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“And cleaner,” Kes agreed. He even attempted to get Ciaran to send the little clean freaks immediately. Ciaran waved him off in the opposite direction making it clear they would begin their investigation now.
Ciaran was not sure how long they had been down in the windowless cavern of a room. Neither of them finding anything of importance until he found a door nestled between two hulking shelves. It had been hidden behind a tapestry that caught his attention because it depicted a scene he had never seen before. He wouldn’t have even noticed it if there hadn’t been a shift of air from behind the tapestry. He pushed it aside revealing the door, then he pushed the door open and was greeted with a downward spiraling staircase. He called Kes over; the two of them made their way down the stairway, illuminated only by their orbs. Neither of them thought twice about descending the stairs to an unknown part of the palace.
Once they reached the bottom, they were both stunned by the sight. There were piles of artwork, treasures, more books, and scrolls that looked to be far better organized than that of the room above them. Before they could make their way further into the chamber, Ciaran received the message he had been waiting on from Etain; she declared they were ready to be retrieved. The two males tried to port out from the room to the gates of the coven, but neither of them were able to do so. There must’ve been wards all around this room blocking certain types of power and magic, which only grew Ciaran’s curiosity further.
They quickly made their way back up the stairs, shut the door, and covered it up with the tapestry before porting to the gates of the coven. Ciaran could not stop thinking about the contents of the mystery room he had stumbled upon. He had never heard any mention of such a place, nor had he ever read about it in any of his ancestors’ journals. All thoughts of the room vanished as Etain appeared and ran to his waiting embrace.
“Did you enjoy your time, little witch?” Ciaran asked Etain, even though he could see the excitement in every step she took, and in the way her face was lit up in wonder.
“Oh, Ciaran, it was wonderful! I have loads to tell you! Why are you covered in dust? Oh, I invited the whole coven to our ceremony.”
Ciaran’s eyes went wide, then he threw his head back in laughter. He would enjoy watching his court attempt to navigate such dramatic changes so quickly.
“Of course you did, my little witch. It will be good for you to have your people there to witness not only our mating ceremony, but our ascension as well. I’m sure it will feel like a monumental occasion for them, too.”
Etain looked up at him quizzically.
“There has never been a witch to take the throne of any court, my love. You will be the first.”
Etain’s eyes grew wide.
“As for the dust, well you are not the only one with ‘loads’ to tell.”
“Well then, I suppose you better take me home. I also find myself rather hungry,” she said in a sultry voice Ciaran had yet to hear from her, “...in more ways than one.”
Ciaran wondered what exactly she had learned with the head witch. He needed no further enticement, as he ported them to his bedchambers and quickly began undressing his little witch. She ran from him giggling, but he caught her easily. He knew he would do anything to make sure Etain kept that lighthearted laughter and playful nature as they fell into the bed.
“You really are quite dusty,” Etain said as she ran her hands through his hair. Those were the last coherent words out of her mouth as their bodies began to move together.
Ciaran’s male ego grew as Etain made a variety of different sounds of pleasure. He decided at that moment he would know all the sounds she could make before they left this realm for the afterlife.
Forty Four
Keshadknownfromthe beginning that Anin was keeping secrets. He had been content to let her keep them, but with the death of the Day King, he now felt he needed to know everything. What had the Day Court wanted with Anin? Why was the Day Court trying to kill her? He didn’t know how he was supposed to protect his nymph when he had no idea what danger was coming for her.
She obviously feared something or someone enough that she fled to the Human Realm. Once Kes had captured her and the blood oath agreed upon, the only thing she had truly requested was the strongest protection available.
The question still remained, from who exactly in the Day Court did she need protection? With everything that happened, Ciaran hadn’t had time to question Anin for the information she held about the Day Court. After discovering what the Day Court was doing with the witches it had taken, Ciaran’s main priority was to keep Etain safe. The best way for him to do that was to ascend the throne and fully come into his power.
Kes, on the other hand, was afraid of failing to protect Anin again if she didn’t let him in just a little bit. He could not understand why she still did not trust him. He thought he had repeatedly proven to have her best interests at heart. He had even taken a blood oath for her, and if that didn’t convince her, he had no idea what would.
He supposed he could use one of his five questions. Although, knowing Anin the way he did now, he didn’t think that would go over too well. She did not like being backed into a corner or forced to do anything. The only time he had seen her let her guard down was with her adoptive sisters. He considered trying to talk to them, to see if they could give him any insight. On second thought, he was pretty sure they would never reveal information Anin didn’t freely give.
He knew she had to be more than simply a wood nymph. Her power was too vast to be just a lesser fae. It felt nearly as powerful and as deep as Kes’s own power did. What about her lineage gave her that kind of power? Who was more powerful than her that she needed to be protected from? Why did she have no real grasp on how to use the power within her? She was fluent in her wood nymph magic, yet incredibly behind on her power. His feathers kept ruffling, giving away his agitation.
“Kes, my darling fluff ball, you are extra fluffy these days. I must say you do look rather enticing, to make an extra plush blanket out of.” Anin smirked from where she sat in one of her favorite chairs in the lounge of his quarters.
It was reallytheirquarters now, he supposed. He knew she enjoyed bantering with him and normally he did as well, but the dread he was feeling kept him from being able to volley with her. Sensing his forlorn mood, her smirk slowly slipped away. Something in Kes’s chest sank at the sight of her joy dissipating. He despised being the cause of it.
“Well, out with it. You’re absolutely dreadful right now,” she said as she crossed her arms. She sat a little straighter and grew tense as if she knew a discussion was coming, one she would not want to have.
He knew he needed to tread carefully or she would close off from him entirely. If there was one thing Kes was not, it was being tactful. He knew he was about to mess this up, but her safety was too important not to try. He could deal with her hating him, hopefully just for a little while, as long as she stayed safe and free from harm.
He strode over to the seat opposite her and leaned forward to allow his wings to drape along the sides; he clasped his hands in his lap. “Anin, I am trying to respect your right to keep secrets, but I am also trying to protect you. I’m at a loss of how I can do that competently if I don’t know what I’m protecting you from.”
Anin stiffened at his words, and Kes sighed knowing he had already messed this up.
“You say you are trying to respect my right to keep my secrets, yet you use my safety as a way to manipulate me into telling you what I am not yet ready to share. Kes, I do not think knowing my secrets would give you any advantage to keeping true to your blood oath.”
