Flame and Starlight (The Esteria Series Book 1) Page 12

  Knowing that this could also kill me now, I gingerly pushed it back into its holder. He knelt in front of me and leaned back on his heels. He looked up at me through his dark lashes.

  “It straps around your thigh. I’ve made sure all of your dresses for this trip are loose enough that it won’t be seen. May I?” His question caught me off guard as I realized what he was asking to do. I swallowed thickly and nodded. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat…and in other places. “Which is your dominant hand?”

  “Right,” I croaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m right-handed.” That stupid smirk pulled at his lips as he pushed the fabric of my dress back. The slit in my dress went up my left leg, so it was a bit awkward for him to gain access to my right.

  The moment I felt his rough fingers graze my skin, gooseflesh broke out over my arms and up my spine. This time, it wasn’t agony that I felt from him, but something more like hesitation and another that almost felt like excitement. The latter made the heat from his dust on my shoulder almost painfully hot. If he noticed, though, he didn’t say anything.

  His hands went higher, and I cringed, knowing he was about to strap that thing around my thigh. My thighs were never considered small, especially not after I had been training for weeks and adding on muscle. They were thick, and I worried that the straps wouldn’t be long enough.

  He reached my midthigh, and his free hand grabbed the back of it and pulled it closer to him with a firm grip. That feeling of hesitation I got from him earlier disappeared.

  Get a grip, Alys. He is a murderer.

  I almost lost my balance but managed to grab onto the bedpost and remain upright. When I looked down at him, about to scold him for almost knocking me over, what I saw in his eyes made my body go warm and my face flush. My magick pulsed through my body wildly, begging for a release. Asher saw my reaction, and his nostrils flared slightly. I was no longer worried about what he might think of my thighs. He was looking at me like I was water and he was on fire. My brain kept sending alarm bells off, but my body wasn’t listening.

  He situated the dagger much higher up on my thigh than I thought was necessary, almost brushing exactly where I wanted him. But any ability to speak and tell him off in my normal sassy way was gone the second he had touched my skin. The straps fit around my thigh easily, and he secured it tightly. His thumb ran along the edge of it while keeping his eyes locked on mine.

  Those few seconds could have been hours. Time slowed, and all I could see were his eyes that looked more blue than grey in the moment. His hands dropped, skimming my leg the entire way down. When he stood, his mouth tilted to the side, and the old, overly confident Asher was back.

  “Just promise not to use it on me,” he said and winked. “We leave in five.”

  The door shut behind him, and I clung to the bedpost, hoping my legs would start to work again.

  After I got the feeling back in my legs, I made my way down to the carriage. Emric helped toss our trunks onto the back. And when I say toss, I mean he was actually tossing them through the air.

  “Oi!” I said as mine hit with a thud. “Mav took ages packing that perfectly. A little tact would be nice.”

  “I think your precious dresses will survive.” He offered me his hand, and I gave him my gloved one. “Have fun,” he said with a wink and helped me up into the carriage. I settled back on the cushioned bench so that I was facing forward. I had been on trains where I would sit backwards, but they were smooth with big windows I could look out of. Something told me this wouldn’t be the smoothest ride.

  Asher whispered something to Emric so low that even with my new Fae-enhanced ears I couldn’t hear. When Asher climbed into the carriage, it tilted slightly with his weight and then settled as he sat on the bench across from me. He was so tall that his knees brushed mine until he made his way to the opposite side, giving himself room to stretch out his legs and cross them at his ankles.

  The ride was just as I thought it would be: long and rough. As it crossed over the dirt roads, it rattled, and with every bump we hit, and I thought my teeth would vibrate right out of my mouth. At one point I was holding on to the door so tightly that I cracked it in half.

  “Shit, sorry,” I said, pulling both of my hands into my lap. “I guess I’m not used to the new strength yet.”

  He eyed the door and then me curiously before his gaze tracked back out the window. The silence between us was palpable. I didn’t know what to fill it with, and he didn’t seem interested in trying, lost in his own thoughts.

  The hours passed, and I could feel myself fighting sleep. The loll of the carriage moving back and forth was like being rocked to sleep, albeit roughly. I reclined my head back against the stiff cushions and closed my eyes.

  “No point in going to sleep now,” Asher said, jolting me back to life. I stretched and yawned, my muscles aching from being in one position for so long.

  “Are we almost there?”

  “Almost,” he said and turned his attention to me. “Remember our story, and stay close to me.”

  “I know, I know,” I said and rolled my eyes. “I get it. You spared me because I’m pretty, I serve you because of it, and I’m ever so grateful for the opportunity.”

  “We’ll be staying together in the same cottage,” he said, ignoring my sarcasm.

  “Cottage? We aren’t staying in a castle like yours?”

  His small smile was real this time. “The High Lady has one, but for the Solstice celebration, she does things a little different. You’ll see.” He pointed out the carriage window, and I made my way down the bench to get a better look. He pulled his legs back to him to give me room.

  The road we were on was surrounded by the biggest pine trees I had ever seen. They had to be as big as the Redwoods in California I had heard stories about. There were beautiful tree houses dotted throughout them, all connected by swinging wooden rope bridges. In every one, a soft, warm light poured out of the windows. I looked back at him with the widest smile on my face to find him watching me.

  “We get to stay in those?”

  “We do,” he said and looked out the window as well. The trees began to clear out, and we came to a stop. I couldn’t get out of the carriage quickly enough. Asher opened the door for me instead of having to wait for the driver to do so. I jumped out, and he was hot on my heels.

  We had stopped in what looked like a large town square that was surrounded by Tudor-style buildings. A huge Christmas tree was directly in the middle, filled with lights of every color. Around the tree were market stalls filled with people pulling out their merchandise and setting up for the Solstice event. Fae were mingling around, looking at what the merchants had to offer and laughing with one another. It felt so…normal.

  “This is beautiful,” I whispered to Asher as he watched me take it all in.

  “It is,” he said. Abruptly, he at the footsteps coming towards us. I moved to his side so quickly that I bumped into his back, his shadows splaying out like disturbed dust. I moved half a step away and kept my eyes on the ground. I didn’t have to ask who it was. I could feel power, almost as strong as Asher’s, pulse through the air.

  “High Lord of Night,” she said, her voice like velvet. “You’ve ventured outside of your castle, I see.” He gave a short bow, and I followed suit with a curtsey. Asher had explained to me before leaving that the visiting High Lord or Lady is the one that bowed. He also told me to follow his every move.

  Look at me, I thought. Being the dutiful little pet.

  “I wouldn’t miss your Solstice celebration, Zemira,” he said, straightening back to his full height. I kept my eyes trained on his shoes.

  “And who’s your friend, Asher?” I felt her eyes slide to me. He pulled my arm into his and brought me forward. The clothes between us couldn’t stop his emotions flowing into my body. The last thing I needed right now was his nerves mingling with my own, but I fought through them with a smile as I met her eyes.

  She was the most beau
tiful Fae I had seen yet, and probably ever would. She was just as tall as Asher, if not taller, and her red dress hugged her every curve. Her skin was dark, and her eyes were as green as an emerald. Her ebony hair flowed down to her waist in tight spirals. I couldn’t pull my eyes from her.

  “This is Lyssa. A poor soul that begged for her life on Mayassar. I know it’s against the rules, but I couldn’t ignore that pretty face,” he said, grabbing my jaw and pulling my face towards him. He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip, and my breath caught in my throat at the intimate gesture. “She’s my little plaything now, fetching me wine and food, among other favors.” He dropped my face, and my eyes instantly fell back down to the ground, my cheeks burning red.

  Murderer. Murderer. Murderer.

  “Well, we are so happy to have you, Asher.” Her hand reached out and squeezed his arm once, and then she turned and went to greet more guests that were arriving. I tugged my arm from his.

  “Plaything? Really, Asher?”

  He smirked and took my arm back, pulling me in the direction of a man that was loading our trunks onto a cart. “Just trying to make it believable, little duck.”

  I decided to drop it and just be happy that I was out of the same four walls for the first time in almost a month. I took in our surroundings as we walked off into the forest to find our home for the next five days.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Asher grabbed me around my waist, and suddenly we were in the air. A scream caught in my throat before we landed on the wobbly bridge that was probably sixty feet off the ground. He let me go, and his inky wings disappeared again. I gripped onto the railing so hard my knuckles turned white with the effort.

  “A warning next time,” I said and elbowed him in the stomach.

  “This is ours.”

  He pointed to the tree house in front of us, and it was all I could do to not push past him and run into it. It sat perfectly in between limbs and branches, staying upright, I assumed, by magick. He walked forward and opened the door, letting me walk in and wander around while the other Faery pushed our trunks into the main living space.

  All of the walls were made out of a warm wood, with large windows on every wall. In the main room, there were a couple of deep couches and cozy-looking chairs. Ours had a bookshelf with a ledge in the window next to it for reading. There wasn’t a kitchen, but there was a bar fully stocked with plenty of alcohol. Back the small hallway was a bathing room, and the last door was the bedroom. The only bedroom. The bed had to be a king-size it was so large. It was nestled against the wall to my right which let guests stare out the wall of windows that opened up to nothing but a forest covered in snow.

  I felt Asher come up behind me as I stared out of the windows. I turned around to see him leaning against the doorframe.

  “One bed?” I asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “Don’t worry, little duck. I’ll take the couch.” I rolled my eyes. “We’ll need to leave in a bit for the welcome dinner. You’ll need to change.”

  “I need to bathe as well.”

  “Your clothes are in the bathing room. Choose one of the evening gowns Mav packed.”

  Getting ready, I had no desire to stand out, so I picked a black gown that was long-sleeved, velvet on the tight bodice, but then tulle took over at my waist and fell to the floor. The cut of the neckline was nowhere near as modest as the one I wore earlier as it dipped all the way down to where to tulle began, but it was either a scandalous neckline or more eye-catching colors and fabrics. I left my hair down, and it fell to my chest in dark waves.

  I dug through the bag of makeup that Mavka had packed for me and quickly did my eyeliner and mascara and pulled everything together with black lipstick. I would definitely fit the part of being on Asher’s arm cloaked from head to toe in his favorite color.

  But I was wrong about blending in. The moment I saw Asher, I knew there was no way not every single eye would be on us this evening. His hair was still combed back, showing off every inch of his annoyingly perfect face. The black suit he wore fit every muscle in his body so well that I could see each outline. There was a thin crown of starlight resting atop his head, and I realized I’d never seen him dressed as High Lord before now. His shadows were tucked tightly against him, fully under control and barely moving. I had never seen them so reserved.

  “Beautiful,” I thought I heard him murmur as he eyed me from head to toe. “Each of your dresses,” he said louder, “have slits in the back in case you need your wings. But if we can keep them hidden, I think that’s best. They’re too unique; they’d set off too many questions.”

  I felt heat dance across my shoulder and up my neck under his gaze. If I could see his dust, I knew it would be dancing and swirling under my skin.

  “I haven’t really had time to train them either, so let’s hope for both of our sakes I don’t need them.”

  “I have something else for you,” he said, gesturing me over to him. I stopped in front of him, and when he opened his hands, a necklace dangled between his fingers made of the same silver starlight as his crown.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, reaching out for it. Before I could touch it, he gestured for me to turn around. When I did, I lifted my hair up off my shoulders and let him put the necklace on me himself. It was cool against my skin and sat right in the hollow of my throat. “Thank you,” I breathed and turned back around to face him.

  “That starlight will just be one more thing that lets them know you’re mine,” he said, souring my mood.

  “So it’s like a dog collar,” I deadpanned. He smirked and then suddenly reached and ran his hand up my right thigh until he felt the steel of the dagger resting against my skin. My breath caught in my throat, and I was frozen until he took his hand away.

  He’s a murderer, Alys. Get a grip on yourself.

  “Just making sure.” He winked. “Hungry?”

  “Famished.” For what, though, I couldn’t quite say.

  The dinner was held in a large dining hall in the village. There were tables that could hold about ten people placed across the room in even lines. Each table was decorated with green swags that fell to the ground, pine cones, large pomegranates and cranberries, and holly. There were candelabras lit on every table, creating a soft evening glow in the room.

  Asher sat me down to his right before reclining in his own chair. There were wine decanters scattered about the table, and I picked up the one nearest us and filled his glass first, ever the dutiful soul. I looked around the table and saw every set of eyes glance our way at least once. A month ago, I’d thought Faeries were just a story, and now I was one, and I was sitting in a room surrounded by them. I filled my own glass and took a sip to calm my nerves.

  I would never get used to how amazing everything tasted now that I had changed. I could taste every underlying note of flavor in the wine, and it warmed my blood. I ate my food in silence while Asher made small talk with the table. After everyone was settled, no one really looked at me anymore. All eyes were on him, hanging on every word and every laugh. I could see every female’s eyes glued to his mouth,= like he was the most eligible bachelor here. Maybe he was.

  Two glasses of wine down and I scoffed at the thought. Asher turned his head towards me and asked me a question with his eyes.

  “Something amusing?” they seemed to ask. I rolled my eyes and went back to eating.

  “So, Asher,” the female to his left drawled. “Who’s this precious little thing to your right?”

  I looked up, realizing she was talking about me, and met her ice-blue eyes. She was so pale she was practically translucent, and the red lipstick she had chosen made her white teeth glisten like pearls.

  “Lyssa,” he said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, “is just a soul I took pity on. She accompanies me everywhere to make sure my needs are met.” I inwardly groaned at the innuendo. I filled his wineglass to further his point.

  “Well, she is just darling,” she purred, leaning forward and e
xposing more of her cleavage to him. Her hand found his forearm, and I stared at her fingers curling into the muscle there. She looked up at him from underneath her pale eyelashes and smiled. The decanter, still in my hand, exploded, sending wine all over the table and glass shards scattering. The deep red of the wine mixed with the blood trickled down my palm.

  I blinked and looked at it. Had I done that? I looked at Asher, and he grabbed his napkin off his lap, wrapping it around my palm. The female’s hand lay limply in her lap. Small victories. His skin was rough against mine, and concern flooded into my veins, making my anxiety flare. My breaths came in and out in short bursts.

  “Her strength is a bit off ever since I brought her back. Still getting your balance, right?” His eyes locked with mine, and I nodded. I took a deep breath and smiled wide.

  “Please, excuse me.” I met a few faces staring at me. “I’ve been breaking things left and right, it seems.” I pulled my wrapped hand from his grip and settled back into my seat. Fae were beginning to filter out of the dining hall to go to the ballroom next door. It seemed my faux pas didn’t garner any attention from anyone other than our table.

  “Why don’t we go dance?”

  This female didn’t miss a beat. Her hand was back on his forearm, and my nails dug into the still-healing cuts in my palm. The thoughts running through my head didn’t feel like my own. They were dark and twisted and wanted me to get her boney little fingers off his fucking arm. The weight of the dagger was glaringly obvious on my thigh. My magick rippled under my skin, calling me to use it. The candles on our table flickered as if they were being pushed around by a breeze. Asher’s right hand found my thigh and gripped it, hard, his smile at the blonde never faltering. The pain brought me back into the room, and I trained my eyes on my empty plate.

  “Please, go ahead. I’ll save you a dance, Leona,” he replied coolly and took a sip from his wine. He waited until she and her friends were out the door before standing and motioning for me to do the same. He walked slowly to the door, and I stayed close to his side, our arms brushing up against each other. Her name replaced murderer in my mental chant I had kept going on a loop lately.