Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) (11 page)

He was quiet for a long minute, as if contemplating his next words. “Can I ask you something?”

The wine hit me all at once. My shoulders relaxed as I let out a long exhale. “Sure. Ask away.”

He leaned in and whispered, “Is it true you’re the next akasha?”

My eyes widened with shock. I rose to my feet. “How do you know about that?”

Bash hesitantly stood. “My mother has known for a while.”

Had my father told her? I thought it was kept secret because my life was in danger. “Who else knows?” I asked, sounding much more defensive than I intended.

“As far as I know, she is the only member of the council who knows.” He waved his hands as if he were raising a white flag for surrender. “Your secret is safe with me, Kalin. I would never intentionally put you in danger.”

“Is that why you’re being so nice to me? Because you think I’m this all-powerful elemental? Well, news flash: I’m not. You can quit the perfect guy act right now.” I turned away from him, crossing my arms in front of me.

“I’m sorry I have upset you. I promise, it wasn’t my intention.” He let out a long sigh. “Mother told me only a few weeks ago. It has nothing to do with how I feel. And if it’s not true, it doesn’t change my feelings.”

I put my hands over my face, embarrassed by my reaction. I acted like a child having a tantrum instead of a future queen. It wasn’t fair to jump down his throat. Bash didn’t deserve any of the attitude he was getting. I turned to face him. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry just doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”

“It’s okay,” he smiled, trying to reassure me. “If I were in your situation, I would have lots of questions too.”

My eyes welled with tears. “I feel like my life is spinning out of control. The more I do to try to fix things, the worse it gets.”

“Well, maybe I can help.” He reached for my hand and I accepted.

No one could help me. “How?”

“First, tell me why you don’t think you’re the akasha.”

Apparently, Dad had already spilled the beans. The rest flew out like word vomit. “Well, there are these books, like a series of diaries. They’re written in a secret language. If I were an akasha, I could read it.” A single tear streamed down my cheek. “If I were the akasha, I could heal my father. I could restore the council’s faith in him. I could bring balance to the elements.” I harshly wiped away the tear with the back of my hand. “Well, I tried and I can’t read them. End of story.”

Bash rubbed his thumb over the spot where the tear had fallen. “How many times have you tried to read them?”

I shrugged, trying to ignore the way my skin still tingled from his brief touch. “Once.”

He leaned closer, our faces only inches apart. “Maybe you just need more time. I wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“I haven’t given up.” Had I?

“Now I see how I can help you. While we’re together, you can practice. Everyone will assume I am courting you, which will make the council believe they are getting what they want. This will give you plenty of time to work this out and heal your father.”

I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing. “But why would you do that? If your plan works, you don’t end up on the throne.”

He cupped my face in his hands. “I would do this for you if it made you see my intentions are true. And then…maybe you’ll give us a chance after all.”

I didn’t want to lie to him. After all the kind things he said, it wasn’t fair to him. “I can’t promise that I will want to marry you when this is over.”

“I’m willing to take that chance.”

Rowan

After sleeping for more than twelve hours, I arrived at the beach mid-afternoon. Thanks to a lot of rest―and one of Orion’s tonics―I was finally recharged. The time I had spent in the mortal world completely drained me. I definitely wasn’t in any condition to take on Valac and his rogue elementals. And if I had taken on Marcus’s father, I have no doubt he would’ve killed me. It’s hard for me to believe my best friend was now the leader of the Gabriel Hounds. When I defeat Valac and reclaim the throne, he will sit by my side in the council.

Marcus will be an equal in every way.

I strolled down the sandy coast for hours while the sun warmed my face. I wanted to get my head sorted before I returned to the fire court. I had a lot I needed to work out. The most important was my upcoming meeting with the remaining fire elementals. Xavier had sent out word of my return. I had no idea how the members of my court would feel. Whether they would choose to embrace me as their new leader or wish for my death. They were likely fed plenty of lies by Valac. Who knew how long he had been recruiting.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice Kalin until she was right in front of me. She didn’t give me a chance to say anything. Instead of talking, she threw her arms around my neck and crashed her lips into mine. There was nothing sweet about this kiss. It was raw and wild, sending every nerve-ending in my body into high alert. I definitely liked this greeting. I wrapped her legs around my waist, eliminating any space left between us. She let out an approving squeal.

There was no time to check to see if we were alone. No time to think. The only thing on my mind was touching her. I bent on my knees. Gently, I guided her onto the sand. I was on top of her, balancing my weight on my forearms. She dug her fingers into my hair and I lost every bit of restraint I had. I trailed kisses from her ear to her collarbone. Her skin smelled like a mixture of honey and strawberries. I wanted to forget about everything, totally lose myself in her. It would be so easy to stay here with her in my arms.

I pulled back, our eyes meeting for the first time. Her cheeks were flushed, lips reddened from kisses. It was the hottest she had ever been. Seeing her like that only made me want her more. “You seem happy to see me.”

In between heavy breaths, she said, “I just need you to kiss me, okay?”

I kissed her mouth. “Done,” I said, then repeated the same kiss. “And done.”

Kalin surprised me by rolling us over until she sat on top of me. Leaning down with her hands on my chest, she said, “No matter what, I don’t want you to stop.”

No matter what?
In one swift motion, I pulled her onto me and rolled her over. Once I was on top of her again, I said, “As much as I appreciate the green light, I have to wonder where this urgency is coming from.”

“Please,” she insisted. “This is what I want. You are
who
I want.” Her hand slipped under my shirt, her fingers trailing over my chest and stomach. It wasn’t an innocent gesture. She was trying to turn me on.

It was working.

My clothes were suddenly too restricting. I arched up long enough to remove my leather jacket. Although I moved fast, my mouth ached to be pressed against hers. As we kissed, the blood drained from my brain. Everything around us melted away. All I could feel was her lips against mine. My fingers desperately wanted to touch every inch of her soft skin. My senses went wild when her fingers tugged at the bottom of my t-shirt. I reached back, pulling the shirt over my head.

I took a cue from her, carefully removing her Pink Floyd shirt. The green bra she wore looked amazing against her olive toned skin. My hands throbbed to touch her newly exposed flesh. “Is this okay?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

I needed to hear her say it again just to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. “Are you sure?”

“Please don’t stop.”

“Oh, I definitely won’t stop.” That didn’t sound exactly right. “I mean, I’ll stop when you say so.”

Kalin put her hand on my cheek. “I know you will. I trust you.”

I leaned down to kiss her. First just her top lip, then the bottom. The next kiss was soft. I moved slow, opening her mouth, and then teased her with my tongue. She ran her hands over my stomach and ribs. I almost lost control a few times, but managed to keep the slow rhythm going. At some point, my fingers slipped beneath the lace on her bra. I ran the tip of my index finger over her sensitive spot. She let out a pleasing sound, so I continued the trail down her stomach. When I reached the button of her jeans, I felt her hand on top of mine.

I pulled back, glancing at her face. She was crying. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I’m sorry. It’s not you. Please, just keep going.”

“While you’re like this?” I wiped the tears away with my thumb. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on. Now.”

Kalin rolled away from me, then stood. “I don’t even know where to start.”

I stood. “The beginning usually works best for me.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist as if she were holding herself together. “My father isn’t getting better, Rowan. The council wants to remove him from power. They said our court is vulnerable. They said we need a strong leader because we are at war.”

Anger rumbled in my chest. After all she had done for them. All she had sacrificed. How could they put her through this? “Unbelievable.”

Lowering her head, she said, “They want me to be their queen.”

I grabbed her shoulders, waiting for her to make eye contact with me. “Yeah, but that’s a good thing.”

She shook her head, lip quivering. “You don’t understand—”

Seeing her like this made my blood boil. It took all I had to contain my power. The energy begged to be released. “Then explain it to me.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “They said a halfling cannot rule over a court alone. They want me to join with a pure blood air elemental to strengthen my position.”

Another air elemental, of course. This explained Kalin’s mood. She must be betrothed, as I suspected I was. “Did you come here to say goodbye? Is that why you wanted all this?” I pointed to the spot where our make-out session had just taken place.

She buried her head in my chest, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. “No. I don’t want to end what we have. That’s the last thing I want.”

Watching her fall apart in my arms gave me stabbing pains in my chest. “It’s killing me to see you like this. What can I do? How can I help you?”

“I thought I had the solution, but it will likely be a dead end.” She gazed up at me. “My father gave me journals from the previous akashas. If I can learn to read them, I may be able to turn the power on.”

This was the solution to all her problems. Having that power would change how the council saw her. There would be no need for an arranged marriage. “Why do you think it’s a dead end?”

She hesitated. “I tried to read them. So far, it hasn’t worked. The symbols moved around, but nothing was legible.”

A small part of me filled with hope. “It sounds like something is beginning to happen. Keep working at it.”

She smiled. “That’s what Sebastian said.”

Who?
“Sebastian?” I asked.

Kalin pulled out of my arms. Looking away, she said, “My betrothed.”

That was the last person she needed to be around. “Why are you hanging out with that guy? He wants a piece of your throne. You should stay far away from him.”

She held up her hands. “You don’t understand. He’s trying to help me. He said he would pretend to be courting me while I worked on my akasha powers. He said it would give me more time without anyone asking questions.”

Could she not see the obvious staring her in the face. “This smells like a load of bullshit to me.”

Her eyes widened with shock. “What? You don’t even know him.”

No need. The picture couldn’t have been any clearer. The guy had an agenda. He was there for the power that comes along with ruling. He didn’t know Kalin and probably didn’t care. “I don’t have to. Just think about it for a second. Why would he help you? If you succeed, you won’t need him. He has everything to lose and nothing to gain from your success.”

Her face went completely red. Wow, she was totally pissed. Some people just couldn’t handle the truth. “You’re wrong, Rowan. He cares about me. He’s trying to prove his loyalty.”

And, why did he need to prove his loyalty? Oh right, so he could win her over and share her throne. “Kalin, guys don’t do anything without a purpose. He wants to rule. Right now, he’s probably making plans to sabotage your efforts.”

She rolled her eyes while putting her shirt back on. “I’m not going to talk to you about this anymore. You are completely out of line. Bash has been nothing but kind to me. I have no reason to doubt his intentions.”

“Oh, so now he’s Bash? How cute.” I already hated this guy.

Kalin laughed. “You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”

Then the words spilled out. I wasn’t even sure what I was saying. The rage was blinding me. “I
am
a jealous boyfriend. You’ve just spent the last several minutes talking about some asshat who’s making claims on my girl. What did you expect me to say? Did you think we would become besties, have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair?”

A second later her lips were on mine. Her fingers twisted into my hair, pulling me even closer to her. Her mouth widened, making room for our tongues to collide. The next several minutes were intense, as if she couldn’t get enough of me.  I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, letting her know I felt the same way.

When she finally pulled away, I asked, “What was that for?”

She shrugged. “You called me your girlfriend.”

If I knew that would be her reaction, I would have said it a long time ago. “So it’s all about titles, huh?”

Giggling, she said, “Don’t forget, you said it first.”

I tried to blow it off. “Yeah, well don’t let it get to your head.”

She smiled, wickedly. “Too late.”

“I meant what I said, Kalin. I don’t trust him.” I let out an exaggerated sigh. “But I will go along with it if you think this plan will work.”

“I do.” Her voice was strong, determined. “Dad is convinced I am the next akasha. I don’t believe it, but I have no other options. If there’s even the slimmest chance, I have to try.”

I took her in my arms, our bodies meshing. Her strawberry scent swirled around me igniting my desire for her once more. For Sebastian’s sake, he had better be genuine. Because if he wasn’t, I planned to introduce his throat to the sharp edge of my blade.