Chapter Nine
The familiar whisper of magic wrapped around her, growing stronger the deeper they marched into the forest. Like an old friend. She couldn’t help but look around and smile. The chieftain’s cryptic words swirled in her head. As a vampire, of course, she was touched by magic. All vampires were. But he didn’t seem to be referring to her royal lineage. This wasn’t the first time she’d been told she was touched by magic.
A conversation she once had with her nurse as a young girl sprang to mind.
“Sweet Mina, your hair and eyes shine so bright. Must’ve been that fairy dust the good witch gave you.”
“What good witch, Nurse?”
“The one who blessed you as a babe, dear girl. That’s why you look like the queen of fairies.”
Mina remembered how she’d laughed at being called the queen of fairies. Her nurse was taken away not long after that, replaced by strict tutors to prepare her for her role as a proper queen when she was married off to Prince Marius. Steward Thorwald had told her from a young age that she was promised to the youngest Varis prince. Only then would she become queen.
Glancing at Mikhail at her side, who’d remained aloof since their encounter at the stream, she thought of what he’d told her at Wentworth Hall. He’d declared she was heir to the throne of Arkadia. Why had she never thought to claim the throne for her own? She knew why. She’d been the meek, dutiful princess, awaiting the day she’d be passed from one man’s care to another. Never had she even once considered the fact that it was her right to demand her claim.
“Are you all right?” Mikhail asked, those all-seeing eyes catching her change in mood.
“No. I’m not, actually.” Her blood pumped hard and hot in her veins. The wind gusted through the naked branches above them, knocking limbs together fiercely, as if the forest sensed her ire.
“What is it?” She felt his intense scrutiny, heightened by the deep timbre of his voice. “Tell me.”
Tears stung her eyes. It was so sudden and overwhelming that it caught her unaware. She sucked in a deep breath to keep from sobbing, then stopped beneath one of the towering black oak trees. She knelt and fumbled with her laces.
“My boot laces are loose,” she murmured, needing an excuse to pull her emotions in check. They never whirled out of control this way. She pulled on her laces forcefully, anger making her actions jerky and fumbling.
“Go on,” she heard Mikhail tell the others, sensing they’d all stopped when she did. “We’ll be along soon.”
He knelt before her and placed his hands atop hers, where she was yanking so hard she nearly broke the laces.
“Let me,” he coaxed gently.
She settled back onto her other foot curled beneath her. She swiped the back of her hand across one cheek, then the other, hiccoughing on a shaky sigh. Mikhail didn’t say a word. Slowly, he unwound the now-knotted laces with long, agile fingers. He tightened, then looped, then double-knotted with slow precision, focusing his attention on her foot. Not on her.
She realized he was giving her a moment to gather herself together. This rough and broody and lethal captain was being as gentle with her as with a kitten. When finished, he placed both hands around her ankle, cradling her foot with firm hands, the heat of him seeping through the leather boot.
“There, now.” Finally, he met her gaze, his expression serene. “Tell me what has caused you pain.”
He was pleading with her, not asking. His brows lifted in quiet patience.
“I am such a fool,” she admitted, the shame of it making her squeeze her eyes shut a moment, trying to stop a fresh well of tears. No good.
He lifted one of those perfect hands and brushed the roughened pad of his thumb across her cheek.
“You are no such thing.” His usually commanding, even domineering, timbre rumbled soft, as if coaxing a timid mare to his hand.
“I am. You mentioned last night that I would one day be queen. The truth is, I should have been a true leader to my people long ago. Why have I never demanded that position? The steward was to safeguard the throne till I was of age. I’ve been of age for quite some time. Yet, I never even thought of stepping up and leading my people.” She gritted her teeth for a moment, then let out a disgusted exhale. “Actually, that’s not true. I had thought of it once. About a year ago, I mentioned it to Steward Thorwald, but he told me it was best to wait till I was married to Prince Marius, then we would ascend together. And I just accepted it. As if I wasn’t good enough, strong enough to lead on my own.” She let her chin drop, staring at her fingers in her lap, twisting the fabric of her skirt. “I suppose I’m not.”
He trailed those long fingers around her neck and lifted her chin with his thumb.
“Listen to me, Mina.” The dominance was back in his velvet-dark voice. “You are far stronger than you know. Did you realize that less than half the vampires put into a bloodless sleep actually survive imprisonment for even a week? It’s not the starvation that kills them. It’s the dark isolation. Those who do survive awaken unhinged, their minds broken.”
He squeezed his fingers at her nape, brushing his thumb over her cheek once more. A fervent look hardened his features as he swept his gaze over her face.
“You not only survived for months, you came out whole.” He shook his head, a sharp sound of disbelief escaped him. “Not just whole.” He cupped the other side of her face, keeping her gaze locked on him as if what he said now was of the utmost importance. “You came out stronger, fiercer, more alive and more brilliant than the Northern Star.”
A wave of adoration enveloped her entire body, humming with heat directly from Mikhail. She’d not felt this emotion directed at her in all her life. Not with such intensity and certainty. Her chin quivered, but she bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
“Lesser men have died having endured what you did. But not you. No, not you.” His voice dropped to a rough whisper, as if he were almost speaking to himself, not to her. “You bring me to my knees with the strength that is inside you. A woman whose external beauty is nothing compared to the powerful goddess who resides within. Ascend your throne?” He brushed the pad of his thumb across her quivering lip. “Oh, Mina.” He shook his head, like a man lost. “You already are a queen.”
She wanted to weep again for such lovely words that no one, not a single soul, had ever spoken to her. It was a gift. A greater gift than luxurious silk or jewels or lands or castles. One that couldn’t be bought with gold. It was acknowledgment that she was worth more than what others had seen in her. The steward, the lords, the Legionnaires who’d orbited around her for her entire life, keeping her sheltered, keeping her helpless. They’d seen the little princess whose only worth was tied to the husband she could buy for the kingdom. Mikhail cut them all down in a single conversation, wiping them away with one stroke.
This man. This beautiful, fierce warrior wasn’t simply tugging on her primal impulses anymore. He was tugging on her heart. As if he heard her thoughts, those otherworldly eyes widened a fraction before he let her go quickly and stood. He held out a hand to help her up while glancing up the trail.
“We’d better go.”
“Of course.” She swallowed the lump of emotion still weighing her down.
As she stood, she braced one hand on the trunk of the black oak. The second she placed her palm on the rough bark, a pulse of magic from wherever the hartstone resided in these woods pumped a beat through her palm into her body. She sucked in a sudden breath, relishing the tingle of enchantment coursing through her veins, washing her anew with an electric serenity. A message that all would be well. The forest, the hartstone, was speaking to her.
“What is it?” he asked, having let her go, but still standing close, his features schooled into his grave expression. “Did you hurt your ankle?”
She couldn’t explain this sensation to him. It was a knowing she couldn’t put into words. She dropped her hand from the tree and smiled. “No. I’m fine now.”
With a nod, he gestured up the path. “We’re almost to Sienna’s cottage.”
A cacophony of voices overlapped in the near distance. Then high-pitched laughter.
Mina touched Mikhail’s arm, puzzled. “Children?”
He smiled. “Yes. Remember I spoke to you of Friedrich Volya, the Duke of Winter Hill, and his new wife, Brennalyn?”
“Yes.”
“They have a cottage not far from Sienna’s.”
“A duke in a woodland cottage?”
“Aye,” added Aleksei, on her right as they rounded the bend where Dmitri waited for them. “And wait till you see how full with children their home is. I daresay the duke has never had to live in such a tight space with so many bustling bodies before.”
“Nor has he been happier,” added Dmitri, walking on just ahead of them.
Mikhail nodded with a wider smile but said nothing.
“You are close to this duke?” asked Mina.
“Yes. I served him at Winter Hill, knowing he wasn’t in league with his grandmother the queen or with his uncle, King Dominik. I’d hoped to discover he might be willing to fight against them. What I didn’t know then was that he was already allied with the Black Lily.”
The energy of vampires grew, sparking the air with a familiar aura. The stone cottage came into view, its yard full of soldiers—vampire and human. Not quite the same scene she met last time she was here, when the Black Lily had held her captive in hopes of bargaining with the queen. Instinctively, she drew closer to Mikhail as the entire company stopped and turned. Two men who were sparring with short swords paused and looked their way.
“It’s all right,” he murmured with a comforting hand at her back.
Mina didn’t recognize anyone. The cottage door flew open and out hurried Sienna, her beautiful smile bright as she opened her arms.
“Oh, Mina!” she cried as she swept Mina into her arms and embraced her close.
When Arabelle had kidnapped Mina as a means to negotiate with King Grindal and Queen Morgrid for the Black Lily, Sienna had kept her here at her cottage. Sienna had treated Mina like a dear friend, rather than a captive. She still felt that kinship they’d formed those months ago.
“We were so worried about you.” Sienna pulled her at arm’s length, gripping her by the shoulders. “You look lovely as ever.”
“Thank you, Sienna. It’s so good to see you.” Her heart melted at such a welcome into the arms of a true friend.
“You look a little tired as well.”
“I am.” Mina glanced nervously at the entourage of fierce-looking men still staring. “Where is Arabelle?”
Sienna wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the cottage, where she saw the former lieutenant Nikolai leaning in the open door. “Let’s get you inside and away from prying eyes so we can talk.” She flashed a chastising look over her shoulder. “And prying ears. I know they look rough, but they’re harmless. Well, to us anyway.”
Dmitri, Gavril, Aleksei, and Gregoravich joined the black-clad vampires with brotherly handshakes and pats on the backs, muttering greetings as to old friends. So, these men were other members of the Bloodguard.
Mikhail stood and watched her go, an unreadable expression fixed in place. Part of her wanted to beckon him to follow, to insist upon it, but many eyes watched them. And one thing she was certain of: Mikhail was uncertain of their relationship, if they even had one.
“We expect another snow tonight,” said Sienna sweeping her into her pretty little home. “We’ve had none for over a week, but Nikolai tells me it will certainly snow tonight. We’ve got a small cottage set up near Brennalyn’s home. Actually, it’s one of the children’s art studios that Friedrich built. The poor duke dotes on those children.”
“Or he wants his youngest, Izzy, more occupied,” added Nikolai, closing the door behind them and strolling to a cupboard.
“Oh, Nikolai. As if. Izzy has that man wrapped around her little finger. You’ll adore Brennalyn’s children. They are all so lovely. Seven orphans she took in on her own. Can you imagine?” Sienna urged her to sit on her sofa next to the crackling fire.
“Seven?” Mina was genuinely shocked. “No. I cannot imagine. Brennalyn must be a very energetic woman.”
“She’d have to be in order to keep up with Friedrich’s demands,” muttered Nikolai as he poured three glasses of red wine.
“Nikolai. Stop saying such things. Her Highness will think ill of you.”
Mina laughed. “No, I won’t.”
Nikolai arched a brow at Sienna while he handed them each a glass of wine.
“Thank you,” said Mina gratefully, taking a large sip. “I must say, I was surprised to see your yard so full.”
“Ah, yes. Well, the training encampment is closer to Hiddleston. We’ve commandeered a wide meadow and valley along the edge of Silvane Forest, but the Bloodguard knew their captain was returning today.”
“They did? How’s that?”
“Captain Mikhail had told them the precise day and near the hour you all would return, which was this afternoon.”
“And no one thought he might’ve been held up or prevented from his timely return?”
Nikolai scoffed but said nothing, as he gulped his wine while standing at the mantel.
Sienna smiled and shook her head. “Not the captain. If he says he’ll do something, it will be done.”
Mina understood the man was efficient and resourceful, but she hadn’t quite grasped the depth of his own fortitude in achieving a goal. Her heart warmed at his utter devotion to her rescue and her care for the duration of their mission in getting her here. She wondered whether his mission with her was now over. A sudden panic gripped her. What if he moved on and left the encampment for another mission? She hadn’t had time to consider that. The stab of loss pricked that soft organ beneath her ribs.
“Is everything all right, Mina?” Sienna asked, placing a hand on hers.
“Oh, yes. Where are Arabelle and Marius?” She sipped her wine, changing the subject, though Nikolai observed her more keenly. He hadn’t missed her anxiety at the thought of Mikhail.
“They should be returning soon. They left with a party to speak to King Agnar of Pyros.”
“King Agnar?” Mina understood that Marius was closest to this brother who ruled the western kingdom. “Why have they gone there?”
Sienna glanced at Nikolai, her mood turning somber suddenly.
“We sent one of the Bloodguard with a sealed request to King Stephanus a fortnight ago. The east is infiltrated with King Dominik’s Legionnaires. We’d hoped that Stephanus would band with us and in return we’d rid his kingdom of Dominik’s encroaching dominion as it appears he has designs to take over the east.”
“Oh, no.” This was more perilous than Mina had realized. “And I suppose Stephanus denied the request.”
Nikolai nodded. “He’s always been a bit of a coward. I hadn’t expected any better.”
“And so Marius is hoping his brother in the west will join us,” added Sienna.
“What are the numbers of the Black Lily?” Mina glanced from Sienna to Nikolai. “Are there not enough to match them?”
Nikolai drained his glass and set it on the mantel, then squared his shoulders, hands in his pockets. “Your Highness, while you were…incapacitated, Queen Morgrid and King Dominik have been raiding the lands to the north, taking entire villages, turning the men vampire for their army, keeping the women and children as bleeders and as hostages to force the men to fight with them.”
“Dear heavens.” Mina nearly dropped her glass, but Sienna caught it as it tilted on her lap, then lifted it away.
She set both their glasses on a side table. “It is dire indeed. We have a strong, well-trained army. But not enough. Not against the kind of vampire army they’re amassing, many of whom have been infected with the blood madness and will do anything for the queen.”
“What of King Grindal? No one has said a word of him.”
“No one knows,” said Nikolai. “My cousin Riker was the last man we had inside the Glass Tower. Riker said King Grindal seemed to go missing right about the time they started torturing Riker for information. They rightly guessed that Riker was still loyal to me.”
“And your cousin? He got out?”
Sienna and Nikolai shared a sad look.
“He did. Barely. They mutilated him, but he is alive. Still recovering on our offshore training center, where the last of our recruits remain. But he is stronger by the day and will be ready for war when it is time.”
Mina’s stomach churned, acid swirling at the thought of so much evil. The queen and her son had been wreaking havoc across the country while she lay in a bloodless sleep. A flash of her last moments before she’d been imprisoned in her own home. The sneering Radomir coming for her after he’d sliced Kathleen’s throat. She’d been able to do nothing to save her friend or even save herself. They’d grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the upper tower—cold and damp from lack of use. When she curled up in the corner, Radomir had laughed and murmured, “Sweet dreams,” before slamming the bolt home. The memory of loss and pain and her own failure to stop it steeped her in a well of helplessness.
“Your Highness, are you—?”
A soft knock came at the door a second before Mikhail entered. His gaze landed on Mina first as he stepped closer to her side. Strange how swiftly his nearness put her at ease, nearly wiping away the anxiety that had threatened to overwhelm her seconds before.
“Good to have you back, Captain,” said Nikolai with a nod. “Your men were growing anxious.”
“Thank you for keeping them in line.”
“No need. They followed your orders as if you were here. Three trainings a day, alternating the teams every two hours, venturing to town only for feeding, not for drinking ale or making trouble. It was like you never left. I must compliment you on their discipline. I’ve had Legionnaire troops who didn’t follow orders so well.”
Mikhail dipped his chin, his stern expression focused on Mina. “Thank you, Nikolai. But they know what is at stake here. They won’t let our chances fail because of idleness or lack of discipline.”
“Still. It says a lot about you. Your team is an asset to us.”
“Thank you.” He stepped closer to Mina’s side. “I thought I’d get Her Highness settled and let her rest after the journey.”
“Oh, of course,” said Sienna, popping off the sofa. “I can help and show you where I’ve stocked everything.”
Mina rose wearily, the last memories of her home weighing her down. Nikolai stepped close to Sienna, placing a hand around her waist with a firm grip. “I believe the captain can manage to get her settled on his own.”
Sienna opened her mouth to say something. Nikolai’s grip tightened at her waist.
“Sure. I’m sure he can get her settled. Then we can all meet for breakfast after you’ve rested. How would that be?”
“That would be lovely.” Mina opened her arms to hug her friend again.
She returned the embrace. “I am so happy you’re here. And safe.” Sienna pulled her at arm’s length, her green eyes sparking with specks of gold.
Mina felt a sudden surge of heart-heavy emotion, like she was touching not just a long-lost friend. But a sister. Funny. They’d only met that one time. And yet, she felt drawn to Sienna.
Sienna’s brow rose, her eyes widening. “I believe you belong with us, Your Highness.”
“I believe so, too,” said Mina, allowing Mikhail to finally usher her back out the door.
Night had fallen quickly. There was not a man in the yard. The only movement was that of a goat in a fenced pen, baaing at them as they passed. As soon as they crossed onto a wooded path, Mikhail pulled her to a stop and wrapped her in his arms, rocking her gently.
Startled, she froze, then sank into his welcome embrace. “Why are you holding me, Captain?”
“Because you need holding. And I need to be the one to do it.”