Ballerina Interrupted

Chapter 13

The fairfolk were most skilled in music, and . . .

of the great enchantments and allurements to stay with them was their music.

-Walter Gregor

Fen used his wolf senses to track down a certain fae; the one seared into his mind as he swung his fist straight into Rose’s terrified face. And Fen didn’t doubt that he was the same one who had administered the beatings while she was held in their cell.

A guttural sound erupted from his belly as he sniffed the air and caught his scent.

The fae in question was loitering outside the jail with two others. They were laughing about something when one of them spotted Fen and immediately whipped out his sword. The other two joined him and turned to face Fen.

“Is this not the Gaur who accompanied that elf?” the fae Fen had zeroed his sights on said with a sneer. Fen growled, speaking into the other two’s minds and letting them know that it would be wise to walk away. And they did.

The two summer fae scampered off, no doubt to get their King.

“What is the meaning of this?” the fae’s features narrowed as he approached Fen who inwardly smiled. Wrong move.

Fen pounced, knocking his useless blade to the side as he shoved the faerie onto his back.

Relishing in his terror as he realized he was about to die, Fen didn’t wait a moment too soon before he ripped his throat apart. When he was done, Fen stepped away and shook his neck as he rubbed his muzzle clean.

Though faerie blood smelled a lot like honeysuckle and raspberries, to Fen, this particular fae’s blood was no different than Centaur dung.

“You left me quite a mess.” the Summer King stated with a tired sigh as he surveyed the blood spatters and what little remained of his fae.

Anything else? Fen prepared himself against the King. He did, after all, murder one of his fae and on his lands too. That would definitely garner consequences.

“No. He was going to be punished nonetheless. In a much bit cleaner, dignified way but . . . I guess this will have to do.” Osiris gave Fen a nod and was about to turn away when Fen’s words stopped him dead in his tracks.

Are you going to tell her that you’re her father?

“How do you know?” Osiris rounded on him, eyes narrowed as his magic sparked in his clenched fists.

Fen shifted until he was standing face to face with Rose’s father.

“Her mother was doing a pretty lousy job of hiding it for one thing,” Fen snorted. “But it also helped that she was beginning to show traits that could only belong to a fae.” he said quietly. Osiris’s face drew in concern. “What do you mean?”

“Though she sucks at archery, her magic is quite strong and every time she wields it, she pretty much gets drunk. Sound familiar?” Fen crossed his arms.

Osiris drew in a long breath as he closed his eyes. “She needs to stay here and receive proper training. She needs to learn how to control her magic and how not to let it control her because that is what it’s doing and you know what that leads to, King Fenrir.”

“Don’t call me that. She does not know who I am yet,” Fen warned.

“And why not?”

“She isn’t ready. Just like you’ll obviously decide when she’s ready to learn the truth about you, I’ll decide when to reveal myself to her. Until then, this remains buried.” Fen said sternly, satisfied when the King nodded in agreement.

“But she needs to stay,” Osiris said quietly. Fen shook his head. “She will not want to. We need to go back anyways. The elves are no doubt looking for her. She . . . ah, she kinda had a mishap as she was practicing teleportation, which was how your guards were able to locate her easily.”

Understanding dawned on Osiris.

“She is having trouble with magic and weaponry?” Osiris asked with concern.

“Not necessarily. She just needs to get the hang of it. I can sense her magic and it is overwhelming actually.” Fen admitted. “As for her weaponry, she failed at archery, but I think that has more to do with the fact that her strengths lie more with magic given her fae heritage. And since that is the case, I refuse to see how she does with a sword,” Fen stated firmly.

“What is my daughter to you?” Osiris narrowed his eyes.

“That is none of your concern,” Fen said in a dangerously low tone.

“I believe it is, especially when you seem to care for her far more than you say, even going to great lengths of killing those who harm her.” Osiris studied him then, as if a light-bulb went off inside his head and he was seeing him in a whole new light. “My daughter is your Kahmarád.” he said, sounding a bit upset. Fen’s eyes flashed.

“Fenrir Blackstorm, it is plainly obvious that even those annoying pesky Sprites would be able to see!” Osiris laughed as he referred to the fae species far below the chain. Sprites belonged to the Spring Court and they were only good at two things: cleaning and gardening. They were also obsessed with order and were very much quite the cowards; running and screaming away from anything that moved or sneezed.

“You are protective of her and you defend her, brutally punishing those who lay a hand on her.” Osiris raised a brow as he looked toward his dead fae. “And she obviously doesn’t know.” Osiris grinned then. “I won’t tell her.” he raised his hands and backed a step when Fen took a dangerous step towards him.

“I’ve left Rose alone long enough,” Fen stated. “You may be her father and the Summer King, but kidnap her again and I will not hesitate to rip you to shreds as well.” Fen vowed.

“I don’t doubt it.” Osiris patted his shoulder before calling his magic forth as he cleaned up the mess. In less than a moment, all evidence of the dead fae’s existence was gone. Even the disturbed ground was now pristine and shimmering with life.

Shaking his head, Fen jogged back the way he came. Worry for Rose had him spurring on until he reached her door. He was just about to raise a fist to knock when feminine shrieks echoed down the hall.

Adrenaline instantly rushing through him, Fen broke into a run. He nearly knocked Drisana down when he ran into her. Then he realized that she was the one shrieking and babbling.

“I think she drowned!” she sobbed while pointing to a curtain of vines. Fen shoved her away and parted the vines. His eyes immediately settled on the pool with crystal clear waters.

Rose could clearly be seen. Her face serene, eyes closed as her hair floated around her. He also noted the green vines wrapped around her. Glancing down, Fen noticed that he was stepping on the same vines curtaining the bath. They had somehow grown and traveled straight into the water, wrapping themselves around her body like second skin.

“What are these things!?” Fen stomped on a vine.

“No, don’t!” Drisana knelt down and petted the injured vine, instantly bringing it back to life. “Don’t you know that all life is sacred?” Drisana glared up at him.

“It’s holding Rose down there!” Fen dove right in, not waiting to hear Drisana’s response although he did catch two words she’d said: protecting her.

Swimming down towards a very still Rose, Fen grasped her shoulders and shook her. She did not open her eyes or even stir. Releasing a grunt of frustration, Fen grabbed onto a section of the vines and pulled.

Don’t make me use my dagger, Fen warned the creature. The vines began to move but not away from Rose. They began to pull her up towards the surface. Fen followed, securing his arm around her.

When they broke through the surface, Drisana helped him pull her up until she was lying on the warm stones.

“She’s breathing.” Drisana said with hope. “The vines must have given her their oxygen, keeping her alive.” she said with awe.

Fen knelt down and cupped Rose’s face. “Why isn’t she waking up!” Fen demanded just as Rose’s eyes snapped wide open with a choked gasp.

“F-fen?’ she said weakly as she clutched onto his arm.

“I’m here.” he pulled her up, lowering his forehead down to hers as he breathed in her scent. He stilled when her shoulders began to shake while she sniffled.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Fen quickly surveyed her for injuries. Rose shook her head.

“Here.” Drisana murmured, handing Fen a towel just as the vines began to retract. Hurriedly covering her, Fen picked her up until she was cradled in his arms.

Fen wordlessly carried her back to her room, sitting down on the edge of her bed while still cradling her in his arms. Drisana set out a gown and slippers before quietly letting herself out.

Gently rocking her, Fen murmured words of comfort into her hair as he rubbed small circles on her back.

“I need to get dressed,” she whispered.

“In a moment. Tell me what’s wrong.” Fen gently demanded. There was something she wasn’t telling him. Fen could feel it.

Rose shook her head. “I’m just tired, Fen, and I would like to get dressed.” she said stubbornly, using the back of her hand to wipe her damp cheeks.

Fen tenderly grasped her chin, tilting it up so she was looking at him. Before she could say anything, he lowered his mouth until it gently pressed against hers in a featherlike caress.

He was well aware of what he was doing and he had zero regrets. There were too many times now that Fen almost lost her. He needed to kiss her; to claim her; to see if her lips were as soft as they looked.

And they were.

Fen felt his heart flutter against his chest as he reveled in the feeling of her generously full lips, softer than the finest silks he had ever touched. Before he could lose control, Fen lightly brushed her lips once more; a promise of more to come before he finally pulled away. His chest immediately constricted with the loss of her touch.

“I’ll let you get dressed then. I’ll be right next door if you need anything.” Fen set her on the bed before getting up and walking through the adjoining door.

His arms felt empty and cold. But his mind was driven to learn what his Kahmarád was holding back.