s proposal. Don’t you realize you are the one he wants to hurt? You were fond of Duke Faure as well, weren’t you? Perhaps that is why he is dead.”
She kept quiet, glaring up at the mountain.
“I warned you about this, Nayeli. He would hurt the people you care for to get to you-”
“So you would murder me if he asked you to?” she blurted.
“Smell this,” he ordered, stepping closer to her.
“No!” she exclaimed and recoiled away from him.
“You’re so fucking stubborn, Nayeli!” he claimed and grabbed her arm to pull her closer to him. She yelped in surprise, looking up at the man that towered over her. Holding her in his grip, he brought the flower to her face and glared down at her. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe someone else could be appointed to doing his filthy work?” Eiric snapped. “I’m not the only snake he owns. There are hundreds of us. One of them might just be hurting someone you love right now. Now smell the fucking flower.”
Nayeli clenched her teeth, holding his eyes as she pulled in the flower’s sweet sent through her nose. Eiric’s features softened, his grip on her arms softening.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he added to her surprise and let go of her.
She quickly stepped away from him, touching the spot he had touched her.
His eyes travelled to her arm. “Did I hurt you? Do you want me to apologize?”
She dropped her hand away from her arm. “No,” she said sharply. “But there is something else I want.”
His smiled returned. “The Queen is coming out to play,” he observed.
“Find out what kind of orders Jairo are sending this way,” she said, holding his eyes.
“And do what?” he played.
“Come to me with them.”
“But Jairo is my King,” he dared. “I follow him. He’s my fucking brother. Why would I betray him to you?”
“Because you and I are going to exchange some favors. It’s what you wanted all along, right?”
His interest peaked. “Do you have any idea what type of favor I want to ask you?”
She nodded her head. “I’m not blind to what you want, Eiric.”
“I’m listening-”
“You want me to hurt Jairo.”
“To hurt Jairo?” he mused.
“If you help me…” she trailed off before she continued. “I’ll murder him myself and make sure every slave in the Domain knows it.”
He cocked his head to the side, watching her as the seconds ticked by. He was waiting for her to hesitate, but she held his eyes even though her stomach knotted with anguish.
“I can’t be sure that I will learn of his plans before he implements them.”
“If you want me to help you, you will find out.”
Eiric straightened his back and then nodded his head. “Alright then, young Queen.”
“I’m not a-”
“Oh, come now,” he cut her off. “Dressed like this, you definitely are not a chamber maid.”
Ignoring him, she stepped around him.
“You want me to accompany you to the ball?” he asked behind her. She refrained from screaming, making her way away from him. “Don’t you think Aiden Estrella would just rejoice in happiness if I attend his sister’s ball with you on my arm?”
Nayeli cursed out loud, finding the need to clasp her hands over her ears to shut out Eiric Whittaker’s laughter behind her.
Chapter 19 - Standing On The Ball of Control Jon needed to watch the Whittaker in the room but instead his eyes kept travelling to Akira. There was Domain filth in Aiden’s Castle and it should be of most importance to him, but he could not stop looking at the way Akira was smiling at Duke Daniel Parnell. Everyone wanted to dance with her, but between Daniel Parnell and Hael Young, she was kept quite busy. He glared in Hael’s direction. The man was probably the best dressed since Jon had met him. He played the part by Akira’s side quite well, being respectable to Adarmar’s customs about how to dance with a Princess.
Akira had been enticed with the man ever since they had met. What was it that she had said about his eyes? Jon groaned, looking away from Hael. He rested his eyes on the Whittaker. Nobody ever talked to him, nobody ever approached him. In fact, the people walked circles around him. The Whittaker picked at the food that had been served to him, but he barely ate. Did he distrust the Castle’s food? Jon wondered.
He could also not stop wondering why the Whittaker’s eyes kept peeking in the Princess Nayeli’s direction. Nayeli was dressed in an exquisite dress, Jon admitted. Perhaps the Whittaker found her attractive? Jon shook off the dreading thought.
Aiden was standing next to the Duchess Leilani. She never left his side for the entire night and if he even thought about dancing with someone else, she interjected herself. Aiden had danced quite a few dances with the Duchess. Was he growing fond of her? The thought had to cross his mind since Aiden have not even looked at Nayeli once. He knew they were quarrelling, but he never thought to this extend. Was there more to their fight than what Jon was aware of? Even if Aiden was angry with her, she was still a Princess of Adarmar and it was rude not to even greet her.
Jon was sure he was not the only one that noticed Aiden’s lack of actions.
Jon stole another look at the Native Princess. She barely ever looked up from her seat. The people of Adarmar were used to have her as the highlight of the night, but tonight she was quiet. Was she too quiet? She seemed to be a bit flustered, Jon found himself asking. Nayeli was never the type to show discomfort.
Puzzled, Jon returned his eyes to Akira. He startled in horror once he realized who was suddenly standing in front of her. Jon had to refrain from running to her, but he kept his pace as he walked towards her.
Akira was staring up at the Whittaker. The tall figure turned to meet her gaze, looking down at her delicate form. She looked like a child against his length. Jon rushed up to them, stopping behind her.
“My name is Akira Estrella,” she said to him.
“I know who you are,” he murmured down at her.
She took in a breath. “I wanted to come over and formally introduce myself. As you know, I’ve renewed the Domain’s agreement as the Princess of Eldenwood.”
Eiric smiled wickedly, his eyes slowly lifting to look at Jon behind her. His skin crawled at the way the Whittaker looked at him before lowering his eyes back to Akira.
“My name is Eiric Whittaker,” he began. “I am here tonight as a representative of the Domain Kingdom. My King is pleased that you’ve renewed the agreement.”
“You’re his brother.”
“Bastard brother,” he corrected her.
“And are you anything like him?”
“Akira,” Jon warned before he could stop himself.
She turned around to look at Jon, her eyes narrowing. “Looks like I’ve picked up a second shadow,” Akira said to his horror. “Now if you’ll excuse us, Aemazon Warrior, I have matters to discuss with Eiric Whittaker.”
Jon stared at Akira in betrayal. Had she just dismissed him in front of the Domain filth? His eyes lifted towards the Domain Warrior, finding a face that smiled back at him. Jon had to force his feet into moving, holding his glare on the man.
“I’m worse than Jairo,” Eiric answered to Akira’s previous question and Jon’s hair rose. He walked away from them, his eyes moving in Aiden’s direction. To his relief, the King already had his eye on the Whittaker.
Hael came to sit down next to Nayeli, his eyes widening at her. “Is that my food you’re eating?” he asked, his voice lowered between the two of them. Nayeli rolled her eyes at him.
“I’m so hungry,” she said with a full mouth.
“But you already had your entire plate of food. I will bring you more to your chamber, but you’re making people stare by having my plate in front of you as well.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m extremely hungry, Hael.”
“You ate when we arrived-”
“I’m fucking hungry,” she cut him off and scratched her ribs.
“At least wait till the ball is over. I’ll bring you food from the kitchens to your chamber.”
“I can’t wait that long.”
She ate more of his food, not being able to control her hunger. She barely chewed most of it, easily swallowing large amounts. She was too hungry to care what people would think. She scratched her ribs again, and then her head.
“Is the dress making you itch?” Hael asked her.
“Itch?” she asked and scratched her left wrist.
Hael caught her hand to keep her from scratching. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she snapped and pulled her hand out of his grip. Why was he making such a fuss? Yes, she was itchy, but she would feel better once she ate more. She dropped her fork to scratch her neck.
“Something is wrong,” Hael insisted into her ear.
She looked up at him and once their eyes met, she knew he was right. She placed both of her hands on the table, stopping them from scratching. What was this? This has never happened before. She took in a breath, feeling Hael’s concerned eyes on her. She calmed herself, pushing the food away from her. Taking in even breaths, she found control over her Therian body. Her hysteria stilled, the room rushing back to her in waves.
As if she had not been in the Great Hall for the evening, she stared around the hall. Where had she gone? she wondered. Something had caused her to relax her hold on her Tiger. That usually only happened when something had upset her. The ball and its people came back into focus, her awareness of them returning.
One particular presence stood out.
Aiden had not even spared one glance in her direction for the entire night, but his compelling existence had her gripped in his hand right now. Even if she closed her eyes, she could still feel him as he moved across the room. She was suddenly very much aware of him in the most captivating way. She took in the red marks that lined her wrists. How long had she been scratching herself? What is happening to her?
“Nayeli?” Hael asked in concern, trying not to sound alarmed.
She cleared her throat. “How long have I been at the ball?” she asked.
Hael watched her in dread and reached for her hand. “You need fresh air.”
Standing up from her chair for the first time tonight, she followed Hael outside. Outside the great hall she felt much better, breathing in the fresh air in the Castle Gardens. Hael crossed his arms, watching her suck in the fresh air.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“I might have lost the room for a while,” she admitted.
“You mean to say that the people of Adarmar were dining with a Tiger tonight?” he snapped and cursed.
“I don’t know what happened,” she explained and pressed her palms to her temples. Her Tiger senses were still peaked, the creature was demanding her to Change. She closed her eyes and forced the animal away from her.
Someone came their way and she found herself softly growling through her teeth.
“Nayeli,” Hael warned her in alarm.
“What is wrong?” Eiric’s voice sounded behind her. She ignored him, holding her back to him. She definitely did not need this now, not with Eiric Whittaker behind her.
“She only needs fresh air,” Hael explained.
“Are you struggling to breathe?” Eiric asked in Nayeli’s direction. “You know that is how the flower works-”
“Shut up,” she snarled at him.
“I would advise you to leave her alone,” Hael said to Eiric but she felt him come closer anyway. He stopped next to her and the moment he reached for her, she slapped his hand away cruelly.
She moved forward, needing to get away from them all. “Don’t follow me,” she ordered through clenched teeth and started forward into the Castle Gardens. To her relief, neither of them came after her. She was glad that for once Hael had listened to her. The gardens grew dark but her Tiger eyes sought the way out easily. She found the greenhouse and quickly moved into it. She longed for the snow that had cooled the place mere months ago. Falling to her knees, she yearned for snow to fall on her burning veins.
Struggling to keep her control on her Therian Blood, she wondered what was pressing her into losing control. Why was her Tiger demanding her to release it?
The door to the greenhouse opened and slammed shut behind her. She flung around, bewildered by the presence that pressed into the small space with her. They were wrapped in the darkness of the night, but she could immediately tell who was standing in front of her.
“You’re not in control of your Therian form at all, are you?” Aiden demanded.
Still on her knees, she pulled air into her lungs. “I’m trying,” she said, sounding out of breath. “I’m trying!”
His presence was smothering her, she realized. She found herself struggling for control, struggling for air as each moment of silence passed between them. What was happening to her? Her Tiger was reacting to Aiden, trying to fight its way out of her.
“Do you know why you are losing control?” he asked her.
“I’m tense,” she explained.
Aiden snorted, giving a step towards her. Her body trembled at his closeness and she found herself wanting to back away from him. He looked down at her and her Tiger’s demand to jump at Aiden burned through her veins.
“You have no fucking idea what I am, do you?”
She frowned up at him, her head pounding.
“You might not know,” he continued. “But your Tiger knows quite well.”
Taking in a gulp of air, she got to her feet. “In the woods,” she breathed out. “You demanded me to be still. And I complied. How did you do that?”
He smirked at her. “Your Therian Tiger knows the answer to that.”
“I can’t really ask it.”
“Because you can’t control it,” he accused.
Nayeli’s nails trailed over her wrist, the itching starting to return.
“Are you doing this to me?” she found herself asking.
Aiden smiled at her. “Yes, I am.”
She stopped scratching. “Why would you do this?” she asked. “Why would you play with me on front of all those people?”
“Just breathe, Nayeli,” he murmured at her. “Calm yourself and breathe.”
Nayeli was shocked to find that she was calming at his words. As Aiden visibly calmed himself and loosened a long breath, his smothering presence become lighter and started to lift away from her, not demanding her so completely. It felt like mountains were being lifted from her shoulders. And from her heart. As Aiden camled himself, she found herself taking in her first steady breath. She gazed up at Aiden. He was waiting patiently for her to gain control over herself.
“Better?” he asked after a while.
In full control by now, Nayeli gave a step away from him. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she warned him.
“Months ago we stood in this same spot when you lied to me about your burning fever,” he began. “I asked you what you were and you told me some other story.”
Nayeli kept quiet, holding his eyes in the dim lighting.
“How about we go back in time?” he asked her, his voice growing softer. “Let’s go back to the night you chose to leave me instead of telling me the truth.”
Nayeli stood in silence, her heart breaking at his words.
“Come now, Nayeli,” he said. “Tell me about it. Tell me the truth.”
Nayeli’s throat thickened with tears. “I am a Therian,” she said softly.
Aiden stepped closer to her. “And do you know what I would have said in return?”
Nayeli swallowed the lump in her throat. “I didn’t know you would understand.”
Aiden shook his head at her and to her surprise, he cupped her head in his hand. He brought her brow to his, closing his eyes. She closed her eyes as well, savoring the feeling of Aiden’s touch on her. With their heads touching, she breathed him in.
“I would have told you that we are the same,” he whispered to her.
Nayeli’s eyes opened, her head pulling back from his. “What do you mean?” she asked up at him.
He remained silent.
Nayeli shook her head at him. “We are not the same,” she insisted.
“Well, no,” he said, lowering his hand away from her. “I’m not a vicious Tiger like you.”
Nayeli gave a step away from him in surprise, hilarity leaving her lips in shock.
“Stop it, Aiden,” she snapped at him. “You are nothing like me.”
He lowered his eyes, not saying anything.
“Do you enjoy entertaining yourself with me?” she asked him, hurt. “Do you laugh at me for what I am?”
Aiden looked at her, snorting. “The only ones laughing are our fathers,” he said and before she could speak, he continued. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have guests to tend to.”
But she reached for him, her hand resting on his chest. It stopped him from turning away from her and she was glad that he was at least looking at her. He gazed back at her, their eyes meeting. They stood in silence for a few seconds and breathed together. Was Aiden a Therian? Hesitantly, Nayeli found the Tiger in her heart and slowly released a wave of control. The creature of her heart made chills spread over every inch of her body, flushed by Wildness. Aiden felt it immediately, his eyes widening as he caught her hand and removed it from his chest. He stepped away from her, backing away from the animal in her veins.
And then she knew.
They truly were the same, she realized. Startled by how she had tested him, Aiden frowned and stared at her in surprise. Her Therian Tiger could feel the Wildness in him. His Blood was every bit as Wild as her own. Memories of the Seneca Woods came back to her. Her Tiger had wailed in response to him. The creature that shared her soul wanted her to control him, to demand his loyalty, but Nayeli quickly realized that she did not share the creature’s notions. She had no desire in controlling Aiden Estrella.
The silence stretched between the two of them, taking each other in. Their Wildness filled the room and the animals of their Blood reached for one another. Nayeli resisted the urge to start scratching her body all over as her Tiger opened itself to Aiden’s presence. The compelling and smothering existence of Aiden slowly surfaced again as he found the animal of his heart as well. Giving their Therian Blood free reign in such a small room made her heart burn in distress, but the pull of his presence was suddenly so magnificent, she embraced it openly.
Nayeli’s heart almost left her chest when Aiden suddenly stepped forward to pull her mouth to his. Tears left her eyes as their lips linked. His passion burned on her lips, taking all of her in. Ignoring her tears, his creature took from her what he needed. His kisses became hungry, his hands tightening on her back. Her Tiger heart was pounding in her ears.
But then Aiden broke their kiss and released her.
“No,” he demanded and stepped away from her.
She touched her lips in shock, staring wide-eyed at the Therian in front of her.
“I apologize,” he muttered and turned away from her. “I can’t, Nayeli. I can’t.”
And then he was gone, leaving her to stand alone in the greenhouse.
Duke Daniel Parnell smiled at Akira in a way that made her stomach flutter and her heart race. As if that was not enough, Hael was looking at her with a desire she did not know what to make of. The two men were surrounding her the entire night. At first Akira thought that Daniel might be unpleased by her shared attention, but to her surprise the man rose to the challenge Hael was offering him.Oh, it was flattering to have men fight for her attention.
She could feel Jon’s eyes on her the entire night, but she tried her best not to look at him. She found herself glancing in his direction every now and again, but she quickly looked away before he could notice. The silence between them felt much longer than a few days. Oh and the way she had dismissed him in front of the Whittaker. Jon would probably not forgive her for it.
But she was mad at him. No, she was hurt by him.
Looking at Jon tonight only made her heart ache. So instead she turned her eyes back to Duke Daniel Parnell and smiled at him. He was a charming young man with a good heart. He was gentle with her in ways only a noble knew how to be. But Hael was the exciting one. He looked handsome tonight. She wished she could see him this immaculately dressed every day. He surely had grabbed more than just her attention tonight. Quite a few of the ladies around the room kept staring at him, some even gaping at his beautiful native features.
Akira glanced at the table where Nayeli had been sitting for most of the night. Her chair was empty now and Akira searched around the room for her. Akira noticed Aiden slipping back into the hall and a few seconds later Nayeli came back as well. Akira couldn’t help but wonder if she was the only one that had noticed. Her eyes rested on Nayeli. Had she been crying?
“Excuse me,” Akira mumbled to Duke Daniel and made her way towards Nayeli.
Nayeli felt her coming, turning around to face her once she was close enough.
“Princess Akira,” she said in greeting and bowed her head.
“Princess Nayeli,” she said and bowed her head in return. “We haven’t had the chance to talk much since you’ve gotten back at the castle. I wanted to come over and ask if you are well?”
Nayeli gave Akira a small smile. “I am feeling a bit under the weather this evening, Princess. It must be from all the travelling.”
Akira nodded. “It must be.”
“I think I will head to my rooms early tonight. I have a headache coming.”
Their conversation felt wrong and forced. She could feel the eyes of the room on them, but she ignored it completely.
“Princess Nayeli,” she started, her voice lowered between the two of them. “Would you stay a few days at the castle before returning to your Isles?”
Nayeli looked at her in wonder. “Would you like me to stay, Princess?”
“Yes,” she found herself saying. “If you are willing, we can spend time together before you leave.”
“You would like to spend time with me, Princess?” she asked unbelievingly.
“Oh, come now, Nayeli. I’ve slept in your bed for a night while intoxicated by Ember. Surely it is time for us to become friends.”
Nayeli smiled at that. “Have I told you how extremely pleased I am that you’ve been appointed to Eldenwood?”
It made Akira smile. Nayeli had no idea how important her approval to Akira was. “Will you come visit me, Nayeli?”
Nayeli smirked at her wickedly. “Don’t know if the King would like it, but yes, I will most definitely be visiting you.”
“It’s settled then,” Akira announced and found Hael coming up to them.
“Surely the two of you are up to mischief,” he murmured to them. “I hope you’ve included me in whatever plans you’ve set into motion.”
Akira laughed at him. “The Princess Nayeli promised to visit me in Eldenwood. It would please me to see you come with her.”
Hael smiled and nodded. Then his eyes trailed to Nayeli again. Was there concern in his glance? Akira looked at the Princess. She looked beautiful tonight in her blue dress, her eyes coming to light in a completely new way. Akira wanted to reach out and play with the few feathers in her hair but refrained from doing so. Akira wished she had the courage to paint her face and wear feathers like the natives. She had enjoyed the night when Hael had painted her. She longed for the friendship that Hael and Nayeli shared. Would she ever share it with someone? Her closest friend was Jon, but they fought more than was normal. They constantly fought over kisses and Ember, she realized. She did not want to fight with him and looking at the Lunars in front of her, Akira found herself longing to dance with Jon.
When the ball came to an end, Aiden walked Leilani to her chamber. She had possessed his attention for the entire night, it was a wonder that he had been able to slip away and see Nayeli. Leilani had quite a few questions for him when he came back, fishing out where he had been. He did not tell her that he had been with Nayeli, but surely she was smart enough to realize the truth. “I had a great time tonight,” Leilani said as they walked.
“The ball was spectacular and I know you are to thank. I can’t express my gratitude to you, Duchess. My sister was smiling the entire night.”
“It was quite flattering to have a King by my side,” she mused, walking closer to him.
Aiden smiled. “It was an honor to accompany you.”
They continued down the hall, coming up to her chamber. Aiden noticed that Leilani was walking slower and slower the closer they got to her chamber. He tried to keep the pace going, not wanting to slow down and stroll along with the Duchess. He had been here before and every time she tried her luck.
They stopped in front of her chamber.
“Would you come in?” she asked.
Aiden shook his head. “I am afraid I will have to decline.”
Leilani smiled mischievous. “Don’t be such a gentleman, Aiden. I want you to come inside,” she said and reached for his hand.
He stared at her hand in his. She was one woman he could not touch, he reminded himself. But Leilani was fluttering her lashes at him like he was already in her room.
Giving her hand a squeeze, he kindly shook his head. “I think I should retire to my room. It’s late.”
Leilani let out a quick sigh and stepped towards him. “Oh, Aiden, always the gentleman,” she purred at him. Before he could step away from her, the Duchess wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Duchess Leilani-”
“You don’t have to be so formal with me.”
“Leilani,” he tried. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Her gaze lowered to his mouth and to his horror the beautiful menace pulled their lips together. She held his head to hers, kissing him fiercely. He took hold of her waist, gently pulling her away from him. She broke the kiss but kept her arms around his neck.
“I am a worthy choice for a wife,” she said and his heart lurched.
“I am not looking for a wife at this moment-”
“Oh, alright then,” she mused with a dazzling smile. “I’ll be interested in whatever you suggest.”
Aiden reached for her arms around his neck. “Leilani, I would never do that to you.”
“You don’t think I’m beautiful?” she asked innocently.
Freeing her arms around his neck, he took hold of her hands and met her eyes. “I do think you are beautiful. But I am not ready to court someone new.”
“But you’ve been in the same dull betrothal for ten years. It’s time you court a woman that can tend to all you needs. From what I heard you have quite the peculiar taste-”
He let go of her hands and stepped away from her. “No, Leilani,” he said sharply. “I am not going to court you.”
Her face turned into a scowl. “Not now? Or not ever?”
Aiden took in a breath, closing his eyes for a second before answering. “No, Leilani,” he said, his voice soft. “I’m not ever going to court you.”
“But you’ve led me on so many times!” she blurted.
“Led you on?” he asked in wonder. “I’ve never-”
“We’ve spent hours in each other’s company. Did it mean nothing to you?”
“It was time spent in building a relationship with the Duchess of Keldarilly, not impressing her to court her.”
Leilani touched her chest in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. “I can’t believe this.”
“I apologize if I’ve hurt your feelings, Leilani, but I am being honest with you.”
“This is about The Princess, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice sharp. “Even with the betrothal ended, you’re still bedding her. I should have known she would let a man do that to her.”
Aiden frowned at her. “Princess Nayeli is-”
“Not as innocent as I thought,” Leilani snapped. “Don’t you see what she is doing to you? She’s playing with your good heart in order to keep you fascinated with her. It’s revolting to think women would use their bodies to entrap Kings and it is distasteful of you to fall for it.”
Aiden did not take kindly to her words or accusations. Nayeli might infuriate him, but it was a twist of his heart to hear someone speak of her unkindly. She was nothing like the woman Leilani was describing.
“Good night, Duchess Leilani,” Aiden muttered and turned away from her.
“You’re going to regret your decision, King Aiden,” she warned behind him.
But he was beyond listening to her. He couldn’t get away fast enough from the woman. He vowed to never accept an invitation to a ball with her ever again as he made his way to his chamber. He wiped his mouth, hating that her lips had ever touched his.
Duke Daniel Parnell escorted Akira to her chamber when the ball came to an end. He was charming and alluring, but to her disappointment he only kissed her on the cheek before bidding her a good-night. Dissatisfied, she stepped into her chamber and went to her room. It was late but she was not as tired as she thought she would be. She would light some Ember in her room and unwind until she was tired enough to sleep. Akira opened her cupboard and fumbled around to find the Ember she kept hidden. But to her dismay her Ember was gone. She took in a sharp breath. Nobody knew where she kept the Ember. Except for –
“Jon,” she groaned.
Instantly furious, Akira grabbed a cloak from her closet. She wrapped herself in the cloak and pulled the hood over her head. She slipped out of her chamber, sneaking through the dimly lit halls. Sneaking out the castle through the gardens, she reached the Aemazon Warrior’s courtiers. Relieved to find most of the Warriors asleep in their rooms and chambers, Akira pulled her hood down further. She reached Jon’s chamber and entered without knocking. She found his bedroom empty but heard movement in his bathing chamber. Taking in a big breath, she opened the doors and walked in.
Jon laid in a bath of water with his head tilted back onto the edge of the bath. He opened his eyes to slits, peeking in Akira’s direction with a bemused smile.
“I wondered whether you would send a servant to summon me at this hour, but I must admit, I didn’t expect you to come yourself,” he murmured at her and closed his eyes again. He slid lower into the water, his face in pure bliss.
“Where is it, Jon?” she insisted.
“Missing some of your belongings?”
“You know exactly what I am missing.”
“Hmmm, yes, I do.”
“Give it back, Jon.”
He kept quiet, his eyes still closed. He rolled his head slowly on the rim of the bath, savoring the warm water on his skin.
“Answer me,” she said, her eyes travelling down his naked chest.
“I threw the Ember away,” Jon finally said and opened his eyes to look at her.
Her eyes shot back to his face, instantly angry with him for taking her Ember. She balled her hands into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.
“Why, Jon?” she demanded.
To her dread, Jon’s hands found the edges of the bath and lifted himself out of the water. She yelped in shock and flung herself around. She didn’t have the courage to see him stark-naked.
“Why did you throw it away?” she asked over her shoulder. “Are you trying to punish me?”
She heard him move behind her, hoping that he would put a towel around his body. But her heart jumped into her throat once he spoke directly behind her.
“I want to ask you something, Princess,” he breathed. He was unnervingly close, his words touching her hair.
“Ask me something?” she enquired. “What do you have on your heart, Jon?”
She gasped when Jon’s hand came around her, pressed against her stomach and pulled her back against his wet body. Her heart pounded in her ears and her cheeks burned as Jon moved his mouth into her neck. He breathed her in, his lips touching her earlobe.
“Can a Duke make you feel like this?” he breathed into her ear.
His Warrior body was a wall of warm stone behind her, his breathing hot in her neck. An involuntary moan escaped her lips, her breathing uncontrolled.
“I thought it would be easy to see you being courted by a Duke,” Jon murmured into her neck. “But I am more selfish than I had known.”
Akira loosened an uneven breath, melting back against him.
“Hmmm,” Jon mused into her ear, his chest vibrating against her back. “You must be tired after the night you’ve had.”
Akira leaned her head back against his shoulder, opening her neck to him. “I am not tired at all.”
“Good,” he murmured into her hair.
Her eyes widened when Jon removed her cloak and started with the threads of her dress at her back. He untied her dress, the fabric loosening around her body. Chills ran up her back every time she felt Jon’s fingers against her skin. When her dress was loose at the back, Jon pulled her to him again and brought his lips down on her shoulder. She hissed out a breath, savoring the warmth of his mouth on her skin.
His hands travelled into the layers of her dress, pulling it to the floor. He took it all off, his mouth trailing over her shoulders and neck as he went. When she was evidently naked in front of him, both his arms came around her and hugged her body to his. Her back pressed against his chest. She moaned his name, tilting her head back to look up at him over her shoulder. His eyes were hungry and his hands firm as he gripped her frame. Jon’s gaze roamed her face before touching his lips to hers. His mouth moaned in appreciation against her own. His kisses were different than before, his desire for her clear in the way he was holding onto her. She broke the kiss to gasp once his hand travelled up to her breasts.
He dipped his head back into her neck and breathed in her yearning for him. She breathed out loud, his touch setting her skin on fire.
No, she thought, some Duke would never be able to make her feel like this.
She turned around in his arms. Once she faced him, he took hold of her naked bottom and brought her body back against his again. His lips came down on her mouth with a craze she had never tasted before. She eagerly took in the taste of him, her hands trailing onto his Warrior back. He tilted her body back and she complied, allowing him to bring his lips down between her breasts. Her lips parted in a moan of desire, panting underneath his touch.
Jon took hold of her, lifting her off her feet and carrying her out of the bathing room. He took her onto his bed with him, her body pinned beneath his. She pressed her hands into his wet hair, clutching it and bringing his mouth back to her own.
Her body was burning with a force she had never felt before and she hoped it would never stop. Feeling Jon’s lips on her skin and his body against her own captured her into a desire she did not have a name for, a desire she didn’t ever want to end. Moaning his name against his lips, she gave herself over to the Aemazon Warrior completely.
Chapter Twenty - The Exchange of TruthsJon had a sheet wrapped around his middle, opening the door to reveal a servant on the other side. Jon peeked out at the boy, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Yer Majesty the King is seeking for the Princess Akira,” the boy said.
“The Princess is not with me,” Jon said, a smile touching a corner of his mouth. The servant nodded up at him.
“The King requested you inform him if you were to see her. He wants her to accompany him to Lord Jefken’s Esate outside Adarmar. Duke Daniel Parnell would be going with.”
Jon nodded. “I will inform the King if I were to come by the Princess,” he agreed.
The servant thanked him and quickly made his way out of the Aemazon Courtiers. Jon closed the door and turned around to look at the goddess that sat up in his bed. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, her face touched in pure harmony. She lifted a lazy eyebrow at him.
“I’m going nowhere,” she purred.
Jon moved closer and climbed onto the bed, bending forward to kiss her. She trailed her hand into his hair.
“If it were up to me, I would keep you in this bed the entire day.”
She hummed in agreement, kissing him some more. “Your kisses are wonderful, Jon,” she said to his lips. “So wonderful I didn’t even have dreams.”
“Why would you want to dream if reality is this perfect?” he whispered to her, closing his eyes and covering her mouth with his.
She pulled him back onto the bed with her, her kisses growing more urgent. He would never get enough of this woman, he realized. He would never tire of the way she kissed him.
“Duke Daniell Parnell of Panit would be very disappointed if you didn’t go with,” Jon played. “You enjoyed his company so much at the ball last night.”
“There were a lot of things I’ve enjoyed during my night,” she murmured. “Daniel Parnell doesn’t even come to mind.”
Jon smirked at her, pleased by her answer. “And what did you enjoy the most?”
A giggle escaped Akira’s mouth, sending her into a blush. “I think you know quite well, Master May.”
His eyes travelled over her naked form, a smile on his face. “You’re beautiful, Akira.”
“You’ve said that a thousand times,” she said smugly.
“But I mean it,” he said and leaned forward to kiss her on the stomach. She wriggled underneath him, her lips parting in anticipation. He had to grin at how responsive her body was, always ready for him.
Her hand travelled to his hair, staring at him with a smile. “How do you think I’m going to get back to my chamber undetected?”
Jon shook his head. “You’ll have to stay.”
She chuckled. “Do you think I would go unnoticed wearing last night’s dress?”
“My Warriors will say nothing, but I can’t guarantee what the eyes of the castle would make of this.”
“At least I brought a cloak,” she said and trailed her hand over his chest. “Do you think Aiden is still looking for me?”
“Probably.”
“Do you think I should go?”
Jon nodded his head and leaned forward to plant another kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you when you come back later today.”
“Alright,” she murmured to his lips.
She crawled out of bed reluctantly and retrieved her clothes from his bathing room. He laid back onto the bed and waited as she dressed. Soon she emerged with her cloak around her shoulders. Meeting eyes with Jon, she lowered the hood over her head.
“You don’t want to come with to the Jefken’s Estate?”
Jon smiled and shook his head. “I’ll wait right here for you.”
“You’ll wait naked?” she asked, her ears reddening slightly.
“You’ll have to see when you come back.”
She smiled, tucking some of her hair in behind her ear. “I surely would have liked to stay, but my brother has got different plans for me.”
She groaned kindheartedly and pulled her cloak closer around her.
“Ride safely, Princess,” he said, his eyes travelling her body.
“I’ll hurry back,” she chirped and opened the door to his room. “Good bye, Aemazon Warrior.”
Nayeli took the letter from the servant boy at her door and closed it again. It was late morning and she was about to go the visit the Princess Akira. She opened the letter and frowned when she saw it was from the King. Good morning, Princess
Once I realized I have left the castle without notifying you, I decided to send you this letter. I would like to inform you that I will be away from the castle today and that I am at the Jefken’s Estate outside Adarmar City. I took Akira with me, but we will return by the end of the day. I have promised Lord Jefken that I would visit his Estate weeks ago and I could no longer postpone my visit. He is the man I bought your Ploca Stallion from. If I remember correctly, Hael Young would like one of his own. Do you think I should buy him one?
I would have liked to see you this morning. After our encounter last night, it feels like there are words left unsaid between us. Because I am the King of Adarmar and busy as always, I want you to write to me and ask me all the questions your heart desires. I am just outside of the City and the message boy would deliver our letters back and forth. I’ve paid him well for his services of the day, so I truly hope that for once you would write me back.
What would you like to ask me? I hope that you do not ask what my Therian form is however. That is something I will like to show you in person.
I have not met another Therian after my mother’s death. So I hope that you understand how curious I am about you.
I never experienced the fevers you have. My mother might have mentioned them so many years ago, but I never had them and therefore did not recognize your Therian blood until I met your Tiger in the Seneca Woods.
I truly hope I would hear back from you.
Aiden Estrella
She smiled down at the letter and found herself sitting down at the desk in the corner of her room to write.
Dear Aiden
Your Native Princess has got so many questions, she might just faint due to her heavy heart. Thank you for writing and allowing me the chance to ask you questions I would never have the courage to ask in person.
The thought of seeing you in a Therian form alarms me. I am not sure I am ready to see you taken by your creature in the way I am taken by mine. The creature that owns me is a stunning, beautiful white tiger, but it frightens me to my core. If I Change willingly, I find that I manage to control it. But we both know what happens if I lose control and I Change involuntarily.
You spoke of your mother in your letter. She was a Therian? Do you share the same Therian form with her? I share my Tiger form with my great grandfather on my father’s side. My father and grandfather were not Therians and they suspected that the gene would not take in me either. Oh, how wrong they were. It was after my father’s death that I woke at nights drenched in sweat. The healers did not know what to make of my fevers, but in my heart I knew quite well what they might mean.
When I turned at eighteen years of age, my Tiger claimed me.
I know that you might not want to hear it, but I am very glad that I was not in Adarmar Castle the day I Changed for the first time. I’ve never felt as much pain in my life. I was screaming from start to finish. I don’t remember anything my Tiger did while I was Changed, but I know I woke to find Hael covered in blood.
Have you ever hurt someone?
Does anybody know about you? Does Akira know? Jon May?
Tell me about the first time you Changed.
Hael would never accept a horse from you.
Nayeli Faye
Dear Nayeli
Your letter made me smile. We should never talk again and only write to each other. Except I might miss stealing looks at your lips.
But before you scowl me for wicked letters again, I will answer your questions. They are not easy for me to write, but I’ve promised you that I will and therefore will keep my word to you.
Yes. I share my mother’s Therian form. Oh, she was beautiful, Nayeli. I wish you could have seen her. It is hard for me to think about her. She died when I was seven years old and it tumbled my world upside down when I realized I will never set my eyes on her striking Therian fur again.
The standard age for a Therian form to claim you are at eighteen, but my longing for my mother had sped up the process quicker than I could have ever imagined. I was fifteen when I was claimed. I can’t describe the pain I felt during my first Change. I don’t remember much but afterward I cried the entire day like a little boy in my room and called out for my mother.
I was ready for my Therian Blood and I never denied it. Ever since I was a child, I knew that I would be like my mother. At the first chance I got, I embraced the curse of being Therian. Unfortunately the loss of my mother made me too eager to be like her and the animal overtook me easily. There was a time I would spend days in my Therian form without returning home.
My father was the only one that knew about me and very soon he realized that he was losing his son. He took me from the Wild and pushed me back into a life of being a Prince and not an animal. He had to beat my Wildness out of me. I do not blame my father for his animosity towards me during those years. I know today that it was necessary. What I was turning into was not very Kinglike.
Since I have embraced the creature of my heart so openly, I have learned to control it at quite the young age. I Change at will and have full control of it. I have never hurt anybody since I’ve gained control so fast.
I sincerely hope that you will be able to control your remarkable Tiger someday soon.
After my father’s death, I have not had the courage to tell anybody about what I share my heart with. Losing him at the age of nineteen, I was thankful for the years I have had with my father to teach me the ways of being a King and not an animal.
You don’t have to be frightened of my Therian form. It’s not really a creature, Nayeli, but a part of who I am. Behind its dark eyes, I hope that you will recognize me. In the Seneca Woods I recognized you immediately, as exquisite as ever.
Tell me about Hael Young.
And why do your eyes glow when we kiss?
Aiden Estrella
Dear Wild Aiden
You like to look at my lips?
I did not have the privilege of knowing my mother. She died giving birth to her Therian daughter. From what my father had told me about her, I am glad she did not live to see the day her daughter had turned into a Tiger. I never told my father how I felt, but in my heart I knew she was not strong enough to face what I am.
My father had taught me about the ways of Therian Blood. He had not been Therian himself, so he could only tell me what my great grandfather had told him. My father had no idea how petrifying it would be to turn into what I am.
I was not prepared for what happened to me mere months ago. I still don’t know how to survive the Wildness that claimed my soul. I do not think I will ever fully understand this creature that overpowers me.
Hael Young is my Lunar Brother. It means we were born on the same day from different mothers. But our story is quite different.
For the nine months my mother had carried me, only one other woman had fallen pregnant in Maya City. Hael’s mother. For an entire city it was very unlikely to happen. Hael was born the same day as me even though his mother was only seven months along. They expected him to be a weak baby, but instead a healthy child had emerged to be born on the same day as the Princess of the Maya Isles. He was sent to the castle to be raised as my Lunar. After our births, the city had returned to normal and women had started expecting babies again.
It was a strange occurrence that nobody could explain. I have learned to accept it without asking why it had happened to us.
Please explain to me how you controlled me at the ball. What do you mean my Tiger knew what you were when I did not? Whatever you did to me, it made me lose time. I don’t remember much of the ball at all. What does that mean?
Oh, do not flatter yourself in thinking my eyes only glow for your kisses.
Nayeli Faye
Dear Beautiful Lips
Yes. I stare at them.
I am always in full control of my Therian Blood. When I decide to let my hold slip slightly, your Tiger can feel it. I did not control you, as you call it. I merely played with your Tiger senses. I was testing the strength of your wits.
You have not bonded with your Tiger yet.
You still fear the creature of your heart. Once you’ve stopped pushing it away, you will embrace each other. You will become one and you will be in full control. You will stop losing time and the creature’s strength and senses would be yours completely.
If I had known you were still so far from accepting your Tiger, I would never have played with you like I did.
What do you mean your eyes do not only glow for me? I don’t like the sound of it.
Aiden Estrella
Dear Aiden
My Tiger is strong and I don’t have any idea how I am supposed to fight it. My creature wants to control you. Have you noticed? It wants to be your superior. You should know that I do not share the notions. I have no desire to control you.
How can I accept the Tiger if we are so different?
The creature of my heart makes me reckless. It urges me into actions I would not have done years ago. How do I accept what I am when I am so utterly terrified of the Blood that runs in my veins?
Oh, Aiden. There is a lot that happens to my body that I don’t understand and my glowing eyes are one of them. I had hoped you might be able to explain them to me.
All I know is that when you kiss me, I am taken by a warmth that burns in my veins and invites Wildness to my heart.
In Eldenwood you had liked them, asking me not to hide them from you.
How do you feel about them now that you know they are due to my Wild Blood?
Nayeli
Chapter Twenty One - Maybe you could stayNayeli smiled as the handed the letter to the boy who had been back and forth with their letters. Aiden’s letters had made her day every bit so brighter. She felt confident and was on her way to seek a challenge. She was dressed in a fighting tunic and long, brown pants. Her sword hung at her side, her hand resting on its hilt.
She was glad to find Jon May on the Aemazon Warrior fields. He was standing between a few men from the Warriors, sharing a conversation with them. Jon grinned at one of the men but his smiled was wiped off his face when she came to stop in front of him. He looked her up and down, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Scared to lose in front of your friends?” she said and lifted her chin.
Smiles touched the faces of the men surrounding Jon. The Pack was clearly interested in seeing Jon fight a girl. Jon looked around at the smiles around him before he returned his eyes to Nayeli.
“I hope you don’t mind getting dirt on your face,” Jon challenged and unsheathed his sword.
Nayeli smirked. “Careful now, Master May, you don’t want me to give you another black eye.”
He smiled his wolfish smile at her as the men laughed around them. “You are going to regret that remark, Princess.”
The Aemazon Warriors made way for them on the field. Every eye turned their way and Nayeli could feel them all on her. She must be mad for challenging Jon to a fight and she knew she would never win. But it was exhilarating to stand on a fighting field with an ocean of Warriors watching her.
Jon came down on her like he had never done before. Their playful fights in the past were nothing compared to the way he was challenging her now. His sword came her way in a speed she had not known he possessed. She couldn’t look away from him for a second, his blows came her away like spears of lightning.
She was a fool to think he would go easy on her.
He was the voice to the Warriors that surrounded them, even if he did not want to admit it. Surely a man of his status was not going to allow a Princess to make a fool of him. To her delight, her Tiger strength filled her veins and she met his blows. The surprise in his eyes told her his how strong the Tiger in her veins was.
But Jon only pushed harder. Remembering the few tricks he had taught her, she danced around him. Due to his size, he could not move around as freely as her. She used it to her advantage. Jon May was used to fighting Warriors and Kings, not flexible young women like her. She tilted her body backwards to escape his uncomfortably close blade and heard his sword tear through a piece of her tunic. She ignored it.
Jon muttered something at her but her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears to listen. She forced herself forward, her sword in hand. Jon grinned at her bravery, satisfied that she was continuing their fight. Jon snickered in enjoyment when their swords met again. She had to admit, she was enjoying herself immensely.
The Warriors around the field was cheering for them, shouting all kinds of things at her and Jon. Jon gave a few men a few displeased looks at what they were shouting. Nayeli tried to ignore the voices, refusing to be distracted.
But she suspected that it was the remarks from beside of the field that inspired him to end the fight. Carelessly, Jon struck her sword out of her hand and came forward to push her to the ground. She collided with the mud of the field, tasting it in her mouth.
“And that is what you get for challenging an Aemazon Warrior,” Jon said down at her with a smug smile on his face. She wiped her hand down her face and spat mud out of her mouth.
“Did you have to throw me to the ground?” she asked and held a hand out to him.
He pulled her up with a smirk on his face. “It’s how I end a fight.”
She wiped her mouth on her shoulder. “Now I know.”
“Yes,” Jon said, still beaming because of his win. “Now you know.”
A few of Jon’s Warrior friends stepped closer to congratulate him and to her surprise, she received a few pats on the back. In a few eyes she thought she might have caught faint signs of admiration but the thought was so impossible that she decided to let it go.
One of the Warriors picked up her sword and handed it back to her with a kindhearted smile touching his features. Her thoughts travelled to what these men’s lives must have been like in the slave pits of the Domain Kingdom. Seeing them as free men now satisfied her in a way she couldn’t explain.
“A message for the Princess Nayeli,” a familiar voice said behind her and she turned to find Aiden’s message boy. She took the letter from him with a muddy hand.
She opened it.
Dear Maya Isles Warrior
Come see me right now.
Your King
For some reason Nayeli found herself smiling at the words even though she knew she was in trouble. The messenger boy explained to her that Aiden and Akira were back at the castle and Nayeli was being summoned by the King.
She couldn’t help but notice Jon immediately made his way off the field as well.
“Going to see Akira?” Nayeli fished out.
“I am merely returning to my room,” he explained innocently. “And if Aiden asks, I was not the one that covered you in mud.”
* * *
Jon entered his chamber and hoped to find Akira on his bed. He had promised her he would be waiting for her when she came back. Disappointed to find his room empty, he hung his sword up and started taking off his fighting tunic. To his surprise, he heard something move in his bathing room.
Jon opened the doors to the room and when he entered, he found a goddess in his bathtub.
Akira pouted her lips, looking away from him. “You said you would be waiting on the bed for me.”
Jon smirked. “I was held up by the Princess of the Maya Isles.”
“Yes, I’ve heard,” she said and leaned further down into the tub. Her innocent little eyes peeked over at him.
Jon continued taking off his tunic. “She challenged me to a fight.”
Akira’s eyes widened slightly before looking away from him. With her cheek turned on him, she loosened a breath. “Can I give you some advice, Warrior?”
Jon dropped his clothes to the floor. “I’m listening.”
“When you find a naked Princess in your company, don’t start talking about some other Princess.”
Jon stepped closer and trailed his eyes over her gloriously naked skin. Feeling his eyes on her, she finally peered up at him again.
“Jealous?” he teased.
“No,” she mumbled and a shy smile touched the side of her mouth once she realized he was completely undressed.
“Do you have room for me in that tub?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether or not you’ve missed me today.”
Jon crossed his arms and caught Akira’s eyes drifting down his body. “You are the only one I’ve been thinking about this entire day.”
Akira pouted. “And did you not think of the Princess of the Maya Isles when you fought her?”
Jon tiled his head back and chuckled. “I was only thinking about defeating her. That is all.”
“And did you?” she asked, openly staring at his body now.
“Of cause.”
Her gaze lifted to his eyes, wetting her lips. “I think your body likes the way I am looking at it.”
Jon’s back stiffened slightly, resisting the urge to turn away from her. Boldly holding his stance, he grinned.
“And what are you going to do about it, Princess?”
“Oh, Jon,” she murmured and leaned to her side to lowered her chin onto the rim of the tub. She looked up at him. “I can stare at you for the rest of my life.”
Pleased, Jon found himself moving towards the tub and stepping into the water with her. Akira yelped in delight once he joined her. He sat down behind her, pulling her backside closer to his chest. With a smile on her lips, she turned to look up at him over her shoulder. He leaned forward and claimed the smile on her lips, tasting it on his mouth. Akira spun around and sat on her knees in front of him. Without delay, she reached her arms around his neck and joined her mouth to his.
“I’ve thought about you the entire day,” she mumbled against his lips. “Of all the things you’ve done to me the night before. My cheeks kept reddening at the thought of them. Every time I imagined your touch on me, my heart raced and my breathing wanted to go uneven.”
“I like your breathing uneven-”
“And it likes being uneven. Especially when it’s you that is making me pant.”
Everything south of Jon’s stomach stirred at her words. She was so young, so inexperienced, yet she was able to awaken ways in Jon’s mind and body that he couldn’t explain to himself. Without asking permission, he pulled her lips onto his. He kissed her carelessly. Akira responded like he had hoped. She pulled his hair into her hands and groaned in appreciation against his lips. She kissed him like she might just never get enough of him and Jon savored every moment of it.
But in the back of his mind he thought of Ember.
He knew nightfall will come and that she would ask for it. For how long would he be able to persuade her out of it by distracting her with his kisses?
Aiden was standing in his sunroom and waited for Nayeli. Great Seas, what was she thinking in fighting an Aemazon Warrior? It felt like he knew nothing about the woman he was betrothed to for ten years. She was sparring with Warriors and the thought gave him chills of anxiety. Thinking of her getting hurt worried him beyond measure. He wondered if it was the Tiger of her heart that yearned for fighting.
Nayeli came into his chamber and his eyes widened at the sight of her torn and muddy clothing. She had a sword on her hip, her hand resting on the hilt. She met his eyes, not a care in the world on her face. She was a beautiful stranger, he thought.
Before he could stop himself, he marched over to her. He stopped in front of her to glare at her but her features were touched by a bemused smile. She merely found his anger bemusing.
“Welcome back, My King,” she said and tucked her hands in behind her back.
He could not believe her audacity at smiling at him.
“I hear you’ve been busy while I was away for the day.”
She licked her lips. “So very busy.”
Aiden narrowed his gaze on her. “Glowing your eyes at Aemazon Warriors?”
Nayeli laughed, her blue eyes looking up at his. “Is there a reason you’ve summoned me, King Aiden?”
“Of cause,” he snapped and stepped towards her.
Cupping the woman’s head into his hand, he kissed her. He had not planned on kissing her once she came to his chamber, but he couldn’t refrain from it any longer. Her letters had forced him back earlier than he should be and quite frankly, he could not stop thinking about her lips the entire ride back to his castle. He claimed her mouth as his own, their tongues entwined.
He broke the kiss once he tasted mud on her lips.
“You fought Jon, didn’t you?” he demanded at her.
“How did you know?”
“He likes throwing his opponents into the mud.”
“It took him quite a while to get me there,” she said and played with the hem of his shirt. His eyes travelled down to her hand and then back to her face again.
“Since when can you yield a sword?”
“I have received training in the Maya Isles. Just like you have received training here. Don’t you think it is important for me to be able to defend myself?”
He caught the hand that was fumbling with his clothes and lowered it away from him. “There are so many things I don’t know about you.”
“Our letters held our personal thoughts. I would say you are getting to know me quite well.”
“So we are sharing secrets now?” Aiden mused.
The smiled at his words and nodded her head. She seemed to be pleased and so was he. He pulled her into another careless kiss.
“I have something I would like to give to you,” he said against her mouth. “I was planning on giving it to you on our wedding day. It belonged to my mother.”
Nayeli lifted her eyes to stare up at him. “No,” she said with a frown. “I can’t accept it.”
“Why not? I want you to have it.”
“What is it?”
“Follow me,” he said and let go of her.
She followed him into his bedroom and he noticed that her eyes kept travelling through his room. She had never been in here before, he realized. After all the years he had known her, this was the first time she had come to his chamber.
“My chamber consists of my bedroom, my sunroom and my library. It belonged to my mother and father before me. Do you like it?”
She smiled, her eyes fixed on something specific. He followed her gaze and turned to look at the leather band and blue feather that hung on his coat hanger. It was the band she had worn the night they had kissed in the greenhouse.
“Is that mine?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Yes,” he admitted, feeling slightly humiliated. “You dropped it in the greenhouse the night of the Courtas Ball.”
“You kept it?”
“Why, yes.”
Nayeli walked closer to him, lifting her gaze away from the feather and looking up at him. The way she looked at his was rewarding in ways he could not explain.
“It’s not the only thing I have kept,” he found himself saying. “I still have the cat we had found in the gardens. I named her ‘Princess’ and she is quite the busy little thing.”
Nayeli’s mouth turned up into a smile, her eyes lit with joy. “You named her Princess?”
Aiden had to laugh at Nayeli’s expression. “Yes, and my biggest fear is that she will have kittens in my room. A King with a room full of kittens just won’t do.”
“What more than kittens to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies?” she mused.
“I don’t take kindly to being laughed at,” he warned her with a smile.
“Yes, I know,” she said and tip-toed to plant a kiss on his mouth.
He took her into his arms before she could pull away again. He took her head into his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Every time she allowed him to kiss her felt unbelieving to him. They’ve been fighting for days and suddenly he could not take his hands off her.
And he knew why he could not stop.
There was a Therian standing in front of him. A strong and beautiful creature that demanded all of his heart. After his mother’s death he had thought he would never be this close to a Therian again. After a lifetime of longing for someone to share his secret with, she was finally here. The creature of his heart hummed in his veins with approval. The pull towards her was undeniable and he knew very well that they were bonding in a way that went beyond mere ordinary.
He broke their kiss and found himself taking her into his arms. Very un-kinglike, he embraced the woman in front of him. He hugged her tight in his arms, resisting the urge to blurt all of his feelings for her into her hair. He held onto her and closed his eyes. He could not remember the last time he had held someone in his embrace the way he as holding Nayeli now. To his relief, he heard her breathe his name into his neck. Her arms tightened around him, holding him close to her.
Gods, how was he ever going to let her out of his arms again?
But evidently he had to loosen his grip around her. She looked disappointed when he let her go but he quickly caught her chin and gave her a peck on the lips.
“Time for your gift,” he said.
He moved towards his closet and felt her eyes on his back. He was nervous to give the gift to her, his heart beating slightly faster than before. He retrieved a velvet pouch and turned around to face her. He moved closer with the pouch in his hand.
“I don’t want you to open it in front of me,” he started.
“Why not?” she asked and frowned.
“It’s very personal and I don’t know if I would be able to bear it.”
“If it means that much to you-” she started to protest but he cut her off.
“No, I want you to have it. It’s a locket.”
She smiled at him. “A locket that belonged to your mother,” she observed. “Are you sure you want me to have it, Aiden?”
“It would please me greatly if you would accept it.”
Nayeli reached for the pouch and he let it go reluctantly. She did not open it, as agreed, but she stared at the velvet pouch like she could see through the fabric.
“I don’t know what to say, Aiden,” she murmured up at him. “But I’ll guard it with my life. I promise.”
The sincerity in her eyes was pushing him down a path that petrified him in more ways than one. His feelings for Nayeli were clutching his heart in a burning grip. His gaze dropped to her lips before it returned to her eyes again. She caught onto his travelling eyes and a smile touched the corner of her mouth.
“See anything to your liking?” she whispered up at him.
“I do,” he said, holding her eyes.
Nayeli moved past him to place her gift on his bedside table. He turned to look at her. She stared back at him. He could only marvel at the sight in front of him. His curtains were open, his view of the ocean unfolding behind her. The sun was gone from the sky, the horizon dark on the water.
Nayeli sat down on his bed.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Aiden.”
“So have I,” he admitted.
“I don’t know how to apologize for mine,” she said, lowering her eyes to the floor.
He moved towards her and lifted her chin to look at him. “Then don’t.”
“But Aiden-”
Aiden pushed her back into the bed, his mouth coming down on hers. He kissed her rough and pinned her body beneath his. She groaned in agreement, returning his urgency. Aiden broke their kiss to loosen her belt and placed her sword aside. Then he started with her muddy tunic, wanting to get it off her and off his bed. Nayeli chuckled when he pulled it off and threw if over his shoulder. She laid back naked onto his bed, watching him. Holding her eyes, he lowered his mouth to trail his tongue over her stomach. She shivered slightly underneath his touch and it satisfied him vastly. Taking in a breath, she forced him back and he stood up from the bed. Coming to sit in front of him, she stole a glance up at him before lowering her eyes again and starting to take his riding clothes off. Aiden fell silent, watching her work with his body. Obediently, he moved with her as she undressed him.
Once she dropped the last of his clothing to the floor, her gaze slowly returned to his. Their eyes tied together and he had to stare at the naked sight that was looking back at him. His desire for her was a burning flame and he hoped his feelings were not too obvious on his face.
He touched her rosy cheek and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips.
“Have you seen my view of the ocean’s magnificence?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s beautiful-”
“Look again,” he ordered and she yelped in surprise once he flipped her onto her stomach. He climbed onto the bed with her beneath him. Nayeli loosened a heavy breath once his body pressed against her backside. He leaned into her neck and brushed his lips against her ear. Another breath escaped her mouth, her body stiffening underneath him.
“You will not go onto the Aemazon Fighting Fields without me present. Do you understand? You will not fight Warriors without me there,” he said into her ear.
“What about off the field?” she asked, her breathing jagged.
“Don’t taunt me, Nayeli,” he warned. “You know I don’t like to be played with.”
She titled her head back at his words, her body responding to his hot breath in her ear. He enjoyed watching her lips part and her body squirm underneath him.
“You were right,” she breathed out. “The view from your room really is magnificent-”
He took hold of her and swung her around again. With a wind of legs and arms, she fell back onto her back and looked up at him. He leaned over her, glaring down into her eyes.
“You will not put yourself in harm’s way without me near. Do we understand each other?”
“My King’s wishes are my command,” she said with a teasing smile and wrapped her legs around his middle.
Aiden held her stare, glaring down at her bemused smile. This woman was going to drive him insane. He was truly going to go senseless in her company.
“Would you like me to help you wash off the mud you’ve come to acquire during your time on the fighting fields?”
She chuckled underneath him and leaned her head back to stare out of the window. “Or we could stay here and enjoy the view?”
His heart lightly pounded in his ears as he spoke his next words. “Yes, maybe you could stay here,” he agreed.
She stiffened at his words, picking up the uneasiness in his voice. Slowly she returned her gaze to his. She did not say anything, her eyes fixed on his.
“Would you like to stay here, Nayeli?” he found himself asking.
To his dismay, she started blinking away tears in her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed each eyelid, wanting to rid her of her tears. He did not want to see her hurt and he definitely did not want to be the cause of it. She mumbled his name and lifted her mouth to his. Taking his head into her hands, she opened her mouth to his.
“I want to stay,” she breathed against his lips. “I am not sure what you mean by it, but I want to.”
“Then you’ll stay,” he said simply, trying to sound calm. But inside his chest, his heart was touched by Wildness full of delight. His Therian companion will stay. Neither of them was sure what they had agreed to, but the creature in his veins droned its approval.
Nayeli stared up at him and her face changed, the moisture in her eyes was gone. The way she looked at him was Wild and daring. Could she feel his creature, he wondered. Nayeli wetted her lips and pulled him into a kiss. Her mouth was urgent against his and soon he found himself being pushed onto his back. Nayeli traded places with him, taking away the control he cared so much for. His Royal Blood wanted to lead, but Nayeli was on top of him and was claiming his lips. She sat down on his hip, holding her body daringly against his. She was driven by Wildness and he could taste the lust on her lips.
Evidently she broke their kiss and sat back onto his hips to suck in a breath. Aiden could not take his eyes off her as he waited and when she opened her eyes, his wait was rewarded.
Two soft, illuminated blue eyes stared down at him.
Chapter Twenty Two - The Leader of The PackNayeli woke when Aiden shook her shoulder. It was the next morning and she had spent the entire night in his bed. Sun travelled into the room, the smell of the ocean finding its way into the open windows.
“Good morning, Princess,” Aiden said and smiled at her.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Aiden was fully dressed, sitting on the side of the bed with his eyes on her.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, pulling her hand through her hair.
“Unfortunately yes,” he said.
“Are you taking me with you?”
He smiled at her words. “I would have liked to, but no. I need to go to Glance.”
“Glance? I was there two days ago.”
Aiden’s smile disappeared. “Well, I’m glad you were gone by the time trouble started in the town.”
Nayeli frowned. “What kind of trouble?”
“Domain folk have been spotted in the town and sounds like they’ve made quite the mess of it. I will see what the damage is when I get there.”
Nayeli swallowed. “Aiden, I think there had been Domain folk in the town when we passed through it. But I’m not sure. Where is Eiric Whittaker?”
“He has not been seen since the ball. I believe he has either returned to the Domain or he would be with the men in Glance.”
“Oh,” she said and looked at him in concern. “Will Akira be going?”
“Of cause not.”
She frowned. “Are you sure you must go there?”
“Don’t worry. I will be back by tomorrow night.”
“You mean to say that I would have to spend a night without you?”
He smiled at her. “You will survive, I’m sure.” He leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips. “Now go back to sleep, it’s still early.”
She touched her lips where he had kissed her and slipped back in beneath the covers. “Hurry back,” she mumbled and watched him leave.
Her eyes closed and she drifted back to sleep with the thought of Aiden’s lips against hers still fresh in her mind.
Nayeli woke hours later when a cold nose touched hers. Her eyes flew open and she was faced with a pair of round, dark eyes inches away from her own. Those eyes were complemented by the sweetest little pink nose and pale, white fur. The cat watched Nayeli, her tail thickening. Nayeli sat up with a smile.
“Well, good morning, Princess,” she said and reached out to carefully rub the cat behind her ear. The cat’s hair rose slightly, sensing that she was not the normal girl in her master’s bed. It made Nayeli smile, trailing her hand over the cat’s back. She began purring, nestling herself closer to her.
She let out a pleased sigh and turned her head towards the ocean view. The sun was high in the sky and she realized she must have slept most of the day away. But she did not care. She wanted to stay in Aiden’s bed until he came back. Between all his things she felt closer to him. The sheets still smelled like him. Pulling the covers into her arms, she repeated the events of the night in her head. She felt her cheeks blush. Thoughts of Aiden made her stomach knot and her veins burn.
And the feeling was wonderful.
Nayeli rubbed the sleep from her eyes and noticed the clothes on a nearby chair. Kindly slipping away from Princess, she got out of bed. Aiden had arranged fresh clothing for her, she realized. She stopped next to the chair, impressed by the clothes he had chosen for her to wear for the day. He even had her white cloak hanging over the back of the chair. There was a note to her excitement.
Beautiful Princess Nayeli
I hope I have chosen clothes to your liking. I have never made the association of the white cloak to your white Tiger’s fur. I enjoy learning more about you every day.
Please, no fighting Warriors until I am back.
I hope to return to you soon.
Please stay.
Aiden
She smiled at the note and trailed her finger over the piece of paper. He had asked her to stay. She was not sure what he had meant, but she wanted to.
Nayeli stepped into the King’s bathing room and enjoyed herself thoroughly by soaking in Aiden’s tub. She welcomed the water on her skin, her eyes closing in appreciation. She could get used to this, she realized. She could stay in these chambers if it meant she could wake up to Aiden’s face every day.
The thought was haunting and she dreaded voicing it to Aiden. She had left this man, broke their engagement and now she was finding herself wanting to live in his chamber. She shook her head to clear the thought and lifted herself out of the tub. She dried herself, stepping out into his room again. She dressed in the clothing Aiden had picked for her.
With a smile on her lips, her eyes rested on the velvet pouch on the bedside table. Curiosity flared in her and she reached for the pouch. She sat back onto the bed and picked at the velvet, feeling it between her fingers. It had belonged to his mother. Nayeli had never known how much she had meant to Aiden. In his letters Nayeli could feel his long for his mother. She was Therian like them. The thought frightened her more than she would admit. The Estrella Blood truly was powerful.
She opened the pouch and dropped the locket out onto the bed. Her ears warmed at the gift Aiden had given her. It was such a personal gift to give away. She felt guilty in a way, remembering that he had wanted to give it to her on their wedding day. A day that had never happened.
Taking in a breath, she picked up the locket. It was attached to a long, silver necklace and it was beautiful. She touched the locked and turned it over.
Nayeli’s smile faltered and her heart screamed at what she saw.
Her brow was touched with sweat as realization set in. She had been wrong. Terribly wrong.
The wolf of Akira Estrella’s dreams was not the Aemazon Warrior…but the leader of the Pack.
Nayeli gaped down at the wolf on the locket.
* * *
With the day heavy on her heart, Nayeli opened the door to her chamber. Entering her room, she stopped and startled once she realized she wasn’t alone.
There was a figure sitting on her bed, his back to her and staring out her window into the night.
To her relief, the features were familiar. She stepped closer to him.
“What are you doing in my room?” she asked, her voice gentle.
He stood and had to tear his eyes away from the outside night. Aiden turned to look at her. In the dim lighting of her room, they regarded one another. She waited for him to speak, and eventually, he did.
“You displeased me immensely today,” he said.
She didn’t know how to respond, didn’t know if she could trust her voice to speak. He took in her silence, shaking his head and moving closer to her. Each step he took towards her, her stomach knotted. He stopped in front of her, his eyes roaming her face.
“Don’t make me fight with you, Nayeli.”
Her mouth still sealed, she shook her head at him.
He reached to touch the single, white feather at the side of her head. He felt the feather between his fingers, tucking it into her hair again. Then his finger trailed the length of her jaw, stopping at her lips. Every so lightly, he stroked his thumb over her mouth. He touched the tip of her nose, his finger trailing up to her forehead. Trailing his hand into her hair, his eyes returned to meet her own.
“Are we going to fight in the days to come?” he asked, his voice soft.
She nodded her head slowly, guilt clutching her heart.
For some reason it made Aiden smile. “Thank you for being honest, at least.”
She lifted a hand to his chest, feeling the warmth of him. “Do you still remember that seven year old girl you had met so long ago?” she asked, her voice so soft she hoped he was able to hear it.
“I remember her very well.”
“Don’t ever forget her,” she said, her hand clutching onto the clothes that covered his chest.
Aiden leaned closer to her. “I am looking right at her.”
His voice was a mere whisper, a whisper she needed to hear. It was the whisper she needed to give her the courage to lift her mouth to his. Reaching her arms around his neck, she pulled him into her kiss. He didn’t fight her, didn’t object. He allowed her to pull from him what she needed. She wanted to have all of him.
She wanted to feel his skin against hers.
She moaned his name against his lips, her hands finding the buttons to his coat. He stared down at her, watching her unbutton his clothes. All of his clothes. Soon it was his turn and he had no problem in taking off her dress. Once they discarded their clothes to the floor, Aiden grabbed her into his embrace, his mouth claiming hers.
Desire burned in her stomach, her heart beating faster than before. Aiden cupped her head, his mouth trailing down her neck. She gasped, holding onto him. He trailed his teeth over her collarbone, the pinch of his teeth welcome on her skin. His hand closed around a fistful of her hair, his mouth coming down on hers again. He kissed her carelessly, their bodies melting together.
She would never get used to it, she decided. The feel of Aiden’s body against her own would always be the most exhilarating feeling in the world. Her heart leapt once he took hold of her and pulled her onto the bed with him. He flipped her onto her back, leaning over her to press his lips to hers. He kissed her fiercely, pinning her to the bed. She gasped once his mouth left hers to kiss her between her breasts.
There was Wildness to his kiss, his mouth warm on her lips and skin. Her veins burned brighter, her heart flooded with desire. Aiden’s kisses were careless and she could taste his craze on his lips. Her back arched towards him, her breathing wholly uneven.
“Your eyes,” he breathed out against her skin. “They are glowing.”
Trying not to panic, she pulled her eyes shut.
“No,” Aiden objected and moved his face towards hers again. “Don’t take them away from me.”
She opened her eyes to stare up at the King of Adarmar. His breathing was uneven and there was a smile on his face.
“Gods, you are beautiful,” he breathed, inhaling sharply.
Her heart pushed desire through her veins. She pulled his mouth back over her own, kissing him deservingly. He moaned into her mouth, his body burning against her own.
Being one with Aiden brought her the warmth she so dearly longed for. She couldn’t care about what would come tomorrow, couldn’t care in the least. She had her legs wrapped around the most remarkable body of a man she had ever met.
The Alpoca bird can’t possibly be dead, she found herself thinking.
“It feels like I am flying,” she murmured to Aiden’s lips.