Dark Throne, The (10 page)

It was more than she'd ever dreamed of
. . . . because while Fade was uncommunicative
and at times, difficult- case in point, the now shattered doorknob-
he was a handsome beast.

She'd never been one for easy fucks
. Even though she had plenty of friends in possession
of fuck buddies, she'd never been the sort to enjoy that kind of
thing. While she'd never allowed any man access to her pussy, that
hadn't meant she hadn't been willing to take part in other acts. .
. . she was no prude, but she'd been waiting. And now, even that
seemed to make sense. She'd unknowingly been waiting for
Fade.

The thought seemed unlikely, but then,
wasn't every part of this damned situation unlikely?

That this man would be the one to take her
virginity
. . . . well, the
thought
was
not repulsive.

Hiding a definitely smug smile, she turned to face Fade,
who had leant a shoulder against the doorjamb and was watching her
with a light of curiosity in those predatory eyes of
his
. "Basically, you didn't
completely fuck up by breaking that doorknob. A few months ago, I
moved away from the place my aunt had kept me safe. I came here.
The magic it took to transport you here, where I am, rather than
the original city, apparently burnt out the doorknob. Mother said
another doorknob will take you back to Mearth, but she doesn't know
where- it won't be your point of entry. And it won't be through the
same door on this end. She also said it will be a different
time.”

"Blood's teeth
. I
thought it would be something like that. Magik is never simple.” He
shook his head in disgust. "I take it it could either be in the
past or the future?"

"She didn't say, but I suppose so
.”

"Did she mention Haden
? My realm?"

"She only told me to tell you that Calder had taken the
throne and would hold it for a year, at least
.”

His expression barely changed, but she could sense that he
was furious
. His voice held no
hint of such a depth of anger, but still, she knew how he felt and
while she wished to comfort him, neither of them were ready for
such familiarity.

"That would be useful if we could return to Mearth
now
or return in the past. If we return in the future, then
there will be no chance of saving my kingdom, especially from a
leech like Calder.”

"He is not a good man?"

Fade's upper lip twitched
. "That is an understatement.”

"Oh
. Like that, is
it?" At his nod, she grimaced. "I'm sorry about this. I guess I'd
understand if you hated me.”

"This is not our fault
. It is the fault of our meddling parents. Plus those
wishing to dominate your father's kingdom. In truth, it is unjust
to blame our parents. We cannot blame fate. It simply is how it is
and we shall make the best of it.”

That sounded a little too
laissez-faire
for her
liking, but knowing each other as little as they did, she supposed
neither could make an informed decision upon how bright their
future together would be.

"Is there anything else I need to know
? If there isn't, then I'll try the other
doorknobs on some other doors. It will take more time, but I am
going to try every doorknob and discern the times and places of
each entry point into Mearth. That way, we can make an informed
judgment upon where and when we enter,” he told her, lifting his
shoulder from the door as though ready to start his task
immediately.

"That sounds wise, Fade
.” She bit her lip. "There's just the one thing. Mother
said that I can't enter Mearth without us having bound ourselves to
each other.”

Fade's eyes shuttered
.
He nodded, but she could see his jaw grinding down again. "I
understand. Before we. . . .
start
anything, I wish
to have a more informed opinion of our options on
Mearth.”

Heather watched him leave, her eyes pinned to his
back
. She stood, walked out of
the kitchen and into the downstairs bathroom that was no larger
than a broom closet. She looked in the mirror and wondered if she
was a hag of some sort. If there was some reason for his apparent
disinterest in sleeping with her.

Any other guy she knew, not to put too fine a point on it,
would have jumped at the chance
.

She had blonde hair, silvery-blue eyes, lily-white skin
which almost never tanned
. She
had curves in the right places, a taut ass and stomach. . . . what
the hell else did the man want from a woman he was stuck with for
the rest of his life?

Before she could get herself too worked up, she recalled
his words of yesterday
. . .
.

"You should not be tied to me
. . . . To my people, my wings are repulsive. . .
.”

Perhaps the answer lay within those
statements?

Heather didn't know, but she determined to find
out
.

Queen's Salon, Jender,
Mearth

"She is struggling with the bond
.” Queen Setta's tone was pained and as she stared
aimlessly into space, her frustration grew as the seconds passed
and a delicately shod hand snapped out of her robes and slammed
down against a console table. The tray filled with tea items and
cake stands trembled and quivered and crumbles of Mendel tart
slithered from its plate and rained down on to the
floor.

Setta possessed a slow-to-burn anger, bu
t once that fire was lit, it was a difficult one
to quench.

Only with the greatest control did she refrain from pushing
the entire tray to the ground
.
And she only did that because her ladies maids would twitter about
her and generally increase her irritation.

The most difficult aspect of the entire role, the hardest
part of being Queen, was forever having to wear a serene
mask
.

When times were troubled, the people needed to see a Queen
who was so sure and secure in her kingdom's rulings, that not even
a worry line marred her brow
.

When the
heiress to
the throne suddenly disappeared, the people needed to see a Queen
who felt no fear or concern at the disappearance of her only and
beloved daughter.

It did not matter that at times Setta felt sick with
fear
. For two decades, she'd
been without two of the most important people in her life. Her
sister and her daughter.

Without them, she'd lived a half-life
. But the people had not seen that and for that,
she congratulated herself on a job well done.

There had been times over the years, where her misery had
been so profound that even rising from her divan had been
difficult
. Times where she had
longed to sink into the delights of potions and licorices,
concoctions that drugged the mind and body so as to con it into
forgetting the true state of affairs.

Her husband had been a great support
. Henrik was a loving husband and he was loved in
return. But he was a busy man and his health was not good. She
could not add her own concerns and unhappiness to the already-heavy
burden on his shoulders. Her only release had come from the times
she and Henrik coupled. There had been occasions, where she'd been
like a jack-rabbit, seeking escape. In truth, the separation from
her daughter had turned Setta into a woman she wasn't entirely sure
she even recognized. Henrik still loved her, so she could not be
too large a liability. . . . even so, there were many times, where
she was not content with the woman she was.

These last twenty years had sunk Setta to the depths of a
despair so treacherous, she had been like the waking
dead
.

Almost like the sun at dawn, she had started to awaken from
this pit of misery, when her magik had informed her Fade was near
the keys to Mearth
. As soon as
his fingers had brushed the enchanted parchment, Setta's senses had
almost sizzled with power.

It was time
.

And then had come contact with her
daughter
. For the first time
in twenty years.

Even now, while she was angry, the thought of that first
contact had tears brimming in her eyes
.

Soon, Heather would be back home, where she
belonged
. And the kingdom
would no longer fall solely on Henrik's shoulders. He would have
Fade's aid. Henrik was an old man now. While Setta was merely
middle aged at ninety-seven, Henrik was nearing his one hundred and
fortieth year. He needed help and Fade was a warrior
prince.

Times being as they were, Jender needed just
that
.

A
warrior
.

"Of course, she is, dearling
. She will not understand the bond and as such, this entire
situation must be a great shock for her and it will take time for
her to grow accustomed to this new world and I don't mean Mearth.”
Henrik's voice rumbled out of his barrel-like chest. He was a
strong man, always had been and even to this day, there was little
fat on his frame. His size was an indicator of the powerful warrior
he'd once been. The years had not diminished his stature nor his
handsome features, but they had weakened his desire for war. Setta
could not blame him, she did not want Jender to be at war but the
time was coming.

"I can't wait to see her, Henrik
. The more she delays, the longer it will take for her
to arrive here.”

"We must be patient, my love
. We have waited this long, a few more days or even a week
is nothing in comparison.” He'd been seated directly opposite her
in a large throne-like armchair which took his weight, something
which no other piece of furniture in this room could. After their
wedding, almost immediately after she'd been sworn in as Queen,
she'd had a chair commissioned for this room so that he could visit
her without breaking every ounce of furniture she possessed. Over
the many years of their marriage, a routine had developed between
the pair of them. No matter how busy they were, no matter how much
they had to attend to, they met for afternoon tea. Every
day.

While he'd been comfortably seated, he stood and walked
towards her
. His hands reached
for hers and he pressed his lips to each palm.

"It is difficult, my love
. I know this, don't you think I suffer with you? Neither
of us have been the same since those dark times, where shuffling
Heather on to another plane of existence had been necessary simply
to protect her life. However, we have weathered the years and she
is returning to us. Let us be patient.”

Rather than squeeze his hands as she would ordinarily have
done, in a burst of energy, she pushed him away only to grab him to
her by wrapping her arms about his waist and burying her face in
his belly
. His fingers found
their way to the back of her head and gently, he played with her
hair and intermittently, rubbed her nape.

"I want her back now, Henrik
. All of these changes are occurring in her life and all I
can do is scribble a few words to her. She needs guidance. She
needs to talk to me, we need to discuss the bond and the mating
heat and then she would probably go through with it. She
needs
me.”

"Of course, she does, dearling
. You're her mother.” His fingers stilled but he did not
move away from her as he continued, "We have kept an eye on Fade,
Setta. He is a good man. Worthy of our daughter. We must pray that
he does right by her and eases her into this new existence of
hers.”

"It's the fault of those bastard's
. Oh, God, why did they have to ruin
everything?"

"Some men are sick, Setta
. Their perversions know no bounds. We protected Heather
from them and now, we must wait. It is Jender's good fortune that
our lands are plentiful. That the soil is rich with minerals and
that under the ground, ore flourishes. Because of Mother Mearth's
bounty, we are punished, but not for long. I'm too old to be King,
dearling. We both know that. As soon as Fade and Heather are bound,
I shall abdicate and let him deal with the factions out to split
Jender into pieces. It is a young man's game. He will sort all of
this out and Jender will once again be at peace. Who knows, if
Merrick can keep that slimy bastard Calder at bay, Jender could be
double its size. Undoubtedly, Fade will bind both kingdoms
together.

"We are about to witness the dawn of a new age, my
sweet
.”

"I know
. I should care
about Jender and in many ways I do, but I just want my little girl
back.”

"You will never receive that wish, Setta
. She is a woman grown now. Not a child. Respect
her as a woman, or you may lose what you so desire.”