Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty-Three

A elia

“Duskling…” Rue giggled.

I shot her a scathing glare that had her cheeks reddening. Thank the goddess she kept her mouth closed after that. I had told her bits and pieces of my night out with Ruhl in the Feywood Forest, leaving out anything incriminating of course, my new nickname being one of those things. She had been no help in trying to decipher the heir’s hot and cold behavior. But she did say she liked him a bit more now that he had disposed of Lucian for us.

Ruhl stalked forward, umbral blades tucked in sheaths at his narrow hips. “So, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”

“How did you find us?” I blurted, avoiding his question.

“You cannot truly believe a burst of power like that one would truly go unnoticed?” He ticked his head toward the river, where sparks of rais still glittered over the brackish depths. “It just so happens I was the one out on guard duty tonight, and I thought I sensed something familiar…”

A pit of dread sank to the bottom of my gut, and the swirling energy in my core only intensified. Gods, Reign was right. It was only a matter of time before his brother discovered the truth. If he hadn’t already.

“Listen, dark prince…” Rue stumbled forward, a flirty smile skimming her lips. “We just came over here to have some fun. We heard the Shadow Fae know how to have a good time.”

Ruhl’s brow arched, following the corner of his mouth. He stepped closer, locking me in that dark glare. “Is that why you’ve come, duskling? Have you grown tired of the insipid Light Fae males?” His voice was pure danger, laced in venom.

“No,” I ground out.

“Then what are you doing here?”

Raysa, this was a terrible idea. Why did I ever think, even for a second, that this evening wouldn’t have disastrous consequences?

“We forced her to come with us,” Symon replied, staggering between the prince and me, a valiant effort from my intoxicated friend. “We needed a little reprieve.”

Ruhl barked out a laugh, the sound rumbling the air between us. “You know nothing about the Citadel if you believe skulking here in the middle of the night will grant you a reprieve.”

Rue pushed her way between the males, placing her petite palm on the prince’s chest. She thrust her bottom lip out, batting long lashes. “You’re telling me the heir to the Shadow Court throne doesn’t know how to have a little fun?”

“Oh, I do, sweetling. I’m only uncertain whether you and your friends could handle the sort of entertainment I have in mind.” He cast a dark gaze over Rue’s head, fixing those turbulent spheres on me.

Oblivious, Rue bounced on her tiptoes. “Oh, we can handle it.”

A sinister smile crawled across Ruhl’s face as he offered his arm to my roommate. “Then by all means, follow me.”

I swallowed hard, that lump of dread growing to astronomical proportions as Ruhl took my friend by the arm and led her toward the Citadel. Symon whirled on me, a tangle of emotions playing on his handsome face. “Well, we’ve made it this far.”

“This was such a bad idea, Sy.”

He held his hand out, a sheepish grin curling his lips. “You know what they say about bad ideas, right?”

“No, what’s that?” I grumbled.

“They often make the best stories.”

I couldn’t help the chuckle from tumbling out as I took his hand. “I can’t argue with you on that one, my friend.”

He hauled me forward, forcing me to lengthen my strides to keep up with Ruhl and Rue. I vowed not to let my roommate out of my sight now that she was in the prince’s clutches. Though my opinion of Reign’s brother may have been slightly upgraded, it didn’t mean I trusted him with my best friend.

Ruhl led the way through an arched entrance at the back of the Citadel lined with vines so thick, I never would have found the door had I not known it was there. Nox pulsed all around us, the thick, pungent feel of it pressing into my skin.

Goosebumps cascaded down my arms, beneath the thin fabric of my tunic, as Ruhl waved his hand across a rune, and the door ground open.

“Are we allowed to be here?” I blurted as we neared the threshold, my mind fleeing back in time to my arrival at the Conservatory and crossing through the Veil of Judgement.

“We won’t be smote down by Noxus or something, will we?” Sy interjected.

Ruhl canted his head over his shoulder, grinning wickedly. “I certainly hope not.”

A blast of cool air flitted across my flesh as Symon and I squeezed through the entrance together. Rue was chattering on, completely oblivious, but at least I was happy she was enjoying herself. It was the most animated I’d seen her in days.

A labyrinth of dark stone hallways that absorbed light stretched out before us. The torches along the walls appeared as mere flickers against the oppressive darkness. Black marble, veined with streaks of silver that shimmered faintly covered the floors, reflecting any stray beams of light.

“It sure is dark in here,” Sy quipped.

“Umhmm.” Not only was the darkness oppressive, but the silence was unbearable.

We walked beneath towering arched ceilings, supported by columns adorned with intricate carvings of the Citadel’s history and the Two Hundred Years’ War. Everything about the academy was foreboding in its grandeur, adding to the ominous atmosphere.

“Why is it so quiet?” I whisper-hissed.

Ruhl spun around, eyes flickering with mirth. “I don’t know how they do things at the Conservatory, but here, we have a curfew.”

Right. Of course. Why did I assume the school would be a lawless, free for all? I cast a wary glance at Sy. “We never should have come,” I mouthed.

His shoulders lifted before slumping back. “At least Rue seems to be having fun.”

After traversing endless dark corridors, the obsidian walls obliterating all traces of light, Ruhl finally stopped in front of a door. I drew in a breath as the prince’s hand closed around the ornate knob. Soft footfalls echoed behind us, freezing his movements, and I spun my head around in time to see a dark figure at the end of the hallway. He paused, stared in our direction, then scurried around the corner.

“Is that going to be a problem?” Symon asked.

Ruhl waved a dismissive hand and opened the door behind him, offering a glimpse of the grand chamber within. Not a sound erupted from the all-out rager surging beyond the threshold.

My jaw nearly unhinged. Some sort of sound-cloaking spell. It had to be.

“Don’t be so surprised, duskling.” Ruhl smirked, the wicked grin a painful reminder of Reign. “We must find our own ways to break the monotony and strictness of our rigorous training.”

He took a step back, motioning for us to enter. I hesitated on the threshold for a long moment. Nothing good would ever come from this evening of debauchery. But maybe Rue wasn’t the only one who deserved a night off. Forcing my legs forward, I entered the decadent room draped in black silk and dark velvet, with silver and purple accents that caught the flickering light from the candles ensconced in twisted iron holders along the walls. Strings of faintly glowing dark crystals hung in intricate patterns across the ceiling, casting a mesmerizing light that mimicked the starry night sky of the Court of Umbral Shadows.

“What is this place?” Symon stared at the enormous chamber, his lilac irises luminous beneath the faint light.

“It’s our entertainment room.” Ruhl shrugged as he led us farther into the space.

Like the rest of us, Rue took it all in, mouth gaping. The haze of liquor seemed to wane amidst the foreign splendor unfolding before us. Dozens of Shadow Fae initiates filled the chamber in extravagant attire. I suddenly felt severely underdressed in my typical linen tunic and suede leggings. Voluminous gowns and doublets threaded with spider silk and moonlight danced across the room, while others wore less, adorning themselves with only mystical tattoos that writhed on their skin, alive with the beat of the music.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” I murmured.

“Of course you wouldn’t have. You grew up in Feywood, and then had the misfortune of landing across the river.” His lazy smile grew feral. “If only Noxus had blessed you, instead of that dull, lifeless Raysa. Everyone knows what happens in the shadows is far more entertaining than in the light.”

I swallowed thickly at the dark gleam in his eyes.

He led us toward a long table with an abundance of exotic Fae delicacies and

decanters of rich, dark wine. An array of shimmering potions lined the dark planks, their potent aromas mingling in the air.

“What are those for?” Rue pointed at the small vials.

Ruhl curled his arm around my friend’s shoulders. “Various enchantments to enhance pleasure, of course.”

Rue’s slim shoulders trembled, a smile slashing across her lips.

“Help yourself.” He motioned toward an ampule with a glittering purple liquid. “I hear this one does wonders to increase a male’s size.” Then he ticked his head at Symon. “I don’t have an issue in that department, but perhaps it could help you.”

Sy stiffened beside me, his gaping smile hardening to a harsh line. “I have yet to hear a complaint.”

“From Light Fae females but trust me when I say the Shadow Fae are much more discerning.”

“Enough,” I hissed at Ruhl. “No one will be indulging in any?—”

Rue uncorked a bottle and downed the dark contents.

“No!” I squealed, but it was too late. She’d already swallowed down the last drops. I grabbed the vial and sniffed. “What was in this?”

Ruhl snatched the container from my hand and dragged his tongue along the opening. “ Corinthia tincture.” With a grin, he arched a dark brow. “Your friend should be feeling very good soon.”

Oh, gods.

“I’d find her a willing male before she takes matters into her own hands.”

Rue draped her arms around Ruhl’s neck and fitted her nose in the crook of his shoulder. “You smell so good,” she whispered.

“And so it begins,” Symon muttered.

Ruhl untangled her arms and handed her over to Sy. “I’m afraid not, sweetling. Your kind doesn’t do it for me.”

“But…”

I clapped my hand over Rue’s mouth before she could embarrass herself. “Maybe we should just go.” I eyed Symon as our friend started to toy with his nipples through his linen tunic.

“But we just got here,” she murmured beneath my hand. Her eyes were bright, shimmering beneath the flickering lanterns.

Ruhl’s fingers clamped around my arm and spun me toward him, forcing me to release my drunk best friend. “She’s right. You can’t leave yet.”

I tensed beneath his touch, an instant away from ripping free of his hold, when a familiar icy shadow swirled around my neck. Instantly, my body was at ease, and a strange rumble echoed in my throat. Was that a purr?

As if Ruhl had heard it, his dark eyes widened, smoldering into dark, oily pits. His fingers uncurled, and he regarded me for a long moment without speaking a word.

That dark tendril lifted the hair on the back of my neck, before surging higher around my ear. “I need you to listen to me very carefully, princess, before I lose my shit and barrel into that room, destroying everything my father has strived to accomplish in the last twenty years.”

The barely restrained violence seeping through Reign’s shadow messenger stopped my heart mid-beat.

“I don’t know what you wanted to accomplish by going to Arcanum to see my brother, but you have my attention, Aelia. If you do not walk out of there right now, though, I will storm in myself, or worse, have Phantom raze the entire Citadel in dragonfire. Do you have any idea what goes on in those shadow bacchanalias?”

The “what?” died in my throat.

A part of me wanted to rebel and fight him on this possessive streak. First of all, I did not come here to see Ruhl, and secondly, who was he to tell me what to do? But the other half, the sane one, knew this was a terrible idea from the start.

I sidestepped Ruhl and latched onto the sleeve of Symon’s shirt. “We should go.”

“But why? Things are just getting interesting.” He tipped his chin at Rue grinding on some Shadow Fae male.

“Symon! You were supposed to watch her!”

“I’m sorry, she got away. She’s a strong little thing.” My brow quirked, knowing full well he could have stopped her had he chosen to.

Ruhl appeared beside me and nudged his elbow into my side. “We could join her on the dancefloor.”

“I swear to all the fucking gods, Aelia,” Reign’s shadow minion hissed in my ear, “if you don’t get out of there right now , I’m coming in. My father will banish me for real this time, he’ll see you, and everything we’ve fought for, everything we’ve given up will be for nothing.”

“I have to go.” I hissed at Ruhl before spinning at Symon, eyes pleading. “I can’t stay here or something very bad will happen,” I whispered, dragging him away from the prince so we could speak in private.

“Reign?”

I nodded quickly.

“Then go.”

“I can’t leave you two here.”

Symon grinned as he reached for a flute of dark liquid from the table. “We’ll be fine, little Kin. We don’t need you to babysit us, I promise.”

Indecision warred at my insides. I hated the idea of leaving my friends here, but apart from making a scene and hauling them out forcibly, I didn’t have a choice. I’d experienced the choking hold of the cuorem anytime Liora was near , and if Reign did rush in here like a possessive lunatic, it would ruin everything.

I squeezed Symon’s hand and lifted onto my tiptoes. “If you’re not home in two hours, I’m coming back for you.”

“Deal.”

“And please, keep an eye on her.”

“Of course.” He pressed his hand to his heart. “If I don’t, may Raysa strike me down.”

“Please be careful.”

“You worry too much, Aelia. We’ll be just fine.”

“Also, please wait to explain to Rue why I’ve gone until you’ve left the Citadel.” The last thing I needed was my professor’s name mentioned within these hallowed halls.

With one final glance at Rue and the handsy Shadow Fae male, I spun for the door. I didn’t make it more than a step before firm fingers closed around my biceps.

“Running off already?” Ruhl stood over me, gaze pinned to the shadow swirling around my neck. “Let me guess, my brother called you home? And now you must go running to him like a good little whore?”

My hand moved before I could stop it. The sharp sting across my palm registering a moment too late.

Ruhl glared down at me, fury carved into his fine features, and a tornado of shadows cloaking him in darkness. His eyes were a storm of emotion, a tempest intent on destruction. If it hadn’t been for those rioting minions sheltering us from curious eyes, I was certain the entire room of Shadow Fae would have whirled in our direction.

As if Reign had felt the shift in the atmosphere, his shadow expanded, then buzzed around me, enveloping me in a shield of darkness.

“Get out of here,” Ruhl barked. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”

Gritting my teeth to keep the expletives poised on the tip of my tongue at bay, I spun on my heel and marched out. I whipped the door open and cocked my head over my shoulder. Those penetrating orbs were still pinned in my direction. “If anything happens to my friends, I’m coming for you, Ruhl.”

He barked out a laugh, the tense set of his jaw softening a touch. “Why would I harm them, when it’s you I want, duskling?”