The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Rolling my eyes at the now empty hall, I stepped forward and twisted the knob to my temporary bedroom. Walking over the threshold, I took a quick look around the earth toned furniture and bedspread. My bag hit the bed with a bounce as footsteps echoed out behind me followed by the snap of the door swinging closed.

“Hey. Watch it, I got important shit in there.”

“Like what?” Lilly rasped out, his voice barely above a whisper.

I smirked as I headed to the tall wooden dresser on my left, “Like my very mentionable unmentionables.”

His low chuckle had my chest warming the tiniest of degrees but it quickly went cold in terror when I opened the dressers doors. There. Hanging smack in the middle of the almost entirely empty dresser, hung thee most atrocious dress of all time. A pure white monstrosity with bows and lace of pink, black and purple. Slack jawed, I gazed at the puff sleeves and wide hoop skirt bottom.

“Who do these people think I am?” I asked, aghast. “A demented Little Bo-peep?”

“Who?”

“Exactly! Who the fuck thinks I’d actually wear this?”

The wood creaked as Cillian moved closer, “What’s wrong with it?”

“You’re not serious.” I scowled, looking over my shoulder at him.

His broad shoulders shrugged, causing his cloak to flutter softly, “It’s a dress. You only have to wear it for a few hours.”

“Do you not understand the severity of our situation right now?” I demanded, spinning around to face him. “Cillian, I would rather die than wear that dress.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Brows raised to my hairline, I cocked my head, “Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like to wear it?”

Shaking his head, he pushed past me to pull the dress free of the dresser. Twisting it in his grip, he looked at it from all angles, “Maybe you could take a few bows off?”

“Or just burn it in the fiery pits of hell where it belongs.”

With an unamused stare, he asked, “Seriously, Macha what’s wrong with it?”

“Well, for starters. It’s four different colors, covered in bows and lace.” And I should have known that would mean nothing to him.

“So?”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I popped them back open and spoke calmly, “Cillian. My entire body is a mix of brown, silver and royal blue. Do you honestly think that dress will look good on me?”

He paused for a moment before holding the dress up underneath my chin. Through his mask, I could see his eyes squint, “Oh.”

“Yea. Oh.” I snorted.

Yanking the dress from his hands, I tossed it onto the bed and sneered when the hoop skirt stayed upright. Ugh, I know some Fae enjoyed the old human eras of fashion but the Victorian era with the hoop skirt? Aoife had worn a Victorian dress but skipped the hoop skirt like any normal Fae. But the Murphy’s and O’Sullivan’s weren’t normal, they were snobs…

“Your cackling.”

Blinking, I turned to Cillian, “Was I?”

His body heaved in a huge sigh before heading to the only door on the right wall, “I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

Waving him off, I stared at the hideous dress in front of me with a growing smile. Slapping a hand over the closest bow, I clenched my fist and ripped it off with a laugh. Using both hands, I pulled, ripped and sliced away the more eye burning pieces of the dress. I shredded the layers until I came across something that didn’t make me want to drink iron.

“Ooooo.” I murmured, appreciatively.

Like what I did to Sean, I broke the metal bars of the hoops and reached in to gently pick up my new dress. The white silky slip was held together by thin little straps that went from chest to lower back. Looks like one of the maids thought adding a back to the slip would be a waste of material. After all, only mates or lovers were supposed to see it.

Giddy excitement filling me, I quickly stripped down and pulled the slip carefully over my head. Shivering a little at the feel of the material on my skin, I did a little spin to feel the bottom of the dress swish against my calves. Barefoot now, I raced across the room and started searching for a pair of shoes to go with it. Nose scrunching, I pinched the round toed dark brown heels in my fingers and threw them over my shoulder. Absolutely not. What to do? What to do?

Rushing to the bed with a now permanent smile on my face, I snatched up my silver waist chains in both hands and closed my eyes. Picturing what I wanted in my mind, I slowly pushed the demand into the metal so I wouldn’t get it wrong. I could feel as the metal twisted and smoothened out until finally it stopped. Eyes opening, I laughed in glee at the pair of heels now sitting in my hands. They weren’t anything too special but the strappy metal heels would be the first pair I’ve worn since before Slykhelm. Actually, this was the first time I’ve gotten to dress up in a little under a thousand years.

Dropping down on the bed, I quickly bent to put the heels on and melted them to better mold my feet. Sitting up straight, I pushed both legs forward and kicked my feet with a tiny squeal. So. Cute. The silver swirling tattoos on my legs and feet made the silver heels look like an almost natural extension to my legs. Popping up onto my feet, I took a hesitant stride across the room. Slapping my hand on the bedpost at the first wobble, I straightened my back with a huff and tried again. On the third try, I was walking across the room with a confident swing in my hips.

But a knock at the adjoining door had me gripping the dresser to stop myself from tripping. Panic crushed my chest and I found myself trying to take everything off before the guards- wait, no. I can be in this, it was okay to show off my assets now. I wasn’t in danger of anything. I could crush anybody like a gnat.

When the knock came again, I called out, “Just a minute!”

A little frantically, I looked into the mirror hanging on the inside of the dresser door. Yanking my braid over my shoulder, I quickly pulled the soft strands apart until I was left with thick wavy clumps. Probably, shouldn’t have left it in for almost two days. Shrugging, I bent at the waist and forcefully shook my head as fast as I could. Straightening, I flung my now loose hair over my shoulders and quickly ran my fingers through the waves.

Nerves sparked across my chest when he knocked again, “I said, give me a minute!”

Smoothing down the puffy parts closest to my face, I fluffed and moved the blue locks around until I was happy. In the mirror, I raised my tattooed fingers to trace over my cheekbones and then my lips. I wish I had black lipstick. I used to wear it all the time. Licking my lips, I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth and bit down. When I released it, my bottom lip popped out of my mouth a little plumper and a lot redder.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the blue reflection of them in the mirror as they shot over to the adjoining door. Stomping over, all feelings of nervousness were replaced by annoyance. Muttering underneath my breath about hard of hearing silver headed giants, I flung the door back and into the wall with a clack.

“Yes?”

Practically eye to eye in these heels, I could easily see him glancing over my face before moving down. Which would have been fine, except he didn’t look away and that pesky hyper awareness he sometimes triggered in me was starting to come alive. But the feeling of the silky material against my legs as I shifted brought my excitement back full throttle.

Stepping back, I gave a wide smile and stuck a pose with one leg forward, “Well? How do I look?”

When he said nothing, I couldn’t help in my bubbling happiness but to do a little spin, “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

“Cell Bait…”

“Yea?” I spit, eager to hear what he had to say about my more feminine look.

His eyes finally met mine, “You can’t wear that.”

“What?” I asked, my smile wilting as my heart dropped in disappointment. “Why not?”

“It’s not-” Silver eyes flicked over my face during his pause and then suddenly the serious tone of his voice changed into a lighter one, “-it’s not done yet, obviously. Wait here.”

I blinked rapidly when he traveled out of existence with very little warning, “This man did not just run out on me.”

Confused, I turned and headed back over to the dresser to look over my form. Gripping the fabric by my thighs, I pulled it out and twisted side to side. What’s wrong with it? I mean, to the conservative it was a little scandalous but I didn’t look bad. Did I? Almost immediately, I pushed that thought aside and grinned at my reflection. What the hell am I thinking? I’m a fucking God. Snorting, I pulled the top a little lower to give my small chest a little umph.

“Mother of fucking gnomes!” Gripping said small chest, I glared at the jack-ass that appeared behind me in the mirror.

The silver mask gave me nothing but I knew he was smirking, “Close your eyes.”

“That’d be a fuck no.”

“What, you don’t trust me?” He asked with a mocking lilt.

Flashing my pointed teeth in a quick sneer, I fought against all my instincts and reluctantly closed my eyes. And right on cue, I could feel everything around me tenfold including his body heat moving closer. I felt the slight heat of his arms move around my head a moment before something cool and hard fell against my chest. Jerking, I stepped back only to push myself right into his chest.

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Taking a deep breath, I forced it out with nodd while my hands fisted in my growing anxiety.

The small weight fell against my chest once more and both sides of my hair were pushed back at the same time before I heard a faint click. Instantly, there was a light pressure at the back of my neck from the weight of the necklace. My brows furrowed at the feeling because while I knew it was a necklace the chain wasn’t a chain. A soft fuzziness tickled my neck as my hair was pulled away but whatever was hanging on it was smooth and hard.

“Alright. Open ’em.”

Blue eyes flashed back at me in the mirror as I first peeked out and then opened my eyes completely. At the end of the simple strip of black velvet hung a good sized dark indigo diamond. And from the unnatural shine coming off of it, it had to have been mined from a Fae mountain. But once the astonishment of the gift wore off, suspicion set it.

“You’re not going to stake me again are you?” I questioned, squinting at his reflection.

“No.”

Fingering the expensive pendant, I asked another question, “Are you really a double double agent for Mab? Because this gift won’t stop me from killing you.”

“No.” He repeated with a roll of his eyes.

At a loss, I looked at the shiny diamond, “Then what the hell is this for?”

“It’s… for what you went through at Slykhelm.”

Eyes lifting to meet his, I raised a blue brow, “What?”

“A compensation for the nightmares, torture, and eating issues.” He heaved out, sounding unbelievably forced.

Trying to smother a grin, I turned around to face him, “Lilly, is this an apology?”

“No. It’s a compensation.” He corrected, firmly.

“From your own money?”

He paused, “Yes.”

A laugh slipped out as warmth bloomed inside my chest and I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. Using my other hand, I grabbed his metal covered jaw and forced him to angle his cheek towards me. Leaning forward, I pressed a chaste kiss to the cool metal, “Thank you, Lilly. It’s beautiful.”

His head was turning back to mine when a knock at the bedroom door pulled my eyes to it. “Queen Macha, dinner is ready.” A snobbish voice called out.

“Thank, Divines. I’m actually hungry. Let’s go.” I said, giving him a pat on the shoulder before walking over to the door.

Pulling it open, I enjoyed the look of poorly concealed shock covering the nameless males face. The shock that only got worse when Cillian appeared just behind my shoulder. Obviously, the family’s love of the Victorian era extended past fashion. Grinning, I brushed a hand over my new diamond pendant to subtly draw his attention to it. The nameless males eyes bulged at the sheer extravagance of the necklace and I notched my chin up just a bit in smugness.

“Queen Macha, that...is not the dress the families had prepared for you.”

“No, it’s not.” I preened. “Don’t I look Divine?”

The short male cleared his throat, “Well, yes. But-”

“Then show us the way to the dining room. My Acolyte gets hangry.”

Light eyes flicked over my shoulder as his face paled further, “Of course. Follow me.”

Humming, I followed behind him as he turned to head down the left side of the hall. Metal heels clicking against the wood, I couldn’t help but feel powerful as we rounded the corner. It wasn’t the normal feeling of confidence but something heady and intoxicating. Like pure steel flowing through my veins, nothing could break me. Whatever it was, I could tell the moment the light yellow haired male felt it. His back stiffened before he glanced over his shoulder and picked up speed.

We followed him around two more turns down a simple log hallway adorned with more armor before finally coming to a stop at a door. A hand touched my shoulder from behind but pulled away almost as quickly. Curious, I turned slightly to see what Cillian wanted but the second I did his head gave a little jerk. He was quick to move around me however and push to the dining room door open to enter first.

“Wait, I have to-” The small male muttered, rushing to stand in front of Cillian. “Now, introducing...Queen Macha and her Acolyte.”

The low murmuring that had been taking place at the small males and Cillian’s entrance, halted when I stepped over the doorway. Within two clicks of my heels the women were stiff and the men were looking everywhere but at me. They really sunk their teeth deep in the past, didn’t they? I thought, looking each of them over. Black hair with flashes of purple was loosely pulled back into an elegant bun while Lady Murphy’s tan neck disappeared into the high collar of her light green dress coat snapped up to her chest by pearl colored buttons.

The disdain in her arched black brows and pursed lips was clear as she said, “There was a dress left in your room. Could you not find it?”

“Oh, I found it.” I replied, walking closer to where the four of them sat behind a horizontal table. “I’m wearing a piece of it.”

“Yes, that much is clear.” Lady O’Sullivan remarked, sarcastically. Her short pink hair gelled back in soft waves that laid flat against her scalp. Her dark skin was like a beacon in the room against the high collared peach dress she wore.

When I stopped my approach, the men had finally collected themselves enough to look at me. Lord Murphy wore a white dress shirt with a light green vest and a black top hat that hid his purple hair. Lord O’Sullivan wore an identical outfit yet his vest was peach to match his wife’s dress. Both men sat at the ends of the table, placing their wives side by side at the wooden table lined with a lace tablecloth.

With a nudge, I pulled the wooden chair away from the table and took a seat across from the four of them. The O’Sullivans looked shocked at my use of a Seelie ability but the Murphy’s had better control over their facial expressions. Gazing at the couples before me, I took in every detail that could be beneficial. Because of their same colored hair, the O’Sullivans had matching gold bands on their left pointer fingers. While the Murphy’s sat at least four inches apart and hadn’t made eye contact with each other since I’d entered the room.

A smile curled my lips when the heat of their eyes was replaced by Cillian’s body heat radiating from right behind me. It was so quick that I thought I had imagined it but I saw Lady Murphy’s face go slack with understanding for half a second. She knew what Cillian was. Being the devout Fae she was, it would have been more surprising if she didn’t know an Acolyte when she saw one.

Black eyes quickly snapped back to mine, “The whispers. They’re true.”

“Yes.” I answered, despite the lack of a question.

Lady Murphy began to shake her head, “It can’t be. The Divines swore to never have children. Who are you descended from?”

I caught myself before I could answer truthfully, “We can discuss that after we discuss your position in the war.”

“What are you offering?” Lord O’Sullivan drawled haughtily.

I waited to reply as a server suddenly appeared to fill our brass goblets. It was only after she had disappeared again that I said, “A chance to rid the realm of Mab. To tear down the kingdom you were thrown out of.”

“If the whispers are true then you’re her daughter.” A nasally voice accused. “Why shouldn’t we just kill you?”

I sighed, pinning Lady O’Sullivan with a bored stare, “Do you honestly believe you could?”

“You need our support and soldiers. Why would we give that to you for free?”

My eyes slid to the end of the table to meet Lord O’Sullivans pink ones, “Why wouldn’t you?”

Refusing to be the first one to look away, I stared him down as plates of food were set down in front of the five of us. When he finally did look away it was at the sound of Lady Murphy’s voice.

“Are you willing to deal?”

Eyes snapping to hers, I immediately got excited, “What kind of a deal?”

“One where everyone gets what they want.”

“Lay it out.” I hummed, drumming my fingers on the wooden table.

Lady Murphy smiled coldly, “A spot on the council for us and an Estate for the O’Sullivans.”

I pretended to think it over, “Mmmmm, no.”

Her black eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

“Counter offer.” I grinned. “No council seat. An Estate for the O’Sullivans and a Knighthood for Lord Murphy.”

“Marquess.”

I laughed, “No.”

“Earl.” She squinted.

“Baron.”

“Viscount.”

“How aboutttt...Baron.”

“Barons fine. I don’t want more responsibility than that. And no Fae deal, I don’t need it. I want Mab dead as much as the next Fae and if what they say about you is true, then I want to be on the right side of this war.” Lord Murphy suddenly snapped.

Mildly surprised, I raised my goblet, “Then let’s toast to new allies and Mab’s coming death!”

Before our cups touched, Lady Murphy asked, “Which Divine is your father?”

“I don’t recall.” I rushed out, clinking our cups together. “To the future of Tir Na Nog!”

——

That little feminine moment Macha had gave me life, she was so cute. And moment between her and Cillian? Swoon. Lmao.

As always, like or comment if you enjoyed the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage 💋