A Reckoning so Sweet (The Reckoning Book 3) Page 12

  “Yes?” Of course we come in all colors, but from the look of the Fae that watched my transformation in the Mere, so do they. It’s the size part he’s having trouble with.

  “You must have a good center of balance,” he says, “to walk with hips like that.”

  “And a strong back,” Tailyn adds. “I could not imagine having those things on my chest.”

  I feel…both insulted and complimented. “I’ll have you know,” I say, “that these are the perfect birthing hips.” Birthing. Why does that word make my stomach churn? It can’t have anything to do with…with what I’m here for.

  Which is?

  I think about it, and after a minute or so I remember what I told the Queen: my Vampire friend, Sky. No…no. That’s not right. Sky’s not his name. It’s Cloud.

  Both Fae shoot me a disgusted expression. “That’s right,” she says. “Children of Men do not live long lives. They are constantly procreating and giving birth—” Tailyn gags.

  “Those wolfen,” I recall the pack, “seemed to love procreating.”

  “For Fae, there is a difference between the act of sex and procreation. One is for pleasure, the other, to possibly bear a child,” Ashyr explains. “We are an ageless race. It is…very difficult for two purebred Fae to breed successfully, and the pregnancies rarely go without complication.”

  “We are not built for it,” Tailyn says, moving the needle and thread to the side so that she can grab her own bosom. “As you are.”

  Ashyr has to turn from her antics, leaning closer to me as he says, “Our spirits rarely die, thus our need to procreate is almost nonexistent. Tell me—” He crosses his legs on the floor, staring up at me innocently with his wide, emerald eyes. “—does the constant fear of death keep you awake at night?”

  Wow. What a question. What. A. Question.

  I try to turn the tables on them, saying, “I thought Fae can’t lie.”

  “That is true,” Ashyr does not seem fazed by my avoidance of his question. “We cannot.”

  “Then why did the wolfen say they were exiled from Court? It looks like you all welcomed back Raegar well enough. And the food—Elysia said it was safe to eat.”

  “Once turned by the Beast, they lost their wings and manners. They could not remain within the Summer Court,” Tailyn says, resuming her sewing. “They chose exile, to go to the forest, where they could be one with their inner beast.”

  “And Elysia—” Ashyr laughs out her name. “—did Elysia truly tell you the food was safe to eat?”

  I think back, my memories a bit fuzzy. She said she cooked it, there was no blood, but the words safe to eat never came from her mouth.

  “We can never lie,” Tailyn speaks, “but unless asked for it directly, we can hide the truth.”

  Never trust any Fae, basically. Something I should’ve known.

  “Am I safe here, in the Court, with you?” I add each bit of the question after pausing, now that I know I have to be super specific.

  “You are safe with us, but in the Court, no one is safe, especially an outsider.” Ashyr sets a hand across his wiry chest, thumping the green leather. “You have my vow, Lexa, I will fend off any unwanted attention from the Fae of this Court.”

  I blink. How much attention am I going to get? Watching me step out of the Mere naked wasn’t good enough?

  Tailyn stands and, with a flourish, presents me her altered dress. “There are many of the Court who would fancy the notion of intimacy with you. Curiosity, mainly.” Ah, so I’m a circus freak who’s curious enough to merit an inquisitive sex session. “Even more, once the drinks are out, that number will double.”

  The hairs on my arms stand up, an uneasy feeling in my gut. I know everyone views it differently, but the Fae are so cavalier about sex, and for some reason, that concerns me. It’s…weird. Like my mind is purposefully blocking something.

  “Triple,” Ashyr says with a smile. “Even the Queen will be curious.”

  They laugh, and I sit there, confused. I don’t see what’s so funny about that.

  Tailyn helps me wriggle in the dress—still tight on the chest, but the rest of it fits pretty good. It’s back is next to nonexistent; its green fabric curls around my chest, tying around my neck. If I had wings, they’d be able to breathe comfortably. The hemline rests just below my knees, its frilliness startling.

  She bounces for a mirror and holds it out. Though it’s small, I’m able to see myself. Makeup is caked onto my skin, expertly blended so that it looks natural, my skin without a blemish. My dark hair is woven into a meticulous arrangement of braids and swirls, clipped to the side of my head with a silver pin. I look ridiculous in the dress, but I feel oddly resigned to it.

  With a Fae on each hand, they walk me down the stone archways until we reach the base of their city. In the system of gigantic roots lies fountains that go nowhere, candles that never dim, and a seemingly endless supply of booze and fruit.

  The crowd seems to stretch for miles, and Fae blend into each other. Some have white skin, others have black skin—and a few are tinged with green. All have huge eyes, no nose bridge and ears that could cut butter. Every Fae has a set of wings, varying in colors, shapes and styles. The most magnificent one, of course, is the Queen, who stands at the foot of an immensely tall tree, goblet in her and. She’s changed into a thin and shapely gown of white, a stark contrast to her fluttering golden wings. Beside her, wearing nothing but leather pants, Raegar stands with his hands at his sides. On his back, I see his dark wings folded tightly against his skin, so thin it’s as if they aren’t even there, wings he did not have when he was a wolf.

  “We gather here tonight to celebrate the return of one of the Summer Court’s finest fighters,” the Queen’s voice rises above the throngs of Fae, and the crowd cheers, though Raegar looks bored. “And the arrival of a Daughter of Man.” She holds her goblet-free hand toward me, and Tailyn and Ashyr release me, letting me stand beside the Queen on her pedestal.

  The crowd hushes, in awe.

  “We welcome them both with open arms,” she continues, lifting her goblet. “Let us show this Daughter of Man a time she will never forget.” The Queen takes a sip from her goblet, then handing it to Raegar, who does the same. She brings it to me, last, holding it before me, its liquid of some unknown origin.

  I hesitate.

  Around the Queen, Raegar’s eyes narrow, as if daring me to do it, as if wordlessly betting that I won’t.

  I prove him wrong. I prove them all wrong.

  I do it. I take a swig from the goblet, closing my eyes as the warm juice travels down my throat.

  The Queen takes the goblet, raising it above her head, and I open my eyes to see the cheering Fae. I feel my mouth smiling. Some of the attention is on Raegar, some of it is on the beautiful Queen, but most of it is on me.

  And…for the first time I can recall, for the first time in what feels like ever, I’m happy.

  Chapter Nine

  The drinks flow freely, and soon the Fae are so inebriated that most of what they do involves laughing at nothing and dancing around the stone fire pits. I eventually lose count of how many saunter up to me either asking to bed me or trying to touch my backside. Ashyr, to his credit, fends them off with harsh words even drunks would understand.

  After one particularly insistent Fae—and what I thought was going to turn into a brawl of epic proportions—I lean on the tree root beside Ashyr while Tailyn dances. Studying him, I say, “You all speak English very well.”

  That gets him to smile, and for a moment, I think he’s cute. Not cute in a handsome, high-school crush way, but cute in a little kid way. I just want to mess up his perfect long hair and tease him, even though he is a man taller than I am. There is no attraction in me towards any of the Fae, even if they are beautiful. I’m attracted to—it takes me a minute to think of the right word—Humans. Because that’s what I am.

  I don’t know why I’m having such a difficult time remembering that.

  �
��The Fae know every language,” Ashyr tells me with a grin. “To you, we speak your…English, because it is what you understand. However, to those eavesdropping—” He points to a nearby group of Fae, who grow embarrassed and quickly rejoin the dancing. “—I speak our language.” He laughs at my amazement. “Our realm is full of magic, something you must not be used to.”

  I know I’ve seen magic before, but not like that. Magic has always had help; it didn’t just happen. Here, it’s in everything you do.

  “Wow,” I whisper, turning my head to watch Tailyn grab three mugs for us.

  “Your innocence is refreshing,” he says as she hands us our own drinks. He slowly takes a sip, never taking his almond eyes off me.

  Holding the mug, I ask them both, “So how are you two related?”

  Tailyn grins, standing on my other side. “We’re…twins, I think is the word? Born from the same mother and father at the same time.” She takes a swig. “The first set since the original Summer and Winter Courts. Our mother…she didn’t make it, and the Mere could not bring her back.”

  “So you see,” Ashyr states, “we were always outsiders of our own Court. Looked down upon. Blamed.”

  “And your father?” I ask.

  She shrugs. “Never met him. Fae will often go from one suitor to the next in order to breed. The match has to be just right, the minds linked. She was probably with dozens of Fae before she was successfully impregnated.” Tailyn pauses at my expression. “What’s the matter?”

  I’m slow to take a drink of the warm, soothing liquid. As it settles in my gut, I finally say, “I don’t know. I just couldn’t imagine flicking from person to person like that.”

  Ashyr looks to his sister. “So it’s truly not as hard for your kind to breed?”

  “No, it’s not,” I say. “Sometimes it even happens on accident.”

  Tailyn lifts the mug to her mouth, speaking behind it, “Have you birthed before?”

  I shake my head. “No. I could…but…” My head shakes yet again, and I feel uneasy. I touch my chest, feeling nothing but bare skin above the tight green dress. My hand flattens between the spot in the middle of my breasts, like I’m trying to picture something, but whatever it is won’t come to me.

  Tailyn must sense that something is wrong, for she hands her mug over to Ashyr. She takes mine and sets it on the ground, both hands linked in mine. “Come, Lexa,” she purrs, dragging me to the dancing crowd, “let us dance.”

  “I don’t dance,” I say, trying to pull away.

  “Sure you do. Everybody does in their own way. Let me show you mine.” Tailyn releases my hands and starts to sway with a rhythm that only she can hear. Her hips move from side to side, her arms raising to the sky. She twirls, laughing and smiling, catching the eyes of nearby Fae, men and women alike. Once she’s done and satisfied with her demonstration, she says, “Now it’s your turn.”

  I watch the Fae dance for a few seconds, trying to find my own moves. I let my feet begin, and muscle memory takes over. I start doing a—a square dance, I think? Something I was forced to learn in…gym class? Either way, my mind is fuzzy on it, but my legs and feet remember.

  I start laughing as I finish the first set, turning another direction to do the same dance again. I know I look stupid. The Fae, though, must not think it’s stupid, for soon, those around me are copying my moves. A few beats slow, but they catch on quickly. Tailyn moves beside me, following my steps, clapping when I clap and turning when I turn.

  Maybe it’s the drinks, or maybe it’s just because I feel so carefree, but the moment we turn for the fourth direction, I start singing the song that matches the dance. My voice comes out better than I ever knew it sounded. Of course, some of the words I’ve forgotten, so I skim over those parts hurriedly, but the Fae don’t seem to notice.

  We dance and we dance; I sing until the end of the song, and then I start the song again, more confident this time. I’m so entranced in the song and the group of Fae dancing with me that I neglect to notice the Fae suddenly standing to my left. I ram myself into him when I turn, a muffled sound of shock coming out of me.

  Bare chest, thin and wiry but defined, covered in scars. There’s only one Fae who has a chest like that. I don’t need to look up to know that his orange eyes are full of hatred. Raegar does not like me—and honestly I’m not sure if I want that to change. He’s kind of an ass.

  I hold in a giggle.

  “The Queen wishes to speak with you,” he says, holding his hands behind his back. Though his teeth are no longer sharp, I could swear he still wants to tear me apart.

  My actions are uncontrolled, my words spilling out before I can think them over: “You could bring me to her in pieces. Bit by bit.” I poke his scars one by one, and I hear a growl rumble from his chest. For some reason, it’s the funniest thing in the world. I lean closer, standing on my tiptoes as I whisper, “Tear me apart, Raegar.” I slur his name. “I know you want to.”

  “Raegar.” Tailyn is in far better control of herself than I am, and she pushes to my side. Ashyr appears behind him, arms folded. “Why are you spoiling our fun?” She pulls me away from him and stands between us.

  “The Queen sent me to fetch the little Human,” Raegar says, orange eyes glaring at Tailyn. “Would you deny your Queen?”

  “Very well,” Ashyr states. “Then we will accompany you.”

  “No.” He looks to the Fae behind him. “I must bring the Daughter of Man, and only the Daughter of Man.” Raegar forces a smile as he looks back at me. I’m ready to sucker punch that smug look right off his ugly Fae face. “Worry not. Despite how she presses me, I will not lay a hand on her.”

  Tailyn shakes her head. “That is not enough.”

  He sighs, as if he doesn’t want to say it. “The Human will not be harmed on her way to the Queen. Not by me, not by anyone or anything. Is that good enough, or shall we dither and waste more time?”

  I place a hand on Tailyn and Ashyr. “Thank you for your support, but I’ve faced worse. I don’t remember what, but I’m pretty sure.” I put my hand in the air, wavering. “Maybe. I don’t know. Either way, I’m going, and if Mr. Angry Pants tries anything—” I laugh. “—I’ll grab him by the balls—you Fae have balls, right? And then I’ll…I’ll…” I make a yanking motion.

  Raegar frowns. “See? She will be fine.”

  I can’t help but burst into more laughter at the seriousness of his face.

  I balance on the stone arches that line the walkways between the treetops. The Fae’s entire city sits on multiple levels of the same few trees, their buildings seemingly grow out of the tree bark itself. My arms are held straight out, my palms flat. One foot in front of the other, over and over again. I’m getting pretty good at ignoring the height, too. The thought of plummeting thousands of feet to my death makes me chuckle.

  Raegar stands a good ways ahead with his arms crossed. His orange gaze snidely watches as I pretend to sway on the edge.

  “Watch me, Raegar, watch!” I laugh like a little kid. I wave my fingers in the air and jump from one arch to the next. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!” I catch up to him, passing him on the ledge. “Are you watching? I bet you can’t do this.” I jump again. All my inhibitions are gone, apparently.

  And man, is it freeing.

  I stand, facing the groves of tall trees. Seeing their city sprawled beneath me, I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I feel like I could fly. I want to. I’d give anything to feel the wind beneath me, the clouds touching me. Familiar yet foreign. “I wish I had wings,” I murmur, moving to step off the platform and fly with the sheer strength of my wild imagination.

  But something holds my dress, and I feel that something tug me back.

  “You do not have wings,” Raegar says with a frown. “You cannot fly.”

  I fight him. “You don’t know that until you try, and I never give up.” His arms wrap around me, pinning my flailing arms to my sides. I kick my legs out, but they don’t do anything sinc
e Raegar is behind me. “Never give up, never surrender,” I shout.

  Raegar simply grows bored, throws me over his shoulder, and continues walking.

  I pound his back, avoiding his folded wings. His skin is tougher, thicker than it looks. “I am a lady,” I growl. “Put me down.”

  “If I put you down, you’ll hop over the edge, and I won’t care enough to save you.”

  “Well, I’ll have you know that I don’t like you, either,” I hiss, pulling his ear. “You tried to eat me.”

  He tried getting his long ear away from me, but there’s only so far his head could move. “If given the chance, I’d do it again. You don’t belong here. I do not regret my actions.” He jostles me, and I get his boney shoulder in my stomach.

  “Then I don’t regret mine. You know, because I tore your throat out.”

  The hand holding me to his shoulder tightens in my dress. He does not like being reminded of that. “Perhaps I should release you and let you fall where you may,” Raegar says gruffly.

  “And what would the Queen say about that, hmm?” I ask, flicking his ear over and over. Annoyance is my specialty. “Your lover?”

  It’s a while until he whispers, “Lovers might mean something to your kind, Daughter of Man, but for Fae, it means nothing.” He sets me down once we reach our destination. As he motions to go ahead, where the Queen sits in a moonlit garden, I could swear I hear him add, “And she is not my Queen.”

  I shrug, believing my ears are hearing things, and skip to the Queen. Her long, flowing gown has flowers sprouting from its lengths. Bugs with colorful butts fly in the space, landing on flowers and gathering pollen. Most of the flowers are the size of my head, their stalks strong and vine-like. I sit beside her on the ground, amazed at the garden that could grow on the branch of a tree.

  “So, Daughter of Man,” the Queen begins, plucking a glowing yellow flower and tracing its soft petals.

  “Lexa,” I say, crossing my legs, too busy looking at everything else to meet her shiny gold eyes.

  “Lexa,” she corrects herself. “How do you find my Court?”