Thaddeus’ clothes look like something out of one of my aunt Georgia's historical romance novels. I may or may not have borrowed them and put them back before she realized they were gone. He looks like he’s straight out of the Regency period. Yeah, I've got questions. His ensemble even includes a cravat—Oh, a fancy Jackass.
He bows before me and finishes by placing a top hat on his head. I hadn't noticed he was holding the hat. I mean, does all of the Kori dress like this? Or is it just him? "May I call you Arabella?" He tries again.
I stifle a reply from my cousins. "Yes."
He winks at me, making me feel sick, then proceeds. “Good. Arabella, my warning is not to threaten you, it's for your own protection. The King asks that when you travel to Barrowice Falls for the Ice Trials that you take the route of the Shadowlands. He has closed all mirror portals between the societies. The Resistance has given him no choice. He fears for your safety if you travel any other way, because they have figured out how to manipulate the end destinations within our mirror system. However, it’s imperative that you not be caught in the Shadowlands after midnight.”
"Why is being there after midnight a bad thing?" I curiously ask.
"Monsters, even too scary to be nightmares, lie within the Shadowlands, and they only come out after midnight. You don't want to face any of those nasty creatures. After the Light and Fire Tournaments, King Diodyous will be expecting all of you. Remember, stay safe, for the night has no eyes." As if he is a magician, Thaddeus throws some rocks down and disappears within the smoke.
I look over at my family, and they don't look pleased. The veins in my cousin Jeremiah's forehead are jumping violently, and Deen has his fire lasso at the ready. That must mean there isn’t an alternative route to take. As the saying goes, it is what it is.
Chapter 21
The Treachery Runs Deep
I like her in the moonlight best, the way her skin shines in the darkness breathes life down into the depths of my shadowed heart.
-Sebastian
As the smoke clears from Thaddeus' departure, I walk slowly toward Arabella. Deen and Jeremiah have formed a protective magical barrier around her as they exit the room. Using my shadows, I teleport to outside the great hall and await to see what direction the brothers take her.
The smell of her clings to my hands and mouth, causing me to inhale deeply at the memory. Her tight little cunt felt like Heaven wrapped around my swollen cock. Finally, she’s mine. Since I found out about my part in the prophecy a few months ago, she hasn't been far from my gaze. Ethan would have killed her, but I couldn’t let that happen. Arabella was made for me, and because of that, he hates her. The Ethan I knew died years ago; the replacement is a conniving fuck. The sole reason I was sent down into the Valley of the Decayed was because of him. His heart will be on the end of my sword, the way revenge is bestserved, and it will happensoon.All that was left for me to do was claim her, and now that’s finished.I follow Arabella, as I've done for months. Always in the background, forever out of sight. There are positives to having shadows.
After they change into their workout gear, the trio head toward the practice field. Again, my feet tread after her, because she's the candle to my darkest midnight. The air is brisk for this time of year, and through our bond I can feel Arabella shiver. My shadows itch to reach out to her, to protect her against every discomfort. Caring for someone on this level is a foreign notion to me. I’ll incinerate every enemy in our path and will lay them down at her feet as an offering of tribute. Arabella’s a Queen, and I’m but her lowly subject.
Encased in shadows, I watch on the sidelines while her cousins teach her advanced defense techniques. Besides myself, there are no better teachers than Deen and Jeremiah. They've fought against thousands, and still they stand. Falkon lets out a roar as she soars high above our heads, keeping watch and making sure there is no threat coming from above the clouds, for she’ll be ready when it comes. And come it shall.
Watching Arabella in this way makes my darkened soul happy for the first time in years. Her hair is the color of the horizon at daybreak, it’s the perfect kaleidoscope mixture of orange and red. Proving once again that she is a light unto my darkness. Being around her even in this capacity makes me forget what the chokehold of death feels like. That is a price far above rubies.?
From this angle, I can just make out the slight pout of her lips as she concentrates. The erotic pucker reminds me of how good her silken mouth felt as she wrapped it around my cock. Tonight, after our talk, she will in truth become fully mine. Nothing will be left to reveal. I will tell her everything, aspromised. Ethan will be desperate when he finds out what I’ve done, but she won’t be taken from me. She is as much mine as the air that we both breathe. We will never part!
***
Arabella
Training with Deen and Jeremiah may be the death of me. They suck ass!
-Arabella
My body hurts, causing me to let out a hiss as soon as my aching thighs touch the scalding bath water. Sebastian never left my side tonight, even now he hovers outside my bedroom. With the bond came an invisible string that tethers us together. I'm constantly aware of him, his mood, his everything. It's weird, but not unpleasant.
Washing my hair, I dunk underneath the water to rinse off the suds. 1, 2, 3, 4…I count the seconds I'm under the safety of the water, like a game. No rhyme or reason, I've just done this since childhood.Springing up, my heart almost lunges out of my chest as Sebastian makes my scream die in my throat with his magic. My family is in the next room, so there’s no reason to worry them unnecessarily. I cover my small breasts, for the sake of propriety. With a quickness I don't possess, one of his shadows removes my arms, making my teeth clench. “Privacy!” I angry whisper.
“Are you trying to get me killed…again?” He hisses.?
A diabolical smile forms on my wet face. “I would take immense pleasure in seeing any one of my parental units kick your ass.”?
One thing I’m learning about Sebastian is that he loves my sassy nature. He visibly smirks, while pulling me out of the tub.“As for privacy, that went out the door the minute we sealed our bond.”
Putting my hand on my hip, I raise my eyebrow in defiance. “What do you mean sealed our bond? Falkon said that being bound could be undone.”?
He nods. “That’s true as long as the bond isn’t sealed.”
I’m about to go ape shit crazy on this shadowed asshole. He’s infuriating, and I may kill him. “Sebastian, pray tell, what does sealing the bond mean?” My voice is eerily calm.?
He pulls my soaking wet body against his, then positions me to where I’m sitting on the bathroom counter. Sebastian growls when he smells the scent of my arousal. “Well Bells, it means that the moment I came inside of you, there was no going back.”
