Stories of Court Part 2

Celeste

Nick's eyebrows hit his hairline at that confession. He stared at me like an exhibit in a museum for several long moments. "Completely? We can't sway you at all?"I shook my head. "Nope. Those eyes of yours might be striking to look at, but they can't compel me to do anything."For a moment, his lips thinned into a frown but then slowly changed direction into what could only be called a smile of purely male satisfaction. I rolled my eyes. Yep, he'd just realized that the mind-blowing sex we'd just had was all natural. A testament to his prowess, of course, and not at all due to the powers of seduction I'm sure he took for granted after all his years as a vampire.""Yes, you're all that. Now can we get back to my story?" However tempting it was to allow this whole exercise to go off on a tangent, now that I'd started the tale, something within me demanded that I get it all out. Maybe the purge would allow me a measure of peace I'd not experienced since my escape.Nick looked chagrined and nodded. "Sorry. Please continue."I took another sip of my tea which, by now, had gone long cold but wet my throat anyway. When I started again, it felt like I was there, reliving every sensory detail, the sights, the sounds, the smells. I fell into the retelling, almost drowning in the memories."After he welcomed me to the Court, the Commander led me through mazes of torch-lit halls patrolled by armored revenants with soulless red eyes. Elaborate ironwork adorned every wall and door. I could feel the wards within them as we passed. Commander Malachor kept up a nonstop banter about the castle fortress's history as I scurried to keep up with him and take note of my surroundings so I could find my way out in the future.Finally, we stopped in front of a thick wooden door carved that must have been three times my height with intricate vines and beasts, half of which I didn't recognize. I noticed words in a flowing script laced throughout the vegetation as if they were supposed to go unnoticed. The whole thing thrummed with a dark energy, and it took all my wits not to step back and start reciting protection spells.'Here we are, Miss…' His rakish smile turned my way again. 'I'm afraid I've forgotten your name.'He hadn't forgotten it because I'd never given it to him. I quickly volunteered my agreed upon cover name, close enough to my own, but vampire enough that it wouldn't draw suspicion. 'Celestria,' I answered, my eyes casting downward demurely.'Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady. How gauche of me to forget.'Smarmy didn't even begin to describe the man. As if to apologize for his lapse, he took my hand from where I had been clutching the front of my cloak. His cool lips rested just a bit too long on the back of my fingers before he dropped them and turned back to the door. I bit my lip and fought the urge to wipe the feel of him from my skin.'I hope this room will be to your liking.' He pushed open the door and gestured me inside.My eyes tried to take in everything at once, but it was impossible. I'd never seen anything like it, and I'd grown up in the Seelie Court. The Fae were not known for their austerity, but this room took over the top to an entirely new level.Velvet curtains swallowed the last hint of light from small, high windows as I forced my feet to carry me through the archway, my senses reeling from the opulent assault. Crimson tapestries, stitched with more of the black vines and hidden words mirrored the decoration of the door. The floor was polished black marble flecked with gold that caught the scant light and twinkled. It was like walking across stars in the heavens.The bed, located at the room's heart, dispelled any notions of divinity, however. Draped in crimson velvets and silks, a bed that could easily fit eight adults comfortably took up most of the space. Ebony posters carved with chilling grotesques, whispering of forbidden desires, and sated lusts soared toward the vaulted ceiling. A canopy, sewn with black and gold constellations, promised dreams as vast and dangerous as the night itself.But the very air was the chamber's true wonder. It pulsed with an unholy energy that set my teeth on edge. Something between seduction and decay danced in my nostrils. The air hung heavy with cloves and frankincense, but it was the scent they couldn't quite disguise that had me swallowing reflexively, trying to clear the cloying smell from the back of my throat. The unmistakable thick, metallic stench of blood.My heart rate started to race as I blinked at the sight before me. Why they would bring some strange, peasant girl with no one to recommend her to this opulent room that whispered of forbidden indulgences and seductions. I'd expected some simple, cell-like space that would satisfy the requirements of simple hospitality while not putting anyone out too much. Not this grand space created specifically for luxuriating in one's darkest desires.I breathed deeply, working to quickly calm myself, knowing the bloodsucker next to me would pick up on the change in the speed of my heartrate. I could still play off the racing of my heart by being overwhelmed by the lavishness of the room. Turning my eyes to the Commander waiting next to me, I let my mouth drop open a little in feigned surprise and let my green orbs search his in what I hoped was wonderment.'Sir, this cannot be right. It's way too fine for the likes of me!' I widened my eyes even further. 'Surely the Queen's own bedchamber couldn't be any more lovely than this!'Commander Malachor waved a dismissive hand in my direction but had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 'We don't get many guests here, and our Queen is very generous. This is actually one of our smaller guest chambers. I hope you will enjoy it.Before I could respond, he clapped his hands once and a young girl appeared seemingly out of nowhere. 'This is Thalia,' he announced, stroking a hand over the girl's long blonde tresses. She seemed to preen under his touch like a kitten, but the sight disturbed me more than even the feeling of dark power that permeated the room. 'She will help you dress for dinner. Queen Oralia is rather a stickler for proper dress at dinner.'His hand moved down and caressed the pulse point at the girl's neck. Her eyes drooped closed at the touch, her long, black lashes lying prettily against her pale cheeks. I cringed. 'Welcome again, my dear. I will have one of the guards come to escort you to the dining hall in a couple of hours. We wouldn't want you to get lost and miss the feast.' With that, he left the room, and to my horror, I heard the distinct snick of the door being locked. This wasn't a bedchamber at all. It was a gilded cage, a hushed threat, a prison.