The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)
Chapter Fourteen: Too Drained to Care

A gust of wind knocked the dagger off course sending it sinking into the hard bark of a tree instead of Cillian’s grotesquely chiseled face. “I told you to keep an open mind, Fabht Siúcra.”

“This isn’t keeping an open mind, Dougal. This is blowing it out of my fucking skull.” Fury ripped through me and burned my already raw insides. My emotional capacity for the day had officially hit it’s max.

Dougal took slow steps towards me, “Calm down. Cillian is on your side, he always has been.”

His words hit like a physical blow and I just stood there blinking at him. He did not just say that. The tension that had been gathered in my body released in a rush of utter exhaustion that had me laughing hysterically. Big bouts of laughter escaped from my mouth between gasps for air. Oh, Divines. ‘Calm down.’ ‘He’s on your side.’ Placing one hand on my stomach and the other on my knee, I continued to laugh until tears sprang up into my eyes.

“I see what you mean now, father. She is unstable.”

I should have been angry to hear that dumbass call me unstable but instead I felt like my gut was going to burst. Eventually, my laughter turned into soundless chuckles before finally morphing into panting breaths. Straightening my spine, I used my thumbs to wipe the tears from my eyes as I looked at them. Dougal looked appropriately bewildered by my sudden laugh attack while Cillian sported his signature blank expression.

“Whew. I really needed that.”

Dougal crossed the rest of the distance between us and placed a concerned hand on my arm, “Are you alright?”

“Not even a little.” I mused, sliding away from his touch.

Dougal lowered his hand, hurt shining in his eyes, “Fabht Siúcra, please. At least here us out.”

“No wonder she’s a mess. You need to stop babying her.”

Cillian’s smooth baritone vibrated through my bones until I mentally squashed it beneath my heel. “You,” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “Need to shut the fuck up. No one is talking to you.”

“Right, I forgot. You ask permission for everything now.”

Narrowing my eyes, I cocked my head to the side, “I don’t think I like your tone.”

“I thought you weren’t talking to me? Not real sure of anything are you.” He replied, his tone digging under my skin.

“No, I’m hundred percent sure I want to watch choke to death in a pool of your own blood while I snack on Choco Blasts and laugh.”

Cillian folded his arms over his muscular chest causing his black tunic to stretch deliciously around his biceps, “Considering you lost the last time we fought? I’m not too concerned.”

“Oh, you mean when you shoved an iron stake inches away from my heart? Yea. I still owe you for that.”

“Which my son will apologize for after we explain his role in all of this.” Dougal interrupted.

“I don’t want his weak-”

“I’m not apologizing.”

Excuse me? My eyes snapped back to him, “What?”

“Is your old age getting to you, Cell Bait? I said, I’m not apologizing.”

“You’re older than me, you arrogant piece of shit. Why aren’t you apologizing?”

The handles of his battle axes shifted as he shrugged those irritatingly broad shoulders, “Does it matter? You said you didn’t want one.”

“Well, I changed my mind.” I told him with a sugary smile. “I want an apology on your knees right before I behead you.”

“I won’t apologize for saving your life. Even if you spent a few years in discomfort at Slykhelm.”

At the mention of my time in Slykhelm spoken about in such a flippant manner, I snapped. Ripping a silver chain from around my hips, I whipped it in a fluid motion that sent it flying towards Cillian. He jumped back, catching the chain before it could touch his neck but I learned from my past mistake. The links of the chain extended until there was enough slack to wrap around his thick neck tightly. Eyes bulging slightly in shock, his hands pulled at the chain cutting off his air supply.

Baring my sharpened teeth in a murderous grin, I called the metal back to me. Cillian dug his heels in with a furrowed brow as his body was dragged against his will to the space before me. Dark hands reached behind him to grab onto the handles of his weapons but I tut-tutted. Oh, I learned from that mistake too. Metal that wasn’t the personal creation of an Unseelie’s metal ability could be bent by any Unseelie’s will with the ability to do so. Which meant that while no one could bend my blue metal but me, Cillians weapons were fair game. At my order the battle axe’s shot from the sheath on his back and landed in the dirt strewn grass.

“Macha, that’s enough.”

With my free hand I tore the second chain from around my waist and flung it in Dougals direction. From the corner of my eye, I saw it cut through the wind he sent towards me and wrap around his body like a snake. Bound from ankles to shoulders, he cursed as his body toppled over.

Staring up into blank silver eyes, I tightened the metal around his neck and was rewarded with a flinch. Jerking the chain, I forced him down until our noses grazed, “Say that again, I dare you.”

“I did what I needed to do. Like I always have.” Despite his voice being harsh and raw, his eyes glinted indifferently.

My knuckles popped as my grip on the chain grew harsher, “You didn’t save me. You condemned me.”

Silver brows slammed down and his own pointed teeth flashed in a shocking show of emotion. “You think I wanted to do what I did? No, I’m just the only one around here strong enough to do the dirty work.”

“Oh, so I should thank you then?” I laughed bitterly before whispering, “You should’ve let me die. I wanted to die.”

Shocked at the hidden truth that I had just revealed, my grip on the chain loosed before I dropped it completely. Looking away from Cillian, I kept my gaze firmly planted on the ground. I couldn’t believe I just said that. I didn’t want that. I didn’t. Not anymore. I’d been in a bad place back then. Even worse than the one I was in now. Why the fuck did I just say that? I hadn’t thought about that since the battle. This goddamn day needed to end already. I couldn’t watch what I was saying when I didn’t particularly care what I said. Which was dangerous for a Fae.

A rough hand clasped my jaw and almost painfully jerked my head back up to an angry face. “Yeah? Well, tough shit. You’re too important to the Fae to be allowed to die.”

Annoyed, I tried to jerk my head free of his grip but he only squeezed harder. “I said I wanted to die. Emphasis on the E-D. Now, fuck off.”

“You can hate me all you want, Macha. But I’ve always been on your side. How do you think you escaped?” Seeing the confusion on my face, his full lips twisted into the realms smallest smirk. “You really think you managed to escape the realm’s most secure prison with just Dani? Come on, Cell Bait. You’re smarter than that.”

Seeing the cocky look in his eyes, I snapped, “I got out because Dani smuggled herself and a bucket full of human explosives into the mailroom before blowing it to kingdom come. Fearghas got too cocky much like you and left my chains loose on that day.”

“That all sounds very convenient to me. Like maybe you had someone filling in the ginormous holes in your plan behind the scenes.”

Oh, I do not like the sound of that.

“Whatever you did or didn’t do on that day, doesn’t make everything else you did okay. I don’t trust you and I definitely don’t fucking like you. In fact the only reason you’re not dead is because I know it’d break Dougals heart.”

His grip on my jaw loosened, “Sure, let’s go with that.”

An ungodly amount of anger filled me once more at his tone. Why did everyone think they could use that condescending ass tone with me? Shifting my teeth back to normal, I smiled up at him. “You know what, Cillian.”

His brow raised slightly in question.

“I’m really tired of hearing your fucking chainsaw like voice.” His voice was actually as smooth as the finest sugared whiskey but that didn’t stop me from striking out with my fist and ramming it into his Adams apple.

Grinning, I watched as his hands flew up to his neck and his face turned an interesting shade of red and then blue. That was better than sex. In a much better mood, I turned to Dougal while pointing at his son’s face. “What color would you call that, Grimmy? Because I think that’s my new favorite shade of blue.”

His grey head shook in disapproval, “You two need to learn how to work together.”

“You know, I had a sneaking suspicion with all your little ‘all will be well’ comments that something like this would happen. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to work with him. I hate him, Dougal.”

“My son’s loyalty to Mab has only ever been a ploy. Everything concerning you, he has reported back to me. Cillian was the one who told me about Mab’s increased urgency to find you and where they’d be searching first.”

Shaking my head, I jabbed my finger back in Cillians still suffocating direction, “He put me in that hell, Dougal. He almost killed me. He’s the reason for...for everything that’s wrong with me. How am I supposed to ignore all that and trust him? The only reason I didn’t go completely bat shit when I saw him today is because you caught me on a good day.” And by that, I meant I couldn’t feel the full emotional impact of his presence yet.

“By doing what you do best, Fabht Siúcra. Strike a deal.”

Like he flipped a switch in my head, my mouth slowly pulled up into a pointed smile. “A deal? That should have been your opening line! You could’ve saved us all some time.” I replied, spinning around to face Lilly.

He was back on his feet, having collected his battle axes as well and rubbing at his abused throat. None of the emotion he showed me earlier glinted in his eyes when he stated, “If that’s what it takes for you to accept me as your Commander.”

I wanted to balk at the idea of making him my Commander but a deal with my personal devil was too good to resist. Besides what did those humans always say? Keep your friends close and your enemies within ball crushing distance? “Oh, how delightful.”

Silver eyes looked coolly into my own, “What are your terms, My Queen?”

A shiver raced up my spine from all the possible things I could ask of him. Hmmmmmmmm. The revenge I could get from a wordy little deal. Undying loyalty? Physically incapable of hurting me in any way? Only able to speak the truth in my presence? Ohhhh, that would be torture to his Unseelie nature.

“Any day now, Rumple.”

Rumple? “Rumple?”

“Stiltskin.”

I fluffed my hair, “That scaly fucker wishes he could weave a deal like me.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” He remarked dryly.

Just for that, loyalty it is. I rocked back onto the heels of my feet with a grin, “Okay, Cillian. You swear your fealty to me in the old Unseelie tradition and in exchange, the position of my Commander is yours. If you break this deal, the oath will take its revenge. Simple right?”

His cocked a silver brow, “You want me to swear my undivided loyalty to you and your reign for as long as we live?”

Meaning you’ll never be able to betray me again, Cillian. “More or less. It sounds so wordy when you explain it.”

“Of course. Why bog everything down with a silly explanation of what it is you’re really asking for.”

I gave a hard punch to his shoulder, “If I didn’t hate you with my entire being, I feel like we could’ve been really good friends. So, what do you say? Deal?”

“No.”

Without missing a beat, I pressed my swords to his neck, “Great! Stand still, I don’t want to get blood all over me. On second thought, it doesn’t matter.”

Pressing his palm flat against my swords, he pushed them to the side with more strength than I thought him capable of. “What I meant, Cell Bait. Was that you’re forgetting who you’re talking too. I’m going to need a little more on the receiving end.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I’m a taker not a giver. You want a fair deal? Go find a flower crown.” I sneered in disgust.

“Add in that you’ll actually listen to me as your Commander like you do my father and you have a deal.”

Sexy and intelligent, how annoying.

Stepping back from his chest, I quickly thought it over. Either way I was still getting a lot more in return but that didn’t mean I was dumb. “I’ll take what you say as my Commander into consideration.”

He eyed me closely, “Real consideration, not fake contemplation. And the position is solely mine. No firing me later down the line.”

“You’re no fun.” I snapped, baring my teeth. “In return for pledging fealty to me in the old Unseelie tradition, the position of my Commander is solely yours until death and I will take your advice into real consideration. Deal?”

“Nice try slipping in the ‘till death’ part, Rumple. Add a natural between the until and death. And I didn’t hear any mention of the repercussions of failure to complete the deal.”

“Nice try, Cillian.” I mocked. “But since I’m the one with the long running risk to fuck up this deal there will be no repercussions.

“Not worried I’ll try and weasel my way out of the deal?”

“You may be the scum beneath my shoe but you’re not a weasel.”

“Repeat the deal.” He said, tiling his head down to meet my eyes.

Huffing in my mounting frustration, I bit out, “In return for pledging fealty to me in the old Unseeelie tradition, the position of my Commander is solely yours until natural death and I’ll take your advice into real consideration. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Raw power stemming from the magnitude of the deal we just made shot through my veins. Grinning at the pure adrenaline rush, I held eye contact with the glowing pools of silver staring back at me. Folding my arms over my chest, I flicked my eyes to the ground and then back up. A muscle on the left side of his jaw ticked in irritation, probably because I wasn’t bothering to hide my smug expression.

Rolling his shoulders, Cillian got down onto his knees and pulled a small blade from his pocket. The flash of the metal glinted in the late sunlight as he held it out for me to take. Ignoring his offering, I called my metal to me. Waist chains clinked as they wrapped around my hips like a long lost lover and my dagger slipped back into my grasp. Pressing the tip against my finger, I nodded at him to start. His features formed a bored expression like he couldn’t believe he had to do this. And I was just about to snap at him or maybe just fling the dagger at his face again when he took off his tunic.

Holy Divines and the grateful whores they fucked. This man was stacked.

Wide muscular pecs trimmed down into eight beautiful abs with a silver happy trail leading into his trousers. Looking over all that chocolate rippling, probably smooth feeling, definitely tongue worthy….Oh, ho, ho, ho. No. Cillian was hotter than- than I don’t know what but I was soooooo not going there. Knowing someone was objectively attractive was different from lusting after them. And I passed that phase more than a thousand years ago.

Lifting my eyes from their trained spot on his crotch, I smoothed out my features and looked at him with a raised brow. Call me out on it, Asshole. I dare you. But he didn’t, since his own eyes had barely lifted their gaze from the chains around my hips. Not one to pass up an opportunity to antagonize, I purred, “Ask nicely, Cillian. And I’d be more than happy to do a repeat performance.”

For a second, I didn’t think he was going to respond but then silver met blue in a confident gaze. “Submission, if it’s mine, isn’t my thing.”

Ohhhhhhhhhh wow.

That sounded very intriguing to a certain part of my body, a part that liked that idea a lot. A little too much one could say. Which was appalling since I haven’t been submissive a day in my almost three thousand years of life. And I sure as ifreann wasn’t going to think about that and Cillian in the same sentence.

Dougal cleared his throat, internally scaring the shit out of me, “If we could get to it.”

I almost wanted to laugh, I couldn’t believe I forgot he was still here. But he was right, I felt like I was all over the place concerning Cillian at the moment. I needed this to be over quickly.

“Start the Oath.” I ordered, breaking the skin of my finger with the dagger.

Without missing a beat, he closed his eyes and began. “Maidir leis an mBanríon atá roghnaithe agam, Macha O’Riordan, tugaim faoi smacht ár mbásanna.”

As soon as my blood began to vibrate with the use of my name in the old magick, I stepped up and kneeled across from him. Lifting my bleeding finger, I smeared my blood in the shape of my initials over his heart with the old Gaelic symbol for queen as he spoke.

“Is liomsa a naimhde.”

Thinking to ifreann with it, I sliced open my palm with a quick cut I barely felt. Dipping my finger into the small pool of blood, I touched it to his right pec and drew the swirling symbol of a soldier.

“Is liomsa an chúis atá léi.”

Following his words, I rubbed the sharp lines of knowledge and understanding into the skin of his forehead.

“Go mbeidh mo dhílseacht dá réimeas gan chomhoiriúnú agus gan amhras.”

Sliding my fingers through my blood for the last time, I pressed them to the middle of his impressive stomach in sweeping lines. Sitting back on my heels, I looked over his bare chest marked with my blood and made sure they were correct. Satisfied, I lifted my eyes to his closed ones and pressed two fingers to my initials to complete the Oath.

“Glacaim, Macha O’Riordan, faoi mhionn Cillian Grymes dom mar a Bhanríon roghnaithe as seo go dtí bás.” As soon as the last word fell from my lips, I felt a huge surge of energy rush out of me.

Cillians body went taunt right before the bloody runes started to glow. It was faint at first and then grew brighter until they were glowing the same luminous blue as my hair. They stayed bright for a few more seconds and then absorbed into his skin with a flash. Panting from the energy that it stole from me as it went, I stayed seated while hiding just how much I wanted to fall asleep.

When I heard the low sound of fabric brushing against skin, I pushed myself to my feet and turned to face Dougal. He was staring at his son with an expression I couldn’t quite place but turned when he realized I was waiting for him to look at me. With the weight of my body trying to pull me to the floor, I didn’t want to waste time speaking but I had to.

“There’s a lot of things I didn’t ask about that I’m too tired to ask about now. But I will be getting the full story tomorrow. For now, I’m going to my tent and I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

“Understood.”

Nodding, I turned on heavy legs and started making my way back to camp.

“All this not eating and sleeping shit I keep hearing about ends now, Cell Bait.”

Raising a hand, I tiredly flipped him off without turning around. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and its Queen to you now, Dickhead.”

——

English Translation of the Oath:

Cillian’s Part:

To my chosen Queen, Macha O’Riordan, I swear fealty unto our death.

Her enemies are mine.

Her cause is mine.

May my loyalty to her reign be unmatched and undeniable.

Macha’s Part:

I, Macha O’Riordan, accept Cillian Grymes fealty and oath to me as his Queen from now until death.

Soooooooo, what do we think? Now be gentle with me, I am officially creatively burned out from these three chapters. But If anyone thinks Macha’s going to give into their undeniable sexual tension without a fight....lmao. Also is anyone surprised to find out that Cillian’s a little kinky? Or that Macha might just be into his hinted at kink?

Smooches, Verbage 💋

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