The Dark Fey Chronicles Court of Roses

9

"Who are you?" Erik demanded almost as soon as I set foot in the room.
Declan grimaced at Erik who growled. "I am her cousin, Declan Darkbloom, your Grace," he said. "Only living son of her aunt Lyran-"
I couldn't stop myself. "Aunt Lyran- is she-"
Declan sighed and shook his head. "I have been looking for about a year now. I never found her body and the Elders couldn't find her either. She is still presumed missing," he said.Erik raised an eyebrow.
"You are on the Council?" he demanded.
Declan raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said. "Why?"
Erik shook his head. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes on him. "If you are on the Council, you should be back in Quebec and not here!"
"Erik, stop it!" I told him. "This is my family! The only living person I have seen from my family is years old!"
Erik sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't add up!" Erik said and narrowed his eyes at Declan. "What are you doing this far south," he asked in a calm velvet voice.
Declan sight. "There was a rumor," he admitted. "That the great Modori King had found his bride! That she was said to be a great beauty with raven hair and jewel-like eyes but seemed sickly after being in a pound for more than a year? I thought, ''What are the odds it could be my cousin?'
Erik wrinkled his nose. "So you came looking for her?" he asked. "Even though the area is crawling with Hunters, Ghouls and the like? You came here, left you post at the table and left the Council table to come here and-"
My brow furrowed. "Dec," I said in a thoughtful voice. "You were there that night! You were at my house, I saw you there-"
Declan looked down at his feet and sighed. "I was," he admitted.
Erik growled loudly now. "Why didn't you come forward?" he demanded.
Declan shook his head. "I have no memory of getting out of that fire-"
I shook my head. "There was a fire?" I demanded. "How?" I had no memory of a fire. Nothing. All there was was running. Surviving. Then I'd been caught by Hunters.
I sighed, knowing Erik was asking questions that needed to be asked but he was forgetting more important things. Declan was alive. The only other survivor other than Aros. "You said your last name is Darkbloom?" Erik asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. They were both wearing jeans by the time I had come back from getting dressed. Declan nodded.
"Yes, Lexi's mother was my aunt by marriage, Sir," Declan answered. "I didn't know she was alive until a few moments ago!"
Erik narrowed his eyes. "That still does not explain why you never told anyone you had been there that night! Do you know how much you could have helped us?"
Declan scoffed at him. "With all due respect, your Grace, but it is not something I like to brag about. I watched my family die in that attack. Whoever killed them is still out there."
Erik scowled at him. "We know this!" he snapped. I sighed. What was his deal? Wait. I looked up at Declan. "Whoever did this?" I asked him.
Erik looked at me now, his face confused. Declan shrugged."Part of the reason I joined the Council was to try and figure it out but nothing so far."
I turned to look at Erik. "How does he not know?" I demanded.
Erik sighed. "Because that information is still private," he said. I rubbed my temples. "So let me get this straight," I sighed.
"Declan you escaped that night, didn't tell anyone you were there and therefore didn't tell anyone anything about it and you joined the Council because-"
Erik cut him off. "His fathers was on the council before him. Naturally the seat is passed to the eldest child of that family making him the new member."
"You just held a small gathering of the Houses, My King, did you think word would not get out that you had found and claimed a Mate?" he asked.
Erik sighed and shook his head. "Lexi," Erik said my name and turned to look at me. "Do you trust this man?"
I blinked. Of course I trusted him. He was my cousin. For all I knew he was the only one alive, my last living relative. "Yes," I said truthfully. I understood why Declan didn't say anything to anyone. He was right. The people that had murdered our family was still out there.
"You can stay in the barn with the other Trackers," Erik said and walked back to the kitchen. There were multiple packs on the table, warped and stuffed full with supplies. Erik snatched one up and tossed it to Declan and then handed him a brown paper bag with some water. "We leave here at first light!"
Declan looked back at me and sighed. "I'd like to speak to my cousin-"
Erik shook his head, his tone calm. "It is late and Lexi has had a long day!" he reminded him and turned to stand beside me. His arm wrapped around my waist firmly and I felt a shock wash through me at his touch. Liv was standing at the base of the stairs, staring at Declan.
"Are you going to let her speak for herself?" Declan demanded as he glanced between the two of us. "Seems like you do that a lot for her-"
Erik was before Declan in a flash. "You dare speak to me that way?" he growled. "Tonight is not the night to test me-"
Declan held his hands up in surrender. "Forgive me, Sir, but I'm sure you can understand my surprise and desire for answers since I now know my cousin is indeed alive!" Declan reasoned.
Erik sighed and then someone jogged up to the door and pounded on it. "Clear!" I heard Jax call from the other side of the door.
"Enter!" Erik called back.
The door opened and Jax walked in, his dark hair was matted with blood, mud and dirt. He was dressed in some torn up jeans and his shoes were missing too.
"Everything seems quiet," Jax reported, his eyes locked on Declan. "Who is this?"
"Lexi's cousin," Erik said. "He was at the mountain that night!"
Jax raised his eyebrows. "That's impossible!" he argued.
Erik nodded. "I know," he said and sighed. "However it is late and we all need our rest. The Hunters know where we are so we should leave at first light! I want to be home by dinner. "
Jax nodded and motioned for Declan to follow him outside after grabbing a pack from
the table. "Follow me!"
Declan didn't move. His eyes were fixed on me. "Lexi?" His voice was almost broken and it broke my heart. The shock and discovery of my cousin alive after thinking for the last two years that my family was all but dead, here he was alive and well.
"We do need to talk," I admitted. "But we will have time for that later. We all need rest now." Erik looked at Declan like he had won an argument or fight.
"We all need rest," he said and nodded at Declan who gave Erik a thin smile.
It was odd having to act like this toward my cousin because I was actually very close to Declan. I wanted to speak with him because I had many questions, some of which I couldn't ask in the presence of others but I also wanted to be alone with Erik. He had been hurt when that hunter had attacked him and I wanted to make sure he was OK. Dried blood matted the side of his head and he was covered in dirt.
"We will talk tomorrow!" I told him as Erik walked to the stairs. I watched Declan and Jax walk to the door and vanish into the darkness. Erik reached for my hand and guided me up the worse wooden steps.
"I need a shower before bed," he told him and pushed the door open to his left when we reached the top of the stairs.
The bedroom was small, with only one bed and a small closet. To the left there was a small bathroom with a toilet and single shower.
"I know it's not a five star hotel but this is one of the safe houses my father had between here and Quebec."
I turned to see him watching me. "Oh, it's fine," I assured him. "No need for a five start hotel. I'm not hard to please!"
Erik smiled and walked over to me, his hands coming up to brush my hair back. With a sigh he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the top of my head. My heart pounded in my chest at his touch and I again stressed about the single bed situation. "I want you to rest up," he told me and dropped his hands. "We leave at first light!"
I swallowed. This room was extremely small. Not small enough to let my claustrophobia cause me any trouble. Erik walked over to the bathroom and turned the shower on.
"You should get cleaned up," he told me.
I nodded and walked toward the bathroom. When Erik turned his back on me I saw the scratches and marks on his back.
"Erik!" His name left my lips in a low, startled gasp. He turned to face me, his face tired and his eyes hungry.
"What is it?" His voice was low, husky.
I reached and touched his shoulder, my eyes scanning over the wounds, some of them still bleeding.
"Unfortunately I am not like you," he told me and I felt my heart sink. "I don't heal on command. Wanna tell me what that is about?" I shook my head and turned away from him but Erik was in front of me again, having moved so fast I missed it.
"You should know you are not helping my already difficult situation, Lexi," he reminded me and trailed his hands slowly down my sides. Erik leaned in, his breath oddly cool on my skin, and breathed in along my neck. "I'm sorry," I gasped under my breath, goosebumps rippling across my skin.
My heart was pounding out of my chest, blood flushed my cheeks as I tried to calm my breathing. Erik's hand came up to my face, gently pushing my head back. Erik sighed and his grip loosened around me.
"Don't apologize to me," Erik whispered as he leaned away to look at me. "Never apologize to me for being you. You have been through tremendous trauma, Lexi," Erik's voice was low as his hand slowly traced patterns on the exposed skin of my hip. His breath brushed my skin and I shuddered. Erik leaned away quickly, dropping his arms and stepped away.
"You should get cleaned up and into bed! You will only get a few hours of rest."
And with that, Erik stepped away and walked toward the window where there was a small chair and a coffee table. I sighed. Again. The hot and cold game. I reached up and touched the side of my neck where his lips had touched me and a wave of pleasure washed through me, catching me off guard and rippling down to my toes.
I instantly craved his touch. Perhaps Erik was right. I needed a shower. To cool down. I turned to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.
Erik insisted he didn't need any rest. He sat at the small table by the wall window, his attention on the book he held in his hands. Every once in a while, he would catch me staring at him. And so we were currently just staring at each other, my heart beating in my ears the whole time.
"You should be sleeping," he told me and reached to shut the light off.
I smiled a small smile. "So should you," I reminded him. Erik laughed a little as he got to his feet and walked over to the other side of the bed. I watched as he emptied his pockets onto the nightstand on the other side of the bed.
"I can go-"
I shook my head but then realized he couldn't see my face. "N-no, it's fine," I assured him.Erik leaned back, stretching out onto the bed beside me, his left arm folded behind his head.
"I won't touch you," he promised me in a low voice. "I want to, yes. It's all I have wanted since I set eyes on you. I yearn for the day I make you mine."
I watched him as he stared at the ceiling, his jaw clenched and unclenched. I could just see the outline of his jaw and the side of his face. The rest was covered in shadows. "It is hard for me," he admitted and I frowned, hating myself for being such a fuck up. "But not nearly as hard as I know it is for you. I crave you, yes. I long to touch you. Yes. I wish I could Claim and Mate you right now, but I won't..."
Erik's voice trailed off as I reached out and touched the burning skin of his chest. I watched a shudder pass through him and his eyes flashed silver.
"Lexi," my name left his lips as I inched closer. The warmth of his chest was beckoning and I was leaning forward, Erik arms wrapping around me, leaning closer. His hot breath washed down my shoulders and my breathing sped up a little. Erik pressed me closer, his face tucked into the side of my neck, inhaling deeply.
A sly smile stretched across his face. "Mouthwatering," he told me, leaning back down to press his lips to my neck, kissing me deliberately slowly. A shudder rocked through me as Erik pushed forward, his hand pressing me to him.
"Erik..." his name left my lips but I couldn't remember what I was trying to say. Erik didn't seem to mind. I almost pouted when he leaned away to look at me, his eyes fixed on my face, drinking in every detail.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, leaning down to press his lips to my chest. Erik kissed his way down my chest, his fingers pulling at the strings of my night gown.
My heart thumped in my chest. Soon his lips became more demanding as the explored the valley of my chest. As he circled back to my neck, I felt him sweep his tongue across my neck and a sigh of longing left his lips. My body however was alive like a live, hot wire. Every nerve ending was alive and I had never felt such a craving in my life. A small whimper left my lips and Erik laughed, his hot breath washing over my chest.
"So captivated," he teased me as he ran a finger down the side of my neck. I felt like I was going to burst. Erik leaned down again, his lips and tongue gliding over my skin.
"Lexi, let me Mark you," Erik whispered. It wasn't so much his words but the way he spoke. His voice was so full of longing and despair that it almost broke me.
Erik's arm tightened around my waist as he sat us up, his hand sliding up my thigh as he leaned forward. Reaching around, Erik hitched my right leg up and over, effectively making me straddle him. I gasped in surprise as he adjusted how he wanted me on his lap. Then, with a hungry look in his eyes he leaned forward again. His lips touched my skin but before he could sink his teeth into my skin or I could object, there was a loud knock at the door. Erik's growl filled the room.
"Be pissed all you want, we need to go!" Max said from the other side of the door.
Erik leaned away from me and sighed, his sharp teeth retracted slowly. "Dammit," he sighed and pressed his lips to my head. After that, Erik stood to his feet, setting me down gently. I watched him reach up and fix my top, his face almost... satisfied.
"We will be in Quebec in a few hours," told me. "So I want you to rest." I frowned at him.
"You're not riding with me?"
Erik shrugged. "I figured you would sleep," he admitted. If I was going to be stuck in a car, he was going to be stuck with me.
"I'm not tired," I told him.
Erik smiled. "You will be," he told me. "It's still quite a drive. So we should eat. Are you hungry?"
Before I could answer my stomach growled. Erik laughed. "Liv just left to get provisions," he said. I walked toward the window now. The sun was coming up slowly, his tanned skin almost glowing bronze in the early morning light. I drank in every detail. His toned muscles rippled with each movement. Erik had been right. Mouthwatering.
But I was suddenly distracted by the noise outside. I heard tired rolling up the driveway, the gravel grinding under the tires.
"Liv is back," he said and turned to face me. I dropped my gaze quickly. "You should get ready! We need to leave."
Erik walked to the door and left me alone to get dressed. I dressed in a pair of black jeans and a dark blue turtleneck. My hair, to my surprise, was beginning to thicken and it even felt healthier. I braided it sideways over my left shoulder.
Erik was waiting for me outside, his hands folded behind his back. Liv was tapping away on her phone. "We should be good to go," she was saying when I joined them. Erik turned to face me, his eyes locked on my face. I folded the color of my leather jacket up and shouldered my purse.
"Lexi, you are riding with me, Jax and Declan-"
Erik's hand caught my wrist quickly. "She is fine with me," he noted. As he spoke, Declan joined us on the porch and smiled when he saw me. Erik sighed and turned away from us. "Five minutes," he told me and I looped my arm through Declan's and we walked to the end of the driveway.
"How did you end up with the King?" Declan asked me as we walked. "It's a long story and not worth telling-"
Declan laughed at me. "Are you kidding?" he demanded. "You are alive. I mean, I heard rumors, of course, but you can never really trust the gossip of a Hunter-"
I shook my head. "Dec, how did you escape that night?" I asked him.
He sighed and looked up at me, digging his hands into his pockets. His bling hair shimmered in the early morning light. I had missed him. It had never not once crossed my mind that he may be alive. And now I wanted to know how.
"Lexi, that night was a blur..."he said in a low voice. His two toned eyes seemed far away. He seemed to be seeing something I could not. "I was in my room when I heard the commotion! The screaming. By the time I got down stairs the Hunters were everywhere, Dark Fey of all kinds were running around, screaming, fighting. Blood was everywhere...then I saw you."
I felt hollow as he described what he had seen. "I can't remember much from that night," I admitted.
Declan nodded and sighed. "You 're running outside. There was a Hunter on your tail. I tried to get to him but then my mother needed help- she was cornered by two Hunters and wounded. I lost sight of you for a split second and then you were gone. I figured a Hunter had gotten to you-"
I couldn't stop the words from leaving my lips.
"Where was Aros in all of that time?" I asked him. I knew Erik, Jax and Liv were all listening to us as we stood at the mouth of the driveway. Declan's brow furrowed and he shook his head.
"I'm not sure," he said as he looked down at his feet. His face scrunched up in confusion as he tried to remember. "I can't recall!"
I sighed and nodded. "It's fine," I said.
"Do you remember how you got out?" I asked him. Declan nodded and looked down the deserted road, for creeping through the air slowly.
"I went after you after I lost my mother. I tried to tack you but it was almost like your scent had vanished-"
I nodded. "I made it across the creek and was able to outrun the Hunters for three days before they caught me off guard and got me."
I watched Declan's face go pale. "They got you?" he asked me, his face combing out a whisper. "They stuck you in a pound?"
I lowered my gaze when I felt Erik's eyes on my face. "Yeah," I said and clasped my hands before me. Declan glanced at Erik.
"He is obsessed with you," Declan noted.
I glanced over at Erik who had his arms folded over his chest and was watching us, his face impassive.
"Dec, Erik is my Mate," I said in a low voice.
I watched a mocking smile spread across his face. "You are mated to the Modori King?" he asked me. "Does he know about your... talents?-"
I shook my head. "No!" I said quickly, hoping that Erik's attention was now fully on his conversation with Jax and Liv.
"None of them do?" he asked me.
I shook my head. "No and I would like to keep it that way!"
Declan sighed and nodded. "Lexi?"
I looked up at him now, his face was so vulnerable and open. It was almost like looking at the soft, kind boy I had known two years ago. "Yes?"
He smiled. "I'm glad you are alive," he told me. "And I'm sorry I didn't come for you when I had the chance. Had I known you would have been caught I would have -"
I walked forward and hugged him. "None of this is your fault!" I told him. I was burning to tell him the truth about Aros but there was still so little known about that night.
Declan hugged me back and sighed.
"I'm glad you're not dead," he told me.
I breathed out a laugh. "You too!"
"Lexi," Erik's voice echoed down the driveway to me and I turned to see him walking toward me with a scowl on his face.
"We need to be leaving," he said as he stopped before me. "Are you ready?"
I nodded. "Yes," I said and looked back at Declan. "I want Dec to come with us. I want him with me!"
I watched the annoyance crease Erik's face once more. "Your cousin is more than welcome to join us," he offered. "Perhaps when we return he can bring me up to speed on the current matters of the Council!" Erik and Declan stared at each other for a moment before Declan sighed and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, King Erik-"
Erik cut him off quickly. "Not only have you offended me but you failed to give a full report on a matter you knew was being investigated and deliberately withheld vital information about that night-"
Declan looked up at him now. "I already told you why I didn't say anything! The person who killed my family, and that of your Mate, is still out there. No disrespect, Sir, but my need for survival is stronger than the urge to please a King!"
The two men stared at each other for a moment, puffing their chests out at each other. "Your disrespect will no longer be tolerated, Declan Darkbloom. You will remain at your post on the Council until your replacement can be found-"
A gasp left my lips. "Erik! Why?"
He shook his head. "He can not be trusted!" Erik reasoned. "He had the chance to come clean and he didn't. What else could he be hiding?" Erik and Declan stared at each other. I sighed, hoping Erik would choose to let this go.