Chapter 15

Page Fifteen.

My new husband wants an heir, but the deities have not been kind to us. I can't help but look at the rising sun, the sinking moon, and hope to escape the dawn.

"How is it possible we're going into the sixth test next?" Catherine's dreamy sigh echoes to me, and I look up from my book cart. "We are making history. Well, you more than me, being new and all."

I never thought about that, about the fact just being in the Decidere will put me in any history book. The idea is thrilling as much as it is daunting. I might die and just be a name listed, or I could be a rider. "I don't know. I feel like I'm riding on luck and about to run out."

She shakes her head. "Don't say that! You aren't just lucky, you're amazing, and that's why you're doing so well." I want to ask her a million questions about whether the test was different or not for her this time. Catherine instantly forgave me when she came out of the test only an hour or so after me. She landed in the water, but she didn't pass out like I did. She understood that there was water down there and remembered quick enough to turn and dive. Apparently, she's quite a good swimmer. Though I don't really know how or where she managed to learn to swim in this place.

She said that her fifth test was difficult, and that's all we ever discuss on the most important thing in our lives right now. I hate the fact we can't talk about them, because I'm still confused about so much. I didn't have a test. Nothing happened when I touched the stone, not like it usually does, and yet I still got the mark.

I glance at my arms now, how different they look from only a few weeks ago. From the middle of my wrists, all the way over my hands are small dragon marks slowly moving around. They are beautiful, alive and something of my own. I've never liked marks on my skin because every one came from pain. I don't think I ever will learn to like the bites, but I do like these. Marks that I chose, I earned. I don't know why, but that is slightly different.

Catherine is humming to herself as she puts her selection of books away. "Your family must be proud," I tell her. I've met her mum and her father. They're both like Catherine. Somehow bright, so alive and joyous. Fae just aren't those things outside of here.

"Well, yes, but…my sister, she's…" She seems to be thinking of the best way to phrase her next words. "Well, I don't expect she thought that I'd get this far. I think she thought I'd end up dying, far from being a rider and being one of the few to get this far in the Decidere. She is competitive and I've always let her win at everything."

"Well, you're not doing that this time. You're standing on your own two feet." I grin at her. "I'm learning to do that, too."

"My mother did say something I wanted to ask you about," she says, lowering her voice. "People are talking about you and the king. He has never, publicly at least, had a girlfriend. But people have seen you kissing now."

I don't know what to say exactly. "What did you want to ask?"

"Are you dating? Is it serious?" she asks. "I'm just nosy and I've never had a relationship before, so I'm living through you if you tell me anything. You don't have?—"

"Okay, stop, stop," I gently interrupt before she full-on nervously rants. "We've kissed a few times. He takes me on dates, but I wouldn't call it serious. He surprised me by kissing me in front of everyone yesterday."

She pauses, looking over at me. "That was a claiming, done on purpose. If it's not serious for you, I think it is for him." She might be right, more reason than ever to talk with Daegan about us. "My mother said King Ziven looked furious when you came out. I can't believe he still hopes you die in there. She said she'd never seen him so angry."

I wince. I kind of hoped he was getting past the hating me thing, but it seems not. I'm having a hard time completely hating him, but we will never be friends. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Of course," she quickly answers, her cheeks burning red. "Er, tell me something about the outside world? Nothing about the vampyres." She shivers. She can't hide the fear in her eyes when I talk about them. "But tell me anything I don't know."

We have talked about a lot, and she likely knows more about the outside than even Daegan, who regularly asks me a million questions. "I…I don't know. I know that you're trapped in here, that you don't leave, but it was similar to me. My life has been pretty sheltered too. I never got to explore the world. I only heard things because of my master." I haven't told her about the prince. I can't get the words out when I do. Telling anyone here that I was close, more than close, to the royal family who conquered their world would end with me dead. "My mum, I think she protected me from the darkness of the world far more than I ever knew."

"I hope I get to meet her." Her beaming smile makes my heart warm. "What's she like?"

There's only one word I'd use to describe my mother. "Brave. Everything I'm not."

"You don't think you're brave?" she quietly asks.

My laugh is hollow. "No, I'm definitely not." I pick up the new pile of books, the last that need to be sorted before the end of my day. Catherine keeps up with me as we wheel our carts through the thickness of the library, past several of the workers who I've gotten to know. All of them smile at me now, and I'm less of a stranger to them. The smell of the dusty books is relaxing, calming, and the tenseness leaves my shoulders after a while.

"I think you're brave," she eventually tells me when we both stop at the shelves I need. It's so dark back here—only a dim oil lantern is burning from a nearby desk—making it harder to find the shelf I need. I shake my head at her. I don't know where she got the idea from, but me, brave? No, brave is not something I think I am. Though I do wish that I was. Catherine hands me a few biscuits, even though food isn't allowed in the library, and winks at me. "Our secret."

My empty stomach is happy to keep her secret, and I dig into the biscuits, almost groaning at how lovely they taste. They're really nice, some sort of coconut flavour with chocolate. After we finish eating our biscuits, we get back to work.

"You're late." I jump out of my skin, dropping all the books on the floor at my feet as I turn and see Ziven leaning on the bookcase with his shoulder, his arms crossed tight. Catherine squeals, nearly tripping over her own cart.

Any conversation we had completely and utterly dies as I take Ziven in. Catherine drops her head. "Good evening, your majesty."

He barely looks at her for a second. "That's how you bow to a king, Storm. Take lessons."

His sarcastic comment might have made me laugh if it wasn't for the look in his eyes. He is mad about something, and I know it's me that's going to suffer for his bad mood in training tomorrow. "I just need to put these books away and?—"

"I don't give a shit about the books. Move," he growls.

I swing on him. "Well, I give a shit about the books that need to be put away, because it is my job and I love it. So wait, or don't. I can find my own way to the Moon Dynasty, considering you lock me in there often enough!" Catherine gasps in shock, and I ignore them both to pick up my books.

Catherine makes an excuse to leave, disappearing with her cart seconds later. I really, really don't blame her. I can only imagine what Ziven looks like right now, imagine only because I don't dare look back at him. I keep picking up books until his giant boots are right in front of me. After I pick up the final one, I look up at him. There's nothing but pure, cold fury drawn on his face. He almost makes me wince. Almost. "What? What is wrong with you? You look…"

"I'm fine," he snarls back at me. But if this is his version of fine, I really don't know what not fine is. I thought maybe we might have come to some sort of agreement between us. Part of me was really hoping that what Fritz said was true and that he did tell him to back off. But the way he is acting now, no, he still hates me. Fritz trying to kill me was something they likely celebrated when he got back. Of all the people to survive this far, I hate that Fritz is one of them, especially after insulting Catherine when she did nothing.

I shake my head, start putting the books away, and the whole time, he glares at me. I feel like I've made a hundred mistakes and not put any of the books back where they're meant to be with the pressure of his gaze drilling into my skull. By the time I'm reaching up to try to put the last one in, it's so high that I might need to pull the ladders to be able to get to the fifth row. I feel his firm body at my back, the coldness that echoes from him spreading to me as a massive hand engulfs the book, taking it and easily pushing it into the gap I couldn't reach. I turn around in the tiny space between the bookcase and Ziven as he's completely cornered me in. He looks down at my face like he didn't expect us to be this close. I didn't expect this either. His scent engulfs me here, and I can't breathe without taking more of him in, letting him close. I'm basically at the height of his chest, and if he moved one inch closer, his body would be completely pressed against mine, and I'd have nowhere to escape to. He leans down, a mask of indifference to me slipping over his features. "We're leaving."

He steps back, and I finally let out the breath I was holding in. He is shaking his head like he's just lost the plot, and I might be right there with him. "Come along, traitor."

I have to chase him down the library corridors. "Why do you call me a traitor? I've literally done nothing to be a traitor to you."

"You've done everything you can to be a traitor," he murmurs. "And for a second back there, I forgot who you're pretending not to be."

"Oh, right, the stupid spy idea," I mutter, my heart racing. What would have happened if he did forget? Why do I want to find out so badly? I hate this man. This fae king who is cruel and coldhearted.

He doesn't say a word to me as he storms out of the library, expecting me to follow. I don't even get to retrieve the books from Mazzis, as he leaves so quickly, leading me down to the stairs to his apartments. We both stop as the doors to the apartment are wide open, and the twins aren't there. No guard is there. "Where is Marcus?" Ziven's furious growl echoes.

His boots slam on the floor as he walks through the open doors, and I follow him in, only to see him stop dead in his tracks. Ziven crouches down only a few feet from the door. "Marcus, what happened?" He pauses as I get to his side, only to see him going ghostly pale. My eyes drift from Ziven to the stranger, a dark-haired man who looks like he has a fever. His skin is red, sweaty and hot. He's shaking slightly, muttering to himself with his eyes closed. But the strangest part is there are gold scales all over his cheek, glowing, glittering almost. Ziven looks at me. I can't read his eyes, but I can feel the sadness coming off him. The fear too. "Fuck, you shouldn't be here, Storm."

"What is going on here?" Astrid's voice echoes to us from the other side of the corridor. Ziven puts his hand up in the air, and a wall of silver flames, so clear it could be light itself, blocks her off from us, and the same silver flame wall goes up behind us, in front of the open apartment doors.

Ziven rises to his feet. "Evacuate to the lower floor and no one leaves. It's the Chilgrave sickness. Marcus…he isn't well." Her skin pales almost as much as Ziven's, and she covers her mouth, barely holding in the sob. The illness Daegan told me about, the one that kills them easily. He's sick. A cry echoes from a short-haired woman, someone I don't know, as she runs around Astrid. "No! Marcus, no!"

She slips out from Astrid's grasp, and she slams her hands against the silver wall of flames, but it barely even moves. It doesn't hurt her either. "Brother! No, not you. Not after all this time! We are so close!"

I can barely understand her wails, but they break my heart. I've pleaded for someone's life once, begged and watched them die anyway. Astrid pulls the woman away. "Come on, let's go. You can't help him now. Let our king be there." Astrid soothes her, leading her away, and when she is gone, Ziven locks the apartment doors.

He walks to my side as I hold Marcus's hand. His eyes focus on that, and they darken. "I am immune, but you are not. May the deities be kind to us both, because we are going to fucking need it to survive being locked in here alone."