I was still a bit miffed that the first time I had seen the pavilion, I had no idea I was in the Horde Realm.
I’d chosen this one because it was currently empty, so I could swim paces and work at keeping my physical form in shape. Baby or no baby, I was a warrior and that wasn’t changing due to a mommy status being stamped on my forehead.
“Sooo, I take it you are a bit restless?” he ventured.
“Brilliant deduction, Sherlock,” I gritted out. He smiled annoyingly at me.
“I’ll see what we can do about providing some adequate entertainment for you.”
“Like spin the Fairy? Pin the tail on the Demon?” I snapped.
“Oh, ouch! Touché, Princess. I’ll keep in mind to manifest a few bottles, and a donkey for you. Wouldn’t want to end up with a tail pinned to my ass, now would I?” He slid his hands to his butt protectively for a moment. “I was actually thinking of the libraries, and getting you acclimated with our history, seeing that sparring and weaponry are off your schedule for right now,” he went on mischievously. I looked at him gratefully.
“I would prefer the sparring, and sticking a certain Fairy with a dagger has a nice appeal to it. Okay, the libraries would be a nice change. Please?” I gave him the pleading puppy eyes, and he laughed. At least that would go a long way to relieving some of the boredom.
I shook out of the silk cover and let it slide to the floor effortlessly. Ristan and the men quietly left the poolside room, leaving Darynda and myself alone. I sat down and let my feet slip into the cool water. Obviously, this wasn’t one of the heated pools.
I let the stress run off of me as I let the water calm the racing of my heart. It hadn’t slowed down any since Transition, and everything was moving entirely too fast. I’d been devastated at the thought of losing Ryder when they’d said I was the missing Light Heir.
Now that I had him, and knew what and who he was, I wasn’t sure where that left us. I wasn’t about to become his just because he could keep me here by sheer force. The night he’d taken me beside the pool had been amazing, but he’d only come to feed once since then.
He was busy being the Horde King, and I knew that wasn’t going to get easier for a while. He’d spoken of being challenged by his own people, and the other Castes of Fae; ones that his own father had tormented.
“You keep glaring like that, and the water might turn to ice,” Darynda said, sitting beside me.
“Sorry, just thinking about things,” I mumbled and pushed off the side of the pool. The water was shockingly cold and a gasp left my lips unexpectedly. “Shit, that is cold!”
Darynda laughed but made no move to jump in. She’d glamoured on a swimsuit as well, now that she knew what one was. “Mind if I leave for a few minutes? There’s someone I’d like to go see really fast.”
I shook my head. “Go ahead. I’m going to get used to the water and just do a few laps.” I wondered if it was to see someone or some male—hey, I knew enough about how things worked around here, and I understood that my girls had to feed, too.
As soon as she was gone, I started to run in place, letting my body get accustomed to the chill of the pool. I turned my head and stared at the closed door, wondering if my guards were just outside, or if they had moved onto somewhere else.
I felt a ripple tear through the air around the pool, and before I could do more than turn around—Liam appeared.
“Sister,” he said with coolness to his tone.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, moving closer to the side of the pool he stood on.
“I’ve come up with a plan to get you out of here,” he said, kneeling down as he shook his blonde hair from his face. His blue and purple gaze looked a little too cocky.
“Um, what?” I asked, not sure if I wanted his answer, but curious enough to ask all the same.
“News has traveled to the Blood Realm that the Horde King has a child on the way,” he answered as his eyes scanned the door and came back to rest on mine.
“So I’ve heard,” I whispered, wondering where the hell he was going with that line.
“I plan to kidnap her and ransom her for your own release. If he even thinks this child could be his Heir, he’d void out the contract father made.”
“By kidnapping the concubine that is pregnant?” I asked for clarification.
“Yes, I need you to help me, though. I need you to sneak me inside the pavilion, and point out which one is pregnant.”
Oh the irony!
“You know that the pavilion is full of guards…right?”
“Synthia, I don’t have much time. This is the only way I can get you out of here. I can’t just take you from here; you are bound by the contract. She, however, isn’t. Not if I take her with me.”
“So, let me get this straight,” I said, watching him scan the room and the door. “You steal the Horde King’s concubine, and you exchange her, for me. Then what? You think he wouldn’t come after the Blood Fae over this?”
“He is a new king, Sister. He will be bombarded by challenges, and trying to rein in the Horde for months,” he said, holding out his hand to help me up from the pool.
I accepted it and exited the pool silently.
“You will need to cause a scene, something that will make the guards go after you. Can you do that?”
I blinked and shook my head. I knew how much it had taken him to come back here. He’d been tortured here, his hands cut from his body. He’d endured more than any one person should ever live through. And he’d come back to this place, for me.
“Liam, we can’t do this. I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“We can, and we will. Right now the Horde King is out checking the borders. He won’t be back for a while,” Liam said, standing up to his full height.
“Liam, I am the pregnant concubine,” I whispered, meeting his eyes that were so much like my own.
I watched as he shook his head and did the math inside his head. “Look, if you want to be his whore, you can just say it!” He growled, his eyes flashing with anger.
“Ryder is the Horde King. He’s the same one who brought me back inside Faery; the one who accidently undid the protection spell on my skin. He was playing a part, and since the Dark King was his uncle, and had adopted him—he played that part well. I had no idea that he was the Horde King, or that it was him when I was being gifted to him. But this plan? It won’t work, because I’m pregnant with his child,” I said, watching as his features fell from the news.
“Fuck!” he whispered vehemently.
“I’m okay here,” I assured him, but his eyes were now wild and when I reached out to touch him, he recoiled from my touch.
“I have to go. I’ll find a way to save you Sister. I will,” he said, and sifted out.
Chapter Eighteen
I finished my exercises in the pool, disturbed by the desperation that had been stamped on Liam’s face. There was also the sudden absence of the guards, and Darynda. And, well, there was the fact that five minutes after Liam had sifted out, they’d all returned together.
They’d known. I kept the fact that I knew that they knew to myself. I waited until I was back inside my bedroom to excuse myself from Darynda, and entered Ryder’s room—to find him leaning against a wall, bathed in shadows.
“Nice try,” I said, stopping just inside the threshold. I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a slight chill from the window he had opened.
“Hmm?” he made the noise from between his full lips.
“Liam was here, but then you knew that already,” I accused. He’d set me up!
“I always know when someone sifts inside my stronghold. He was allowed inside. He was also allowed to leave. I am aware of everything that goes on inside these walls, Pet.”
“Why? Why allow him in; to see how faithful I was?” I was done being nice, he’d actually set me up to test me. I’d passed, but he had no idea how much in love with him I was.
“I needed him to see that you were unharmed so that
he could return and report it to your family. I wanted him to see that he couldn’t take my concubine without breaking the contract. Liam is a warrior, and he needed to see with his own eyes, and hear with his own ears that you are mine. I respect him. The entire time he was a guest here, he never begged for mercy, and he never complained.”
“A guest? You cut his hands off and sent them to my parents! If that’s how you treat your guests, then I’m afraid to see what you do to your enemies.” I rolled my eyes at his flippant comment concerning my brother.
“Liam was in my father’s custody for years. He’d already been caged, and tortured when I found him rotting in the dungeon. I took his hands, yes, but only because your parents refused my offer. Synthia, I did what I had to do in order to get you. I don’t regret what I did, nor do I regret the fact that I have you here now.”
“As your concubine,” I growled.
“I’ll take you however I can get you,” he answered with a grin that I could see even through the shadows that bathed his face.
“I thought you were out patrolling the borders?”
“I was, earlier. I got word that the Mages had moved their encampment; they’d been tipped off by someone. They have someone inside the walls of this kingdom, or close to it, helping them. Most likely it is Dresden. He’s not happy that he is no longer in the favor of the Horde King. My father was of the same ilk, not me. His challenge has been issued, as well as many others. Your brother told you as much. Did he not?” He finished and stepped from the shadows. “How are you feeling?”
I narrowed my eyes on him coldly. “Like I should throw up on your shoes.” I was tired of the games. “Next time, Ryder, if you want them to see me, just invite them in. Stop with the fucking Fae games, or just keep me out of them.”
“We found another relic; one we can get to,” he said, smoothly changing the subject. “I leave in the morning to get it.”
“I’m going with you,” I said, meeting his golden stare.
“No, you are staying put.”
“I’m pregnant, Ryder. I’m not made of glass. I am going with you. If it gets dangerous, I’ll leave. I won’t let anything happen to our child.”
His eyes lowered to my flat stomach. “Our child,” he tested the words on his tongue.
“I’m going,” I repeated.
“I’d rather you stay here where it is safe for you both.”
“I’d rather be with you,” I protested, making sure to stand my ground.
“Fine, but you need to be cleared by Eliran before you can go,” he growled and pinned me with an angry look.
“Fine,” I chirped triumphantly.
“Fine,” he said on an exasperated sigh. He held his hand out, and I quickly accepted it. He sifted us into the medical ward, which was where Eliran could normally be found. We’d been there less than twenty seconds before Ryder started bellowing orders. “Eliran, now!”
“You don’t have to shout,” I muttered.
“Synthia! The medicine not working?” Eliran rounded the corner with his hair sticking up as if he’d been resting, or worse, feeding before we’d so rudely interrupted.
“They are working wonders,” I smiled and thanked him. In a matter of moments, I ended up on a table next to one of the 3D ultrasound machines. From the looks of it, Eliran had been busy back in the human world.
“This is going to be cold,” he said before squeezing a container that looked like something ketchup would come out of over my stomach. I rested my head on my arm as I got comfortable.
He placed the globe looking wand over my stomach and pressed in gently. I watched the monitor silently as he moved it up and down until he stopped and flipped on a switch. The noise coming through it sounded like static.
“That’s the heartbeat,” he replied to my silent question.
Heat flushed through me and my eyes swung to Ryder’s with a grin from ear to ear covering my lips. My baby had a heartbeat!
“Oh, crap,” Eliran said.
“What’s wrong?” Ryder and I both asked at the same time.
“There’s a head,” Eliran said, pointing it out on the screen, “and there’s another one.”
I felt my stomach drop. “Oh my God, my baby has two heads!?” I cried, feeling as if the table had fallen out from beneath me and my entire world was crumbling.
Ryder looked at me, and the look in his eyes was of sheer pain, and unmasked horror. Our baby had two freaking heads!? “Can he live like that?” Ryder asked.
Can he live like that!?
Eliran shook his head and I felt my heart shattering. He swept the wand over my tummy slightly.
“You misunderstand. Your babies each have a head of their own,” he said with a bright smile on his face. Two heartbeats could be heard like they were beating through a tunnel.
“Say what?” I asked, unsure I’d heard him correctly.
“Twins, you are having twins. There is no mistake. See?” He pointed to one of the heads and followed the lines with his fingers. “Two arms, two legs, and a head and torso. And this,” he did the same again with the second one, “has the same. It explains Synthia’s acute case of morning sickness.”
I wasn’t listening anymore. I was shaking as the ringing in my ears echoed through my head. “Fucking Fairy!” I growled, turning my eyes to Ryder’s face. I lost every single ounce of the desire to throttle him as fast as it had formed. He was staring at the screen with wonder in his eyes.
“How many other cases of twins have there been in Faery, Eliran?” Ryder asked, ignoring me.
“None I know of personally.”
“One,” he corrected him and lowered his smiling golden eyes to meet mine. “Shit,” his eyes lifted back to Eliran. “How safe is it for her to have twins?”
“I have no idea, but I will ask around and see if anyone has heard of twins being delivered by a Fae mother. I do know that there was a case over millennia ago, but it didn’t work out for the mother. The children, however, were born safely. We have human technology, though, and I can look through the information I brought back to learn everything I can about delivering twins.”
“You do that,” Ryder whispered.
“Genders?” I asked, trying to ignore what they were talking about. I had lived through Fae ripping my family apart, a serial killer, and had faced the Horde King. No way in hell would I die giving birth!
“Too soon to tell, but they look healthy. Heartbeats are very strong, considering they are only two months along by human standards. They look good, and so do you, Synthia.”
Ryder’s hand lowered with a tissue and he wiped the gel from my stomach without waiting for Eliran to remove the wand. “Is she well enough to mission travel across Faery, possibly for several weeks?”
“She is, but only if she is feeling up to it,” Eliran said, turning his head and winking at me over his shoulder.
“I’m ready to go,” I said, smiling up at Ryder, who was even now holding out his hand to help me up. I dismissed it and sat up.
“Synthia, I’ll do everything I can to ensure you are okay. Twins are a good thing; it will give the people hope.”
“Of what? That the Horde King can shoot an egg and fill it twice?” I asked, raising a brow. “Or that he’s virile as a flipping rabbit?” I glowered when Ryder snorted and grinned devilishly at me.
“Let’s go, Pet. I have a meeting with the Guard to go to, so that we can plan this out and we will have to make a few adjustments if you are going with us.”
Chapter Nineteen
Less than an hour later, we met up with his Guard in a warded meeting room. A sense of excitement stole over me as I moved toward the table…that was round. The sight of it made me smile. “A round table?” I asked, tossing a curious look toward Ryder, which he caught. I watched his lips turn up in the corners before he sat down.
I moved my eyes to look around the room, taking in the wards that lined the walls. I’d been in a room like this in the mansion, one that had knocked Larissa to h
er knees. It had been the first indication that I was Fae, and I’d done my best to ignore it.
My eyes slipped back to Ryder, who was watching me closely. I rolled my eyes as his grin grew into a blinding smile as if he was thinking the same thing. I sat down in a chair. At least this time I didn’t feel like I was the hired help.
Ristan stormed in through the door and stopped cold looking down at me. His eyes lowering to my stomach, and filling with a look of absolute wonder as Ryder’s had done. He took the seat beside me and Ryder swung into leader mode effortlessly.
“Okay, so we know that the relics in Tèrra have all been relocated,” he said and glanced at me. “Tèrra is what we call your world, Synthia. Zahruk and a few others have confirmed they are being moved once a day, easily obtainable in transit. Alden, with the help of one of the Guild’s librarians has discovered a scroll written in our language. It’s believed that it was obtained some time ago, but we are unsure of how it ended up in the hands of the Guild,” Ryder said smoothly.
“Alden is still at the Guild?” I asked, feeling my stomach sink with the knowledge. It was too dangerous for him to be at the Guild when we now knew the Mages were running it. Leaving him inside was asking for trouble.
“Alden is fully aware of what he is doing, and the danger of being inside the Guild. Ristan is keeping in touch with him and if he even thinks Alden is in trouble, he will pull him out and bring him here,” Ryder said with his eyes watching me for any sign of objection.
I turned and looked at Ristan, who was still looking at my abdomen. He looked as if he was trying to see inside of it. “Ristan?” I asked, watching as he lifted his eyes to mine.
“Twins,” he said softly, “how the fuck did that happen?”