Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (6 page)

“Are you sure?” he asked, watching her as she squirmed in her shackles. “She could be dangerous.”

He wasn’t wrong. Selene was a banshee. If she were fully trained, she could destroy us all with one shrieking scream. But she was more princess than warrior. Prisma always doted on her, dressing her in lavish gowns and jewelry that had to be worth millions in the mortal world. Her beauty was legendary. Every fire elemental in the court would’ve given his entire fortune to win her hand. Suitor after suitor had come to the castle. All were rejected. No one ever knew why, but I knew.

Selene was just another pawn in her mother’s game.

I opened the door to her room. “Let the other hounds know we’ve arrived. Have the kitchen prepare a feast.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “We’re all going to need our strength for what’s to come.”

Reluctantly, they released her. She pulled her arms away in a show of defiance. That made me chuckle. As the other hounds made their way down the dark hallway, they periodically peered over their shoulders to check on us. They were much more concerned than I was, but I’d known Selene for a long time. She was smart enough to know she needed protection after she betrayed her twin brother. There was zero chance she planned to run away. As much as I was sure she hated her circumstances, we were all she had left.

I motioned for her to step inside her bedroom. “Ladies first.”

Raising her chin, she did as I asked. I followed behind her. We both gasped. It was worse than I’d anticipated. Furniture lay in burned, scattered pieces. All the bed linens and curtains were gone. The deep wood canopy was still intact, but the mattresses had been sliced and diced. Wallpaper was ripped, hanging off the walls in clumps. The closet doors were missing, as were all her expensive clothing and jewelry. This was more than a burglary. It was clear that whoever had done this hadn’t liked her very much.

“I suppose you’re enjoying this,” she said, turning away from me as she tried to hide her reaction. But she was too late. I saw the tears welling in her eyes.

I took the iron key out of my pocket, and removed the shackles on her arms and legs. “If you’re implying I find joy in others pain, you’re wrong.”

“It’s what I deserve, right?” she said, rubbing her bruised wrists. “To suffer for what I did.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you think?”

“Why are you releasing me?” she asked, avoiding my question.

“I’m not a big fan of imprisonment.” I set a chair upright that had fallen on its side. “Plus, I know you’re not going anywhere.”

“You’re sure about that?” she challenged, squinting her eyes. “Don’t forget about what Orion said. This could all be part of Valac’s trap.”

I separated the distance between us, and she flinched as if she expected to be struck. Why had she done that? No one reacted that way … unless they’d been beaten. A lump swelled in my throat. Stepping back, I put my hands up in retreat so she knew that wasn’t my intention. “You don’t have to fear me, Selene. As long as I am here, no harm will come to you.”

She remained silent as if she were deciding whether or not to believe me. After several long moments, she softly replied, “I understand.”

It took me a minute to wrap my head around what had just happened. This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting from her. All the assumptions I’d made about her over the years faded away in an instant. As she stood in the center of the room, idly rubbing her hands up and down her thin pale arms, she looked so fragile. It was like I was watching a baby bird that had fallen from its nest.

Alone.

Helpless.

Broken.

I stared at her torn dress. “Let’s find you something to change into. I doubt it will be anything like what you’re used to, but it will be better than what you have on.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” she asked, voice filled with confusion. “I was never friendly to your kind. I treated you like servants.”

I shrugged. “You treated us like servants because we were your servants.”

“I wasn’t considerate. I could’ve been.” She glared at the floor. “But I wasn’t.”

“Look, I get why you’re saying all this and I understand why you’d expect me to want to hurt you, but that’s not who I am. It never was. So, let’s just keep the past in the past where it belongs.” I tapped my hand over my stomach. “Besides, I’m starving. It’s been like three hours since I ate anything.”

She laughed, holding her hand over her mouth. “Three hours?”

“I never like to wait more than two hours between meals.” My stomach growled. “It makes me cranky.”

Smiling, she nodded her head.

I scoured through room after room in search of clothing in her tiny size. Selene was built like a mortal ballerina. Most of the apparel I found would’ve fallen right off of her. Finally, I had to settle on the black uniforms the female hounds used to wear. It was a simple short-sleeved button-down shirt with matching cotton pants, and black sneakers. She didn’t complain. But it was obvious she was uncomfortable as she pressed her hands against the garments, attempting to remove the creases. She’d worn dresses with corsets for most of her life. In all the years I spent at the castle, I couldn’t remember ever seeing her in a pair of pants.

We made our way through the winding obsidian hallways and down several staircases before we reached the mess hall. It probably had some formal name, but I didn’t know it. That’s where all the hounds in the castle ate. We were always kept separate from everyone else. Not worthy of sitting with the rest of the court. And certainly not with the elementals we were assigned to protect. The food was the one thing we had that was equal. Hounds had to keep up their strength, especially the guardians. We could eat our fill of the highest quality meats, vegetables, and whatever else we desired. Naturally, we ate until we were about to explode.

I paused when I heard the hounds chattering from the other end of the hall. Laughter, the clang of silverware, and the sounds of shattering ceramic filled the air. It was nothing I wasn’t used to. Selene was another story. I doubted she’d ever been in this part of the castle. Why would she? This area was exclusive to the hounds. As we got closer, she tucked her arm into mine. I tensed. She had never touched me before. I doubted she really wanted to, but her fear had left her no choice. She was about to step into a room with creatures that despised her family. And although she’d never caused any of us harm, she wasn’t an innocent bystander. As she'd admitted upstairs, I was sure there were many instances where she could’ve shown compassion and chose not to.

The loud noise silenced within seconds of us entering the mess hall. Utensils were placed back down as we passed by the rows of metal tables and bench chairs. Every set of eyes stared at her. She was holding on to me so tightly that I wondered if she was squeezing the blood out of my arm. I put my hand on top of hers in an attempt to calm her down. Whispers and low growls filled the rectangular space.

Slavo, one of the oldest hounds, stood up. He had once been a guardian to a high-ranking fire elemental who beat him regularly. He wasn’t ever able to fight back. The scar that sliced through his cheek and into his mouth proved how brutal the situation was for him. My jaw clenched. Out of all the hounds, he hated them the most. He laughed and I nearly fell over from shock. “Marcus captured Princess Selene. And look at what she’s wearing. He put her in servants’ clothes.”

Other hounds joined him by laughing and pointing at her. Another shouted, “Make her scrub the floors with a toothbrush.” Another added, “Make her clean the bathrooms.”

I had to put an end to this. “Selene has betrayed her brother. She risked her life to bring us crucial information.” I made a point to glare at each and every one of them. “She is my personal guest and I expect her to be treated as such.”

“But she treated us like slaves,” Slavo replied. “She should be put in one of the cells with the other prisoners.”

The other hounds cheered in support. They shouted out to her, threatening her.

“Prisma made us slaves, and Selene is not Prisma. She had no control over her own life, much less ours.” I lowered the tone of my voice. “Unless you’d like to challenge me, you
will
follow my order. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Marcus,” Slavo replied, reluctantly.

I sat Selene next to me at the head of the largest table. A plate of food came out from the kitchen and was placed in front of her. The dish was filled with fresh fruit, tarts, and bread. A glass of red wine came out next. Clearly, someone in the kitchen had known what she liked to eat. Three more plates filled with meats, vegetables, and bread came out for me. As long as the portions were large, it wasn’t difficult to feed me. My diet was typical of most hounds. My eyes scanned the room as I ate. I trusted them, but this was an awkward situation for everyone. I didn’t want to leave myself open for any surprises.

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” Selene whispered to me. “But thank you.”

“I told you that I would keep you safe and I meant it.” I said, right before spooning a huge piece of baked potato into my mouth.

Selene spent the next hour pushing her food around her plate. I ended up eating half of what they’d brought out for her. “Where will I be sleeping tonight?”

Right, I’d almost forgotten her room was destroyed. Judging by the reaction from the hounds, it was probably best to keep her close to me. “You can stay in my room.”

Her eyes went round.

“You’ll be safest with me until I can have your quarters repaired,” I said, easing her concern. Rowan had insisted I move into one of the royal suites. There was enough space for several hounds. It actually made me feel bad to keep it all to myself. “I’ve got plenty of room.” I shrugged. “Besides, I prefer to sleep on the sofa.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.” I waggled my eyebrows.

Glancing around, she checked to see if anyone was still watching her. Most had gone back to eating. A few cast nasty glares as they chewed their food. “What will the other hounds think?”

“If they have a problem, they can work it out with me.” The hounds had our own way of dealing with disagreements. We usually settled our disputes with violence. After a few blows, most arguments were solved. It was barbaric, but it was our way. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

After dinner, I escorted Selene back to my quarters. “I’ll talk to some of the females about getting you some more clothes.”

“Where are you going?” she asked, nervously.

“I’ve called a meeting with all the hounds,” I replied, crossing my arms as I leaned against the wall. “They should all arrive within the hour. I need to update everyone with what’s happened. I’ll be back afterwards.”

Trembling, she said, “Maybe I should come with you.”

“There are only so many rules I can break in one day.” I chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll be fine up here. No one will disturb you.”

She bit her lip as she closed the door behind her.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I headed back downstairs. The meeting was being held in the throne room. It was the first time I’d met with my whole pack since I challenged my father for control. I’d never imagined I’d become the leader of the hounds. But my father had refused to join with Rowan, leaving me no other choice. Under my leadership, we vowed our allegiance to our new king. In return, we were made equal members of the fire court. No longer servants or guardians. Our new leader had delivered on all his promises. But he was more than just my king.

In all the ways that mattered, Rowan was my brother.

He was a warrior from the start. His upbringing demanded nothing less. But there was always something more in him. Something his mother never understood. Although he hid it well—from everyone except me—he had compassion for his court and wanted to help them. It was hard to believe that the youngling prince who grew up in the shadows had become the leader he was today. The elemental that unified our court, healed the relationship with the hounds, and protected the akasha that might one day save us all.

But I feared his greatest challenge was yet to come. Now he wasn’t fighting to save a court. He was fighting to save our world.

Rowan

I’d tried and failed several times to locate the Ring of Dispel.

It made no sense. The ring belonged to the ruler of the fire court. I had the ability to sense it. To feel its energy. But I couldn’t pinpoint its whereabouts. I’d reached an epic level of frustration. When I concentrated, all I saw was an unending white tunnel. The longer I'd held onto the vision, the weaker I’d become. There had to be something blocking my power. And whatever it was had to be strong. I’d hoped that the spirits within the flames might be able to solve many of the questions I had.

Until then, I’d wait before I tried again. My power needed to be recharged.

This was the ideal time to return to the fire court. The closer I got to the eternal flame, the more power surged through me. There was the same urgency I’d experienced last time I’d came to the flame. It felt as if they knew I was coming. Almost like they were waiting for me. They were able to see what went on within the court over the centuries. They seemed to have been watching me my whole life. I sensed the connection had something to do with my being king.

Once I arrived at the fire court castle, I headed toward the hidden portal that led to the eternal flame. The caves couldn’t be accessed from the surface. Within the caves, tunnels went on for miles in every direction. It was very easy to get lost down here. Which was why most never attempted to find the eternal flame. I was one of only a few who knew the way. As I strode through the solid rock cave tunnels, the lava covered walls thumped like a heartbeat.

I stepped on piles of ash as I made my way toward the core of the planet. The sound of crackling fire permeated all around me. None of the caves had artificial light. The flames illuminated every inch of space. The temperatures rose as I got closer to the flame. Only a fire elemental could withstand this heat. Even the Gabriel Hounds had difficulty breathing down here. The energy from the flames were so strong that my body radiated with raw power. I opened my wings, spreading them wide as I soaked in the strength. Rejuvenating my body.