Dark Matter (39 page)

“
Why do you have to be so
demanding? I will choose who I ride with, not you.”

“
You are only delaying the
inevitable,” he said, echoing Lacey’s earlier question.

“
We’ll just have to see
about that,” I said before I walked away from him. Hadn’t he
learned anything about me? Would it kill him to ask for once? I
picked a fae man I had never met. “May I ride with you?” I asked
sweetly, peering up at him through my lashes.

His face drained of color and he looked
sharply at Jett. “You don’t need his permission,” I said
firmly.

Jet stood beside me. “It is alright,
Valen. I am entrusting her safety to you.”

I smiled inwardly. It would be nice to
have some space from the lords so I could think for a change. I
turned toward the group of Elementals. “Choose a mount, Ladies. The
sooner we face this the quicker we can get on with our
lives.”

Chapter
Twenty-Six

The ride was amazing. Seeing the planet
from the air reinforced just how insignificant I was in comparison.
Valen didn’t say much. He sat ahead of me, his body rigid as if he
was afraid to accidentally touch me.

The instant we crossed into the
borderlands my stomach tightened from nerves. What was I doing
thinking I could really make a difference for these
women?

Styx had graciously informed me that
the infamous fae council wanted to speak with me. It was all good
as far as I was concerned. I had some things to say to them, as
well. It was about time they considered another path. I just hoped
my plan would work.

Robin’s threat hung over me like a
pendulum waiting to connect with my neck. I couldn’t live with
myself if I caused that many Elementals to take their own
lives.

I knew they didn’t see it as that, but
it was. I couldn’t really blame them for wanting to control the
situation. Accepting the bond was the only choice they had been
given since the beginning. Why had Faine made such a terrible
mistake? Although to be fair, I wasn’t sure how I would handle
things if I had been in her place.

She had been abruptly exposed to a
whole new world just like I had. Could she have possibly foreseen
all the pitfalls to her decision?

I wanted so desperately to believe that
I was more aware, but how could I be sure? What if I did something
that made life worse for the Elementals that were trusting me to
fix things for them? What if I messed things up so badly
that—

Sharp cries of alarm split the air. The
women were covering their eyes and ducking their heads. I hadn’t
even realized that we had crossed into the fae realms. I glanced
around and caught Luke’s attention. I motioned toward my eyes and
he nodded. Before I could blink the women had shades on…and ear
muffs.

Lacey was riding next to me and shot me
an angry glance.

“
Sorry” I
mouthed.

She just shook her head, but that was
the last of her attention I would get until we arrived at the
palace. She was gazing down at the shimmering landscape with her
mouth hanging open.

The palace was alive with activity. We
landed in a field of wild poppies. The vibrant blooms danced
against our legs as we stepped toward the front gates of the
glowing castle.

Heath approached me and my heart
quickened in response. He smiled, but there was no light to it.
When he offered me his arm, I took it gratefully. We walked in
silence for a while. I marveled at the comfort his touch gave me. I
couldn’t believe how somber he was. He wasn’t even commenting on my
outfit. That was so unlike him.

“
I hope you know what you’re
doing,” he said softly.

I glanced at him sidelong. “What do you
mean?”

“
It’s just that the council
is made up of the two strongest unions from each of our realms.
They will not take kindly to being ordered around.”

“
What makes you think I was
going to do that?”

He patted my hand. “You think I don’t
know you by now? I’m only saying that humility can go a long way in
situations such as this.”

I laughed. “And you have so much
experience with this sort of thing?”

His lips turned in a smirk. “More than
you do, that’s for sure.”

We were at the castle steps. He stopped
me, turning my shoulders to face him. “Don’t underestimate these
people, Rayla. They have an agenda for you already. They will know
your thoughts so don’t try to deceive them. Just be
honest.”

I nodded wondering why he was being so
forthcoming all of a sudden. I stole a glance at him and shivered.
I could have been bound to this man if Luke hadn’t interfered. I
was seeing a part of him that I hadn’t known existed. Why was it
that the lords tried to take instead of entice? Did they really
think it was better to have a companion that was falsely compliant
over one that willingly gave herself to them?

Didn’t they understand the heart of a
woman?

I cleared my throat, cocking my head.
“Thanks for the advice. I think I like this side of
you.”

Just then we were joined by Zach, Luke,
and Jett, who were all wearing a deep frown.

I now had four men that all expected me
to pick one of them as my bondmate. Jett would have to morph into
another person entirely for me to choose him, but the other
three…how was I going to decide? I was hoping at some point I would
really be able to get to know them without the threat of death
hanging over my head.

I smiled at them. “Do any of the rest
of you have something to say or should we get on with
this?”

Zach shook his head and Luke looked
away from me. Jett was the only one who spoke up. “We are not
supposed to influence you in any way.”

I laughed. He had to be kidding. What
did they think they had been doing since the moment they met me?
Every encounter with them led me to a different place. I didn’t
want to argue that point though.

I started forward, skirts swishing
after me. I wasn’t sure which one of them had done it, but I was in
a flowing black gown. My hair lifted gracefully into an up-doo. I
felt refreshed and almost ready to face the council. I looked
around and said, “Thanks” to no one in particular.

Lysanne waited for me at the top of the
stairs, her face tight with worry. “Do you need anything, my lady?”
she asked as I approached her.

“
I don’t think so. Wait.” I
pulled her out of earshot of the others; at least, I hoped I had.
“Do you know where they will take the other Elementals?”

Her eyes lowered to the softly glowing
floor. “They are being readied as we speak.”

I nodded. I couldn’t delay this any
longer if I wanted my plan to work.

I stood outside the ornate double doors
of the council chamber nervously fidgeting with the lace of my
bodice. I pulled it up again, but it refused to stay. I was showing
a bit more cleavage than I was comfortable with. Regretfully I
realized I should have asked Lysanne for a different dress when I
had the chance.

The clack of heels hitting stone caught
my attention. I watched breathlessly as the knob turned. My heart
pounded against my ribs and my palms grew sweaty. This was
it.

A pretty woman with flowing brown hair
opened the door. She curtsied to me. “They are ready to see you
now.”

I put one foot in front of the other
and kept my gaze straight forward trying not to react to the
oddness of the room.

Everything about it was meant to
intimidate from the size to the minimalistic color scheme. Two
multi-level daises lined the walls, facing each other. The glossy
floor was divided down the center. Half was black; the other white.
I straddled the line refusing to give even the slightest impression
that I was choosing sides. Eight couples, four on either side,
occupied separate lavishly appointed boxes as if they were about to
enjoy a good opera.

Knowing that they could hear my
thoughts did strange things to my mind. I ignored the piercing
stares I was getting and proceeded to the podium where four people
sat—two women and two men.

It was hard for me to accept that any
of these women had ever been human. Their faces were as flawless as
any fae I had seen. Their beauty was almost as distracting as their
power, but not quite. The room was charged to the point that I
wouldn’t have been surprised to see bolts of lightning jump around
at any moment.

“
Welcome, Rayla,” said one
of the men in front of me. He stood and met me on the floor below.
His eyes were pale blue, his hair blond. He had even features that
I suspected matched his temper.

“
Thank you,” I replied as I
took his hand.

“
Would you like to sit? I
understand you have had a very trying day.”

That was an understatement, but I shook
my head. I didn’t need any help with feeling inferior.

A few murmurs split the silence, but I
wasn’t sure who was speaking. The man that was now at my side
whispered into my ear. “Ignore them.”

I nodded and stared into his kind face.
Was it genuine or merely a façade?

“
I have my thoughts on that
subject,” he said. “But you will have to form your own opinion.
Would you mind if we ask you a few questions?”

I shook my head, but worry stepped up
my pulse. I took a deep breath. I needed to be strong, and here I
was showing these people how pathetic I really was. Oh, crap. I
shouldn’t be thinking that. Or that.

In the end I gave him a sheepish
expression and stared at the seamless floor. How did they do
that…

I got distracted for a while trying to
see a joint that wasn’t there until he cleared his throat. It’s
harder to control thoughts than you might think.

He smiled at me then took his place by
the side of his mate, for lack of a better term. She tipped her
head in a slow nod. I returned the gesture.

What did it mean that they sat on the
dark side of the court? I wished I knew more about how their
society operated, but no one had been willing to tell me
anything.

“
What would you like to
know?” said a brown haired man from the light side. “You need only
ask.”

I considered that for a moment. Was it
so simple to get the information I needed?

I doubted it.

Suddenly the words Gibbit had last
spoken to me resurfaced. Doubt is your only true foe.

Faith was the opposite of doubt, but I
had never really been that good at conjuring it. I squared my
shoulders, trying to make myself taller. “For one thing, what’s the
deal with this room? Why is it split like this?”

I had heard that there was a light and
dark court, but I didn’t really know what that meant.

One of the women on the light side
spoke up. “Its purposes are not as ominous as you are imagining.
The duality you see does not represent conflict but rather the way
we complement each other. Light cannot exist without darkness and
vice versa. It is a continuous circle of flow. We do not oppose
each other. We merely represent contrasting forces of the same
entity.” An image came to my mind of a circle encasing what looked
like two little happy tadpoles chasing the other’s tail. She
laughed. “I see you are familiar with yin yang. It is the same
concept.”

“
So which houses are dark
and which are light?”

“
I thought we were supposed
to be asking the questions,” said a woman from the dark
side.

I chuckled to myself imagining her as
Darth Vader. She frowned at me. Guess she hadn’t been around for
that one. “That’s fine,” I said. “But I would appreciate answers,
as well.”

“
The only answer we are
concerned with at the moment is who you will bond with.”

I looked her square in the eyes. “I
haven’t decided.”

“
You’ve had more time than
any of us…” she gestured toward the other women in the room.
“…could have ever hoped for. What makes you so different than we
were?”

I looked at the woman, steeling my
expression. “Seems someone’s not happy with their
union.”

Her companion went pale then jumped to
his feet. “This is preposterous. Why are we asking her anything? We
all know who should claim her.” Heads bobbed in assent.

“
Seriously?” I asked softly.
“I won’t pretend to know much about the prophecy, but from what I
understand the choice is supposed to be mine.”

Some of them tried to hide their gasps,
but just then Tabitha burst through the doors. “Why wasn’t I
informed of this meeting?” she demanded, scanning the room of
suddenly timid council members as if her freaky eyes actually
worked.

The man that had greeted me initially
got up and walked past me. He met her in the middle of the room.
“We meant no disrespect, Mistress, but some of us wanted to meet
this Elemental without having to call a formal hearing.”

Was I on trial or something? I glanced
around at the inscrutable faces that were currently focused on
Tabitha.