Page 46 of Blackwarden
Low futons were scattered across the room, where several other girls lounged in outfits similar to mine—simple silk frocks, some with plunging necklines, others slit high enough to bare their thighs. The women varied in skin tone and ranged in age from around mine to much older.
“Your newest sister,” the minuscule female said, leading me to the middle of the room, where she left me to stand in front of several pairs of critical eyes.
For the first time since waking on the floor, I was terrified. Why was I here? I couldn’t remember anything, but I knew in my heart this wasn’t where I was supposed to be. The way some of these women were looking at me didn’t help.
“A bit thin, this one,” a rather busty maiden commented. Her auburn hair hung in gorgeous curls around her creamy shoulders; she had deep brown eyes that pierced through any bravery I may have had left.
“She’s perfect,” another said as she stepped forward and took my hands. She had a friendly smile and piercing blue eyes beset with adorable freckles. Her hair was like spun gold, and I had the vague sense she was familiar. “I’m Nessa. Welcome to Queen Bevgyah’s harem.”
Before anyone else could say a word, a door on the other side of the room was thrown wide as a beautiful Fae female with shimmering pale lavender skin stepped through, two guards followed close behind. She was dressed in an elaborate gown, dripping with gems and pearls that jingled as she walked. A crown made of crystals that looked like shards of ice was cradled by braided teal hair, adorned with more gems and charms.
Every maiden curtsied low and held in perfect coordination. I was slow to do the same, my cheeks heating as I realized I’d missed what was likely an important cue.
“My precious Maidens.” We were released from our groveling, her singsong voice gripping my insides in a way that made me want to run the other direction as fast as I could. “We shall have a revel tonight to celebrate the return of my beloved Blackwarden and your newest sister, Tesanna. Make her feel welcome and help her select something appropriate to wear. Our guests expect a luxurious display, as always.”
I could only assume she was the queen. She smiled brightly at us, her gaze falling and holding onto me for longer than I liked. Then she turned and swept from the room, taking her finery with her and leaving the maidens in a buzz of low murmurs.
I let the name the queen used to introduce me roll around in my head. It didn’t feel right—but then, I had no idea what my name was supposed to be. I just knew that one wasn’t it.
I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
Suddenly, every eye in the harem was on me. Some women looked at me with hunger, others barely masked their judgment.
It took every shred of courage I had not to bolt under the weight of their scrutiny.
“Tesanna is such a beautiful name,” Nessa said with a brilliant smile. “Come, let’s choose our dresses together.” She ran her fingers through my damp hair without asking.
Again, I got the feeling I should feel shame or be uncomfortable with the closeness Nessa showed, but I refused to let anything destroy the smile written across her beautiful face. She seemed so happy. Besides, my current dress made me feel exposed and the thought of finding something less revealing was beyond appealing.
I was wrong. Nessa hadn’t chosen somethinglessrevealing. In fact, none of the dresses shown to me could have been considered less revealing. They all seemed like half a dress. Some only had strips of fabric concealing private places. Others had plunging necklines and daring slits. I finally gave up after the sixth one was held up to me and asked Nessa to choose for me.
“They’re all so...revealing.”
“The queen loves for her guests to see what they might enjoy,” Nessa said while helping me into a silky black dress that revealed my midriff but thankfully covered my breasts with a high neckline. The skirt, slit up both sides, was full and flowing, made of soft, gauzy layers that brushed the ground. I couldn’t stop running my fingers over the delicate fabric.
Nessa braided my hair, leaving pieces loose around my ears and neck before she asked if I wanted to paint my face. I shook my head vehemently. I might not be able to remember my past, but the thought of painting my face seemed completely wrong. She shrugged and applied a generous color to her eyelids and lips.
“The queen always has a revel when her consort returns. He’s the Gatekeeper to the human world and spends a lot of his time at his Gatehouse. The queen misses him dreadfully when he’s away.” She nervously folded and unfolded her hands. “He’s...different.”
“Different?”
“You’ll see. So many of the Fae are strange looking, not like us at all. But he’s...beautiful. Liketoobeautiful. He and Bevgyah make the most gorgeous pair.” She beamed at me with a generous smile. “Bevgyah doesn’t allow him to visit us without her,” she said as she blushed, turning her cheeks a brilliant shade of pink. “He’s only allowed to choose a maiden to share with her, but never to have for himself.”
There was something unsettling about how Nessa spoke of having and sharing which made me shiver, but I tucked it away, along with all the other unease I was collecting to deal with later.
“What’s his name?”
“She only ever calls him her Blackwarden, her Gatekeeper.”
The words simmered in my throat. Something familiar about them. Perhaps I’d just heard them in passing. I wanted to repeat them but instead tried to keep my face as innocuous as possible as she led me back out to loiter with the other maidens until the revel. I would try my best to distract myself with all the new details of the queen’s palace, which Nessa shared while the others in the harem flocked around me.
––––––––
Nessa hadn’t been entirely forthcoming. The queen’s consort wasn’t just beautiful, he was startlingly gorgeous and terrifying all at once. He towered over Bevgyah with onyx horns that swept back from his face. His skin the same black with a silver sheen that seemedto accentuate every line of defined muscle. A pair of massive wings lay tucked tight against his back. He wore a sleeveless shirt with a daring neckline that showed much of his chest. His clothes matched the queen’s sheer gown perfectly—cream and gold with shimmering trim that caught the light every time he moved. But it was his eyes that held me. They were truly inhuman, entirely black like the rest of him with silver irises which seemed to glow.
His long dark blue hair was pulled back away from his face, allowing for a perfect view of his sharp jawline. His face was flawless. The more I looked at him, the more I couldn’t help but feel that there was something almost familiar about him, like I’d seen him before, but not him. Someone who looked like him perhaps? But who could look like him? Who could be as beautiful? I was certain I’d remember. The queen’s Blackwarden was unforgettable.
I felt hot all over from looking at him, and it didn’t help that his gaze fell immediately on me after he and Bevgyah entered the harem. Something was so tantalizingly frightening about the way he openly stared, his eyes seeing every inch of me.
