Beautiful Salvation (35 page)

She smiled and faced Saamal. “And you, Saamal, perhaps more than anyone, know what it is to create a new world. You know the responsibility that comes with it, the dedication that it needs, the patience it takes to watch it grow and thrive. I can think of no one better to oversee this new land’s first years.”

“I am honored to be part of this.” Saamal bowed slightly. “I will strive to be worthy of your faith.”

“And who will populate this kingdom?” Kirill asked. He gestured at the wilderness around him. “This is a new kingdom. As I understand it, that means there is no one here to rule? Are we to be responsible for population as well?”

Adonis perked up, eyes brightening, and Eurydice laughed, an involuntary blush heating her cheeks.

“Adonis, your wife would have my head if I put such a burden on you—and so early in your marriage.”

“I can’t think of a better way to cement a marriage,” Adonis protested.

Orpheus chuckled and Eurydice elbowed him in the ribs. “As is the case with every world the World Tree passes through, the tree’s power will allow plants and animals to pass into this land much the same way you all came to the same clearing from each of your kingdoms. As for people, that will be left to you.”

She slanted a glance at Adonis. “You do not have to populate it with your own children. I would recommend that each of you search your own kingdoms for lords and ladies that you feel would be a valuable addition to this land. Your control over access to this kingdom will not be absolute. There will be those who find it on their own, through magic, through design, or through dumb luck. You can’t stop such things, believe me. However, you can choose those you invite, those you want to help you build this kingdom, to help you deal with those who find their own way here.

“When you have someone you wish to invite into this world, simply bring them to the World Tree on the night of the full moon, and then leave the clearing with this land pictured in your mind. That is all you need to travel here.” She stroked a hand down Orpheus’ cheek. “I will be here to help you if you need me, my princes, but my active part in this kingdom is over. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days with my husband.” Orpheus’ eyes darkened, a spark in the blue depths promising the wedding night she’d been robbed of so many centuries ago. Eurydice shivered and pulled him closer.

“Choosing people to occupy this new land is quite a responsibility.” Patricio rolled his shoulders as if mentally preparing himself for the task ahead, his wings fluttering behind him. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Kirill cleared his throat. “I have often considered who among my kingdom I would choose to put in power after I finally take over my father’s throne.”

Etienne eyed the vampire suspiciously and Eurydice hid a giggle in her husband’s chest.

“What are you saying?” the werewolf asked warily.

Kirill smiled, a slow curling of his lips. “I have a list.”

THE END

That’s the end of the Blood Prince series, but there’s a new spin-off series coming. After all, what’s a new kingdom without lords and ladies for the royal council to rule over? If you want to receive an alert when this new series kicks off in 2015,
join my mailing list
. There will even be a few bonus stories coming soon to tide you over. Starting with the retelling of A Christmas Carol featuring our own Blood Prince Kirill in
DEAD TO BEGIN WITH
.

If you’d like to participate in brainstorming sessions, give input on cover art and titles,
 
and get an opportunity to beta read new projects before they’re released, join my Facebook group
Sirens of the Black Stream
.

I love reviews (good or bad, as long as they’re constructive). If you have a second, please leave a review and tell me what you thought of Beautiful Salvation.

Other Books by Jennifer Blackstream

Under His Skin

Aphrodite’s Hunt

Blood Prince Series

Before Midnight

One Bite

Golden Stair

Divine Scales

Beautiful Salvation

Additional Books Featuring Characters From the Blood Prince Series

Dead To Begin With

What Sharp Teeth You Have

Join my mailing
list to be alerted when these titles are released.

The Revenge in Vein Series:

Burned

Mastered

Bitten

Converted

Revenge in Vein: The Complete Series

*Please excuse any typos, this is from a review copy and has not yet received the tender care of my editor

Chapter 1

“Draft a standard reminder to the dwarves in Angosta. The production levels specified in our contract are not being met. Tell them that if they continue to produce such meager amounts of gold, the contract will be forfeit, and they will no longer have my protection from the goblins.”

Kirill paused in the center of the mine, ignoring the noise of pickaxes and huffing dwarves as he mentally tallying the amount of gold he’d received from Angosta in the past three months. Black dust billowed in clouds around him, coating his white-blond hair until it appeared grey as he held the numbers in his head, comparing them with the most recent delivery. “Tell them I expect an increase of at least eleven percent for next month or they can consider the contract void. Have a cancellation document ready to be sent out the day after the gold delivery and tell the messenger to wait for my word.”

The small
kurdush
at his side scribbled furiously, claws carefully curled in so as not to shred the parchment. A shovel-full of dirt rained down on its bald head, tiny stones pinging off it small black horns, and it let out a high-pitched squeak and scrambled to brush the debris from its notes. Kirill slid his attention to the source of the mess, keen eyesight easily picking out the dwarf viciously digging his shovel into the side of the mind, burrowing for a particularly large chunk of diamond.

“Sasha, do be careful where you’re flinging that. Anisim’s notes must still be legible upon our return to the castle.”

The dwarf holding the offending shovel paused, the newly freed diamond gripped in his grubby, thick-fingered hand. His brown eyes widened as he realized Kirill was addressing him by name, and he scuttled back a few steps. He nudged at his dirty red cap with the back of the hand clutching the diamond and offered an awkward bow. “Y-y-yes, of course, Your Highness.”

“Kirill, my husband, if a bit of dirt is so disconcerting to you, then might I suggest you take Anisim back to the castle and conduct your business there instead of standing in the middle of the mine, impeding Sasha’s work?”

Irina’s sweet voice slid over Kirill like a silken sheet, soothing him even as she once again contradicted him in front of his subordinates. He fixed a tolerant smile on his face as he faced his wife.

Irina stood in the middle of the cave, a vision in her deep crimson cloak lined with pale grey fox fur. The black velvet of her gown where it showed between the part of the cloak was caked in dirt, as was the bottom of the cloak. He idly wondered how long Irina had been strolling through the mines talking with the dwarves this time. She did have the oddest fondest for the small-statured workers.

“It is nearly the end of the month, my wife. You know as well as I do that the accounting must be done, not merely for this month, but for the entire year. Production levels have dropped around this time in the past, and it’s important to make certain that this year does not see the same failing. I am trying to arrange an alliance with a dragonlord, and the dragons, as you well know, care for nothing but gold and precious jewels. If I am to manage this alliance, I must be here to make certain production remains where it should be.” He slanted a glance at Sasha, who squeaked and immediately resumed digging another diamond from the rock. “For some reason they do work faster in my presence.”

Irina crossed her arms underneath her heavy cloak. Her raven-black hair slid across her shoulders as she fixed disapproving brown eyes on him. “It’s Christmas Eve, my love.” She jutted her chin out. “Production levels be damned.”

“Production levels have been damned, that’s the problem.” Kirill scanned the carts holding the diamonds the dwarves had gathered tonight so far, doing a few quick calculations in his head.
Still behind.
He returned his gaze to his wife. “Frivolity has no place in the political world.”

“Politics have no place in the frivolous world,” Irina corrected him, dropping her arms to her sides and tilting her head at him. The hard edge faded from her eyes, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer, more like the tone she usually used with him. “And there is no day that should be more frivolous than Christmas. Which is precisely why you’re going to take tomorrow off. I want us to have Christmas dinner with our friends. After all we’ve been through, I think it’s time we all sat down and had a meal together. I want to get to know Loupe, Ivy, Marcela, and Aiyana without interjecting comments like ‘I need more arrows’ or ‘I’ll take the one on the right.’”

“You never should have been involved in that battle in the first place.” The words flew from his mouth before Kirill could stop them. Irina’s body stilled, that instant tension that let him know he’d said something he was going to regret. He shoved away the sense of foreboding and straightened his spine. “The others felt the same way. None of us were willing to risk our wives. If we had wanted your help in that battle, we would have asked you.”

“That sounds very much like a conversation we will be having later--when it’s not Christmas Eve,” Irina said softly. “But for now, I’ll leave you with this. There are two ways we can be parted--my death or your…destruction. You can prevent the first, since it seems to please you.” Her eyes flashed, the black orbs briefly swallowing the whites until her gaze consisted of two drowning black holes. “I will prevent the second.”

As quickly as the mood had struck Irina, it vanished. Her eyes returned to their normal chocolate brown and she smiled at the dwarves around her. “And since you and I will be spending tomorrow entertaining our friends, there’s no reason our people shouldn’t enjoy the same holiday. Let Christmas be a day off for everyone.”

All activity in the mine ground to a halt. The dwarves froze, thick iron pickaxes buried in the black rock, heavy shovels spilling dirt as they sagged to the ground. Even the
kurdush
went still as a statue, beady black eyes popping out of his head, forked tail knotted behind him. Inch by painful inch, every gaze in the mine slid to Kirill, no one daring to breathe as his wife’s announcement hung in the air. Switching mental gears from roiling thoughts of his wife endangering herself to admonishing her for facing off with him in public took a fair amount of concentration. Kirill took a moment to gather his patience. He had to remind himself that being short-tempered with his wife never ended well and was a complete waste of resources. Better to remain calm and practical--the only cure for a woman’s brashness.

“Irina, do you have any idea how beneficial an alliance with the dragons would be?”

“You have plenty of alliances as it is.” Irina’s voice remained even, a perfect match for her husband’s. “And the dragons will still be there in the new year. Tomorrow is Christmas. People should be celebrating with their families, not slaving away in your mines so that you can bribe another race to be your political comrades.”

Kirill stiffened, his temper sparking to life despite his best intentions. He stroked the dagger in his belt as he struggled to stay calm, the sleek perfection of the weapon a comfort to his fraying nerves. “I will not sacrifice our future for the sake of a meaningless holiday. Feast and be merry if you like, I will be here. Working.” He met the eyes of each dwarf until one by one they looked away. “As will all of them.”

Irina pursed her lips, eyes narrowing briefly. She took a deep breath and the tension melted away, her shoulders easing and the lines in her face smoothing into its usual soft perfection. She swayed toward him, her footsteps light over the uneven ground of the mine and Kirill couldn’t help but appreciate the rhythmic back and forth motion of her hips. His blood heated as he anticipated the press of her body against his. It wasn’t until he felt himself leaning forward that he realized what he was doing and cursed himself for his simplistic weakness.

“Kirill, I’m sorry. I know how hard you work to make sure our future is safe. I know that your strategizing and alliance contracts are all for our own benefit. I did not mean to dismiss them as unimportant. But in the same way that I understand how important alliances are for our future, you must understand how important our friends are. Etienne, Adonis, Patricio, Saamal… They are not merely your allies now, they are your friends. As are Loupe, Ivy, Marcela, and Aiyana. They care about us, and we care about them.”

Kirill steeled himself against the pleasing note in her voice, the vulnerability in her eyes. He would not be manipulated. “Irina--”

Irina pointed a finger at him. “Don’t try to tell me you don’t care. I’ve seen you working with Adonis, taking him under your wing. I know he’s your protégé. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you had your tailor draw up special designs for Patricio for clothing that would fit around his wings so that he could wear something other than robes. You care.”

She stepped even closer until he could feel the heat radiating from her body. It would have been undignified to dodge her embrace, and yet Kirill knew it would have been smarter than letting his wife loop her arms around his neck. The scent of cinnamon and apple swamped his senses, a light perfume over the even more pleasant aroma of her blood under her skin.

He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to bury his face in her neck despite the ache in his fangs urging him to do so. She pressed her body against him, the cold silk of her gown seeping through the velvet of his tunic quickly overwhelmed by the heat of her body throbbing against him. Memories of what her body felt like, naked against his own, flooded his mind and he bit back a groan.

“It’s only one day,” Irina whispered, her lips a hair’s breadth from his own. “Spend it with me? With our friends?”

Kirill’s temper died a pitiful death. He slid his hand away from his dagger under his cloak, abandoning it in favor of curving his arms around Irina’s waist. A pleasant heat undulated through his veins, pulsing beneath his skin as if his body had a life of its own.

“You would use your rusalka charms to bend me to your will, my wife?” He’d meant the word to have more of an edge, to hold some of the accusation they had every right to hold. But they came out a whisper, a lover’s voice in a dark bedroom. Kirill opened his eyes. Irina’s eyes remained a warm brown, not the drowning black they would have been had she been using her powers of seduction. Still, surely there must be some magical explanation for the desperate urge surging through his body to take her in his arms and ravish her where she stood--dwarves and dirt be damned.

“I need no rusalka charms for you.” Irina nuzzled his cheek, her skin sliding deliciously against his jaw. “You love me, and you wouldn’t dream of denying me one paltry day.”

Kirill pressed his forehead to Irina’s, ruefully doing something he so rarely did--capitulate. “They will be here all the earlier the next day,” he warned half-heartedly.

Irina pulled back and clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling like dancing pixie lights. “Excellent! I’ll need to do a bit of last minute shopping to make certain we have enough food. Loupe tells me Etienne’s appetite can be frightening, and ever since Patricio mysteriously grew in size, Marcela says he’s eating more to make up for that as well.”

“It’ll be a wonder if there’s anything left in the larder,” Kirill agreed, resigned to his fate. He supposed it was the price he paid for having Irina as his wife. In that light, perhaps it wasn’t such a sacrifice.