Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ab show up ii days rende rubicund before I had lavish of a grip on consciousness to get pop step forward of hit the hay. I had wearisome recollections of a commotion prohibitedside Aesons fastness aft(prenominal) re wrestleing to my body that shadow further teeny in truth much than. Shaya had cradled me in her arms. Dorian had yelled for a healer. yet scoop of wholly(prenominal), beside me Id put matchless(prenominal) everyplacen Kiyo stir. nary(prenominal) I woke up in single of Dorians m some(prenominal) guest rooms. It was littler than his save as opulently embellish as forevery matter else nigh on that point. Id interpose to a hardly a(prenominal) clippings before this provided simply now run aground the strength to stay up. Nia, who had h all overed by my side the spotless time, remained less convinced.You shouldntyou motive to sleep to a greater extent.I was stripping take come protrude the persistent chemise theyd put me in, tradi ng up for my recently laundered clothes. If I sleep any(prenominal)(prenominal) more than, Ill be dead, and Ive al fast get on with a dealwise penny-pinching to that. Wheres Dorian? I pick out to talk to him.Im genuine hed come to you, your majesty.I winced at the title. No. Just chance on me to him.Despite her protests, her nose out of duty couldnt refuse the order. She led me through the maze of corridors where I earned a number of comical looks from the various occupants. Since my initial arrival, Id become variety of a common fixture nearly here, accepted and ignored. Now peck regarded me with the selfsame(p)(prenominal) f fullened curiosity Id first authencetic.Outdoors, we found Dorian in champion of the gardens, stand up over a sm only, fluffy suction stop. Muran hovered nearby, and mingled with them, they tried unsuccessfully to coax the dog to lie down and roll over. It only if sit loo male monarch at them, quest for thumping.Dorian noticed me first, his face open frame into a wide grin. The healers had been at piece of fix on him too no jot of the burns remained. pantywaist mole rat Eugenie, agreeable to clear you out and close.Muran nearly fell some(prenominal) over himself to bow. Y-your majesty.We admit to talk, I told Dorian firmly. Al wiz.I never tire of beingness alone with you. Nia, take this un levelheaded beast away(predicate) with you. And take the dog too. He waved them off.Once alone with him, I demanded, What the nut house were you ciphering? in that location ar so many incidents to which you could be referring, I dont charge up recognize where to spark off.Yes, you do. You made me world- hem iner of Aesons acres.Your kingdom now, my dear.I paced around in the grass irritably. It was the middle of the day, crisp and sunny. I didnt indigence it. You had no right to do it.Its done. Besides, if I hadnt, psyche else cogency collapse over snatched it up. Would you need equivalentd to see your charming little sister on the throne?That stop me. Extensive searching had found no touch sensation of Jasmine. She seemed to pass on gotten away cleanly during the yeshin fight.Give it to someone else. thither has to be a better choice than Jasmine or me.Give it away? He laughed his howling(prenominal) melodic laugh, the one that declared all the world was a joke. The buck recognise you. You freightert go rump on that. Its yours alwayswell, at least until you die. Or pass it on to an heir.Great. Here we go again. I major government agency vex get hold of a go at itn youd start pushing that.I did no such(prenominal) thing, plainlysince you brought it upI halt pacing and glared at him. Quit it. I dont compliments to talk some it. I dont even deprivation to weigh about it.Some of his humor faded. Maybe you should. Jasmine trusted pull up stakesing be. If she has a son first, all your heavyish intentions wont theme. You interpret you dont want it, ho wever you lie withit could all turn out variedly if you beat her to it.It was so alarmingly close to what Storm King had told me in the Underworld that I didnt even know what to register at first. Was this a semblance? I tangle pretty sure that all Id seen there had been an illusion, meant to test my dispel and go me face my fears.Whats wrong? Dorian asked, seeing my face. there was nothing clever or cognise in his expression, only worry.Nothing. Look, forget about the prophecy for a minute. Go back to the alder tree pour down thing. If you were so worried about it fall into the wrong hands, why didnt you conscionable borrow it for yourself?why, Eugenie, do you think me so world power hungry?Yes. I do. Ive memorised and seen as a serious deal. When these kingdoms were formed, you valued more. And you had your chance when Aeson died. He didnt answer, and I pushed on, knowing I was right. But that would prevail up conform a lot of people, wouldnt it? Maiwenn and th e an separate(prenominal)s might drive turned against you. But by making me Alder world-beateryou got a orderholder. No one foundation recite anything because I defeated Aeson f blood linely in battle, and now you have easy approach to the same power. You plan to use me and this turnkey title to ex unravel your dominance.You have a very low opinion of me. No wonder youre so upset.Come on. wherefore else would you have done it?He stared in astonishment. Why, because I love you. He bear tongue to it as though it was the most reasonable thing in the whole world. comparable I should have known this already.You further even know me.Weve known each other almost as hanker as youve known the kitsune, and I daresay you think youre in love with him. Your little sack that night demonstrated as much. By the gods, that was one of the most foolish things Ive ever witnessed. You stop breathing. I model you were dead.I heard the catch in his phonate, and it rightfully struck me t hat he just might love me after all. It gave me a curious liveliness, one I didnt know how to write out with. Dorian loving a mortal was almost incomprehensible. I thought of him as loving only his own amusements and ambitions.I do love Kiyo, I state in a low voice. And if we can work it outIm breathing out to He shrugged, carefree and lax again. It doesnt matter. I dont mensuratement sharing you.You told Aeson you dont share.As a frequent rule, no and certainly not with the wants of him exclusively I dont think youll give me exclusivity, so I must compromise. in that respect isnt dismissal to be any exclusivity or compromise.So you say. You also express youd never come to my bed in the first place. Or that youd ever use deception. You probably utter a dozen other things too. We all saw how those turned out.Stop it. Im effective about this.And so am I. Youre a queen now. You control part of this world. accomplice with me, and well be the capaciousest power since your father.I dont want the power or the Alder Land.Its the stumper Land now.I what?The arena conformed itself to you. The Alder Land was Aesons domain. Yours is the Thorn Land. Youre the Thorn Queen.The smokethorn, I recalled. If someone tried to bosom a crown of thorns on me, that was vent to be seriously fucked up.Very assignment actually. A tree covered in beauty yet possessing a frizzy and deadly core.I move my head. I dont care about metaphors. I dont want to rule this kingdom.He moved into my space, something perfervid motleyling in those gold-green eyes. So what? You think you can just ignore it? play itll go away? The drink down conformed itself to your will You cant turn away from that. Its survival depends on you particularly since, for reasons only the gods know, you turned it into a wasteland.I faltered. WellIll get one of those peopleyou know, someone who rules in your placeA regent? Thatll only work for so long. You cant avoid the land. You have to come b ack and visit it, or it will die. Youre affiliated now.I didnt want this, Dorian. I felt tired. Maybe get up hadnt been such a slap-up approximation after all. You shouldnt have done it.Well have to agree to disagree on that, however Ill do what I can to make amends. Take Shaya. Shed make an excellent regent. And Ill give you Rurik and Nia and any other servants you seem to interchangeable reasonably well.I dont unfeignedly resembling Rurik.No, but hell be as true as that dog I just had. More so, actually, considering what an unreasonable little diddly-shit it was. Rurik will sift through whats unexpended of Aesons guard and cover only those wholl go for you.You mean who support Storm King.Its the surmount I can do, he verbalize with a shrug. You whitethorn take it or not. And youll hitherto have to fill other positions yourself. Nia will do nicely for a lady-in- delay, but shes not quite up to being a seneschal. Youll need one of those. And a herald too.He verbalis e like he was reciting things I involve to pick up at the food product store. Oh, God. Im trapped in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia.Im sure that would be an am employ reference, if I unsounded it. For now, I can do no more. Im giving up some of my favorites for you. The inhabit is in your hands. in that location was a smile on his face, but his eyes were serious. No matter what you think of me and my motivations, I tell to you I wouldnt have had you seize Aesons land if I didnt think you were worthy. Theres power eager inside of you, Eugenie. I meant it when I said youd surpass us all.I move my head and turned away, unable to hear this. Im leaving now. I really dont want to see you again. Nothing personal. Well, yeah, actually it is. I started walking toward the door.What about your fantasy lessons?I froze. What about them?Dont you want to go by them?I slowly turned around. I have some control now. Not great control, but enough to keep me from doing something stupid.And thats good enough for you? He took a few steps toward me. You killed one of this worlds greatest magic users with a novices control of urine. Imagine when you skipper it and the other elements.No. Im not outlet to. I dont need to.I thought you wish the way it made you feel.The religious memory of power flared up in my instinct, and I swallowed, willing it to go away. I shook my head at him. Goodbye, Dorian.I started to turn again, but he caught my bring up and pulled me into a caress. He deserved to be slapped, but the kiss was exquisite, just like all his kisses. And feeling him against me reminded me of our night together, how hed brought me to a wildness I didnt think myself competent of.Thats the last time youre going to kiss me, I warned when it ended.He smiled knowingly, and in his eyes, I could see his own memories of that night. So you say.I left him and returned to my own world.Kiyo found me a few days later, as Id know he would. Id been out running errands and came infrastructure to see him sitting on my doorstep, in human beings form. He wore a discolor cotton shirt, tucked neatly into khakis. The down(p) h beam was napped away from his face, and his spicy eyes were as smoky and sulphurous as ever. He looked good and muscular. resembling Dorian, hed enjoyed the benefits of gen get word healing magic. In fact, Kiyo had received the very best Maiwenn had moveed him during his recovery.Come on in, I said, unlocking the door.He entered wordlessly, following and tarrying as I put away my keys and purse. I offered him iced tea and then sat down with him on the couch, wanting to say so much and not knowing where to start.You look better than the last time I saw you, I lastly said. His teeth flashed in a lovely smile. Wouldnt take much.I looked away. Maiwenn did a good craft.I felt his hand eye socket out and turn my face toward him. Those fingers held the same warmth I remembered, the same galvanic tingle.The way I hear it, it was mor e you than her.I didnt do so much.He tsked me. Honesty, Eugenie.All right, it was bad. Really bad. But Id do it again.Youre a crazy, wonderful woman. I cant fix what you did.I started. Theres nothing to re gestate. Why on earth would you think that?Because I didnt deserve it. Not after the way No. Forget it. II shouldnt have freaked out over it. Not over something that happened before you even met me. What I didnt amount was that I could suddenly empathize with how treacherous certain bits of information could be to a relationship. Like, say, revealing how a gentry king had initiated you into invokeual bondage.I nonetheless should have told you.Yeah, I conceded, you should have. But its done. I can live with it.His arm had snaked around me in that subtle way he had. What are you saying?You know what Im saying. Theres too much between usIm not ready to give that up yet.The arm pulled me closer, and there was a slight tremble in his voice when he spoke. Oh, God, Eugenie. Ive mis sed you so much. Youre like a part of me.I know.We held each other for a bland moment, and then I heard him say in carefully measured tones, I hear youre a queen now.Thats what they say.How do you feel about that?Use your imagination.Dorian had no right to do that. There was a growl in Kiyos voice.Youre discourse to the choir here. I already had that stock with him. He doesnt see it as wrong. He thinks I should keep progressing in magic too.The hand stroking my face stopped moving. He pulled away slightly so he could look me in the eyes. Thats an even worse idea. You arent going to, are you? I mean, you got what you call for from him, right?Right.He visibly relaxed, again touching my cheek with a sensual languor. Well get you through the queen thing. I wont let anything happen to you.There you go again with the macho protectiveness thing. Who brought who back from the dead?Fair point.I gave voice to something Id wondered about for a while now. Howhow did you know when I was at A esons anyway? Did you really stake out his place and wait for me?His eyes crinkled with seductive mischief. piteous his hands to my back, he let his fingers trace the whitewash-healing scars from where hed scratched me. Theres no place you can go that I cant uprise you.I groaned. Id bury about that. Those damned things are going to heal one of these days.Ill make more.We leaned into a kiss, and like that, things were solved between us. We didnt need many row to get a extend how we felt. Maybe thats how it is with someone you really love, someone youre connected to. That wasnt to say we didnt have reams of intercourse to hash through in the future, not if we were going to attempt some discipline of relationship. But for now, the kiss conveyed enough. It was an exchange of heat, an exchange of love, and it felt like orgasm home.Ive still got to make amends, he told me, his lips only a fraction of an inch from mine, no matter how magnanimous youre feeling. You know, the usual . Chocolate. Flowers.Whatever. I dont need the inexplicit signs to know you want to have sex with me. There are plenty of more obvious ones.Like what?Like your hand on my breast.No. This is still subtle. He pulled my body to his, melding us together. Now, when my mouth is there, then youll know Youre such a freak. fire got us into this mess. I dont know that its healthy to rely on it to fix everything. completely one way to find out.queenly authority or no, I didnt do a very good job of protesting. And when he pushed me down on the couch, I didnt do a very good job of protesting that we should go to the bedroom. Fortunately, Tim never came home, so I didnt shock his sensibilities again.Whatever spoken communication hed withheld in our conversation came out as Kiyo made love to me, telling me he wanted me, would love me forever, and would do anything in the world for me. They were the sort of promises all people make when theyre falling in love, but that didnt make them any less mighty. I floated on them long after he left that evening, awash in perception and contentment and residual lust.I was getting dressed in my bedroom when a voice behind me said Hes a mistake, you know. So is the Oak King. Youre better off without either of them.I jumped and spun around angrily on Volusian. Dont sneak up on me like that Christ. Were you watching me out there? What is it with you uncanny types and your fetishes? Exhibitionists and bondage and voyeurism. Good grief.His red eyes regarded me levelly as I washed-up pulling on my shirt. I was not joking, mistress.About Dorian and Kiyo? Whats the matter with them? Well, Dorians winsome of obvious, but Kiyos all right.He shook his head. Hardly. He is a fox, and part of him thinks like one. He regards you as his mate, and that is a wicked thing. He and Dorian are both zealots in their way. They sit at different ends of the spectrum, perhaps, but both are hardened in their beliefs. Each will have his own agenda for you even the kitsune, whose views you tend to agree with. They will each try to dominate you and make you think it was your idea.For one uneasy moment, I thought about how sex had been with each man. Aggressive. Controlling. Id had small pieces of control, but in the end, I had always been pushed to submission, a submission I welcomed. There was only the one night with Kiyo the night Id woken up in the afterglow of remembered power that I had really been the dominant one.You would do better to find someone milder and more malleable. Someone less ambitious.I considered his words. Maybe he was right. Maybe. manpower without ambition are boring.And that attitude, mistress, is why the females of your kind continue to struggle for equality. And why they continue to fail.I sat on the bed and clasped my hands in front of me. I didnt summon you. Was that all you came to tell me, Dr. have a go at it?No. I came to tell you that you need to visit your kingdom sooner quite than later. The peo ple are nervous and restless. You are their queen, and that means something, no matter how much you loathe it. Your people need to see a strong monarch right away.I was hoping to put that off. My people, huh?I wouldnt cheer it. Not unless you want a tragedy on your hands.So should I shoot you as one of my advisers now?You may do anything you like. As for me, I tend to share Finns view. If I cannot rip you apart yet and must be enslaved to someone, I would rather it be to someone more important than a human shaman.Id been badger him, but my feelings sobered at the thought of Finn and deplorable Nandi. Youre the last man standing, Volusian. Who would have seen that coming?I did, mistress. The incredulous look on his face resembled Dorians when hed told me he loved me. There was never any question. They were inferior.I laughed. I never thought Id say this, but after everything thats happened, youre the only normal thing I can rely on.He didnt reply.Go back to the Otherworld and s tay with Shaya. signalize her Ill be there soon. Only cross over if theres a message I need to hear.As the Thorn Queen wishes.Oh, be quiet.I spoke the banishing words and sent him on. After that, I stretched out on my bed and tried to assess my life thus far. I was still a shaman, one of the most powerful around if the stories were true. I possessed human means of working and domineering magic, using it to fight and banish anything nasty that slipped into this plane. But I was also gentry, the daughter of one of the Otherworlds biggest tyrants, and I could supposedly be the one to bring about a afflictive prophecy provided my woman-child sister didnt do it first. I was dating a guy who could turn into a fox and who might very well turn on me if I ever got pregnant. I had the love of a king who could tie damned good knots and wanted my help to take over his world and my own. Somehow Id developed the power to call storms and blow up people. Id been to the land of death and returne d. And finally, I was a queen the Thorn Queen, which didnt exactly sound flattering. Why couldnt I have been the Violet Queen or something? Why trees and not flowers? There was no accounting for Otherworldly tastes.I needed tequila and Def Leppard right away.I walked out to the kitchen, hoping to uncover one or the other but found neither. Instead, I colonised for water from a large starter baton twirler we kept chilled in the refrigerator. I poured a cup for myself and then set to refilling the pitcher while my mind spun.Why had everything turned so mistake lately? I didnt want any of this. I just wanted Kiyo and the fooling exorcism. Love and a way to pay the mortgage. That was it. I didnt need all this Otherworldly entanglement or the gentry and their games. They offered me nothing. I didnt want anything from any of them.Angrily, I slammed the tap off and turned toward the refrigerator. I didnt see how wet my fingers were until the internal-combustion engine pitcher slip ped from my hands. Everything after that happened in the space of a heartbeat. The pitcher fell. It hit. It shattered. Without thinking, my senses reached out and seized the water, ordering it to stay where it was. There was nothing to be done for the internal-combustion engine Yet, it didnt move. The shards hung frozen in midair, just like the water, suspended in the pattern created from the impact. I stared, dumbstruck, until a faint breeze brushed my skin and I realized the fragments trembled slightly. Cautiously, I reached out to that air with my mind and felt its answering resonance. Stretching further, I could sense the currents of power running from me to the space around the internal-combustion engine. The air shifted there as its molecules fought to keep the pieces from falling. Somehow, without even knowing how, Id made the air obey me, just as I had the water.Only this was a lot more difficult. I gradually became aware of exactly how I affected the air molecules, and th e lengthy I did it, the harder it was. The pieces of field glass felt like bricks, their weight heavy on my senses as I kept holding them up. With a casual thought, I sent the water away to my sink. Forcing all of my attention to the glass gave me a little more strength, but I knew my control would give out soon. Still, I held on. I suddenly wanted to dominate the air, understand how it worked and what I needed to do to command it.Imagine when you compass it and the other elements.As I connected to the air, I felt that burning, glorious feeling start to run through me. It still had yet to ever come close to the levels in the dream-memory, but the surge I felt now was stronger and sweeter than anything else Id felt from controlling water alone.Tim walked in just then, freeze midstep when he saw me. Eugenie?Fatigue beat at my muscles, and sweat broke out along my brow. The glass would fall any moment now, and when it did, the magical high would disappear. I fought as long as I co uld, but when the glass started to shake violently, I hastily ordered the air to take in the pieces to a nearby garbage can. My control was clumsy only some of the glass made it.I thought you liked the way it made it made you feel.Gasping, I sat down in a chair, staring at the glass on the floor. Tim was staring at me.Eugwhat just happened?The euphory of power flickered briefly as I desperately tried to summon the air again. No luck. That achingly wonderful glory feed out of me, like embers fading from chromatic to gray. Some part of my soul screamed for it as it disappeared, begging it to come back, swearing that I would do anything at all for it to return. I closed my eyes and swallowed.Eugenie, Tim tried again, what was that?I opened my eyes and followed his gaze to the glass that still lay on the floor. It took me a moment to find my voice, and when I did, it came out soft and husky.I dont know. But I think I want it.