Chapter 35
The place where we stayed was a small little house on the outskirts of town with everything we could ever need. Lawrence had made sure to stock up on everything and was even able to tell the town all about me and my new foundling. Betraying my prince didn't have a good feeling attached and I knew it would be worse as I watched her grow and develop. It bothered every day while I watched her grow up but I could do nothing about it. I didn't pay much attention to the talkings of the town when we arrived but I did talk to them and gathered news about the princes and their families.
As for Rayne, she grew up fast. Her gurgling stopped after we left and she was able to walk by the time we got to the house. Her body looked like that of an eight year old after a year there. She looked twelve during the second year. Her growing process slowed down around her fourth year and she looked around sixteen. She was only three years old.
"Nam, you're staring at me again," Rayne reminded me as I watched her move around the kitchen.
"You look so much older than last year," I replied and she scoffed at me.
"Please, don't go that route. You know that it would happen this way. I don't even get why you go to town anymore. You just get depressed when you hear how everyone's moving on. It's stupid," she retorted and I frowned at her.
"I wasn't even talking about that," I harrumphed and she chuckled.
"Right," she rolled her eyes braiding her brown hair and tied a leather string around it. Her red eyes had changed to a more humble violet and they narrowed when I didn't reply. I was sitting at the table as she cooked. She preferred to cook after she was able to go out without me worrying about her. She never liked looking different than the other teenagers but she could only keep her appearance normal for so long. She let her cover drop when she fell asleep but other than that she never let it drop. I was the only one who ever knew what she would look like without that dragon magic. She used that more than the mermagic or the Selenium dances.
"What did you hear in town?" she questioned finally putting a cup of Ale in front of me and I glanced up at her.
"Thanks. Nothing big. Your father still isn't marrying who his father wants him to marry," I responded hoping that the tidbit would keep her from asking anymore questions. It didn't work. Then again it never did.
"Georgie told me that Prince Lawrence is marrying some noble from the Argon court," she told me ruthlessly and I scowled at her. She only did it to make it known that she knew but she didn't have to put the extra sting on it.
"What about it?" I said and she glared at the chicken roasting on the spit before rounding on me with all the spitfire courage that I ever had.
"Don't you dare tell me that you don't care! You know very good and well what's going to happen when they consummate the marriage! What are you planning on doing about it?" She fought slamming her hands down on the table and I looked up at her with a sigh.
"What do you want me to do? Cut my mark out? It hurt like hell last time and I'm sure I can do it again but I'll have to cut through some of the bone and that's..." I trailed off as I saw her purple eyes turn to their original red. She was losing control.
"What are you saying? Are you saying that you don't have any problems with divorcing him? What happened to being a Selenium?" She bit down and hard at that but I didn't flinch. I had been down this road before while she hadn't.
"What happens, happens. I can't change anything about it and neither can you," I remarked and she was about to reply when a knock on the door interrupted her. She got there before I did and she was glad for it when she saw who it was. I heard the sound of her fist going into someone's face and I jumped up to see who she had hit.
"You bastard!" she was roaring at Lawrence as she punched him again. "She'll do anything for you and you just take it for granted! What happened to chivalry, huh? I thought you were a gentleman who keeps his word but instead you're nothing but a coward who can't face his own mate for dinner. You're such a disgrace that..." I put my hand over her mouth and dragged her off him.
"Rayne, the chicken's burning," I told her and she glowered at me. As she went muttering off, I knelt beside Law and gently touched his wounds.
"She's gotten feisty," he wheezed as he tried to breath and I pulled him up.
"I know. Why are you here? You're not even supposed to be out of the capital," I worried and he leaned heavily against me. I smelled alcohol on his breath as he grinned at me from his bloodied face. He was drunk and from his tipsy expression he probably flew here from the capital by his tattoos.
"I had to see you. I have bad news," he muttered falling into a chair. He leaned his forehead against the table but Rayne didn't give him a chance to rest. She didn't like him very much because she knew that he wasn't going to get very far with actually marrying me.
"What do you have to say?" she demanded putting out a cup of water for him.
"Can't you give me a break? I can't even live with my lovely Naomi," he mourned and took a sip.
"I don't care if you never saw her again! You lousy low life son of a bitch! You use her and then you put her out on the street to 'kidnap' me. I don't like you or the kings," she steamed and I patted her on the shoulder.
"Language," I reminded her gently and she sank into chair opposite from where I stood but still far away from Law. "Why are you here Lawrence?"
"I have bad news," he hiccupped dropping his forehead back onto the table. "Very bad news."
"So what is it?" She repeated still waiting for an answer and I sat down waiting for him to answer her. He took another sip of the water and he stared at the fire in deep thought. The night dragged on but he didn't say anything else. He eventually just got up and went to my bedroom and fell asleep. Rayne had fallen asleep before that and had changed back into her original form. I put her to bed and closed the door to her room softly.
I knew that he was just going to confirm the rumors of marriage and I didn't want to be around when he woke up so I ended up going outside and climbing a tree to watch the sky change into the bright sunlight. I had never needed much sleep but I felt so exhausted by the stifling silence that I ended up falling asleep in the tree. It was around noon when I awoke next and I found myself against Law's chest.
"You're getting married aren't you?" I asked quietly and I felt him start.
"Yeah. The marriage is to help the peace process. Since Aiden wouldn't marry, I have to. I'm sorry," he mumbled and I leaned against him with a sigh.
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