Shadow Heir

Chapter 24

I immediately turned to Dorian.

“I know nothing,” he said, quickly guessing my question. “This is the first time I’ve heard anything about this.” He turned to Roland. “Forgive me for any doubts ... but I have to ask: are you certain you saw him?” It was amazing how quickly Dorian had recovered from my romantic mixed signals to dealing with the task at hand. I was reminded of my discussion with Kiyo: no matter the problems between Dorian and me, we always put them aside to work as a team.

“Positive,” said Roland. “I was on the scene at one of the raids. He’s hard to miss with that hair. The others have made the news, and each time, the footage showed these crazy haboobs that just didn’t look natural. That, and we don’t generally get four of them in two weeks. The boy controls wind and air, right?”

“Right,” I said with dismay.

Dorian arched an eyebrow. “Haboob? Isn’t that slang for—”

“It’s a kind of sandstorm,” I interrupted. “They occur all over the world, and Arizona gets them every once in a while. The Thorn Land theoretically could, but I’m too in sync with its weather to let one happen.”

“Shortly after our return from the Yew Land, Pagiel left to visit the village he’d grown up in, on the far edge of my kingdom,” said Dorian thoughtfully. “You knew he lived out there before Ysabel dragged him to my court, right? He was worried that those villagers hadn’t fared as well as the people in my castle during the blight and wanted to help them rebuild. I haven’t heard from him since and just assumed he was preoccupied with the rebuilding.”

My guards were still hovering around, waiting for orders. I gestured to one of them. “Go find the Lady Jasmine and bring her here.” When he was gone, I turned back to Roland and Dorian. “There must be some mistake. Pagiel wouldn’t do this.”

“He did it before,” pointed out Roland.

“Yeah, when the land was blighted and his people were starving,” I countered. “Everything’s fixed now.”

“Well,” said Dorian reasonably, “not everything. None of us are in quite the same shape with food as we were before. My people will be eating leanly for a while, and I assume the same is true with yours.”

Roland glanced between us. “Leanly enough that the boy might get it into his head to do a little supplementing from the human world?”

I started to deny it but reconsidered. As Roland had said, Pagiel had done all this before. Maybe the Oak Land wasn’t in the same dire situation, but those Pagiel cared about were still suffering. Pagiel had made it perfectly clear he thought humans were overweight and had too much—which was true to a certain extent. Really, his feelings on the matter had never changed. He’d only stopped his actions because I’d brought him with me to the Yew Land.

Jasmine joined us shortly thereafter, not looking thrilled that she’d been summoned by a guard. Her face brightened when she saw Roland since he usually brought her little luxuries from the human world.

“Jasmine, when was the last time you talked to Pagiel?”

She looked startled by my harsh tone. “Uh, I don’t know. Not since we all got back. He was supposed to get in touch but never did.”

“You mean that?” I demanded. “You’re telling the truth?”

Hurt shone on her face, and a bit of that old dark temperament leaked through. As our relationship had grown, we’d established a lot of trust, and me asking a question like that was insulting.

“I’m sorry,” I said before she could answer. “I don’t mean to accuse you of lying. I just need to be sure you don’t know anything that’s going on with him.”

“I’m sure,” she said, looking slightly pacified. A note of bitterness laced her next words. “I wish I had heard from him. I don’t know what his problem is.”

“From the sounds of it,” I said, “he may actually have a few problems.”

We told her what had happened, and I studied her face carefully as she listened. Her shock was genuine; she’d been telling the truth. Unlike me, however, her initial response wasn’t a denial or insistence that there was a mistake.

“He talked about it a lot,” she said with dismay. “While we were on the road. All about the wealth humans had and how it was our legacy—you know, from when the shining ones walked the earth. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but he didn’t think it was right that we’re denied the surplus in that world.”

“A classic Storm King sympathizer,” mused Dorian. “No wonder he was so eager to serve you, Eugenie.”

I made a face, not liking the implications. “He’s a confused boy, caught up in propaganda and stories of greatness he hears from others. And, unfortunately, he’s also a boy who can easily cross worlds.”

“He’s not bad,” exclaimed Jasmine. “Or evil. Or even ... stupid. He just wants to help people, that’s all. He had to take care of his family growing up, you know. His dad died early, and the only person around to help his mom was that witchy grandmother of theirs. He had to be the man in his family. No one else would do it.”

Dorian gave her a kind smile. “Easy, there. No one’s doubting Pagiel’s bravery or devotion. I’ve heard a little about his early years too and can understand why he’d have some of these beliefs. That doesn’t make them right, however.”

I shot Dorian a questioning look. I don’t know if he just didn’t see me or if he was ignoring me, but he kept his attention on Jasmine. Before, Dorian had been rather blasé about Pagiel’s raids, and I’d kind of expected more of the same this time. I let it go because honestly, it was kind of nice to have him on my side.

“Speaking of his family life,” I said, “that’s the place to start. We need to find him, and I have a feeling he’s lying low in whichever world he’s in. Ysabel and Edria might know where he’s at.”

“And I know where they’re at since I saw them just before I left,” replied Dorian. His forehead wrinkled with a frown. “Which brings up the disturbing realization that they’ve probably known about this and weren’t telling me.” Dorian’s seemingly carefree attitude often fooled people into thinking he was a lax ruler. He wasn’t. He didn’t like having his authority undermined or people keeping secrets from him.

“I’ll go back with you to talk to them,” I said. Leaving my kingdoms wasn’t easy, and the only reason I’d imagined doing it had been because of Isaac and Ivy. A trip to the Oak Land to investigate the return of Pagiel’s Robin Hood ways had never been on the table. I turned to Roland. “You want to go?”

He shook his head. “You two are better suited for that. I’ll go back and do damage control if they strike again. There’s no real predicting where they’ll be, though, and I’m usually too late. If I do find them ...” He hesitated and studied me carefully. “What would you like me to do?”

I grimaced, but it was a question that had to be addressed. “Ideally, banish them to this world. If something happens ... I mean, if there are innocent human lives in danger ...”

I couldn’t finish, but Roland gave a curt nod. “Understood. I’ll do what I can.”

We all made preparations to leave that day. My kingdoms were back in capable hands, and it was a relatively simple affair to head over to Dorian’s—especially now that I wasn’t under the constant threat of attack. Traveling to the Yew Land had made me a pro at horseback riding, and I felt pretty confident my body had returned to its former state. Thinking of that made me think of making out with Dorian earlier. Yeah. My body was definitely recovered. Watch it, Eugenie, an inner voice warned me. Look what happened the last time you did that. Besides, aren’t you mad at Dorian?

Watching him sidelong as we traveled, I really didn’t think I was anymore. My feelings for him were muddled, and I was glad that he was too preoccupied with Ysabel and Edria’s deceit to pay much attention to my pensiveness.

When we arrived, I saw that the Oak Land was well on its way to healing too. Most startling was how green everything was. It was the first time (aside from the blight) that I’d seen Dorian’s land not in the throes of a magical autumn. Instead, all the plants and trees bore the look of late summer, green and bursting with fruit.

I received a lot of curious glances from his staff as we entered the castle. I was well known to them, and the ups and downs of our alliance and romance had been a source of gossip that rivaled Hollywood starlets. People never knew what to expect when Dorian and I surfaced together. This was no exception.

He was all business and ordered his guards to bring Pagiel’s family to one of his receiving chambers immediately. Before Dorian left for his own rooms, he gave me a once-over. “Damn. Should have had you bring a dress.”

“What’s wrong with this?” I asked, gesturing to my jeans and Peter Frampton T-shirt.

“Nothing really,” he said with a small smile. “As always, I like the view of your legs. But I think it’d be better if we carried the weight of our full royal status when staring down Ysabel and Edria. You, come here.” A servant passed by and immediately came to a halt at Dorian’s command. “Take the Queen of Rowan and Thorn to someone who can dress her properly. Then bring her to the east room when she’s ready.”

“What about me?” grumbled Jasmine as she and I followed the servant. “He doesn’t care how I look, apparently.”

I patted her back. “You’re already in gentry clothes. Besides, if you want something nicer, I’m sure they can rustle a dress up.”

We were escorted to a group of maidservants who were all too eager to dress Jasmine and me. I didn’t know if they were in the service of some noblewoman in Dorian’s court or if he just always kept them on hand to beautify women passing through. I decided it wasn’t worth pondering too much.

I traded my jeans and T-shirt for a long dress with a lace-up V neckline. It had short sleeves, which I preferred to the latest gentry trend in bell sleeves, and was made of a light material perfect for summer. I kept calling the color “lightish greenish,” but Jasmine and the maids kept correcting me and saying it was “celadon.” Whatever. My hair was pinned up in a simple bun—nothing like the crazy towers of hair from the Yew Land—and I had to admit the final result was rather queenly. Jasmine wore a similar dress in dark blue.

Dorian nodded in approval when we were taken to him. “Celadon. Excellent choice.”

He was also in regal attire. He’d traded his traveling clothes for a robe of black with silver embroidery. His attire usually consisted of pants and linen shirts, paired with rich, flamboyant cloaks. Apparently, he’d been serious about throwing around his royal status.

“That’s a badass robe,” I said as I sat down. “Dorian, Slayer of Souls.”

“Well, I did tell you I was envious of that nickname,” he said, stretching back in an ornate armchair. “You two are lovely, as always.”

I glanced around. “Aren’t Ysabel and Edria here yet?”

He waved dismissively toward the door. “Oh, yes. We found them right away. I just like making them wait. Like I always say, the more you can unsettle someone, the better.”

“Oh? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that,” I remarked.

He flashed me a smile. “That’s because I’m usually practicing it on you, my dear.” Jasmine rolled her eyes, and he turned toward a sentry waiting near the room’s entrance. “All right. Go fetch them.”

The brief levity faded, and dresses and robes suddenly seemed irrelevant compared to what we had to contend with. I couldn’t believe Pagiel was back in the human world. Worse, before Roland had left, he’d told me that Pagiel’s range had actually expanded last time. He’d been spotted in New Mexico too.

Ysabel and Edria were soon ushered in, with an unhappy-looking Ansonia. Much like before, I got the impression she’d been dragged along against her will. Her mother and grandmother displayed an interesting mix of emotions. Irritation, fear, and ... a trace of guilt.

“Goddamn it,” I said, not even letting Dorian start whatever grand, intimidating speech he had planned. “You guys do know. You’ve known for a while.”

Ysabel gave me a tight smile. Her lips were painted as red as her hair today. “I beg your pardon? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The fact that she was being polite convinced me even more that she was lying.

“Before you say another word,” said Dorian, with a terrifying look I’d rarely seen him wear, “you will show the proper respect to me and Queen Eugenie. The lot of you have gotten lazy and disrespectful in your time here, and you’ll be lucky if I just turn you out and don’t imprison you for treason.”

Ysabel’s smile vanished, and she and the others quickly dropped into the lowest, most respectful curtsies I’d ever seen.

“Your Majesty,” said Edria. “I don’t understand this talk of treason. We are your most loyal subjects, and you need only ask us to serve.”

Dorian rose to his feet and stormed over to Edria, leaning only a few inches from her face. “If you were my ‘most loyal servant,’ you would’ve told me immediately that Pagiel had resumed raiding humans! Now. Where is he? And I warn you, I’ll know if you lie, so save yourselves while you can.”

Ansonia was guileless and wide-eyed and probably would have spilled whatever she knew then and there. Ysabel and Edria were a different story, and I could practically see the wheels spinning in their heads as they tried to figure out what strategy would get them in the least trouble.

“We thought Your Majesty approved of such actions,” said Ysabel at last, apparently deciding truth mingled with faux ignorance was the way to go. “After all, you’ve always spoken out in favor of Storm King’s prophecy. We didn’t tell you, simply because we thought it didn’t matter. We certainly weren’t trying to hide anything.”

Dorian had backed off and returned to his chair. “Yes, I’m sure that’s all there was to it.”

“You never answered the other question,” I pointed out. “Where is Pagiel now?”

“We don’t know.” Belatedly, Ysabel added, “Your Majesty.”

“Ysabel ...” warned Dorian.

She blanched. “It’s the truth, sire. We’ve hardly seen him since he returned from the Yew Land. He comes back every so often from the human world to distribute his goods—only to those in need, I assure you—but otherwise, I don’t know where he stays. Perhaps here, perhaps there.”

I weighed the truth in her words and knew Dorian was doing the same. Studying all their faces, I actually believed Ysabel was being honest. She really didn’t know where Pagiel was. Perhaps that was intentional on his part. Plausible deniability.

Dorian’s voice was very, very quiet when he spoke, which added a surprisingly menacing feel. “If he makes contact, you are to let me know immediately. If he actually surfaces, you will alert my guards and restrain him until they can seize him.”

“Restrain him?” exclaimed Ysabel. “He’s my son! And to be frank ... I’m not sure any of us could restrain him. He ... he’s far more powerful than we are, Your Majesty.” She actually sounded uneasy about that.

I wouldn’t have believed her if I hadn’t seen Pagiel in action myself. He’d grown much stronger in the time I’d known him, partially thanks to me since I’d helped him better his magic in our travels. I hadn’t asked Roland much about the dust storms in Arizona, but I knew how large that type could grow. That was serious magic.

“Nonetheless,” said Dorian, “you will do what you can. Is this understood?”

Ysabel and Ansonia murmured assent. Edria cleared her throat. “It is understood, Your Majesty ... but begging your pardon, may I ask why this is so troubling to you? What do you care for humans? You know they took our world. They have much while we have little. Pagiel is only doing what many—including yourself—think we deserve. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with it, so I’m just having trouble understanding your commands, sire.”

Dorian hesitated only a moment before answering, his eyes flicking briefly to me. “You don’t need to understand my commands. You simply need to obey them. Now. Is there anything else that you have to tell us about Pagiel—aside from your justifications? Any idea of his plans? Who his followers are?”

They swore they knew nothing of his plans but did give us a list of several accomplices. Dorian dispatched a guard to find them, though none of us were optimistic about the success of that. After a few more threats and warnings, he sent the family away. Once we were alone again, his fierce countenance faded and he leaned back with a sigh.

“By the gods,” he muttered. “What a mess.”

“Ansonia knows something,” said Jasmine. It was the first time she’d spoken since before the audience. “I can see it.”

“She definitely looked scared out of her mind,” I agreed. “No surprise with that group. They sure do push her around a lot.”

“It’s more than that,” Jasmine said. “I swear, there was something she wasn’t telling us. I have really good intuition, you know.”

I hadn’t known that but didn’t push it. “I can believe that she doesn’t know where Pagiel is,” I said. “And that’s our biggest issue right now. I’ll go back to Tucson tomorrow and see what I can uncover there. You want to go?”

Jasmine shook her head, still lost in her own thoughts. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll let you know.”

Dorian could hardly resist the opportunity to show us off at dinner. We were gentry celebrities and dressed up to boot. Dinnertime at his castle was always a huge affair, a big party in the dining hall. His court liked the novelty of having other royalty around and was too excited by their own boisterous celebrating to notice the three of us just weren’t into the festive atmosphere. Jasmine left early, and Dorian and I followed shortly thereafter, going to his rooms so we could debrief the Pagiel situation in private.

“You don’t want to go with me, do you?” I asked him, settling down at a little table. I was reminded of that dinner he’d arranged for me ages ago, the one with the Milky Way cake.

He poured wine for both of us, the first alcohol I’d had since the twins. “In theory, yes. But I’m not too proud to admit I can’t function in that world as efficiently as I’d like.” Dorian was strong enough to cross over intact, but he suffered the same adverse reactions to technology as most gentry. “I trust you and Roland can deal with the situation initially. I’ll deal with Pagiel when you get him back here.”

I sipped the wine. It was fruity and strong, reminding me that I should probably exercise caution since I was out of practice. Then again, if ever there was a time to drink, it was now. “Why are you helping me?” I asked after taking another gulp. “I mean, I know you help me all the time, but Edria had a point. Why are you helping me with this? You’ve never had any qualms about invading the human world. You still call Isaac Thundro and talk about him conquering humanity.”

“Thundro really is an excellent name.” Dorian drank some of his own wine, composing his thoughts. “As for the why? It’s simple. You don’t want Pagiel raiding that world.”

I waited for more. Nothing came. “That’s it?”

“What more is there?”

“I ... I don’t know. It’s just ... it’s just hard for me to believe.” I downed my glass of wine, hoping to hide how flustered I felt. I actually could feel the start of a buzz, driving home that I really had lost my tolerance. I used to take down half bottles of tequila. With as confused as I was, the buzz was welcome. Once, Dorian offering to do something for me would have made me suspicious of ulterior motives. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

Dorian set down his goblet and walked over to me, surprising me by kneeling so that he looked up at my face. “I told you earlier. What wouldn’t I do for you? I don’t know what else I can say to convince you. I’ve tried to make amends for the Iron Crown, Eugenie. I guess I’ve failed.”

My heart lurched, and I sank to the ground beside him. I caught hold of his hands. “No, you haven’t. It’s not your problem anymore. It’s mine. I’m the one who has to get over the past and start trusting again.”

He ran his fingers over mine. “With everything that’s happened to you, I don’t blame you for not trusting anyone.”

“I trust lots of people,” I said. A memory of this afternoon came to me, and traitorous lust coursed through my body. “Including you.”

I brought my lips to his and was flooded with that warmth and sweetness from earlier, that sense that Dorian and I belonged together. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so that I practically sat on his lap. I increased the intensity of the kiss, nipping his lip with my teeth. He responded in kind, reaching up to grab my hair and jerk my head back so that he could bring his hungry mouth down to my throat. I wondered if I’d have marks there tomorrow but didn’t really care one way or another.

His other hand slid up to the bodice of my dress, deftly undoing the laces. He pulled back the fabric, exposing a breast, and brought his mouth down to it, finishing what he’d started this afternoon. I cried out as his teeth and tongue played with my nipple and shifted so that I sat up right on my knees and gave him better access. He freed the other breast and sucked on it while also attempting to hike up the dress’s skirt. I tried to pull him on top of me and lie back on the floor, but he stopped me.

“No,” he gasped out. “Not here. I need to take you to ... somewhere else ... the bed or something... .” He started to get up, and I pushed him down.

“No,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Right here. Right now. Just like it used to be.” I don’t know what urgency drove me. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the fear of another interruption like we’d had earlier. Maybe it was just the constant threats I seemed to face that made me want to grasp on to this moment before it could slip away. Or maybe I just hadn’t had sex in too long.

He studied me for a moment, and I thought he might refuse. Then, he made his decision and came forward to kiss me even harder than before. His body pushed me down so that my back was on the floor. That ridiculous “slayer” robe turned out to be pretty easy to get off, and so help me, he was completely naked underneath. He pushed my skirt up over my hips and tsked when he saw I had underwear on. This had been a longtime debate between us, seeing as gentry women rarely wore any with dresses.

He quickly took mine off and then lowered his body on top of me. His hands caught hold of my wrists, pinning me to the floor with the same domination he’d always shown in bed. A moment later, without further warning, he was in me, just as hard and long as I remembered. I let out a small cry of surprise, a cry he muffled with a kiss. My body seemed startled at first, seeing as it hadn’t had a lot of action in a while. It didn’t take long to recover, particularly since I was wetter than I’d expected.

He held me down and thrust himself in and out of me, awakening the desire we’d once shared. I grew lost in it, and soon it was as though no time had passed at all between us. I think he would’ve gone slow and easy if I had asked. I didn’t. I urged him on to take me harder and not hold back. My body reveled in it, loving the feel of him in me. I arched up when I finally came, and he pushed me back down, thrusting harder still as the orgasm wracked my body. He came almost immediately after, his face exquisite in the throes of ecstasy. I had a feeling it had taken every ounce of control he had to wait for my climax.

He collapsed down on me when he was done, panting and sweaty. I pulled him to me, running a hand over that brilliant, fiery hair. In the afterglow, lying half dressed on the floor seemed a little ridiculous—but only a little. I tried to think of something funny to say, but my brain was lazy and tired with bliss and affection.

“I feel like I might have just been used,” he said with amusement. “But I don’t think I mind.” It was a fair point, considering my earlier talk about not knowing where we stood.

A knock at the door interrupted any response I might have made. Dorian groaned and nuzzled against my breast. “Ignore it.”

The knock sounded again, this time more urgently. When the knock digressed to what was obviously kicking at the door, I suggested that maybe Dorian should answer it after all.

“I don’t think that’s a servant,” I said. “And hey, at least they waited until after we were done.”

With a sigh, he got up and put the robe back on. I managed to do the same with my dress as he walked to the door, though anyone with a sharp eye would guess what had been going on. At least the gentry didn’t judge much.

“Well, well,” he said when he opened the door. “Very unexpected.”

Jasmine and Ansonia stood there. Ansonia’s face looked as scared as before, but it was Jasmine’s that truly alarmed me. She was so pale, so terribly distraught that I thought she was going to pass out. I jumped up and hurried over to them.

“For God’s sake, sit down,” I exclaimed. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?” There was no water in sight, so I poured two glasses of wine, figuring underage drinking was better than nothing.

Jasmine took a sip, though hardly seemed aware of it. There was a robotic quality to her.

“What’s the matter?” I repeated. “Jasmine, talk to me. One of you, say something!”

“I’ll send for a healer,” said Dorian.

That seemed to wake Jasmine up. “No, wait. That’s not—that’s not the problem. I’m just ...” She shook her head and drank more wine. “I don’t know what to think. Ansonia, tell them. You have to tell them.”

Ansonia regarded us with big scared eyes that were a lovely shade of gray-blue, almost the same as Jasmine’s. “Do you know where Pagiel is?” I asked hopefully.

Ansonia shook her head. Her hands trembled so much that I thought she’d spill the wine, so I took the glass from her.

“You have to tell them,” Jasmine urged. “They have to know.”

Ansonia opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A few moments later, she tried again. “A ... a few days ago, I overheard Mother and Grandmother talking at night. They thought I was asleep. They—they were talking about Pagiel and his raids.”

“Damn it,” I muttered. “They do know where he is.”

“N-no.” Ansonia shook her head. “They don’t. Truly. None of us do. But they were talking about how they’d been expecting this from him but never thought it would happen so soon. Grandmother said it wasn’t the right way, that he needed to go in with a real army and that he was acting without even realizing what he was doing. Then they started talking about you too, Your Majesty.” Those nervous eyes flicked to Dorian. “About whether you’d support him.”

“Support the raids?” asked Dorian, puzzled. “They know I don’t. It’s why they didn’t tell me.”

“No, support Pagiel. Fulfilling Grandfather’s legacy.”

I tried to dredge up what I knew about their family, vaguely remembering how Ysabel’s father had run out on her and Edria. “What legacy?”

Ansonia swallowed. “I swear, I never knew! I never knew who he was! Neither did Pagiel. He still doesn’t know.”

Jasmine had recovered enough to no longer have patience for the length of this story. “Damn it, just spit it out!” Not waiting for a response, she turned to me and Dorian. “Ysabel’s dad was Storm King. Our dad. Edria’s been hiding it this whole time.”

I could only stare. Even Dorian was speechless.

“Don’t you see?” said Jasmine. “You aren’t the oldest, Eugenie! Ysabel is. And Pagiel is Storm King’s first grandson.”