AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The gashes on my legs, scabbed over though they might be, were hideous. They were long and thick, and there were five of them—one for each one of Crawl’s talons on the hand that had managed to get ahold of me. The scabs would heal and fall off, but I had the feeling that I’d be marked forever.
The bruising on my thighs was fairly evident, but it was less disconcerting than the fang marks on my breast. Lannan hadn’t drunk from me per se, but he’d bit me and nibbled, and the marks were there, a reminder of the fierceness of the night. While there were various other bumps and bruises from the fight in the underground passage, nothing else I could find marked me as Lannan’s play toy.
Hell, who are you kidding? He was your play toy, too. Blood Fever or not, you remember the night, and you remember the hunger you felt.
Shaking the thought away, I stepped into the tub, wincing as the hot water welcomed me in. I settled into the mound of bubbles and leaned back, letting the warmth of the water wash into my sore muscles, over the scabs on my legs.
I was just closing my eyes when a soft knock at the door brought the maid to her feet from where she was sitting at the vanity table.
She answered the door and escorted Rhia in. Rhiannon was dressed in jeans, which was startling in itself, and a brown leather jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid, and there was something about her expression that left me sad. There was something missing from her eyes—an innocence. The frightened, haunted look that had both been tragic and made her the woman she was had vanished, and now fire filled her eyes.
She rushed over to me, kneeling by the tub, and took my chin in her hand. I leveled my gaze with hers, holding nothing back. We were cousins; we had no secrets other than where our heartstones were hidden, and that secret was absolutely necessary.
“How…has your leg healed up?” I could hear the question behind the question as she leaned on the edge of the bath.
I reached out and covered her hand with my own. “I’m alive, and that’s what counts. My leg is a mess, but it’s healing, and it wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for Lannan.” I lifted it for her to see, and she grimaced.
“Lannan didn’t hurt me. The Blood Fever had me in thrall, and I needed him. He didn’t humiliate me. He just…gave me what I needed. And what he’s wanted for weeks now.” I could see the doubt waging war on her face. I entwined my fingers through hers. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“If you say so.” She looked like she wanted to say more.
I was about to ask what happened after Crawl had attacked me, where Geoffrey and Leo went, but first, I needed to know how she was. Leo had brutalized her, and Rhiannon wasn’t as resilient as I was.
“What about you? We saw the DVD.” I didn’t want to embarrass her, but she had to know.
“The others told me.” She bit her lip. “Leo…I can’t just go along the same as I’ve always been and still expect to rule as the Summer Queen. My initiation led me through a dark journey. I almost didn’t make it, Cicely, but I pulled through. After Leo caught me, the strength I drew on from that, the power that kept me going through the initiation, that’s what helped me survive him. What you saw on that video wasn’t the worst of what happened. I’ll tell you about it all when I’m ready but not now. Not with him still out there. But I will tell you this: I’m ready to claim my power. Chatter is going to teach me, along with a few of the adepts from the Marburry Barrow, not just how to control my flame but how to increase it.”
I paused, then let out a long sigh. While Lannan had humiliated me before, I could never truly say he’d raped me. Abused me? Yes, but not like Leo had assaulted my cousin. “How’s Chatter?”
She hesitated for a moment, then dipped her finger in the bubbles and swirled them around. “He’s different. Not in a bad way—not to me. But this changed him, too. He’s no longer…”
“No longer Grieve’s sidekick?” I smiled at her.
“Right. He’s going to make one hell of a formidable Summer King. I guess this had to happen, but…”
“If it had only happened another way,” I said softly, and she nodded.
I was as clean as I was going to get, and it was time to face the music. “Is Grieve out there, waiting?”
She bit her lip. “Yes. Cicely, last night was the hardest thing he’s ever done. You should have seen his face when Lannan carried you off. He loves you more than life itself, and for him to let Lannan do what he did…”
I stepped out of the tub, and Rhia sighed. “Your leg looks so painful.”
“That’s why Grieve allowed it. I would have bled out. These aren’t chicken scratches. I almost died.”
I stared down at my legs. The bruises on my thighs were evident, but Rhia delicately avoided mentioning them. “He’s a pain in the ass, but the fact is that Lannan saved my life. What happened last night, happened. I’m not caught up in thrall by him, nor am I in love with him. Grieve and I will move beyond this.”
In that moment, I knew it was true. Rhia seemed to understand. She stood as the maid brought over an upholstered bag. Rhia took it and waved her away.
“I brought you some clothes. Druise picked them out.”
As I toweled off, she withdrew a long indigo skirt, which wouldn’t rub against my wounds; a pair of panties; and a gorgeous black and silver corset. I suddenly realized that my circlet was missing.
“My crown—”
The words had no more than escaped my lips when the maid jumped up. “I’ll fetch it for you, Your Majesty.” She vanished out the door and I began to dress, Rhiannon helping me into the corset.
“I swear, I know Druise likes to pull my laces, but I’m going to have her fix a few of these damned things so I can just slip into them and hook them up. If she’s not around, I need to be able to get them on without her help.”
