Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

I don’t think I moved at all in my sleep. Being held by Lily, feeling her warmth against my skin, and the lack of dreams ensured I slept like a rock. I wasn’t even sure if the lack of dreams was a coincidence or her glamour pushing them away. As a half-fae, her magic wasn’t powerful, but she had a few tricks here and there. 

Her aura cocooned me as snuggled. 

My brain wasn’t too aware of the bedroom door opening, but my inner wolf was. The canine knew the body approaching my bed owned every ounce of me, wolf and human. No threat. Just the mistress come to see me the next morning as she’d promised. 

“It looks like I won the bet,” Varella said, grinning like the canary that just ate the cat.

Lily and I stirred. Our eyes met, and then we turned to face the Raven Queen who stood next to my bed with her arms crossed. 

“My queen. Did you just return?” Lily asked, fighting a yawn. 

“I did, and just in time to catch my spy and my pet returning from the realm of dreams. I take it last night went well?” the queen asked, looking over at our blanket fort and a half-eaten bowl of popcorn on a small table nearby. 

I was at a loss for words as I sat up. Embarrassment didn’t fill me, but something adjacent did. What was diagonal from embarrassment? Consternation? I was probably that. 

Lily rose from the bed first and bowed her head. 

“Permission to be dismissed, your grace? I’ve got to catch a train in the human world in a few hours,” Lily said. 

The queen nodded. 

“Hey! Wait,” I said, hopping out of bed after Lily. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll see me again soon, Sierra,” Lily said, drawing me in for a hug. 

I leaned in close and held her tight, not letting go for several seconds. I didn’t want her to go, but she had a job to do. 

“Last night meant a lot to me,” I said, trying not to sound stupid. “And. . . I hope we’ll have more nights like that in the future.” 

Lily held me for a few more seconds and then pulled away. 

“You fool! Queen Varella only sent me in here to steal your secrets. And you gave me everything last night. Not one shred of secrecy remains between us,” she suddenly shouted with a wicked grin. 

I was two seconds from strangling her when she suddenly hugged me tight again and said, “Kidding. I’ll see you soon, my friend. Anything you want from the human world?”

Did I want anything from home? I had everything here I wanted, right?

“Can you grab me an energy drink? I kinda miss those,” I said. 

“Monster?” she asked. 

“Yeah, but none of the weird flavors. Just the regular one, please,” I said. 

Lily nodded and went into the bathroom to wash up and change clothes. While she was in there, I turned to my mistress, unsure of what to say. 

“You were right,” I whispered. 

The Raven Queen grinned again and held a hand up to her ear. 

“I’m sorry, my pet. You spoke too quietly. What was it you said?” 

“Your ears are bigger than mine! Ain’t no way you failed to hear what I just said. And I’m not saying it again,” I hissed, pointing a finger at the most wretched being in the universe, who I conveniently forgot literally held my heart in her hand. 

With a simple advance in my direction, she pushed me back until I was against the wall. Then she placed a palm on its flat surface just to the right of my head. The towering beauty leaned down in my direction, and I suddenly felt small, so goddamn tiny.

“I think you will repeat your words, darling, as many times as I tell you to, as loud as I command,” Varella said, her violet eyes burrowing deep into my psyche.   

Fuck, I forgot how. . . everything she was, I thought, swallowing. 

My breathing was now loud enough for the two of us to hear, which was always a bad sign for my free will. 

With her face millimeters from mine, the Raven Queen said, “Repeat your words.” 

“Wh—why?” I stammered. 

The queen’s eyes lowered to my lips and then maybe even down further. She traced a finger down the side of my neck to where she’d marked me. I shivered as its temperature plummeted. 

“Because I want to remind you of your place, my pet. And I know you love it when I embarrass you and make you squirm,” she whispered. 

Was I squirming? I was, wasn’t I? Wait, when did my pajamas change into boy shorts and a tiny tank top? Did she do that with her glamour?

No, wait. . . I did that last night before bed, I thought. Fuck, I can’t think straight when I’m squirming. 

Her finger traded lower still. 

“I’m waiting,” she said. 

My heart was beating slow and deep, the bass drum in a marching band rooted within my chest. 

“You were right,” I finally choked out. 

“Once more, for the faeries in back,” the queen said as one finger became two and hovered over my wolfheart. Its magic responded to the proximity of her own. And I suddenly remembered my mistress’ magic was circling inside me. 

“You were right,” I exhaled, a pitiful attempt at boosting my volume. But it seemed satisfactory for my mistress who lowered her lips to my forehead and kissed me gently. 

“Good girl,” she said, lifting her fingers from my chest. 

No, wait! Put those back, I thought. Grab me, dammit. What’s a wolf gotta do to be fondled by her mistress? 

Lily excused herself to go catch a train. And that left my mistress and me. We ate breakfast while she gave me the basic rundown of her new trip to Eagle’s Loft. The widow didn’t exactly throw Varella a parade, but she accepted the corpse of her husband with a full understanding of his crimes against the Raven Court. 

“So you haven’t slept since yesterday?” I asked. 

Varella shook her head while eating a bowl of strawberries. 

“I don’t tire as easily as a human does. You’ll figure that out in due time,” she said, and I was suddenly aware of the Raven Queen rubbing her leg against mine. 

Maybe I should just beg now and get this over with, I thought. Finally end this godsforsaken tension and—

Barsilla interrupted my thoughts flying into the dining room with a tightly-wrapped parchment the size of her body. 

“My queen! Urgent dispatch from the Worm Court,” she said, flying over as the queen let out a mighty sigh. 

“Let me see. This better not be another misplaced diplomat,” Varella said, opening the message. Its wax seal, depicting a worm sticking out of an apple, was already broken. I assume the queen’s left-hand lady had the authority to look at such a document. 

As the queen read in silence, I finished my French toast. Barsilla hugged her chest and waited for whatever the queen would do next. 

“Is Lady Bon-Hwa awake yet?” Varella asked, rolling the scroll and handing it back to Barsilla. The piskie nodded. 

“Go and fetch her,” the Raven Queen said. “And have Keitz prepare my armor.” 

That word caught my attention. Armor was something you wore if there was the possibility of trouble. We’d just barely finished breakfast. I was getting ready to beg the queen to. . . well, I don’t know what. But I imagined I’d be on my hands and knees soon enough. That was out the window now apparently as Barsilla flew off as fast as she’d approached. 

“Bad news, your grace?” I asked, putting my fork and knife down on my plate. 

“Seems war is afoot, my pet. Not uncommon in the land of Faerie. The Yellow Court has invaded our neighbors and allies to the west, the Worm Court. Their king wrote for aid, and I am bound to honor their request by treaty,” she said. 

My heart skipped a beat, but she spoke on the subject of war with the same casual voice one would discuss their chores. 

“You seem calm for being on the verge of war,” I said, losing my nerve to beg. What was getting fucked in the face of something as dramatic as war? This court conflict had cuntblocked me.

“As I said, my pet. War is not uncommon here. It’s not in your world either, if I remember correctly. The difference is, before I send my feathers and talons into conflict, I’m going to see the situation for myself,” she said. 

I just stared. Imagine a leader that went straight to the frontlines to get a feel for the situation before sending soldiers to their deaths. 

“That’s a shame, mistress. I just got you back, and already you’re off to the Worm Court,” I sighed. 

The Raven Queen raised an eyebrow and said, “Fret not, darling. You’ll be coming with me.” 

I nearly choked on my spit, which is not an attractive prospect, but it seemed to make my mistress smile all the same. 

“I’m going?? To fight a war?” I said, my heart picking up steam as it left the station. Dread filled me like static after a nearby lightning strike. 

Fae kitchen staff came in to clean the table, and the queen said nothing while they did so, except to thank them. 

“You won’t be going to fight a war, but to keep my company as I determine if one is necessary,” the queen said. 

I stewed on that for several minutes. And I honestly wasn’t sure that was much better. Either way, I’d be traveling into a warzone, right?

While I thought, another woman entered the dining room from behind me. I hadn’t seen her before, but she smelled of jasmine. 

“You called for me, your grace?” she said with a higher voice than my mistress. 

I turned to see a beautiful faerie closer to my height, wearing a red gown that covered much of her beige skin. Her long black hair was tied back with ribbons. Her brown eyes met mine, and I felt a great power behind them that whispered to me. I didn’t want to know what would happen if this fae challenged my mistress, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen. 

“That’s going to be your title again for a little while,” Varella said, finishing the bowl of strawberries as she stood and faced the newcomer. 

The way this new fae stood was full of careful and measured power. Whereas my mistress made a bit of a show over her magic and abilities, I almost got the opposite sense from the woman standing behind me. 

“This, my pet, is Lady Bon-Hwa. She is my queen in command,” Varella said, walking around the table. 

I scrambled to stand and bow my head, even if I didn’t know what that term meant. Did this court have two queens?

“So this is your new pet I’ve heard so much about. I hear you have a fearsome wolf within you, Sierra,” Bon-Hwa said. 

“It’s true. I am a werewolf, your grace,” I said. 

You are reading story The Fae Queen’s Pet at novel35.com

She shook her head at that, and I felt like I metaphorically stubbed my toe. Fuck, this court business was enough to throw me into a whirlwind of word faux-pas. Perhaps this is why it was easier for me to be a wolf when I was at court. No need to talk. Just needed to kill folks that got out of line.  

“I am only queen when your mistress is absent from Featherstone. That’s what it is to be queen in command. I hold the throne and authority until she returns. Until then, a simple honorific like ‘lady’ will suffice,” she said. 

“My apologies, Lady Bon-Hwa,” I said, bowing again. 

She giggled with a voice that was softer than Varella’s but not quite as airy. 

“Think nothing of it, little wolf. This has only been your home for a few days. Nobody in the court expects you to immediately master fae etiquette,” she said. 

Even her smile was more reserved than my mistress’. She held so much of herself in check by comparison. It was such a fascinating study of different rulers. 

“Anyway, can I assume you’re off to answer King Yulcifer’s request for military assistance against the invasion?” she asked. 

My mistress nodded and said, “I’m going to travel to the capital and see if that’s truly necessary.” 

The queen in command thought for a moment. She looked down at the tablecloth and then back up at my mistress. 

“Might I suggest a more cautious approach, your grace?”

Varella nodded. 

“Why not dispatch a group of talons to scope out the matter? It seems risky for you to go,” Bon-Hwa said. 

My mistress placed a hand on my head, moving it back and forth. I swayed with her movements. 

“Worry not. I’ll have my wolf there. It would take my talons two days to ride to Jagged Point. If the situation truly is as dire as King Yulcifer insists, I can get there much faster and send word back. I’m sorry to request your presence on the throne again so soon. But will you assume my duties when I’m away?” Varella asked. 

“Whatever you need for the good of the court, your grace,” Bon-Hwa said, bowing her head. 

I honestly liked her plan better. It let me stay here. But before I could suggest as much, a morbid question reared itself in my head. 

“Ummm, mistress? If she remains your queen in command while you’re gone, what happens if you. . . fall in battle?” I asked, my voice growing timider as I spoke. 

Varella looked down at me without an ounce of fear or anger that I’d just questioned what happened after she died. I flinched when her hand move. Habit. She lightly grabbed my chin and pulled my gaze toward hers. 

“Well, should I fall in battle, Lady Bon-Hwa would become queen of the Raven Court, permanently. And you, my pet, would be escorted back to Featherstone to take your rightful place at her side,” the Raven Queen said. Still no malice, just a matter-of-fact statement. 

But while I processed her words, one thing stood out the most. 

“Wa— wait a second, mistress. I’m your pet. And only your pet. With all due respect, I didn’t give myself to your queen in command, lovely as she may be,” I stammered, looking back and forth at the two ladies. 

“Oh, you hear that, your grace? Your pet called me lovely,” she said, smiling. 

“So she did. It’s almost like she’s plotting to end me so she can pass to you,” Varella said. 

While my head spun, I tried to find a sentence to answer all the verbal absurdity that just spilled out over the breakfast table. 

“I would never. And even if I wanted to, you put my inner wolf down so easily, your grace. It’d be physically impossible to— I’m sorry. Can we get back to the matter of Lady Bon-Hwa inheriting me as her pet?” 

Silence fell over the room for a second before both the queen and the queen in command started laughing, almost in sync. 

“Relax, my pet. I was only teasing. You like it when I do that, remember?”

My cheeks burned. I most certainly did not like that, at least not when someone else was present. 

Varella cleared her throat. 

“You swore to be my pet. I am the Raven Queen. If something happens to me, Lady Bon-Hwa becomes the Raven Queen. So your oath transfers to her,” my mistress explained. “I have no doubt she’d take good care of you in my absence, but you would also find several differences in how and when she chose to put you in your place, darling.” 

I wasn’t sure if I liked the sound of that. And knowing that I wouldn’t go free should something awful happen to Varella left me a little glum. Then again, did I want to go free? I didn’t have anything waiting for me back in the human world. 

So I guess the question of my desire would come down to how Bon-Hwa treated me, I thought, looking at her. I’m sure I could do a lot worse than find myself at the mercy of a gorgeous woman like her. 

“Are you imagining what it’d be like for you to be my pet, little wolf?” the queen in command asked. 

At that time, I confess, I was starting to mentally compare what it would be like to beg her to fuck me, as I intended to do with Varella before all this war business got started. But that was too embarrassing to admit, so I locked those thoughts away under key for further deep philosophical pondering at a future date. Then I dug out the tried and true strategy that had yet to fail me in life. . . denial.  

I shook my head, cheeks burning something fierce. 

“That’s a definite yes,” Varella said, as I turned back toward her. 

“No, honest! I’m yours and only yours, mistress,” I said. 

Varella leaned in close, pushing my chin into her chest, and she whispered, “Don’t you forget it, my pet. . . either way, you’re not going back. Featherstone is your home now, whether you’re my pet or eventually Lady Bon-Hwa’s.” 

An awkward silence filled the room, and Varella broke it as if there were no verbal obstacles occupying space around us. 

“My pet and I will be leaving within the hour. Will you wait in the court chambers for word of my departure? At that time, you’re acting queen once more,” Varella said. 

Bon-Hwa smiled and dipped her head slightly. 

“I serve the court in this duty as any other,” she said. 

Then, my mistress left the room, grabbing my hand and pulling me along as though my arm and where it connected to my shoulder was a leash. There was no agitation in the tug, only the same amount of urgency she’d given to this whole impending war business since Barsilla barged into the dining room. That is to say. . . not much. 

My mistress guided me downstairs by the hand to the ground floor. She went into a small room adjacent to the armory and not far from the rear entrance to Featherstone. I could look outside and see the watchtower. 

Ceras was waiting with my queen’s leather armor in their hands. 

“Ah, Ceras. You beat me here,” the queen said. 

She turned as they helped her slide the armor on and buckled it in the back. 

“Eh, I was already posted out back. Coming in here and gathering your armor didn’t take long,” they said. “Are you taking Sierra with you?”

The queen simply nodded as Ceras pulled out her boots. They sported black brass wings near the heels, maybe an inch long. 

While the queen finished putting those on, Ceras turned to me. 

“I’m glad to have caught you, Sierra. I need your expertise,” Ceras said with a big smile. I smiled back. They had this infectious way of spreading joy that straddled the line between cocky and charismatic. 

“What do you need?” I asked. 

“If you were going to bring your partner home flowers, but the ones he likes most were out of season and impossible to find, and you didn’t know what other kinds to pick, which would you choose?” Ceras asked in the most roundabout way imaginable. 

I thought for a moment while they handed the queen a folded black cloak with a blackbird stitched in red covering the back. 

“Just go with his favorite color or smell,” I said. “You already know you’re not going to find the perfect match for what he usually likes. So just think about other floral qualities he’s fond of, and you shouldn’t go wrong.” 

“Of course! That’s brilliant. Just one more question,” they said. 

The queen picked up a metal band that lined the front of her face. The ends looked like a bird spreading its wings, while a small beak bowed out at the top center. She slid it down into place with the silver band framing her calm expression. The queen was ready to face a battle if it came to it. 

“Time to go, my pet,” she said, moving toward the exit. 

“Wait, your grace. Please. This is important!” Ceras said, full of dramatic need. 

She paused and turned back to us, seeming to wait for whatever else they had to ask. Ceras’ eyes turned to mine, and they asked, “Should I flex one arm or both when I’m giving him the flowers?”

“By the gods,” Varella sighed, wiping her face with a gloved hand. 

I giggled. 

“You should probably just do one. Won’t you need the other arm free to give him the bouquet?” I asked. 

Ceras nodded with a solemn look as they considered my words. 

“You’re absolutely right, Sierra. I’m so glad I asked you. I didn’t want to risk making such a catastrophic error,” they said. 

“Happy to help. Let me know how he likes the flowers when I return,” I said. 

Ceras nodded, and we walked out onto the rear bridge. I looked to the forest where the queen had bested my inner wolf. 

“Your grace, how exactly are we going to travel to the Worm Court? Will there be a royal carriage or something?” I asked, looking around for horses and finding none. 

Ceras just laughed and said, “You’re in for a treat.” 

That made my heart sink. I didn’t like the sound of that. If humans said that, I wouldn’t trust it. But if a fae said those words? I was fucked. And not in the way I wanted from my mistress. 

Varella’s violet eyes glowed, and I felt magic stir around her, forming dark shapes at her shoulder blades. Then, in a flash of a couple of seconds, a mass of feathers appeared from behind the queen. 

They danced and mingled behind her shoulders while she looked at me as though nothing was happening. It sounded like a softer rustling of leaves. And when she was finished, the Raven Queen was sporting two massive black wings, even bigger than Howl’s. 

She grinned while my jaw sat agape. 

Well, she is the Raven Queen. It would make sense for her to have wings, I thought, looking at the sleek black feathers. At once, they looked like they could be razor sharp, yet also thin and versatile, capable of harnessing the full power of even the slightest breeze. 

“Okay. . . so that explains how you’ll get there. But what about—” 

I was interrupted by my mistress scooping me into her arms. 

“Up we go, my pet. It’ll take us a few hours to reach the Worm Court. Hold tight, and I’ll try not to drop you. . . more than once,” she said, chuckling. 

“Oh, no no no. If you think for one moment that I’m going to fly in your arms,” I started as she lept into the sky, the wind pushing my bangs back while I screamed. “MOTHERFUCKER.” 

You can find story with these keywords: The Fae Queen’s Pet, Read The Fae Queen’s Pet, The Fae Queen’s Pet novel, The Fae Queen’s Pet book, The Fae Queen’s Pet story, The Fae Queen’s Pet full, The Fae Queen’s Pet Latest Chapter