Wyld Child
Ch. 14: Ballroom Blitz
APOV
I slipped into Bella's bedroom then made my way to her bed. It had been two days since we'd gotten here and the two Faerie Queens healed my mate's body and put her into a magical sleep. Our mother, Esme, hadn't left her side the whole time and the rest of us found other ways to occupy the time. Carlisle was introduced to a Fey healer and learned as much as he could about faerie anatomy. Rose passed the time beating the shit out of Aerrol while Jasper had fun sparring with the twins as he learned sidhe fencing and fighting techniques. I'd been asked to stay with Angela because too much had changed for her and she was having a hard time coping. That left Emmett to his own devices but so far nothing major had happened.
Mom kissed the brunette girl on the forehead then gave me a hug and kiss before she left. I crawled under the covers and snuggled up to my mate. Granted, I was still pissed off at her for running off and almost getting killed but that had to wait because I needed to feel her in my arms. With a contented sigh, I placed soft butterfly kisses on her neck and she gave a sleepy moan. The need to check my mate for injuries then claim her took hold and it was long before her clothes were discarded and my cold hands skimmed along her flesh while my eyes searched of even the slightest blemish. Bella's nipples hardened and her arousal filled the room then her eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning, baby," she murmured with a voice that was still thick with sleep but I only growled in response. The animal in me was satisfied that my mate was safe but knew she needed to be taught a lesson.
Bella's eyes widened in shock as my teeth bit through the thin flesh of her throat at the same time two of my fingers into her wet core without warning. I drank two mouthfuls of the intoxicating blood then sealed the wound. My eyes narrowed to slits and I growled whenever she attempted to buck her hips or do anything other than just lay there while I fucked her mercilessly. I felt her muscles tense as she drew ever closer to her orgasm. Just as abruptly as I started, I stopped and pulled my fingers out of her seconds before she was able to get her release. I laughed darkly at her frustrated whimpers and the sidhe glared at me.
"Oh no, my mate, you won't be having a climax for a very long time despite the fact that I will be fucking you every night. Consider a fitting punishment for the pain you put me through when you ran off to face that twisted bastard by yourself," I hissed in her ear just before I kissed her lips hard. My own clit throbbed so I pinned Bella's arms to the headboard then slowly lowered myself onto her face. The other girl wasted no time and gave the sensitive bundle of nerves a wicked tongue lashing. Just before I crashed over the edge, I flashed off her then stood at the foot of the bed and fingered myself until exploded over my fingers. My mate hung her head when she realized that not only wouldn't she get to cum but she wouldn't get to lap up any of my sweet cream.
Her crestfallen expression nearly broke my heart but I stood my ground because she needed to learn a lesson. The only concession to my guilt I made was to flash over and give her a soft kiss and whisper a quick I love you. She gave me a small smile and I read the acceptance in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said began but the rest was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.
Bella quickly redressed in her discarded bedclothes and I straightened myself up before the door was opened. Angela glided gracefully into the room then shut the door behind her. The once painfully shy girl visibly relaxed when the heavy piece of oak clicked into place. She closed her eyes and concentrated and the Glamour that was her human Mask settled over her. The two of us nodded at each other then took seats by the bed while my mate sat up.
"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything but I wanted to apologize for not coming to see you sooner and keeping Alice away," she began but kept her eyes trained on the bedspread instead of looking her sister in the eyes.
"It's not a problem. There was nothing you could do and I realize that a lot has happened that you needed to process. Besides, I'm glad Ali had something to focus on other than me while I was sleeping. The only thing that matters now, little sister, is that you're here now and I'm back to my old self," Bella replied honestly and the younger sidhe finally lifted her gaze.
"The Queens are throwing a ball in your honor tonight so Dad wanted me to tell you that attendance was mandatory and hunting attire was not an option. He said something about finally using your closet," Ang finished and giggled as her sister's eyes widened with panic.
At the mention of the word closet, I looked around the entire room for the first time. I noticed a larges set of double doors in the opposite wall and a single door in the far corner of the same wall. Deciding to play Lewis & Clark, I went off to explore the mystery doors. Behind the single door I found a small room that held a basin, a claw-footed tub large enough to fit two people and a toilet. There was no observable plumbing so I figured each of the items worked through some kind of Glamour. The color drained from Bella's face with each step I'd taken toward the double doors.
My best friend waited for me there and together we opened the doors. Angela and I squealed and shrieked like those women you see on game shows when we found a walk-in closet the size of two rooms on the other side. The two of us walked in reverent awe along racks of gowns made of some shimmering material we'd never seen before. In addition to the beautiful dresses, there were rows of matching shoes. At the end of the closet was a vanity table, the drawers of which held exquisite pieces of jewelry of unparalleled craftsmanship. Ang closed her eyes while she played with a silver ring on one of her fingers then I felt the air vibrate as a tendril of magic shot out the direction we'd come from. A minute later, Bella wandered over to us in a daze and stopped.
"What… why…," she sputtered as she blinked rapidly before realization dawned and she continued hotly to her sister, "You put the Come Hither on me!"
"But of course, sister dear, Fenn and Hern told me how much you hate Balls and dressing up and how you'd try to escape in spite of the whole mandatory attendance decree," the other sidhe commented sweetly and unrepentantly while I glared at my mate for attempting to skip out on us. Esme and Rose showed up not long after and the four of us ganged up on the violet eyed Wyld Child.
EPOV (Emmett)
As much as I was concerned about my new little sister's health, there was nothing I could do for her so when the rest of the family was distracted I went off to find some fun. When I asked Fenn and Hern about how they entertained themselves, I was told they either hunted or had sex. I wasn't in the mood to hunt and Edward wasn't around so that meant no pixie handy-j's for the foreseeable future; that meant sex was out unless some sexy sidhe beast decided to grab their ankles while I sank my sword into their stone. To say I was bored was a massive understatement.
For the last two days, I wandered the castle and its grounds in search of anything remotely distracting. Eventually, I ended up in the kennels that housed the fey hounds that Cernunnos trained for the other sidhe. My eyes gleamed with mischief as a plan formed and I tried to bury it before a certain pesky pint-sized vampire had a vision of it then ratted me out. This is going to be legendary; I thought smugly then ran off to get everything I needed to set things in motion.
BPOV
My traitorous mother and sisters had spent the entire afternoon torturing me but not even their worst compared to the Hell I was being forced to endure now. If being in a frickin' gown wasn't bad enough, the ballroom of the High Palace looked like something Shakespeare shit out after being force fed a Renaissance Festival. It made me want to puke. Summer and Winter had gone all out for this little shindig in my honor so Father had told me to just grin and bear it. The only thing that made putting up with all this crap was Alice.
My mate was the most beautiful creature in the room and she was all mine. After I was made over, I'd been forced to go with Rose while Mom helped the tiny terror get ready for the ball. I almost came when I first saw her descending the staircase so we could leave. Alice's normally short spiky tresses had been Glamoured into a flowing raven mane that was done with diamonds and rubies woven into it. The ruby gown she wore, like all of our gowns, shimmered with a soft light of its own and accentuated her vampiric beauty. When she lifted the gown to step down the stairs, I noticed the diamond encrusted slippers on her feet. To be honest, outside of my initial reaction to the decorations, all of my attention was taken up by my mate. The Queens drew me temporarily out of my private contemplations of the perfection that was Alice as they called all of the celebrants to attention.
"We have come here to honor Princess Isabella for putting herself in harm's way by facing Robin Redcap alone and without the full powers of the Sidhe to aid her," Summer began and motioned for me to approach.
"From the time of her birth, we as a people have done her nothing but disservice but when the time came for her to defend her loved ones and a race that turned its back on her, she did so without any hesitation and with the knowledge that she might not survive. In so doing, the Princess proved to be all that is best in us and we owe her a dept that cannot be repaid," Winter continued and most of the assembled sidhe looked down in shame.
"With the exception of Princess Angela, who was unaware of her true heritage, my daughter, Isabella, has proven a more worthy heir than any of my sons. Therefore, as her reward, she shall be given a mantle of her own and charged with protecting the Mortal Realm as its Lady of the Wyld Hunt," my father finished to a round of cheers from the crowd then he and the two queens touched me upon the forehead and power flowed into me.
Not even a minute later, I was passed around the dance floor by sons of many houses until I was finally able to get free. I scanned the crowd then made my way over to my family after I located them. Mom and the others congratulated me, which I accepted graciously even though I'd only done what needed to. Eventually, I found myself back on the dance floor with my mate in my arms. Once more, I found myself lost in her beauty and understood that there was never going to be a moment as perfect as this one. As I spun her gracefully with one hand, I placed the other behind my back and focused my will on exactly what I wanted. When the song stopped, I dropped to one knee while I kept hold of her left hand.
"Mary Alice Brandon Cullen, I pledge to honor and cherish you with all that I am until the End of Time. Will you be my wife," I proposed then held out the ring I'd just created with my Glamour; a delicate silver band mounted with entwined hearts, one topaz and the other an amethyst that was light violet. A hush fell over the room as everyone waited for her reply.
"Ye - ," Alice started to answer but the doors burst open and a pack of Fey Hounds charged into the room and started tearing up the place. The raven haired vampire was able to jump out of the way in time but I was knocked on my ass as several of the animals jumped on me then started to lick my face. The twins quickly got the animals under control and the Emmett's loud guffaw filled the room as servants straightened up the mess. I understood at that moment that this was one of his pranks and it ruined a precious moment. Apparently, I wasn't the only one that reached that conclusion.
"RUN," I snarled at him and his eyes widened in shock then he turned tail and ran; me, Alice and Rose where hot on his trail and ready to inflict much bodily harm.
The coward actually thought he was going to out run us but he overestimated his chances. Without warning, the Spring Maiden was in front of him. She put out a leg and the fleeing vampire fell face first into the floor then slid to a stop at the feet of the Fall Maiden who was blocking the only exit while she glared at him. He picked himself off the floor and cast about for another escape route but wasn't able to find one. His expression became frantic as my mate, sister and I slowly stalked over to him.
"Please… I didn't know Bella was going to propose, I just thought it would be funny," Emmett begged. Under any other circumstances, it would've been funny but I wasn't in a particularly forgiving or understanding mood.
Apparently, neither was Alice or Rose. My mate punched the ox right in his twig and berries with all of her strength. My big sister grabbed each of his hands while he rolled on the floor in pain and snapped off each of his fingers then put them in a bag that the Fall Maiden was holding. The timely arrival of Mom, Carlisle, Father and the Queens prevented anything else from being done to him.
My father helped the fool to his feet then spoke, "Emmett Cullen, in your desire to amuse yourself, you have ruined a special moment between my daughter and her intended as well as disrupted a celebration planned by both Summer and Winter. It is my decree that you shall remain in Avalon for a year and a day. Because you prefer the company of men, you shall spend that time satisfying the sexual needs of every sidhe woman, most especially Summer and Winter."
"NOOOOO," Em cried as the twins latched on to his arms then dragged him away. I wanted to feel sorry for him but there were times when I was a vindictive bitch and this was one of them. I remembered that I still had the ring in my hand so I held it up and arched an eyebrow at my mate.
"Of course my answer is yes," Alice stated then held out her hand so that I could place the ring on her finger.
AN: The wedding and the epilogue will be the next chapter.