Storm Born Chapter Sixteen

I slept the last rancid of the day and most of the checking unriv totally(a)ed as well. Only the essentials got me out of bed food, the bath manner, one phone c every last(predicate), and a meeting with Volusian after(prenominal) Kiyo had to pass on for Phoenix.I was dozing almost dinnertime that second day when Tims angry phonate in the living room woke me up. nary(prenominal) I dont care. She charters to sleep, approve? Ill give her the message, that stop c wholeing.Id heard Tim use that tone wholly on a fewer citizenry, so I had a recompense idea whom he spoke to. For whatever reason, despite having never met, he and Lara hated individually new(prenominal). Throwing on my robe, I shuffled out to the living room and saw him prattleing on my cell phone. The only progress wed make in cleanup thus far was to clear of clear a walking path through the debris. He pulled the receiver from his face.Its that bitch secretaire of yours. I wouldnt be go through answer ed except that she preserves c wholeing and calling. I told her you cant divvy up I reached for the phone. Its fine. I need to talk to her.Glaring, he handed it oer.Did your asshole roommate just call me a bitch? demanded Lara. He has no right Let it go, I ordered. Tell me whats up.Well, I got your message. Did the shoes show up?Yeah, theyre keen. What nigh the witch?I set it up. Hes going to come protect the place tonight. Hell need you to let him in.no(prenominal)prob. I wont be here, only if Tim will.Okay, and about the other daintygYeah?A long pause. Well, I dont compute I heard that part of the message right. It sounded the a wish well you verbalize you needed a practice in all case.I do need a dress.Silence.Whats the matter? Didnt I leave you my size?Yeah, you did, its just thata dress? I mean, youve asked me to get you roughly moderately crazy stuff antecedent and Im gloss everywhere kind of uneasy about that one time with the nitroglycerin only this is really out there, even for you.Oh, stop it. Just carry on care of this.I wasnt keen on the dress either, but Volusian had insisted during our rather bedside strategy session. If things fell into place with Dorian, Id be be an Otherworldly comp any on Beltane rather than waiting for an attack support here. Volusian had insisted I fall out making arrangements. What an age we lived in when spirit minions advised on fashion. some(prenominal) special requirements?I considered. nonhing bridesmaid or prom-ish. Think cocktail party. Simple. solely elegant.Sexy?Moderately.Color?As long as it looks good.All right. Got it. Ill lead it by next week. Oh, yeah, Wil Delaney called again.You dont set about to let me k instantly any more than than. I sort of get wind it as a given by now.So you dont come to to return it?No.We disconnected, and I hit the shower. Beltane eve, the big night, was fast approaching. this evening was the warm-up. The night I make my deal with the devil.Aft er digging out my dusty blow-dryer, I dried and brushed my hair until it gleamed. I didnt usually go for makeup non having the patience but a low foundation went a long way to hide the small bruises on my face from yesterdays blowout. I considered mascara superfluous with already dark spiritlashes, but when have with some smoky eye shadow, it did make my eyes look bigger. much lip get, and I barely recognized myself. I didnt look slutty or anything, but it had certainly been a long time since Id looked so polished.I considered a skirt but couldnt go that far. Instead, I opted for tight jeans and the new fractional-heeled sandals. The store top I selected was olive green, the same color as my moleskin coat, with thin straps meant to rest slightly finish up the shoulder. Each strap had a comminuted ruffle along its edge, as did the low, cleavage- display scoop neckline.Examining my reflection, I couldnt help a wistful sigh. I looked better tonight than I had when I met Kiy o. If only he could capture me now.I spritzed on some Violetta di Parma, grabbed my coat and weapons, and headed for the door. Tim tight fell out of his chair when he saw me.What are you doing? be you going out? You cant do that Not after what happened yesterday.Im feeling better, I lied. Actually, it was only partially a lie. Did I feel good? No. Did I feel better than yesterday? Yes.Youre crazy.Sorry. Got business that cant wait.Dressed bid that? he asked skeptically.Ignoring him, I drove out to the gateway in the desert. The mutation to the Otherworld was a minuscular rough in light of my weakened fleshly state, but I managed. Volusian and Nandi waited for me at the crossroads when I arrived. Finn hadnt felt deal showing. It was one of the downsides of not having him bound to me. We set out along the road. abruptly into the walk, I realized give outing heels was the Worst Idea Ever. I took them off and carried them the rest of the way. If I was going to keep seeing Dori an, I would need to leave an anchor at his place to facilitate crossings.Dont cross his door without ask cordial reception first, warned Volusian. Theyll disarm you in the first place you can enter. You dont want to do that without protection.I agreed, though I didnt like the idea of disarming in the first place.No one ambushed us this time, and I practically walked up to the gates without incident. The guards recognized me and locked into a defensive stance, weapons drawn.Our mistress comes in peace, verbalise Nandi mournfully. She would speak with the Oak King and ask his hospitality.Do you imagine of were ill-advised? asked one of the guards, eyeing me watchfully.Not exactly, I said. only when I do gestate you were here last time and saw that I didnt cause any apprehension. Maybe you also noticed I spent a mint of time in your kings bedroom. Trust me, hell want to see me.They conferred briefly and lastly sent one of their number away. He returned minutes later, grant ing me admittance and hospitality erst they had indeed disarmed me. They walked me through the same hallway as before but not up to the throne room door. Instead, we wound deeper into the keep until we stood at a set of glass doors leading out to some sort of garden or atrium.Our lord is outside, explained one of the guards, about to undetermined the doors.Volusian blocked his way. Get a herald to announce her. Shes not a prisoner anymore. And use her titles.The man hesitated, glanced at me, and then called for a herald. Moments later, a stout man dressed to the nines(p) head to foot in teal velvet hurried in. He looked at me and swallowed nervously before crack the doors. A handful of elegantly dressed nobility stood out in the gardens, glancing up at our entrance.Your majesty, I present Eugenie Markham, called Odile Dark Swan, daughter of Tirigan the act King.I winced. Yikes. Id had no idea Id had that much appended to my name now.The spongelike parley dropped. Apparently I should get used to having this effect while at decennaryding social events in the Otherworld.From inside, I had expected a small homage type of garden, but this looked like it stretched out indefinitely. The grass was still green, but many of the trees had leaves in orange, yellow, and red. None were the dying brown of late autumn. These showed the perfect, well-favoured hues one saw at autumns finest. Heavy apple trees laden with produce clustered in corners, and in the air, I could just faintly ol eventory property a bonfire and mulling spices. It was earlier in the day here than when Id left hand Tucson. The end of the afternoon was giving way to twilight, the sky painted in shades of gold and pink that rivaled the leaves splendor. Torches on long poles were set up to offer light.The group parted, and Dorian strode forward. His red hair streamed behind him, and oer a simple shirt and pants, he wore a robe-type garment made of wine-colored sit downin and gold brocade. I ap proached him, and we met in the mettle. My spirits waited undecomposed the doorway.My, my. What a lovely surprise. I didnt think Id see you again so soon.Dorian reached for my hand, and this time I let him take it. A flicker of destructive skylarkment glinted in his eyes at this small concession, and I knew I had already piqued his curiosity.I look forward to you dont mind me dropping in like this.He kissed my hand, just as Kiyo had yesterday. Only Dorians kiss was less of a hope you get better kiss and more of an imagine my lips in other places kind of kiss.Not at all. He drew his lips stick out and laced his fingers with mine. Come. Join us.I recognized a couple of the gentry standing there from dinner. The other two people hanging around looked like servants, waiting anxiously with long mallet-type things in their hands. I peered at them, then at the wickets spread out in the grass.Croquet? Youre contend croquet?Dorians face broke into a grin. Yes. Do you play?Not in years . The gentry compete croquet? Who knew? I supposed it was technologically simple as far as games went. It made more feel for them to play that than video games.Would you like to now?I shook my head. Youre already in the middle of something. Ill just watch.As you like.He took a proffered stick from one of the servants. Watching him line up a shot, I could see he intended to hit his hunk and knock out an opponents near a wicket. A faint breeze ruffled his hair and the folds of his robe, and he had to take a moment to brush the fabric out of his way. When he finally hit his ball, it went wide, considerably away from his opponents ball.Ah, well. It was close. I approximately had it, dont you think so, Muran?Muran, a lanky guy dressed in lavender, jumped at existence turn to. Er, uh, y-y-yes, your majesty. Very close. You were almost there.Dorian rolled his eyes. No, I wasnt. It was an abominable shot, you atrocious man. Let gentlewoman Markham have your turn. Give her your mall et.Now I jumped. Lady Markham?But the aforementioned Muran practically shoved the thing at me. Hesitantly, I approached his ball. I was pretty sure Id been ten the last time Id played, off see one of my moms aunts in Virginia.Remembering Dorians hang-ups on his robe, I paused to slip off my coat. A servant straight off raced over to take it from me, folding it neatly over his coat of arms. I turned back up to the ball and mallet, sizing up the shot. I tossed my hair back over one shoulder and hit. The ball half-skittered, half-rolled through the grass and went through one of the wickets.Exquisite, I heard Dorian say.I glanced back at him but saw he wasnt watching the ball at all. His eyes were all over me. I act to return the mallet to poor Muran, but Dorian wouldnt hear of it. He made me finish the game in Murans stead. As we played, I immediately picked up on something peculiar.Dorian was a terrible player too terrible to be real. He was obviously faking it, but his subjec ts could not choose themselves to do better than their king. So they too faked their own sort of nauseate game play. Watching it was comical. I felt like I was in a scene from Alice in Wonderland. Having no such(prenominal) qualms about winning, I played normally, and even with aching muscles and no practice, I won pretty handily.Dorian couldnt have been happier. He clasped his hands together, laughing. Oh, outstanding. This is the best game Ive played in years. These sheep wont cognise what to do now. He glanced at his fellow players and beckoned them toward the building. Go, go, your sheepherder is tired of you all.I watched them go. You dont really treat themrespectfully.Because they deserve none. Did you see the preposterous way they acted in that game? Now imagine that happening all second, every day of your life. Thats what its like to be royalty, to live at court of law among courtiers. Be happy you have no true throne yet. Its all simpering and groupthink.I almost hea rd a touch of bitterness in his light voice. Almost.A servant handed my coat back, and Dorian addressed her and a couple of guards. Lady Markham and I are going to take a walk now through the eastern orchard. Seeing as shes dressed for business, I imagine she wants to speak alone. Follow, but keep your distance.Turning, he offered me his arm again and led me off into one of the gardens winding turns, into a dense apple orchard. identical the other trees Id seen, these were filled with fruit. Still more apples lay on the intellect, round and red and waiting to be eaten.When we were sufficiently alone, I said, Im not dressed for business, not in these shoes. I was dressed for business the last time I was here.He gave me a athwart look. Women who show up looking as lovely as you do after barely stomaching my presence last time do not come on pleasure. They come for business.Youre a cynic.A pragmatist. But, business or pleasure, it becomes you. He sighed happily. I do so wish more o f our women would wear pants like those. The warriors often do but not nearly so tight.ThanksI think.We walked on at a at leisure pace while the sky turned orange and scarlet.So I imagine youve changed in other ways since our last encounter. The very fact that youve come here so congenially indicates as much.Yes. I narrow my eyes. You know, I dont appreciate you telling me that Storm King bedtime story when all the time you knew I didnt know what was going on.Mean, perhaps. But also jocund were you in my place. Besides, I did you a service of sorts. I provided necessary screen background information, Lady Markham.Dont say Lady Markham. It sounds weird.Ive got to call you something. Our normal rules of etiquette dont exactly enlist anything for your situation. You are the daughter of a king without a kingdom. You are royalty but not quite royal. So you are addressed like a noble.Well, then, only use it in public. Or stick to Odile.What about Eugenie?Fine.Silence fell between us. The orchard seemed to go on forever.Do you want to tell me why youre here yet? Or should I think up some other pleasantries to discuss?I reduce a laugh. Dorian played flamboyant and scattered, but he wasnt a fool.I need a favor.Ah, so it is business after all.I stopped walking, and he stopped with me. Looking down at me, he waited patiently, his face pleasantly neutral. I shivered as another breeze take through, and he took my coat from me, helping me slip it on.I wrapped my arms around myself, grateful for the coats warmth. Sexy was cold.I conjured a storm yesterday.Did you now? His voice held less levity and more calculation. What happened?I told him the story, just as I had for Maiwenn and Kiyo.What were you mentation when it happened?At first, I thought he was chastising me. Sort of like when you do something stupid and your mom asks, Are you insane? What were you thinking?Like how I felt? What was going through my head?He nodded.I dont know. I guess I went through a lot of moods. When it all startedI mean, I felt the same as for any other attack. Planned out what I would do, focused for a banishing. But once my mom got involvedI started to lose it.And when Corwyn had you trapped?Who?The elemental. He was one of Aesons men. The spirits you banished came back telling tales, though admittedly, no ones heard this part, seeing as you didnt leave any witnesses.I feltscared. Weak. Defenseless.You dont strike me as soul whos scared a lot.No, actually. Im scared all the time. Stupid not to be. Whats that saying? Only the dead are without fear? Or is that hope? Dunno. At that point, I sure as hell didnt have any hope either. I felt like I was out of options.And so you chose the only option left to you.I didnt choose it exactly. Not consciously.No. But sometimes our souls and the secret parts of our minds know what we need.He walked over to a large, sheltering maple tree. Presumably it too had those wonderful colors, but the near- tail made such things impossib le to see. Taking off his robe, he spread it on the ground and sat down, leaving space beside him. A moment later, I sat down as well.So what have you come to ask me, Eugenie Markham?You already know. I can hear it in your voice.Hmm. So much for artful ruse.I need you to teach me how to use the magic. So it doesnt take over again. I dont want to kill individual the next time I freak out.Or, he added, you just might want to kill someone with it. On purpose, that is.Maybe. I shivered. I dont know.He didnt speak right away. The darkness around us grew deeper.What you did to Corwyn was akin to using a brick to swat a fly when much finer, much simpler methods would suffice. The storms you can conjure are great and military unitful things, absolutely. The gods know your father made effective use of them. But I think youll find your real power is in tyrannical the storms finer elements. A child can throw paint on a canvas a master pull ins with fine brushstrokes. You choose the smal l things, and then the storms will be second nature.I took a deep breath. So can you teach me? Will you teach me? flat in the dark, I knew he had that laconic smile on his face. If someone had told me during our last meeting that wed have this conversation, I would have flogged him for insolence.I dont have anyone else to go to. Maiwenn offered, but she doesnt have Maiwenn? he interrupted. His tone startled me. When did you talk to her?After the attack. I explained the circumstances of our meeting. When he didnt respond, I grew defensive. Theres nothing upon with that. If anything, its kind of nice to have someone on my side who doesnt want to see me get pregnant and take over the world.And for that very reason, you shouldnt blaspheme her. I want to see Storm Kings heir born. Therefore, I have good reason to make sure you stay alive. She does not.I remembered thinking how Maiwenn would have had a lot less to worry about had I died in the attack.She didnt seem so sinister, I repli ed haltingly, suddenly struck by a thought. If Maiwenns noble philosophy involved killing me, then would Kiyo follow her in that?The sinister ones never do.Youre just trying to sway me to your side.Well, of course. Id be trying to do that regardless of her involvement.I sighed. It was all plots and posturing after all. Above all else, Dorian was still one of the gentry. Maybe approach here was a mistake.Coming here was the smartest thing youve done so far. So tell me, what will you give me for teaching you to control your power?You cant get something for nothing, huh?Oh, please. Dont sound so superior. I helped you last time without asking anything in return, and now here you are again asking more of me. You demand a lot of the gentry you consider so greedy. second-rate bounteous. I leaned against the tree a little. If youll help meIll letIll let people think were, you knowThere was a pause, and then his warm laughter filled the orchard. Sleeping together? Oh, you really have made my night. Thats not fair. Not fair at all.I blushed furiously in the dark. Youll one-up Aeson. Hell think Im willingly giving you what he tried to take by force.And all the while, Ill actually be get nothing except tantalizing glimpses of you in outfits like this.Ill cover up more if it makes a departure.What would make a difference is if you were sleeping with me for real.Thats not fair either. Not for a few magic lessons.A few? He laughed again, his voice carrying the kind of incredulity that seemed to amuse rather than upset him. Jesus. Did nothing bother this guy? My dear, its going to take more than a few lessons to quell that storm in you, pun intended. especially with your temper. Its going to make focus hard.I felt indignant. Hey, Ive been focusing since I was a kid. I can clear my mind in the middle of a fight to banish spirits. I go to trance in seconds.Perhaps, he conceded grudgingly. But Im still not sure this is fair. Youll be getting more than lessons. Assuming you are my lover, people will be indecisive to assault you. Youll find your status soaring.Christ. Nothing gets past you, does it? Apparently Volusian and I have a lot more to learn about subterfuge too.Who?My servant.Ah. The sullen one with red eyes?Yes.He made a disapproving click with his tongue. Hes both vulnerable and powerful. Youre brave to keep him.I know. I couldnt send him to the Underworld, so I bound him to me.If I helped you, we could in all probability send him on.The thought astonished me. With Volusian securely in the world of death, Id probably be a lot safer.As though reading my mind, Dorian added, Things will get nasty if he ever breaks loose on you.I know. He tells me on a regular basis in graphic detail. Stillhes been useful. I think Ill keep him around for a while.We sat quietly in the darkness again. I realized it moldiness be getting past the castles dinner hour. division of the reason for showing up at this time had been to get invited to dinner. With gent ry pride in hospitality, Volusian had thought it would please Dorian to show off his resources, especially since being half-gentry meant I could safely eat in this world now. Finally, a allow perk to all this insanity. I half-smiled imagining a hall full of hungry(p) gentry, pounding their silverware on the table. With the way everyone danced around Dorians moods, however, I had no question theyd wait hours if need be.If youre going to pretend to be my lover, it will involve more than just say-so. Youve seen how free we are with our affections in public. If you keep ten feet away from me, no ones going to believe it.I froze, suddenly think that other dinner. I hadnt entirely considered the implications.He chuckled softly, a low and dangerous sound beside me. Oh, yes, you didnt think about that, did you?He was right. Id figured Dorian and me disappearing into his bedroom for lessons would be convincing enough. But now I had to reckon sitting on his lap, letting him touch me and k iss me. I had trouble with the image. He was one of the gentry, the beings Id hitherto kept a wary eye on and tracked down my whole life. Discovering Kiyos true nature had been a shock to my system, one I was slowly starting to reconcile. How could I consider someone who was completely of the Otherworld?Yetthe more I hung around Dorian, the easier it became to think of him as just a person. Weird or not, there was something cosy about being with him. So, yeah. I could handle this. Maybe. It was just a little making out, right? It wasnt sex. And wasnt it a small thing to ensure I didnt tear anyone else apart inadvertently?Im not going down on you or anything, I warned, using flippancy to cover my discomfort.He laughed again. As saddening as that is, it might actually be too much. Youre human enough that theyll expect some modesty.Small blessings. All right. Ill hold up my half if you hold up your half.Well, in distribution, I think Im actually doing three-quarters of the work here. But yes, Ill do the same. Shall we shake on it? Isnt that how you humans seal a deal?I extended my hand in the darkness, and he took it. Suddenly, he pulled me to him and kissed me. I immediately pulled back, aghast.HeyWhat? You dont expect to have our first kiss in public, do you? We want to be convincing, remember?Youre a sleazy bastard, you know that?If you truly believe that, then maybe youll feel better determination another teacher.I thought about that. Then I leaned forward and tried to find his lips in the darkness. I didnt realize I was tingle until his hands gripped my arms.Relax, Eugenie. This wont hurt.I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Our lips found each other. His reminded me of flower petals, soft and velvety. Whereas Kiyo was all about animal passion and aggression, Dorian seemed more aboutprecision. I suddenly remembered his metaphor about the difference between slapping paint on a canvas and fine brushstrokes.Dont get me wrong, Dorian wasnt exactly sweet a nd chaste. There was heat in those soft lips. He seemed to want to draw out the experience, almost in a taunting way, so much so that I found myself agitated and eager when his tongue finally darted in between my lips. He pushed it farther into my mouth, the rest of the kiss intensifying. He smelled like cinnamon and cider, like all the good things in an autumn night. Finally, he pulled away.Youre still afraid of me, he noted, amused by that fact just like everything else. Your dead body still wont relax.Yes. I swallowed. It had felt good, the kind of good that sends heat down your body and makes your toes and other parts curl. But my fear had underscored it all, that fear of gentry and distinctness that I still couldnt quite shake. It was a weird combination, physical pleasure mingling with fear. Very different from the way it was with Kiyo physical pleasure tangled with a larger, all-encompassing sense of chemistry and mutual affection, despite my self-consciousness over h is half-kitsune heritage. I cant help it. This is all still strange for me. Part of me says its wrong. Its hard to change what Ive always believed overnight, you know.Do you want to go back on the deal?I shook my head. I dont go back on my deals.I could feel him smiling in the darkness. He leaned over and kissed me again.