The Monster and His Queen

Chapter 15

"You want us to trust a stranger? The night before our wedding?"

Draven's shadows coiled defensively around him as he stared at Amariel. The priestess stood in the garden moonlight, serene and unbothered by his hostility.

"I don't expect trust," Amariel said calmly. "I expect desperation. Which is what I see in both of you."

Elaria studied the woman carefully. Through the bond, she felt Draven's suspicion, but also something else recognition. He'd seen someone like Amariel before.

"You're void-touched," Draven said suddenly. "Like me. I can feel it."

"Not like you. Different." Amariel pulled back her sleeve, revealing marks that were similar to Draven's but older, more intricate. They glowed faint silver in the darkness. "I was marked by a void entity twenty years ago. But unlike you, I learned to master it instead of fighting it."

"That's impossible," Draven said. "The void magic is too strong, too corrosive. It consumes everything."

"It consumes those who resist. Those who fear their own power." Amariel's eyes, Elaria noticed, were an unusual color—violet shot through with silver. "You've spent your life trying to contain the darkness inside you. Pushing it down, locking it away. That's why you lose control."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I know you were born during a blood moon. I know your mother died birthing you, torn apart by the power she couldn't contain. I know you killed three servants before you were five years old, all by accident." Amariel's voice was gentle despite the harsh words. "And I know you're terrified of hurting the woman you love."

Draven's shadows flared violently. "How do you—"

"Because I was terrified of the same thing once." Amariel moved closer, unafraid of his darkness. "I had a husband. A good man who loved me despite knowing what I was. And one night, when we made love, I lost control. The void magic surged through me, and I nearly killed him."

The garden fell silent. Even the night insects seemed to hold their breath.

"What happened?" Elaria asked softly.

"He survived. Barely. But the fear never left either of us. Every time we touched, every intimate moment, we both wondered if it would be the last." Amariel's expression was distant, remembering. "Eventually, the fear killed what love had built. He left. And I was alone again."

"Why are you telling us this?" Draven asked, his voice rough.

"Because you're about to make the same mistakes I did. You're already holding back from her, aren't you? Afraid to touch her fully, afraid to let yourself feel too much." Amariel looked at Elaria. "And you're accepting his distance because you think it's noble. That he's protecting you."

Elaria felt her cheeks warm. It was true. Since the shadow marriage, Draven had been careful with her. Controlled. Even when they kissed, even when she felt his desire through the bond, he always pulled back before things went too far.

"I am protecting her," Draven said.

"You're suffocating her. And yourself." Amariel turned to Elaria. "Tell me, Princess. When he kisses you, do you feel the shadows?"

"Yes."

"And are they violent? Painful?"

"No. They're... warm. Curious. Like they want to know me."

"Because they do. The shadows aren't separate from him they're part of him. His emotions, his desires, given physical form." Amariel looked between them. "You're already bound. Already connected deeper than most married couples ever achieve. But you're both too afraid to fully explore what that means."

"We have bigger problems right now," Draven said, changing the subject. "The Void King is planning to use our wedding to cross into this realm. Can you help us stop him or not?"

Amariel smiled slightly. "Direct. I like that. Yes, I can help. But not in the way you think."

"What does that mean?" Elaria asked.

"The Void King can't be stopped. He's too powerful, too ancient. But he can be negotiated with." Amariel pulled a small book from her robes, bound in dark leather. "Void entities aren't demons or monsters. They're beings from a different realm with different rules. They want things. And if you can give them what they want, you can make deals."

"My father already made a deal with him," Draven said bitterly. "Look how that turned out."

"Your father made a deal from a position of weakness, asking for power he didn't deserve. You're in a different position." Amariel opened the book, revealing pages covered in strange symbols. "You're his creation. His greatest work. He's proud of you, in his way."

"Proud? He's trying to possess me!"

"He's trying to reach you. To connect with you." Amariel's finger traced one of the symbols. "Void entities are lonely, Prince Draven. They exist in emptiness, in the spaces between stars. When your father summoned the Void King and offered him a chance to create life, to have something of himself in this world of course he took it. You're his child."

"That's insane," Elaria said. "He doesn't care about Draven. He just wants to use him."

"Both things can be true." Amariel closed the book. "I've studied void entities for twenty years. I've spoken to the one who marked me, learned its language, understood its nature. They're not evil they're alien. They don't think like we do, don't value what we value. But they do feel something like affection. Something like pride."

Draven was silent, his shadows swirling slowly. Through the bond, Elaria felt his conflict anger at the suggestion that the Void King cared about him, but also a deep, painful hunger for any kind of parental acknowledgment.

"What are you suggesting?" Elaria asked when Draven didn't speak.

"Tomorrow, during the ceremony, the Void King will try to manifest. Instead of fighting him, talk to him. As equals, not as a creation to its creator." Amariel looked at Draven. "Tell him what you want. What you're willing to offer. Make a new deal."

"He'll never agree to that."

"He will if the terms are interesting enough." Amariel moved toward the garden entrance. "I'll give you two some time to think. But if you decide to try this, come find me before the ceremony. I can teach you the words, the rituals. The way to speak to void without being consumed."

She disappeared into the shadows, leaving them alone.

Elaria moved closer to Draven, placing her hand on his arm. His muscles were tense, coiled tight with stress.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think she's either brilliant or insane. Possibly both." Draven turned to face her, and in the moonlight, his features were sharp, beautiful, inhuman. "But she's right about one thing."

"What?"

"I have been holding back from you." His hand came up to cup her face, thumb brushing her cheekbone. "Every time I touch you, I'm terrified the shadows will hurt you. Every time I want you and I want you constantly I'm afraid of what might happen if I lose control."

Elaria's breath caught. Through the bond, she felt his desire like heat, like hunger. It made her own body respond in ways that had nothing to do with magic.