The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)
Chapter Four: Nostalgic Overload

As soon as the moon sat high in the sky, I sprung from the bed and started getting ready. Tugging on my pants, I buttoned them up before stuffing my feet into the shoes resting at the end of the bed. Shrugging on the black tunic I snagged from the chest, the braids I added to my royal blue hair slid over my shoulders as I laced up my leather boots. With one last tug on the laces, I stood to my full height and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail. A metal ring slithered from my finger to twist itself into a thin band before wrapping around the hair to hold it in place.

Once breakfast had finished, we stayed to talk about the less important things that I needed to know. Like which nobles fell out of favor with Mab and who made a strong political mating with who, which were rare these days but did still happen among the nobles. The day passed by in a blur of things I could’ve gone without knowing but was arguably better that I did. And before we knew it, we were parting ways after dinner to sleep in preparation for the long day tomorrow promised to be.

But I had laid awake instead, staring up at the ceiling until the walls seemed to breathe and press in around me. Everytime I’d fallen into a light sleep the image of iron cuffs and cells were waiting. So, I kept my eyes peeled and was distantly aware that paranoia had begun to seep into my thoughts the longer I stayed awake. Did Puck tell Dougal we were coming? What if they were already hatching a plan to capture me as soon as we traveled there? No, no. I couldn’t let that happen. So, I made a half baked plan that had me jumping from my bed with more energy than I knew I had the moment the moon was high.

Shrugging the double sword sheath to rest in the middle of my back, I held my hands out palms up and willed the metal to reshape into my swords. It was only a few seconds before the comforting weight of them rested in each hand. Waist chains settled against my hips with another thought as I placed my swords into the sheaths. The handles poked up over my shoulders but that was okay, subtlety wasn’t needed. Leaving the black cloak on the end of bed, I pranced from the room and down the hall until I reached number five.

Smirking, I stared down at the doorknob until a faint clicking sound hit my ears. The door silently swung open at my willed command and closed after I stepped completely into the room. Sheets swished as the person on the large bed twisted to lay on their back. So without a second thought, I took two leaps towards the bed before launching myself at the sleeping person. My knees had just hit the mattress on either side of her hips when pink eyes shot open and a shift in the air was the only warning I received. My back had barely hit her knees when a sharp rush of air surged over my body and cut the bedposts in half with a harsh crack.

I laughed at the sound of splintering wood and Dani’s shouts filling the air, “Are you insane? I almost chopped your fucking head off.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Still laughing, I arched my back until I was sitting straight, “Good thing I’m fast then.”

“And surprisingly flexible. When did that happen?” She asked, once her breathing evened out.

Shrugging, I said, “Not a lot to do in prison for fun.” Learning how to flip over rails and bend over bars had been my one real source of entertainment. Well, that and starting riots.

“That’s not really an answer.”

“No it isn’t, is it?” I grinned.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s time to go. Get up.” I said, tipping to my side and rolling off the bed.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she arched a pink brow,“Go? Go where?”

“To meet Dougal.”

Dani shook her head, “No way it’s morning already.”

“Correct. It’s still nighttime and we’re going now.” I said, waving a hand in a hurry up motion.

Sitting up completely, she ran a hand through her black streaked curls and sighed, “Macha, it’s not a trap.”

“Good, then there’s no reason why we can’t go now.” Ripping the comforter off the bed, I continued, “Be ready and in the hall in five.”

Another long suffering sigh came from behind me as I walked to the door, making the grin on my face widen. Leaving Dani’s room, I took the two steps to the door across the hall and bent the lock to my will. Entering the room, I snorted at the sight of Puck wrapped up in cream colored sheets snoring away on his stomach with one arm dangling off the mattress. After a not so gentle kick to his hand, Puck’s eyes snapped open and he quickly scrambled back until he realized who was standing over him.

“Macha? What’s going on?” He mumbled, rubbing a hand over his bare chest.

“It’s time to go.”

A golden brow arched in curiosity, “Where?”

Divines, it’s like I’m having the same conversation all over again. “To meet Dougal. Get your shit together and meet us in the hall in five.”

“You said we were meeting him tomorrow.”

I nodded.

Blinking, he clambered to his feet, “Well, okay.”

Turning on my heel, I exited the room to wait in the small space between their wooden doors. It wasn’t more than a minute later when Dani’s door opened and she came shuffling out to stand beside me with a yawn. We stood in a comfortable silence as we waited for Puck to exit his room next. Tapping my fingers against my leather clad thigh, I took a step to the side and leaned up against the wall.

Just as I was starting to get impatient, Puck came out with a small brown pack thrown over his left shoulder. He stopped and held his elbows out in our direction, “Ladies.”

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been called that.” Dani huffed in amusement before looping her arm through his.

I hesitated for a moment and then tucked my hand into his elbow, the calluses on my palm catching on his smooth golden skin, “I think the last time was in Rome.”

“That’s right! Divines, Julius Cesar was delicious.”

“Sinfully delicious. And the things he could do with wine.” I sighed wistfully, caught in the scandalous memory.

Pink eyes narrowed, “I’m still jealous about that.”

“You slept with Julius Cesar? How old are you?” Puck questioned with a tilt of his head.

Dani gasped, “You never ask a lady her age.”

At the same time I dramatically hissed, “How dare you.”

Golden eyes widen, “I didn’t-but I just wanted-”

Raising my nose in the air, I replied, “Just travel, Puck.”

“Yea, Puck. Just travel.”

The poor Seelie sputtered for a few seconds before getting his thoughts together and closing his eyes. Dani and I looked at each other behind his back to snicker silently and then the world bottomed out beneath our feet. Traveling felt like how one would imagine going through a wormhole would feel like. Complete darkness swallowed you whole to the point where you forgot if your eyes were open or closed, paired with the feeling of floating caused extreme disorentintation. After the first thousand years though, traveling was as easy as breathing and no longer gave the Fae any sickly side effects.

Just as suddenly as it disappeared the ground solidified under my feet followed by a sharp wind that raised goose bumps along my arms. Opening my eyes, I was taking in the sight of an endless looking forest bathed in moonlight when a retching sound drew my attention. Puck had pulled his arms from our grip at some point and bent at the waist with his hands on his knees to gag. His back hunched and contracted as he tried to rid his body of the fake sickness that traveling inflected on his nervous system.

Dani placed a comforting hand on his back while I slowly spun to soak in the forest around us, seeing no civilization in sight. After accepting our destination, my heart rate spiked harshly and I shoved Dani to the side to grab Puck by the shoulder. Pulling him roughly backwards, I stuck a foot out and had a sword pointed to his throat before he could hit the ground.

“What the fuck did I say about traps?” I snapped.

The tan fled from his face as he paled considerably, “It’s not a trap! It’s a-”

“Nymph glamour.”

My head shot up in the direction of the male voice to see Calvin slinking out from between the trees. Pale skin glowed against the brown tunic he wore making the bright pink streaks in his shaggy black hair blindingly obvious. The black eyed male barely had enough time to open his arms before Dani launched herself at his slender form. They embraced tightly for a few moments and then pulled back to share a deep kiss.

A deep kiss that was only growing more intense by the minute as Calvin hefted one of Dani’s legs around his waist. Rolling my eyes, I flipped my sword into my other hand and offered my right to Puck. When his hand slid into mine, I yanked and helped him stand to his 5’10 height. With cheery ‘thanks’, Puck went about brushing the dry grass from his backside and then stared at me expectantly.

When he continued to stare, I raised a brow, “What?”

“Uh, aren’t you going to apologize?”

Laughing, I slipped my sword back into its sheath and walked over to the kissing pair. Stopping a foot away, I cleared my throat loudly and was surprised when they broke apart at the first sound. Dropping her leg, Dani moved to Calvin’s side and tucked herself underneath his arm with a blushed. Calvin however looked smug, thin lips quirking up to the side as he tightened his arm around her shoulders with an affectionate squeeze.

“Macha, it’s good to see you again.” He smiled, extending his free arm to me.

Reaching out, I clasped his forearm in greeting, “You too, Cal. Dani didn’t say you’d be here.”

“Where else would I be, My Queen?” Calvin mused, eyelashes lowering to cover black eyes as his head bowed.

The motion brought on a pang of bittersweet nostalgia to my heart, at least one person still wanted me to be their queen. The action meaning more to me than he realized, I placed my other hand on the back of his still bowed head and pressed our foreheads together. “Your loyalty will not be forgotten, Dearthair sa dli.”

He pulled back with a winced, “I told her we should’ve waited until you got out.”

“Nu-uh, you’re the one who wanted a spring ceremony.” Dani objected with a slap to his chest.

Chuckling, I waved them off before they could start bickering, “It’s fine, I’m happy for you both. Just don’t expect an invite to mine.”

“Oh, I’ll be there. Whether as a guest or a Fae up in a tree is your choice.” Dani snarked. “Hey, wait a minute. Why didn’t I get the same greeting as Calvin?”

“When’s the last time you showed a shred of formality, Babes?” I asked, a smirk curving my lips.

“Oh! So, you want to talk about formality? Was it formal when you let Julius pour wine over your-” The rest of her sentence was lost in an incomprehensible mumble as Cal slapped a hand over her mouth. Something her poor mate had to do more often than not but honestly it was just too easy to antagonize her.

Wiping the amusement from my expression, I nodded gravely, “The sacrifices a Queen must make for interdimensional relations is thee height of formality.”

Pink eyes widened and I could almost feel her jaw drop at the utter bullshit that had just left my mouth. Fucking Julius Cesar had been anything but a sacrifice. That man had oozed war from every pore and it’d been like sugar to me. I never could resist a warrior. A wicked smile tipped my lips at the memory of Cleo joining our little lust affair not long after it started.

“Are we going in?” Puck beamed, though his voice sounded a bit stressed.

One look and it was more than obvious he was uncomfortable with the direction our conversation had taken. “Find us a Nymph then, Lord Prude.” I sassed with a wave of my silver tatted hand.

Grinning in relief, Puck closed his eyes for a moment with a hum before opening them to stare directly at a tree to his left. A thrum like the low sound that came from a piano vibrated the air around us as the bark of the tree began to swirl. The portal was five feet tall and rippled like amber liquid as a woman slid from the bark to join us. Wide startling green eyes blinked at us through a veil of light brown hair that hung to her slim waist. The large leaves fashioned over pale skin that covered her intimates from view shifted teasingly on her way towards us.

The Nymph gave a suggestively shy smile, “I assume you’d all like entrance to the base?”

Her voice was a physical caress that sent shivers down my spine and goose bumps to my flesh. Mated couples were immune to the feelings a Nymph inspired but for everyone else, it took someone strong of will to resist. And judging by the way our little Seelie was shifting on his feet, he was having a hard time trying to keep his lust from tenting his trousers. I couldn’t fault him for it, though. The Nymph’s allure was rubbing up against us like a purring cat while pumping out enough desire to fuel a brothel.

“Yes, Sy.” A crack in the boy’s voice caused the rest of us to smile knowingly.

Instead of answering, Sy cupped Puck’s jaw and brought his forehead down to press a chaste kiss to his skin. The personal touch giving him the sight to see past the Nymph’s glamour and avoid the fate of wandering aimlessly through the forest for hours. Right as he sucked in a sharp breath from the touch, Sy released him to grab both Dani and Calvins hands. Lifting each one she pressed a light kiss to their knuckles, forgoing a more intimate touch in respect of their mating.

All too soon the Nymph turned to face me, her gaze running over my body like a pair of hands, “With all the rumors and stories about you, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.”

“And now that you’ve seen me?”

Wide eyes hid beneath brown lashes as her head bowed, “That it’s an honor to side with you, My Queen.”

“Does that mean you’re going to let me in?” I replied with a tilt of my head, uncomfortable with the blind loyalty she was giving me. It was the type of loyalty I had demanded of my old subjects and it brought an ache to my chest in remembrance of my failures. Lust combined with heartache was an almost lethal combo.

A slender hand slid from my wrist to shoulder sending waves of arousal pounding through my veins. Pressing up on her toes, Sy tipped her face up to peer at me through hooded eyes. “With your permission, My Queen.”

While my body irritatingly responded to her allure, my thoughts were clear so I gave her my answer with an action. The sensitive skin of our lips brushed once, twice and then the Nymph pressed herself firmly against me. My pulse throbbed in time to the lust pouring off her body making my hands twitch with the need to pull her closer. But when the tip of her tongue nudged the seal of my lips, I pulled away. Maybe if I wasn’t so fucked in the head, I’d have actually enjoyed it.

“You really put your all into that kiss, Babes.” I grinned, blue eyes no doubt bright with desire. “But I’m older than I look and not so easily tempted.”

Sy took a step back and shrugged prettily, “You wouldn’t blame a Nymph for trying would you, My Queen?”

Catching sight of the tents littering the area in the distance, I strolled past her with a wink and fought the urge to rub at my mouth, “Never.”

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when we arrived but this...this exceeded all of my half formed ideas. Where the view of endless trees once stood, there was now a sea of white and blue tents beside an average size lake. A scattering of Fae and other Faekind, who’d been chatting between the rows, stopped and turned to watch us. My little group strided past them confidently as I took in the sights, cautiously following them from behind. Too many Fae to fight but you’d have enough time to travel if it’s a trap. Throw up a wall of flame then travel. Quick and easy, Macha.

Guards in blue the same color of my hair bowed as I passed before going back to patrolling the perimeter. The farther into base we walked the more distracting the smell of smoking wood and seasoned vegetables became until I almost overlooked the silence. Fae creatures of all kinds poked their heads out of their tents or straightened up in their seats to watch us pass. It wasn’t long before whispers filled the silence, drowning out the sounds of our booted feet pounding the crisp grass. The tendons in my back locked up to keep me standing at the sight of so many Fae bowing in recognition of their chosen Queen.

A multitude of emotions whipped through me the closer we got to the large tent set up in the middle. The blue texture of it seemed to shimmer in the firelight but it was the male standing just inside the opening that captured my attention. Short slate gray dreads streaked with pale green contrasted beautifully against skin that was darker than his eldest sons and highlighted his masculine features. The only hint of his true age were the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes from the sincere smile pulling at his lips. Fond memories of the past crowded my mind causing my heart to squeeze painfully.

Hold it. The fuck. Together, Macha. This could still be a trap. So, what if he was like a father to you? He could still be loyal to Mab, they all could.

“Go speak to him, Macha. It’s not a trap.” Dani murmured, giving a reassuring squeeze to my elbow.

Casting a wary eye around the outside of the tent, I left our small group to take falsely confident steps into the tent. Easy, now. A quick swipe of a sword or a strong pull and your out. You’re fine, Macha.The inside of the tent was bathed in a yellow light coming from the lantern atop the wooden desk sitting front and center. Towards the back of the tent stood a screen that consealed what was probably a tub and across from that was a bed piled high with multi-colored furs. A whisper of fabric from behind had me spinning around with a hand on the hilt of my sword, the muscles of my shoulder clenched tight.

Dougal turned from letting the flap of the tent close at a much more relaxed pace. He took a few steps closer before waving his hand and creating a barrier of wind around us. For a few minutes, we stood across from each other unable to speak until the silence grew suffocating. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, whether an accusation or a heart felt hello. I wasn’t sure and then I caught sight of his outfit. It wasn’t that he was in all black, I’d only ever seen him in all black. It was because the C embroidered over his heart wasn’t purple anymore, it was a shiny royal blue. My gaze shot from the C to warm slate gray eyes as I fought to keep the prickling sensation behind mine at bay.

Water welled up along the pink rim of his eyes, spilling over when his smile grew at my expression. “It’s been so long, Fabht Siuca. Look at you, all grown up.”

My hand fell from my sword, the stinging in my eyes intensifying the longer I stared at him.

“Are you hungry?” He choked, voice thick with emotion. “I wasn’t sure if these were still your favorite but I had Orlaith make a batch just in case.”

Leaning to the side, he grabbed a plate off a low table hidden behind him and offered it to me. There on the pristine metal plate, sat five thick dark brown discs stacked in the shape of a pyramid. Choco Blasts. It was too much. Everything that had happened tonight was too much.

“Grimmy.” I released on a teary sigh.

The sound of my heart breaking was almost audible and I gave up all pretense of strength. Tears glided down my cheeks as I crashed into his chest, letting myself truly feel something for the first time in centuries. Holding me tight, the coarse hairs of his goatee brushed my temple as we sunk to our knees and mourned the time we’d lost.

—

Gaelic Traslation:

ifreann- Hell

fabht siúca- Sugar Bug

deartháir sa dlí- Brother in Law

Was anyone really surprised to find out Macha’s bisexual??? Cause I mean, lmao. And y’all finally met Dougal!! This whole chapter was an emotional whirlwind for Macha. I feel kinda bad, not really but kinda.

Feel free to leave a comment on something you liked or thought was interesting!

Smooches, Verbage💋

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