Autumn Burn

Chapter 19

We winnowed to Velaris, where I saw Nyx sitting in the living room, waiting anxiously. When we saw each other, both of us started crying and I was swept into an embrace I had long since desired. Nyx apologized for being such a dick and for trying to control me and my life and I looked him up and down again and again, making sure nothing was wrong with him. And even though I wanted to hear their story first, Amren, after stepping in, demanded to know why there was a dragon sitting at the top of the mountain of Velaris. Apparently, Pyrogael had followed us. And after I told them how Beron had kidnapped me and left me to die in the Burned Forest, how I found Pyrogael and what happened upon touching him, Amren groaned.
"They bonded." She informed us and I was glad I wasn't the only one that didn't understand what she meant with that. Only Eris didn't look shocked and when I arched a brow at him, he only shrugged.
"When I saw you stop that dragon, I knew. If you hadn't bonded with it, it would have killed you." Oh, great. Amren started a whole rant about how that wasn't even possible and that dragons went instinct ages ago. But the dragon atop the mountain was reminder enough that it was indeed possible, she switched to inform us that Pyrogael and I were now united.
"Your lives are bonded. One life ends when the other does." I opened my mouth, another question ready, when Eris grasped my hand and squeezed it.
"Dragons are immortal. Like Fae." I blinked at him, his hard stare trying to push information into my brain before I finally registered what he was saying.
"I am immortal?" The question came out as a whisper and Eris gave me a small smile.
"Congratulations, girl." Amren said but it didn't sound like she was congratulating me at all. Rather as if this was a big inconvenience for her. I was immortal. The fear I had since I first became friends with Nyx was now nothing I had to worry about. I wouldn't grow old. I wouldn't die at the age of 80. I could spend forever with my friends, with my family. With my mate.
Smiling brightly at Eris, I squeezed his hand once.
And then a complicated briefing of what went down in my world came down crashing my happy mood. Rhys told me how they infiltrated the base where Nyx had been kept at and that they, after freeing him, went to have a conversation with the humans present. Who called the German government. And upon talking with them they were invited to come back next week to console with the governments of the rest of the world.
"They are curious about us and magic," Rhys explained. "And since we can't come and go as we please without them noticing, we agreed to the meeting." The look he gave me told me enough. They did that for me. So that I could see my family and friends whenever I wanted. Sometimes I wondered what I had done to deserve all of this.
"As much as I enjoy this exchange of information," Eris said at some point, "but I need to return to my Court and explain the change of leadership." His eyes landed on me and I remembered what I had said earlier. I hadn't changed my mind.
"I'll come with you."
"I'd like you to see the healer first." Feyre said, her voice full of worry. I couldn't blame her, I felt weak as hell and I probably looked even worse.
"We have excellent healers ourselves." Eris announced, his arm sneaking around my waist as I gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'll be fine, don't worry."
"What about the beast?" Amren asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
"He seems to know where I am," I said, "I'm sure he'll follow us after resting up a bit." And with that, Eris winnowed us away, inside a place I had never seen before but was sure was somewhat of a castle. And he had winnowed us right in front of a female who could be no other than his mother. She nearly jumped out of her armchair as she saw us pop out of the blue.
"Eris!" Her eyes instantly snapped to me.
"Hello." I said, suddenly a little shy, "My name is Amber."
"She is my mate." Eris announced and the mouth of his mother fell open.
"And she killed Beron which is why I am High Lord now." I winced at his bluntness.
"Couldn't you have said that a little nicer?" I grumbled and pinched him in the side. He didn't even react. Instead, he vanished and left me there with his mother who stared at me as if I was an alien. Shocked, I stared at the place where Eris had been a second ago. He didn't just really leave me here, did he?
His mother stared at me for a few seconds, before her hand flew to cover her mouth and her eyes, the same eyes as Eris, filled with tears. Oh no. With raised hands, I walked toward her, not wanting her to cry. But as soon as I was close enough to reach, she pulled me into her body and hugged me toward her. She was half a head smaller than me, yet I felt like a child hugged by a mother.
"He's found his mate." She breathed, her voice filled with content and happiness. Then she pulled back, her hands coming up to cup my face in her hands as she looked me in the eyes with nothing but love.
"And he is High Lord." Smiling at her, I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed gently.
"He has and he is." She cried happy tears, I realized. Finally, she was free from the monster she had to call husband for so many centuries. But my smile fell when I realized what I had done besides killing Beron.
"I am so sorry." I breathed, unable to keep the truth to myself.
"Two of your sons stood with Beron and were ready to fight along side him..." she hushed even when her eyes filled with the sorrow only a mother could feel.
"I knew that day would come." She admitted, stroking my cheek slowly.
"If you hadn't done it, Eris would have." Smiling sadly, she added, "I love all my children but only Eris and Lucien ever had something good in them. I am sure he is hunting down the last of his brothers right this moment." I had forgotten that there was another Vanserra.
"My name is Elliora." She said and snuck one arm around my waist to guide me out of the huge room that seemed to be some sort of library. I hadn't even noticed my surroundings, too focused on Elliora.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled and she smiled back at me, guiding me through a long hallway.
"While I show you to your chambers," she said, "tell me how you met my son, will you?" The story was one she seemed to enjoy, laughing at the way I handled our bargain, how I treated him and that I came to somehow love him.
"I am not sure that it's real love yet," I said to her. I had a feeling it was still too early for that.
"But I want to accept the bond nonetheless. I think he is good for me."
"You are certainly good for him," the Lady of Autumn said, a smug smile on her beautiful lips.
"And the rest you'll figure out on the way."
"Doesn't it bother you?" I blurted out as she came to a halt before a massive wooden Door decorated with carved in flames and ... dragon wings.
"That I am human, I mean." Elliora only smiled at me and opened the door before pushing me gently inside.
"I couldn't care less," she answered and I found myself in some sort of antechamber. While talking, I had noticed how dull the hallways had looked, blank tiles and walls, no decorations or paintings or anything. It looked unwelcoming and cold.
"Besides, I can feel that there is more to you than just being human." I felt my cheeks heat up as Pyrogael came to my mind and I wondered how she'd react if she saw a dragon in her yard tomorrow.
"That's because I found a dragon and bonded with him." I confessed and her mouth fell open again.
"A saint." She gasped and I scrunched my brows together. That was the second time someone had called me that.
"What does that mean?" Elliora looked at me in awe.
"We used to worship dragons," she said, "legends say they gave us our fire magic. We thought we had lost them forever but you brought one back to us. And you bonded with one ... you are a living saint to the people of Autumn." Then she seemed to focus again and pulled me further into the room.
"How fitting, for the Lady of Autumn." Now I was shocked.
"What?" Elliora went to one of the walls where a rope was hanging from the ceiling. Pulling on it, I felt magic on my tongue and a few seconds later, a small faerie flew into the room. She was a flame, the size of my upper arm, in the body of a woman. And she was naked.
"Rue," Elliora smiled and Rue bowed in the air. A servant, I realized.
"Please let all my personal things be removed from these chambers, as well as all personal things from Beron from his chambers. We have a new High Lord and this will be his Lady." I gaped at her as Rue bowed before me before flying away again.
"What?" I repeated and Elliora laughed.
"These are the chambers of the Lady of the Autumn Court, which is now you. I'll move to different chambers." She guided me into a common room, filled to the brim with books.
"You can decorate and change whatever you want. These rooms will look exactly as you want them to." Then she pulled me into a huge bedroom with two doors in it.
"This leads to the bathroom." She pointed at one and led me to the other. After opening it, I saw it leading into another bedchamber.
"And here will be Eris' chambers." That was way too much for me.
"I can't just kick you out of your rooms!" I protested. But she only smiled and squeezed my arm.
"I've never had happy memories here, Amber." She said. "I don't leave them behind with sorrow." Her face showed nothing of pain or uneasiness and then she smiled broadly at me.
"Come, I'll show you the most important places while the chambers are cleaned out." I didn't object, one because I was grateful she was trying to help me get settled and two, because I had a feeling she needed this as a distraction to the thought that one of her children was currently murdering the other.

Before showing me around, she brought me to a healer, who bandaged my hands and gave me some tonic to drink that made me feel better instantly. Then she showed me the dining room, the ballroom, the throne room and the war room with the words that she was sure I needed to be included with my dragon. And even though I enjoyed her company and was impressed by the potential this castle had, it felt cold and unwelcoming. And I missed Eris. I was so happy when I felt him back. He was somewhere on the grounds but still too far away for my liking. Until I heard the sound of talons on marble coming closer fast. And then I saw two of Eris' hounds running around the corner of one of the hallways, straight at me. They stopped right at my feet and panted, their tails waggling.
I laughed as I saw them and Elliora smiled gently at them. Running my hands over their heads, one of them barked as if to say that he liked it.
"I hope you don't mind your new bodyguards." I startled as Eris stepped around the corner, his hands folded behind his back, a teasing smile on his lips. There was no trace of blood to be seen.
"Bodyguards?" I asked with a raised brow but the smile still didn't leave my face.
"I thought you'd prefer them to sentries." Oh, he was right with that.
His mother opened her arms and he went in for the hug, holding the back of her head with one hand.
"Did you show her around?" He asked and his mother nodded.
"Your rooms are being cleaned at the moment." An idea came to my mind and I smiled at Eris as they left their hug.
"Are you free?" Eris smiled at me and stretched out his hand for me to take.
"For you, I am always free." I rolled my eyes at the cheesy line but asked anyway.
"Would you show me the kitchen? We haven't gotten there yet." The look in his eyes changed and Elliora excused herself with a knowing smile before winnowing away.
"This way." He said and led me down the hallway.

Inside the kitchen, I ordered him to sit while I rummaged through the cabinets. I wasn't sure how he'd done it but I was sure it was his fault that no one was inside this huge thing of a kitchen.
"Tell me what happened."
"I killed my brother," he said before continuing, "then I made an official announcement to my court that my father is dead, that I am their new High Lord and that the new Lady of the Autumn Court is my mate and bonded with a dragon." I put out a pan, some oil and an egg. Cringing, I turned to look at him.
"Couldn't you have not mentioned that last detail." Heating up the pan I spread the oil in it.
"There is no way they won't notice the dragon," Eris grinned, "besides if everyone believes you a Saint, no one will attack you and everybody will yearn to protect you. It's a win-win." Rolling my eyes, I cracked open the shell of the egg and let the insides glide into the pan, making a fried egg.
"And why does it look like nobody has lived here for years?" I asked as I salted the egg and added some pepper for flavor.
"Because my father was an asshole that found pretty things and design as useless and weak." Putting the fried egg on a plate, I turned around and placed it with a knife and a fork in front of him on the table.
"Can I decorate?" I asked, not letting go of the plate.
"However you like." He said and I smirked at him before letting the plate go and sat down in front of him.
"Then, eat up." He didn't need to be told twice.