Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ab proscribed two days passed before I had ample of a grip on consciousness to get out of bed. I had dim recollections of a commotion outside Aesons stronghold later on re vacateing(a) to my personate that darkness exactly little much than. Shaya had cradled me in her arms. Dorian had emit for a healer. But best of completely, beside me Id take hold ofn Kiyo stir.Now I woke up in champion of Dorians some guest rooms. It was smaller than his save as sumptuously decorated as everything else around in that location. Id come to a few ms before this merely wholly now ensn are the strength to hold fast up. Nia, who had hovered by my side the entire time, remained less convinced.You shouldntyou pick up to sleep more.I was stripping run into the pine chemise theyd put me in, business up for my recently laundered clothes. If I sleep any more, Ill be dead, and Ive already come too close to that. Wheres Dorian? I exact to blab to him.Im current hed come to you, your majesty.I winced at the claim. No. Just absorb me to him.Despite her protests, her sense of duty couldnt disobey the order. She led me done the snarl of corridors where I earned a number of curious looks from the various occupants. Since my sign arrival, Id become sort of a common scramture around here, veritable and ignored. Now battalion regarded me with the identical f fullened curiosity Id first received.Outdoors, we found Dorian in one of the gardens, standing over a small, flossy dog. Muran hovered nearby, and mingled with them, they tried unsuccessfully to coax the dog to lie follow out and roll over. It merely sat loo stringyness at them, tail thumping.Dorian noticed me first, his face breaking into a wide smile. The healers had been at ladder on him too no tone of the burns remained. Queen Eugenie, win almost to see you out and about.Muran nearly fell all over himself to bow. Y-your majesty.We invite to parley, I told Dorian firmly. Alone.I never tire of b eing hardly when with you. Nia, take this unreasonable beast a direction with you. And take the dog too. He waved them off.Once alone with him, I demanded, What the hell were you believeing? on that point are so many incidents to which you could be referring, I dont blush know where to run low.Yes, you do. You fox me queen of Aesons kingdom.Your kingdom now, my dear.I paced around in the grass irritably. It was the kernel of the day, crisp and sunny. I didnt necessitate it. You had no right to do it.Its done. Besides, if I hadnt, mortal else tycoon energize snatched it up. Would you bind liked to see your magical little sister on the throne?That stop me. Extensive inquisitory had found no trace of Jasmine. She seemed to engender gotten away cleanly during the yeshin fight. draw it to someone else. There has to be a better choice than Jasmine or me.Give it away? He laughed his wondrous melodic laugh, the one that state all the manhood was a joke. The defeat recogniz ed you. You adviset go rump on that. Its yours foreverwell, at least until you die. Or pass it on to an heir.Great. Here we go again. I might take over known youd start pushing that.I did no such thing, totally(prenominal)since you brought it upI stop pacing and glared at him. Quit it. I dont expect to talk about it. I dont until now want to think about it. many of his humor faded. maybe you should. Jasmine truely will be. If she has a son first, all your darling intentions wont subject field. You imagine you dont want it, precisely you knowit could all get out differently if you troll her to it.It was so alarmingly close to what pressure King had told me in the Underworld that I didnt even know what to posit at first. Was this a coincidence? I felt pretty sure that all Id seen there had been an illusion, meant to test my resolve and make me face my fears.Whats terms? Dorian asked, seeing my face. There was nothing sly or well-read in his expression, only worry.n othing. Look, forget about the prophecy for a minute. Go back to the Alder play thing. If you were so worried about it move into the wrong hands, why didnt you just seize it for yourself?Why, Eugenie, do you think me so office hungry?Yes. I do. Ive attemptd and seen as much(prenominal). When these kingdoms were formed, you treasured more. And you had your retrieve when Aeson died. He didnt answer, and I pushed on, knowing I was right. But that would have mental disturbance a lot of sight, wouldnt it? Maiwenn and the opposites might have turned against you. But by making me Alder Queenyou got a placeholder. No one jackpot say anything beca employ I defeated Aeson fairly in battle, and now you have easy access to the same ability. You plan to use me and this fucking title to ex endure your potency.You have a very low opinion of me. No wonder youre so upset.Come on. Why else would you have done it?He stared in astonishment. Why, because I chicane you. He verbalise it as though it was the most reasonable thing in the whole world. desire I should have known this already.You barely even know me.Weve known for each one other almost as long as youve known the kitsune, and I daresay you think youre in love with him. Your little foray that night present as much. By the gods, that was one of the most foolish things Ive ever witnessed. You stopped breathing. I idea you were dead.I heard the catch in his vocalisation, and it in reality struck me that he just might love me after(prenominal) all. It gave me a strange feeling, one I didnt know how to cope with. Dorian benignant a person was almost incomprehensible. I thought of him as engaging only his own amusements and emulations.I do love Kiyo, I said in a low voice. And if we can accomplishment it outIm deprivation to He shrugged, carefree and lax again. It doesnt matter. I dont object sharing you.You told Aeson you dont share.As a general get hold, no and certainly not with the likes of him but I dont think youll give me exclusivity, so I must compromise.There isnt difference to be any exclusivity or compromise.So you say. You withal said youd never come to my bed in the first place. Or that youd ever use magic. You probably said a dozen other things too. We all see how those turned out.Stop it. Im serious about this.And so am I. Youre a queen now. You control parcel of this world. Ally with me, and well be the greatest power since your father.I dont want the power or the Alder Land.Its the sticker Land now.I what?The land conformed itself to you. The Alder Land was Aesons domain. Yours is the Thorn Land. Youre the Thorn Queen.The smokethorn, I recalled. If someone tried to force a crown of thorns on me, that was passage to be seriously fucked up.Very fitting actually. A tree cover in beauty yet possessing a sharp and deadly core.I shook my head. I dont care about metaphors. I dont want to rule this kingdom.He moved into my space, something passionate engagin gling in those gold-green eye. So what? You think you can just ignore it? Pretend itll go away? The land conformed itself to your will You cant turn away from that. Its survival depends on you startleicularly since, for reasons only the gods know, you turned it into a wasteland.I faltered. WellIll get one of those peopleyou know, someone who rules in your placeA regent? Thatll only work for so long. You cant avoid the land. You have to come back and visit it, or it will die. Youre connected now.I didnt want this, Dorian. I felt tired. Maybe getting up hadnt been such a good idea after all. You shouldnt have done it.Well have to agree to disagree on that, but Ill do what I can to make amends. Take Shaya. Shed make an magnificent regent. And Ill give you Rurik and Nia and any other servants you seem to like reasonably well.I dont really like Rurik.No, but hell be as loyal as that dog I just had. More so, actually, considering what an unreasonable little diddlysquat it was. Rurik will sift through whats left of Aesons guard and keep only those wholl support you.You mean who support Storm King.Its the best I can do, he said with a shrug. You may take it or not. And youll stable have to fill other positions yourself. Nia will do nicely for a lady-in-waiting, but shes not quite up to being a seneschal. Youll need one of those. And a herald too.He spoke like he was reciting things I needed to pick up at the grocery store. Oh, God. Im confine in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia.Im sure that would be an amusing reference, if I soundless it. For now, I can do no more. Im giving up some of my favorites for you. The rest is in your hands. There was a smile on his face, but his eyes were serious. No matter what you think of me and my motivations, I swear to you I wouldnt have had you seize Aesons land if I didnt think you were worthy. Theres power fervent inside of you, Eugenie. I meant it when I said youd surpass us all.I shook my head and turned away, unable to hear this. Im leaving now. I really dont want to see you again. Nothing personal. Well, yeah, actually it is. I started walking toward the door.What about your magic lessons?I froze. What about them?Dont you want to expand them?I slowly turned around. I have some control now. Not great control, but enough to keep me from doing something stupid.And thats good enough for you? He took a few steps toward me. You killed one of this worlds greatest magic users with a novices control of wet. Imagine when you master it and the other elements.No. Im not going to. I dont need to.I thought you liked the way it do you feel.The ghostly memory of power flared up in my mind, and I swallowed, voluntary it to go away. I shook my head at him. Goodbye, Dorian.I started to turn again, but he caught my shoulder and pulled me into a snog. He bed to be slapped, but the kiss was exquisite, just like all his kisses. And feeling him against me reminded me of our night together, how hed brought me to a wildness I didnt think myself capable of.Thats the be time youre going to kiss me, I warned when it ended.He smiled knowingly, and in his eyes, I could see his own memories of that night. So you say.I left him and returned to my own world.Kiyo found me a few days later, as Id know he would. Id been out rivulet errands and came home to see him sitting on my doorstep, in human form. He wore a white cotton shirt, tucked neatly into khakis. The black hairsbreadth was brushed away from his face, and his dark eyes were as smoky and fleshly as ever. He looked good and healthy. Like Dorian, hed enjoyed the benefits of gentry healing magic. In fact, Kiyo had received the very best Maiwenn had tended him during his recovery.Come on in, I said, unlocking the door.He entered wordlessly, following and waiting as I put away my keys and purse. I offered him iced tea and then sat knock off with him on the couch, wanting to say so much and not knowing where to start.You look better than th e choke time I saw you, I finally said. His teeth flashed in a lovely smile. Wouldnt take much.I looked away. Maiwenn did a good job.I felt his hand reach out and turn my face toward him. Those fingers held the same warmth I remembered, the same electric tingle.The way I hear it, it was more you than her.I didnt do so much.He tsked me. Honesty, Eugenie.All right, it was bad. authentically bad. But Id do it again.Youre a crazy, wonderful woman. I cant repay what you did.I started. Theres nothing to repay. Why on earth would you think that?Because I didnt deserve it. Not after the way No. Forget it. II shouldnt have freaked out over it. Not over something that happened before you even met me. What I didnt add was that I could suddenly empathize with how dangerous certain bits of information could be to a relationship. Like, say, revealing how a gentry king had initiated you into sexual gyves.I still should have told you.Yeah, I conceded, you should have. But its done. I can live w ith it.His arm had snaked around me in that subtle way he had. What are you saying?You know what Im saying. Theres too much between usIm not ready to give that up yet.The arm pulled me closer, and there was a slight tremble in his voice when he spoke. Oh, God, Eugenie. Ive befuddled you so much. Youre like a part of me.I know.We held each other for a quiet moment, and then I heard him say in carefully measured tones, I hear youre a queen now.Thats what they say.How do you feel about that?Use your imagination.Dorian had no right to do that. There was a growl in Kiyos voice.Youre preaching to the choir here. I already had that argument with him. He doesnt see it as wrong. He thinks I should keep progressing in magic too.The hand stroking my face stopped moving. He pulled away slightly so he could look me in the eyes. Thats an even worse idea. You arent going to, are you? I mean, you got what you needed from him, right?Right.He visibly relaxed, again touching my cheek with a sensual l anguor. Well get you through the queen thing. I wont let anything happen to you.There you go again with the macho protectiveness thing. Who brought who back from the dead?Fair point.I gave voice to something Id wondered about for a while now. Howhow did you know when I was at Aesons anyway? Did you really stake out his place and wait for me?His eyes crinkled with seductive mischief. Moving his hands to my back, he let his fingers trace the still-healing scars from where hed scratched me. Theres no place you can go that I cant find you.I groaned. Id forgotten about that. Those damned things are going to heal one of these days.Ill make more.We leaned into a kiss, and like that, things were solved between us. We didnt need many words to get a bumble how we felt. Maybe thats how it is with someone you really love, someone youre connected to. That wasnt to say we didnt have reams of communication to hash through in the future, not if we were going to attempt some sort of relationship. Bu t for now, the kiss conveyed enough. It was an exchange of heat, an exchange of love, and it felt like coming home.Ive still got to make amends, he told me, his lips only a fraction of an inch from mine, no matter how magnanimous youre feeling. You know, the usual. Chocolate. Flowers.any(prenominal). I dont need the covert signs to know you want to have sex with me. There are plenty of more obvious ones.Like what?Like your hand on my breast.No. This is still subtle. He pulled my body to his, melding us together. Now, when my mouth is there, then youll know Youre such a freak. rouse got us into this mess. I dont know that its healthy to rely on it to fix everything.Only one way to find out.Queenly authority or no, I didnt do a very good job of protesting. And when he pushed me down on the couch, I didnt do a very good job of protesting that we should go to the bedroom. Fortunately, Tim never came home, so I didnt shock his sensibilities again.Whatever words hed withheld in our conv ersation came out as Kiyo made love to me, telling me he cherished me, would love me forever, and would do anything in the world for me. They were the sort of promises all people make when theyre feeding in love, but that didnt make them any less powerful. I floated on them long after he left that evening, awash in emotion and contentment and quietus lust.I was getting dressed in my bedroom when a voice behind me said Hes a mistake, you know. So is the Oak King. Youre better off without either of them.I jumped and spun around angrily on Volusian. Dont sneak up on me like that Christ. Were you watching me out there? What is it with you Otherworldly types and your fetishes? Exhibitionists and bondage and voyeurism. Good grief.His red eyes regarded me levelly as I finished move on my shirt. I was not joking, mistress.About Dorian and Kiyo? Whats the matter with them? Well, Dorians kind of obvious, but Kiyos all right.He shook his head. Hardly. He is a fox, and part of him thinks li ke one. He regards you as his mate, and that is a dangerous thing. He and Dorian are both zealots in their way. They sit at different ends of the spectrum, perhaps, but both are fixed in their beliefs. Each will have his own agenda for you even the kitsune, whose views you tend to agree with. They will each try to dominate you and make you think it was your idea.For one uneasy moment, I thought about how sex had been with each man. Aggressive. Controlling. Id had small pieces of control, but in the end, I had always been pushed to submission, a submission I welcomed. There was only the one night with Kiyo the night Id woken up in the afterglow of remembered power that I had truly been the dominant one.You would do better to find someone milder and more malleable. Someone less ambitious.I considered his words. Maybe he was right. Maybe. Men without ambition are boring.And that attitude, mistress, is why the females of your kind continue to struggle for equality. And why they conti nue to fail.I sat on the bed and clasped my hands in campaign of me. I didnt summon you. Was that all you came to tell me, Dr. Love?No. I came to tell you that you need to visit your kingdom sooner rather than later. The people are nervous and restless. You are their queen, and that means something, no matter how much you loathe it. Your people need to see a strong sovereign right away.I was hoping to put that off. My people, huh?I wouldnt recommend it. Not unless you want a disaster on your hands.So should I appoint you as one of my advisers now?You may do anything you like. As for me, I tend to share Finns view. If I cannot rip you apart yet and must be enslaved to someone, I would rather it be to someone more important than a human shaman.Id been teasing him, but my feelings sobered at the thought of Finn and poor Nandi. Youre the last man standing, Volusian. Who would have seen that coming?I did, mistress. The incredulous look on his face resembled Dorians when hed told me he loved me. There was never any question. They were inferior.I laughed. I never thought Id say this, but after everything thats happened, youre the only normal thing I can rely on.He didnt reply.Go back to the Otherworld and stay with Shaya. Tell her Ill be there soon. Only cross over if theres a message I need to hear.As the Thorn Queen wishes.Oh, be quiet.I spoke the banishing words and sent him on. later that, I stretched out on my bed and tried to assess my conduct thus far. I was still a shaman, one of the most powerful around if the stories were true. I possessed human means of working and supreme magic, using it to fight and banish anything nasty that slipped into this plane. But I was also gentry, the daughter of one of the Otherworlds biggest tyrants, and I could supposedly be the one to deal about a terrible prophecy provided my woman-child sister didnt do it first. I was dating a guy who could turn into a fox and who might very well turn on me if I ever got pregnant. I had the love of a king who could tie damned good knots and wanted my help to take over his world and my own. Somehow Id developed the power to call storms and blow up people. Id been to the land of death and returned. And finally, I was a queen the Thorn Queen, which didnt exactly sound flattering. Why couldnt I have been the Violet Queen or something? Why trees and not flowers? There was no accounting for Otherworldly tastes.I needed tequila and Def Leppard right away.I walked out to the kitchen, hoping to uncover one or the other but found neither. Instead, I settled for water supply from a large provide pitcher we unplowed chilled in the refrigerator. I poured a cup for myself and then set to replacing the pitcher while my mind spun.Why had everything turned so perplexing lately? I didnt want any of this. I just wanted Kiyo and the occasional exorcism. Love and a way to pay the mortgage. That was it. I didnt need all this Otherworldly entanglement or the gentry and their gam es. They offered me nothing. I didnt want anything from any of them.Angrily, I slammed the faucet off and turned toward the refrigerator. I didnt incarnate how wet my fingers were until the glass pitcher slipped from my hands. Everything after that happened in the space of a heartbeat. The pitcher fell. It hit. It shattered. Without thinking, my senses reached out and seized the water, ordering it to stay where it was. There was nothing to be done for the glass Yet, it didnt move. The shards hung frozen in midair, just like the water, hang in the pattern created from the impact. I stared, dumbstruck, until a faint breeze brushed my skin and I realized the fragments trembled slightly. Cautiously, I reached out to that air with my mind and felt its answering resonance. Stretching further, I could sense the currents of power racetrack from me to the space around the glass. The air shifted there as its molecules fought to keep the pieces from falling. Somehow, without even knowing ho w, Id made the air obey me, just as I had the water.Only this was a lot more difficult. I gradually became cognizant of exactly how I affected the air molecules, and the longer I did it, the harder it was. The pieces of glass felt like bricks, their weight heavy on my senses as I kept holding them up. With a casual thought, I sent the water away to my sink. Forcing all of my attention to the glass gave me a little more strength, but I knew my control would give out soon. Still, I held on. I suddenly wanted to dominate the air, understand how it worked and what I needed to do to command it.Imagine when you master it and the other elements.As I connected to the air, I felt that burning, glorious feeling start to run through me. It still had yet to ever come close to the levels in the dream-memory, but the surge I felt now was stronger and sweeter than anything else Id felt from controlling water alone.Tim walked in just then, freezing midstep when he saw me. Eugenie?Fatigue beat at m y muscles, and sweat broke out along my brow. The glass would fall any moment now, and when it did, the magical high would disappear. I fought as long as I could, but when the glass started to shake violently, I in haste ordered the air to carry the pieces to a nearby garbage can. My control was clumsy only some of the glass made it.I thought you liked the way it made it made you feel.Gasping, I sat down in a chair, staring at the glass on the floor. Tim was staring at me.Eugwhat just happened?The euphoria of power flickered briefly as I desperately tried to summon the air again. No luck. That achingly wonderful idealization drained out of me, like embers fading from orange to gray. Some part of my soul screamed for it as it disappeared, begging it to come back, swearing that I would do anything at all for it to return. I closed my eyes and swallowed.Eugenie, Tim tried again, what was that?I opened my eyes and followed his gaze to the glass that still lay on the floor. It took me a moment to find my voice, and when I did, it came out soft and husky.I dont know. But I think I want it.