Allegiance (28 page)

I was still awake when Leif came in at dawn and slipped into bed beside me. He closed his eyes and burrowed close.
Why aren’t you sleeping?

I kissed each shadowy eye. ‘Woke up early,’ I said not wanting to worry him. ‘Go to sleep, I was about to get up.’

He locked me to him with strong arms.
No, stay with me.
His voice was a tired murmur in my mind. God, I hated his father for wearing him out like this. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled his head into my chest. He made a tired, happy sound. When I was sure he was asleep, I peeled myself from him, got dressed and went to breakfast.

I was surprised to see Leif’s parents there. I had hoped I was too early for them and if they hadn’t looked up, I would have crept away.

‘You’ve come to eat with us, Marla, how lovely,’ Atara said, her eyes darting to her husband.

The king looked calm enough and she quickly relaxed. He was an awesome sight even just sitting at the table and, as my eyes met his, all my resentment towards him slipped away. I knew that if he opened his arms and invited me in, I would go to him, melt into him like chocolate. He held a hand to the seat beside him. Trembling, I crept across the room and sat, linking my hands tight in my lap. From the corner of my eye I noticed King Telophy gesture to the maid waiting nearby. She curtsied, then hurried from the room. His eyes returned to me. I could feel them scorching me. Then my king reached beneath the table and covered my hands with one of his. His power seared into me, raced up my arm and into my body, hot and smooth and delicious. But it only made me quiver harder still.

‘Look at me,’ he commanded. My eyes at once flickered to his, and I was instantly in thrall to him. Softly, he said, ‘Be easy, Marla.’

I knew he was casting some kind of spell over me because the tension eased out of my body and my mind began to lighten and drift. It was as though harmony was being poured into my soul. I
closed my eyes, becoming lost in the sensation as the tightness in my muscles slipped away and the trembling in my body ceased.

After a while, I opened my eyes and smiled at my king. ‘Thank you, Majesty.’

He nodded once, then seemed to deliberately look away as he took his hand from mine. I sighed at the loss and noticed a flicker of a smile come to Atara’s lips. And then the king spoke to me like I might be any other person and not the girl he’d sentenced to non-existence before her conception.

‘What are your plans for today, Marla?’

And I found I was able to talk to him like I could anybody else. ‘I think I’m going to visit Asher and Faun this morning, and this afternoon Leif is taking me and Claudette somewhere—to watch his band, I think. Unless there is something you would like me to do for you, Majesty.’

He smiled and it was so warm it made my heart stop for a moment. ‘No, Marla, there is nothing—enjoy your time with your grandparents.’

‘I don’t understand Leif’s father,’ I told my grandparents a little while later. I sat between them on the jetty of their little riverbank home making patterns in the water with my feet.

‘What do you not understand, Granddaughter?’ Asher asked. He was carving intricate patterns into a piece of fallen wood—an arm for a future chair.

‘Well, one minute he’s this wild thing and the next he’s gentle and kind. I’m sure he’s bipolar.’

‘What is bipolar?’ Faun asked.

‘Mood swings, I think,’ I said, feeling ignorant for using the term when I wasn’t sure of its meaning.

Faun nodded and took a sip of her drink as Asher said, ‘He is King, Marla, and I would not presume to know his mind, but I wonder if he holds on to anger still over Finelle.’

‘Atara said something like that.’

Asher put his arm around my shoulder. ‘I would not worry, little one, he has given you allegiance so he must have made his peace with the past in some small way.’

‘At Lysander’s expense,’ I said, the snarls returning.

Faun patted my leg. ‘All will end well with our family, Marla, you will see.’

‘You really think so?’ I asked.

‘You have such a wonderful human family, I am certain our son would have chosen as well for your brother.’

I had a second to wonder why my birth parents hadn’t done just that before Asher added, ‘Worry not, Granddaughter, for it achieves nothing—just continue to hope. I believe he will be found in time.’ The expression on his face didn’t quite agree.

I longed to tell my grandparents the truth, to ease their worry. But images of King Telophy somehow finding out sealed my lips.

I almost didn’t go to watch Leif’s band that afternoon. Foggy from lack of sleep, I made an excuse and took myself off to bed. I’d just snuggled under the covers when Claudette flew in through my balcony door and ripped the bedclothes off. She’d made herself at home around the castle. The meeting with her Fae parents had gone well but she wasn’t ready to move in with them. Too much misery over Ameyah’s disappearance she’d told me—not to mention the serious lack of space.

‘Hey,’ I cried, wrenching the covers back.

‘Get up,’ she demanded, standing over me, one hand on her hip. She wore a little green dress and looked like Tinker Bell with her twinkling lemon-lime wings and blonde hair bunched on top of her head. I told her to go away and curled into a ball, clutching the covers around me. She tore them off again and jabbed me in the arm. ‘Get up, you’re coming with me.’

‘I’m so tired.’

‘Yeah, your prince told me, but I don’t care.’ She went to my wardrobe and started rifling around.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. ‘You’re worse than my sister.’

She threw a dress on the end of my bed. ‘How can you even think about ditching me when I don’t know anyone here? I’d never do that to you! Besides, you owe me. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be looking for your brother.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Manipulative, too.’

‘Get up!’ she shrieked.

A few minutes later we were flying over the forest with Leif.
What changed your mind?
he asked.

I glanced at Claudette.
Ashleigh version two,
I said yawning.

He smiled, then pointed below. We were fast approaching a meadow, through which curved a twinkling river. A band was setting up instruments on the smaller side of the water. On the larger, Fae stood around chatting or lounged in groups amongst the flowers. As we started to descend, Leif cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered. I watched his friends look up, Haigen amongst them. A wide smile spread across her face. I looked at Leif. His face was alight.

I looked back to Haigen. Damn, she was jumping up and down! The moment we landed she launched herself at Leif. With a laugh, he opened his arms to catch her. My eyes narrowed as that heart-shrinking new venom raged through my veins. I wanted to scream and push her in the river, tell her to get off my betrothed and go attack her own. And it wasn’t
just
Haigen. All the girls were as enamoured with Leif. The only difference was that, because they were his friends, they felt free to throw themselves into his arms and kiss him—his face, his shoulders, even his chest!

I kept telling myself to get used to it because when he was king, it would only be worse. I had to remind myself repeatedly that it was normal and he’d travelled to another world to find me. But after a while, it wore me down. When I could no longer take it, I slunk away to get a break. Claudette followed.

She plonked on the riverbank beside me. ‘Oh my God, how do you stand it?’

I put my face into my hands. ‘It’s horrible!’

‘Don’t you just want to punch them?’

I sighed. ‘Violence isn’t
really
my thing.’

‘I could do it for you?’

I smiled at the picture that made in my mind—Tinker Bell gone feral. ‘Thanks for not hanging all over him, Claudette.’

‘It’s not like I don’t want to, there’s something about him that makes you want to… I dunno… touch. But seriously—a little respect.’ She shook her head. ‘This is a whole different world, Marla. You wouldn’t try that stuff on another girl’s boyfriend where I come from. You’d get your hair ripped out.’

‘He’s their prince.’

She gave me a look.

‘Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it.’

‘I know what I’d do.’

I turned to her. ‘What?’

She was staring in the direction of Leif and his fan club. I made myself look. The stupid faeries were still at it. Leif wasn’t doing anything to encourage them, but he wasn’t exactly doing anything to discourage them either. It just was.

‘Give them a taste of it,’ Claudette said—all sharpness and cunning. ‘Especially that Haigen—she’s the worst, rubbing those massive boobs all over him. What a bitch!’

‘You noticed that.’

She shot me a look. ‘You should get her back—paw all over Classin. See how she likes it.’

‘I couldn’t.’

‘Why not? Classin’s
super
sexy.’ She looked in his direction and shook her head. ‘Poor guy.’

‘He doesn’t look too worried to me.’

‘He’s pretending not to notice—
obviously
.’ She jumped to her feet and yanked me to mine. ‘Come on.’

A moment later, she was brushing up against him and saying hello.

‘Claudette,’ Classin smiled. ‘You look well.’

She twinkled her fingertips all the way up his arm and swirled
her pointer around his bicep. ‘Not as
well
as you.’ She blinked slowly—twice.

Classin chuckled as his friends smirked at each other.

‘Everyone’s been
so
friendly,’ Claudette said, winding her arms around his neck, fingers toying with his hair. Classin grinned and exchanged glances with his friends before returning Claudette’s embrace.

I looked over to Haigen. She was watching and not a trace of that big smile remained on her face. And when, to the amusement of Classin’s friends, Claudette turned to me and said, ‘See Marla,
that’s
how it’s done,’ before giving me a shove in his direction, I had little trouble hugging Classin back when he caught me in his arms.

His friends guffawed at the sight of us and every single face turned to peer in Leif’s direction. I ignored them—and Leif—pressing my palms to Classin’s back. His arms tightened around me. I could feel his laughter vibrating through my body.

‘For a moment, I thought it was my lucky day,’ he whispered against my ear. ‘Beautiful girls don’t just throw themselves into
my
arms. But I know what you’re up to.’ He ran a hand slowly up and down my back, enjoying the game.

I glanced over to Leif and Haigen. They’d stopped their conversation and were watching us. Neither looked amused.

‘Is it working?’ Classin asked quietly.

‘Kiss me and it’ll really teach them a lesson,’ I whispered. He kissed my temple, my cheekbone, my jaw and had he let his lips linger for just a fraction of a second longer, Leif and Haigen would have really had something to complain about. As it was, they’d come over to us—both of them glowering.

‘Leif,’ Classin said, releasing me slowly, giving my nose a tweak before slapping my betrothed on the shoulder. His smile smacked of payback.

Leif said nothing, just grabbed my hand and pulled me away, leaving Haigen to rip into her betrothed.

When we were far enough away, he said, ‘What was
that
?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You know
exactly
what I mean. You looked like you might drag Classin into the forest at any moment.’

‘Oh, so
that’s
how it’s done in Faera—if only I’d known…’

Leif’s eyes narrowed as he straightened. I swallowed hard, about to tell him I was sorry. But the way he was looking at me—so proud, so like his father—fired me up inside. So instead I returned his cold look—difficult considering how hot I was feeling—and said, ‘I really didn’t think you’d care, Leif. You seemed pretty busy with all those stupid faeries hanging off you.’

‘I am Prince, Marla!’

‘I am Prince, Marla,’ I mocked. It was immature but I couldn’t help it.

He glared at me for a moment longer, eyes glittering. Then silently, he said,
You have humiliated me
, before turning and walking away.

I stared after him, unable to see how his humiliation could possibly compare to mine. Not only did I have to put up with other girls hanging all over him, but now his friends had just witnessed him turn his back to me. I watched him release his wings and fly across the river to join his band. When he picked up his guitar and began to play, I turned and vanished into the forest. I could hear his soulful voice drift into the afternoon, becoming fainter and fainter before disappearing completely as I made my way deep amongst the trees.

I spent a moment looking for a path and when I couldn’t find one, decided to let the river be my guide. I stayed close to the edge, winding around trees, stumbling over rocks and
fallen branches. Tears slid down my cheeks. I let them—too sore to care. I thought of Jack and Hilary and home. I thought of how uncomplicated my life had been before Leif came into it—school, beach, family, friends. Sure I’d been sick all the time, allergic to the human world, but there’d been none of the lows I’d experienced since meeting Leif. None of the highs either, I admitted reluctantly. Well over an hour must have passed before I heard his voice in my mind.
Marla, where are you
?