21. Chapter 21

Chapter twenty-one

H aven could feel the weight of a large chest pressing down on her, naked skin pressing against hers. The scent of whiskey and sex moved through her room like a haze. Haven ran her hands through the silky strands of his hair, letting out a moan as she shifted under him. Her sounds echoed off the walls around them.

Something didn't seem right about the sound, about the way it echoed around her.

Haven woke with a start. Opening her eyes, a glance around her room told her she was alone. Havens mind reeled with how vivid her dream had been. She'd had sex dreams before but none quite like that. Usually it was leftover memories of times with past partners but this had been something else entirely. It was visceral, like there was actually a man in her room making her feel those things. Even now that she was on her way to being properly awake, there were lingering feelings dancing across her skin.

The throbbing between her legs also lingered, not as vibrant as it had been in her dream but she was sure that if she slipped her hand between her legs she would find herself soaked. Haven briefly thought about doing that and taking the ache away before she bolted upright, having gotten a look at the clock.

Haven cursed herself as she launched out of bed, it was almost time for lunch with the crown regent. She couldn't believe she'd slept that long.

After hastily brushing her teeth and detangling her hair, Haven rushed back into the bedroom. Pausing at her armoire, she couldn't decide what piece to pull out. Haven assumed she would need something fancy for a meeting with the crown regent but all she could find were a few plain dresses, two pairs of leggings, another long nightshirt like the one she was wearing and a few tunics to pair with the leggings.

Just as Haven began to panic, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Astrea" Called the voice beyond the door. Haven smiled at the sound of her maybe friend, she hoped Rea could help her figure out this outfit situation.

Haven opened the door and beckoned Rea in.

"I brought you something" Rea stated, holding up a garment bag

"Is it for my meeting with the crown regent because if not, I might just have to go naked! "

"Yup" Rea smiled, "It's the only thing the seamstresses were able to get ready in time. The rest of your wardrobe should be delivered sometime tomorrow"

Haven was internally cheering at the idea of a new wardrobe. She didn't need a lot but she did like to have something fancy to wear every once in a while. Smiling, Haven reached out to take the garment bag. Unzipping it, she found a gorgeous soft pink gown with a corset top and puffy off the shoulder sheer sleeves. Walking over to the floor length mirror on the other side of the bed, Haven held it up to herself.

"Wow," She said softly.

"I know" Rea spoke from where she was standing behind Haven, "You're going to look amazing"

Haven slipped off her nightshirt, now in nothing but a cotton pair of underwear and entirely comfortable in her skin in front of Rea. She wasn't usually like that, especially around strangers, but with Rea she felt comfortable. It helped that yesterday Rea had explained she'd be acting as a sort of lady's maid for Haven, helping her dress if she needed and occasionally doing her hair. Rea had also assured Haven that it was no big deal to her to help her change as long as Haven was comfortable. Haven liked the idea of some assistance, especially after seeing the complicated looking corset straps.

Stepping into the gown, Haven pulled it up and slipped her arms into the sleeves. The material was so soft and plush it was like walking around in pajamas. Haven couldn't believe something so pretty could be so soft.

Rea reached forward to tie up the back corset. Thankfully Rea didn't tie it too tight so Haven had some room to breathe.

Pulling her hair out of the back of the dress and laying it across one shoulder, Haven repeated to the mirror,

"Wow"

Haven couldn't remember the last time she felt this nice, this pretty. At first glance, she may not have thought the soft blush color would complement her pale skin and red hair but it did.

Rea smiled at her in the mirror, helped smooth her hair and then patted Haven on the shoulder and told her they had to hurry if Haven wanted her hair done before it was time to leave.

Walking down the castle halls next to Rea with the skirt of her dress fisted in one hand, Haven was a bundle of nerves. She'd never done anything that made her feel this nervous and once in seventh grade, she'd almost had a panic attack after being told she'd have to present a project in front of half the school for the science fair. This meeting brought back similar nerves.

Rea had done Havens hair in a half up look that billowed out in long curls behind her. Haven's hair was always curly, not necessarily a crazy curly but it never quite lost its wave. Haven smiled as she touched a soft curl framing her face.

Her nerves had nothing to do with her outfit, her hair or the light makeup she wore and everything to do with the fact that she was about to come face to face with someone who was supposedly one of the most powerful fae in the kingdom to talk about something that was incredibly important to her future. A future she didn't even know existed a couple of days ago.

Breathe in, breathe out, Haven repeated to herself as she came to a stop outside a large door. Taking in one last big gulp of air, she sent a quick nervous smile Rea's way and knocked.

"Come in" Boomed a voice behind the doo r

Rea gave her one last encouraging look as Haven cautiously entered the office.

Looking around, there wasn't much to see. A small windowless room held two cushioned chairs in front of a large oak desk, a few cabinets that appeared to hold paperwork and a small table and chair set in the back corner behind the large desk where a man she assumed was the crown regent was pouring a drink.

Haven immediately noticed how tall the man was, easily towering over her with wide shoulders and long, thick legs. He wore his dark blonde hair cropped close to his scalp and when he turned slightly, Haven noticed the brown of his eyes, so dark they were almost black. Haven was instantly glad she dressed as nicely as she did when she took in the luxurious look of the clothes the man was wearing.

The crown regent looked up from where he was pouring himself a drink and said,

"Good afternoon Haven, I am the crown regent. I want to welcome you to our lovely kingdom."

Haven instantly distrusted the man. Something about him put her on edge, she couldn't quite pinpoint what but being in the room with this man was reminiscent of the time she thought she was being followed on the way home from a trip to the store.

"Why don't you have a seat and I can answer some of your questions, I'm sure you have many" The crown regent smiled as he spoke but there was no warmth behind it. Haven also found it interesting that he introduced himself by his title rather than his name thus placing himself in a position of power over her since he knew her name but she did not know his.

The crown regent seemed more robot than fae, emotionless and cold.

Who knew, Haven thought to herself, it was possible he wasn't always like that. After all, she'd known the man for all of five minutes. Although Haven was having a hard time picturing him any other way.

Haven offered him the best smile she could conjure and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"So," He began, "First let me say we are so glad you made your way here"

Haven could tell that was a lie by the way he sneered slightly as he spoke.

"Second, let me be the first to offer you any help you may need. If you run into any trouble just let me know and I will take care of it." She definitely wouldn't be doing that, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"I will, thank you." Haven responded, offering him another small smile and hoping her distrust was not evident.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together, "Now onto our next order of business, I spoke to your friend Roman this morning, he will be doing his bloodline and talent testing under the light of the next full moon which is three days from now. I assume you will be fine doing it then as well?"

Haven nodded.

"Excellent! I, for one, look forward to getting those results of yours. As I'm sure you do too."

He distractedly scribbled something down on a notepad as he spoke but Haven was too far away to read what it said. She simply nodded again at his words. No matter how uncomfortable this guy made her, she was really looking forward to getting some answers and discovering more about herself.

After the uncomfortable meeting with the crown regent, Haven found Rea waiting outside the door. After telling Rea about what happened in the meeting, save for how uncomfortable the crown regent made Haven, she asked Rea to take her to the library. Rea agreed, they stopped by the kitchens to grab some lunch and then made their way to the grand room. Soon after they arrived, Rea excused herself to tend to some chores and left Haven alone.

There were bookshelves as far as the eye could see, a trim around the edge of the second level made it possible to view part of the first level from the second floor and vice versa. Haven was told there were steps in the back of the stacks directly in front of her that would take her up to the second floor. Haven liked being surrounded by so many books, it made her think of the small library she had at home.

Pulling Binahs note out of her pocket, she touched the necklace that had accompanied the note and read it over, finding nothing helpful about the location of this diary she was supposed to find. Haven huffed a breath, wondering why Binah couldn't have just said,

"This mysterious diary I have told you to find is on row 13, shelf 3 number 7"

She looked up from the letter, deciding to head left and work her way right. There was no way she could even get half her searching done today but at least she could start.

The deeper she headed into the stacks, the darker it got. Reaching the back wall, Haven pulled out the light crystal Rea had given her. Brushing her hand over the rune carved into the top of the crystal to activate it, she held it up in her hand to better see the titles of the books on the shelves. Now that she could see slightly better, Haven began her search.

Almost two whole hours of searching had turned up nothing but dust on the edge of her dress and a slight headache. Haven had no idea what she was even looking for, she had been hoping that something would jump out at her.

She'd eaten all of the snacks her and Rea had grabbed and was currently scanning a high shelf when the distinct feeling of being watched crawled down her spine.

Haven paused and shined her light down the row she was in, it wasn't bright enough to see the whole distance, but it was enough to tell her that there was nothing in this row watching her. At least, nothing she could see. Haven quickly decided that now would be a good time to take a break, she could even head outside for some fresh air and sunlight.

Just as she got to the end of the row, something reached out and grabbed her ankle. Haven bit back a scream as she began to fall forward. Right as she was about to hit the floor, strong hands reached out and grabbed her. Taking in a breath and righting herself, Haven looked up to thank the person who saved her from smacking her face against the hard floor.

Haven was stunned into silence, in front of her was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. He was just a few inches taller than her, maybe 6'1 or 6'2, with thick hair so brown it was almost black, dark eyes, sharp cheekbones and the softest, fullest looking lips she had ever seen. He smelled slightly like alcohol, maybe bourbon or whiskey. His hands were still on her arms where he'd grabbed her to make sure she didn't fall. Haven unintentionally took a moment to take in the wide expanse of his chest and the tattoos peeking out of his collar.

Haven was pulled from her leering when he said,

"The words are, thank you. It's rude to stare and you should watch where you're going" He immediately released her and strutted past her, knocking into her shoulder and almost sending her tumbling himself.

The whole encounter had only taken a moment but it left her rattled. Just as she was about to open her mouth to thank the guy, he opens his and basically tells her off. Then he almost knocks her down right after keeping her from hitting the floor. Sure, she probably shouldn't have looked him over like that but he hadn't needed to be so rude.

Even though the sight of him had been enough to send electric tingles down her spine, Haven hoped she didn't run into him again anytime soon.