Dark Throne, The (28 page)

Thoughts of her mother had her returning to the room and
with a bang
. Of late, these
periods of blanking out weren't uncommon.

Only yesterday, during the Mearthen equivalent to lunch,
she'd had another
. Her mother
had squeaked about it, squawked at her father until the palace
physician had come and checked her over. Part of the transition
period of reverting from her pre-pubescent Elfen form into a fully
mature adult, he’d said. And as she returned to the moment, she
realized that both her mate's and her mother's concerned eyes were
upon her.

It had brought the argument to an end
. Something she wasn't sure she wanted. Hell,
this situation needed to change. Now. Because something had to give
and it wouldn't be her.

“
Sorry
,” she whispered,
voice weary.

Fade's arm tightened about her and he pressed a kiss to her
temple
.

“
The doctor said this was just a temporary problem, didn't
he?” Setta's tone was panicked and Heather saw a sliver of the love
her mother felt for her and winced at the sight
.

How could love, a positive emotion, have such negativity
spouting out of the woman's mouth
?

“
Yes
. While her ear
lobes have fully developed, her insides haven’t fully
matured.”

“
Why does that cause these blank moments
? Surely she should have… I don't know… growing
pains? Physical aches, I'd understand, but mental?”

He shook his head
.
“The medic was not concerned. While Heather's situation is unusual
and out of his medical expertise, he simply said that psychological
changes can be more damaging than the physical. As such, her mind
is still maturing to this new world.”

The doctor had also said that frequent exposure to Fade's
seed had ensured an almost seamless transitional
period
.

The man had actually prescribed more sex
.

She'd never felt so bloody mortified in her
life
. The doctor had more hair
sprouting out of his ears than on his head and that wasn’t because
of his age… it was his natural form. A big nose had had the
Mearthen equivalent to glasses perched on them, huge goofy looking
things that held none of the natural grace of the usual fashions
she’d seen around court.

This odd-looking man had stared quite seriously at the pair
of them and said, “Yes, indeed
. I would recommend more spurting, your highnesses. Such
exposure to his highness’ semen has ensured that her highness is
suffering less trauma than I would have suspected. Frequent bouts
of rumpy pumpy, yes, that’s the ticket. Like
rearbids
.”
He’d nodded as though he hadn’t just told them to get to fucking
like rabbits, something she’d only understood when Fade had
explained what a
rearbid
was.

Setta sighed and the sound shook with her
anxiety
.

God, her mother was a puzzle
. How could she care so much and then act in a way that was
almost guaranteed to either upset, offend or annoy her
daughter?

“
Look, this isn't the point
. I'm fine. I told you I was fine yesterday. I don't space
out, it's more like I go into my thoughts. That's all. I'm not
schizophrenic or anything like that.”

“
Schizophrenic?” Setta glanced at Fade who shook his
head
.

Growling under her breath at the lack of translation for
this word, Heather explained, “On Earth, there are people who don't
have control of t
heir
thoughts. There are two different personalities living in just the
one brain. When they black out, it's when another personality has
taken control. Look, it isn't important. I'm just saying that I'm
not a psycho. That's all.” Mouth tightening at another shared look
of confusion, she clarified, “I'm not crazy. Or deranged.
Okay?”

“
Of course not
.” Fade
bussed her temple again.

Able to sense that he felt little concern over these
periods, believing them to be a natural part of the process her
body was undergoing, eased her irritation
somewhat
. He wasn't saying
that just to console her. He meant it. Setta did feel concern, but
Heather had the feeling that Setta would overreact if she came down
with a cold.

This weird need to control stemmed from the fact that she'd
been denied her daughter and for the child's
lifetime
. It seemed as though
she was trying to cram twenty-odd years of parenting into too-short
a time and wasn’t succeeding.

“
I just… I… Setta, please, realize that you can't keep on at
me the way you are
. I can't
stand any more. You're upsetting me and I don't want that. I really
wanted to have a relationship with you. As a child, I think I would
have done just about anything to have the chance of knowing you.
But you're spoiling it. And I know father talked to you about this.
I hoped that would be enough but you're worse than
ever.”

She hesitated, certain that her next words would inflame
Fade into a hot rage, but at the same time, knowing these words
needed to be said
. “You gripe
at me about everything. From the way I look to the way I act but
today was just the final straw. Commenting on my weight was just
the end. I told you that I almost died from being too thin and I
wasn't lying. That was real.

“
I spent about four years of my adolescence being shuttled
back and forth to doctors and psychologists'
office
. May did everything she
could to get me back on track. Hell, I know she had to do without
to pay for all of these things. Life… just existing is expensive
back on Earth. Healthcare costs a fortune.

“
I've heard enough lectures from my psychologist to know
that poor self-esteem can cause a return to old patterns of
behavior. And I refuse to let myself
be bullied by you into a state of mind that will revert me to my
old ways. I fought long and hard to get back to normal. And I won't
let you undo all that work, alright?”

Setta's bottom lip wobbled, but she
nodded
.

Her silence shocked Heather
. She'd expected another declaration that being the Queen
meant she didn't have to hear some hard truths.

She watched as tears welled in her mother's eyes, but
refused to feel guilt
. Even
though it made its presence known, when Setta scuttled out of the
room. Head bowed.

Chapter
Thirteen

Heather grimaced and then gasped, as her eyes caught on a
huge tear that ran from her hip to mid-thigh
. How she'd managed to do that, was anybody's guess.
“You're not supposed to see me in my wedding dress. It's bad
luck.”

Despite the grimness blanketing the room, Fade
grinned
. “Only you could say
such a thing at a time like this.”

“
It's the truth
. Now go
away.”

“
As if I would do that
.
I felt your hurt, my mate. I'm not leaving you until a smile is
fixed firmly on your face.” He shook his head. “At any rate, that
custom is not practiced on Mearth. Many brides and grooms have
their gowns tailored for them by the same seamstresses. The colors
tend to coordinate at Elfen weddings.”

She peered up at him, eyes narrowed in
suspicion
. “Are you lying to
me?”

Amusement returned to his features, lightening the
usual
somber cast of his
faces. “No. Why would I need to? Ask your…” He grimaced. “Ask one
of the women, who attend your mother. They can confirm my words,
untrusting wench.”

She pouted
. “Still. My
dress should be a surprise.”

“
By the state of it, dearling, I very much doubt that will
be the dress you wear on the day itself
. Unless you plan to wed yourself to me looking like a
pauper?”

“
It’s all the fashion on Earth
,” she retorted and saw him roll his eyes. Knowing he'd
believed her, she hid a grin.

“
Then if you must appear with rips and tears, at least let
them be in strategic places
.”

Unsure of what he meant, she looked down and
grinned
. Her panties were on
display thanks to some of the rips.

“
Thank you
,” she
murmured on a sigh and turned into his arms, so that her front
rested against his. Pressing her forehead against his chest, she
couldn't help but take a moment to inhale his scent and revel in
the pure essence that was Fade. With her hands brushing his back,
around the waist, her fingers nudged at his wings. Their soft
velvetiness sent goose bumps shuddering over her body. His
wings
did
something to her. She wasn't sure what, but they
always had something indescribable fluttering through her
body.

She found herself touching them on a frequent basis, simply
because of her sensory reaction to them and the gentle whisper of
the feathers against her skin
.
As such, he'd rapidly grown accustomed to being touched there. At
first, he'd flinched or frozen. In his mind, his subconscious, he
still viewed his wings as things to hate. A part of his body that
had caused him to be ostracized. But now, she knew, he was rapidly
starting to enjoy her reaction to them.

“
What for?” he replied, arching a little into her
touch
.

His wardrobe fascinated her
. The backs of his upper wear had all been cut away to
accommodate his wings. As such, there was a slither of flesh,
beneath the base of his wings, where the knotted muscles sat.
Before she replied, her hands sought that nook and she pressed her
smiling mouth against his chest as he shuddered. “For being here.
For coming when I needed you.”

“
It was my pleasure, mate
. Any excuse to be with you. You know that.”

She gently massaged the muscles and whispered, “I feel the
same way
.”

His mouth brushed against the top of her
head
. “Was it true what you
said to her? About almost dying?”

There was horror in his voice and she warmed
inside
. Even knowing how
important she was to him, it still came as a surprise to be made
aware of it. “Yes. I just stopped eating for a while.”

“
You do realize that I'm
going to watch everything you eat now, don't you?”

There was a slight warning there and she knew it and
accepted it
. He would merely
be taking Aunt May's role. It warmed her unbearably. She’d managed
to control her skewed brain for the last eight or so years and with
Fade at her side, doubted she’d ever be besieged by the same
devastating thought processes that had seen her fall to ninety
pounds soaking wet. “I'll expect cookies by the dozen.”

He grunted
. “What are
they?”

“
Like cakes
. Aunt May
started baking to try to encourage me to eat. It worked. She'd
never been that much of a cook. She was an artist, so she only used
to eat when she was hungry and I used to make myself something to
eat. She didn't notice, when I stopped eating. I think she felt
guilty so afterwards, she'd make me really naughty cakes and
pastries.”

“
An artist?” he asked, surprised
.

“
Yes
. She was really
good. Whenever she sold a painting, they commanded quite a high
price. But they used to take an age for her to complete. It was why
we were never exactly affluent.”

“
Well, I've never been much of a cook
.”

She laughed
. “Well,
having an army in the kitchen wouldn't exactly encourage you to be
active in the kitchen, would it?”

“
No
. The most I've
cooked is shooting some game and roasting it over a campfire.
Nothing fancy. But I'll think of something to encourage you to
enjoy eating.”

She arched her back so that she could tilt her head and
look at him
. “I don't have a
problem anymore, Fade. Not really. Setta said the dress wasn't
sitting on me well, so made the demand that I lose weight. I just
told her the way it is. I don't think I'll ever feel so low that
I'll get to that state again, so you don't have to
worry.”

“
As if that will ever happen
.”

She grinned with pleasure at the sincere words and nuzzled
her cheek against his throat and
reveled in being with the man who filled her heart to
bursting.

The moment Henrik spotted his wife, he knew there’d been
another altercation and sighed with weariness
. He was too old to be dealing with these spats,
but at the same time, there was a part of him that enjoyed them.
Both Setta and himself had missed out on the usual adolescent
melodramas and the joys of a child’s first step into adulthood. It
made him feel like a parent, a father for real. It also made him
feel every one of his years.