Unexpected Mates ~ Book One
Chapter 8

Loud voices from the hall roused Sylvie from the worst hangover she’d ever had in her whole fucking life.

Her eyeballs felt ready to plop from her head, and the arguing outside the door only made it so much worse. She pressed her hands into her eyelids to ease the throbbing as she processed the words being spoken.

“-she will be here by sunset, and you will accept her.”

“I will not! She is not my bonded.”

“She has been your betrothed since you were children. Not so long ago, you were thanking me. Now, this!”

Sylvie’s eyes watered as she imagined the Queen gesturing to the door.

To the woman behind it.

“Stop, mother.”

“No. She is not fit to rule. Just come and greet her and see how you feel.” The Queen’s voice took on a pleading quality, and Sylvie’s stomach sank.

The elusive she was meant for Kian, and they had known each other since childhood. Sylvie didn’t stand a chance.

She sniffled, surprised by the disappointment and pain cramping her body. It was more than hunger this time. It was grief.

“You don’t understand. You’ve never experienced this before.”

Even before the Queen shrieked, Sylvie knew that was not the right thing to say.

“How dare you? Do you think I never loved your father? We may not have been bonded, but my duty was to protect this realm, whatever the cost. Have I failed to teach you this? Tell me before I trust the safety of my people in the hands of a love-drunk fool.”

Sylvie lay utterly still, praying they would leave. She was hearing far too much, and every sentence stabbed into her body and brain like a hot iron.

What was worse was all the memories of her post-berry-eating hallucination returning to her in bursts. She suddenly remembered her ramblings of being magical, and she groaned loudly, forgetting to suppress it.

Finally, the voices outside stopped, and the doorknob turned. “I need to check on her.” A pause. “I’ll be there.”

The three words burrowed into Sylvie’s heart like a knife. Why did she care so much? He was supposed to be with the other woman, so why did it feel like the worst betrayal of her life? She didn’t even feel this way when she found her first boyfriend of three years in bed with her old roommate.

The door opened, and Kian closed it quickly behind him before walking over and crouching beside her.

“Are you okay?”

She lowered a hand and blinked up at him with a half smile. There was no point in letting him know her pain. Kian had to do what was right for his people and his mother. He only met her days ago, so he had no obligations to care for her, stay with her, love her...

“Dammit,” she whispered, blinking back tears.

“What is it?” Kian asked, brushing a fat drop off her cheek.

“My head hurts,” she half-truthed.

He offered his hand, and she took it, slowly wobbling to her feet. She sat back on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

Kian just smiled and waved her off, pulling a small platter from the bedside and placing it on her lap. An assortment of fruits, crackers and slices of bread lay before her, and she looked at Kian warily.

“So I can eat the food?”

He nodded, sitting beside her. “I don’t know why or what you are, but you are immune to the foods here. If you weren’t, the Verferum you ate would have given you either the most painful stomach ache or your organs would have liquified.”

“Oh,” she squeaked, picking a small grape off the plater. “But these are fine?”

“Yes.”

She bit into it tentatively and smiled at the bursting juice across her tongue. The relief from the easing pain in her belly and head almost made her eyes roll back. “This is magical.”

“Yes. Need I remind you where we are right now.”

“No,” Sylvie responded wryly, popping another grape between her teeth. Once the plate was all but licked clean, she took a deep breath and faced Kian.

His brief sullen look was replaced instantly by a warm smile. “About one more day, and I’ll take you home.”

She nodded and swallowed, glad for some good news.

“And what about your home? Will you return here?”

His eyes flashed with darkness before turning away from her. His emotions put her on edge, so she placed a hand on his knee and squeezed.

He sighed. “You heard?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I don’t know who she is, but I’m sure she’s wonderful, and I don’t want to get in the way of that or your responsibilities.”

He spun on her, and the look of fury on his face terrified her. She jerked back, the platter clattering onto the floor as he growled, “Don’t ever say that. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I-I uh,” she stammered, blinking back tears. “I’m sorry.”

Realisation appeared in his eyes, and he softened, shaking his head. “No. Don’t apologise. I shouldn’t have snapped.” He stood, running his hands across his head and bent to pick up the forgotten platter.

“I’ll see you soon,” he finally said, leaving the room without another word.

Hours passed, and Sylvie lay staring at the ceiling between bouts of crying when the door whipped open and slammed against the wall. Her head snapped to the side, unsure what to expect when Kerensa stomped in. “Get dressed.”

“In what?” Her current attire was still stained a vibrant blue, and she didn’t know how the magic cupboard worked.

Kerensa hissed and stormed towards her, and she had no time to move as she plucked a strand of hair from her head and walked to the wardrobe. Throwing the hair inside, she looked back at Sylvie before pulling a deep emerald gown out and tossing it. She caught it and stammered as Kerensa walked out and slammed the door shut again. “What the fuck?”

“Get dressed!” she growled again through the door. Shivers trailed down Sylvie’s spine as she quickly stripped her stained gown and redressed, the velvety fabric cinching in all the right places making her breasts look amazing in the low-cut neckline.

Kerensa pushed the door open again and jerked her head. “Hurry up. She’s here.”

“Who?”

Kerensa gave her a long hard stare and bared her teeth. “Do you want him or not? Because she’s about to take him.”

Sylvie cast her a withering look before running her hands through her brown waves, trying to detangle any rogue knots.

“You look fine,” Kerensa hissed before peering back along the hallway. “So? Are you coming?”

Sylvie rolled her shoulders back and nodded.

“Good, now move.”

The pair walked quickly along the halls towards the throne room. There was no time to take in the scene; Sylvie was too focused on suppressing the despair building in her chest.

Kerensa’s statement about the woman taking Kian made her seem like an inconquerable foe about to steal his heart.

Of course, it didn’t belong to her, and it wasn’t her place to claim it, so why did it make her want to drop to her knees and sob?

“Keep your guard up,” Kerensa whispered, wrapping her hand around Sylvie’s bicep. The grip was surprisingly gentle as she guided her through the throne room’s doors and into the vast space.

The Queen stood regally at the base of the throne, with Kian in his royal purple at her side. The light behind his eyes was gone, almost tearing Sylvie’s heart in half.

When she spotted the object of his gaze, she almost turned and sprinted from the room.

She was both Kian and Sylvies opposite in so many ways. Her skin, the colour of milk, shone starkly compared to her olive and his brown flesh.

Her grey eyes floated across the room as she smiled with the straightest smile. Perfectly dressed, her gown fanned out behind her, a soft champagne colour, as she strolled arm in arm with a plainer-looking but beautiful woman.

“My Queen,” she called.

Fuck. Even her voice was elegant.

“And Kian, it has been so long! You have become a man,” she gushed.

Sylvie wanted to be sick as Kerensa escorted her towards the small group. When their footsteps echoed, the woman spun in a gentle motion, making her light-blonde hair flow over her shoulder like water.

The Queen’s mouth puckered, and she exclaimed. “It is wonderful to see you again, dear Lady Lazuli and Handmaid Zephrinah. I’m so glad you responded so quickly to my summons.”

Zephrinah bowed, keeping her back stiff, while Lazuli turned back with a beaming smile and nodded. “Of course! My father was happy to hear of your wishes to honour your agreement. After not hearing anything for so long, we had almost lost hope.”

Kian remained silent, offering a tightlipped smile as his mother smiled too wide.

“Of course. I had only withheld my response, as Kian had spent much time on the earth plane, and I was unsure of his return.”

“Yes,” Lazuli said, swaying on her feet. “What brought you back here?”

The Queen moved aside and grabbed Lazuli’s hand, avoiding the razor-sharp nails at the end. “Oh, do come closer, dear. He is your future husband, after all. No need to be coy. I know you are already well acquainted.”

Bile rose in Sylvie’s throat as the Queen’s eyes lingered on her.

Lazuli stepped forwards and slid her hands into his, turning to face Kerensa and Sylvie lingering to the side. Zephrinah slowly disappeared on the fringes of the space until Sylvie couldn’t make out her position at all.

Neat trick.

Sylvie wanted to disappear right then, too. But instead, her eyes were glued to a tiny bead of gold liquid trailing down Kian’s wrist from where Lazuli’s nails must have sliced before locking eyes with the Queen. Her smug smile sent hot rage through Sylvie’s body.

Lazuli turned her soft gaze from Sylvie to Kian and back again with a smile, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “I’m sorry, but who might you be?”

Before she spoke her name, which she was absolutely about to, Kerensa stepped forward. “She’s Kians’ bonded one.”

Surprise crossed her face before she replaced it with hurt. “Oh, how terribly unfortunate.”

Kian’s eyes remained glued to the floor as Lazuli squeezed his hand a few times, the bead of golden blood dripping on the floor.

Nobody noticed besides Sylvie as Lazuli continued, “I haven’t heard of such a thing in aeons. How can you be so sure?”

Kian’s jaw tightened as his mother spoke up. “We aren’t certain, of course. Only the bonded pair can feel the connection. But, you know this,” she scolded with a slight smirk.

“Mm, yes, Kian, after years of bonded being practically extinct, how could you know she means that much to you.” Lazuli looked her up and down again, her brows furrowing softly. “She is a beautiful wee thing but not suited for the role of Queen.”

Kerensa’s grip tightened on Sylvie’s bicep, and she growled. “So this is how it’s to be?”

“How it must be,” the Queen replied.

Without another word, Kerensa spun and dragged Sylvie from the room faster than she had time to look back.