P R E V I O U S L Y
My touch was lethal. My touch was power. It was time to build my empire.
CALCHESTER CITADEL, STEFFITH.
EDWINA
"IT IS TIME!" ERIC SHOUTED from the crowd, hand rocketing into the air.
I turned around from where I was standing near the wine fountain at the lavish banquet, my mouth open in the middle of my sip. The goblet clattered to the floor. "Yes," I heard Eros boom and chuckle, rubbing his hands together and eyeing the Moirai.
"It is time!"
Everyone began to make lewd gestures, taking up the call. I watched the luminescent Helios throw back his head and laugh at something Vanessa said, and my heart began to thump like drums.
"Tristan, Tristan, Tristan!" Aidon started to chant, waving his hands in the air, popping open a bottle of champagne and spraying it all around.
"Edwina, Edwina, Edwina!" Llewellyn shouted with a grin, Amphitrite giggled and people started to clap.
"Come on!" Eric nudged me as I looked around, my mouth dry.
It was time for the... wedding night.
I saw the crowd make way for my new... husband who was walking to me with long strides, silver amusement on his face. His eyes darkened as everyone urged him on, making my blood thrum even louder as the attractive god finally came to a halt in front of me, hair windblown.
Damn those party goers. They wouldn't leave us alone until they saw us to the... bedroom.
"Look," I hissed under my breath, "the happier we look about this, the sooner we get to end this farce."
Tristan slightly leaned in, his long fingers coming to a rest on my shoulder. I fought hard to regain control of my raging lust as our shoulders brushed, inhaling his rich scent over the loud crowd.
"I wanted to apologize first for-" he began, and I cut him off with an impatient glare.
"-look, will you or will you not pick me up? I don't want to hear your stupid apology."
"-come on, you sexy crackpots! Time to do the nasty!" Vanessa yelled in my ear, drunk, showering rose petals on us as she danced. My cheeks warmed as Tristan raised his eyebrow, miserably muttering something to himself about intolerable lunatics.
"Watch it!" I yelled, caught off guard as my knees suddenly gave way.
A few seconds later, I was aware of his strong, sturdy arms catching me before I tripped off balance. As if I weighed nothing, Tristan effortlessly scooped me up. Settling me in the crook of his arm as my heels dangled over his other elbow, I saw a devilish smile on his face as he gallantly cocked his head to me.
"Are you done being so bloody dramatic, Valmont?" I hissed with gritted teeth as the procession followed us to the end of the corridor.
"Are you done declining my chivalry?" he asked politely in a clipped voice, yet it held the hurt in its harshness.
"You're not being chivalrous," I muttered under my breath as the din of the gods behind us began to grow louder.
I saw irritation lurk in his blazing eyes, and now his smile forced itself back to a ghost. Still, being so close and touching so much, I felt myself melt against his marbled chest.
As we neared the end of the corridor, he kept his gaze fixed ahead, steering away from my sharp words. For a moment, I even regretted saying that. He was, after all, trying.
"Make it long!" Helios shouted happily, drowning another tankard of ale.
"Make it last!" Llewellyn grinned as someone caught the bouquet, throwing it in the air and the flowers separated and flew down on all of us.
"Don't wear her out too much!" Eros cheered, and started to play with the bouquet, tossing and juggling the roses while making kissy faces. Beside me, Valmont looked like he was going to snap at any moment.
I lost it and let my power loose, and suddenly, all the roses burst into flames.
Everyone gasped for a moment, and fell silent. A minute later, the chants became even more loud, and now picked up the pace, faster, as we walked through the maze of rooms.
I saw Tristan lower his head as we neared the suite, coming closer and closer until our noses were touching, and I sucked in air to feed my starved lungs, passion spilling into my body like a hot flame.
Was he going to kiss me?
"Perhaps, Queen Regnant," he hissed softly, "if you could concentrate less on being a nuisance-"
"-TIME TO LICK THE COOKIE AND PUT THE BANANA IN THE JAR!" Eros bellowed exultantly, now bathing himself in showers of champagne as he waved his arms about like a maniac.
"Shut up!" the two of us snapped together.
We had reached the door of the suite now, a heavy pinewood door chased with platinum and obsidian. Angrily, he turned the knob and pushed the door open with white hands.
I gasped at the sight at the beautiful chamber, elegantly decorated in sheets of gold and black, with gilded pillows and furniture, but all that grandeur was lost in the moment.
I felt Tristan set me down, and I gripped him for a moment, regaining my balance.
Then he slammed the door shut as the noises of the annoying party died out.
• • • • •
TRISTAN
I rested my head for a moment against the cold wood, wishing for another glass of wine - anything to save me from being in the same room with the very person who got on every last one of my nerves.
My hand cascaded through my hair, and I watched Edwina observe me curiously, and her lips quirked, glossed with red. I knew I hated to admit it, but some part of me twistedly enjoyed her staring at me when she thought I wasn't looking.
The silence was deafening, both of us waiting for the other to say something.
I gulped, taking a deep breath and counted from one to ten in my mind.
"I didn't mean for you to become the recipient of my less than stellar mood that night," I said out loud, my voice clear as water in the silence. "You just found me at the wrong time, I was angry at... at a certain goddess. I'm truly sorry," I paused. "I didn't intend to hurt you, nor did I mean to touch you so inappropriately," I said softly, the harshness now draining out of my voice.
The truth was that I felt so goddamned terrible for what I'd done, I'd let my anger get the better of me and clasped my hands around her neck. I would never ever have done that, never touched a woman like that, but I didn't know how I'd let it happen. After she passed out from seeing the... imaginary woman, I'd carried her up to her room.
Even in a blistering sleep, Edwina had kept on tossing and turning under the blanket as I sat and beat myself up in a chair beside her, only leaving the room after two days, when I was sure she was unharmed. I hated feeling it, this emotion in me that wanted to keep her safe and protected.
'The woman,' she had kept on crying out. 'I saw the woman. Stop the woman.'
"Save your apologies for someone who cares," she spat angrily now, crossing her arms.
"-trust me," I said firmly, desperate for her to understand, "I didn't mean to. I really didn't mean to, I was just in-"
"-Oh, I don't fucking care, Valmont," she murmured, coming up to me. "How much of that came out from your lips after swallowing your pride?"
"You want to speak of my pride?" I growled menacingly, and felt adrenaline rush again through my blood as she neared me, lingering near the wall.
"Tell me..." Edwina said softly, her voice dangerous and deadly, her eyes livid. "Tell me, Tristan Valmont. Did your bloody bitch of a sister teach you that? Did Elodie teach you how to lie?"
Anger rose up in me like a black wave, incensed at the insult to my dead sister, and I clenched my jaw to prevent myself from saying anything I would regret later as she came closer, clicking her tongue.
"You shouldn't insult the dead, woman," I hissed, balling my fists as a muscle ticked in my jaw.
She brought her face closer to mine, so that I could glare right into the depths of her mesmeric sea green eyes. Again, she quirked her lips coquettishly and her scent invaded my senses, that maddening scent of blueberries and roses - like fire to the dry ether of my starving, famished soul, eager for her touch.
"We're all liars here, Tristan Valmont, " Edwina whispered, "and every one of us is better than the last," she smirked. I slowly advanced till her back was at the wall, and I felt raw desire for her possessing every thought I had, her sweet presence invoking me to come and take her. "Gods die. And yet you never stopped mourning for her," she finished, her voice almost a ghost in the silence, as our eyes locked in a furious game of stares.
• • • • •
EDWINA
In that moment, all I wanted was for him to kiss me.
And then, I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder.
"NO!" I cried out, jumping. The spell was broken, and wisps of smoke conjured up from my fists, sparks left Tristan's fingers as he looked at me, startled.
"Sometimes, I think you put the fun in dysfunctional," he muttered, as I looked around, startled out of my wits.
"Someone tapped my shoulder!"
"Your back is to the wall, how in hell can someone tap your shoulder?" he inquired, annoyed.
"I don't know, I don't know!" I protested, and shuddered, closing my eyes. It had been a white hand, scaly and with cracked knuckles, and it belonged to the same mysterious woman I'd seen that night, I knew.
And that was when I heard it.
A shrill cry, anguished to the point of being almost silent.
"She - she's outside!" I realized, my voice straining. "She's outside, she's standing outside this room, she tapped my shoulder!" I shouted.
"Who's outside?" he demanded frustratedly, but I had already pulled a golden knife out my elegantly twisted hair, making for the door.
"Wait!" he was calling after me, but I kicked the door open, anxious and literally shaking with curiosity. Was I going insane? Was this what being drunk on power felt like?
The Citadel was dark, as the celebrations had moved to Ryvenndel Mansion. I could hear the faint sound of music and laughter, but otherwise, everything was dark and void and empty.
The only sounds to be heard were the low, anguished cries.
Suddenly, the sound stopped.
The silence echoed in my ears. All I could hear was the beating of my own heart.
But that was the least of my worries, because I then heard something else before the whimpering began again.
The notes of a piano.
It was low and not very discernible, yet a piano, nonetheless. It was accompanied by a soft whimpering. I moved around, trying to locate it, yet at times it seemed to come from every direction, sometimes it seemed to come from below the ground.
"Can you wait, goddamn it!" Tristan cursed behind me, eyes blazing. "What the hell is going on?"
"You tell me!" I shouted, frustrated. Who in the Citadel was playing a piano this late? The doors were all closed, and everyone was at the afterparty!
I began to descend the stairs with him behind, swearing under his breath as I stood still, unsure if this was reality or a dream - perhaps it was a nightmare, as the whimpering grew into wails.
There was a metallic smell in the air, like a tinge of acrid burning. It heavily hung low in the air, with a sharp tang of something sweet and unpleasant. The low piano kept on playing.
That smell. Oh god, not that smell again.
The sounds stopped again. I was at the base of the stairs now, and above me was the balcony overlooking the floor.
Silence descended over us again as we scanned the area around the staircase. No one. It was the kind of silence that fell right before someone cut your throat in the darkness or stabbed you in the back.
I turned the other way around, when I realized we were being watched.
My tongue went dry, my heart stopped beating for a second, and all other thoughts fled my head when I looked at what was standing a mere fifteen feet away from me.
There was a figure.
It was her. Again.
A twelve feet tall woman was looking down at me, her green robes sweeping the floor. There was a slight shimmer - a distortion - in the air around her.
She cast no shadow on the wall behind her.
Her lips curled, her platinum silver hair gleaming faintly, as I noticed her eyes.
Black without whites.
They stared down at me, peering into my soul with calculating coldness - regarding me with disdain. And then she gave me a little wave, and turned on her heel.
And then, she wordlessly seemed to lift up, as if she were walking on the air!
She glided in the direction of our room above, which was clearly visible here, on the other side of the balcony.
My feet clattered up the stairs, nearly stumbling from the drink, as I ran up to the room, heart pounding.
"Woman! What the fuck is going on?" Tristan fumed, trying to catch up as I sprinted to the room, back up the stairs, my heart pounding.
I reached up just in time for me to see her look over her shoulder, give me a grim smile, and wordlessly glide into the room.
Our room.
I paid no mind to my listlessly hammering heart, my dry mouth, as I slowly opened the door and went in.
My mouth went dry when I saw the bed.
The bed sheets which had been perfectly made minutes ago were now rumpled, as though someone had been sitting down on the mattress!
Oh. My.
There was someone else in the room with me, and I was very, very angry. I couldn't see it. My mouth was dry and my heart pounded.
"Edwina Tremayne, you tell me what is going on this instant!" Tristan snapped, frowning, taking in my eyes wide open, face ashen, hair tangled and matted, stuck to my temples. My eyes lightened with relief.
"We need to leave, we need to leave right now-" I explained wildly.
"What happened, woman?"
"Valmont - she's in the room - she is here-"
"Who?" he hissed, and goosebumps laminated my skin, sweat shone on my brow.
"The woman - the woman - she's here, she's here, I saw her go up and enter the room, and the bed-"
"There's no one here-"
"There is!" I shouted, curling my fists, "look, look at the bed sheets!" I whirled around to show him the bed which had been at my back, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you expecting me to comment on its wonderful choice of color?" he asked, puzzled, and I turned my head back to face the bed.
The sheets were smoothed out again!
"God damn it, I swear the bed was wrinkled a moment ago, she was here - I know she was here-"
"You're insane-"
"No! I'm not-"
"-you're tired-"
"No! I am not tired!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "I am not seeing things! I saw her, I saw her glide into this room, she was twelve feet tall, wearing green robes-"
"Look, that's getting ridiculous-"
"Tristan - GODDAMMIT - I'M NOT LYING!"
He stopped at my outburst, an eyebrow raised as his face returned to its normal color. The fact that I had addressed him by his own name the first time seemed to have made him reconsider how serious this was.
"Are you both alright in there?" a voice suddenly broke in through the closed door, and I recognized it as that of my brother, Aidon, sharp and gleaming with mirth. "If you want, I could show you how to fuck-"
"-get out!" I yelled, pounding my fist on the door and hoping it drove him away.
"Okay, then!" I heard Aidon laugh gleefully, and then rub his hands. "But if you want to-"
"-shut up and go!" I roared, and heard the hasty sound of his footsteps retreating, the laughter still on his lips and I turned around to Tristan who was standing behind me with his arms crossed and wearing the most amused expression on his face.
"See-" he began.
"-oh, I don't want to see!" I snapped at him, flinging down my knife and tossing off my cloak. "I'm done with you all! I've seen what I've wanted to see! Now go and screw yourself!" I finished, kicking off my heels, then throwing them across the room, where they hit a glass stand and shattered it.
"-if you go tomorrow to Stormholt like this, they'll take you for a madwoman," Tristan reasoned.
"I DON'T CARE!" I shouted at him, screaming my throat hoarse and dragging up the coverlet on the bed. "Screw all of you men! I'm done with you all!"
I saw him try to reason, saying something but I shut my ears closed and ignored him, settling myself in with a sigh. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift off.
I was going to live in a new Castle tomorrow.
A new home.
A new family.
A new enemy.
• • • • •
So, here we are... and the woman strikes. AGAIN! I'm hoping you're really wondering who she is? Why does she appear only to Edwina? Why can't anyone else see her? And the piano too! How come only she could hear it? Or... was Tristan lying? Anything is possible, like, really! It's clear this mysterious woman wants something from Edwina, or maybe she looking for something, lol. But that does absolutely NOT EXPLAIN HOW SHE FLEW THOUGH THE DAMN AIR!
And if you loved this chapter, please drop a vote or comment! I love to hear from ALL my readers and dedicate chapters to them! Until then, bye bye! :)