The Queen Revealed (9 page)

Chapter Thirteen

“Sometimes Magic Is Simply Sweet”

General Ohrig had insisted that the entire Queen’s Guard join the Royal Family on the tour of the palace. Adele knew he was trying to gather as much information about their host as possible in case an emergency should arise. But she thought Ohrig could be slightly more subtle in his methods as the General watched the Prince like a hawk, following his every movement, though Rainere seemed completely unaware of her officer’s scrutiny.

Grotto actually led the tour, escorting their party from one great hall to the next, passing through so many echoing chambers that after the first hour Adele was sure that they were walking in circles. She soon gave up asking polite questions of Grotto during his monotonous and very detailed monologue on the history of each room and the artifacts contained within them. It just seemed to infuriate him to be interrupted and even the children were uncharacteristically silent, sensing the old man’s hostility. The tour ended in Rainere’s laboratory.

Adele marveled at the light that streamed in through the clean, shiny windows of the long galley room. Workbenches stood in parallel rows, and at either end of the room there were large blackboards covered in scribbled diagrams and numbers. More benches and shelves lined the walls piled with books and odd paraphernalia and the air smelled like chalk and chemicals giving the room the feeling of a school science classroom.

Adele wandered to the windows and looked out over the white carpet of snow to the Dark Forest beyond the boundary of the palace. It was the oddest thing to see the dark storm clouds piled high over the forest and the fierce blizzard shaking the trees while the grounds of the Grey Palace lay calm, the sun shining down on the glittery snow.

“It’s so strange,” murmured Adele as General Ohrig stepped up behind her shoulder. “It looks so miserable over there but here it’s like a little winter wonderland.”

“Yes, strange,” agreed the General in a tone that suggested he thought otherwise.

“You think he created this storm, Ohrig?” Adele whispered, she had no need to specify who
he
was. “But how did Ripenzo know it was coming when he warned us in his letter yesterday?” She tilted her head in Ohrig’s direction without quite looking at him. “I think
that
is stranger than what…”

“Yes, the grounds are beautiful, Your Majesty,” agreed Ohrig in a much louder voice as they were approached by Aaron. He was followed by Grotto with a tray of refreshments. Adele took a glass of warm, spiced wine and a shortbread biscuit from the tray and smiled at her son. Aaron was beside himself with excitement at all the fascinating things in the Prince’s laboratory and dragged General Ohrig away to show him something that shot out sparks when you touched it.

Adele was left on her own to sip her wine and nibble her biscuit and her gaze was irrevocably drawn back to Rainere. The Prince stood by a workbench, chatting with the children as they ran from one table to the next, their exclamations of delight and awe filling the room. There was a softness about his mouth that might have been a smile and Adele breathed an internal sigh of relief.

Adele only realized she was staring at him when Rainere caught her eye and gave her a polite nod. She felt her smile tighten and falter. Rainere was so much better at the poker face thing. He looked cool and calm, his manner appropriately reserved. She on the other hand felt flustered by the constant hot flashes of desire that swept through her every time she looked at him, or walked by him. It was awkward to say the least surrounded, as they were, by her entire Queen’s Guard and her three children.

“But how does it
work
?” Natalie was being persistent in getting a clear answer from the Prince but Adele could see no wear on his patience yet.

Rainere crouched down to better explain himself to the little girl. His long, dark hair fell over his shoulder as he pointed to the tiny machine on the table in front of them.

“Here,” he said, his raspy voice gentle. “Here, there is a Thought locked inside this little box. Inside the box is a little wheel and the Thought has nothing to do, but spin it round and round. Which then moves this little mechanism, causing a spark to fire which ignites the flame, and projects the image onto the glass plate.”

“It looks like a movie,” said Natalie. “Like at home. Except we have cartoons and not just pictures of fire.” Aaron joined his sister to get a closer look at the tiny image projector.

“Can I see the Thought please, Prince Rainere?” asked Aaron as he prodded at the box.

“No.” Rainere’s voice was firm. “It is a Bad Thought and if it were to escape it could easily get lodged in one of our heads, which would be uncomfortable.”

“Because it’s the Bad Thoughts that spin round and round,” said Adele from her place at the window, surprised by the poetic simplicity of the Magic.

“And what’s this?” asked Natalie, opening a little metal box on the bench before her. Adele wandered over to see what her daughter had found but the box was only filled with pale green sand.

“Ah! One must be careful with this, Princess Natalie,” said Rainere and took the box out of Natalie’s unsteady hands. “This sand comes from a very special place in Evendaar and is very rare. In fact, I believe it is the last of its kind. It is a conduit for powerful Magic and useful for transporting dangerous spells. I have yet to find a need for it, but I can activate it to show you.”

Rainere muttered a quiet word or two and the sand rose up, sparkling in the sunlight, and hovered above its box, before forming a ribbon and doing a quick loop the loop then dropping back into its box. The children all cheered and instantly demanded another performance which Rainere patiently demonstrated until they were distracted by something else.

The day continued happily until the light in the room faded and the lamps and candelabras were lit, and a huge cacophony swept through the Palace. The chimes of a hundred different clocks echoed through the halls, from the deep sonorous ‘bongs’ of the grandfather clocks to the delicate chiming of the Prince’s timepiece carried in his pocket.

“What’s that noise for?” asked Aaron, fascinated by the sound as it continued for several minutes.

“Twilight,” said Rainere. “The clocks ring at the exact moment the sun has set, and the night is upon us. It is a very special time for Magic as the flow and flux is disrupted when the sun sinks and the moon rises. Every Wizard needs to know when the Twilight has come.”

“And its also time for children to have their dinner and get ready for bed,” smiled Adele as she scooped up a sleepy Stella and collected Aaron’s hand. “I think we should all thank Prince Rainere for a lovely day and promise to see him again tomorrow.”

The little chorus of “thank yous” was interspersed with the routine complaining about not being hungry, tired or ready for bed, but promises of piggyback rides from QGs Pepper and Leith got the children to head out without too much trouble.

Adele couldn’t look Rainere in the eye as she thanked him for his hospitality. As the formal words left her lips she felt a sudden urge to leap into his arms, and kiss him. She clutched her hands together tightly until the moment passed and was almost relieved when Rainere bowed politely and left the room before she could make a fool of herself. Her lack of control was almost frightening.

Walking back to their suite with the others, Adele remembered she had left her jacket in the laboratory.

“I just have to get my coat,” she told Ohrig as she turned to go back the way they had come. “I can get it myself General, no need to be overly alarmed,” she joked but Ohrig gave her a worried frown. She could tell he didn’t want her out of his sight for a second.

Adele walked quickly back to the laboratory hoping Ohrig wasn’t going to follow her. As she approached the door it glowed greenly in the dim light of the corridor. It was a wonder no one had noticed it before. As Adele placed her hand on the doorknob she felt a slight sizzling sensation under her hand. The knob turned slightly of its own accord.

Adele let out a surprised “Oh” and snatched her hand back.

“It won’t open for you,” came a low voice to her right and Rainere stepped out of the shadows. “It’s protected by Magic.”

“But it was tur…” Adele’s voice drifted off as Rainere came closer. She hid her trembling hands behind her back. “I forgot my jacket in there,” she said.

“Of course. Allow me,” said the Prince politely. He opened the door for her and Adele stepped into the room. When she heard the door click shut behind her, she spun around to face Rainere, taking a step back in surprise as he swept her up in his arms and sat her on a workbench.

His mouth was hot and hard on hers and it took all her strength to pull away and gasp a breath. Rainere trailed hungry kisses down her neck.

“Rainere!” She pulled his hair to get his attention. “Rainere, I have to get back. They’re waiting for me.”

Rainere reluctantly stopped kissing and rested his forehead against hers. “I miss you every moment that I’m not with you,” he groaned. “But then when I see you and you are wearing these clothes, and I can’t touch you. To resist such temptation is agony.”

Adele grinned wickedly. So he had felt as frustrated as she did today? Well…good.

“You like these pants?” she asked, looking up at Rainere through her eyelashes. “But these are just my old travelling clothes.”

“Like them? They are obscene!” he glared at her. “When you bend over I can see every curve of you…”

Rainere cupped his hands around Adele’s behind and yanked her even closer, pressing hard against her.

“Rainere, you are making me crazy,” whispered Adele, even as she tightened her thighs around his waist. “We have no time for this.”

Rainere ignored her as he pulled the laces on the front of her leather trousers. He slipped his hand inside and quietened her gasp with his kiss. With his tongue against hers and his fingers stroking deep inside Adele was at the brink of her control in a matter of moments.

“Sweet Christ, Rainere! Please, stop,” she moaned as her body’s will fought her commonsense.

“You are so delicious,” murmured Rainere as he kissed her neck and bit gently on her earlobe. Adele could only hold her breath as the rush of bliss from deep inside built up, taking her higher and higher.

And in that moment of silence she heard Grotto’s voice call, “Master.”

Adele swore and wrenched herself away from Rainere, looking around wildly to see where the manservant was and if he had anyone else with him. Grotto was standing by a second doorway, with his eyes trained on Adele.

“Get out!” snapped Rainere as he cast a vicious glare in Grotto’s direction.

“Very well, Master,” replied Grotto, turning to leave. “I just had to tell you that General Ohrig is waiting at the other door for his Queen. I believe he is getting impatient.”

“I have to go,” whispered Adele. Her cheeks glowed red as frustration and shame sought dominance over her distracted state.

Rainere tied her pants for her and kissed her roughly. He felt it, too. “If not now, when?” he whispered.

Adele squeezed him between her thighs before pushing the Prince away to jump down off the bench. She shook her head.

“They are watching me too closely… I don’t know how we can,” she answered and grabbed her lost jacket from a nearby stool. “You’ll have to think of something.” She gave him a rueful smile.

Adele opened the door just as General Ohrig was about to knock.

“Sorry General,” said Adele, smiling brightly. “I only found it in the last place I looked.” She waved her jacket at him, as if he needed proof. But the General was craning to look over her shoulder to see if anyone else was in the room with her, thankfully Rainere had already disappeared. Until that moment Adele hadn’t realized just how little the General trusted her. She felt the blush fade from her cheeks as a cold sensation flooded her gut: Ohrig knew something was up between her and the Prince and he wanted to know what it was.

Damn it!
This was going to make everything so much harder.

Chapter Fourteen

“And Sometimes It Is Wicked”

It felt like forever before the children were all settled into bed that night.

Natalie had been rifling through Adele’s things looking for a present for Prince Rainere, ready to declare her undying love for him after their wonderful day, and Adele had only rescued the little coconut-wood box that held the Fire Orchid stamens at the last minute, giving herself a heart attack and Natalie a severe telling-off. Adele couldn’t think where Natalie had found the precious box but she hid it back in her travelling cloak, up on a high shelf, for safe-keeping. Aaron had been skittish too, talking about the strange man of his dream again and hoping he would visit again tonight. It was well after the sun had gone down before all the children finally stopped chatting and had given in to sleep.

Adele closed their bedroom door behind her and walked through the empty reception room to the middle sitting room. Most of her Queen’s Guard were all sitting about playing a card game, coins were clinking on the table, but only QG Bear was smiling. This wasn’t unusual as QG Bear apparently had a gift for cards, though it didn’t stop the rest of the men trying to beat him at it, much to their own repeated misery. General Ohrig sat at the dining table and had laid out his weapons to polish. The gold handles of his knives and sword winked and glittered in the candlelight looking festive despite their wickedly sharp edges. QG Pepper was sitting opposite the General with his own weapons to polish and was chatting away regardless of his General’s stony silence.

Seraphina and Caitlin both stood to attention as Adele approached the couch they were sitting on, so she changed direction to a nearby armchair and waved for them to sit again.

“The children are asleep girls. Just take a break,” said Adele as she pulled off her boots and curled her feet up under herself.

Tilburn came over with a tiny glass of golden liquor on a tarnished silver tray. She thanked him and took a small sip and enjoyed the radiant warmth that spread through her, releasing the tight knot of tension in her shoulders. She rolled them out and took another sip.

God bless Fire Whiskey
, she thought leaning back in her chair and staring at the heavy logs blazing in the fireplace.

“Your Majesty…?”

Adele looked up from her daydreaming and realized that the room had gone quiet. Her Guards were only whispering to each other as they played now, and Seraphina and Caitlin were just exchanging giggles behind their hands while they cast glances at QG Pepper. Though they had all been so much more relaxed with each other camping on the road to Sandar, now that they were in a palace again it looked like protocol had returned to the company. Adele wasn’t just herself anymore, she was back to being their Queen and no one wanted to let down their guard when she was around, in case they offended her. She was like the parent showing up at the party. No fun at all.

“Your Majesty?” Tilburn tone was more insistent this time. “While you were in with the children, Mr. Grotto came by to extend an invitation to dinner with the Prince. I took the liberty of declining on your behalf.”

Adele’s head snapped up. “You did what?’

The entire room fell silent, all the men looking up from the card game. Adele felt a flash of fury at her bossy Majordomo, but when she looked across at Ohrig he was watching her reaction so closely she forced herself to take a breath and hide her temper.

“What I mean is, Prince Rainere is our host, Tilburn. What reason did you give him for declining? I hope you weren’t rude.”

“Of course not, Your Majesty,” sniffed Tilburn, affronted by the accusation. “I was as polite as custom dictates I need to be to a Marchant servant.”

Adele raised an eyebrow at the dissemination.

“I merely said that you were exhausted by the day and the lateness of last night and needed to rest, Your Majesty. Surely the Prince should understand the need to let you rest,” Tilburn added hurriedly. “Now if it please you, Your Majesty, I have a much more important issue that requires your attention. I was wondering if perhaps you could request that Prince Rainere send a messenger to Belvoir Estate on our behalf to let them know we are marooned here at the Grey Palace. I would feel much better for knowing that one of the other Royal Families knew of our whereabouts, if not the entire High Wizards Council and the Court of the Golden Palace, too. Our wise General has decided that we cannot spare any man of our party for the job!” Here Tilburn spun around to glare at Ohrig, who returned his cold expression. This was obviously a sore point for both of them.

“I will not diminish our force by a single man,” agreed Ohrig and turned to Adele, his pale blue eyes daring her to protest. “Should we have the need to protect our Queen and her children, we are already at a severe disadvantage.”

Adele rubbed a hand across her forehead and interrupted Tilburn before he could get started on his answering argument.

“I’m sure that the Prince will have somebody available to send to Belvoir, Tilburn. Besides I think the storm was calmer today. We should be able to leave as soon as it has stopped, perhaps in a day or two.”

“Unless, of course, it is an unnatural storm with an unnatural cause, Your Majesty,” remarked Ohrig and this time Tilburn agreed with him

Adele had suddenly had enough of the General and Tilburn and all of their suspicions. She felt a buzz start in her head as the Chime Voices whispered words of Command that she had never heard before, but was tempted to use just to release the tension she felt building in her body. The frustrated sexual desire of an hour ago scratched at her temper and Ohrig’s thinly veiled accusations against Rainere made her want to snap. She knew Ohrig only saw her as a victim before the predatory Prince, someone to be protected from her own ignorance and naiveté. Logically, Adele could see that Ohrig only wanted to protect her, but he was trying to control her, too, and she couldn’t stand that.

Rainere is just as much a slave to me as I am to him
, Adele thought rebelliously.
He loves me and needs me. He wants to make me happy. Ohrig is too prejudiced against Marchants to understand that Rainere is more than his bloodline.

She ended the conversation before she could say anything unwise by getting up to leave and saying “Goodnight” to the room. More than anything, she wanted to walk out into the dark hall and search the palace for Rainere, but reason prevailed and instead she headed to her bedroom.

Tense, she barely paused to register all of the relieved “Good night, Your Majesty’s” from her company as she left. But as soon as she stepped out Adele heard the noise level in the room return to normal and QG Bear’s rough voice asking: “What’s up her knickers, General?”

“Shut your mouth, Bear, before I shut it for you,” Ohrig retorted. She heard a thud of an object being thrown and contacting then an “Ow!” from Bear.

“Serves you right, watch your manners with our Queen,” scolded Captain Lucky. But laughter followed soon after.

They are all nice enough, but no one in there is my friend
thought Adele, her irritation melting into loneliness.
I’m just the Queen to them, not a person.

As quietly as she could, Adele crept through the bedroom where the children were asleep and headed for the bathroom. Just this morning she had discovered an actual shower system with three rain heads shooting out glorious hot water. Maybe a long soak would make her feel better?

She carefully shut the door behind her and turned the heavy lock. Seraphina and Caitlin had a bad habit of coming in to help her undress and wash and having done a competent job of it by herself for twenty-nine odd years Adele found the whole process intrusive and uncomfortable.

Undressing quickly, Adele shivered in the cold air and crossed the stone tiles to the shower wall. The taps were stiff and squeaked loudly as she turned them. She heard an ominous clanking and gurgling from the pipes, but soon hot water gushed out in a huge waterfall and she could step her cold body into the blissful warmth.

A groan of pleasure escaped Adele as the hot water cascaded down her body. With two hands she slicked her hair down her back, pulling it smooth. The fragrance she wore perfumed the air as it escaped into the steam cloud that surrounded her.

But Adele couldn’t relax.

If anything she felt even more keyed up now that she was on her own and had time to remember her interrupted dalliance with Rainere this afternoon. She tried to puzzle it out as the Chime Voices hummed and whispered in her ears. Of course she’d had unsatisfying sex before, in fact more often than not during the seven years she had been married. Sex with no orgasm for her had been disappointing, but it had never left her feeling so frustrated and so incredibly
pent up
before. She ran her hands over her breasts and down to her stomach, but paused before she went lower. No, that just wasn’t going to be enough. She needed something powerful, something hard and strong, to take away this craving. She needed what he could give her.

Adele caught her breath when she
felt
Rainere enter the room, even before she could see him through the clouds of steam. Like a dark angel, the Prince made his way across the bathroom from the shadows in the corner, leaving ajar the door he had entered through. Of course! There was the secret door she had searched for here in her bathroom.

“Come here,” said Adele and her voice was an unfamiliar growl loaded with intent.

Rainere didn’t stop until he was standing right under the spray with her. His silk shirt soon plastered to his body reminding her of how good he looked naked. Adele ran her hands over his chest and pulled at the buttons, breaking them off in one heavy rip. She hadn’t known she had the strength to do that, but right now she didn’t care.

With one fluid motion Rainere bent low and slipping his hands around her behind he lifted her up and held her solid as a rock, as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“
Cara mia,
my Queen...” he whispered.

“I don’t want to be your Queen,” snapped Adele with a fury that surprised Rainere. She nodded at the door to the outside. “I’m
their
Queen, but tonight I just want to be
your
lover.”

The rings of silver lit up in Rainere’s eyes as his arousal spiked and sent a thrill shooting through her. She wanted to use her Magic on him, and make love to him, and control him… and she wanted to make him love it.

“Not in the water,” she said before he could put his lips to hers. “I want you on the chair.”

Hot pink spots colored Rainere’s cheeks and she knew that it was from her order as much as his excitement. Rainere had always been the King of his own castle and no one had ever told
him
what to do before.

Rainere walked them over to a chaise longue by the washbasins and carefully sat back on it, stretching out his legs and pulling her to sit astride him. Laid back against the damp silk, Rainere’s eyes flashed and burned, he waited for her next command, but the anticipation was uncomfortable for him. She needed to guide him before he took over out of sheer impatience.

But first Adele had to get herself under control.

As she sat naked and wet on top of her Prince, Adele tried to resist the instinct to plunge her Magic into him immediately. She trembled with raw need as the Chime Voices directed her to not just invade Rainere and hold his Magic firm in her own, but it told her how to take it from him and absorb its delicious flow. The strength of the silver in his eyes was like a window into his power and she was the thief who could take it from him. Sexual desire was confused with a dark hunger to have Rainere, to take him completely inside of her, until there was nothing of him left. The Chime Voices wheedled and cajoled, asking her to do this for them, but before tonight they had never done any more than give her the Commands she needed to act. Right now it was as if they were a separate entity, and her Magic was a creature to be appeased instead of a part of her.

“Rainere, I don’t want to hurt you,” whispered Adele, and heard the darkness in her own voice. She squeezed her eyes shut tight. “But you have to stop looking at me like that. You are making me - hungry.”

But Rainere just moaned and pulled her mouth against his, stopping her protests with a kiss that that shook her control and fed her need. Adele flinched at a warm flash and felt Rainere naked beneath her as particles of his black pants floated about them. He pulled her up until she crested his erection and then tugged her gently down until he was completely inside her. Rainere groaned with pleasure, his head thrown back and caught up her breasts in his hands.

Adele leaned forward to lick at the pulse on Rainere’s neck that fluttered frantically under his white skin.

“Here,” the Chime Voices tinkled. “Take him here. Pull it! Rip it! Suck it out of him!”

“Adelena,
cara mia
, I want you, too,” Rainere’s rasp seemed to answer her hesitation. “I want to be inside you. I want you inside of me.”

Adele trembled with desire, but knew that he didn’t understand what he was asking of her. This time was different. This time it wasn’t just about sex; it was about Magic. She tried to resist, but the sound of his groans of pleasure crumbled her resolve and the temptation was too strong. Planting her hands on his chest and riding him hard, Adele sent the fine tendrils of her power into Rainere’s chest twirling about and gripping his heart, curling up his neck and down to his groin, finding all the points that conducted the flow of Magic around his body. The sensation was overwhelming and exquisite all at once: drinking in his wickedly green Magic until she was swimming in it. The sensation that gripped her was less an orgasm than it was a relief, like water on a parched tongue. She fought for control of her thirst, making deal after deal with the Chime Voices to just take a bit from Rainere’s Magic, and then just a bit more.