Page 45 of Blackwarden
“I’ve missed you, Keres,” she whispered in my ear, her hot breath on my neck sending goosebumps down my arms.
She didn’t dare use my name around anyone else. To them, I’d be her Gatekeeper, her Blackwarden. My given name held too much power here.
She left me naked, half hard, and too exhausted to move.
“You’ll be expected to escort me to the revel later. Dress appropriately,” she said as her hungry eyes raked over my bare flesh. She slipped back into her gown and straightened her hair. “You’ll spend the evening at my side and maybe, if you’re a good little Gatekeeper, you can choose a maiden for us to enjoy together.”
It was always the same. Sex, beauty, and power. I knew what I looked like. It hadn’t been my choice to wear this face. Nor had it been my choice to be born into the Blackwarden family, whose shadow magic was powerful enough to activate the portals. To have a Blackwarden at your side had once been prestigious, but now there weren’t any others left. I’d been the only one too weak to choose death for my family’s treasonous involvement in the Fae Wars.
But I’d been mistaken.
I should have chosen death, and I’d wished I had every day since. Eternity being fucked by a monster with a beautiful face and an evil heart was truly worse than the void of the beyond.
I usually felt empty after bringing a girl through the portal for Bevgyah to siphon. But this time? I felt truly destroyed. I wanted to die. It would be better than imagining Rosalin being sucked of her life before she was sent to the bed of some Dark Fae willing to pay Bevgyah’s exorbitant rates for the enjoyment of her harem.
I closed my eyes, another tear carving a path over my temple as I lay listless and broken. This was my fault. This was my punishment, and I hated that I had to share it with Rosalin. She’d done nothing but endure the hardships of a human life, to try and give her sister the life she had lost. She didn’t deserve this, and I didn’t deserve her. Not after failing to imbue her portrait or to figure out how to break the curse.
No, I was truly worthless.
I lost myself to sorrowful darkness.
Chapter 23 ~ Revel
Rosalin
––––––––
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten here, or where I’d come from. I couldn’t remember anything, to be honest. The first thing Icouldremember was being carried from a room full of swirling shadows that seemed to weave around me and cling to my soul. There had been something so secure about them. Like they numbed the panic that started to creep into my throat. I hadn’t wanted to leave. They slowly disintegrated, oozing into the floor, leaving me cold and lonely.
Someone helped a man to his feet. At least I thought he was a man, but when he stood, I could see his massive bat wings tucked against his back and two obsidian horns that swept away from his face. A face I didn’t get a chance to see before I was picked up from the floor and taken to a small dark room, my head swimming with nausea.
I was laid out on a low mattress, desperately trying to focus on the face of whoever it was that had brought me there. But his face was obscured by an armored mask, and I looked away quickly, my heart racing. Thick exhaustion dragged me down until Iwas on the edge of consciousness. A strange girl who was half my height and the color of new fallen snow came and woke me with a gentle shake.
“Her majesty is impatient to meet you,” she said.
Not a girl, a full-grown female if I were to judge her by the maturity of her voice. She led me to another room, one that was brightly lit and cheerful compared to the halls we’d just wandered through. I was pulled toward a steaming bath, nervousness prickling the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Into the tub, sweet one,” she said as she pulled on the skirt of my dress. “Quickly now, we must have you ready for her majesty.”
She started unlacing my overdress before I could stop her, my cheeks growing hot as she had me step out. Before I could stop her, she lifted my chemise over my head. I wrapped my arms around my nakedness, unsure why I felt so much shame. Everything was so confusing. Why was I here? I didn’t think I was supposed to be, but I couldn’t remember where else I was meant to be.
The tiny Fae led me to a steaming tub and after a moment of coaxing, I stepped into the bath. I was immediately rewarded with the most delicious hot water. The smell of lavender and honey permeated everything. I sank into the warmth, completely submerged with nothing but my face above the surface. The heat of the water soaked into my bones, and I was left to float for a few blissful moments, confusion swirling in my cloudy mind. I couldn’t isolate any single thought, so instead, I pushed them all away and tried to focus on the heat of the water that hugged me.
“Up with you.” The tiny female wasn’t rude, just firm, and I was compelled to do as she said.
She scrubbed my back before using her lanky fingers to wash and comb through my hair, all while humming a strange otherworldly tune. When she was finished, she helped me step from the tub, then dried me off and dressed me in a silk slip. I didn’t feel like it covered enough. The slinky fabric on my skin was buttery and distracting. Looking down my front I could see the rise of mybreasts from the low neckline too well for my taste. I folded my arms over my chest, wishing I could make myself smaller.
“What’s this? Are you Fate Marked?” The Fae pointed to a dark mark where my neck met my shoulder.
I leaned forward to get a better look in the mirror. Sure enough, I had what looked like a tiny serpent tattoo, spun into a twisted knot. I brushed my fingers over it, but it didn’t change. A shiver writhed up my spine, blooming goosebumps over my arms.
“I don’t know. I don’t...remember.”
She shook her head looking at the mark with concern before she turned to a shelf with various vials and jars. What was a Fate Mark and why was it a problem? I was too scared to ask, and before I could, she returned with a small bottle full of some kind of viscous gold substance. With gentle fingers she dabbed a small amount of the cream to the area and rubbed it over the mark until it vanished from sight.
“This should hide it for a few days,” she said, nodding her approval before she scurried toward the door. “This way.”
She pulled me down another hall, this one had a much lower ceiling giving it an intimate feel. There were several doors lining each side but we didn’t seem to be going to any of these. My mouth grew dryer the further we went from the room with the comforting shadows. At the end of the hall, we ducked through a curtain of silk and twinkling gems into a massive space which was not as brightly lit. This room was draped with elegant fabrics and strands of beads in gold and silver. The braziers along the walls were decorated with crystals, which cast rainbows across the soft fabrics and smooth stone surfaces.
