Witchbane (Book 5 in The Twilight Court Series) Read online

  Sitting on my plush bed, beneath the canopy of blooming jasmine, was a wood chest, carved with the Unseelie device, an outline of a shield with a circle in its center. Simple but effective. Especially when the shield was painted black and the circle done in silver, to represent the full moon. But this device wasn't painted, it was just a simple carving in the wood, proclaiming who the box had come from. I scowled at it, and then turned to Tiernan.

  “Do you know what that is?” I asked him.

  “No idea,” he scowled even worse than I, and headed over to the item. After peering at it intently, and then nudging it with a finger, he shrugged. “Seems safe enough. Go ahead and open it.”

  “Really?” I grimaced at him. “That was the extent of your inspection, guardsman? A stare and a poke with your finger? Great work there, Sherlock.” I looked to the puka, “Cat, what do you think?”

  She went forward while Tiernan rolled his eyes, and sniffed at the box. Then Cat sat and gave a sharp yip. All clear. She was better than a bomb dog.

  I smirked at Tiernan as I passed him, and he shook his head, “I used my magic to determine that it was safe.”

  “Yeah, okay,” I teased him as I opened the lid.

  The box held another box inside it. A black velvet affair, like the kind used for jewelry, except way too big to hold a necklace. I flipped the gold latch, threw back the lid, and gaped at the contents.

  A crown sat upon a cushion of velvet, with little, velvet-covered prongs holding it in place. It was a simple band of polished jet, with a silver crescent moon set into the stone at center front. The moon was on its back, so that the crescent points faced up. Like dragon horns.

  “What the hell does that dragon think he's doing?!” I screeched.

  Cat hopped up on the bed and started sniffing at the crown. She didn't find Raza's gift disturbing at all. So she gave me her version of a shrug, turned about three times in a circle, and then settled down on the velvet blankets to take a nap.

  “Perhaps this will explain,” Tiernan said stiffly. He held an envelope out to me. It had my name scrawled across it in Raza's aggressive script.

  I took a deep breath and took the envelope from Tiernan. Inside it was a letter from Raza. I read it once silently, my face twisting with anger as my heart twisted with something I didn't want to acknowledge. I crumpled up the note and tossed it across the room.

  Tiernan waved his hand, and a breeze brought the wadded up paper back to him. I didn't stop him from reading it, and he did so aloud, “This belongs to you. You and I both know it. Bring it back to me, when you're ready to wear it, and I shall crown you myself. Your kingdom and your king await.” Tiernan's jaw clenched and he re-crumpled the paper. “He's got style, I'll give him that.”

  I was already heading into my library.

  “What are you doing?” Tiernan called after me, but I didn't answer.

  The library was a circular room attached to my tower. It was like a mini tower slapped on a tower. Sounds weird, but it actually looks pretty cool from the outside. I hadn't even known it was there until I had remarked upon Keir's library, and he realized he hadn't shown me the hidden door which led to my own. The wooden shelves which lined the stone walls were rapidly filling with fairy books I was accumulating. Research I needed to do to learn more about my own people. But I wasn't interested in reading at the moment. I needed to do some writing.

  So I went to the little desk which sat near the room's only window, and sat down in the heavy wooden chair there. I calmly took a piece of parchment and wrote my own note. Then I took that back to the crown, re-wrapped everything, and placed the note on top of the velvet box.

  Tiernan looked it over before I shut the wooden lid, and he began to smile.

  Thank you, but I already have a crown, and mine sparkles. ~ Seren Firethorn, Twilight Princess

  “I never thought I'd admit to liking something that sparkles,” I chuckled as Tiernan pulled me in against his chest.

  “Sparkles suit you, little star,” he brushed his lips against mine. “Much more than that dull moon.”

  “Oh?” I cast a look towards the window. “Twilight is near. Ready to see me really sparkle?”

  “I'm drowning in anticipation,” his lips lowered again.

  As we kissed, the twilight magic came upon me and I let it trickle out of my fingertips. The lavender shimmers coasted over Tiernan's skin as I shivered through the power rush. Tiernan's mouth lowered to my neck, his body going rigid as he shared the pleasure with me. Teeth nipping at my flesh, he growled, then tossed me onto the bed.

  Cat yowled and leaped away in one direction while the box fell in another. Our traveling clothes were eagerly cast aside, boots and clothes falling to cover that horrid box. My sparkling fingers were digging into Tiernan's shoulders, pulling him closer as I shifted my thighs around his hips. He slid home and we both moaned in happiness. The dark tips of his long, silky, ombré hair, pooled on my breasts, tickling me with every movement. I closed my eyes to the delicate sensations as they combined with the wild thrusting of Tiernan's hips. My head turned, tossing in ecstasy, and when I opened my eyes again, my gaze settled on the discarded box. Raza's arrogant gift was just barely peeking out of the pile of clothing, determined to be seen.

  Why did it seem so forlorn there? So lost and alone? And why did that make me feel the same way?

  Chapter Four

  After I finally drug myself away from Tiernan's intoxicating embrace, I went to find Mairte. My brownie maid would know how to go about sending Raza's gift back to him. Cat trailed after me, but Tiernan was still passed out in my bed.

  On my way downstairs, I ran into my cousin Bress. I was still getting used to seeing him prowling the halls of Castle Twilight as a member of our court. Bress had saved my father at the battle for Unseelie, and in return, we'd given him sanctuary. Actually, it wasn't really in return, the offer of sanctuary had been made awhile back. And it wasn't really sanctuary anymore, now that Raza was the new King of Unseelie. But Bress' mother, Moire, was still on the loose, and Bress had no wish to see her. Like ever again. It would probably be bad for his health, both mental and physical. Moire was just as diabolical as Uisdean, maybe more so. Bress had been conceived through rape, and Moire had been the rapist.

  “Cousin,” Bress nodded to me with a soft smile. “How did the council meeting go?”

  What was even stranger than seeing Bress in Twilight's halls, was hearing him speak to me like a normal person. No snark or scorn. No innuendos.

  “As well as it could have,” I shrugged. “They're sending some teams out to collect Uisdean and Rue.”

  “They've been found already?” Bress' slate brows lifted.

  “Actually, the witches had been monitoring the Alaskan rath, and they followed Uisdean when he came through with Rue,” I chuckled.

  “So you don't have to be involved any further?”

  “Nope,” I smiled brighter. “I can't tell you what a relief that is.”

  “You don't have to tell me, I can imagine,” his swirling gray eyes lost focus for a second. “We Thorns can be difficult to conquer.”

  “Yep, our uncle has been a thorn in my side for awhile now,” I smirked.

  “Bad form, Cousin,” Bress said dryly, then a smile twitched over his lips.

  “Has there been any word on your mother?” I switched the conversation to the other Thorn.

  “No, nothing,” he sighed. “I don't wish her ill. Honestly, I hope they never find her.”

  “As long as you don't have to see her again?”

  “I miss her,” he clenched his jaw, “and I hate her for that. Does that make any sense?”

  “She did a number on you,” I nodded. “It's going to take awhile for you to recover.”

  “Yes,” he took a deep breath. “But at least here, I can begin to heal.”

  “Seren?” Keir called up to me.

  “It was pleasure, as always, Seren,” Bress bowed like a courtier and continued up the stairs.

>   “Hey, Dad,” I went down to meet Keir.

  “I see you've opened Raza's present,” Keir's eyes were twinkling. And you haven't seen twinkling eyes until you've seen purple, star eyes twinkle.

  “Yeah,” I glowered at the box. “Do you know how I can send it back?”

  “Send it back?” Keir looked down at the box in dismay. “What did he give you, Seren?”

  “The Unseelie Queen's crown.”

  “What?” Keir's eyes went round. “He sent you the crown? That's supposed to remain in the treasury until he marries.”

  “Well, Raza isn't exactly the most traditional guy,” I rolled my eyes. “Despite his age.”

  “You can't just ship back the Unseelie crown like a box of chocolates, Seren,” Keir took the wood box from me reverently. “You'll have to take it yourself.”

  “He shipped it to me,” I huffed.

  “Actually, no, he didn't,” Keir chuckled. “I had wondered why he came for a visit, in the midst of settling his kingdom.”

  “Raza was here?” I have no idea why that thought sent a jolt through my belly.

  “Yes, and now we know why he made the trip,” Keir cradled the box protectively. “Are you certain you wish to return this? It will be like a punch in the face for him.”

  “A slap in the face, Dad,” I smiled despite myself. “A punch is a little much.”

  My fairy father was constantly trying to use human phrases around me, in an effort to make me feel more at home. I had a sudden thought that Keir, at least, was trying to make compromises for me, while Tiernan simply expected me to change to suit the Fairy Realm. But then, Tiernan had hated humans until I had come along. He'd only pursued me because he'd felt the Call of Danu and found it impossible to ignore. Though even as he seduced me, he'd done so furiously, almost as if he were angry at the both of us over our attraction to each other. He'd changed of course, but when I thought about the old, human-hating Tiernan, it made me worried.

  Twilight fey, with their mixed ancestry, were more accepting of my human half. But Tiernan wasn't a twilight fairy by birth. He was originally a seelie. And the seelie were the snobbiest fairies around. Tiernan had been cast out of the Seelie Kingdom for saving his mother from the Seelie Queen (my crazy grandma), and my father took Tiernan in, giving him a new home. Kind of ironic actually. My grandmother banished Tiernan and then my father saved him. But that's what Twilight had been created for, to be a sanctuary for outcasts as well as the blended, twilight fairies.

  “And yet I think my version would be more appropriate,” Keir sighed, bringing me back to the slap versus punch thing. “If you return the crown, Raza will feel deeply insulted.”

  “It will be his own damn fault,” I grumbled. “He assumed way too much, bringing that thing here.”

  “Or he hoped,” Keir said gently. “Raza doesn't have the time to woo you now. He must solidify his kingdom and his status as king. That he even put aside a day to come here and bring you this, shows how much he loves you.”

  “Dad,” I whined like a teenager. “Can you not say things like 'woo' to me?”

  “Seren, a man does not offer a woman a crown if he doesn't love her.”

  “They used to do it all the time in the Human Realm,” I said petulantly. “In fact, there were very few kings who actually loved their queens. Henry VIII swore he loved several of his wives, but he also killed them.”

  “He what?” Keir was horrified.

  “Never mind, that's an oversimplification,” I shrugged. “The point is, in HR, the gift of a crown didn't always mean love was involved.”

  “Well it does in Fairy,” Keir said firmly. “Here, we marry for love or not at all.”

  “And yet you're encouraging me to marry Raza because of what it would do for Fairy,” I pointed out.

  “Is that why I'm encouraging you?” Keir smiled mischievously.

  “Dad,” I rolled my eyes.

  I don't know what it was about my fairy father that made me turn into a sixteen-year-old girl. Maybe it was his age. When someone was hundreds of years older than you, it tended to make you feel immature.

  “I may not have raised you, Seren,” Keir laid a warm hand to my cheek. “But I believe I know you very well. We've grown close, and I've learned to read your every expression. The one you wear when you look at Raza is a favorite of mine.”

  “I love Tiernan, Dad,” I didn't bother to deny how I felt about Raza. I had admitted it to myself. Once. In my head. I just wasn't ready to say it out loud. “I can't be with Raza.”

  “You could if you'd stop being so stubborn and prudish,” Keir paused to nod to a group of fairies passing by. “A fairy trinity can become extremely powerful. A king, a hunter, and you? The possibilities are unlimited.”

  “A trinity? You mean a threesome?” I huffed. “A menage a trois?”

  “Yes, darling, a threesome,” Keir shook his head at me. “In Fairy, it's not just about the sex. Here, a relationship between three people can be beautiful and magical.”

  “I don't want a relationship with two men, Dad,” I sliced my hand through the air to demonstrate how strongly I felt about it. “Period. It's not going to happen. Too much damn work, if you ask me. I mean, where would I even put- never mind.”

  “The Call of Danu could change your-”

  “No,” I cut him off. “I love our goddess, but this is my life. She's not going to tell me how to live it. No matter how much passion pressure she puts on me.”

  Cat whined as I turned and stalked away from Keir. But she still trotted after me. At the main doors to the castle, I stopped and flung back over my shoulder, “Send that back to Raza or lock it up, I really don't care which. But I'm not taking it to him.” I slammed out of the doors, muttering under my breath, “That's just what that damn dragon is expecting me to do.”

  Chapter Five

  “Wanna go for a ride?” I asked Cat as we headed down the main castle stairs.

  Her answer was to shift into her horse form. I smiled up into her soft, brown eyes and gave her sleek, gray coat a stroke. She was a beautiful horse, her mane just a shade lighter than her coat, and both gleamed in the sunlight. But it was the first time since the battle that I'd seen her in this shape, and it vividly brought back the memory of her lying beside me with a gaping wound in her chest.

  My hand shook as I removed it from her back, and I had to blink rapidly to hold back my tears. If you had told the old, human, extinguisher me that I'd care so deeply about an animal someday, that I'd stop fighting mid-battle, just to be with her as she died, I would have called you three types of insane. But the bond I'd formed with Cat was something powerful. It was love, yes, but also a kinship. A rare feeling, even among humans. That ability to look into another's eyes and see yourself in them. It was a bond worth dying for. Worth killing for. And worth refusing to kill for. I didn't regret laying down beside her on that battlefield. Not for a second. Especially since it ended up saving her life.

  Well, partially. Raza was actually the one who brought Cat the healer. But if I hadn't have stayed with Cat, Raza would never have flown to our aid. He had given up his advantage to retreat back to rear lines, where Cat and I had fallen. Raza covered us with his massive, dragon body, protecting us until he could get a healer to come and save Cat. I could still see him standing over us, roaring his battle cry to the approaching Sluagh. He saved us because he... nope, not going there. Those are dangerous, dragon waters.

  As always, Cat knew exactly what I was feeling. She angled her head to mine, and leaned her soft face against my cheek. We stayed that way awhile, in silent communion, and then I laughed and pulled away.

  “Let's get out of here before I start bawling like a baby.”

  She neighed her agreement.

  I used the castle steps to climb on her bare back, and we rode toward the magic gate of Twilight, my hands clenched tight in her mane. The illusion of a delicate, amethyst framework disappeared when we approached it. As the heir to Twilight, I didn't need to h
ave the gate guards lift the ward for me. The gate, as did the rest of the castle, knew me. It lifted all on its own.

  Someone called to me from the ramparts, but I just waved at them over my shoulder. I didn't want to stop and explain where I was going, which is no doubt, what they wanted to know. I didn't want to deal with the headache of the man insisting he call my Guard for me. I just needed some time to myself. A nice ride through Twilight would clear my head of all my recent drama. Not the least of which was a big, red, dragon king.

  I had subconsciously started towards Danu's Sacred Grove, but I stopped Cat when I realized where we were headed. I didn't want to talk to the Goddess today. I wanted to be alone, just me and Cat. So we veered to the right and followed a trail into the forest. The path was well trod, which meant I could trust it to take me somewhere safe (relatively). So we just ambled along, enjoying the beautiful and unique atmosphere. Even the birdsong was sweeter in Fairy, more melodic, as if they were actually singing music.

  I smiled and sighed, my shoulders finally falling in relaxation. I breathed in the scent of delicate flowers, ripe fruit, and green, growing things. The sun sprinkled the path with glowing jewels, thin shafts of light piercing the tree cover to illuminate little spots of color. Furred creatures rustled through the underbrush, eyes occasionally peering out at me warily. It was perfect. One of those moments which helped to erase my homesickness for the Human Realm. Fairy was hard to compete with.

  “Still, I'd give anything for a Starbuck's flat white with a shot of toffee syrup,” I sighed and Cat nickered. “Are you laughing at me?” I angled my head to look at her. “You only think it's funny because you've never had a Starbucks coffee. Or pizza. Or Chinese food. Or Chinese pizza! Agh, now I'm hungry.”

  Cat trotted to the side of the path, where a bush loomed. It was hanging heavy with deep purple berries, ripe and fragrant. They smelled delicious, and I grabbed a handful. But as we clomped away, I frowned down at the fruit. Fairy berries just weren't a substitute for pot roast pork pizza. I sighed and tossed another berry in my mouth. I didn't want to hurt Cat's feelings.