Chapter 14: Chapter Fourteen

Ascian brushes his fingers against my lips, a frown tugging at his lips. "I refuse to believe that you let that human touch you."

I stare up at him in shock. How does he know about that? "You-"

He presses a finger to my lips, shushing me. His eyes flash with anger at the thought of Cosimo, and the feeling is mutual for me. "Did you have an interest in him?"

I nearly bite his finger away from me so I can speak, words flying out like poisonous darts. "I loath that man more than anything in the world. He's a slimy coward and my only wish is that I could have killed him myself."

Ascian seems taken aback by my words, having rarely seen me so seething. He looks pleased to see my hatred so strong for someone other than himself, and he lets out a laugh that fills my ears with the brilliant sound. "That is wonderful news, Bela Bear. I am glad to hear it. The thought of giving breeding rights to a human makes me sick."

Realization dawns on me. Last night, Ascian said that he killed that Fae over an unfavorable offer. Come to think of it, the pieces of the suit that littered the marble was the same color as Cosimo's. Did he murder his Master? My eyes widen. "Ascian, you didn't kill Cosimo's young Master...?"

He looks expectant that I should finish my question, but once he realizes I am too horrified to say it myself, he smiles and brushes some hair out of my face. "I did," He purrs, seeming pleased that I've drawn that conclusion myself, even if I was too scared to say the full thing. "I do not wish to discuss it. It fills me with rage." On cue, the air that swirls around us beneath the canopy of the bed becomes visibly darker, like it’s been mixed with ash. It floats around us heavily, framing Ascian’s eyes and making them seem even brighter than usual.

I lower my eyes to avoid looking at them, feeling the shame of my actions seeping in again like the ash that I inhale, weighing me down. Even though I may have just woken up, I still feel so tired that I could sleep for the rest of the day. “Does it matter anymore? He is surely dead now. There was no one to protect him after what happened last night,” My voice sounds far too small as if it belongs to a little girl instead of a twenty-year-old woman.

I can feel his gaze has never left me. “With any luck, perhaps. He strikes me as the cunning sort. He may live still if he was able to convince the successor of hisusefulnesss.”

That hadn’t occurred to me. I never considered Cosimo the intelligent sort, but if he was able to place himself in cohorts with someone as strong as Vespertine, he isn’t as much of a fool as I may have originally thought. Either way, the likelihood of him being sly enough to do it again seems unlikely to me.

“What happened after we left?” I ask the question that has been weighing my mind since the events were triggered. If anyone would know, surely it would be Ascian. I look back up at him finally, but his gaze has turned out the window, appearing to be deep in thought.

“I haven’t a clue, My Dear. I have not left your side since, though I can assume that if you caused Vespertine to lose his head completely, that he certainly would have fallen.”

I bite my lip, beginning to feel restless. “What have I done?” I ask quietly, mostly to myself in disbelief.

Ascian hears me though and snaps from his thoughts to turn his attention back to me. “Belamour,” He says softly, though sternly enough to make me look at him. “You did a service to myself and many other Fae in the Court. Besides,” His gaze wavers as he runs a finger against my cheek. “You are worth toppling a kingdom for.”

Though his words are unusually kind, I don’t believe him. I’m just a human woman; if I had never been brought here, surely my voice would be lost in the crowd. Ascian is the only thing that makes me special here in the realm of the Fae. I am only an object of obsession because Ascian adores me so, and no one else has been able to steal me away from him. As a sport of football I remember from my childhood, I am simply the ball that everyone chases to kick into a goal. I am just a key to a lock.

“If I were anyone else, you would not believe that,” I say finally, picking at a loose thread on the comforter. “I’m just a human. You shouldn’t let me cause you so much grief.”

Ascian threads his fingers through my hair and tugs it gently, causing my head to tilt upwards to look him in the eyes. They flash in the sunlight as the air around us clears of smog, allowing the light to shine brightly through the windows. His voice is lowered to nearly a growl as he speaks.

“Never say such a thing to me again. You are mine, and as such, you are worth fighting about.”

Honestly, his words only prove my point. If he wouldn’t pursue me so intently, I would hardly be such a prize to be won. Ascian’s affection for me is the only thing that makes me so special. The other Fae only want =-me because I am his prized possession. I press my lips together at the humbling realization, feeling sick to my stomach again.

“I will not be satisfied until I hear your agreement, Belamour. You must know how important you are,” He insists, unsatisfied by my silence. “If you merely asked me, I would seize this retched throne and rule this kingdom. You must know that.”

I stare at him in shock as his words process slowly in my human brain, working like a hamster on a wheel. If ascian was the King, it would be a relatively easy feat for me to see my sister, wouldn’t it? Of course, the Seelie still loathe the Unseelie no matter the status of the Fae, though there must be court meetings that take place at the border of the lands between the courts on occasion. A peace treaty, for example, would be the perfect excuse for one of those meetings. Since Alice’s Mistress is so high up in the Seelie courts, she may be required to show her face at such a meeting upon invitation.

I prop myself up on an elbow with sudden urgency as the realization fully sets in. Ascian is the only Fae strong enough to seize the throne at any time, regardless of who currently wears the crown. As I raise my eyes to meet his again, he seems to have discovered what I’ve concocted in my brain.

He gives me a look, raising his brow. “You would not seriously demand such a thing of me, would you?”

I stare back at him, expression honest. “I don’t want to hide things from you anymore, Ascian. I found out that it doesn’t work anyway, so I want to be honest with you. If you did decide to exercise your abilities to seize the throne from whoever just took it, would that not make this whole ordeal much easier?”

He narrows his eyes, pupils tapering into slits. “You refer to your sister, correct? You would ask me to rule a kingdom so you can meet with a human who may or may not even remember you?”

I press my lips together, resuming my thread picking. “You’re the one who said you would take the crown if I asked you to,” I say pointedly, unable to keep the pout from my voice.

Ascian sighs, undoubtedly recalling himself saying those words. “Yes, I did say that. It was mainly hypothetical though, my Pet. There is a very good reason why I have kept my distance from the court for this long,”

I peer up at him through my lashes, fingers falling still. “You never told me why that is.”

I had always assumed it was because Ascian simply detested the dramatics of the court since they always make thing more complicated than necessary and is never free of scheming and plotting. This is the perfect opportunity to learn the truth, however, and I’m not willing to miss out on it.

“You know that I am estranged from the court,” He begins slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully. “It is bursting with betrayal and plots, which grows wearisome after some time. Everyone is waiting for the opportunity for your crown to slip, so they may stab you in the back and steal it from your brow,” He pauses to caress my cheek, his eyes softening momentarily before resuming their steely look as he continues. “You are far more precious to me than any crown. Everyone knows my weakness, and I cannot possibly rule a kingdom while keeping you by my side at all times. If I resume my place at court, you will be targeted even more than you are now. Everyone will be waiting for the opportunity to snatch you away from me.”

I chew my lip in thought as I soak in his words. I had considered that of course, though I didn’t expect that to be his entire reason for being hesitant about the palace. “You doubt your ability to protect me?” I echo, making sure that what I heard is what he said.

His eyes flash, seeming to be insulted by what I’ve concluded. Ascian’s jaw clenches with enough force to make me concerned for his teeth. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before speaking. “As a Pet, yes. As my wife, however, your well-being would be my main priority, and any malice intent towards you would be considered treason, punishable by death.”