Midnight Cove

“Oh my god! Cove I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” The fact that he lost his mother like that was awful. “But what happened to your wife and your father?” This didn’t explain why he left the Underground, it wasn’t in his nature to run away.

“My father,” he said and shook his head. His voice hardened to steel and a furious hatred glazed over his eyes. “My father wasn’t close to grieving, as the rest of the household was. My wife became mute. She was much worse after my mother died and she would speak to no one. Whenever I would try to touch her she would flinch or breakdown in sobs fleeing from the room. So, I was certain I would find out the cause. I followed her through the palace going about her royal duties, seeing to the staff and walking in the palace gardens. As she was going about her daily tasks, I noticed she was always peering over her shoulder.

At first, I thought she was watching me, but I soon found out that was not the reason she was so on edge. She was making her way down the passages to her suite, I assume to her private study for she loved to read dearly, and I saw my father. He grabbed her roughly and though she wept bitterly she didn’t scream. It was clear she wanted him to stop, but he was powerful and her struggles only proved to satisfy him.

I couldn’t take the sight of it. Coming out from my hiding place, I lunged for him knocking him to the floor and off her exposed naked body. He laughed and told me I had married a whore. I couldn’t control my rage and we fought, blood lust and loathing in both of our hearts. It resulted in my father’s demise. He was so badly broken he just lied in a bloody heap on the stone floor. I had the guards haul him away in irons. I looked for my wife’s ravaged body but she was not there. The last image I had if her was of tears streaming down her face, her hair wild and the silence of her broken will; she had made no sounds. When I awoke in the morning she was still not back.

There was no note, or clue as to what had happened to her. I scoured the kingdom, but found no trace of her anywhere. I refused to give up hope. I knew she hadn’t killed herself, if she had done that I would have found her body. But there was none, there was nothing. I knew then that she was no longer in our realm. She had sought escape to the human world. Despite my brother’s protests, I left The Underground with him to rule in my stead. And so, I went to visit a witch who had me repurposed so that I could become a Fate Faery. It was my only chance at finding her and I would not forsake her for anything,” he said. His heartbreaking tale coming to a close. He bowed his head in submission.

I thought about all that he said and pondered over his woeful tale for a few moments before responding. “Yes, but you did forsake her. You were unfaithful to her and you nearly broke me in the process. I have Phoenix now though. Your brother saved me from myself and from you. He’s shown me kindness and love in a way I have never felt before.”

I was sorry for his heartbreak, but it sickened me that he was so weak as a man that he would use me to fill the void in his chest and his bed. I was filled with a twisted glee to boast of his brother’s ardent love for me.

Cove’s entire aura deflated and his eyes became downcast. He nodded his head slowly. “I know I wronged you, Bonnie. If my brother makes you happy then,” and he turned his face to look at me, his face serious and resolute, “I am happy for you. Both for you, and for Phoenix.” My shoulders relaxed, the fury washed out of me by his sincerity.

“I love my brother and although you may not believe it, I love you too. You both deserve to find happiness. I actually came here because I heard about the wedding.”

I lifted my eyebrows in question of his motives, but then decided to shrug it off. If he was going to let bygones be bygones and behave himself then there was no reason for me to continue being bitter over his illuse of me.

“Well then, if that’s truly how you feel, how about you escort your soon to be sister in-law back to the palace?” I only halfheartedly smiled. The whole effort felt forced, but I wanted to at least give it a try. Cove’s lips held a sad smile in place and he offered me his arm. In awkward silence we walked back home.

Phoenix was there waiting for me when we arrived. His relief upon seeing me vanished in the instant he saw me holding on to Cove. His facial expressions changed from sorrow and worry to hatred. I let go of Cove’s arm and walked across the room to stand by Phoenix’s side. He held his hands out to receive me a sad, worried, but still relieved smile in place. Then he looked over at his brother, anger marring his beautiful features.

“Should I thank you for the return of my bride, dear brother? Or is your purpose here of a different nature?” Phoenix’s liquid voice came out as cold as ice, his eyes as hard as stone.

“Just coming to wish you my congratulations on your upcoming wedding.” Cove smiled, but it wasn’t pleasant. It looked twisted and almost maniacal.

I had to break the tension somehow, it was far too uncomfortable for me. I looked up into my fiancé’s face. “Phoenix,” I said softly, and then casting a glance over to Cove, “he saved me.”

Phoenix looked down at me worry creasing his brow. “He saved you?” His voice sounded forlorn.

“Yes,” I tried to seem cheery. “I got lost in the forest. I was coming to see you at the Portical, but when the fog rolled in I was attacked by the Pixies. It was awful.” I didn’t try to hide my still shaken nerves by the wretched encounter. “Cove showed up just in time to ward them off.”

Phoenix looked at me then seeing the blood dripping from my wounds and shock crossed his face. He looked over to his brother his expression softening. “Well then, I suppose a thanks is in order. I appreciate you returning her to me,” he said.

Cove’s smile widened, “Anytime. It was my pleasure.” His words were not sarcastic, but they hedged on the side of being snideful.

Phoenix only smirked at him before sweeping me up like a baby, cradling me in his warm powerful arms. I relaxed into the safety of his embrace as he whisked me away to our suite, Cove following close behind. Phoenix set me down gently on the settee in the sitting room, but I wanted to escape their brotherly discord. I pushed myself up.

“Bonnie, darling, you should rest,” Phoenix protested.

“No, I will, I will,” I said. “I want to take a hot bath first. It will help relax me. Clean the dirt from my wounds.” And I turned for my bedchamber making my way to my bathroom. I heard the sounds of their arguing, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I shut off the water and heard Phoenix’s voice.

“She loves me,” he said.

“But she loves me, too,” Cove’s voice countering Phoenix’s statement.

“You’ve hurt her too many times. Won’t you let her be? She deserves happiness.” Phoenix asked calmly, challenging his brother’s point of view.

Their voices died away noticing the silence coming from my bedroom. I decided I had no desire to go back out there and be apart of whatever conversation they were having. It was obviously over me. Instead I put on a nightgown and crawled under the covers, fighting off sleep and waiting for Phoenix to come join me.

After a few minutes time passed I heard the sound of the door to the suite close and the opening of my chamber door. Phoenix stood in the doorway a moment, not moving. I lifted my head to see why he didn’t come to me.

“I thought you might be sleeping,” he explained.

“No,” my voice soft with emotion after the day's horrid events. “I was waiting for you.” And I smiled as he approached my bedside.

“Come join me Phoenix. I’ve missed you.”

I was so happy to be near him again. He got on top of the bed next to me. I rolled over to bury my face against his side, relishing his warmth.

Phoenix stroked my hair lovingly and I made a satisfied moan under his tender caress. “Bonnie?” Phoenix asked after a few moments in silence. “Does this change anything between us?” His voice portrayed concern and I sat up to look him in the face.

“What? Cove?” I couldn’t blame him for being worried, but at the same time I also couldn’t believe he would doubt my feelings for him.

Phoenix only slightly shrugged, trying hard not to show how on edge he really was. I put my hands on both sides of his face holding his head so he could look nowhere but straight into my eyes.

“Phoenix, I want you to listen to me. I love you.” I said and he tried to turn his head away, but I held fast. “No, I love you. I want you to know that. Now that being said I am going to be completely honest with you. I cannot deny that your brother has some sort of hold on me.”

Phoenix’s eyes welled up with tears. I had never seen him cry, not that he was crying now, but it was the closest I had ever seen him to doing it. “But, his hold on me is nothing compared to the ties that bind my heart to yours. He is a liar. You are my beloved. I have known a happiness with you unlike any other. There is no comparison between the sun and the moon. I gravitate towards you both, but your pull far outweighs anything I could ever feel for him. I do not love him. I can't love him. I won't. I thought that I did once, but I was mistaken. Don’t judge me for it my darling, for it was before I had known your love. It was before I had known what real love felt like. I can and have given you my heart Phoenix, please, don’t break it?” My voice began to crack as the waves of emotion rolled through me and poured out of my mouth.

Phoenix brought his hands up placing them over mine. Gripping my fingertips tightly, his eyes bored into mine and I could swear I saw his soul in that moment. And his soul was the most shining and brilliant light I had ever seen. The love radiating from him could eclipse the whole world, save for my love which burned within me an equal match.

“Bonnie, I would never break your heart. For your love has saved my life as easily as I have saved yours. You are everything to me. You are my heart and my soul, you are the very air I breathe. I cannot be the man I am without you. I will always and forever love you.”

I looked at Phoenix then, and smiled the largest smile in my entire existence and said, “Marry me, Phoenix?”

Phoenix smiled back, his elation matching my own. “I already asked you that,” he quipped.

“And what did I say?” I cocked my head waiting to hear the answer I already knew too well.

Phoenix slipped his hands around my upper back holding me close. With a proud and strong voice he said, “You said ‘yes’.”

“Yes!” I gasped and fell back pretending to swoon, his strong arms bearing my weight easily. Phoenix laughed a victorious booming laugh and started in kissing my chest and neck.

We made love, sweet and passionately that night and my heart never felt lighter. Still, the bliss I had experienced wasn’t enough to ward off the recurring nightmares I had that night and every night. Always the same white dress smattered with blood stains, and always would Phoenix’s dashing face contort and transform into that of Cove’s at the altar. I would find myself running the corridors in the Dark Palace desperate to get away from whatever monster was chasing me, tears streaking down my face.

Phoenix was always there when I woke holding me as we both tried to quiet my screams. He never left me in the mornings after that night and I knew that he had other royal duties pressing him, but still he stayed. Even after I tried to pacify him giving him my allowance to do what was required of him, he wouldn’t budge and I was inwardly very grateful.