The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (19 page)

Damian waited until Genevieve was in a deep sleep before he rose from the bed
.
There was little he could do before she woke and could bathe, but he could at least wet a cloth and do his best to clean the effects of their
lovemaking
so that she might sleep more comfortably
.
She hardly stirred as he
gently
washed her thighs
,
down her calves, and finally along her sex
.
He was sorely tempted to toss away the cloth and continue with his mouth, but he knew she must be utterly exhausted
.

Meanwhile, the grey glow from the windows warned him it was almost dawn
.
He quickly slipped on
a pair of linen trousers
, but didn’t bother with anything else as the night was mild
.
Though he would be away from the room for only a few minutes, he took a lingering look at Genevieve
.
T
he sight of her sleeping sweetly while
bound
to his bed filled him with unutterable contentment
—
as well as gifting
him
with yet another painful erection, which he tried fruitlessly to tame
.
Until she’d had time to rest and recover, he would find no relief
.
But he needed to attend to his errand
.

He made
his way through the hallway, down the stairs to the dining room, where he unlocked a hidd
en door that led to the kitchen
and finally outside
.
The stable
yard was empty
,
but
Damian
spotted Declan seated on a bench at the edge of the cherry orchard
.
His sire had
said he would retrieve Nigh
tshade at dawn
and guessed correctly that Damian would want to speak to him
—
Declan
was the only person other than Genevieve that
Damian
could even stomach speaking to today
.

Thankfully, the servants had been sent away, and Derek and Donal were
covering for him at the demon gate
for the next few days
.
Food would be delivered from the castle kitchens to their door, but otherwise they would have the house to themselves
.

“I can tell just by looking that your first night together went well,” Declan said when Damian walked up to him
.

Damian thought that a criminal understatement
.
“It was beyond my wildest dreams.”

“I rejoice for you
.
Titania’s gift of the
heartwood
has once again proved its worth to our family.” 

“Sire…
”
Damian said tentatively
.

“You understand now why I wished to be present when you opened the box.” 

Damian sighed
and sat down next to Declan
.
“How did you know?” 

“The shawl: the girl who wove it possesses great power to torment herself.”

“I would be grateful for your advice,” Damian said, his face burning
.
It humiliated him to admit it, but tonight had been perfect, Genevieve’s passion so ardent, her trust so instinctive
.
He
couldn’t bear that any misstep of his should spoil things.

Declan nodded but did not show any triumph at having been proved right
.
“This evening we both discovered the risks of showing her any marked displeasure
.
I’d just looked within her box, yet even I was caught off guard at how rapidly her mind leapt from the mere threat of
my
anger to the compl
ete loss of your affections.”

Damian nodded, hating that they’d unknowingly caused Genevieve to fear for his love
.
“But the box…” Damian said finally
.
He was still a bit staggered by what they’d found
.
Thank Titania Declan had insisted Genevieve not be allowe
d to look inside
.
In many ways
she was so innocent, and yet the contents of her box were not
.
What would it have done to her if Damian had thrown it open before her with no preparation?

“I’m glad you do not underestimate the challenges you face
.
She will require careful handling
.
I advise you to focus on play, so that she may discover the sensual pleasures that accompany this part of her nature
.
Give her small reminders of your mastery
—
always with a playful, affectionate tone
.
You need her to feel secure enough to disobey or tease you.”

“You think I should avoid any discipline?” Damian asked
.

“Does that disappoint you?” 

Declan’s look was
so
penetrating, Damian realize
d
his sire
already knew the answer
before he himself did
.
“No,” he said, understanding the truth as he spoke
.
He needed Genevieve to submit to him, and his desire to bind her amounted almost to an obsession, but he felt no satisfaction
at
the idea of giving her pain
.
He recalled now that Declan
had
once admitted that he felt a strong need to punish
.
“I would not deny her needs, but I get no plea
sure from that
.
But the box…”
he said again
.
Its contents indicated that this was no small part of her nature
.
“You really think bedroom play will be enough for her?” 

Declan gave him a rueful look
.
“No,” he said after a moment.

“I don’t understand.” 

“It won’t be, but I fear that she could not bear anything more from
you
.”  Damian looked at Declan and suddenly understood what he was suggesting
.
“It will be unconsciously done on her part, but she will push him until he responds
.
That side of Derek is strong
.
He will not be able to resist her need
.
I must know if you cannot accept this.” 

Damian had now to discover the difference between an ideal, even a cherished one, and a lacerating, inescapable emotion
.
Those times he’d contemplated this as a possibility, he’d imagined his bride succumbing to Donal’s charm
.
He’d never dreamt she would be drawn to his impossible brother, let alone have a need that only Derek could satisfy
.
After all their lessons on the dishonor of jealousy between brothers, he was surprised that Declan wasn’t
furious with
him
.

Damian remembered Genevieve’s words all too clearly:
“
Brothers can be jealous, even when they know it to be wrong and unfair
.
We can’t always control our feelings.
”
  How wise she was
—
how glib he’d been
.

“Damian?” Declan prompted
.

Damian laughed humorlessly
.
“Even if I did mind, could I really stop it?” 

“To interfere would do violence to both of their natures,” Declan said sharply
.
It was no joking matter
.
There was no greater sin in their family
.
“Look into your heart, Damian
.
If you truly cannot, I will reassign him to the
demon
gate.” 

Even if Damian could be guilty of such a dishonorable selfishness, separating Derek and Genevieve was not an option
.
When it came to military matters, Declan possessed an unmatched ability to discern each soldier’s talents
.
By the time Damian and his brothers turned six, Declan had already decided where they would best serve and had designed their training accordingly
.
From the beginning, Damian had been slated for command
.
Though he’d trained for combat, it had taken second place to studies in strategy and the logistics of managing troops in the field
.

Donal was up to mischief from the time he could walk
and
had a talent rivaling a Fae’s for anything that required stealth
.
His training had focused on activities such as sneaking across enemy lines, creating confusion in their camps, sabotaging their supplies, even quietly assassinating their commanders
.

Derek’s straightforward nature made him despise all forms
of
subterfuge
,
and he had no gift for managing men
.
But the stubbornness that was so troublesome in other contexts made him dauntless and utterly ruthless when fighting for what he cared about
.
He had trained his whole life for one thing: to protect their bride and her children
.
There was no one Damian trusted more to keep Genevieve safe, not even Declan.

Damian forced himself to ask the question he’d avoided since the start of the
Bridal Week
.
“What of the Reavers?”  Donal and Derek had been completely silent on the topic of their enemy
—
too silent.

Declan shook his head
.
“Their spies slipped past us
.
They have heard of your marriage.
”

It seemed he must conquer this
.
Damian closed his eyes, wondering at yet another unfamiliar sensation brought on by his marriage: dread
.
Genevieve would now be the prime target of
those monsters, worse in their way than demons since they were capable of organized attacks rather than just
mindless
carnage
.
He’d known this before, all too well, since the Reavers had killed both of his parents shortly after Donal was born
.

He chuckled darkly
.
T
he night before the Bridal
P
icnic
,
he’d prayed on his knees that he find someone so that he could perpetuate the Black line and thus assure the defense of the
demon
gate
.
What an idiot he was
.
If something happened to
Genevieve
would he actually care that he’d
never
have children
?
What would that be compared to the devastation of losing
her
?
What a change three days could make in everything he thought he knew
.

“Do
you
think I can do this?” he asked Declan
.

“The bond between you and your brothers is strong
.
There will be some rough patches, but you will be able to cope with this
.
However, there is one final thing
.
If a scourge should appear in the
heartwood
box
, you will summon me immediately
.
N
either you nor Derek will attempt to deal with that.”

“No!  I won’t allow it!”  Damian
cried
, again caught off guard by his fury at Declan
.
If he’d had his sword he’d have drawn it.

“Think carefully what you say, Damian,” Declan warned
.

Damian blanched, stunned that he’d reacted that way
.
“You really think it possible she might…
.
”
H
e
couldn’t finish
.
Derek disciplining her was nothing to this
.
The mere thought of Genevieve being subjected to such a punishment filled him with a chilling despair
.
He bitterly resented Declan for suggesting it
—
how could he even contemplate such a thing
?
And that Genevieve might secretly crave anything that brutal filled him with something approaching disgust
.