Made From Death (The Darkest Queens Series Book 1), page 17
"Fae have been spotted within the borders. Heading this direction." He shot a nervous glance over the queen's shoulder to the men who could hear them so plainly, then another look to the moving crowd.
Ace made a point to look up at Shelby and smile like any good actress even though the idea of Fae being back in the country sent a shiver of fear down her spine. They'd played their part in her death too. She dared to look in her direction only once more when the queen started speaking again.
"Get me Ophelia." Ace recognized the name. "And don't you dare tell a soul," the queen demanded.
No one else appeared to be paying much attention. Ace wondered if that was really true. She suspected that in this court and anywhere near the queen, people would always be eavesdropping. Just like her and Shelby.
"Excuse me, sir," a deep voice said as a man stepped beside Ace and Shelby keeping pace with them as they walked past the big wheel.
Adaram smiled politely. "I've been asked to escort you on a tour of the stables,” he said a little too loudly.
"Of course," Shelby replied before lowering his voice down to a harsh whisper as Adaram led them back toward the castle. "What's going on?"
"A couple was just found locked within their carriage. Naked. I'm assuming that's where you got these outfits from? We need to get you out of here. Now." Well, it's nice to have a man on the inside. Or multiple men rather. "Take the servant’s path back to the stables. From there you have access to the main road. Or the forest if that's what you prefer."
"Thank you, Adaram," Shelby shook his hand.
Adaram walked with them until they reached the dirt path. He stopped to give them a slight bow, holding Shelby's gaze as he said, "Gods bless my friend."
"Gods bless," Ace said when Shelby remained quiet, and she really meant it.
The warlock was already whispering a prayer under his breath—or maybe it was more?—as they departed. Shelby let loose a long ragged breath. He twisted to give his friend one last look, his gaze glossy, and lips pressed into an almost nonexistent line.
"We can hurry along now. No one on the other side of Adaram can see us." Though his face held his worry filled expression, his voice remained void of emotion.
"How?" Ace already knew the answer, and she already knew why Shelby looked back at the man she'd only known for maybe an hour with such regret. Magic. Adaram was using unsanctioned magic to get them away without being seen.
"He'll be dead before nightfall."
Queen Sienna
Nothing had rattled the queen down to her very core since the day her parents died. Nothing until she'd heard that the Fae had been spotted inside of Pasia—in Queen Sienna's territory nonetheless.
She couldn't say anything. Not to the citizens. Even her suitors, that stood around her soaking in all her tension, shouldn’t know. The clouds in her staff shifted to black. A flash of lightning struck inside the small globe with no sound of thunder to follow. Queen Sienna had another secret to hide.
Her hand fisted the guard’s shirt as she dragged him into her space, his ear coming toward her mouth. "Send me a warlock. I will be leaving the fair but do not shut anything down early. Let the guests enjoy themselves. If anyone asks they are to be told that I got sun sick."
"Yes, my Queen."
Jeffrey, Josiah, or whatever his name was, scurried away. Ophelia quickly took his place as if she'd heard her summoning already.
"Good. You're here." The queen turned to the girl.
"We suspect that the warlock and woman from the other night are here currently. I must request that you be taken back to your safe room."
Sienna was keen to agree because her stomach felt like it'd been tied up in knots and her thoughts felt a little fuzzy. Fear could be useful if it was honed but the Fae didn't cause Sienna to fear, they created terror inside of her.
"Please make arrangements for Jack and Leo to be housed in the castle for the remainder of the week. I need a warlock to visit each of them." She stared at Ophelia waiting to see that the girl understood the underlying message. Erase their memories. They knew too much. Ophelia nodded. "I'll be turning in now."
She was keeping it together. She’d picked her two suitors to stay another night. No one needed to know how truly terrified Queen Sienna was. Forcing her hands not to shake, she made her way smiling through the crowd. She measured each step, not letting herself walk too fast or too slow. Smile. Even her legs felt unsteady beneath her. Wave. Her stomach clenched tighter. Act normal. Perspiration was dampening her hairline. Control the fear. Don't let them know.
Moving through congestion and then into the castle, Sienna didn't drop her composure until she'd busted into her bedroom. It wasn't the safe room and she'd be hearing from Ophelia about that, but she needed to be away.
She set her staff on the table then glanced down at her hand. The end of the red leash was still in her palm, markings from her nails creasing its leather. Her attention followed the leash to Hollis who stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes narrowed on the queen.
"Oh gods. Why didn't you say anything?" It was mostly a rhetorical question since she already knew the answer.
"I was instructed not to speak unless I was commanded to." His voice was deep and husky, something she'd never heard from him. His black eyes were nearly depthless as he waited for his next instruction.
Sighing, all the energy she had to teach him a lesson had quickly left her when she exchanged it for panic over the Fae. She wanted a distraction, some sort of break from her now churning thoughts. She let go of the leash and closed the space between them, reaching up and unhooking the collar from around his neck. It dropped to the ground with a thunk.
"You—"
Hollis grabbed her by the waist, his fingers digging into her skin even through the dress as he pressed her flush against him. His lips found hers with an urgency. With a teeth gnashing force.
Cold air scraped down her dry throat as Sienna ripped her mouth from his. "How dare you!" Her fingers curled into his thin black shirt. "You think you can just kiss me and get away with it?"
He studied her face, leaning in until his lips brushed her cheek. "I like who you've become. You're strong, Sienna." His teeth grazed down her throat. "You are who I always knew you could be. I've never been more turned on than when you put that leash on my neck. I'm yours." He pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck. “My Queen."
Sienna's chest rose against his. Heat was already pooling between her legs. Now wasn’t the time. She couldn't think. What was she supposed to say? Her mind was a jumble of problems she couldn't readily solve and a lifetime of desire clouded it all.
"Let me be your slave." He looked at her through his lashes.
He smells like home, she finally thought. He. smells. like. home. Like a warm breakfast, sweet like her mother’s pancakes.
"Kiss me," she said so quietly she wasn't sure he'd heard her. She wasn’t sure she had actually said it.
But his mouth found hers again. Their lips pressed together, tongues entangling, as they tried to rid themselves of any air that remained between them.
Sienna pressed her eyes closed as his teeth raked across her lips followed by a swipe of his tongue. She knew her hands still held his shirt; she was vaguely aware of how fast his heart beat in his chest, her fingers tingling as if they might go numb.
His hands trapped her against him, roaming up her back and into her hair. His touch blazed across her skin, everywhere he touched threatened to leave behind nothing but wicked fire.
Sienna let herself give in. She gave all of herself to the kiss and relished in the way he tasted. She poured years of herself into the action. Every day she'd ever spent pining over his unrequited love. The weeks she'd missed him after they'd been torn apart. The tension that rippled through them as they were reunited.
All of it was better than the terror that had filled her moments before.
Gasping for air, Sienna pulled away only when her lungs had begun to ache. "I own you," she said. It had felt like a question at first, a confirmation that he wanted this as much as she did, but it came out more like a statement.
"You own me," he repeated back to her, "You always have."
Her heart stopped beating. Or at least she was sure it had. She'd never felt so certain that Hollis would be her undoing before and she wasn't sure if she even actually cared.
Her fingers chased over his solid chest. She drew a line along his chin, and ran her thumb over his mouth, pulling his lower lip down as the evidence of their kiss glistened in the light. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and his eyes followed the movement as she sunk her hands into his hair.
She pulled his head down and sucked in another sharp gasp as there was no resistance. Hollis fell to his knees before her. He looked up at her with his large dark eyes, a smile forming on his full lips.
Sienna smiled back.
"My Queen," Hollis rasped, his hands running along her legs against the dress.
"Taste me," she said, her voice full of the power she'd been given with her crown. With slow and careful steps, she pulled a chair out from the table and sat on its edge. She tugged the hem of her skirt up to her thighs and spread her legs. "Crawl to me like the fucking pet you are."
Hollis couldn't keep his attention on her face. No, the moment her skirt had lifted, his eyes had shifted down. He ate her image up as he came to her on his hands and knees. Rough fingers ran up her legs, slipping under the fabric of her dress, and hooking into the fabric of her panties.
Fabric caressed her bare skin, all the way down to her toes, where it slipped off her legs. Hollis took a long shaky breath, his hands kneading the queen's thighs. He pushed her legs wider apart, looking up at her before he laid down a trail of kisses.
The brush of his lips as they came closer and closer to her center made the desire in her burn white hot. His tongue slipped between her folds once before he buried his face in her. He moaned against her, circling his tongue around her most sensitive bits and Sienna weaved her hands into his hair pressing his face into her.
Now this was power. She couldn't take her eyes off him. The sight of him between her legs alone brought her near climax. She'd always wanted him. Now here he was. Serving her.
A cry of pleasure tumbled from her lips as he began to work her into a frenzy. His tongue found its rhythm against her now moving hips. She rode his face without shame, letting it fan the flames until they erupted into a euphoria that made the queen's legs shake and her toes curl.
Hollis didn't stop until Sienna’s hips slowed and a knock sounded on the door. He sat back on his knees, his face shining from the wetness of her.
"Do not wipe your face," she said as another knock sounded.
"My Queen?" Ophelia called.
At least she'd waited until the queen had come.
Sienna let the hem of her dress fall back down to her ankles as she stood. She patted Hollis's hair as she passed him. He remained on his knees, hands resting on his thighs as he watched her walk to the door and cracked it open.
"Yes?" she snapped at Ophelia.
"A warlock has been put in the dungeons for using unsanctioned magic. It is believed that he helped the criminals escape."
Another problem to be dealt with.
"And the suitors?"
"Mr. McHaynes and Mr. Maverick have both been escorted back to their rooms. Neither they nor the others have any memory of what was said today." She paused. "Except Mr. Weebly."
Queen Sienna beamed at her old friend. She pushed the door fully open to reveal Hollis still sitting on the floor.
"Hollis, you are excused." Sienna smiled at Ophelia. "He may return to his room as well. It appears as if he might be making himself useful."
She moved just enough to allow Hollis to walk into the hall. He hadn’t wiped his face yet so the evidence of what he’d just done was clear. Ophelia averted her gaze, her cheeks flaming.
“One last thing.” Sienna grabbed Hollis’s arm. “Why didn’t you get me a gift?”
Hollis looked back at her through his lashes. “What can I give you that you don’t already have—other than myself?”
Sienna looked Hollis directly in the face as she gave Ophelia one last order. “Clear his memory of all things fae. And I want to wake up to something wrapped with a tag that says ‘From Hollis Weebly’ on it.”
Ace
No one followed them. Not this time. Ace's sense of relief though was tainted with the knowledge that Adaram would be dead by the evening. The long walk back through the forest had made Ace's feet sore and she was sure the stolen heels were giving her a blister. Not to mention the dress weighed about a billion pounds.
Shelby hadn't said anything. Ace hadn't even tried to get him to. She wasn't alone anymore and the gods were arguing over the rising death toll this issue with the queens was causing. Citizens were either clinging to the gods and praying or starting to rebuke them all together. Their bickering kept her head busy. Which was good because she didn't want to think.
"Are we going to tell her what we heard?" Ace only asked once they'd stepped up onto the well-weathered porch. A stool had been set out today as if perhaps his grandma had sat outside and waited for them.
Only the moon shone down on them, the walk to the cabin taking up the rest of their day. In that slight bit of light Ace saw how glassy Shelby's eyes were when he turned to face her. He chewed on his lip, staring down at their feet.
"No, not yet. I don't want to worry her. She can handle her own. I'm sure she'll be fine." He shrugged.
"Do you think the queens will protect us?" Ace only pictured the death toll rising even further as Fae swept back through the land. They had to be coming back for their kingdom.
"I hope so." Shelby lifted his attention but not to her gaze. He watched her mouth long enough that Ace parted her lips on a slow breath. "The Fae were bad to us warlocks and humans alike. The queens are still cruel to us though so I don't see much difference in who rules unless both are stopped." Finally, he made eye contact.
Was he thinking about the kiss? Ace wanted to ask. Was he as surprised as her that it had felt so good? Not good. Amazing. Knee quaking, stomach knotting fantastic. She thought she could feel Mina's hum of approval in the back of her head.
If you don't take out the queen's, perhaps the Fae will. Sylik mused.
Ugh, another power shift! That might be a little hard on our tiny humans, Greshta sounded both excited and weary.
Shelby didn't knock tonight. He pushed open the door and escorted them both inside. A fire was roaring in the fireplace, blankets laid back out again. Ace expected to hear snores coming from the corner. Instead, when she stepped inside his grandma sat up in bed and blinked her eyes. A wide smile broke out across her wrinkled face.
"Oh look, you made it back. I was certain the two of you had marched off to die."
"Alive and well, Grandma." Shelby held his hands out at his sides.
Ace gently closed the door behind them. She gave the woman a little wave. Slipping past Shelby to go sit on the couch. Flames danced in the hearth, creating moving shadows that Ace stared down at.
A blue glow lit up behind Ace, leaving her to ponder if Shelby was back to working on the grimoire. After a second the light faded and he appeared in front of her. The ill-fitting suit was gone, replaced with tan trousers and a white sleeveless top that was so thin it was almost sheer. His feet remained bare and he made no sound as he walked around the couch and sat beside her with a sigh.
"Could you help a girl out?" Ace gestured toward the dress, the skirt taking up half the couch.
"Sure." He held his hand out toward her letting it hover, but not touch, her thigh. His lashes brushed his high cheekbones as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
Ace's skin tingled as magic ran over her. The dress melted, giving way to black pants, a black sleeveless top, and even boots. She stared down at the clothes, exactly what she'd worn before except now everything actually fit her. Even the boots. She fiddled with a small hole in the shirt and glanced at the scuff on the boots.
"It's all a part of your look," Shelby reminded her with a small smile, settling his hands in his lap.
Ace chuckled and went back to staring at the flames. Fae were back in Pasia. Somewhere near them too. Would they be able to infect her with the Impelling?
Would one know if they’d been infected? In the past, if the guards took someone in who was infected that person was always frantic. That could just be because they knew what the queen had in store for them. Ace frowned as she realized she didn’t even know the symptoms of Impelling unless someone was acting incredibly out of character. That was how they knew her parents had been infected before they passed.
"Goodnight, you two," his grandma called from the corner.
"Goodnight, love you," Shelby said over his shoulder.
"Goodnight," Ace whispered, pulling her legs up onto the couch. She was careful to make sure she didn't bring herself to touch Shelby.
After a few minutes of quiet, Shelby spoke first. "You know, I was thinking about you on the walk home today."
Ace's stomach erupted with unruly butterflies. She wanted to shush them but when she looked back at Shelby she didn't want to punch him in his big square jaw near as much as yesterday. Not when there were more pleasant things they could do together now…
"You were thinking about me, huh?" She gave him her best smirk.
Shelby rolled his eyes. "I was thinking that it would be good for you to spend time with the witches. They could teach you not to be so vile. Maybe you could learn a few manners."
A hand fluttered up to hold her heart. "Are you calling me vile," she lowered her voice, "because I said the word dick that one time?"
Shelby shushed her, looking over his shoulder toward his grandmother. Ace chuckled under her breath. "As if your grandma doesn't know what a penis is!" she said, then added. "You exist."
"Can we not talk about that right now?" Shelby whispered.
