21. Vale

Chapter 21

Vale

" I s this really the best time to be throwing a party?" I grumped, staring at the selection of dresses deemed fancy enough by Freya for the ball Idris insisted on hosting less than a day after someone tried to kill me.

Again.

Xavier pulled me to his front, wrapping an arm around my chest. The comfort was wonderful, but he was about to say something I did not want to hear. I just knew it.

"We need them to think that we believe we've caught the culprit. That we're celebrating, that we're resting on our laurels, whatever . Because when they try to hurt you again—and they will—we'll be ready for them. Idris is working with Briar to test everyone who comes through the gates for death magic to help weed people out."

He'd meant it to be soothing—the way he was pitching his voice, the way he wouldn't let me go, his warm heat attempting to lull me into a false sense of safety.

I called bullshit.

"So I'm bait, then. Fantastic. Can I be bait and be fully clothed at the same time?" I gestured to the selection of dresses, hating every single one of them. "What is this?"

It wasn't that they weren't pretty, they were . Some were beaded with intricate patterns and beautiful detailing. Others were in gorgeous colors and ornate stitching. They had everything I could ever possibly ever want in a certified confection of a dress.

The problem was that every single one would expose the brand on my back—a particular brand that in any other society would ostracize me and get me tied to a tree and burned alive.

Arden had told us stories.

And while I knew he was a lying shell of a man who used fear as a weapon, a part of me always worried that some of them were true. I supposed that brand was the reason it had taken so long to leave the guild. How could I subject myself and Nyrah to the world outside if it meant certain death?

Had I known I would be screwed either way, I probably would have left sooner.

"Oh, come on. What's wrong with these dresses?" Freya growled, sipping on a glass of wine that I was a thousand percent certain was not wine. "You bitched about the one from yesterday. You're bitching about these today. What's the problem?"

Freya had been in a bad mood since finding out I was likely the curse breaker. I chose to believe it was because we hadn't found the parties responsible for trying to kill me, and there had been another attempt on her watch.

"I don't want to show my back. We discussed this."

She snorted into her cup. "You think you're the only one with scars? Plenty of us have battle scars, little Luxa. Nobody's going to pay any attenti?—"

Okay, so maybe there was booze in there with the blood that she was not-so-discreetly drinking. "I don't give a shit about the scars, Freya. I care about the brand."

Freya curled her lip, staring at me like I was pulling her leg. "What brand?"

I pinched my brow and gave her the highlights. "After my parents died, we were starving. My sister stole food from the guild, and so they wouldn't whip a nine-year-old to death, I said I put her up to it. I took her punishment and then Arden branded me as a heretic."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Freya set down her cup, her face a little green. "That little shit-stain of a man branded you?" Understanding dawned. "And because it's a heretic mark, it can't be covered by a glamour. What a fucker."

That was exactly the response I was looking for, and I sort of loved that she was pissed on my behalf. "Essentially. Though, I had no idea it couldn't be covered by a glamour. I didn't even realize that was an option."

Kian pulled me out of Xavier's hold, pressing a kiss to the top of my shoulder where he'd bitten me what seemed like ages ago. The kiss felt possessive, and I hated that I really freaking liked it. "You know you'll look beautiful in anything you put on."

"Again," I protested, elbowing him lightly in the stomach, "I don't care about that."

Okay, so that was a total lie. I actually cared quite a bit that he thought I was going to look beautiful, but it was the mark that was the real worry.

"Honestly," Xavier mused, scratching at the shadow of scruff on his jaw. "That brand—at least around here—will instill more fear than it will anything else. No one will burn you at the stake. They will be scared shitless of you, though."

And as foreign a concept as that was, it still sent a little thrill through me.

This wasn't the guild.

I wasn't powerless.

Not anymore.

If someone wanted to try to burn me, they would not only have me to deal with, but three dragons and an ancient vampire. Okay, so the vampire might be drunk off her ass before the night was through, but I figured she'd rally.

I crossed my arms, a tiny sliver of hope softening my resolve. "Fine. The silver one."

Freya's eyes lit up with glee. "Perfect choice."

Three hours later, my stomach was a mass of snakes. Everyone had given me a rundown of the protocol expected of me, but I feared I would mess everything up. I didn't like that I was bait, nor did I enjoy worrying about every single morsel that passed my lips.

I never wanted to starve again, but I feared I might.

"I'm not going to let you be poisoned," the dragon in my head grumbled. "I saved you the last time, didn't I?"

Of course Rune would take that personally.

"And I appreciate everything you've done, but it's still very frightening considering the circumstances. I feel like there's a target on my back—and considering the brand—I mean that literally."

At least I was a pretty target.

The silver dress I'd selected had a tight, strapless bodice encrusted with clear jewels and heavy metal beading, which laced up into a corset at my back. The neckline dipped just a bit at the center of my breasts, and I didn't know what magic it was using to prop them up and stay up, considering how heavy the wide skirts were.

The fabric shimmered in the candlelight, but it wasn't even the real showstopper. No, that was the gossamer cape draped across my shoulders, the beaded epaulets glittering like diamonds in the low light. The fabric was thin as a butterfly's wing but every time I moved it sparkled like magic.

"You ready for this?" Kian asked on my left, his arm linked with mine as he guided me to the open double doors.

We waited behind a processional line, the herald's voice calling out their names and titles echoing through the hallway. Xavier squeezed my right arm, lending needed comfort as my emotions ran the gamut between pissed off and scared out of my mind.

"Have we told you how stunning you look yet?" Xavier asked, his blue eyes flaring as he looked me over. "Because I think they're going to have to invent new words for you soon. None of them do you justice."

Freya shot a look over her shoulder, her black and gold gown showing off her every curve. "Gods, Xavier. You keep talking like that, and I might forget I like women."

Even though she'd just established her preference for the ladies, I still kind of wanted to kick her. Xavier and Kian were mine , dammit. Sure, I may feel like I was being greedy and selfish. But…

They'd felt like mine since the forest, and I couldn't explain why.

"I'm fine," I murmured, swallowing the lie as I tried to calm the thundering of my heart. The people at our backs were already whispering, and I'd heard the word "heretic" passing more than a few lips in just the few minutes we'd been in line.

Kian leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. "Liar. But don't worry, I won't tell."

My lips curved into a smile, his words easing the worst of my nerves.

When it was Freya's turn, the herald nearly burst my eardrums, his magically amplified voice carrying over the giant hall. "Her Grace, Grand Duchess Freya Elowen Ashbourne, Duchess of Fierkeep, Countess of Gravesend."

I was trying to listen past the ringing in my ears as I watched Freya walk down the steps into the belly of the ballroom.

Ashbourne.

Freya was an Ashbourne.

Freya was an Ashbourne, and I'd killed her blood when I'd taken Thane's life.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit.

I was still reeling when Kian's title was thundered from the herald's throat. "General Kian Blackheart, Commander of the King's Forces, Defender of the Realm." And then Xavier's. "Lord Xavier Silverthorne, Hand to the King, Keeper of the Royal Seal."

But I was frozen to the spot when the herald took one look at me, gave me a knowing smile, and then announced a name that had never been spoken aloud.

Not by anyone.

"Her Grace, Duchess Isolde Vale Tenebris, Lady of Shadowmere, Light Bringer, Curse Breaker, Grand Luxa of Tarrasca."

I was almost glad I hadn't eaten anything, or else I would have vomited all over the polished marble floor. The herald tilted his head, confusion coloring his face, but it almost felt false. Swallowing, I whipped my head forward and tried to wipe the fear from my face.

"Why are you frightened, my Queen?" Rune's voice in my head was a balm, helping me walk down the steps behind Freya with Xavier and Kian practically holding me up. "Do you need my help?"

I almost shook my head, though I knew the giant dragon couldn't see me.

"No. I don't know. I don't think so." Squeezing my eyes tight for a second, I managed to pull myself together. "No one knows that name, Rune. Not even my sister. It's never been said out loud. Not ever."

Uncertainty followed by a boatload of anger flowed between us, proving Idris' little plan had already gone sideways. Whoever was against him was already in the castle, already in this room, already…

There was only one place where that name was written. It was in a very special book tucked away in our sleeping chambers under the mountain. It was the same book with a record of our entire family line, the only place. It was common for my family to only go by our middle names as a way of protecting what my mother called our "sovereign name." She'd told me names had power and no one should know it, that it would keep me protected.

I hadn't understood at the time, but now I did. The only person able to supply my name lived under the mountain. Which meant someone in this castle had a direct line to Arden.

And they wanted me to know it.

I took stock of the great hall as I got my breathing under control.

The soaring arched ceilings mirrored the night sky, glittering with glowing stars. Multicolored stained-glass windows depicted the gods and goddesses of old, their battles lost and won. Grand tapestries covered the stone walls, depicting dragons in flight, the images so intricate, I expected the beasts would break free from the artwork at any second. Thick wooden tables were piled high with food, the guests picking at the fare while we waited for the party to really start.

Iron chandeliers, with their glowing mage lights, cast an ethereal glow over the entire hall, even illuminating the small balcony, filled with stringed instruments that seemed to be playing themselves.

Kian and Xavier led me to a raised dais, and Kian pulled out a giant intricately carved seat at the center. I knew not to sit, though, because of who would be coming in last. Rattled, I hung onto the high back of the seat for dear life.

"What's wrong?" Xavier whispered, his gaze searching for a threat as Kian's grip on my hand tightened.

I shook my head, unsure of how I could tell him about the subtle threat of my sovereign name without causing a scene. They would want to shut this whole place down, and I had no idea if the rest of the attendants had been scanned by Briar's wards.

Then the herald pounded his staff on the ground three times, signaling the grand entrance of the king.

"His Majesty, King Idris Ashbourne, Sovereign of Credour, Protector of the Realm, Lord of Tarrasca."

Oh, gods.

I should have put it together before now. Idris hated his brother. Arden was a dragon. Direveil had been at war with Credour for years.

Idris was Arden's brother.

I'd killed his nephew.

Oh, gods.

My breath wheezed through my lungs as Idris strode through the room, taking the seat to my right. I practically fell onto the chair, my shaking hands hidden under the table, so they wouldn't draw attention when they started to glow.

"You look green, Vale," Idris whispered in my ear. "Are you?—"

"I'm fine," I said, cutting him off as I pasted a smile on my face. "Everything's fine."

"Tell that to your thoughts, my brave one. Your mind is screaming at me."

I wanted to stay neutral—to be calm—but my mind wouldn't let me. "You're brothers," I accused, trying to understand why. Was it a game to see how long it would take me to figure it out? Was it shame? "Why didn't you tell me the man who tortured me, who nearly murdered me, who murdered my parents, was your brother?"

Anger was my driving force. I'd saved Nyrah from that bastard, and I'd do it again. I wouldn't be sorry for killing him, not one second, not one minute, not one day. He deserved to die for what he had done.

"Because he is my greatest shame," he replied, the hurt and truth in that statement drawing my eyes to his in shock. His were burning into mine, pleading for me to understand. "Everything he has been allowed to do is because I couldn't kill him when I should have. Two hundred years of misery because I failed to do my duty to the realm."

My anger faded slightly, replaced with my earlier fear. "You should know your herald announced my sovereign name. The only place it could be found is the Luxa history book where it is written with all our family names. Whoever told him the name knows Arden personally because that book is still under the mountain where I left it."

Idris' face turned to stone, his jaw clenching tight as his golden eyes took on a red cast.

"Remember when I said you wouldn't like how I would need to protect you? I need you to act like what I'm about to say is not a surprise to you. It's important. Promise me."

I sucked in a quiet gasp when he grabbed my hand under the table and rose to his feet, taking me with him.

"Do you promise?" he murmured as a hush fell over the crowd.

I braced for impact as I gave him a reluctant nod.

"Please remain seated," he thundered, his voice louder than the herald's magically amplified one. "Esteemed guests of Credour, I have summoned you here from far and wide, to share a momentous announcement with you all."

Dread filled my belly at his formal words, and I didn't know if it was his, Rune's, mine, or all of ours. This was going to end badly, and I braced, pasting a pleasant—if completely fake—smile on my face as I waited for the punch line.

"It is with great joy that I declare my engagement to the gracious Duchess Isolde Vale Tenebris, who has captured my heart and soul with her loyalty, her strength, and steadfast determination to bring peace to this realm."

I should have won an award for my facial expression alone, because my heart stuttered in my chest as I fought the urge to punch him right in the throat like Kian had taught me. And through it all, Idris continued his little speech like he wasn't high-handedly changing my entire fucking life.

"Our union will not only bring prosperity and unity to our beloved continent, but she will bring light to an era of darkness. So, please, raise your glasses and celebrate with me in this joyous occasion, and may blessings shine upon us all."

Cheers rose from the crowd, the guests standing as they clapped and shouted their congratulations.

I, however, plotted murder.

"You're not going to have to worry about your brother coming down the mountain to kill you because I'm going to do it myself."

Idris brought my hand to his lips and kissed it before clutching me to his chest. "Stay strong, my brave one. I'm about to kiss you in front of all these people. Make it look real, please."

Then he pressed his lips to mine, and as much as I wanted to kill him, as much as I wanted to knee him in the balls and stomp on his chest, I let him kiss me. And damn if it didn't look real.

He cupped my face in his hands like I was something precious instead of something he'd stolen with a lie. He touched his forehead to mine, breathing me in before his lips brushed my mouth.

Once.

Twice.

And then he laid his claim.

Just like in the dream, he didn't just kiss me, he owned me. His thumb massaged my pulse point before he clutched my throat in earnest, sweeping his tongue into my mouth in a carnal, needy kiss.

And as good as it felt in the moment, it was a lie.

It was all a lie.

When the kiss broke, the crowd was thunderous, matching the beat of my heart. But I saw none of it. No, I saw Xavier's stoney expression, I saw Kian's blanched face. I saw Freya's worry. None of them knew what he'd planned. At least there was that.

"Please, carry on with the festivities. We will return very soon."

Idris drew me away into a hidden, deserted hallway. My breaths came in panicked pants, and he pulled me into a dark room with a fire burning in the grate.

His arms wrapped around me, and I finally just fucking lost it. Magic burst from my skin, knocking him on his ass to the floor, a barrier surrounding me in a tight bubble where no one could get in.

Flat on his back, he still held up his hands in surrender. "I know you're mad?—"

"You fucking think? Of course I'm mad." I ripped the cape from my shoulders, the tight collar on my throat a not-so-subtle reminder that he thought he owned me. And "mad" wasn't the right word. Furious was too tame for the rage I felt right then. "You just put a target on my back. What the fuck were you thinking?"

He stood, towering over me, though he couldn't get through my shield. "I was thinking my status, my crown, could show them you can't be messed with without consequences. That you were completely under my protection."

There was no way, as old as he was, he was just that na?ve. "I have been in your house this whole time and nearly killed twice. They already know I'm under your protection, and they. Don't. Fucking. Care. Why would you think telling an entire hall full of people I was your fiancé was a good idea?"

Red flashed in his eyes as a faint tremble rattled the castle. Oh, he wanted to be mad now? Well, too bad.

"Because it needed to be done. Because they can't just come in here and take you away from me. They fucking can't, okay?"

I dropped my shield just long enough to punch him right in the gut. I took pride in the fact that he doubled over, shock coloring every facet of his expression.

"I'm. Not. Yours. When are you going to get it through your thick skull? I have never been yours."

His smile was pure knowing, and doubt filled me as he rose to his full height. "You sure about that? We speak mind to mind, Vale." He said it like it was some big thing.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not special. I do that with Kian and Xavier. Rune, too."

"Exactly. But only mates do that. In all our histories, only fated mates speak mind to mind, and there hasn't been a fated mate—pair or otherwise—in two hundred years. Not since the day I was cursed."

I stepped back from him like the distance would make his words less true.

"The mark on your shoulder? From Kian? I can see it—every shifter can—even through your clothes. He marked you as his. It's not complete, but it's there all the same."

I shook my head. No, Kian would have told me. He would have said. "I don't believe you."

Idris' expression was resolute, firm. He wasn't lying. "Ask them—ask Xavier. They'll know. Hell, if you really want a straight answer, why don't you ask Rune. He knows what's going on, even if he won't tell you."

But Rune was silent in my head, which was answer enough. "So, this is just your stupid curse, then? I have no say? None at all? I'm drawn to all of you, but it's not real at all?"

I'd been drawn to them since the beginning—needing them, wanting them, and I couldn't explain it. Did they even care for me? Or was it just a bunch of magic? And why did it feel like my heart was breaking?

"Of course you do. It isn't a death sentence. Think of more like extreme attraction with an added communication benefit. Yes, the connection is there, but it is our responsibility to forge it, to strengthen it. You have a choice. You always have a choice."

It sure as hell didn't feel that way. By announcing the engagement, it was like he'd just ripped it all away.

"I don't love you," I hissed, aiming to hurt him like I was hurting, and the barb struck true when he flinched.

His jaw firmed, his gaze burning into mine. "You think I don't know already? You don't have to love me to marry me, Vale."

I knew that. It happened every day. I just thought… I had no idea what I thought. I'd never planned for myself past getting out of the guild. What did it matter if I was engaged to him?

"I won't give them up. Kian. Xavier. I won't ignore them and favor only you. I won't ."

Something like hope hit his features until he masked it. "No one asked you to. With who they are to you, it's a losing battle."

A part of me was clinging to a precipice, knowing I would fall.

"I don't want to marry you," I whispered, fear settling in before I could stop it. What if he was right? What if this was the only way to stop them long enough to break the curse? What if this bought us the time we needed?

His chuckle was mirthless, and it struck me, too. "I know that, too. But I'll give you what you seek if you agree to marry me."

Gods, he was a complete idiot. "What are you going to offer me now? Jewels? Riches? Castles? You know I don't want any of it."

"Your sister." He reached for me, his fingers sliding through my magic like a blade, latching onto my hand. "I'll help you save her if you agree to marry me. I will expend every ounce of power of the crown to get her back to you."

My laugh was half-crazed as I dropped my barrier, the damn thing no good against him now. "So, bribery. That's what you're going with?"

His finger found my chin, lifting my gaze to his. "If it's what it takes to keep you safe."

I had to remember that he only wanted me to break his curse. He didn't care for me. He might be attracted to me, but just like he'd said, it needed to be cultivated. And Idris had no plans for that.

"There's something you should know," I said, aware if I waited to tell him the truth, it wouldn't work out well for me.

He adjusted his grip, closing me in the circle of his arms, his towering body filling me with as much safety as dread all at the same time. "I'm listening."

I swallowed, my resolve wavering, but I forged ahead. "The reason I was tied to that stake? It was for murder. I killed Arden Ashbourne's son—your nephew."

His brow puckered, his eyes gleaming in the low light, but his hold didn't so much as loosen. "I assume you had a good reason. Unless you regularly go about slaughtering people?"

"He tried to rape my baby sister. I made sure he never touched another woman again. Gulping, I tacked on the rest. "I'm not sorry. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Idris pursed his lips, nodding. "As was your right. Though, I wish you would have told me sooner. It explains his tenacity in trying to get to you. Why he was so brutal on the mountaintop. He wants blood."

I thought of my parents. "He's not the one who is owed blood. I am." My smile could have cut glass. "So when you make promises, be sure to take this into account. I've killed for her once already. I won't hesitate to do it again."

A faint hint of pride touched his smile. "Noted, but it doesn't change a thing for me. Do you accept my offer?"

If it meant getting my sister, how could I not? "I accept."

As soon as I said the words, it felt as though my heart was trapped in a vise. Idris brought my hand to his lips before plucking a ring from his pocket and slipping it on my finger. It was a large onyx jewel with a blood-red center, the colors swirling in a near-constant state of movement.

It was beautiful and foreboding, and as much as I wanted to take it off, I couldn't. And though it was just a simple stone, it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

Because if I didn't play this just right, all our lives would be on the line.