Chapter Twenty-Two
Morgan
The morning of the ceremony dawns gray like every other I’ve experienced on the Otherside. Nevis opens the curtains wide, blasting white light into the room, and I shield my eyes.
“Are we in a rush?”
“Preparations will last all day, starting with a dip in the royal springs and a blessing by the court priest.”
“This kingdom has a priest?”
“Yes, and you’re due to join the Morrigan and Anita soon. Eat your breakfast.” She points to the small plate of food next to the bed.
Less than a day before the ceremony happens. I wanted to bide my time until this day, until my guardians arrived, but I feel off kilter. Like I should have done more. The harsh frown tugging at Nevis’ mouth implies the same.
“What have I done wrong?” I ask her. “Where have I failed?”
“You’re here, Morgan, and you’re treading lightly. It’s the best we can hope for.”
But her disappointment is evident as she combs through my hair, working out the tangles from the night before. “Bunny and I have made up,” I say. “Or at least I think we have.”
“You’ve forgiven him?”
“As much as I can,” I say, but doubt lingers. I haven’t told him all of the plans. And I certainly haven’t let myself truly go with him. “We’re watched constantly. Even with the rune of protection he gave me, Casteel kept an eye on us both last night.”
Nevis twists my hair into a tight bun and wraps my naked body in a thick robe. “Uh, no clothes?”
“I told you, bathing in the springs.”
Gods, what have I gotten myself into. “And these springs? Are they the same as yours below?”
“Not exactly. They’re natural but not from the same well that has the healing properties, but to keep the queen calm some water is added daily to the pools. Her vanity knows no bounds, Morgan. She feeds on her beauty and control over others. Be careful when you’re with her today. You’ll need all your strength as she’ll be testing you, weakening you before the ceremony tonight. She can’t allow anything to interfere with her plans.”
“How do I fight back?” We’re at the door, about to leave my room. I’m in the robe and have on felt slippers.
She turns and takes my hands. “You’re powerful in your own right, Morgan. You have the tools and strength it takes to do this. Dig deep. The real challenge for you is pretending like you haven’t succumbed to her will.”
We’re quiet in the hallway, the entire kingdom seemingly still asleep. Nevis leads me to a bathhouse. Stained glass windows line the wall and the bath itself is large and square. Steam rises from the water and just as I arrive, Anita turns the corner in a matching robe.
“Morgan,” she says. “Have fun last night?”
“Sure,” I reply, remembering what Nevis just said. Fake it. Pretend. Stop being such a judgy bitch and get through the day. “I’ve never been to anything like that before.”
“Well, Mother and Daddy prepared me with cotillion and etiquette classes in high school. I loathed it at the time, but now I understand that they were grooming me for this very moment.” She gives me a sympathetic grin.
Grooming. It’s a strange word but obviously exactly the right one for the circumstances. “Yeah, no such luck. Somehow my parents didn’t get the memo.”
Nevis walks over at the same time as Anita’s servant. They both reach for our robes. Anita dutifully unties her belt and I do the same, feeling incredibly awkward.
“Don’t worry,” Anita says, flinging her hair over her shoulder. Her body is perfection. Except for the one blemish at the base of her neck. I narrow my eyes. It looks like a hickey. “This is all just part of the ritual. The Morrigan wants to make sure we’re ’pure’ before the ceremony tonight.”
I pretend not to care about being stark naked in front of Anita. That I’m as confident as she is. I follow her down the steps into the steaming water and quickly submerge. “What do you mean pure?”
“Pure. This water is enchanted. It will rid us of any disease or lingering energy from past lovers.” She laughs and adds, “Not that your Guardians were diseased or anything, but the Morrigan doesn’t want anything left of them.”
I frown and glance up at Nevis. She’s focused elsewhere, on purpose I assume. “Why does it matter?”
“We’re binding as one, Morgan, but the Morrigan needs us to be as pure as possible to channel all of our energies together.” She bobs in the water and that’s when I notice the love mark on her neck fading away. Subconsciously I reach for the place Bunny marked me and gave me his rune and wonder if it’s still there. I’m not sure it matters anymore. “I saw you sneak off with Bunny last night—don’t tell me you didn’t kiss and make up.”
I shake my head. “No. We didn’t.”
She rolls her eyes. “Too bad. I know I spent my last night in physical gluttony.” She leans forward and mock whispers. “Three men. At once. It was pretty epic.”
A strange feeling blooms in my belly.
“You’d know all about that wouldn’t you, though?” she says.
Feeling the urge to disappear, I submerge fully under water, pushing out the sound of Anita’s voice. Even when I emerge it’s like she’s a mile away, blathering on about whatever she finds so important. For me it’s like a bell rang, my mind clearing and reality coming into focus for the first time in days.
I guess I always assumed Bunny and I would have a chance.
I figured there would be time to fix this. To resolve our problems and repair what went wrong. But if the Morrigan succeeds tonight and one of us doesn’t make it out alive, I’ve given up any chance of mating with him for good.
Three days ago I didn’t think I would care. But now? I’m consumed with devastation and loss.
*
The priest stands at the end of a small garden. Roses with thorny vines climb the walls surrounding the area. The petals are a deep blood red.
Anita and I wear long white dresses, and the priest watches us carefully as we kneel before him. As usual, I’m lost and follow Anita’s lead. Bowing when appropriate, nodding when necessary. I don’t understand the language the priest speaks, but the sense of dread in my belly only grows when he touches my head with an oily thumb and sends me on my way.
“What’s next?” I ask Nevis in a harsh tone on the way back to my rooms. “A parade?”
I’m tugging at the collar of the ridiculous gown, desperate to rip it off. Barely in the door, I yank it over my head and toss it toward the fireplace, cursing when the fabric falls short of the flames.
In nothing but the simple white bra and panties I was given after my bath, I walk to the closet and grab another outfit. That too brings about a fury of anger and I pull each and every dress from its hanger and toss them on the floor. “I’m sick of this place, the way it makes me feel. The Darkness ebbing in me even after the cleansing.” I grab my arms and squeeze, trying to feel something other than the hollowness of the castle. “Everything about this world is wrong. I need my guardians. I need to get out of here.”
I’m mostly ranting to myself but Nevis has closed the door quickly to make sure no one hears my tirade. The door knob jiggles and we glance at one another. I had one job. Fake it.
My heart sinks even further when the door pushes open and Casteel walks in the room.