Antlered Crown Read online

  “Storm, I’m going to give you a lock of my hair. Keep it safe, and if you need me, hold tight to it and call on me. I’ll come help you as much as I can.” I reached up and gently plucked five hairs off my head, then motioned to Elta, who found a small plastic bottle for them. I glanced at the bottom—made in China. Of course. I coiled the strands inside the bottle and handed it to Storm. “Here, this is a pact between us. If you are in danger, summon me.”

  Storm’s eyes glistened. “Thank you, milady Ember. I’ve seldom encountered kindness in my life. I won’t forget this.”

  I turned to Raven and Angel. “Why don’t you show Storm the castle, and eat lunch. I’m afraid I’ll be busy all afternoon.”

  Angel hugged me, and so did Raven. They turned to Storm and the guard escorted them out the door.

  Elta turned to me and smiled. “She’s an interesting woman. I’ve heard of dragons, of course, but I’ve never met one.”

  “Trust me, the hedge dragons are very different from their larger kin. I’ve been on the bad side of dragons before, and it’s scary as hell. I think my opinion’s even more soured now.”

  We headed for the door as Elta went over a list of things we still had to do.

  My thoughts turned to Storm. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, I was essentially retired from adventuring. The thought made me want to cry.

  I had no clue how many yards of material went into forming my dress. There were so many layers it looked like enough to make a tent, and yet the material was so light that I felt like I was barely wearing anything at all. The dress had a fitted bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice came to a V in front, flowing into the skirt, which had seven layers of petticoats underneath it. It swept out from my waist, reminding me of a bell.

  The dress was deep indigo, and a netting of silver stars covered the skirt, which was hemmed in a scalloped border. The bodice was intricately embroidered with metallic silver thread, in a pattern that reminded me of paisley swirls. The embroidery made the bodice stiff to the touch, enough so that it kept my boobs up without a bra. I had insisted on a zipper beneath the laces in back, which made it much easier to get into.

  The seamstresses had managed to piece most of it together, though they still had to sew on some of the embroidered patches. I stood there with bared shoulders, my tattoos showing vividly. The head seamstress gently guided me in front of the full-length mirror, and then she placed a silver crown around my head. I was already wearing silver and diamond earrings and a bracelet, and I gasped as I saw my reflection. My dress looked like a deep dark sea, studded with the reflection of stars, and I couldn’t believe that I looked so beautiful.

  Elta was looking at me, a smile her face. “Do you like it?”

  I nodded, still unable to speak.

  “We’ll have it ready for the wedding next week. There’s a lot of loose threads we need to trim, and we need to finish sewing this netted skirt.” The head seamstress stood back, rubbing her chin as she assessed me critically.

  “It’s gorgeous,” I said, finding my tongue. “Will I be wearing a train of some sort or…” I wasn’t sure how cold the ceremony was going to be.

  “Yes, and we might as well try that on now.” She snapped her fingers.

  I realized that I didn’t know her name. Feeling awkward, I said, “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

  “Avery,” the woman said, curtseying.

  “You’ve done a marvelous job, Avery. Thank you. I’ll be proud to wear this.”

  One of the junior tailors stepped forward, a velveteen cloak in his arms. Together with the seamstress they spread it out, and then draped it gently on my shoulders. It fastened in front with the Celtic brooch, which had a stag in the center of the knotwork circle. Avery pinned the brooch through the openings in the neck of my cape, and then stepped around behind me, adjusting hood so it fell beneath my hair. Once again she turned me toward the mirror.

  The cloak made the dress. Separate, they were both beautiful. But together, they were stunning, and I truly felt like a goddess. This was the sort of outfit that Morgana would wear, I thought.

  As if she were reading my mind, the seamstress said, “This is based on the Lady Morgana’s wedding dress. She thought it would suit you as well. But we needed to make a new dress because the two of you have different sizing, and we did not want to risk the integrity of her wedding dress while trying to alter it.”

  I felt overwhelmed. The wedding seemed so much more real. Oh, I knew it was real, that it would happen. But now it rose up clear in my mind: I was going to marry Herne.

  “It meets your approval?” Avery asked.

  “Yes, very much so. In fact, I love it so much that I’d like you to make some more outfits for me, if you have time.”

  Avery flushed, again dipping her knee in a curtsey. “I would be honored, my lady.”

  “There will be one more fitting after today,” Elta said. “For the moment, though, I think you are done.”

  Avery curtsied. “We are, and I’m so grateful that you like your dress.”

  As I stared at my reflection once more, it crossed my mind that I might want to wear it for my private ceremony with Herne, as well. I hadn’t expected anything so incredibly beautiful.

  That afternoon, I had finished cramming several hours of study about wedding traditions in Annwn down my throat when Herne entered my office. Elta stood immediately, excusing herself. As she shut the door behind her, and we were left alone, I stretched out my arms and Herne swept me up into his embrace, swinging me around and kissing me.

  “So, how’s it going?” He looked at me hungrily and I realized that over the past week we had had almost no time alone together except at night, when we had both been exhausted. Sometimes, even the rigors of a daily schedule could take their toll on the gods.

  “I miss you,” I said as I kissed him again, pulling him closer to me.

  “We need us time,” he said.

  “Yes, we do,” I whispered. “Do you have any time right now? Can we get away for even a quickie?”

  Herne laughed. “I wish I did…” He paused, gazing into my eyes. Then, abruptly, he turned and locked the door behind him. As he marched back toward me, I hurried to unbutton my jeans. I tore my sweater off over my head, tossing it on the desk, as he shoved my jeans down to my feet and helped me out of them. I reached around to unhook my bra as he unbuckled his belt and was out of his jeans in a matter of seconds.

  I glanced around, catching sight of the sofa. Grabbing his hand, I dragged him over to it, but then paused, looking around for a throw to spread across the velvet material.

  Herne seemed to understand what I was looking for and he grabbed a fleece blanket off of one of the chairs. That was the first I noticed the rocking chair in the room. Smiling—again, Morgana seemed to anticipate my needs—I waited for Herne to lie down on the cushioned sofa and then I slid atop him, straddling him. We didn’t have much time so I leaned down and kissed him as he fingered me, working my clit with his thumb.

  I moaned, realizing how tensed up I had been.

  “Don’t stop,” I begged, my body feeling like a live wire. I let out a guttural moan as he rubbed harder. Leaning forward, I pressed my breasts to his chest. “I want more than your fingers inside me,” I said.

  Herne laughed, a deep throaty laugh that echoed through me, and pulled me down onto him.

  As he held my hips, I swiveled my pelvis, grinding against him.

  My heart swelled. Herne was my mate—we had been thrown together by fate, and now, we would be together forever. I leaned back as he trailed one hand over my stomach then slid his fingers down my hips.

  And yet, even as I came, there was a part of me that wondered: Would we have this forever? While I knew there would be a future, I couldn’t see through the millennia to come.

  It doesn’t matter, I thought. The present is all that matters.

  For the foreseeable future, we were bonded and paired, and that was enough.

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nbsp; Chapter Eight

  The next morning I headed through the halls toward my office. Servants were everywhere, scurrying around, still putting away things. But the castle was shaping up quite nicely, and I was surprised by how comfortable I was beginning to feel. It had taken me a couple days, but I could feel the magic in the walls, imbued within the stone and rock and marble. It felt safe and protected, and there was something else—it felt like there was some part of Herne and me inside that magic. As though a little of our essence had been captured within the walls and ceilings. Instead of a cold and unwelcoming place, Briar Shore was starting to feel like a welcoming, warm hearth.

  I managed to find my way to my office without a problem.

  Elta was there, waiting. She motioned for me to sit down at my desk, then rang the bell for a maidservant. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “I had a muffin.”

  “That’s not enough. I know you want coffee, or rather espresso, but what else do you want to eat? You need a good head on your shoulders for dealing with some of the castle issues and so every morning I expect you to eat a good breakfast, so that you don’t get a hunger headache. You have to be able to make quick decisions, milady.” She stared me down until I relented.

  “You’re right. I’m already hungry again. I have a quick metabolism—most of the Fae do.”

  “Then what would you like?”

  “Bacon, some sausage, fruit salad, toast, and a quadruple peppermint mocha.” I slid into my chair, staring at the pile of papers sitting in front of me. They hadn’t been here the day before. “Where did all of these come from?”

  The maidservant came in and curtsied, turning to Elta. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Your ladyship will have bacon, sausage, fruit salad, toast, and a quadruple peppermint mocha. Please hurry. I also want a double espresso, and some toast would be good.”

  As soon as the maid left, I turned toward Elta. “You’re only having toast? After that lecture you gave me?”

  “This is my tea. I’ve been up since the crack of dawn.” She grinned.

  I realized that she was becoming more comfortable around me, even as I was becoming more comfortable in the castle. I truly liked her. Over the past months she had been more than a great help—she was becoming a good friend.

  “Well then, aren’t you the early bird? Please tell me I won’t have to get up that early once Herne and I are married.”

  “No, but life here—in Annwn—usually starts at the first glimmer of daylight, and it ends at dusk. However, the gods live as they will, and I will never presume to tell you what to do. Except when it comes to your lessons.”

  “I rather like that you’re not afraid of me,” I said. “A number of the people in the hallways seem to trip over themselves when I walk by.”

  “You want that,” Elta said. “There is a certain necessity to that form of intimidation.” She paused, and then sat down in the chair next to my desk. As she gazed at me, I could see thousands of years of experience in her eyes and I suddenly felt so very young—terribly so.

  “I want to tell you about something that happened with Morgana. I wouldn’t, except that she gave me permission to speak to you about it if the need arose. And I think that we should discuss this before any problems occur.”

  She seemed so serious that I leaned back, waiting.

  “Sometime after the Lady Morgana passed the Gadawnoin, she didn’t realize how powerful she was becoming. Your powers will grow over time, like hers did. And you may not realize how powerful you are becoming. She didn’t and it led to heartbreak.”

  “I’d hate to hurt anybody without knowing what was going on. Tell me what happened.”

  “That’s exactly what happened. Most of the gods have the power to kill mortals easily enough. That’s why most of them take themselves so seriously. The Lady Morgana didn’t realize how strong she was becoming. She and I were in the stables, waiting for one of the stable hands to saddle up the horses. We were going to take a long ride into the woods.”

  My stomach flipped and I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

  “The stable hand was trying his best, but he was a little on the slow side, and he was still learning his job. That day, the Lady Morgana was impatient, and she wanted to get on the road. She became so frustrated when he kept buckling the saddle on wrong that she pushed him aside, intending to do so herself.”

  I caught my breath. “What happened?

  “Instead of pushing him to the side like she planned, she inadvertently threw him against the wall. She hadn’t paid attention to how strong she was becoming. When he landed against the wall he broke his neck and died.”

  That sobered me. “I can’t imagine how she felt.”

  “I don’t know she’s ever forgiven herself for that. He was a simple lad, trying to learn his job. I offered to tell his parents for her, but she refused. Instead, she went to see them herself. I don’t know what she said to them, but after that we never spoke of the incident again. I watched her, and she pulled back for a while, but then, like a butterfly, she blossomed out and embraced her new life. After that, it never happened again. When she hurt someone, she meant to hurt them.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I settled for, “I’ll remember that. But why did you say intimidation is a good thing?”

  “Morgana was too friendly with the help. She didn’t want to be seen as demanding. She had befriended the stable boy, and so he didn’t put himself on guard when she came around. He assumed she wouldn’t get angry, but she did and it caught him off guard.”

  Now it started to make sense.

  “If he had apologized for taking so long, it might have deflected her rash nature. I had warned him earlier to allow the more capable hands to wait on her, but he insisted that she didn’t mind how slow he was. ‘She never acts like the rest of them,’ he said. And she didn’t, until one day, she did. Trust me, Lady Ember, you don’t want to be caught between worlds. You belong to the gods now. Never forget it.”

  With that, Elta turned back to her desk. “Even I keep my guard up around you,” she said over her shoulder. “And while the Lady Morgana may have me out to tea at her castle, I never forget the vast chasm that exists between us.”

  At that moment, the serving maid brought in our food and drinks, and I set to work sorting out the stack of envelopes on my desk. But my thoughts went back to the Wild Hunt, and I wondered how Herne had managed to keep things going without making us all feel like worms.

  By midmorning, Elta and I were deep into my lessons when a knock sounded. The guard opened the door and stood back to allow Morgana entrance.

  I jumped up, glad for the interruption. Elta was teaching me all the things I needed to know in order to run the castle, and I was memorizing names of the older, permanent members of the staff. Unlike some of the other gods, Cernunnos, Herne, and Morgana felt they should know the name of all the senior staff members.

  “Elta, how wonderful to see you,” Morgana said, taking her hands and air-kissing her. “I need to speak to Ember alone.”

  “Yes, milady,” Elta said, dropping into a curtsey before leaving the room. She paused. “Would you like some tea or coffee?”

  “Not this time, thank you.” She waited until Elta vacated the room, then turned to me. “The wedding is on schedule. I received word that your dress has one last fitting to make sure everything is right.” She paused, then said, “I have something I want to talk over with you.”

  She looked so serious that I dropped the piece of paper I’d been playing with. “What’s up?” It felt odd, talking to Morgana as though I was her equal.

  “Ember, I want you to meet someone. Not immediately, but you will become an important part of her life. In fact, I’ve decided that it’s time you know the truth of what it’s like to look after others who follow you.”

  She stared at me, waiting. I followed her over to one of the sofas where we sat, me with my mocha and her folding her hands in her lap.

 
“Who is she?”

  “Her name is Lyrical. She called out to me for help, and I answered. In time, after your wedding, I will introduce you. She needs guidance for what destiny has in store for her. You will be that guide. You will be her goddess.”

  I stared at her. “What? You mean like you’re my goddess?”

  “You’re no longer my priestess. You’re a goddess in your own right. But yes, you are to watch over her. In time, I think she will become one of your priestesses. Very likely, your first.” She paused as the bell rang. “Oh good, the others have arrived.”

  “Others?”

  Morgana simply smiled, but said nothing.

  Within ten minutes, Elta returned, ushering in Cernunnos, Herne, Viktor, Yutani, Talia, and Angel. Grateful to see them, but more curious than ever, I welcomed them in and bade them to sit down. Morgana motioned to Elta.

  “Retire for the moment. I’ll summon you when we’re done.”

  Elta darted back outside.

  Morgana and Cernunnos lightly touched lips, then sat down and turned toward the rest of us. “The council of gods has met again. Ember, you will join us at the next meeting. But we have news for all of you about the Wild Hunt.”

  “I thought the Wild Hunt dissolved,” I said, my pulse quickening. Were we going to return to Earth?

  “No, it simply became fluid,” Cernunnos said. “The fact is, the Wild Hunt is undergoing a transition. The council of gods wants us to send spies over to watch the dragons.”

  “Why?” Yutani asked. “Has something changed?”

  “Well, yes. Maybe. There may be a way to free Echidna, without allowing Typhon to escape. We’re working on it. But we need to know what the dragons are doing, so we’re stationing spies all around the world to keep us up to date. Mielikki, Odin, Artemis, they are all calling in new envoys, ones that none of the dragons are familiar with.”