The next morning we ate breakfast together in the small private dining room I was used to being with him in.
“Can I be your assistant again? Being a party planner is boring,” I asked, taking a piece of egg into my mouth and chewing. It was weird not being the food taster anymore. Somehow there was a more heightened sense of anxiety. Did the new taster really eat a piece of every food? Had they waited the full three minutes? Could they be trusted?
I almost wanted to go back to cooking for Raife and having him do the dishes. It was a simpler time then.
He snort-laughed at my question. “No, you’re my queen. Being my assistant would be inappropriate.”
I chewed on my lip. “Well, I’m bored. Can I help at the infirmary or with planning the war?”
He set down his fork and looked over at me. “I have to go speak to an old friend. It might go better if you were with me.”
I perked up. “A trip? Ohh, sounds fun.”
“Don’t get too excited. This is a trip to see the fae king of Thorngate.”
My eyes bugged. “You want to willingly go see the winter king?”
He laughed, as if he enjoyed my assessment of his “old friend.”
“I need his help in the war,” was all he said.
I nodded. “Okay, and on the way back we can pick up my aunt?”
Raife gave me a stern look. “You’re pushing it.”
“Those are my terms. You have the map Autumn gave me, and we are married now, so I think the council will approve it.” I popped a gooseberry into my mouth and he set his forehead against the table with a thunk.
“Fine,” he grumbled, and I smiled, standing and walking over to him. I brushed my fingers along the back of his neck as I passed.
“See you later, darling,” I trilled.
Maybe being queen wasn’t half bad if I got my way some of the time.
I WOULD BE LYING if I didn’t admit that I was terrified to meet King Thorne. Lucien Thorne had a reputation for being an unforgiving prick. Steal from him, he’d cut off your hand. Lie to him, lose your tongue. Of the four fae courts, he was always chosen as king year after year because this ruthlessness meant he was feared. Those who were feared did not get taken advantage of. There was even a rumor that the Nightfall queen considered Lucien a worthy adversary and didn’t bother him as much as the other royals.
I tried to probe the depth of Raife and Lucien’s relationship as we traveled in the carriage. “So you and Lucien were friends growing up?”
Raife was dressed in a Bow Men warrior uniform, and even kept his bow and arrows nearby as if he expected an attack. “Were,” was all Raife said.
I frowned. “Why did you stop?”
Raife’s eyes flicked to the bust of my cream chiffon gown. I was a queen now, and going to meet with another royal. I had to play the part, and dress to impress. The cut of my neckline was completely proper, and yet Raife still snuck glances as if hoping to catch a glimpse of my cleavage. I wasn’t sure if this made me happy at this point or pissed me off. He needed to figure out what he wanted.
Raife sighed. “I went to a really dark place after my parents died and I was crowned king,” he said.
I reached out and grasped his hand, and he startled a little, as if he didn’t expect the act of kindness. He squeezed it and then let it drop.
“What happened?” Now I really wanted to know, needed to know.
Raife winced. “Lucien wasn’t able to help me in my fight against the queen as he was only a prince then, but he came and visited often. No matter how many times I tried to throw him out, he came back every weekend.”
My heart melted in that moment. Was this the same Lucien Thorne I’d heard about?
“Well, why aren’t you friends anymore?”
I felt it then, shame. It burned through Raife fast and hot and over to me.
“When we were seventeen, Lucien asked me to visit him so that I could meet his girlfriend. He was head over heels in love with her, said he was going to marry her. I caught her flirting with my Bow Men and I didn’t trust her. I told Lucien to dump her, that she would be bad for him.”
Dread sank like a stone in my gut. I swallowed hard.
Raife’s energy descended into depression then. “The next night she brought a friend… we all drank elf wine and… Lucien caught me in bed with the love of his life.”
I gasped and then smacked his leg. “Raife!”
“I know, okay? I know. I was drunk and I wanted to prove she wasn’t loyal to him.” Raife hung his head in shame and I sighed.
Standing, I shimmied to where I could sit next to him and placed my hand on his thigh. “We all make mistakes. It sounds like you did indeed save him from a horrible marriage.”
Raife cast me a long side look. “I haven’t seen him since. He said if I ever showed my face in Thorngate, he would kill me.”
I grinned, understanding now why he was dressed for war. “Well, then, going to see him was a great idea.”
Raife smirked, chuckling a little. “I’m hoping he won’t kill me in front of you. I really need his help with the Nightfall queen. His Winter soldiers are arguably the most powerful in the land.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, now wondering if coming along was a good idea. He wouldn’t really kill Raife, would he? That was years ago. It would start a war, and they used to be friends. Surely he would remember that.
“Approaching the entrance of Thorngate, sir,” one of Raife’s Bow Men said from the window of our carriage.
Raife swallowed hard and nodded.
As we slowed, I heard the fae guards ask what we were doing.
“I have King Raife Lightstone and his new wife, Kailani Dulane, to see King Lucien Thorne,” the Bow Men said formally.
“Wait here. I’ll send a messenger,” was the curt reply.
We waited. And waited. And waited. Over two hours we waited, snacking and getting out to stretch our feet, when finally a fae on horseback rode up to the wrought iron gates.
The guard at the gate spoke to him briefly and then nodded to the lead Bow Men. “Your king and his wife may enter. You may not,” he told the Bow Men.
They all growled, staring at Raife for instruction, and I wasn’t prepared for it when he looked to me. As if asking my opinion. Go into possible enemy territory without a royal guard? But why would we bring an armed guard unless we didn’t trust Lucien? We needed to extend the first hand of peace.
I nodded once to Raife, telling him I was okay with it.
“Grab your cloak. It gets cold,” was all Raife said to me.
I dug into the carriage and pulled out my white fur cloak, fastening it to my shoulders. After being helped up onto Raife’s horse, I rode sidesaddle as I clung to him and we passed through the entrance of Thorngate.
I’d never been into the fae territory. All I knew was that it was split up into four regions. Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter. Each region had a prince or princess, but the winter king ruled over them all with an iron fist. By the looks of the orange- and yellow-leafed trees and the gust of wind blowing through the fields, I would have guessed we’d just ridden into Fall lands. The king’s messenger rode alongside us, watching us carefully. I noticed he didn’t have a weapon on him, and wondered if that meant he had a magical power that was more harmful than a sword. He wore the steely black uniform of winter, and thick gray fur boots.
Over the next hour we passed two small towns and a palace trimmed in red brick, but were told to keep going. A visit with the royalty of Fall was not on our agenda.
As we came up and over a small hill, I gasped at the stark difference in the two lands. Thick snow demarcated a line between the two courts. Mountains and trees were covered in the white fluff, and I quickly pulled my fur hood up, clinging to Raife tighter as he plunged us into Winter.
The path had been almost magically cleared of any snow or ice, the cobblestones completely dry. It was eerie, unnatural. I peered all around, taking in the wonderous sight. Every tree, every rooftop, every mountain, was coated in white. But it was magical, cold, and yet one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
The houses had gardens where the snow had melted off, giving way to a small pumpkin patch or squash vines. I wondered if they could control where the snow fell and where it didn’t, and was instantly fascinated.
I looked at the messenger and noticed his uniform was quite thin and yet he didn’t look the slightest bit cold. The deeper into the realm we went, the colder it got. By the time we peered over the ridge and at the white castle of Winter, my lungs felt frozen in my chest.
“It’s beautiful,” I said through chattering teeth.
Raife growled. “And not normally this cold. He’s doing this to make us uncomfortable.”
The winter king? He could do that? So quickly? That was simultaneously scary and fascinating all at once. The white stone castle was topped with several inches of snow, making it look magical against the backdrop of the large mountains flanking it.
Half a dozen guards glared us down at the entrance of the gates, and when we passed the people they kept their heads down, not making eye contact.
The market shops were all painted a pale ice-blue and topped with snow, which just made them look almost unreal, like out of a picture. I peered through the glass to what they held inside and noticed beautiful jewelry, pottery, and clothing.
Oh, how I would love to stop for shopping. Maybe another time, when we had made sure that Lucien wasn’t going to kill my fake-maybe-not-so-fake-husband.
Raife pulled the horse right up to the castle gates, where a large warrior stood tall and erect. Fae were not known for their bulkiness, so this man was quite the sight among the others.
Raife dismounted and helped me down, and I instantly regretted my shoe choice. Cold snow bit into my ankles as Raife slipped his hand into mine, that light palm stroke making my heart pinch a little. We were led up the grand exterior stairs and into a set of double doors. The inside was completely stark white and gray. White stone tile lined the walls and floors, and we were led to a large drawing room. The castle was warmer but not by much. The fireplace on the far wall was dead, with no logs in it.
“Clearly not wanting us to feel welcome,” Raife grumbled.
“Cleary not,” a voice came from behind us, and we both jumped a little.
Turning, I took in Lucien Thorne as he stood in the doorway.
He was the opposite of Raife in every way possible: black hair, sharper-pointed ears, gray stern eyes. Where Raife was lightness and healing, this man was cold and unforgiving. Still, I could not deny that he was handsome. His sharp jawline and cocky smile would win many hearts.
“You found someone to marry you?” Lucien said, sounding surprised. “A looker too. Well done.”
Raife’s hand clamped down on mine and I stroked his with my thumb, hoping to express to him that he needed to not get baited into an argument. Lucien was clearly still hurt about Raife sleeping with his girlfriend.
I dropped Raife’s hand and stepped closer to Lucien, extending mine. “Hello, Your Highness, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Kailani.”
Lucien’s smile grew wider. It only made him more handsome. “And she has manners.”
He took my hand and slowly leaned forward, kissing the top of my fingers for longer than was appropriate.
“I came to talk about official matters,” Raife said as I pulled my hand back.
Lucien’s smile fell then and his eyes grew stony. “And I told you that if you ever showed your face here again, I would kill you.” Reaching up into the air, Lucien made a fist. It was an odd thing to do, so I just stared at him, wondering what was going on, until I heard Raife choking behind me.
I spun, seeing Raife’s face go blue. Icicles formed on his lips, and his breath came out in cold puffs of white.
“Stop it!” I screamed at Lucien, but he showed no interest in stopping.
I stormed over to the king of Winter, and without thinking I grabbed his manhood tightly in my hand. He flinched, looking surprised, but didn’t let Raife go.
“Kill him and I’ll rip your prick right off,” I growled with his meat in my hands.
He turned, meeting my gaze, and grinned at me. I felt him stiffen and grow hard beneath my fingers. With a gasp, I yanked my hand away and he dropped Raife, laughing deeply.
Raife gasped for air as Lucien continued his amused snickering. “Oh, Raife, she is a treasure. You have married well, I’ll give you that. Now get the Hades out of my realm and don’t come back.”
I was so relieved he’d stopped choking Raife, but still in shock by the fact that he’d just… it was too inappropriate to even think of! This man really did live up to his bad boy reputation.
Raife stood, still panting, and glared at Lucien, a murderous gleam in his eyes. “I said I was sorry for Lorna, but you never would have been happy with her! I proved her unfaithfulness,” Raife said, cutting to the very heart of the issue at hand.
One second Lucien was standing there, and the next he was screaming as he ran at Raife, fists raised.
I winced as his fist cracked down on Raife’s face, the sound of his bone cracking. Raife reached up and gave Lucien an uppercut to the chin. Then they both went at each other like wild dogs.
I stepped back a few feet, watching as they worked through their issues. A fistfight I could handle. My old house in Nightfall was across from a tavern, so I saw many fistfights on a daily basis. This one, however, was the most passion-filled. Lucien was screaming something about bedding Lorna while Raife suddenly stopped fighting, allowing Lucien to pound into him, hit after hit.
“Stop!” I screamed.
Lucien picked up Raife then and threw him into the wall and I shrieked. They were going to kill each other if I didn’t break this up.
“That’s enough!” I shouted.
Raife got up quickly, brushing the blow off, and then stood facing Lucien without even lifting his arms.
“Fight back, you bastard!” Lucien raised his fist and an icicle formed inside his palm.
My sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the room. I went to move forward to stop him, but when I looked down my feet were frozen to the spot, literally. He’d immobilized me.
Fear tightened in my gut as I watched the scene unfold before me.
“I’m sorry,” Raife said in the most earnest way possible. “I’m sorry, Lucien. You were like a brother to me, and I’m… so sorry.”
The fae king’s chest heaved as he held the icicle to Raife’s throat. Raife tipped his chin high, as if asking him to do it. I yanked my foot from my frozen shoe and prepared to jump on the winter king’s back or something crazy to get him to stop.
But the fae dropped his hand and the icicle crashed to the ground. “Go away, and don’t come back.” He sounded resigned.
I nearly melted in relief that he wasn’t going to kill Raife. Slipping my foot back into my shoe, I looked down at the ice blocks; they were now powdered snow. If I weren’t so terrified I might actually process how cool that was.
Raife looked at me and crossed the room. Lucien stayed where he was, keeping his back to us.
Raife slipped his hand into mine and then stared at Lucien’s back. “Drae has agreed to march on the Nightfall queen. We’re going to stop her reign of terror, and I’d really like if you’d joined us.”
Lucien laughed, a cold and biting sound. “The dragon king has agreed to take on the Nightfall queen with you?”
“Yes,” Raife growled.
Lucien spun, his eyes flashing silver for a wild moment. “I’ll believe that when I hear it from Drae’s mouth. Now get the Hades off my land!” A flurry of snow came out of nowhere and flew at us. Raife scooped me up as if I were made of air and tucked me into his chest, carrying me out of the castle at a brisk walk.
The snow danced around us like a wind tunnel until we reached our horse, then it dropped to the ground.
I looked up at Raife for the first time, trying to conceal my terror. “That went awful,” I said as he let me down, my body sliding slowly down his.
Raife’s lip was split and bleeding; his cheek was swollen and red. But he was… grinning, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand what would make him smile.
“I just need to bring Drae back and Lucien will believe him. You heard him.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t mean he will fight with you. Sending his people to war is a big deal, Raife.”
Raife nodded. “He could have killed me and he didn’t. That means somewhere in there, he’s still my old dear friend. And an old dear friend will help me avenge my family.”
My heart pinched at his words as he helped me mount the horse. “You really won’t stop until you take out Zaphira, will you?”
He swung his leg over the horse and stared back at me with a fierceness I wasn’t prepared for.
“Since the day my family died, writhing on the floor and foaming at the mouth, I’ve been planning this war. I will not stop until I get what I want.”
Chills broke out on my arms. The elves might be healers and therefore seen as “weak” among other races, but what elves lacked in brute force, they made up for in archery marksmanship and cunning. Raife had planned this war for nearly ten years. I knew he would allow nothing to get in his way.
Not even me.
It all made sense now, the way he pushed me away when I got too close. I was sure he was afraid to care for someone again and lose them like his family, but I also thought he didn’t want anything to distract him from the justice he sought for them. From his war. Hades, after that bitch poisoned me in an effort to get to him, I couldn’t wait to see her head on a spike. But also for his family, for every magical creature she’d killed merely for being born with magic. A blessed gift from the Maker.
She was sickening, evil, and I just didn’t talk about it much because it was engrained in me not to. Growing up in Nightfall meant we didn’t utter a bad word about Queen Zaphira for fear of being hanged for treason. Maybe Raife didn’t know how much I supported him and this war, this quest for revenge. Maybe he needed to.
“Raife, I just want you to know that whatever part, big or small, that I can play in helping you get justice for your family, I will.”
His eyes softened, and I knew that my commitment meant a lot.
“Zaphira is absolute evil,” I told him. “She must be stopped. I just don’t say that out loud much because I’m used to not being able to talk bad about her for fear of retribution.”
His features softened even more. “I wasn’t sure how you really felt about my quest to remove her from power and kill her slowly.”
“Full support. The bitch needs to die,” I confirmed.
His entire body relaxed, as if he realized in that moment he didn’t have to carry this weight alone. “Really?”
I nodded. “I think after we get my aunt, you should go to the dragon king, get him to visit Lucien with you, and convince Lucien to pledge his efforts to the war. The winter king not only borders the queen’s land, but her palace is nearest his. She would never suspect an attack from the fae. It’s a known thing that she considers the winter king a worthy adversary and would save him for last. This could be the home base of the war against her,” I informed him in a rush of excitement.
His eyes glittered, as if he too were eager about the idea. “I have to get Lucien to say yes first.”
I nodded. “You will. Like you said, he didn’t kill you. That’s a plus.”
A halfcocked smile graced Raife’s lips. I could feel his confidence in his plan returning. “Let’s go get your aunt,” he said.
