17. Amber

Chapter seventeen

Amber

I took Eldrin’s warning to heart. I didn’t need to be a psychic to know that his being in a relationship with me could mess up everything for us in the worst possible way. Politics aside, Vanir didn’t seem the type that would be alright with his betrothed being in a relationship with anyone else. His pride wouldn’t allow it.

So, once we returned to the palace, I behaved like the ideal future elven queen. I danced. I learned what manners and culture Siliana could teach me. I even made an attempt to be friendly to the other courtiers. And I let Eldrin show me around the city to pass the time, with him constantly maintaining a respectable distance. Unfortunately. Every sight of him resurged the memory of his lips against mine, the feeling of his marble body under my hands. It all rekindled a very familiar ache .

And I had to wait.

I was on my way to meet Eldrin at our usual place at the foot of the stairs at the palace, when a familiar presence towered over me as I turned the corner.

“Good morning, Ivas,” I said coolly.

“A lovely morning indeed,” he said, his thin lips curling into a smirk, revealing oddly white teeth.

I looked around—we were alone. And Ivas was right in my way, hands on his hips, no doubt waiting for me to try to walk around him so that he could block me.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“No…not yet.”

“Alright, then.” I waited for him to move.

“But you will.”

A chill worked through me. “I’m sure.”

His poignant gaze worked up and down my body, making me want to tuck my arms around myself. But I was not about to give him the satisfaction. “Vanir is a generous king,” he said quietly, yet in a tone that managed to make me grit my teeth. “He shares so much with me. Everything.”

“That’s great for you two,” I said. “Truly admirable.” My throat was dry. I picked up on his meaning—with his leering I would’ve had to be dense not to, but my only concern was hiding my shaking. And get out of this encounter.

He opened his mouth to reply at the same moment that blessed footsteps sounded down the hall. I sighed with relief as he turned to leave and gave me a slick wave. “I’ll be making your further acquaintance very soon, Amber.”

As soon as I could—once I was sure Ivas was gone—I rushed and met Eldrin, stilled my racing heart, and did my best to forget Ivas. Ivas was a creep, and there was nothing Eldrin could do, other than help me forget.

“This is one of our art collections,” Eldrin said to me twenty minutes later. “It belongs to the royal family, but its enjoyment has been gifted to our people.”

“Wow.”

That wasn’t an understatement. We were in a room with ceilings that towered high above us. Ample light streamed in through the window, but there were no sconces, likely to guard against fires. The walls were carved with the same skulls and vines that could be found in the rest of the palace, but here the effect was muted. Instead, the designs were camouflaged into the white wood that made up the structure. Unless one looked closer, it was easy to miss all the signs of death. In Great Glen, that was an accomplishment.

The hall was crammed with art. Every few feet there was a new painting or sculpture, and each one seemingly depicted a different creature. Many were familiar-ish, like elves, fae, and orcs, but there were many more I had never seen before, including humanoid creatures made entirely of fire.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing at a picture of women who were seemingly made of lava, their skin cracking to reveal bright fires underneath. “Nymphs? ”

“No. Elementals.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Those are nymphs,” Eldrin said, pointing at a picture of beautiful women lounging in a grove, human except for the fact that their skin was dark green and they seemed to have moss for hair. In the back, a towering muscular man, who seemed to be half-tree, watched over the women like he was their guardian. “Nymphs can be trouble enough, but trust me—you don’t want to encounter an elemental.”

“Are there any in the Woods?”

“No. And thank the sun for that.”

I took a few more steps and pointed at another picture. “I know them. Fae?”

“Gold Fae. Or Dawn Fae. Whatever they are calling themselves this century.”

I frowned. “They’re…metal.” Indeed, one fae had golden metal panes on his face where his cheek should have been, and another had a torso that was open to reveal machinery, like a clock instead of entrails.

“Yes. They have taken liberties with their…inventions.”

“But I’ve heard of them. They don’t look like this.”

“They’re careful to hide it, as best as they can. Along with the humans who came with them.”

We walked for a few more paces and we came across a statue of an angel, a brooding creature who had burning runes carved along his waistband like a belt. I had heard of angels in New Jersey, but they were aloof, even for creatures new to this world. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen a credible picture.

Another turn brought me to a painting of a man sitting in a pond. Above the surface he was gorgeous, with stunning cheekbones and eyes that were a mesmerizing blue. Below the surface he was a skeleton, surrounded by death literally littered around him.

“What is that?” I asked.

“One of the rusalki,” Eldrin replied bitterly.

“They’re all women, I thought.”

“They have to reproduce somehow,” Eldrin said with amusement. “But you are correct, the men are almost never seen.”

“Why?” I asked.

“The women make a better trap.”

I nodded and kept walking. “It seems like you really don’t like them.”

“Back home, our lands bordered theirs. They have taken far too many of our kind. Even those who should have known better.”

“They eat them, or…?”

“I assume so. But all we know is that they are never seen again.” He shook his head. “And the rusalki we have captured have never stayed alive long enough to talk.” When he saw my confused look he said, “They have a tendency to bite off their own tongues.”

“Ah.” Well, the rusalki were nowhere near here, so they weren’t anything I had to worry about.

I looked around the room. Other than us, it was unoccupied. Now, it was very possible that someone was watching us somewhere, but this was the most alone we had been in days. We didn’t dare have Eldrin come inside my room any more, because of the rumors it could start.

“Eldrin,” I said, my voice barely above a breath. “After this—all of this—what happens to us?”

Eldrin skimmed the back of my hand with his human-like finger, that light touch igniting a flame that spread through my body, turning the latent ache of desire into full on agony. Then he said, just as quietly, “It will have to wait until after the barrier is in place and there is less attention on you, but I will have you. We will be together. But in the meantime, we will have to act as we are. We are too watched. Our time here could be interrupted at any moment.” Then he looked me in the eyes and said, “If you will have me, Amber. If you are willing to stay here, I’m yours. If you desire it.”

I trembled as he spoke, that familiar, all-consuming warmth filling me again. I could handle being trapped here, in the Darkening Woods, if I could have Eldrin.

“Of course, I will have you,” I said to Eldrin. Before this, my yearning was a relatively small thing, but this moment ignited it to an inferno that pushed aside all reason. I wanted him. I would have him. I saw in him the mirror to me, the part that could turn me into something better than what I had been. Someone who would allow me to be me, even here, in a devastating land where everything was strange and cruel. The Darkening Woods were aptly named, for if one was not careful, it would consume your soul.

“I understand the risks,” my mouth said, but every other part of me screamed in protest. As much as I wanted nothing more than for Eldrin to touch me again, it was not worth whatever punishment that awaited. I needed to be alive to be with him, and so I would do whatever I had to.