Chapter 14

Béke Day Four

The whip cut through the air, and my eyes slammed shut, then burst open as pain split my back, tearing a cry from my lips. All I saw was darkness, and as my nails scratched at the rough rock under them for something, anything, to hold on to, a flash caught my attention. Lightning rent the air, crackling in every direction and casting a flash of brightness over the world around me. I caught sight of my reflection in a mirror perched so close I could touch it. With a trembling hand, I reached for it, and the moment my fingers made contact with the cool surface, I was plunged into darkness once more. A heartbeat later, the whip sang again, followed by a cry of pain as my back bowed. Lightning flashed, and this time, I was ready to face my assailant. But the mirror offered nothing other than my tear-streaked face. I grasped at it helplessly, watching myself fade away as inky blackness blotted out the world once more. I knew what came next, and in a panicked rush, I leaped forward, trying to shatter the mirror with my head and arm myself with its shards. But the reflective surface did not crack; instead, I was falling, falling, falling, until I was afraid not of the lashes across my back but the impact that came with hitting the ground at full speed. "No!" I cried out–

The echo of my nightmare rang in my ears as I bolted upright, grasping for something to hold onto, to stop me from plummeting to my death. My chest heaved as I blinked, the bedroom at Ryza Citadel coming into focus around me. Soft light spilled beneath the heavy black curtains pulled across the wide windows, and a moment later, Ruslan burst through the door, a wild look in his eyes.

"Izidora, are you alright?" he asked, rushing to my side, his eyes raking across my naked, heaving chest and the sheets pooled at my waist, not with hunger, but with worry.

My teeth sank into my bottom lip, and I nodded, blowing out what little breath I had. Ruslan clearly did not believe me, because he crawled into bed behind me and pulled me flush against him. His arms caged my torso, and his legs tucked against mine until there was no possible way for us to be more connected. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah," I half-whispered, half-sobbed. "The whips…"

Ruslan's arms dropped from my chest, instead coming to rest on my tense shoulders. Light circles of his thumbs there helped ease some of the lingering tension from my dream, and I leaned my head back, resting it against the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"How do you cope with them? You never wake me up screaming like I do to you," I murmured, letting my eyes close again.

"Mine aren't as bad as yours, not anymore at least." He paused his strokes, then gingerly directed me to lie on my stomach in front of him. I followed his direction, turning my head to the side so I could see him as he began a slow massage of my legs. "It took years for them to come less frequently. Now I mostly have them when I am stressed." He frowned, then shook his head and continued up toward my ass. "That's what woke me up this morning. I tried not to disturb you. You were worn out last night, and I wanted you to rest."

"Zuriel said that I might feel more emotionally raw and drained after what we did yesterday," I sighed, nearly groaning as Ruslan dug into a particularly tough knot in my lower back. Despite the hour spent soaking in the grotto, mud wrap, and massage the previous day, I still couldn't relax and let go of the tension lining every fiber of my being.

"But it helped?" he questioned, all serious as he took care of me.

I nodded, my cheek brushing against the soft blanket covering the bed. "It was incredible, feeling the terror just… melt away. I didn't know how much it weighed me down until it was gone."

Ruslan reached my upper back, and this time, I did moan at how amazing his fingers felt digging into the muscles there. "I have something for you," he started, trailing off as he focused on my shoulder.

"Do you?" I asked, my voice tilting lighter.

"Something that will make you feel safe, strong, and powerful," he promised, finishing his ministrations and shuffling us around. The bed dipped, then sighed in relief as his massive frame strode away from it and back into the living space. I pushed myself to a sitting position, then slid off the bed and pulled on a large tunic that belonged to Ruslan, the fabric kissing my mid-thigh. One sleeve was rolled halfway up my forearm when he returned, holding several velvet cases that reminded me of the one that contained Liliana's bow.

He tsked when he noticed my attire. "As much as I love to see you drowning in me, sprite, I need you to put on something that actually fits you. Dress like you would to spar."

I quirked a brow in his direction, but did as he bid, rifling through a few drawers and pulling on my favorite leather pants and a tight-fitting tunic that I wore beneath my training gear. "There," I said, presenting myself with a sweep of my hands.

Ruslan placed the velvet boxes on the bed, then moved to open the largest one. Two snaps flipped open, and then the lid lifted of its own accord, revealing armor the color of the sides of the Agrenak Mountains when they weren't covered in snow. My eyes widened as I took an involuntary step forward, drawn in by the exquisite craftsmanship. The metal was not thick and heavy like many of the Félvér wore, but rather made of tiny, overlapping pieces that reminded me of the hint of black scales that dusted Ruslan's torso when he shifted into his Dragon form.

"I had these pieces made especially for you. The metal will protect you more than the traditional leather armor of the Night Realm, but it is just as light. No arrow will be able to pierce the metal, and it would take a significant strike to break the scales apart," Ruslan explained, lifting the piece away from the cushioned interior and holding it out to me. "Arms up," he ordered, and I lifted them overhead, allowing him to settle the new armor over me.

It spilled across my torso like silk, hugging my curves without being restrictive. When my arms dropped to my sides, I found that the metal moved and flexed with me, not inhibiting my dexterity in the slightest. "What about my wings?" I questioned, glancing over my shoulder in hopes of seeing holes in the back.

"Magically enhanced to allow them to burst through," Ruslan smirked, eyes glittering as he drank in my form. "Unfortunately, I can't do anything to protect them against attack, so you'll have to pay attention to them. I know you are more than capable of doing that, but I will always be watching them too. "

I nodded, then tapped into the crystal wrapped in white flame and moonlight in my chest, bringing the white, feathery wings into existence. My muscles didn't even protest as they settled behind me, and I strode to the full-length mirror, fluffing them proudly as I admired my new armor. The tips of the largest feathers arced toward the ceiling above us, and the light that filtered through the windows caught and reflected off their diamond-like surface. Then the light caught on the new chest plate, and I took a step closer, squinting at the small pieces of metal hammered together. "Are those roses?" I asked, my mouth falling open in awe.

"For my insidious bloom," Ruslan hummed, coming to stand behind me. Warmth filled my chest from the certainty that everything he'd done for me was to help me blossom into the strong, powerful female I was becoming.

Ruslan reached around my waist, finding leather straps along my hips and pulling them taught before tying them and tucking them away. I turned to the side, still absorbed in the fine details of the metalwork, causing him to duck out of the way of my wings. He chuckled and strode to the bed, where more unopened cases sat.

"There's more," he said, and I waited patiently for him to produce the next surprise.

When he returned to the mirror, he held up a pair of etched metal wrist covers, with long-stemmed roses displaying deadly thorns running up the middle. A smile spread across my face as I held out my arms and allowed him to secure them in place. "These are incredible," I enthused, turning my arms over and admiring them from every angle.

"I selfishly bought these for you so that I knew you'd be safe, but I think after the past few days, you need that too," he murmured, planting a kiss on my neck before backing away. Tears pricked my eyes, and I drew a long breath, holding it for a moment before blowing it out again.

"I do."

When he returned this time, he held armor for my legs, the top half similar to the interlocking roses that covered my torso, while the bottom mirrored the engraved metal with long-stemmed thorny roses on either side of my calves. Ruslan knelt before me, securing the bottom first, then lacing up the tops at the back of my thighs and securing them using the strings he'd tucked away earlier.

I smoothed back his dark hair, running my nails along his scalp and eliciting a groan. His eyes were hungry when he rose, towering over me. "There is one other piece to complete the ensemble," he purred, tucking a wayward lock of hair behind my ear. "Well, technically two."

The last velvet case remained unopened as he brought it to me, and I reached out a tentative hand, flicking one lock, then the other, and opening the maw of the box. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I beheld what was inside. A cushion nestled twin swords of dark iron-gray metal, short enough for me to wield both simultaneously. It wasn't the swords that caught my eye, but the glittering round garnets set into each hilt. Their color was a deep red, rich enough to be freshly sown blood, and around them was a ring of tiny obsidian stones, circling the massive gems in a protective embrace. I lifted one, then the other, from the box, finding them surprisingly light. When the sun caught the blades, I noticed the roses inlaid in a silver metal there, nearly invisible until the light caught it. I grinned at the meaning. No one would see them until my blade already arced for their neck.

Ruslan's thoughtfulness melted my heart, and as I returned my attention to him, I couldn't help the love that spilled from deep within me. "Thank you," I managed to whisper, momentarily overcome.

"The High Priestess will tell you that the garnet surrounded by obsidian will protect you in battle and help you channel your emotions in a manageable way," he said with a shrug. He stepped toward me, careful to dodge the blades that slowly dropped to my sides. His fingers twisted in my hair, supporting my head as he tilted it up at him. "Believe what you want, but I won't take any chances with your safety, whether you choose me or not. And you deserve to feel safe, Izidora. I hope this armor can give you a semblance of that while you continue to heal."

My throat thickened, and a lone tear tracked down my cheek. Ruslan's rough thumb swiped it away before it reached my chin. "I love you," I said around the thickness in my throat.

"And I love you, sprite," he murmured, dropping his lips to mine and capturing them in a searing kiss – one that spoke of just how much he cared, how much he wanted me to be safe, and how much he wanted me to be the one to give that safety to myself.

"Wear this to the competition today," he requested when he finally released me. "And wield those swords with all the fierceness I know you possess."

The smile I flashed at him was both feral and saccharine. "They won't see my thorns until it"s too late."

"That's my sprite," Ruslan purred, hands roaming shamelessly over my body before he pulled me into him again and kissed me roughly.

Laughing, I broke away and carefully tossed my new swords onto the bed so my hands were free to roam his body as well.

"As much as I would love to stay with you and strip you out of this armor I so painstakingly secured you into, I have some matters to attend to," Ruslan groaned, resting his forehead against mine.

I chewed my lip, causing his eyes to darken. A hand slipped between us as he tugged it free. "Later," he promised, the raspiness of his voice heating my low belly. With a sigh of protest, I relaxed my grip on his tunic and he stepped away, quickly dressing himself in more formal attire to leave our apartment at Ryza Citadel.

"I suppose I can go find Liliana," I said, my voice lilting up as if that wasn't the only other plan I had for the day. I had missed my friend so much, and after she'd sworn to stick by my side the previous day, I wanted to waste no more time catching up.

"You should. But don't get into too much trouble. I've heard now just how wild she can be," Ruslan teased, and I grinned back at him.

"No promises," I sang, untying the armor and arranging it carefully across the bed.

"Think you can put it on by yourself later?" Ruslan asked, slipping the Iron Crown over his brow, the final piece of his kingly attire in place.

"I believe in myself," I laughed, then tugged on a warm fur jacket over my tunic, preparing to depart with him.

We walked hand in hand out the door and down the spiral staircase, only parting when Ruslan had to go right toward his office and I needed to go left to the dining hall where breakfast was underway.

"I'll see you later, sprite," he murmured, planting a kiss on my forehead and then striding away. I was so focused on the thoughtful male who only wanted to see me safe that I didn't hear my friend approach.

"You know I hate you just a little bit for how sweet he is to you," Liliana joked, and I startled, throwing up a shield of white magic around myself on instinct.

"Oh my Goddess, you scared me," I gasped, spinning to face her, clutching my chest and sucking down a breath. My magic dissipated like smoke in the wind, revealing my friend.

"Sorry," she said, looking sheepish. "Didn't want to disturb your moment." She flicked her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder, then looped her arm through mine. "Now, what are we going to do until the sword competition?"

I laughed, glancing down the hall one last time, then said loud enough for Ruslan's keen Dragon hearing to pick up, "Cause trouble."