CHAPTER I
Cerys
THE BOUQUET TREMBLES in my hands. The Hall of Ceremonies at the Fire Court stretches out in front of me like an endless tunnel cutting a sea of attendees in half. My ears buzz from the tension. This is it, this is the day I’m marrying Xerxes Blazeborn, the King of Flames.
I hear the music as if I were under water. The organ keyboard fills the air with sounds worthy of a royal wedding, enhancing the feeling that what’s taking place here is holy, sacred. I breathe as deeply as I can in the tight corset, and put one foot in front of the other, my heart heavy with the secret I’m carrying.
The secret of what Samael the Archangel of Death has asked of me through the traitors Marayke and Kareim Velduros, both of them standing on Xerxes’ side at the end of the Hall of Ceremonies. The great Altar of the Worlds shimmers behind them, between endlessly tall pillars that hold this realm together. They are long and arched at the top, framing the whirling dark portal. It emits a breeze that blows through my hair as I walk towards it, filling me with a strange energy. Something that feels equally alive as it feels dead. The breath of life and death at once.
A sense of fatality grips my heart as I step onto the royal stairs to the dais, and come face to face with my groom. Xerxes, the King of Flames. The man I love with all my heart, and the man that I betrayed three nights ago. I shouldn’t be here, marrying him. I should be far away, fulfilling my promise to his enemy, but I just couldn’t bring myself to break his heart. To leave him at the altar. I needed to give him at least this.
I swallow hard, clutching the bouquet as my eyes rise to Xerxes’ face, my heart slamming hard against my chest. I can feel our fated mates’ bond in my very bones. I belong to this warrior fae lord with the glowing bronze skin, a jaw that could cut through steel, and ebony hair that falls like silk to his powerful shoulders.
He’s as tall as a god, dressed in his royal armor, an aura of shadow rising from him like smoke. His irises are like molten lava, revealing how dangerous he is. Only I know the depths of the old, tormented soul behind those eyes, and the idea sends pain all through me. I love him so much, and yet I was forced to betray him. My eyes fall to his beautifully sculpted lips, thinking about how they’re going to kiss me tonight. Our last kiss before he finds out what I’ve done.
The whirling portal behind the columns starts emitting strange vibrations, drawing my attention. The sound is like music, its frequencies hitting my eardrums in a pleasant way. The sea of attendees stands up at the same time like a well-trained army, creating a deafening clamor of armor and chairs. As my eyes sweep over them from the higher ground of the dais I realize that’s what they are, all of them. An army. Xerxes commands a kingdom of soldiers and mercenaries, fae, mages and dragon shifters that have been fighting threats for millennia, and that he once used to try and take over the world.
I bend just a little forward, looking past Xerxes and his best man, the fire fae duke Draven Ferox, to the two bastards that destroyed my future with the King of Flames. Kareim the High Mage of the Fire Court, and Marayke the Iron Maiden, Xerxes’ most trusted general, who is also in love with him. Just look at her standing there, in her shiny mail armor that compliments her lean warrior body, eyes trained on the portal. Unlike Xerxes and Draven, who gaze ahead with reverence, I see pain in her eyes. If things were different, I’d probably even pity her.
I examine her up and down, my competition for Xerxes’ heart. I hate it that her short spiked hair somehow only enhances her femininity, the melancholy in her russet eyes making her resemble a poetess instead of a fighter. A sad poetess, tragic in her love for a forbidden man.
Realms, how I hate the future that paints in my head. It feels like she actually has a chance.
On the other hand, the reasonable part of me insists that I have no reason to be jealous of her. I’m Xerxes’ fated mate, and nothing can take that away from me, but considering what I had to do, how I was forced to betray him, Marayke might actually get a shot at him. She can use what I’ve done against me, and become his rebound.
As for her brother, the High Mage Kareim, the side of his face that I can see is impossible to read. It’s the side that my familiar Nazarean slashed with his claws, disfiguring him. The other side is as pretty as his sister’s face, I don’t need to see it to know that, but I also know he’s much more vicious than Marayke.
The portal hums louder, its vibrations coursing through me. Xerxes takes my hand in his huge warm palm, squeezing lightly. I look up at him to find his firey eyes full of passion. He understands the portal’s sacred vibrations better than I do, and his smile is reassuring, but guilt closes its tight fist around my heart. Seeing him so trusting, so dedicated to me, it’s unbearable. I look away, and I can sense that it bothers Xerxes.
The special moment comes, and Xerxes turns to me, taking both of my hands in his and speaking the words that will bind us to each other officially. His voice, deep and resonant, reverberates through the entire royal court. He speaks out his oath of love and loyalty to me ceremoniously, his voice full of conviction.
My turn comes, and I recite the words as well, swearing eternal loyalty to him, declaring myself his in body and soul. A part of the oath even states specifically that the past doesn’t matter, not even what happened yesterday, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.
He holds out his hand, and Duke Draven places a small black box in his palm. Xerxes opens it, and a red gem flashes in the light. I gasp. There it is, my wedding band, a piece of the Firestone encased in the finely fletched golden ring. It’s like a stream of fire that circles my finger as Xerxes slides it on. I can feel its power rippling through me, and I can barely fight the tears from my eyes. With this piece of the Firestone he’s giving me power over fire. I can channel power from the elements as it is as a white mage, but only to direct it into the people I’m helping. Now, with this ring, I’ll be able to bend fire, call on its power to do my bidding.
Sliding his hand gently under my chin, Xerxes lifts my head so that our eyes meet.
“Why are you crying?” he whispers.
“Because of how much I love you.” And it’s true. In so many ways.
Xerxes presses his sculpted lips on mine, and the entire hall explodes into waves of applause. I turn to jelly as his powerful arms wrapped in armor tighten around me, lifting me from the ground. His kiss deepens, possessive and hungry. I can feel he didn’t mean to make a show of this kiss, but his desire for me burns as hot as mine for him. High realms, I want him so badly, I could open my legs for him right here and right now.
I think about what I’ve done and begin resisting the kiss, and Xerxes notices. He puts me down, his eyebrows knitting as suspicion slides over his brow. I can still feel his gaze hot on my face as I look away.
Duke Draven walks between us, tall, dark, and as elegant as you’d expect from high fae royalty, taking both our hands and holding them up. The ripple of the crowd’s applause runs through me, the sheer magnitude of this event and this palace humbling me.
The Fire Palace is majestic, probably the most impressive place I’ve ever seen. It’s so large that once you step inside it, it doesn’t seem to have an end. The ground floor, which is where we are now, is a labyrinth of huge halls such as the Throne Hall, the Palace Library, this Hall of Ceremonies, and many more. The kitchens, dining chambers and the servants’ rooms are supposed to be here on the ground floor as well, but I haven’t gotten to see them, even though I’ve been here for three weeks already.