The Dark Fey Chronicles Court of Roses

26

The sound of crashing waves reached my ears and I shuddered in my sheets. My body was warm but I could tell it was freezing outside. Seagulls cawing outside my window and I forced my eyes open.
I was in a canopy bed, green sheets covered the bed and white curtains blew into the room with the wind, carrying the sweet smell of the ocean inside with it.
I jumped when I noticed movement in the corner of my eye.
Before I knew what I was doing, I was out of bed, the wall to my back and both of my hands were up and in flames. But then I saw what had startled me. My vision blurred when I saw her. A Maid stood in the middle of the room, her hands at her sides, staring at me, her face terrified.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, I only meant-"
I growled at her. "Where am I?" I demanded. The Maid raised an eyebrow at me, confused. "You are in Norway, Lass," she told me with her thick Irish accent. "Queen Nakoma brought you here herself, through a Portal, she did," the Maid told me. I shook my head, the flames in my hand dimming.
"She said you are an ally, and that you were to be treated like a Queen-"
I felt sick. My stomach heaved and I clapped a hand to my mouth, a panicked feeling spreading through my chest. "Over there, Your Grace!"
I watched as the Maid pointed to the bathroom behind me but the trash can was closer. I stumbled forward and emptied my belly into the small trash can.
"Portaling tends to make people sick if they are not used to it-"
I spit and cleared my throat. "I want to leave-"
The door behind me opened and Nakoma walked in, a basket in her hand. She was dressed in a deep green dress, having ditched the sexy catsuit look for a more airy and loose material. She smiled when she saw me. "I can take it from her, Rose, you may go," Nakoma said.
The Maid, Rose, turned to face me again and bowed and then bowed at Nakoma. After she left, I stared at Nakoma.
"We could have made it out of the city-"
"Not in a city we are not familiar with," she argued. "And certainly not without help. We would have been captured-"
I turned to face her now. I was still dressed in the white cotton shirt and pants I had been wearing when I woke in Berlin.
"You Mate will be here in three days," she told me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Three days?" I demanded. "Why can't you just Portal me there?"
Nakoma shook her head. "I used a great deal of magic yesterday. I'm tapped out. I need time to recharge."
I sighed and leaned back against the bed behind me.
"I'm the meantime, I have ordered you to be treated like the royalty you are," Nakoma added. She clapped her hands twice and the double doors from which she had come through opened again and poured about half a dozen Maids and two butlers.
"You will be sized and dressed for the day while the Maids take your measurements to the tailor and have your evening dress finished-"
I looked up at her. "Nakoma, please, you don't-"
Nakoma sighed and folded her arms behind her back. "I know how unreasonable Lucian has been toward you at Rose Court. I hope you can forgive me."
I shook his head. "Lucian was being an ass all on his own," I reminded her. Nakoma laughed at me and nodded toward the Maid who was waiting by the bathroom with a dress bag.
"Freshen up," she told me. "I will meet you downstairs."
I nodded and followed the Maid, who proceeded to close the bathroom door behind her and reach for my clothes. I stripped them off quickly and watched as she walked over to the brazier and tossed them into the fire.
I looked around the room. It was off white marble floors and walls, a large quartz bathtub was being filled with water for am and I hurried over to it.
"Is there anything the Drex Queen needs before we leave her to her bath?"
I turned to look at the Maid who was now standing by the door. She had left some fresh howls and my dress by the door.
"No, thank you," I said.
I had hardly finished speaking before the Maid closed the door on me. I sighed and leaned back in my bath. As relaxed as I felt, I could not stop stressing.
I had killed Aros.
My father.
Erik was on his way.
I had used fire magic to kill. Not just Aros, but every single person in the room had been burned alive. For some reason I was having a hard time trying to remember it all.
Just broken images of charred, sizzling bodies were the only thing that I could recall. I sighed and held up my hand.
I watched the rose left-leaning and bubbles slid down my skin as I stared at my dripping hand. I watched as the water turned to steam. I watched a flam dimly lick it's way up my fingers.
I wished I had been able to be inside Erik's mind when I had told him I killed Aros. I didn't particularly feel bad that I had killed him, rather then I had taken a life. Even if it was one as rotten as Aros. I was more worried about what the others back home would say. Nakoma had survived her encounter with Aros. Perhaps Krysta and Caro were alive too. I shuddered in my bath water as it started to run cold. I couldn't stop thinking how Krysta's body had just caved in on itself. There was just no way she could have survived that.
A sharp knock at the door made me jump. "Queen Alexandra?" It was Nakoma. "Are you ready for breakfast?"
I looked down at my still dirt covered body and sighed. I snatched up the rag and started scrubbing at my skin. I had been soaking in this water for far too long.
"One second!" I said and grabbed up a towel. Pulling the dress from the bag I quickly slipped it on. It was a white, off the shoulder knee length dress. With a lace cover and dusty rose tint at the bottom. I grumbled and threw my hair up in a bun quickly then hurried over the door and tugged it open. Nakoma stood there, dressed in a loose green and pink dress, her silver blond hair glowing in the early morning light.
"You look flushed," Nakoma told me.
I shook my head. "It's a little warm," I told her. Nakoma smiled at me and nodded for me to follow her.
"Erik Modori will be here in less than twenty-four hours," she informed me. I felt my heart beat into my throat. "When I spoke to him, he was extremely worried about your wellbeing."
I nodded. "That sounds like Erik," I agreed. "Did he say anything about Aros?"
Nakoma looked up at me as we slowly walked down the hall. "No," she said. "The bodies that were discovered in the Hotel have been transported back to Canada where Erik is having them looked at."
I nodded. Erik wanted to make sure Aros was really dead this time. I understood that. I just wished I would be there with him when he found out for sure.
"You look displeased," Nakoma noted.
I shook my head and forced a smile on my face. "I know I should be grateful,"'I admitted. "I am alive, Aros is dead-"
Nakoma waved for me to go to my left. "He was still your father," she reminded me.
I shook my head. "No," I said as I thought about it. "Aros had me locked away in a pound for two years! He knew what would happen, yet he did it anyway. He was never my father."
We walked into a huge greenhouse where there was a dining table waiting for us. As soon as we sat down, Maids and busters appeared and began serving us.
"If there is anything you would like, just let one of the servants know and they will get it for you!"
I shook my head and looked down at the fresh fruits and meat platters before me. "I'm quite fine," I assured her.
Nakoma smiled, but I could see that her mind was elsewhere. "What is it?"
She looked up at me, the jewels at her ears and neck catching the morning sunlight.
"My Court is restless," she admitted reluctantly. "My advisors are not happy that you are here."
I couldn't help myself. I laughed. "No worries," I assured her. "I'm used to being in places I'm not welcome. The Elders see to that!"
Nakoma wrinkled her nose as she dipped a tea bag into her cup. "That is the reason why I have advisors. The Elders, because they were born in the Old times, before the war with Aros, are stuck in the old ways. We need to move forward. Work as one-"
I nodded. "I agree!" I assured her.
"You agree that the Tribes should come together and work as one to defeat the Hunters?" she asked me.
I nodded. "Absolutely," I assured her.
"What does your King say of this?"
I hesitated. I wasn't sure what Erik would think or say. If I was being honest with myself, I was terrified. That room full of Hunters had made my skin crawl.
"Aros was working with the Hunters!" I told her. I Erik had already guessed as much so I suppose it was not that big a deal to tell Nakoma what I had seen and what I was thinking of it now. She had saved my life. I just hoped that meant I could trust her too.
"Why would you do that?" she wondered.
I watched as a group of Drydales passed the open door to the greenhouse. There were three girls. All with the same pale white blond hair as Nakoma. After seeing Summer and Lucian around Rose Court for months, you think I would be used to the beauty of the Drydales, however their beauty left me speechless each time I saw a Drydale.
"You all seem so at peace here," I commented. I didn't want the subject of my Drex blood to come up. It was bad enough that most of the Dark Fey world knew.
"Now that Aaron's is dead, perhaps we can get rid of the Hunter threat once and for all!"
I shook my head, still wondering how the rest of the Dark Fey works would feel if they knew I had killed Aros. It would be up to John to carry on the house name after I married Erik.
"How well is your power developed?" Nakoma wanted to know. I looked up at her now, not sure how to answer. I wished Erik was here to help me through this. But I also knew that Erik would not be there every time I needed him. My heart filled with pain. "Can you control it?'
I laughed. "Define controle!" I said.
Nakoma nodded and raised her coffee to her lips and smiled. "Can you defend yourself if your life depended on it?"
I shrugged. "I mean I did when Aros showed up and I-"
Nakoma sighed. "Lexi, you killed a room full of Hunters and Turned Ones!"
I frowned. "I didn't mean to!" I protested,
Nakoma set her cup down quickly. "Oh, I am not reprimanding you!" she assured me. "To be honest, I am rather impressed by the display of power.I think you could be a powerful Drex. You were born of Magic... there is little Human to you-"
I nodded. "I am half Shifter, half Drex," I reminded her.
Nakoma nodded. "Have you tested your powers?" she asked me.
I raised an eyebrow. "In bombat?" I asked her. " I shook my head. "No-"
Nakoma leaned back in her chair as a Maid came to refill her cup. "I would like to have you tested," she said and set her now full cup down. "I would like to see what you can do-"
I shook my head. ""With all due respect, Queen Nakoma, I have little to no control over my powers-"
Nakoma stood to her feet gracefully. "Who told you that you need control?" she asked me.
I frowned at her and shook my head. "You said you killed Aros. Tell me how you did it."
I felt my face settle into a startled expression and I leaned back in my seat. I watched Nakoma walk to a table and pick up a small potted plant. It looked more succulent than a regular plant. Only the plant itself was a glowing gold color and it shimmered in the bright early morning light. Nakoma turned to face me now, holding the small glowing plant in her hands.
"This is Tinfa," she told me. "It gives its consumer a boost in power-"
I shook my head. "I don't think I need a boost in power. I can hardly remember what happened in the room at the hotel with Aros, Why would I-"
Nakoma nodded. "You used a great deal of power that day," she agreed with me. "It will take a few days for you to recharge, however there are some things you can do to speed up the process." Nakoma handed me the plant.
"I wouldn't know -"
Nakoma pressed the plant into my hands. "You said you used fire magic?" she asked me. "Fire Magic is one of the strongest Elements. It is healing, disinfecting. However, fire magic is unpredictable. I am surprised you maintained control for so long. However, you need to understand how dangerous fire magic can be, or any Magic, for that matter-"
I smiled at her. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in leaving Norway and moving to Canada?" I teased her.
Nakoma smiled at me. "Many have tried and offered for me to come to their Tribe and I have always refused. I must say, though, it is quite the honor to be invited by a fellow Queen-"
"Oh, I'm not Queen," I assured her.
Nakoma raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh?" Her face turned confused. "Lucian must have been misinformed then."
I shook my head. "Things have been difficult with Aros and the Hunters."
Nakoma smiled. "Yes, but now that Aros is dead, what is holding you back"
I sighed. What was holding me back? Did she mean other than the feeling that Aros was still alive? Or that he had had Hunters at his backing? I frowned, realizing I had almost forgotten one thing.
"Tell me about the Countess," I said.
Nakoma raised an eyebrow at me, the amusement fading from her delicate features.
"The Countess of the  Under Realm," she sighed. "She is the high Priestess of Hel. Some people call her an oracle. She is said to possess great spiritual powers and be in direct contact with the Goddess herself-"
I shook my head. "How is that possible?"
Nakoma shook her head. "I am older than time itself and I have seen many great powers in this world, however, the only conclusion I can come to when I think of the Countess is fraud."
I raised an eyebrow. "She's faking it?"
Nakoma nodded. "Don't get me wrong, the Countess possesses great power. She is a Drex, after all, but she is not what she says she is."
I watched Nakoma now as she looked up at me, her face calculating. "When you used your power, how did you feel?" she asked me. I frowned.
"Scared," I admitted. "Like I was going to lose control? I can't really remember."
Nakoma stared at me. "Next time, lose control," she advised me.
I frowned. "I don't think-"
"What?" Nakoma asked me. "That your Mate and King would approve?"
I looked down at the small glowing plant she had handed me. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked her.
Nakoma stopped and turned to face me. "What do you mean?" she asked me. Her time had taken on an offended tone. I frowned and stood from my seat slowly.
"I know that Erik asked you to help and I am thankful for it!" I assured her. "However, given how my life has played out over the last two and a half years, I'm sure you can understand why I would be a little offended when it comes to trusting people?"
Nakoma nodded but before she could answer, the door behind us opened and a guard walked in. "Well then, in the spirit of trust, I have some information you may find interesting about one Jesper Modori!"
I raised and eyebrow as she handed me a folder. "The contents of this folder will change everything!"
I opened and shuffled through the papers. My heart was about to blow from my chest with shock. I was to stunned to speak.
"Queen Nakoma, the Modori representative has arrived."
I felt my heart fly into my chest. "Erik?"
Nakoma shook her head. "Lucian," she said and waved for me to follow her. I hesitated for a slip then one, looking around the greenhouse before I followed her out into the hall. "When will Erik be here?"
Nakoma shrugged. "Once he is in Norway, I will have a car pick him up immediately."
I sighed as we walked down the hall. This place was amazing and beautiful. It was almost as if nature had taken over this place.
Thick tree roots and grape vines grew along the inside of the walls, birds and butterflies and moss covered the stone floor at my feet.  As I walked, I felt an odd calm take over me. It was the most calm I had felt since I watched Krysta die. My breath caught in my chest and my feet came to a stop. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. A startled gasp left in my lips.
Lexi.
My heart pounded into my chest. "Erik?"
Nakoma turned to look at me. "Sorry?"
I looked around, confused. I was sure I had heard his voice. I was positive that he had touched my mind. I looked back at Nakoma who was watching me.
"Sorry," I said and shook the feelings away. Erik will be here until tomorrow. Nakoma had said as much. "I guess I'm not quite awake yet?"
Nakoma nodded. "Thankfully we have nothing elaborate planned for today," she said. "Would you like to return to your room?"
I looked up and down the halls. "I'm sorry-"
Nakoma reached and wrapped her arms around me as she turned me back to face the way we had xome, a small smile on her face.
"Go back to your room and rest," she said, a smirk pulling at her lips. Did she know something I didn't? "I will see you for dinner!"
We bowed at each other and I turned to follow a Maid back down the hall. I felt oddly relaxed. It was weird. When the Maid dropped me off at my door, I could almost smell Erik. My mouth watered and I longed to see him. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to see him. However, there was nothing I could do about that now.
I pushed the door open and walked into the room, Erik's scent hit me like a train, almost knocking me off of my feet.
"Took you long enough," Erik said as he walked from the bathroom.
I startled gasp left my lips and I spun around  to face him. Erik stood there, dressed in a black dress shirt and black dress pants. His hair was wind blown and I could smell the cool air on his skin.
I hadn't realized how much I had been surprised by my emotions until that moment. Seeing Erik here now, after thinking I would never see him again, cracked at the carefully constructed walls I hadn't realized I had set up around me. Tears filled my eyes and I moved forward.
Only I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe. I hadn't realized how much I had missed him until I had seen him here before me. "Erik."
His name felt foreign to me now. It was silly. This was Erik. Was this real? "Are you really here?" I asked him.
I watched Erik smile at me. "Of course," he said as he walked toward me. "I came for you." He stopped when he was just a few feet away from me. Erik smiled at me.
"You look beautiful as always," he told me.
I was scared to move. I didn't want the image of him to shatter and fall away.
"I tried to get away," I told him and Erik nodded quickly. "Aros stabbed Nakoma and I tried to use Magic-"
Erik reached out, his hands tugging at my hips. "You don't have to explain," he assured me. "I saw what happened on the security footage."
My arms slipped round his waist and I pressed myself to him, tears now fully streaming down my face. "I thought I'd never see you again," I told him.
Erik hugged me closer. "Do you really think I would have left you with him?" he asked me in a low voice. "Because if you do-"
I leaned away, appalled he would think of such a thing. "Of course I don't!"
Erik didn't answer, his hands, already around my waist, pulled me up and forward, my legs stretching perfectly through the air like material. "Hmm... my Lexi," Erik breathed out a lustful sigh. "Lexi." My name left his lips in a lustful growl. "I won't be able to stop-"
I leaned away, looking up at him through hooded lashes. "Then don't!" I told him.
Before I could pull him back to me, Erik growled, his hands gripping my thighs, his fingers digging into my flesh. My breath caught as Erik pressed forward, my geeky moving backward until my legs reached the bed, causing me to fall back onto the soft pillows. Erik stood over me, I'm buttoning his shirt and tossing it aside. My heart pounded in my chest as Erik leaned down to graces his tongue along my Mark.
Pleasure washed through me and I suddenly felt that things were not going fast enough. An almost annoyed growl rumbled in my throat and Erik leaned away, his face amused but surprised.
"Lexi, we should stop here," he warned me. I could see the restraint in his eyes. He wouldn't be able to keeping up much longer. Now would be the time to back out if I was having second thoughts. Now would be the time to say no. I frowned and tugged at his tie.
I shook my head. "I don't want to stop!" I told him and tugged him forward. My eyes scanned his perfectly tanned skin and built chest. Erik growled at me, flipping me over, his hand around my neck. He didn't speak but I could see the white glow in his eyes and I suddenly felt chicken. My confidence was gone. Poof.
I watched his face soften but the reflective glow of his eyes in the dim light of the room made him look more menacing than ever before. "Slowly," he scolded me.
I frowned. Slow!? I didn't want to be slow! Erik smirked and I could see his canines pinching his teeth. "So impatient," he scolded me. Erik leaned back, positioning himself between my legs to lean over me.
"When we Mate, and I promise, it will be very soon, I want you to be highly focused, and only on me and what I am doing," he whispered as he leaned forward to kiss me.
Pleasure washed through me and my hands came up to his chest. "When I take you, I am going to undress you." Erik kissed his way down my neck. Only he didn't stop there. His face wandered across my chest, breathing in as he went.
The whole time my heart slammed against my rib cage but my breathing was normal, relaxed. As impatient as I felt, I wanted to enjoy this part.
Erik sat up, his hand slowly sliding up my leg, easing it up to his shoulder. My skirts slid down my legs, pooling around me. Erik traced his nose down my leg to the middle of my thigh and nipped at my skin, kissing as sucking as he went.
"I'm going to taste you," he told me in a hushed whisper. My thighs quivered as his hot breath washed against my skin.
Erik's hands found my wrists and he pulled them forward, using my already hitched right leg to hoist me off the bed and into his arms. His lips went to my left exposed shoulder. Somehow, Erik had managed to untie my corset strings. Erik frowned as he pressed me closer, pressing me down onto his rock, a frustrated grunt leaving his lips as he leaned forward.
A startled gasp left my lips when I felt his sharp teeth cut into my skin. Erik dug his nails into my skin as he groaned into my neck, rocking my hips back and forth on his rock. His hands pushed and pulled at me until my hips slipped into the motion he wanted. A groan left Erik slips as he picked up his pace a little, his lips still wondering my skin.
"Lexi." My name left his lips in a gasped moan. Erik pressed forward, looping his arm around my waist as he braced himself against the wall with the other.
My heart was pounding in my ears. What were we doing? Erik was saying how he was going to do things to me yet, even now, with no one to stop us, he still hasn't tried to remove any of my clothes.
Never mind that anyone could walk into this room at any second, there was one thing Erik seemed to be forgetting.
I was in heat. And a baby was not on my list of priorities right now. Human birth control didn't work in Dark Fey. I growled, still desperately seeking some kind of satisfaction. I dug my nails into his shoulders, a low growl in my chest.
Erik suddenly shifted, leaned back to pull me closer before leaning back so that I was hanging on to him instead.
I could now feel him, as he rubbed me back and forth, a steady , growing pace. Erik growled as he leaned down to press his lips to mine.
Something was happening. Something I had never felt before. The more Erik guided my back and forth on him the better I felt. The fire in me was ablaze now. Sweat coated my skin just as Erik pushed the straps of my dress down. My fingers gripped Erik's shoulders as I felt my body suddenly take over. I rubbed against him now, suddenly needling the release I knew he boy he could give me.
With a frustrated growl, I felt my fingers claw at his chest my fingers finding his hair as I leaned forward, my face pressed to his neck as the rush of intense emotion surged through me.
An odd sound reached my lips as my body shuddered under him. Erik gasped and jerked under me, pulling me closer.
Erik's growl filled the room. His fingers dug into my hips as he held me down on him. "Shit," he hissed at me as he shuddered under me. Erik settled me to his lap, the intense wetness between us soaking through our clothes.
Erik leaned away after a moment.
"Well that was interesting," he teased me.
I felt myself blush and I stood on my feet, rushing to get cleaned up before dinner. My legs were shaking as I walked and I heard Erik snicker behind me. As I slammed the door behind me, a small smile was already spreading across my lips. If what had just happened was anything like having Erik, I was now more eager than ever to Mate him.