Accacia’s Bite Read online

  Steadying my shaking hand as much as I can, I place the vial to my lips and swallow the potion. It slides down my throat, leaving a distinctly bitter taste, like strong green tea. Almost immediately a warm feeling blossoms in my chest, feathering out from the central point in my solar plexus.

  Nostra raises his hands and I see a purple light dance across his fingers. The light reaches for me as he begins to chant under his breath. His words are quiet, indistinct. I am not sure if it’s because he is speaking softly, or because of the magic that is rushing over my skin and within me, but all I can hear is the sound of my heart beating loudly in my ears. The touch of Nostra’s magic is warm, and my skin prickles as it moves lazily over my skin. Within me the warmth moves in unison until, eventually, every inch of me is buzzing with it. After a while, I start to feel a little woozy. Tiny white stars start to spot my vision and then like the rush of an oncoming wave, I am smothered with a heavy, almost suffocating, magic. Just before my vision darkens, I see Ezra and Rhain rush forward. Then the world goes black.

  * * *

  “Accacia. Can you hear me?”

  I open my eyes to find myself lying in Ezra’s arms on the floor of Nostra’s kitchen. Rhain is kneeling next to me. I feel his warm hands running over every inch of my body, checking me over.

  “Thank the Lights. You had us scared for a moment.”

  “Sorry,” I say. He pulls back, and I find myself staring up at Ezra. He looks furious, but his face softens when I reach up to press my fingers against his cheek. “I’m okay.”

  “Can you sit up?” he asks.

  “I think so.”

  Ezra helps me move into a seated position. I still feel light-headed, and the room moves a little as I do. Lissandra crouches down in front of me, a glass of water in her hand.

  “Drink this. It will help you feel better.”

  “Thanks,” I murmur, taking it from her. I take a sip, surprised to find that it isn’t water but a sweet tasting, floral drink and much nicer than the bitter potion I’d ingested a few minutes ago.

  “So, did it work?” I ask.

  Lissandra tips her head to the side. “Yes, it worked.” She is looking at me strangely, as though she can’t quite believe it herself.

  “The spell has worked perfectly. I did warn you that you might feel a little light-headed,” Nostra says, holding his hand out to me. I go to take it but Rhain gets to me first.

  “I think you’ve done quite enough already,” he says unreasonably as he takes my hands and pulls me to my feet.

  Behind me Ezra stands. I sway a little and I feel his hands grip my hips. When I turn around, he is much taller than I am used to. I mean, he was taller than me already but not this much taller. In fact, Rhain towers over me too. I look down at my feet. They are smaller, my ankles are wider and my calves shapelier. When I look at my hands they are different too, with shorter fingers and callouses on the palms. These hands belong to a person who works hard daily. My skin is darker, much darker than the alabaster I am used to. It is an olive skin tone, like those born in Mediterranean countries.

  “Well this is odd,” I say with an uneasy laugh. At least my voice sounds the same. Pulling my hands free from Rhain’s grasp, I begin to feel my new body. I was already curvy, now I’m even more so. Plump, I guess you could call it. I work my hands over my rounded stomach, upwards towards my chest. My breasts are huge, and they are spilling out over the top of my bra. My face flushes red as I catch Nostra’s eye. He pulls a face.

  “Sorry about that,” he says. “I never truly know what the outcome will be when I cast this spell. It is a very organic process. I start with a vision in mind, but the magic often takes its own course. Really, I am just a conduit for it.”

  “I see.” I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that. Even Lissandra is frowning.

  “The common folk who reside in the flatlands spend their days outside. The Queen would question any plaything brought in with skin as fair as yours was,” he says to explain my appearance.

  “That makes sense,” I say, nodding. Light brown curls tumble over my shoulders at the movement. I pick up a strand of hair. It is much coarser than my own hair and when I pull a curl down then release it, it bounces back up.

  “Do you wish to see what you look like?” Lissandra asks me.

  “Yes, please.” She hands me a small mirror and I hold it up. “Oh,” I say, taken aback by the face staring back at me. The woman I see looks around thirty years old, she is not beautiful, but she is not unattractive either. Handsome, I guess. She has a wide nose, a small forehead and cupid-bow lips. Across the skin of her cheeks are a smattering of freckles, a shade darker than her skin tone. The only part of me that is still recognisable are my eyes. They haven’t changed.

  “Sun kissed,” I say, absentmindedly stroking my fingers against my freckled cheeks.

  “What an unusual expression,” Ezra says from behind me. I can see his reflection in the mirror too and I am suddenly overcome with worry about how they will view me now that I am so different.

  “It is what we say on Earth when someone has spent a long time in the sun and their skin has darkened because of it…” I mumble, handing the mirror back to Lissandra.

  They all look at me strangely. I don’t blame them, I am completely different, after all. It must be odd for them to see me standing here in another woman’s body. Lissandra, noticing my discomfort, hands me a robe. I pull it on gratefully.

  “I’ll need some new dresses,” I say, trying to remain practical. None of the clothes I own will fit me now. This new body is a completely different shape and height. A slight panic enters my chest at the thought. I reassure myself that this is just a temporary measure, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying about what Rhain and Ezra must be thinking of me.

  “That’s okay, I will spell you another one.” Nostra looks at us. “Lissa, I need your opinion on the best design,” he says, understanding we need a moment alone. They enter my bedroom at the back of his cottage, leaving us alone together.

  I wrap the robe tightly around me and cross my arms over my ample chest. Rhain and Ezra watch me intently. For an awkward moment none of us speak.

  “This is a brave thing you are doing, Accacia,” Ezra says, striding over to me. He pulls me to him and drops his lips to mine, kissing me tenderly. After a moment he breaks away, leaving me breathless and weak-kneed.

  “I love your stubbornness, your courage, your desire to do what is right despite the danger you put yourself in. I am proud to be your husband. I love you.”

  He steps back, allowing Rhain access to me. He raises his hands to cup my cheeks, those beautiful indigo eyes never once leaving mine. “I see you staring back at me, Cia. I still see you, even though this body is so different. Do not ever doubt my feelings. My love will never waver, no matter how you appear on the outside.” He presses the softest of kisses against my lips, murmuring my name all the while.

  “Well I’m glad that’s all sorted then,” Nostra says, entering the kitchen with a simple brown dress lacking any of the fancy frills he usually conjures up.

  Rhain and I pull apart as he approaches. I take the dress from him.

  “Not one of my finest, I know, but it is what the women wear in the flatlands. They do not have fancy attire, I’m afraid. It’s a shame really.”

  I grin at the irony. To be honest, I spend most of my days altering the dresses Nostra gives to me to look as plain as possible, so this dress is perfect. “Thank you, Nostra,” I say, quickly pulling off my robe and stepping into the dress. Lissandra hooks the fastenings together on the back for me.

  “There,” she says.

  “How long do I have?” I ask Nostra. I feel like Cinderella going to the ball, only her fairy godmother had cast a spell to make her even more beautiful so the prince would fall in love with her. This spell has the opposite effect, it is to help me blend in.

  “Your appearance should remain as it is for at least three days. Long enough, I hope, for you
to get Devin out of the castle and back here to safety.”

  I smooth down the pleats of my dress. “Three days, got it. Before I go, is there anything else I need to be aware of?” I think of Cinderella and her lost slipper and the magic that had lingered even after the bell had chimed midnight.

  “When the spell is coming to an end, you will feel much the same as you did when I cast it. A little light-headed, dizzy. It’s possible you will faint again. The reversal will be quick. Don’t be in the castle when it happens.”

  “She won’t be,” Ezra says. “We have no intention of staying there any longer than necessary.”

  Outside I hear the night market come alive as people head out of their homes to sell their wares and start their upside-down day.

  “We should leave before it gets too busy. Queen Adrielle will be expecting my return, and yours too,” Lissandra says to Rhain and Ezra. “You will also need to introduce…” Lissandra stops, considering me for a moment. “What shall we call you?”

  I think for a moment. I remember my dream and the darkness that threatens us all. There really is only one choice I can think of.

  “Dawn,” I say. For that’s what I intend to be, the light of dawn breaking through Devin’s darkness.

  Chapter Five

  It doesn’t take us long to reach the stone pathway that winds its way up to the castle. As the gravel path bleeds into stone, Lissandra stops. A cool wind tousles her long hair and leaves a chill over my skin. I wrap my arms around myself, trying not to shiver. Looming above us are the dark walls of the castle, the only light coming from the moon that shines through a bank of silver cloud.

  “This is where we must part. I cannot be seen entering the castle with you all. Whatever you do, you must play down your feelings for one another. She hates other people’s happiness and will destroy it the moment she sets eyes on it by whatever means possible. She wouldn’t think twice about murdering a common woman. If I am worthless, they’re nothing but cattle to her.”

  “I understand. Thank you, Lissandra. I hope after this is done, we will have time to get to know each other properly.”

  “I’d like that,” she replies. Her eyes flick to Rhain and Ezra, who are standing quietly behind me. “Be the men she knows, the Dark Knights everyone fears, and not the men you truly are. It is the only way any of you will survive the next few days.”

  Rhain and Ezra move to stand next to me. From the set of their jaws and their guarded looks she has hit a nerve. Who were they before I met them? I guess I am about to find out.

  “We shall,” Rhain says.

  “As you know, the Queen believes you have been hunting a pack of wolf-shifters. I have informed her that Devin arrived back early because you became separated. She hasn’t asked to see him, content that he is her Punisher once more. He is far more valuable to her in his current state in the South tower. He is quite… formidable. It will be different for you both. Stick to the story, no matter what happens.”

  “Thank you, Lissandra,” Ezra says.

  She takes a step back. “You’ve surprised me. I am glad you have found Accacia. Maybe we truly can overthrow Queen Adrielle. Take care of each other, and get Devin out.” With that, she swivels on her heel and leaves us behind.

  We all watch her climb the path upwards. After a while we can no longer see her, the black of her dress and dark hair lost to the surrounding darkness of the castle.

  “We should go. Queen Adrielle will be calling a gathering shortly like she does every night. We must be in attendance,” Ezra says. He pulls me against his chest quickly, wrapping his strong arms around me tightly, then lets me go. “Like Lissandra said, Rhain and I will have to act a certain way inside the castle. The men you will experience within those walls are not the men we are.”

  “I know that.”

  “We will be unrecognisable. But never lose your faith in us. In what we have,” Rhain says, his indigo eyes turbulent.

  “I won’t.”

  “Then let us go save our brother,” Ezra says.

  * * *

  The castle itself is quiet. A deathly silence hangs over us as we walk along the eastern terrace. Torches are alight at intervals, and I feel the heat of the flames as we pass them by. Neither Rhain or Ezra have said a word to me since we stepped inside the castle walls. Their silence only adds to the unease I feel.

  “Where is everyone?” I whisper as we step out into a small courtyard.

  As if answering my question, a tall man, taller than Ezra, steps out from an archway up ahead. He has the whitest hair and the brightest, bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He looks young, no more than twenty, but at the same time has this way about him that tells me he is far, far older than that. There is something strange about him, he’s both compelling and repellent. I don’t know whether I want to touch him or run away screaming. As the man with glacial eyes approaches, I step back.

  “Ether, it’s been many years,” Ezra says. Rhain steps closer to me, his arm brushing against my own. I feel the tension leaching from him. Is he afraid of this man? Even Ezra moves closer to my side.

  “Indeed, it has.”

  “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  Ether folds his arms across his chest. “Your absence has meant that Gabe, Mihr and I have been called to take your place at the Queen’s side. Now her favourites have returned we are free to leave. Or at least once the Jubilee ball has taken place.”

  Favourites? They were not hers to favour. I bite down on the words I want to say, my anger spitting like a hog roasting over a fire.

  Ezra shrugs. “I care not. It’s about time Clan Vitae pulled their weight. Whilst you and your brothers were here relaxing, we were in the desert plains hunting a rogue pack of wolf-shifters. They are all dead now.”

  Ether raises a white eyebrow. “They must have been quite the pack, given it’s taken you this many moon cycles to deal with them. Perhaps you are losing your touch?” Ether turns his ice-cold stare to me. I meet his gaze, determined not to look away even though it makes me feel sick to look at him. He takes a step forward, his eyes narrowing. My heart crashes in my chest. What the hell is he?

  Ezra steps in front of me. “This woman is mine,” he growls.

  “Brother,” Rhain warns.

  “Be quiet, Rhain. Ether is not touching my plaything. She is mine to do with as I see fit. I have plans for her.” Ezra looks at me, his face void of emotion. “The wolf-shifter pack stole her from the flatlands, and I took her back. She’s my property now,” he snarls. “If you want her, you need to go through me first.”

  Ether steps back, laughing. He holds his hands up. “I have no desire to take your plaything to the Shadowlands. I was merely interested in the ring she is wearing,” he says, pointing to my hand. I attempt to cover it up. Shit.

  Rhain grabs my hand roughly. “What, this piece of rust? Why would this interest you? Is it of value?”

  Ether’s gaze fixes back on the ring. “I’ve seen a similar one on another woman.”

  “So what? What do you know?”

  Ether’s gaze flicks back up. He catches my eyes and I see a glimmer of understanding there, a fleeting warmth, before it is gone.

  “You’re right, just a piece of rust. Nothing of value here,” he says, the ice of his gaze raising goose-bumps over my skin.

  Rhain drops my hand, but steps even closer. I can feel the slight graze of his fingers against my arm before cold air replaces the warmth. That brief touch, his apology for grabbing me so roughly.

  “The Queen wishes to speak with you now,” Ether says, turning on his heels. I feel a sense of relief now that he is moving away from us. Breath whooshes out of my mouth in a rush, and the sounds of life around us fill my ears. The castle is no longer as silent as death. Did this man bring the silence?

  Ether stops in the middle of the courtyard. “Don’t delay, Queen Adrielle is not in the best of moods.”

  “We will visit the Queen once I have deposited this woman in my apartment,” Ezra
says offhandedly. His words are relaxed, but he is not. The tension is thick and cloying, the danger very real.

  “That would be unwise, the Queen wishes to see her too. Don’t piss her off. I’ve had enough of cleaning up her rages.”

  “Enough. Isn’t that what you thrive on, Angel of Death?” Rhain scoffs.

  Ether says nothing in response, he merely exits the courtyard through an arched doorway and disappears from view.

  “Lights damn it,” Rhain swears under his breath.

  “Angels of Death?” I whisper. Is that why I felt so uncomfortable in Ether’s presence?

  “He is a member of Clan Vitae. But he is the least of our worries. The Queen wishes to see us, all of us. We can’t take, Ci… Dawn,” he corrects.

  “Not here,” Ezra hisses.

  Approaching us are two women, who both glance warily at us. They stop a respectable distance away and curtsey. “Knights,” they say in unison, before giving us all a wide berth and rushing off. I can’t help but notice the dread they show. I want to tell them they’ve no need to fear Rhain and Ezra, that they are good men, but here, in this place, they are not.

  Ezra waits for them to leave before speaking. “There is no way around this, brother. We go now to the Queen.”

  Rhain’s face is tight, but he doesn’t try to protest.

  * * *

  The room we enter is a vast hall with high vaulted ceilings. Along the walls are strange black flames that seem to produce light and suck it from the room at the same time. Ezra and Rhain are walking in front of me, the sounds of their steps on the stone floor echoing around us. Even though I can’t see anyone, I know there are people standing in the shadows, watching. We are no doubt surrounded by people from Clan Lux. Vampires like Rhain, Ezra and Devin. I am scared, terrified in fact. This is their territory, their castle. I sense their malevolence. The clan members in this room, they are not our friends.