Page 67 of The Rowan's Stone
“When I won the Gathering of the Light, I thought for sure my father would acknowledge me. The single reason I entered was because I knew he was going to be there to watch his other son compete. I thought if I could win, it would show him I was worthy, and he would see me differently.” His voice is low and modulated while he tells the story, but his violet eyes reflect the hurt he’d felt. “After winning, I was at the banquet, getting crowned, when I saw him. He looked directly through me like he didn’t even know me. I was devastated and angry, so I decided to confront him.” His mouth compresses. “Only to find him fucking my lover in the hallway, in front of everyone, including his other son. The Fae certainly love a good scene, and he gave them one. This time, he looked directly at me and sneered. It was the last time I saw him.”
When I finish my food, he hands me a glass of water. “Instead of fighting and training, I spent the next hundred years as a wastrel—drinking, gambling, and…other things. At least you chose a better escape than I did, but unlike me, you have five men who refuse to stand by and watch you destroy yourself. We need you.”
Picking up the tray, he motions for me to follow him. Valerian, Daire, and Astor are standing in the hallway outside the gym. He hands the tray to Valerian and places a hand on my back while he escorts me to my room.
“I’m close to finding your ancestor. Get some rest, and I’d better not see you in the gym tomorrow,” he warns me. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but have some faith in Fallon.” He kisses me hard on the lips and waits until I’m in my room to walk away.
Relieved, I take a long, hot shower and fall into bed.
40
ARDEN
Ispend the next day in bed getting pampered. First thing in the morning, Theron comes by and brings me coffee and a banana. He stays for a while, walking me through every piece of information he’s uncovered about my ancestor.
When he leaves, Astor joins me. He pulls up unique blood magic spells in the MacAllister grimoire, and we discuss the merits and difficulty level of each spell.
After Astor leaves, Daire brings me lunch and reads to me, which is a huge surprise. Apparently, he’s a voracious reader, and I find it incredibly sexy.
Finally, Valerian comes by to take an afternoon nap with me. When I try to turn our nap into something more, he pins me down. “As much as I’d love to sink into you, we all agreed you needed rest. I’m here to nap—that’s it,” he informs me.
Hmm, I’d wondered why none of them had made a single move, I muse.
Sighing, I snuggle into him and drift off to sleep, my dreams full of the usual odd things like castles and symbols. After waking, I get up, take a shower, and get dressed. I’m packing a bag when Theron arrives.
“Seer dreams again?” he asks, although he already knows the answer. He kicks the bed, waking up Valerian. “It’s time. Call Cormal.”
Surprised, I watch Valerian pick up the phone. “It’s Valerian,” he says curtly. “Yes, Valerian, King of Dragons. I need a favor. We need an escort into the dark Elven kingdom. Do you have someone?” He listens for a second. “That sounds reasonable. We’ll see you there in…” He raises an eyebrow at Theron, who holds up one finger. “An hour.”
Hanging up the phone, he stretches and slides out of bed. “He’ll meet us at the northeast corner in an hour. He asked for a blood-red ruby. I agreed.” Leaning down, he gives me a quick kiss and leaves to get ready.
“Should I bring anything with me?” I ask Theron.
“Bring your sword and the Killian blades,” he orders me. “It’s not the scenic scene we experienced in the light Elven kingdom.” He glances at his phone. “I’ll see you downstairs in fifty minutes.” Then he, too, walks out.
* * *
Exactly one hour later,we’re standing at the dark Elven border when a startlingly handsome, well-built man walks up to us. He has dark hair and skin with bright blue eyes, and he flashes a speculative glance toward me. “So you’re the witch stirring the supernatural pot.” He assesses me from head to toe, lingering for a minute on the Killian blades strapped to my thighs, then dismisses me.
“Where are we going?” He directs his question to Theron, but his eyes constantly sweep the area around us.
“The old king’s village,” Theron replies, stepping up to hand him a small velvet bag. “We need safe passage in and out. Undetected, if possible.”
The man pulls a large egg-shaped ruby from the bag and examines it. Valerian snorts. “You should know by now, Valerian, I trust very few people,” the man reminds him. Satisfied with the gem, he gestures to the path. “Okay, let’s go.”
“You’re escorting us?” Theron asks curtly. “I thought you’d send one of your men.”
“Not for this little bird,” he tosses over his shoulder. “I’ve lost too many men lately, and all because I made inquiries into her assassination attempts. I refuse to lose any more.”
Interesting. This must be the infamous Cormal.If there was anyone with questionable morals, it would be this man. He feels like a predator, and even the air around him is menacing and lethal. I’m not sure what Meri sees in him. A pang of sadness hits me when I think of her.
We travel the rest of the day until late evening. Finally stopping, we make camp but don’t light a fire. The forest is dark, but instead of finding it scary, my skin is buzzing with energy.
I’m chewing on a few bites of jerky when I feel a sting on my shoulder. Squirming, I try to pull my shirt back to see if something bit me, but I can’t quite see. I move over to the lantern, peel it back, and see a dark smudge.
“Theron, can you come here for a minute?” I murmur, not wanting to disturb the others. When he gets close to me, I angle my shoulder toward the light. “Can you look at my shoulder? I think something bit me.”
He grabs the neck of my shirt and pulls it down in the back, then he freezes. “It’s not a bite,” he whispers. “Don’t show anyone else. I’ll explain later.”
