Escaping Destiny (21 page)

I chased his tongue hungrily with mine until
he fought back, and then I was in trouble. One minute I’d been
riding him, and the next he was between my thighs, fucking me. He
nuzzled my neck and bit me as he rocked his hips. I detonated with
a scream, sending him over the edge as he pounded into me, both of
us in a frenzy of feeding.

I’m not sure how much time elapsed while we
fought to get our ragged breathing under control. He had braced his
arms on either side of me, keeping his massive frame from resting
on my body. He gently lapped at his bite on my neck. My hands came
up, and wiped the wet hair from his face, and then I claimed his
lips gently.

He smiled against the kiss, and whispered
into my mouth. “Beauty and the beast,” he said with a chuckle.
“Sorry, but I don’t own a library.” His beast was playing with me?
I smiled. I could play, too.

“Bitches love big libraries. The Demon said
there are several just lying around. Work on getting me one?”

He threw back his head and laughed. I smiled
and shook my head. “I wasn’t joking, I love books. Big books, momma
porn, romance, adventure, I love it all. You are going to need a
lot of books to entertain me.”

“Who says I plan on letting you out of bed
long enough for you to read?” he asked, but even as he did, Ryder
was once again taking control of the shared form.

I smiled, and shook my head as golden eyes
stared back at me. “What makes you think you can keep me in bed,
Fairy?”

“I can think of a few things to do that would
make you beg me to stay in bed, Pet.”

“Oh really? You think you are that good,
hmm?”

“Are you saying I’m not?” he asked, as he
climbed over me, and spread my legs with his knees.

I smiled, already lost to the passion and
heat smoldering in his eyes. “Prove it, Fairy. But I still want my
library.”

The next morning I awoke to Darynda tapping
on my forehead. She was smiling like an idiot, but she was also
holding coffee. I instantly forgave the fact that she was tapping
on my noggin, and sat up to take the delicious scented coffee.

I smiled, but managed to hide it behind the
rim of the mug. After a few deep sips, I looked up to find Darynda
still smiling excitedly. “What’s the smile for?” I asked, straight
to the point and not bothering to beat the bushes.

“I get to go with you! The king said you
would need someone to tend to your needs should you have any. I
told him you were not like the other royalty and that you could
handle it, but he said I should travel with you!”

“Um, thanks, I think,” I replied, not sure if
she’d actually given me a compliment, or not.

“So, we need to bathe you soon. The men are
already gathering in the great hall. He even summoned those he had
in the human world back because of the Mages being so close to the
borders. Have you ever been on a trial? Because I’ve never been and
since we have to actually travel and cannot sift for it, it’s going
to take us about a couple of weeks,” she blabbered on, as I emptied
the coffee cup and held it out for another absently.

“One cup; you are carrying the king’s heir,”
she said with a smile.

Gloves off, I wanted the second cup.

“Two cups won’t hurt us, I promise.”

She sighed and wagged her finger at me. In
the end, she filled the cup and started the bath. I sighed as I
crawled out from the opulent bed and stretched, before finishing
off the second cup with a happy sigh. I was sore, but not sore
enough to ask Ryder for help fixing it. The bath would help,
anyway.

I slid into it, not caring that I was naked
in front of Darynda. I’d grown up in the Guild, and privacy wasn’t
something we got a lot of. I’d lived with the other girls, and we’d
all shared one shower. The water was hot, but not so hot that it
burned my skin; rather, it cured the aches from the previous
night.

When I was bathed and finished getting
dressed, I smiled at my reflection. I had on tight leather pants,
which fit like a glove, with soft suede boots that had slid on like
heaven and came up to my knees. The top was a pink long sleeve
shirt, and Darynda handed me a hooded faux fur lined winter jacket
that was white, long, and beautiful.

“A coat?” I asked.

“The weather can change on the Goddess’s whim
in Faery,” she explained. “It’s best to be prepared for anything
she can throw at us. I have packed for all weather, and you won’t
have any problems with wardrobe. We will not be allowed to use
magic once we leave the protection of the castle walls, so if there
is anything you can’t live without, I need to know now so that I
can obtain it for you before we leave.”

I blinked, trying to imagine a world where
weather could change that fast. I hadn’t spent very much time in
Faery, and I was putting my trust in her as to what I would need.
She smiled as she picked up a large pack and opened the bedroom
door and shouted an order to a male servant, who scurried to take
the pack from her.

“Okay, Princess! We are ready. We can meet
the king and all of his warriors in the courtyard,” she announced,
already turning to leave the room.

“All the king’s horses and all the kings’
men…” I mumbled under my breath.

“Yes?”

“Nothing,” I huffed with a grin lighting my
lips.

“They will be present,” she continued.

“And Humpty, will he be there?” Oh hell, I
was going for it.

“I do not know a Humpty,” she confessed with
a frown.

“He’s an egg,” I started to explain, but felt
eyes on me from behind. I turned, even as Darynda rambled on.

“He’s an egg? You name eggs in your land?”
she asked.

Claire was behind us with a haughty look in
her eyes. She was trying to catch up with us, which I could have
cared less if she had. She managed it with her long legs and dug
her hand into my shoulder.

“Why is she allowed out of the pavilion?”
Claire demanded of Darynda.

“The King wishes it so, and so it is,”
Darynda said, tilting her head toward Claire, who stood a few
inches taller than us. “It’s his choice.”

“We will see about that. The room she is in
belongs to my sister!” Claire screeched, as if she was trying to
cause a scene, and achieving it.

“Then why don’t you take it up with Ryder? If
you are so fucking outraged on your sister’s behalf, talk to the
man who placed me there and not Darynda, who can change nothing!” I
growled, feeling my brands start to move, which had happened only
twice so far since I’d turned into a freaking fairy.

I turned and headed off down the hall without
waiting to see if Darynda had followed. I wasn’t dealing with
Claire’s shit right now, or ever for that matter. She was
inconsequential, and I was glad to be leaving her behind for
however long it took to get the relic.

We made it to the great hall when I got my
first look at everything that was being prepared to go with us,
including the men.

All of the thirteen were here in full armor,
as was the Shifter from the throne room where Ryder had given him
audience to hear his complaints. There were men running back and
forth, as women came in carrying packs. I noticed some of them
preparing to go with us—including Claire. I swallowed the rage at
the idea of her journeying with us, after I’d thought I was getting
away from her.

She noticed my glare and turned on me.
“What’s the matter, Witch? Oh, you thought I wouldn’t be summoned
to journey with the King?” She batted her brown eyes and lifted her
hair from her face with her fingers.

“I was hoping that, yes,” I said, already
dismissing her.

“You think he would forget me so easily after
all we have shared together?” she continued.

“Pretty much!” I threw over my shoulder as I
wound my way through the large crowd, trying to spot the
King
. She continued talking, but I ignored her bitchy
comments easily. Darynda was close on my heels, and was doing a
fine job keeping close to me as I sped through the crowd.

“She isn’t going to stop, Synthia. Not until
you make her,” she said from behind me.

“I’m not playing her game. She isn’t worth my
time,” I replied crisply.

“She’s Fae, and that means if she needs to,
she will prove she is worthy of his bed to reclaim his eyes.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I snapped as
I spun around on her, narrowing my eyes.

“It means she will turn to trickery or any
other means to hurt you, Synthia. Strike first, fast and hard.”

“No,” I said as I shook my head. “I may be
Fae, but I’m not into proving who is the better bed mate. Ryder
wants her? He can fucking have her, but he won’t touch me ever
again.” Having a chat with Ryder’s beast gave me a measure of
confidence that I hadn’t felt before. Ryder may think that he had
to fulfill that contract with her sister, and Claire could try and
crawl into his bed, but I had a feeling the beast would have his
own thoughts on the matter.

I turned and caught a glimpse of Ryder, who
was dressed pretty much as he was during the Wild Hunt. He wore the
heavy obsidian cloak again, and I shivered with the memory that
outfit brought with it. The heavy fabric was absorbing the light
from the many windows above Ryder, catching it and giving it a
colored façade. Under it, he wore the same form fitting black armor
the others had on, but the cloak itself was once again tied
together with the black studded onyx jewels that held it together.
A single red dragon was embedded in the middle of the silver disc
that hung from his neck.

Sinjinn walked over to me when he noticed my
presence, and held out a matching cloak. His chocolate brown eyes,
with the sea green centers smiled as he approached. “Hey, little
momma. It is cold outside, so I get to wrap you,” he said in
greeting as he held out the matching cloak.

I took the cloak and unfurled it, and almost
sighed at how soft the fabric was. I’d felt it before as I’d leaned
against Ryder after he’d claimed me in the hunt. I swept the fabric
out, and over my long coat. Sinjinn was quick to manifest the
matching dragon clasp that would secure it in place. His fingers
worked deftly as he locked the clasp and stood back with a
smile.

“Thanks,” I said, tossing him a small smile
as I took in Ryder. The man was impossibly sexy. He radiated sex
off of him in turbulent waves, which washed over my skin.

“Anytime,” Sinjinn said as he stepped out of
the way and glamoured on his own cloak over his armor.

My eyes swept the hall. One of the men turned
and I realized he wasn’t one of the thirteen, but he wore the armor
of the Elite Guard. He had long bright blond hair, and as his eyes
met mine, I jumped as I realized they were gray and aqua. It was
the guard who had tied me up on my first night here. He winked and
wiggled his fingers at me before returning a comment to Savlian. I
tapped Sinjinn on the shoulder.

“Who is he? I never saw him with you guys
back home,” I said, lifting my chin to direct him.

Sinjinn looked over and chuckled. “He is one
of us. That’s Lachlan; he was the one holding down the Horde while
the future Horde King was out wearing lipstick and prancing around
in tights.” His lips twitched with his words. “He and Asrian are
trading duties for now.” He grinned at me as the realization
dawned. “Yes, we assigned him to be your guard at your
presentation. We figured he was the only one of us you wouldn’t
recognize right off the mark.” I shook my head at him. I should
have known; Ryder always was one step ahead.

“Lift the hood, Pet. I’d have you covered
before we enter the bailey,” Ryder said, offering his hand in my
direction. I took it, and I quickly put the hood over my head and
followed Ryder as he led us out of the bustling hall and into the
bailey of the castle.

Remembering my brief stint outside with
Ryder; I placed our current position at the upper most castle; the
biggest of the three tiers. The Horde Kingdom looked as enchanting
as any Scottish castle from the fourteenth century from the
outside, and inside it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a bit
of a mind bender for me as I always thought that the Horde was
scary and that they must live in an awful nasty place. Then I
remembered the flowers of the cove and realized that the Horde had
a dangerous beauty about it. As if they wanted those coming in, to
be lulled into a false sense of security. Ristan once told me that
they came from one of the most dangerous places imaginable, so that
had to be the case. Put in that perspective, it made sense. It was
just another way for them to show their strength to those opposing
them.

“You will be riding with me,” Ryder said
thickly.

The men looked like we were gearing up for
war, and I was ready for it. Even in my condition, I wanted to be
busy. I wanted to be out and about, instead of locked away and
wrapped in bubble wrap. “Riding?” I said after his words registered
in my brain.

“Yes,” Ryder said with an impish grin lifting
his lips.

The words had barely left his mouth, when I
heard the clip clop of hooved feet over the cobblestones. The
horses were being led into the huge courtyard. Ryder’s war horse
was the same one that had been with him during the hunt. He was
huge with blood red eyes that were sharp, and alert. I stepped back
instantly, colliding with something hard. I turned to find Aodhan
with his blue and black hair looking down at me with a cheeky grin
on his lips.

“By all means, Princess,” he said, and pulled
me against his body. His ice blue and electric blue eyes searched
my face as I looked up at him from where I was pressed against his
hard body. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Aodhan, if you want to keep your hands, I
suggest you get them off of her,” Ryder growled as he reached for
me and pulled me against his body.