Chapter 32

Three Days Later

Ras presses into my side. A riot of color explodes across my vision, the hubbub of horses and people overwhelming after so many days of quiet on the road toward Kirdiff. Awnings in vibrant orange and pinks block the sun, azure and gold lamps hanging heavy across the crowded street. Everywhere I look, there's something fabulous to see. The scent of spices and grilled meats perfumes the air, and I hear a musician somewhere start to tune an instrument.

"Alright?" Ras asks, concern in his voice. It melts me.

I can't get enough of him. At night, on our way here, we'd talk until the fire near burnt out, then find other ways to amuse ourselves. I'm sore all over, and not only from riding on horseback. My cheeks heat at the memory, and he brushes a knuckle across one.

"What are you thinking about, my love?"

I raise an eyebrow at him, grinning. I know full well he knows exactly what I was thinking of, and a low chuckle sounds in his throat. A vendor calls out to me, and my attention draws back to the bazaar town. Each store front is chock-full of goods. Crates of spices stack against each other. Spiked fruit in vivid colors fills baskets sitting next to massive squash-like vegetables that nearly seem familiar. A rack of clothing presses against a stone wall, a seamstress taking measurements as we watch.

"She'll need clothes." I do too, I'm still wearing the pants and blouse Danielle loaned me. It's disgusting, and I sniff at my armpits. Ew. Ripe doesn't begin to cover it. "Shoes, food, bedding, all of it."

"She shall have all of it. And so shall you."

"We can't take it on the road," I scoff.

"We'll get another horse. Or we'll have it sent to Midkeep."

"And how will pay for it?" I bite the inside of my cheek. We don't have money. We have one horse and the clothes on our backs. Or in Ras's case, just pants, which I stored with me when he shifted into lion form to travel during the day.

"Follow me and find out." He grins back at me, taking my hand and leading me through the teeming streets. I tip my head back and laugh, his excitement infectious. When the crowd thins, we're in front of a three-story building, all gray stacked stone. A sign swings beside the door, but Ras pulls me inside so quickly I don't have time to figure out what it says.

I blink as my eyes adjust to the dim light, so different than the overwhelming color and light of the main bazaar. Dark wood furniture is arranged in groups, to allow for conversation. A few people chat, sipping from cups. It's mostly empty, and I'm so busy looking around I nearly run into Ras when he stops in front of a door. Like everything else, its ornately carved and made of dark wood. Iron bands wrap across the door, and deep gouges run across the top half. Something about it makes my hair stand on end, my magic flaring to life.

"He can be unpredictable," Ras mutters. I put my hands on the gouges, watching his reaction. He winces, confirming my suspicions. It's lion claws. Ras and whoever is behind this door have a history, and not an entirely pleasant one. Oy.

"Do you trust him?"

The door swings open, the well-oiled hinges silent.

A man stands before us, dressed in fine leather breeches and a soft shirt. He's lean but muscled, and despite the welcoming smile on his face, there is a cold, flinty look to his eyes that puts me on edge.

He registers Ras standing before him, his expression flickering from friendly greeting to stunned silence in the space of heartbeat. My power flares to life, protective of my mate, and the man's attention swings to me.

"By the stars above and below, Ras Elasad. You live. And the rumors are true," his eyes close, and he inhales deeply. Blue sparks curl from skin, and I take an uneasy step back as the blue aura of my power disappears up his nose. "More Starbound women are returning. We may yet turn the tide."

He claps his arms around Ras, and then they're hugging. Relief sweeps through me, and I try to push away my initial misgivings. I trust Ras implicitly. He wouldn't have brought me somewhere dangerous.

"Come in, quickly."

We obey, and the man shuts the door behind us, throwing the bolt. "Can't be too careful these days, the blood drinkers have eyes everywhere."

Ras snarls at that, and the man laughs again, a deep sound that almost sounds as though two voices are making it. It makes my skin crawl, and I swallow.

"Don't be scared." The look he gives me is appraising, and I stop myself from shrinking back into Ras. I can defend myself now. Mostly. "Your mate, then?"

Ras nods. The man sighs, a wistful expression on his face that's gone as soon as I register it. "Congratulations. To you both. I'm Castor." He dips his head.

"I'm Lana Kit."

"Are there more of you?" He inquires lightly, but he can't quite keep the need from his voice.

"My sisters, but?—"

"They're already taken," Ras finishes, his tone icy with warning. "I suspect we will find more as the days wear on. Things are changing. That's why we're here."

The man nods, a sly smile on his face. "It is good to see you, old friend. I assume you need what you left in my care?"

Ras nods. "And news. I need all the news of Avleim." He turns to me. "The capitol."

"Sit, sit." Castor ushers us to the plush chairs, then takes his time pouring drinks for us. "The blood drinkers have overrun Avleim. Your old estate is no more," he pauses, gauging Ras's reaction. "I see you already knew that. The Butcher King searches for his mate."

"She was never his mate." Ras's voice is a low rasp.

"Be that as it may, they say he's pulling worlds apart to find her, or her replacement. He seeks a queen." Castor sighs deeply, handing us both a strange bright blue drink.

I eye it curiously.

"It's tea. Expensive. Rare," Castor explains, sipping his own drinking and sitting across from us. "If you are here, Lana Kit, it seems they've succeeded in thinning the walls between worlds. Though Danielle's little experiments surely played a role, too." He sighs. "These are uncertain times, Ras." He leans forward, narrowing his eyes. "I heard a rumor that the Butcher King tapped into some power, that he is why our brethren are no longer strong. Lesath is lost, you were gone, and much has changed. Hyadum is…" Castor sighs, shaking his head.

"Tell me about Hyadum," I demand. "House Taurus, right? He has my sister." Ras squeezes my wrist, offering support, and I lean into him.

Castor's eyebrows raise, his eyes wide. His gaze shifts to Ras, who nods once in confirmation.

"Hyadum, like all of us, is unstable. Perhaps if we had mates, like you, we would be alright. We've taken the ink for protection, but it's a stopgap, nothing more." He points at a black tattoo curving out of his sleeve, at odds with his urbane appearance.

"He has my sister," I all but growl, sounding like Ras. "Where are they?"

"Last I heard, he was in Westshear."

"Is it overrun?" Ras asks, and it takes me a moment to realize he is talking about vampires.

"They're everywhere," Castor answers. "I haven't left Kirdiff in years. All I've heard rumor of is a mad bull, terrorizing the cliffs of Westshear."

"How far is it?" My heart is in my throat. A mad bull. The words echo in my skull.

"It's three, four days ride," Ras answers. "We need the gold I left with you. I want Midkeep repaired, restored, and fit for a queen. Lesath has her other sister, and she'll need supplies too. Have the vendors sent out to her."

Castor's eyes are wide, his mouth open, as his gaze swings back to me. "How many sisters do you have?" Something like hope shines in them, and I wrinkle my nose, feeling oddly guilty.

"Only the two."

Castor sits back against his chair, a contemplative look on his face. "Things are changing indeed. How do you want to play it?"

Ras looks at me, and I realize he's waiting for me to answer. The fact that he cares about what I want, wants my input, is still so new and startling that it warms my heart all over again.

"You're asking about the women returning? I think we keep it quiet." I blow out a breath, and Ras gives me a speculative look. "If this vampire king," I pause. "This Butcher King, as you call him, if he is looking to bring down the walls between worlds, won't it be a tactical advantage if he doesn't know we're already here?"

A slow grin curves up the corners of Castor's mouth. It lights up his whole face. Ras grins at me, too.

"Fate chose the right mate for you, Ras Elasad. She'll make a fierce leader." He studies me for moment, his expression tight. "Alright, it will be done as you wish. Supplies will be sent to Ulsone and Lesath. We will find you what you need for your journey. I'll take a chunk of what I've saved and invested for you and have a team out to Midkeep to rebuild and furnish it."

"Midkeep is where we saw the first harbinger," Ras explains, his fingers firm on my arm, as though he's anchoring me here. To him.

Oh shit. Midkeep must be the ruined castle Ras and I first went to. We're going to live in a castle? My expression must show my surprise because Castor laughs again.

"Come, I'll show you to a room where you can wash and sleep before you set out again."

He stands abruptly, and I expect to follow him back out to the main lobby. Instead, he heads to a far wall, and uncovers a hidden door.

"Can never be too careful," Castor says. I follow Ras inside, the door dwarfed by his huge body. The door leads to a narrow corridor, then up a flight of stairs to a separate room. A bath sits in the corner, a pump like the one Danielle had next to it. A four-poster bed dominates the room.

"I'll do my best to be discreet, Ras, but you and your mate should probably leave before first light tomorrow. Danielle is well-known here, but if we want to keep the news quiet, it's best if you are on your way quickly." He swings his gaze to me, bowing slightly. "Lana, it was a revelation to meet you. If you happen upon any more Starbound women, please know that I would be delighted to assist them in any way possible." With that, he sweeps from the room, the door snicking shut after him.

I turn to Ras, slightly overwhelmed. He's watching me, his blue eyes heated as he walks me toward the bath. My thoughts are chaotic. It's a lot to process. Vampires? My sister with an unstable bull shifter? My other sister dependent on a scorpion shifter? And what was Castor? I recognize the name from Greek mythology but can't quite place it. And then all of what Ras said…

"You're going to build me a castle?"

"No, I'm going to rebuild you one." He brushes a wayward strand of hair from head, then presses a soft kiss to my open mouth. "Of course, I am. You deserve a home."

I stare. I don't need a castle. I want my sisters safe. I've hardly thought beyond that. That, and I want Ras.

He grins, stepping away to work the pump. Water gushes into the tub. "You're my queen, the queen of my heart. As it stands, the blood drinkers, vampires, as you call them, hold Avleim. A castle is safe. Midkeep used to be safe. A queen deserves a castle, yes?"

"I'm not really a queen, right?" I sputter.

"There have been queens in the past." Water gushes into the tub, steam curling from the surface. The corner of his mouth kicks up in amusement.

"I don't want to be a queen. I want us. I want for my sisters and I to be safe, to get rid of the harbingers. And I guess I want a house, yeah. A castle doesn't sound terrible." I frown, thinking. "And I guess I want to find and help any other Starbound women that end up here."

"Spoken like a true queen." He's joking. At least, I think he is. I relax when he chuckles to himself.

"Do you think there are more? Like what Castor said, about things changing… is that what he meant?"

"I think that it is very possible. I think that we need to be ready for that eventuality, as you said."

Then he pulls my shirt over my head. His mouth closes over my nipple, and I jolt, then relax into the caress. He pulls away, and I moan at the loss of his mouth.

"Come on, my love," he tugs my boots off, then my pants. "Let me wash you. First with soap, and then I think…" he smirks, looking me up and down. "Then I think perhaps with my tongue, to make sure you're clean everywhere." I gasp, going weak with desire. Grasping me by the waist, he plops me in the tub.

Ras leans down, lathering up the fragrant soap. Water licks across my skin, and his fingers chase it. I sigh, leaning back against the tub. This is bliss. I've never felt so cherished, so loved.

We're going to find Mina, and then we're going to make sure Ali is okay.

"I love you," I whisper, turning suddenly in the tub. My hands cradle his face. "I love you so much."

"I love you, star of my heart." Ras looks deep in my eyes. His lips brush against mine, and I welcome the heady rush of desire it brings.

My family is here. Here, I can make a difference. I have a purpose. I have Ras. Worry can wait. Tomorrow we will set out again, and I will live in this moment.