The Summer Marked Page 15

  Scenic paintings decorated the walls—pictures of lovers and gardens. Two mahogany armoires stood at either side of the bed, a chest at the foot of it. My gaze settled on the open bathroom right off my room. A golden tub the size of a hot tub took up the better part the bathroom’s space.

  Damn, this place was made for a queen. After checking everything out, I found the bowl of water and scrubbed my face and arms. Later, I planned to soak in a steaming bath, but for now, I quickly changed out of my grubby clothes and put on the pale blue dress that’d been laid out for me.

  I had just enough time to run a brush through my hair when I heard the knock on my door. When I answered, I found Nevin waiting for me.

  “Shall we go to Gareth’s room for a bite to eat?”

  My stomach growled in response. “Yeah, I can definitely use some food.”

  We left my new room and headed back the way we came. When we got to a door with swords carved into it, Nevin stopped and knocked.

  From inside, Gareth called us to come in. His room was smaller than mine, but still large. Where I had pictures on my walls, he had weapons. His four-poster bed took up the far back wall; blue velvet blankets and pillows covered it.

  “Why don’t you take a seat?” Gareth pulled out a chair at the table, already laden with food: tiny elegant sandwiches, soup, fruit, some type of red drink filled crystal goblets.

  “Thanks.”

  Nevin sat next to me, but before Gareth could join us, his door burst open and a tall blond woman barged in.

  “Gareth! I heard you were home.” She rushed forward, to throw her arms around his neck. Her long hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. She wore tight breeches and a tunic, which showed off her fabulous figure.

  I instantly hated her. Who the hell was this chick? Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Or a lover? My stomach clenched as I fisted handfuls of my skirt and my eyes narrowed.

  Gareth glanced at me and grinned. “Jealous?”

  “Damn straight.”

  “Well don’t be.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “Salome,” he said with a smirk. “I’d like you to meet my sister Gwenn.”

  “Sister? How did I not know you had a sibling?”

  He shrugged. “It never came up.”

  Gwenn turned to stare at me. She frowned. “So, this is the human you left us for? Hardly seems worth the time.”

  “Gwenn that’s e—”

  Nevin glared. “You will not talk about her that way. Have a seat and keep your mouth shut.”

  Her jaw tightened, but she did as she was told. Gareth joined us as well, plopping down across from me.

  “Don’t worry. She’ll grow to like you.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  Nevin cleared his throat. “We have a very important matter we need to discuss regarding the kingdom.”

  Gareth tensed, his hand tightened on the edge of the table, and he averted his gaze to the nearby window.

  “What’s wrong?” My pulse thundered in my ears. I didn’t like how on edge he seemed.

  “Whatever he has to say, know that I had nothing to do with this decision.”

  My eyes widened. “Is this what you meant when you said we’d speak later?”

  “Just listen to Nevin. He’ll explain everything. This affects you. It affects all of us.”

  I definitely didn’t like the sound of that.

  Nevin studied me for a moment, then said, “You’ve done so much for our kingdom, Salome. You freed me from the Winter Curse, along with several of my troupe. You’ve given my people hope again. They speak of how you defeated the witch and stood up against Winter. I’ve not seen them this happy or optimistic in years.”

  Embarrassed, I stared at my plate. “I’m glad to have helped.”

  “But it’s not just that. I felt power coursing through you when Grisselle cornered you in the woods. And Adaba told me how you scared off the Kelpie with magic.”

  Wait, wait. Was he confirming I really did have magic? But before I could ask anything, he went on.

  “You are strong and powerful. Your grandmother wouldn’t confirm anything for sure with me, but she did say you belonged here in Faerie.” Nevin slid his chair back, stood, and then came to kneel before me. “You’ve done more than help us. In fact, it is these very reasons why I want you to be my queen. The Queen of Summer.”

  My mouth went dry, heart clamoring like a drum set.

  What?

  Maybe I’d heard him wrong.

  But three pairs of eyes watched me expectantly. Oh hell. He was for real.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Salome

  “Is this some kind of joke?” My voice came out high-pitched. I sucked in a deep breath, and my gaze shifted from Nevin to Gareth.

  “No.” Nevin took my hands in his. “I’m very serious.”

  I snatched my hands back. “And…and you agree with this?” My stomach clenched as I watched my boyfriend.

  “No, of course I don’t. I love you. But I also know that our kingdom needs you,” he said, his face void of everything, his posture rigid.

  His kingdom needed me? What the hell? He spent half his time in the human world telling me Nevin might not have my best interest in mind. Now all of a sudden he wanted to just hand me over to him? To get rid of me?

  “He’s right, Salome. We need you.” Nevin sounded almost desperate. “As soon as I sensed your power in the woods that day, I knew you were the answer to all our problems. Our kingdom will stand stronger with a powerful queen by my side. Besides, your own grandmother said you belong here with us.”

  My jaw tightened and I pretended not to notice how much my heart ached. “You gave me a boon. I chose Gareth.”

  “Will you at least think this over before making a hasty decision? You once loved me, Salome.” Nevin moved closer so he stood right in front of me.

  “No, that was all a lie. You used magic to make me think I loved you. Everything in my world was fake.” There was nothing to think over. I’d already made my choice. Besides, if he’d wanted me to be his queen so bad, he should’ve made that more apparent in the human world. Instead, he’d nearly gotten me killed. So yeah, he could take that crown and shove it somewhere. “I love Gareth. I’m sorry, I can’t be your queen.”

  “See. She’s nothing but an ungrateful human.” Gwenn stormed across the room, her blond hair whipping behind her like angry snakes. “You should’ve just left her in her own world.”

  I clenched my fists at my sides. “Well this ungrateful human saved your world.”

  “Enough!” Nevin’s head snapped up. “One more word from you, Gwenn, and I’ll have you escorted from the palace.”

  Gwenn’s face turned crimson, but she clamped her mouth shut. The steeled look she gave me was deadlier than a hunting knife, and I was sure if she got the chance she’d probably stab me with one.

  Nevin sighed then faced Gareth. “Perhaps we should discuss this later, when everyone has had a chance to eat and get some rest.”

  Later? Um—was he deaf? “I’m not gonna change my mind.”

  “Salome, I’ll be really busy training soldiers, and I might even be sent to do some scouting. You’ll be left vulnerable. At least as queen you’ll be better protected.”

  “Better protected? God. Are you really so unhappy with me?” My vision blurred as my eyes pooled. He could’ve told me all this and saved me the trouble of leaving my family to come to Faerie. I gave up everything for him. I mean, I’d likely never even see my mom or grandparents again.

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Was this the plan all along? Get me to fall for you, then hand me over to your king?” My fingernails dug into my palms, and my pulse roared in my ears like a vicious animal about to attack.

  In two strides he closed the space between us, his hands on my shoulders. “No. I love you. But I want what’s best for you—and for the kingdom. Are you sure you want to be stuck with a warrior and not someone who can give you so m
uch more?”

  “You’re what’s best for me. And just because he thinks I’m all powerful doesn’t make it true. Yeah, a shield sprung up in the woods, and yes, I somehow called on the Blade of the Four Kingdoms to defeat the Kelpie, but those things, they could’ve been a fluke.” And if they weren’t? I couldn’t ignore that possibility, but ifs and maybes wouldn’t persuade anyone. So I had to make one last gamble with what I knew for sure. “I-I just don’t want to lose you.”

  “And what about the kingdom? You have to realize that these are my people, Salome. What kind of man would I be if I chose my own happiness over others’ lives?”

  Sure, now he gives me a guilt trip. But the truth was, I loved him. And yeah, I felt horrible that Summer was having issues with the Winter Queen. But I wasn’t ready to give up the love of my life because Nevin suddenly needed a queen. There were tons of other women in Faerie and in the human world he could choose from. It didn’t have to be me.

  “We can’t force her to be queen,” Nevin said at last. “But perhaps she’ll change her mind once she knows our people and gets a chance to see more of the devastation that Winter has caused.” He gave me a forced smile. “Why don’t I leave you two alone? We can talk later about your new duties, Gareth.”

  Gareth released me and turned to him. “As you wish.”

  Nevin walked out of the room, followed closely by Gwenn, who shot me a glare over her shoulder. When the door shut behind them, I avoided looking at Gareth.

  “I’m sorry we sprung this on you. Believe me when I say I don’t want to lose you. But do you know how guilty I felt knowing you could be the answer to Summer’s needs?”

  “I know you love your people,” I cried. “But I don’t want Nevin, I want you. We’ll have to figure out some other way to defeat Winter.”

  “Okay.” He sighed, pulling me into a hug. “I love you so much. But I also know you’d make a great queen. I only did this because I want our kingdom to be safe. We need a queen, Salome, or Summer is as good as dead. Alone, Nevin is strong, but the magic barriers that protect our kingdom can only be made stronger if we have both a king and queen.”

  Through our link, I felt the sense of duty he had for Faerie. His warmth radiated around me.

  “Don’t ask me to do this. I can’t. I told you, I choose you.” But another thought occurred to me. “Unless…you don’t want me.” My throat constricted. Maybe he loved me, but not enough to stay with me forever.

  “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.” He pressed a kiss to my brow.

  I stared at the table filled with food. But I wasn’t so hungry anymore. “I think I’m going to back to my room and go to bed. It’s been a long couple of days.”

  “Please don’t go to bed mad.” He brushed my hair from my face. “You’ve got to understand why I did this.”

  I doubted I’d ever understand. But I managed a smile. No need to have a breakdown in front of him. “It’s fine. I just really want to sleep.”

  Disappointment washed over me through our link, but I ignored it. I’d eventually forgive, but tonight, I hurt too much to care.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He hugged me one last time then let me go.

  As I made my way to the door, I stopped on the threshold. “Gareth?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I do love you, you know that right?”

  His mahogany eyes met mine. “I kind of figured that out after you told Nevin to basically shove the crown up his ass.”

  My face burned. “I didn’t say that!”

  “No, but you wanted to. You forget, I can see inside that lovely head of yours.”

  I shrugged. “We’re all entitled to our opinions.”

  When I got back to my room, I found a package on my bed. And not just any package—someone had brought me the sword I’d hidden in the saddlebags.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” I whispered as I stared at the etchings on the blade. There, glowing bright blue, was the carved sun, the symbol for Summer, and it was pointed right at me.

  Was this a sign? Was the weapon trying to tell me that I should’ve accepted Nevin’s offer to be queen?

  Okay, just because it was glowing didn’t mean anything. For all I knew, it always lit up. I definitely needed to do some research on this thing, the sooner the better.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kadie

  We’d spent the last twenty-four hours in the Bone Yard. My legs screamed for me to sit down. My arms ached from tossing bones. But it was never ending. I wiped my forehead against my shoulder. My eyes burned, and all I wanted to do was sleep.

  Demetria glanced at me, her gaze bloodshot. “We’re almost done.”

  I glanced back at our pile. It looked no smaller than it had a few minutes ago. “Maybe if we repeat those words enough times it’ll be true.”

  She gave me a small smile then started sorting another row of leg bones.

  Horns blasted from the doorway of the palace, and I watched as the queen emerged. Her black dress swished at her ankles like dark smog trailing her.

  “Good day humans,” she called out, her shrill voice echoing off the stone walls. “I wanted to tell you that your hard work has not gone unnoticed. In fact, I’m so pleased with you that I’m throwing a ball in two days. If you’re extra well behaved, then I shall let you attend.”

  “A ball?” I glanced at Demetria. “Is she serious?”

  She wrung her hands together. “Unfortunately, yes. But it isn’t some place you want to be. If you think the dinner was gruesome, it’s nothing compared to the balls.”

  My body tensed. More horrific? What could be worse than watching girls being tortured by music?

  Demetria stiffened, and I shifted my gaze to see what she was looking at. The Winter Princes were strutting around the grounds. They examined sorted piles of bones, but mostly they checked out the girls as if on some perverted shopping spree.

  If any of them bothered me, I swore I’d beat them with a femur. I hadn’t played softball in a while, but I was damn sure I could still swing a bat, or in this case a bone.

  Teodor sauntered across the way, his gaze focused on me. I shifted my eyes, not wanting to encourage the douchebag. Crazy Chick glared at me, her mouth twisted in an angry “O”.

  “Well don’t you look pretty today.” He reached out to touch my hair. “I do like me a spirited girl.”

  My palms sweated, and I wiped them on my dress to keep from punching this asshat in the face. “Well, I don’t like Faeries.”

  He glowered, dropped his hand, and turned to Demetria. “Your friend here needs to be taught a lesson. Perhaps you have a suggestion?”

  She wet her dry lips. “N-no, master.”

  “Or perhaps you’d like to take her place.”

  She went rigid but stood straighter. Oh God. I couldn’t let him hurt her.

  Etienne swooped in, his eyes hardened. “Hate to interrupt, but Kadie is not available.”

  “Kadie?” Teodor gave a harsh laugh. “So you’ve given your pet a name?”

  Etienne ignored him and gripped my arm. “Get back to work—you’ve got bones to sort.” He dragged me closer to my pile.

  Teodor followed like a croc stalking a zebra. “Seems a shame to waste such a pretty face. Come, Etienne, what can I offer you for her?”

  “I told you, she’s not available. She’s my pet to do with what I please.”

  Pet? What a dick. This wasn’t the damn Humane Society, where you go in and adopt an animal. For frick sake, I was a person. Although, right now, I almost wished I was a rabid dog so I could bite their stupid asses.

  “What’s going on over here?” The Queen glided over.

  “Nothing, Your Highness.” Teodor smiled, then caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “It doesn’t look like nothing. I won’t have everyone witnessing your squabble over a human. She’s hardly worth it.”

  “You’re right. There are plenty to choose from.” He leered at
Demetria.

  The queen focused on me once more. “If you keep causing trouble, I might have to use you in my décor.”

  My mouth went dry. My nails dug into my palms. I tried not to wither under her scrutiny, but my knees knocked together beneath my dress. Her eyes drilled into mine for long moments, and I was sure she pictured using my bones for a candelabra or something. Soon she moved on to another group.

  Luckily, Teodor followed at her heels. When they were out of earshot, Etienne leaned closer to me so his face was only inches away from mine.

  “You need to avoid confrontations. How many times do I have to tell you that? They will kill you. I can only do so much to protect you.”

  Demetria shot me a surprised look when he stalked off. “He’s right, you know. You need to lay low, although I’m taken aback at how concerned he seems for you.”

  I groaned. “I can’t just sit here and let them treat me like I’m a piece of meat.”

  “One day, you’ll learn you have no choice.”

  “You’re wrong. There’s always a choice. And I’m choosing to fight.” Tossing a severed limb into my pile, I spun around so my back was to the boiling pot. “I think I found our way out.” I nodded toward the drains.

  Her eyes widened as she followed my gaze. “But it’s so busy out here—there’s no way we’ll go unnoticed.”

  “We’ll have to find a time when everyone is preoccupied.”

  She started another row of bones then pretended to adjust the skirt of her dress. “The ball. All the nobles attend and the guards don’t post at their stations in the Bone Yard. W-we could get put on serving duty so we have free rein to go between the ball and the kitchens.”

  For the first time since arriving in Winter, I smiled. “We’re gonna get out of here, Demetria.”

  She squeezed my hand, and her face lit up. “Tomorrow, we’ll make our plans…”

  The next day, Etienne sat watching me over breakfast. I fidgeted beneath his gaze. Did he know I was up to something? I licked my lips and pretended to be interested in the blob of eggs on my plate.

  “How would you like a break from the Bone Yard today?” he said at last.