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She looked at him warily, obviously exhausted and likely fearful of another deal after Kes’s trick on her. She sat up straight in her chair using the last dregs of energy she had. She then gave a small sniff and cleared her throat gathering her wits.
“I need protection if I am to remain in this realm and also remain alive.” She looked back to Kes. “Someone strong enough to protect me against the Day Court, so surely it can be no one but yourself, Prince Ciaran. Even then, I am not certain it will be enough. The Human Realm was my last ditch effort to keep my life. I didn’t wish to go there, and I could never hope to blend in. I knew I was signing up for a lonely life; however, life seemed better than death.”
Kes felt the need to protect her and kill anyone who tried to take her from him. That made him fearful. Fear was not an emotion he had ever felt before. He didn’t care for it. Kes held her gaze and then smirked at her. “You think I am unable to go toe to toe with anyone from the Day Court, and yet you think the blue giant right here can? By the way, Ciaran,” Kes shifted his eyes to his cousin, “I do adore your witch. She has such lovely names for you.” He barely dodged the apple Ciaran chucked at his head while looking back to the nymph.
“My darling nymph, I must confess you wound me. I will have you know, the last time the prince and I got into a bit of an argument, we fought for six nights straight. I promise you we were trying very hard to kill each other. Eventually, we became bored fighting with no clear winner and called it a draw.”
Anin’s mouth hung open, and Kes enjoyed being able to have shocked her.
“I would hardly call it a mere argument,” Ciaran mumbled under his breath. “My cousin is correct, nymph. The two of us are equal in power, therefore he is as good of a candidate to take the blood oath as I would be. Therefore he will be the one to do it.”
Kes realized too late by singing his own praises, he basically signed up to take the blood oath. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t understand he found it impossible to be mad. The idea of anyone else making a blood oath with her made him feel a rage deep inside and want to destroy anyone who would dare.
The two males sitting in front of Anin were really starting to piss her off. The giant bird tricked her into a deal she would never have made under any other circumstances. She met another Walsh witch, whose words had been spoken with such rage, they were now running laps around Anin’s head. It had been a while since someone had stood up for her. The more she thought about what Etain had said, the more angry she became at these two beings. She had to remember they would not look out for her unless she made the blood oath with one of them. She was having an immensely hard time processing all of it.
Now Anin had to make her demands for the blood oath. She was exhausted without a solid sleep in days, nearly too tired to think clearly and make sure she didn’t fuck herself over. She was beginning to think that was the plan all along: keep her out of sorts and force her into making a bad deal. She knew it was the way of the fae, but she couldn’t help but feel wronged. Could they not see she was already balanced precariously on the edge of sanity, and if she fell off she would never come back from it? Probably not, since they appeared only to care for themselves. Again, it’s the fae way, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Okay, then,” She said with a sigh. “Protection within the entirety of this realm, comfortable quarters, no more cages, access to all of your libraries, and one on one time with Etain.”
She could see the prince visibly tense at the mention of Etain. “I promise, prince, I mean the witch no harm. I only wish to protect her privacy while I tell her what I know of her family. It seems a courtesy she should be afforded, does it not?”
It was interesting to see how attached the prince was to Etain. She had never seen a human treated so well by any fae, let alone the Prince of Darkness.
Ciaran held her eyes for a few moments. She could not quite read him, but thought she saw his internal battle to do what’s best for Etain; not something he was exactly comfortable with.
Finally, he nodded at her and said, “I believe we can be agreeable to this. We will meet again tomorrow, and I will have my demands ready for you both.”
Of course, he would give himself time to think up his terms. She should have known to require a counteroffer once hearing his demands. She knew she would fuck herself over again in the mental state she was in.
“Kes, don’t be late for the council meeting.” Before either of them could acknowledge his words, he was gone.
Anin looked at Kes. “I’m rather tired, and I would very much love to bathe before I sleep.”
She let the exhaustion seep into her voice tinged with the anger she could not hide. She really did not know how much longer she could stay awake. The thought of being vulnerable while sleeping near him made her especially uncomfortable, and yet, she didn’t truly fear him. She hated him almost as much as she wanted him. She seemed to have no control of her desires around him, and she hated him even more for that.
He simply stood, placed his hand on her shoulder, and then they were standing in a bedchamber. He knew how to port, and she found herself jealous, wanting to ask him to teach her how to do it. The idea of asking him for anything made her cringe. It would likely set her up for another cruel trick he could play on her. She had never been able to ask for help from anyone, with the exception of her adoptive sisters. She found it difficult to even ask them for help, being used to fending for herself.
“Through that door over there you will find your own personal bathing room, and these are your bedchambers. Feel free to do whatever you please with it. It’s yours for however long you reside in the palace. My room is across the hall. You know…if you should find yourself in need of anything.”
He winked at her, and it took every ounce of her willpower not to strike him across the face. She likely would have if she had not been so damn tired. She didn’t want to pick a fight she had no energy to finish.
She decided the best way to ruffle his feathers would be to not acknowledge his behavior at all. He appeared to live for the reactions his words and behavior often gave her. She turned without saying a single word to him and made her way to the door he had indicated for bathing, making sure to sway her hips excessively as she walked. She shut the door behind her. Leaning against the back of the door she took a deep breath and finally had some peace. She knew a simple door would not keep him out if he wished. Once she was fully rested and her power had recharged, she would place wards all around her new space.
She jumped when there was a loud bang on the bathroom door. There went her peace.
“Now, now, my darling nymph – be a good little girl while daddy is at work.”
She could hear the heat in his voice. She growled at him through the door trying hard not to give him the reaction he clearly wanted from her.
Anin had finally cracked and was going to give him a piece of her mind before slamming the door in his face. She threw open the door and planned to spew the vitriol bubbling inside her, but before she could get a single word out, Kes ported away leaving the echo of his laughter to taunt her. She hated him. He infuriated her like none other, and he took pleasure in doing so. She needed to get the rest her body desperately demanded. Once she did, she would be ready to take him on. She decided she would kill him and then make extravagant hats from his feathers.
She groaned when a tightness in her chest told her she felt the complete opposite of hate for the overgrown peacock. He had wronged her in many ways, she had no idea how she could ever feel anything but contempt for him. She refused to accept it; she would hate him till her dying breath, although something inside her knew she would never be free of him. He would find a way to make her accept that feeling in her chest; it didn’t mean she needed to make it easy for him.
She smiled to herself as she stood under the fall of warm water spraying in the corner of the black marbled bathing chamber. No, she would make it as difficult on him as possible.
Twelve
Ciaranwasalwaysthelast one to enter the council chambers. He delayed entering until all council members were waiting on him. He would randomly appear after the scheduled meeting time, sometimes making them wait hours. He always had Kes walk in before him, and then he would finally enter. He didn’t do it as a show of rank. He did it simply because he knew it pissed them off. He enjoyed watching their faces change color with rage. He always hoped it would make any of them step down. None of them had yet.
