Temptation of the Butterfly, page 19
“No,” Lord Ye yelled, managing to wriggle free. He crawled toward the altar and grabbed a knife.
“Stop him,” Jin yelled, moving to dive after him.
Aaron pushed up from the floor, holding his side.
Lord Ye plunged the knife into his own heart. Everyone stopped moving as he flopped onto the floor.
“Guards, I want it sealed until it can be blessed,” the emperor said. “No one goes in or out.”
The guards bowed dutifully. The family slowly made their way outside. As they passed, they saw Shing sitting on his bed, his head in his hands.
Fen stopped. Aaron was right beside her. “Shing, I’m sorry I misjudged you.”
He looked up, his eyes red as he nodded once, only to let his head drop back down.
“Leave him be,” Aaron said quietly. Fen let him lead her away.
Chapter Thirty-One
Fen sat, watching as the land beneath them flew by in a blur. The tu di hang carried them across the prairie of yellow-blue grasses. Aaron was at her side, looking very handsome in the blue and gold tunic he wore. It was the material she’d picked out for him the first night they’d come together, and it looked every bit as good on him as she’d imagined it would. The color really made his dark eyes stand out. His body was healed from the broken ribs and a nearly punctured lung from his fall into the deep crevice, thanks to the palace physician and a few days of bed rest.
After much debate, it was decided by the family to give Lord Ye and his son official noblemen’s funerals. Fen felt bad for Shing, as he was ordered to oversee the procession through the village near his home. He was given his father’s title of mingong, though an uncharacteristically solemn Shing didn’t seem to want it. He’d changed drastically since discovering the truth.
Fen still regretted her words and apologized often. He said it was fine, but she didn’t believe him. The man was grieving and had no family. She could think of nothing worse. The emperor sent Shen and Lian home with Shing to search the family estate for clues as to other practitioners of The Ancient Way. They had yet to return.
An and the empress stayed true to their words and called a truce, though An grumbled to Fen that the empress watered down her offering. Fen refused to get into the middle of it.
Francesca and Jin spent a week at the palace. The empress, obviously swayed to like her foreign-born daughter-by-marriage since she was carrying a grandchild, did her best to make peace with the woman. It was all Francesca could do to put up with the overabundance of motherly attention, or so she’d claimed when Fen was alone with her. But, Fen could tell there was a part of her that liked the attention. Francesca never knew her own mother, and the empress was the closest thing she’d ever have to one.
“What are you thinking about?” Aaron asked.
Fen saw her brother Haun was on the other side of the ship. The three of them sailed alone, on their way to visit with Lady Hsin. Sighing, she reached to hold his hand. “I’m thinking about how things worked out and how lucky I am to have you.”
“Not everything has worked out,” he said, looking into the distance. “There is still Lady Hsin.”
“I told you, Aaron, I know the woman. She’s not cruel. I’m sure she’ll see reason. Besides, who wouldn’t want me in their family?”
He laughed. “But if she does refuse me…”
Fen could feel his pain, as real as if it were her own. She knew he was worried. The old rejection ran deep inside him. Smiling, she patted his arm. “If she does, then she is a fool. You’re my husband, Prince Aaron. You don’t need her. You have a family. You have me, and I love you.”
He smiled. Their wedding had been fast, performed the day after Lord Ye’s death. In fact, it was so fast that they had skipped the bridal procession in the sedan and the ceremonial clothes, which caused Francesca to grumble since she’d been forced to endure the hideous platform shoes of tradition when she was tricked into marrying Jin.
The couple had even skipped waiting for the astrologers’ blessing on the union. She loved Aaron, and she was going to spend her life with him, no matter anyone else’s opinion on the matter. However, the astrologers did get their say, as they barely had time to run in and claim that they approved of the match before it was done. Fen had laughed because she didn’t need their approval. The women didn’t care. They had their place in the history scrolls when it came to Fen’s wedding.
They were married inside the Exalted Hall in the presence of the royal family—all but Princess Mei. None of them had heard from Mei, but the youngest Zhang was in Fen’s thoughts. They paid homage to the earth and sky and to their ancestors. They left a jug of wine at the altar. Fen saw An sneaking in to grab it as they were walking out. Aaron had been sore, so she took him straight to bed, skipping the party. It was decided that a celebration would be held after they got back from Lady Hsin’s.
And though the empress wasn’t thrilled by Fen’s defiance, she’d accepted Aaron into the family.
The village of Haohe came into sight. It was nestled in the valley under Lady Hsin’s sprawling mansion home, which sat higher on a hill. Fen could see the mansion as they entered on the opposite side of town. Winding roads led up the hill, breaking off to lead to several buildings that housed Lady Hsin’s factories and warehouses. Long fields of mulberries grew along the side of the hill, as it plateaued onto a more even ground to the side. The field disappeared around the hill. Fen could see several workers hovering above the plants as they tended the crops with long metal arms that reached out from the bottom of their harvesters. The village itself was a maze of short, thatched-roof farmhouses.
Haun steered the craft along the outskirts of town, going around it along a higher ridge that would lead to Lady Hsin’s. Villagers came out to watch them, pointing as the tu di hang passed by. It wasn’t a spectacular thing to see the royal family visit Lady Hsin’s. The villagers were well used to noble and royal guests.
“Piers Aaron, I swear,” Fen heard someone shout. She saw a man pointing up at them, frantically waving his hand.
“Everyone knows everyone here,” Aaron said, his voice tight.
Fen smiled, grabbed his face and kissed him soundly for all to see. When she pulled back, his eyes had lightened some and he was smiling tenderly at her. “Let them gossip about you now.”
He gave a small laugh, touching her face. “I’m still waiting to wake up from this. It feels like a dream. No man could ever deserve to be so lucky as to have you, my sweet princess.”
“If you do wake up, make sure you come and find me. I’ll be waiting.” She winked, moving to wave at some nearby children, who tried to run to keep up with the land craft. They didn’t make it very far. She lightly touched the small embroidered circle on his chest. It was the royal dragon emblazoned on his tunic, marking him as a Zhang prince. “It is I who am lucky to have you, my sweet rock.”
“Rock?” he laughed.
“Mmm, butterflies need rocks.” She winked, reminding him of more intimate times.
He instantly moaned, glancing over her body. “That’s not fair. You know we can’t do anything right now.”
“I know.” She grinned. “Mmm, but I was just thinking of how good your hands felt on my body. Like last night, when you had me on my hands and knees and—”
Aaron put his hand over her mouth to stop her. His breathing had deepened, and she could feel he was aroused. She’d meant to tease him but found she’d also teased herself. Her body was awakened with the memory, and she desperately wanted to find a place to run and hide so they could finish what she’d started.
“There are many rooms we still need to make love in at the palace,” he said, grinning. It was her turn to moan. They’d already sneaked out to the imperial gardens to have a fast romp by the small, hidden waterfall. Every other time they barely made it to the bed, let alone out of the royal chambers where he now lived with her.
“Ugh, okay,” she moaned, “I give. No more until we can do something about it.”
“Agreed.” His tone dropped, and his voice had gotten very husky.
Fen felt the land craft shift and looked up. They were making their way up the winding road to Lady Hsin’s. The mansion was long with a tiled roof much like that on the palace, only it was brown. An extended terrace crossed over the paved front side of the house, leading to three different doors. The largest door in the middle led to the main portion of the house; the other two near the sides were guest suites. Fen often stayed in the suites.
She wasn’t surprised to see Lady Hsin come personally from the front of the house to greet her. The woman’s smile faded as Haun drew the land craft to a halt before her door. Her eyes stared up at Aaron.
Fen watched, seeing how he looked down and away, as if an automatic gesture.
She touched his hand and smiled. He looked at her, seeming to draw strength from her nearness. Haun went to the side of the craft and ran his hand over the eye to lower the stairs. He was the first one down, moving to raise his hand to his sister. Fen followed him, smiling at Lady Hsin.
The woman was just as she remembered, elegant in long, flowing green silk robes. They didn’t form to her body but fluttered around her in the breeze. Thinner strips of material caught up, blowing to the side. Her gray and black hair was pulled up, gathered into a bun at the top of her head. Fine wrinkles lined her eyes, but they only added a sense of command to her rather than age.
“Princess, you travel much lighter than usual,” Lady Hsin said, noting her lack of guards.
“Married women are given more lenience,” Fen answered, smiling innocently at her.
“Married?” Lady Hsin glanced at Aaron.
Fen didn’t see any point in delaying the reason why they’d come. She didn’t want to put Aaron through that. If the woman chose to be difficult, they’d just leave.
“Shi.” Fen motioned toward Aaron. “You know my husband, Prince Aaron.”
“Prince?” the woman repeated. Her face was white as she looked at Aaron. She put her hand over her heart, shaking her head as she looked at him. “Prince. No one deserves it more.”
Aaron frowned at her words, and Fen knew he didn’t trust the woman. She couldn’t blame him.
“I longed for the day you would find a way past my harsh words. I’d hoped, beyond everything, that if I educated you and gave you a chance to meet noblewomen, that you would find a way to win their heart. I never imagined that you would win yourself a princess.”
She was shaking as she walked toward her grandson, holding out her hand. Aaron looked at it, not taking it.
“How I’ve prayed to have my words back. You were so little, looked so much like my Genji except for your father’s eyes. Randall was such a reckless, free-spirited man. I suppose that is why your mother loved him. I was so sad to have lost her that I lost my temper as well. I’ve regretted it ever since but knew if you were to be the fine man I see today, you would have to work hard. I gave you every chance I could, and look at you…”
Aaron looked at her hand and then at her. “You never said before. Why do you say so now?”
“Why get your hopes up when I couldn’t take back what was done?” Lady Hsin’s hand fell. “I understand that you don’t trust me. You think I only say this now because you are a prince.”
“Don’t you?” he asked.
“It is because you are now a prince that I can say it. I can never hope that you’ll forgive me, but I hope you know that I did try to make it right by you. I gave you run of all that I have when I could not give you my name.”
“That’s why we’ve come,” Fen said. She looked at Haun. He pulled a parchment from his robes and handed it to Lady Hsin. “It gives you right by imperial decree to reinstate Aaron as your grandson, undoing what was done.”
“But,” Lady Hsin didn’t open it, “that’s never been granted. Such a statement can’t be undone.”
“He is the emperor,” Haun said. “He can do anything.”
“Do you change your mind now?” Aaron asked, his tone hard.
“Is this the only reason you came to tell me? Do you need me to sign in order to remain together?” Lady Hsin looked at Fen.
“No, we don’t,” Fen said. “Your blessing is not required.”
“Oh.” She unrolled the parchment and looked at it. Reaching for her hair, she pushed at the bun until she withdrew a small writing wand from it. Without another word, she signed it and gave it back to Haun. He rolled it and stuck it in his robes once more. “I am happy to have you back in the family, Aaron. Maybe someday, you can see clear to forgiving an old woman.”
Lady Hsin nodded and turned to go inside her home. Fen looked at Aaron. He sighed, stepping hesitantly after her.
“We don’t need your blessing,” Aaron said softly, “but I would like it.”
Lady Hsin stopped, her head falling forward. Slowly, she turned, tears in her eyes. She nodded, holding out her hands for a hug. Aaron went forward and hugged her. Fen felt his joy wash over her and was happy for him. Now his family was complete.
When he pulled away, Lady Hsin demanded he come inside with her. Fen went to her husband, threading her arm through his as they walked.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. All those designs you created…” Lady Hsin started talking, going on nonstop like she’d been bottling everything she wanted to say to him for years.
Fen looked up at him and whispered, “It looks like that alone time might be put off for a while.”
He grinned, and she felt his happiness inside her, making her own complete. “Now everything has worked out for the best.”
“I love you,” she mouthed, not interrupting Lady Hsin’s ongoing praise of her grandson.
“And I you, my tempting little butterfly.”
* * *
The End
The series continues…
The series continues with Space Lords:
Space Lords 1: His Frost Maiden
* * *
Want to read where it all started?
Dragon Lords: Barbarian Prince
* * *
Dragon Lords and Lords of the Var in Modern Day Earth?
Captured by a Dragon-Shifter: Determined Prince
His Frost Maiden
The Series Continues
Space Lords Series
His Frost Maiden
* * *
Prologue Excerpt
Craven Estates, Earth Settlement, Florencia’s Fifth Moon
“Josselyn Craven, you stand accused of crimes against the human race. Your title, family property, and your wealth are hereby stripped.”
The intricate patterns of the old woven carpet came into focus under Josselyn’s face. Though each curve was as familiar to her as the bricks of her home, she had never seen them so close. Nor had she seen the sticky crimson stain now marring the once rich texture. Her hand shaking, she ran it by her face, knowing before she looked that it was blood. The acrid smell was all too potent as it curled into her nostrils. There was too much of it to be her blood. But whose? A servant? Were they all to be slaughtered?
Sacrelue!
Her muscles ached from the hours spent running around her large castle home, fighting off her attackers. She’d lost her sword below in the corridor by the main hall and now had no weaponry—not that she had the energy to lift much beyond her own weight. Josselyn’s father had seen to it she was trained as well as any man, but she couldn’t fight off the endless stream of soldiers that seemed to fill the halls. Sneaking through secret passages—those hidden behind the stone walls—she’d made her way from her bedchamber only to nearly escape through a high window. Her sides were scraped from the tight fit, but the ache was dull compared to the sharp stab of her broken ribs, the burning pull of a dislocated shoulder, and the myriad of bruises. All injuries were left by her Florencia Moon Coalition peers turned Federation lackeys. How some of the men looked like they enjoyed hitting her, watching as the last of the mighty Craven family fell.
Though they claimed it was the Florencian government, the so-called rebels knew the truth. The Federation was behind the new policies ruining their freedom and their lives. Like the classic Old Earth tale of the nobleman who hid his true nature in order to save his people from a corrupt government, so too had her family hid in the limelight of society.
Now, for their troubles, there were only three Cravens left. She’d seen her father fall, her three older brothers, too. The oldest, Jonathan, to a sword, the next in line, Peter, to an axe, and Ralphe to a dagger. Their dead bodies were strewn all over the castle, their blood staining the floors, marring her gown from where she’d held them. Hopefully one brother, the one whose body she had yet to find, had escaped. Rainier was the youngest at ten and two years, but resourceful. Then there was her mother, Lady Craven, who thankfully was off planet. At least she was safe. Lady Craven was not a fighter. She was a good, gentle woman with a heart big enough for the whole galaxy. The lady was protected by her family from most of their rebellious affairs.
If only Rainier had gone with Lady Craven, as had been the original plan, then Josselyn wouldn’t have to worry about the boy’s safety. Even as she thought it, she knew the most likely scenario was that Rainier lay on a bloody, stone deathbed. The idea of him, alone and dying, tore at her. Even this blood stained carpet beneath her could have been his resting place.
Shaking, she pushed up, her heart aching with the carnage she’d seen. Grief overwhelmed her spirit, even as it drove her body angrily on. She didn’t think on tomorrow, to the time when she’d have to face what had happened. It was all gone. Her life. Destroyed. Empty.
It’s only a matter of time before they kill the rest, her mind whispered. Rainier and your mother will fall. We will all fall. What point is there in fighting?
