Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

The soft lilting of a gentle melody drifted to Dyna from outside. Cassiel sat on the banister of the open balcony as he played the silver flute held to his lips. The sheer curtains fluttered in the mild wind, framing him in the golden light of morning. The beautiful notes fell and rose in a sweet call. It was the same song he played the day they met in the forest of Hilos, but it tugged at the hazy memories hidden within the recesses of her mind. She predicted which note would fade before he brought the melody to its end.

“I know I’ve heard that song before,” Dyna murmured from his bed. She sighed sleepily as she stretched on the silk sheets, her face pressed against the pillows. The bedding was so warm and soft, she didn’t want to get up yet.

The sunlight caught Cassiel’s eyes when he turned toward her. “You have.”

Another gust of wind tugged at his clothing, ruffling black locks across his forehead. Rising to stand, his bare feet padded softly on the floor as he came back inside. He stopped by the bed and gazed at her with a half-smile.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. I simply like the view of you in my bed.”

Dyna flushed. They’d gone no further last night, not that either of them was anything less than exhausted after the debacle.

The mattress shifted under his weight as Cassiel sat beside her. “I played that song for you when we found each other at the Hyalus tree. You were afraid, and I thought it might calm you.”

Neither of them knew why they didn’t remember that moment, nor why he had suddenly recovered it when Lucenna’s spell hit him. But Dyna suspected there was more to their past they had yet to discover.

“Could you play it for me again?” She closed her eyes, letting the melody sink into her. It tugged at her mind again, flashing colors and something that may have been a voice singing along. But it faded as quickly as it surfaced.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

The frustration it left behind made her stomach cramp. But Dyna let it go. They didn’t need any else added to the inevitable matter waiting for them today. They both avoided talking about it, and she wasn’t in a hurry to. For now, she was content to pretend it was a perfect morning.

“I’m glad to see you play again,” she said, smiling at him softly. “I can hear how much you enjoy it.”

Cassiel balanced the flute in his palm, and his thumb grazed the vine embellishments decorating it. “From the moment I was born, everything was decided for me, down to who I was made to be. There was no other choice. No other fate. But music? That could be anything I wanted it to be. I could change the notes, control the pitch, and weave them into a new song. It gave me something in a world where I had little of anything that I could consider mine.”

To hear that while knowing what Malakel had said to him last night saddened her. She wished she could erase every spiteful word, every hurt and wrong, they nailed into his heart. But he was hers now, and she would take as long as she needed to pull every single nail out.

“The music you make is yours,” Dyna said, covering his hand with hers. “As am I. No one will take that from you.”

His expression softened. She sat up with every intention to hug her mate, but something wet squelched between her thighs. Dyna froze a second before peeking under the blanket. Oh no. She quickly yanked it back down.

“Umm…do you mind stepping out for a moment?”

Cassiel’s brow furrowed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said too quickly.

His expression grew concerned, and he pulled back the blanket. Her face heated at the reveal of the red stains on her nightgown and the bedding.

“I’m sorry. I forgot there would be…” Dyna cut off, too mortified to speak. She was warned the contraceptive may cause an early menses.

Cassiel tucked the blanket around her waist and press a kiss to her forehead. “You have nothing to be sorry for, lev sheli. Don’t be embarrassed in front of me.”

A knock came at the door within the drawing room. Cassiel went to answer. His faint voice drifted to her as he spoke with someone and returned shortly with two female servants. Her heart skipped several beats when Cassiel lifted her in his arms, keeping the blanket around her body. His hands were warm around her back and knees, his forearms tight and strong. She slipped her arms around his neck and sank against his chest. Black feathers enveloped her like a cloak and hid her from view.

“Tell my uncle it’s done,” he said to the servants coolly. “Take the sheets to him as proof if he wishes. Then call for Dynalya’s lady’s maid to attend her.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” came their dutiful replies.

Cassiel carried her away as she heard the servants make for the bed. He took her into the bathing room. It was large, made of marbled walls and windows providing a view of Hermon. There were levers hanging on braided rope above a wide a bath in the center. It was already filled and steaming.

“I prepared it earlier.” Cassiel sat her down and reached for the glass bottles resting on a wooden bench beside it. He dispensed soaps that released a sweet floral scent and it turned the water milky as bubbles gathered on the surface. He respectfully looked away as she peeled off the soiled nightgown, then helped her step in. She settled on the stone seating that circled the circumference of the large bath. The water ended a little above her chest and hid the rest of her from view. Dyna dipped under, letting the water come over her head before standing.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, watching her with something unreadable in his gaze. She shook her head. “I will wait for you in the drawing room.”

Dyna caught his hand. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me for something so little.”

“For now. For lying.”

The servants were clearly going to report that they’d consummated. The entire castle probably knew by now.

Cassiel brushed a wet lock of hair from her cheek. “Neither I nor anyone else will ever force you into my bed. But…” His voice dropped to a soft purr. “You are always welcome to it.”

Her wet lashes flickered up as her eyes met his. There wasn’t anything stopping them other than her own timid nerves. A warm electrical current flushed through her body remembering the way he touched her after their vows.

Could she still be shy after that?

She sensed Cassiel knew where her thoughts had gone because his eyes grew heated. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and the bond stirred with something that made her heartrate increase.

He leaned in but stopped. “I should go.”

“Don’t go,” Dyna whispered. She didn’t want to be away from him yet.

Cassiel dark lashes lowered a moment, and his chest rose with a breath. He rolled up his sleeves and she watched them flex with his movements. Taking a washcloth on the bench, he dipped it in the water, and it trickled as he lifted it.

Those silver eyes held hers as he said, “May I?”

Her pulse skipped a beat at his lidded gaze and the intent of his question. Sweeping her hair aside, Dyna turned around and Cassiel sat behind her. All of her attention focused on the path of the washcloth as he slowly ran it across her shoulders. Warm water sluiced down her back in winding trails. His breath coasted over her wet skin, causing her pulse to skip and rise.

“Every moment I spend in your presence seeks to undo my every good intention,” he said in her ear. “I’m clinging to the barest thread of my control.”

The first press of his mouth on her neck sent a cascade of tingles through her body. Her toes curled in the water as the kisses continued down her shoulder, each one lingering longer than the last. She sighed at the delightful sensations flooding through her from the soft pressure of his lips, the tickle of his hair against her cheek, and the warmth of his chest cradling her.

Cassiel’s fingers wove through her hair and gently tugged to expose more of her neck as his mouth stroked back up her throat to her ear. Every touch of his lips left behind a trail of fire. It sent her careening and Dyna felt as if she was falling.

A sound rumbled through him that was part growl and part moan. I was raised to be a prince with honor, Dynalya. I wish to match your pace but having you like this, I can no longer ignore what you do to me.

Cassiel yanked her around, sloshing water out of the tub. He silenced her gasp by capturing her lips. He kissed her deeply as if he couldn’t go one more minute without it. Each one was savoring, and soft, and so profound she lost herself in it. His arms pulled her flush against him, heated palms sliding over her wet back. She clung to him, her fingers bunching his hair.

The thin fabric of his wet tunic brushed against the sensitive parts of her flesh. Heat coiled from her breasts to her stomach, sinking low. Dyna wanted his touch there and everywhere else it had been last night. Her heart was racing with so many emotions she could hardly breathe.

Somewhere in the distance, came a quiet knock. A low, groan rumbled in Cassiel’s throat and vibrated against their mouths.

He tried to ignore it, but she sensed his attention reluctantly shifting.

The knock came again, more insistent.

Cassiel released a frustrated sigh and dropped his forehead against hers. “If they call me away for a matter of little importance, I will set something on fire.”

She offered him a quick consolation kiss. “We have things to attend to.”

He rose to his feet. All earlier heat had vanished from his expression now set in stone. Cassiel made for the door, but his quiet voice still reached her. “I should have killed him.”

His power had ripped through the Heaven’s last night, with a might that would have disintegrated anyone in its path. Initially, what saved Malakel was his armor. He had dropped back to earth unconscious, and Cassiel could have taken his life. But the challenge was won, so he chose to walk away.

Dyna quickly finished washing and climbed out of the bath. She wrapped a thick white towel around herself and entered the bedroom as he returned with Noemi.

“My lady,” she dipped in a deferential curtsy.

“Good morning,” Dyna greeted, then glanced at him.

He nodded. “It’s time.”

For them to call forth their court and deal with the consequences of yesterday.

“Come, my lady. I have brought some of your things.” Noemi’s orange wings fluttered as she led her to the drawing room where it had already been set up with clothing, shoes, and jewelry. Among them her crown. “I know you prefer lighter colors, but I thought this one might be more fitting today.”

Her lady’s maid held up a long shimmering black dress with a plunging neckline. It had subtle details of lace with a dark blue flowered pattern. Appearing before the court in Cassiel’s color stated she stood with him.

A united front.

“Yes, you’re perfectly right.” Dyna ran her hand over the glittering fabric. The sapphire ring she still wore caught the light beautifully. “Thank you Noemi, for being so kind and thoughtful.”

She beamed. “It’s my pleasure, my lady.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, can you do me one more favor?”