A Taste for Blood (The Godhunter, Book 6) (35 page)

The High King shouted a joyful sound, the crowd joining in with him. I looked over at Arach in surprise but he just smiled at me and shrugged.

“King Arach,” the High King began again. “Here, beneath the Holly and the Ivy, do you declare your love for this woman?”

“
I do,” Arach declared strongly. “I love her above all others.” The words struck a memory...
above all others
. I had a flash of a beautiful, dark-haired woman in a white dress, smiling at me. She was important to me and I felt an ache take hold. I missed her.

“
Do you declare that she will come first in all things for you?”

“
I do, her happiness is more important to me than my own.” Again, the words were familiar.

“
Do you declare yourself her protector, to guard her life with yours?”

“
I do, I vow to lay my own life down for hers.”

“
Your death, would be my death,” I interrupted before the High King could continue, the words leaving my mouth of their own volition. “I release you from your vow and bid you instead, to
live
for me.”

The crowd gasped, the High King's mouth fell open, but Arach shuddered and let out a harsh sigh. He shook his head, his intense gaze holding my own as a tear escaped one burning dragon eye and slid down his cheek. He laid a hand against my face and smiled tenderly as he stared into my eyes. Before I knew what he was about, he dropped to his knees, his hands taking mine.

“I will live from now until the end of time for you and your love,” he vowed, his soft, awed voice carrying over the silent crowd. “There's nothing else for me to live for anymore. I kneel here before you, and offer you this vow; that I shall be yours forever if you will have me.”

The crowd seemed to hold its breath as I considered him, his striking face so earnest, his wide shoulders so determined, and beneath it all, the heart I'd already claimed.

“I will have you,” I whispered and pulled him to his feet.

Everyone cheered as he leapt up and kissed me, lifting me up so that we were even in height. He gave me his fire and I gave him mine, the exchange feeling almost as binding as the rings we gave each other immediately afterward.

High King Cian was thrown for a loop, trying to save the botched wedding by making me vow to love Arach, while Arach slipped a delicate band of gold on my finger. The right hand's ring finger. It felt wrong to me but I let it go and slipped one on Arach's right hand as well. Of course his band was thicker, more masculine, and it shone on his hand like a banner announcing our new relationship.

“
May blood flow and fire burn,” King Cian placed his hands on our heads. “May brine preserve and water cleanse. May breath surge and air renew. May stone defend and earth sustain. And may Spirit unite us all.” He paused after every blessing, allowing the fey of that element time to repeat it, but the last blessing was spoken by all the fey.

The High King gestured for us to turn to the crowd and we did, smiling out at them as he proclaimed our new status as King and Queen of the House of Fire. Arach held out his arm to me and I took it, letting him lead me back inside, where a spiral table waited to be navigated, laden with food and adorned with two more thrones than usual; the bridal thrones, set next to the High King and Queen's.

We walked the spiral, without having to make a single stop because we were only the second couple to enter, the first being the High King and Queen, who led the way without pause, to the center of the spiral. When we finally arrived, as it was a very large spiral, Arach helped me into my throne before taking his own. He smiled at me like he'd just won the lottery and I paused to contemplate what a lottery was.

“
I can't tell you how pleased I am that you changed your mind,” King Cian said to me.

“
Oh?” I smiled at Arach, though he seemed a bit concerned over the King's comment. “Arach told you how opposed I was to it, did he?”

“
You told me yourself, Queen Vervain,” he frowned.

“
I did?”

“
My lady wife has had some memory loss recently,” Arach explained with lifted brows and King Cian's eyes narrowed on him. “It couldn't be avoided, we've tried everything to bring back her memories but they remain elusive.”

“
Ah,” the High King nodded and shared a glance with his wife, who stared at me sympathetically. “What a hard thing to lose, our memories are a big part of what makes us who we are.”

“
Yes,” the High Queen agreed, “and I have such fond memories of you,” she pulled a blood-stained handkerchief from her sleeve and sniffed at it daintily. A shiver went down my spine at the motion but I subdued it.

“
I wish I could share them, Queen Meara,” I said instead.

“
Maybe some day they will return,” she waved away the melancholy, “but until then we will have to endeavor to make new ones. Better ones.”

“
Yes,” Arach firmly took my hand. “We've already begun.”

Across the expanse of table, I saw Roarke sitting at a curve further out. Yes, Roarke was the cat's name. I recalled meeting him, twice. I frowned as he stared grimly at me. He shook his head and a memory returned, of him telling me that he'd tell my lovers where I was and that he'd try to find a way to bring them here. My lovers? Plural? What kind of woman took multiple lovers? Besides, I was married now.

I looked away from him and back to my husband, who had been following the exchange. He looked anxious and I leaned over to kiss him and allay any fears he may still be harboring about me being human.

“
Stop frowning,” I whispered into his ear. “I love you, you big lizard.”

“
You do?” He grinned as if he didn't know it.

“
I guess so,” I smirked but my smile drifted away when I caught that cat staring morosely at me again.

Chapter Fifty-Three

“What exactly does a Queen do?” I adjusted the Fire crown on my head.

Now I had two crowns; the diamond, dragon, bridal crown, and the Queen of Fire's crown. It was pretty but kind of sharp. The entire piece was made of gold, shaped to look like flames were shooting up from its base. It was adorned with yellow diamonds and rubies forming flames within the gold flames. Very fiery.

“Pretty much whatever she wants,” Arach pulled his dark red hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a piece of leather. “But there are responsibilities. To your people. To your
King
.” He grinned and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. Another face flashed over his, another set of arms that used to hold me the same way.

“
What kind of responsibilities?” I swallowed hard and he misinterpreted it.

“
Nothing too difficult for you,” he met my eyes in the mirror and his bright yellow irises changed, becoming warmer, the color of honey. I blinked and it was gone. “Right now we have to hold court, reintroduce you to the House of Fire as their Queen. Then we will hear any grievances, settle disputes, usually petty ones but you must not treat them as such, and we will address any issues regarding our kingdom, which extends back from the Mountains of Serenity, which Castle Aithinne is a part of...”

“
Castle Aithinne?” I frowned, how could I be Queen of a castle whose name I hadn't even known? Had I heard the name before? I couldn't remember.

“
It will come back to you, I'm sure,” Arach smiled gently at me. “Our lands extend back, ending in the Tine, we call it a lake but really it's a collection of hot springs, I'll take you there soon for a relaxing soak.”

“
What's beyond the Tine?” I had a flash of something round and mostly blue. The world, that's what humans called their realm.

“
Beyond the Tine?” He cocked his head. “There's nothing beyond the Tine, it's the end of Faerie.”

“
Faerie just ends in a lake?”

“
No, each kingdom ends in the element which does not border it,” he smiled as he got into the explanation. “It completes the circle and creates a barrier to the realm. Since we have Earth to one side and Air to the other, we end in Water. The Air kingdom ends in mountains, Water in a volcano spewing lava down its back, and Earth in mist. Each kingdom is contained but yet influenced by the others. Air feeds our Fire and Earth keeps our volatile volcanoes stable. It's a way of being unified yet still separate and content.”

“
Separate and content?” I thought about it. “So no fighting between different kingdoms?”

“
No, there's fighting,” he chuckled, “but the mountain range helps to prevent it from turning into war. Most fey are happy in their own element and don't wander outside of their kingdom except for High Court, which is neutral territory. However, skirmishes do arise and we may have to deal with a fair bit of unpleasantness from time to time. That is what being a ruler entails and I think you'll be a wonderful Queen. You've already helped me become a better King.”

“
So you don't want me to just sit there and look pretty?” I smirked at him.

“
Well maybe just for the first few courts,” he held out an arm to me and I took it.

“
You should have married an Air sidhe then, my King,” I smiled. “I'm not the easy, breezy, beautiful kind.” I frowned, wondering where that line had come from.

“
Bite your tongue,” he laughed. “Me with an Air? Hardly. Talk about fanning the flames. There'd never be peace in the kingdom.”

“
You don't seem like the type of King who truly wants peace.”

“
I do, I just want everyone to leave me in peace to burn and kill whomever I want.”

“
Oh, you so didn't say that,” I hit him.

“
I most certainly did,” he leaned in close as we left the room and headed downstairs. “If all goes well, the High King will lower the wards and we'll be able to hunt outside of Faerie again. The Wild Hunt will ride the night.”

“
And the screams will ride the wind,” I stopped and looked at him in horror. “You hunted me.”

“
Of course I did,” he began to look nervous.

“
No, I mean you led the Wild Hunt after me!”

“
My love,” he put his hand on my cheek and stared into my eyes. “That is nonsense, dearmad gac aon rud, forget it all, let it go.”

“
Let what go?”

“
Nothing,” he smiled and led me into the throne room of Castle Aithinne.

It was a massive open space of polished black stone with a ceiling soaring to a peak above our heads. There were flames burning in tall braziers along a central path which we walked, the fire fey gathered to either side of us. At the end of the aisle, a dais of more black stone crouched, two stairs cut into its width, leading up to the thrones.

The larger throne was placed on the left side, made of solid gold and carved with designs of dragons. It had a central arch peaked with a faceted ruby the size of my fist. On its seat was a padded, red, velvet cushion. To the right was a smaller throne, as gold as the first and with carvings to match, but with a yellow diamond at its peak. It had the same cushion though and I knew I'd be grateful for it if the court went on too long.

Arach led me to the top of the dais and then turned us around so that we were facing the crowd as we stood in front of our thrones. A leanan-sidhe slunk out of the shadows, her black hair wild around her shoulders and her sharp teeth gleaming at me when she smiled. She held a large book in her hands and she came to stand with it open, on the bottom step of the dais.

She spoke in a language I didn't recognize and I looked over to Arach in dismay. How would I rule if I couldn't understand what everyone was saying? He caught my gaze and nodded.

“
English from now on, Isleen,” he said to her and her face went blank. He looked out at the crowd and continued. “Our Queen has not learned the language yet, you'll respect her and speak English in her presence until she does.”

“
Yes, my King,” Isleen nodded and continued in English. “I present to you, House of Fire, your King Arach and your new Queen Vervain. May blood flow and fire burn for them.”

“
May blood flow and fire burn,” the rest repeated solemnly.

Arach smile indulgently and gestured for me to sit as he also took his throne.

“The first court of King Arach and Queen Vervain has begun,” Isleen looked to her book. “Fey of Fire, present yourselves to your new Queen to swear fealty.”

A line of fey appeared before our thrones and the fire fey edged up the steps, one by one, to bow before me and recite an oath of allegiance. I nodded and smiled to each one, hoping I was doing it right, until hours later,  it was finally over.

Then Isleen announced. “We welcome our new Queen, Vervain of the House of Fire! Hail Queen Vervain!”