Darkness and Beauty (The Fated Series, #1)

Chapter 52 - Fauna - Song of Flesh and Blood

"Trust her, Thea. Please," Darius begs her.

I don't wait for her to agree. A clock has started ticking in my mind, and it's getting louder. "You're going to walk back to Derek acting like nothing is wrong and you're perfectly happy. Give him a drink, kiss his neck, whisper sweet things in his ear – I don't care, just get him seduced and then take him to your normal chambers in Darius's tower. Make sure you two look like you're nothing but two people going off to find pleasure in your bed. If someone stops you, tell them your name and that Darius personally requested you enjoy yourself. When you get to the room, lock the doors and windows, close the curtains, don't light a single candle, and hide in the bedroom. I'll send someone to retrieve you. Don't scream if the bookcase opens, and if the person who walks through says salutem, then you're safe. If they don't, then you scream as loud as you can. There are eight guards in the hall that will hear you. Do you understand?"

"I..." She looks partly convinced that this is some sort of prank Darius is trying to pull on her.

I grasp her hand slowly, planting a sweet smile on my face to ease the nosey ladies in the corner. "Look, you can trust me. I swear on my parent's graves that this is no trick and you'll be perfectly safe so long as you do as I say, and go with a smile on your face and act like nothing is wrong."

"Please, Thea," Darius pleas again.

Something must've shown in his eyes because she slips a convincing smile on her face, and then turns and walks down the dais. Darius pulls back my hood just enough to start kissing my neck, but I know that the only reason why we haven't moved yet is to make sure that she gets to Derek. Eleanor doesn't look happy to see her and politely excuses herself. Taking the gold circle necklace in my hands, I reflect the light from the chandeliers off of it and right into Blight's face. She's been standing beside a few clueless servants and immediately heads over to the dais when the glare hits her face. I could send Julyan, but I need him to go with the King when he retreats and having a woman rather than a man go to get Thea and Derek won't frighten them as much.

"Thank you," Darius whispers on my neck. I look to Thea one more time, finding her tugging Derek toward the garden rather insistently. At least she's good at acting, otherwise, without the wide smile and flirtatious gaze through her lashes, she'd look rather panicked and crazy.

I pull Darius back to his throne, making sure to keep my body between his and the edge of an arrow. We stand beside it and Blaise is already pushed up against the back of the chair when we get there. "You blinded me, your loveliness?"

"Mountain Mallow."

"Shit."

"Change of plans. I need you to go to Darius's tower and take the secret door to my bedroom. There will be a woman and a man in pale green clothing waiting. Say salutem, and then take them to Layara."

"What about-"

"We'll be fine. Now go." She hesitates but I second later I hear the faintest scuff of her foot as slips back against the wall and into the servant's entrance in the corner of the room.

I go to call over Aillard when the hairs on my arms stand up again and instinct has me shoving Darius behind the throne. There's a flash in the corner of my eye and then the whoosh of the arrow as it flies past me. I turn, one of the long Ebony blades already in my hand, and whistle. The Bhaltayr easily back-peddle up the steps and into the formation. Another arrow flies as I take my place at the tip of the arrowhead, and with a flash of my blade, it ricochets helplessly to the ground.

No one saw the first arrow, but the second the Bhaltayr moved so did the King's guard, and that threw everyone into a quiet panic, but it wasn't because of the arrow now clattering on the marble floor. When someone shoots an arrow at the royals, people turn and bolt for the doors. When the arrow flew at me and Darius, the first thing they noticed was the all-black blade in my hand. If they hadn't believed it before, then they most definitely all just now pieced together who, exactly, the Prince has been involved with. Sadly, I don't have time to make a snarky comment.