The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

~Cillian’s P.O.V.~

Heat and warm orange tinted light poured out of the tavern as I pulled the door open for Dani. Looking over her head, I wasn’t at all surprised at the inside of the tavern despite having never been here before. Torches and metal chandeliers lined with candles, lit the large open styled room. Round wooden tables jammed packed with Faekind were spread evenly throughout the tavern. Windows spanning the back wall gave the customers a nice scenic view of the sea except everyone was much more interested in seeing the bottom of their sugared ales. Stains from alcohol, blood and who knew what else covered the floor making it sticky to walk on.

A long bar with three Fae serving the rowdy patrons took up the wall beside the door with a small crowd around it. The rest of the tavern was almost standing room only, except for the middle of the room that was given a wide berth. There was a good sized circle cut into the floor that revealed the lapping waves of the sea underneath. Sirens, Water Nymphs and Mermaids along with their male counterparts sat on seats hidden from view. They chattered away with one another ignoring the drunken leers and hooded looks at their half naked forms. Old sailing songs were sung off key by the pirates with liquid sloshing over their cups as they danced to the tune.

“What’s this place called again?” I called over the noise to Dani as she helped right a female that stumbled into her.

Tossing me an amused smirk over her shoulder, she responded dryly, “The Sea Slut.”

Amusement rolled over me at the name but I didn’t let it linger, “Do you see her?”

Pushing up on her toes, Dani’s head slowly turned from left to right as she looked. Jerking to a stop, she stared for a long moment before calling out, “Back left corner, half hidden in the shadows. The woman with neon green hair.”

Following her directions, I flicked my eyes from Fae to Fae sitting at the crowded table until I saw her. Messy bright green hair cut at the shoulders, with bangs that covered her forehead, framed a golden face. Sharp features gave her haircut a severe look which was only dramatized by the black lipstick she wore. Black lacy fabric covered her left eye making her one bright green eye seem brighter. The black coat lined with gold buttons she wore, covering the dark green bustier that forced her ample breasts into eyesight, stretched as she threw her arm around the bronze haired female next to her.

“So, that’s Nimue.” I muttered, watching her laugh heartily and take a deep drink of ale. She wasn’t nearly as attractive as I thought she’d be. Macha’s taste clearly improved over the years. I couldn’t imagine her spending fifty years with such an average looking Fae.

Dani’s jaw tightened, “Unfortunately.”

“Has she always-”

“Dressed like a slutty pirate? Yes.” She snarked, cutting me off.

I glanced down at her, “I was going to ask if she’s always been a heavy drinker.” There were at least twenty mugs and a large pitcher cluttering the table of six.

“Oh. Yea, that too. Our Divine drank a lot when they were together. Adding to the long list of reasons why I’d kill her before I’d ever let Macha get back with her. ”

Shaking my head in disapproval, I looked back at Nimue’s table in time to see her whispering into the female’s ear before practically chewing it.

“Come on.”

I nodded sharply, a scowl taking over my features as we walked, “I’m a little surprised at Macha’s choice in women.”

“How so?”

I repeated my thoughts from earlier.

A sharp bark of laughter shook Dani’s body as she twisted to grin up at me, “You think Nimue’s average? I hate the toxic bitch but even I can see why she’s called the Gem of the Sea.”

“I don’t.” I shrugged.

Dani’s grin got wider and she patted my shoulder, “You’re reminding me of me when I met Calvin’s ex, who doubled as his muse at the time. I love it. Love the energy. This is going to be so much fun. ” Giving her head a little shake, she started walking again only to stop again and look at me with pink eyes clouded in guilt, “Is it wrong that we want this to go down badly rather than quickly?”

“We’re Unseelie, Dani. Macha wouldn’t want us to act any other way.” I reassured her. “Besides, we can do both.” As in, if she refused to help, I’d yank Nimue’s teeth out one by one.

The guilt disappeared to be replaced with a wicked glint, “Your right. Let’s make our girl proud.”

Dani strode through the crowd with more confidence than before, shoving past without a care. The sound of splashing water caused the noise in the tavern to increase as sailors cheered on the fighting aquatic Faekind. Nimue pulled her head from the woman’s neck to look up and grin at the chaos the pirates were causing. Her hand dipped underneath the table and then silver pieces went flying into the middle of the crowd with a laugh that flashed white teeth. That one bright green eye slid over the rowdy patrons, skipping right over me and Dani before doubling back to her.

Green brows slid together as she looked at the short woman in confusion before recognition flooded her eye. Jerking up right, Nimue quickly pulled away from the female at her side and started to scan the area around us. Searching. The knowledge of who she was looking for had my body going rigid. If the color of her ship’s flag wasn’t enough, her reaction to seeing Dani was all I needed. While it might have ended civilly between them, Nimue was obviously holding onto the hope that Macha would come back to her.

When she didn’t find her, she turned back to watching Dani approach with a less than enthused expression. The female at her side pinged her bronze eyes between the two women, a scowl crawling over her face. Wrong woman to be jealous of. My mate is the one your bed partner was hoping to see, I thought with a sneer. It was childish for someone my age to be so against meeting my mates ex. I knew that. But I couldn’t help the way I acted, Macha wasn’t just my mate. She was vibrant and impulsive with an addicting personality. Larger than life, she made whoever she was talking to feel special and alive.

It was the perfect personality for a Queen and a God, she drew people to her without trying. And I was deeply irritated at the Fae who had managed to snag her attention enough to be called hers. No matter how short or long that time was, it pissed me off. I was just as much hers as she was mine. These people from her past were unworthy of the time she spent with them. They didn’t deserve to know her intimately. Nimue, from the sound of it, definitely didn’t deserve to.

A slow malicious smile curved Nimue’s black stained lips as we stopped in front of her, “Dead Weight.”

“Captain Cunt.” Dani replied instantly, her tone even but the insult still drew the gaze of everyone around the table.

Her one bright green eye flicked to me before dismissing me just as quickly, “The last person who talked to me like that found their end on my sword. ”

“And I’m sure you drove it straight through their back. That’s your specialty, isn’t it?”

Nimue’s eyes narrowed, her smile slipping an inch, “Don’t forget who runs this side of the sea, Dead Weight. It’d be a shame to see you go missing.”

Dani aggressively stepped up to the table, “That a threat, Bitch? Cause we both know you don’t have the ovaries to go through with it.”

“Big words for a woman who doesn’t carry a weapon.”

“A lot shit talking for a woman who needs someone else to handle her shit.”

The crowd around the table seemed to slip away as the tension increased between the females. While they were locked in a stare down, I stepped up beside Dani and grabbed the back of the chair in front of me. The Fae sitting down turned to yell, mouth already open but took one look at me and vacated the chair. Nimue’s pirates closed in on the area behind her, giving me hard looks as the ones sitting grew still.

Flipping it around, I straddled the chair and stared at the messy haired female. Arms loosely crossed over the top, I cocked my head and tried to see what Macha had seen in her.

Nimue’s shoulders tensed up under my gaze but she didn’t look away from Dani’s eyes, “Does Blue know you’re here? Cause I think she’d find it very interesting that her useless best friend is suddenly hanging out with Mab’s Commander. ”

Blue? Blue? Ugh, How uninspired.

“What makes you think she doesn’t know? Look at his tunic.” The smugness coating Dani’s tone was almost tangible.

I leaned back so the royal blue C over my heart was visible and couldn’t help but smirk at the look on her face. She held out for a few seconds but when she finally looked her green eye widened before narrowing. Sitting up from her slouched position, Nimue’s eye jumped from the C to my face with a skeptical expression.

“Bullshit.” She snapped. “I heard what you did to her. Blue would never forgive you for that.”

“And yet, here I am. Commander of her army. ”

“I wonder what that could mean,” Dani mused aloud. “That Macha could forgive Cillian for everything he did to her...But not, You.”

Wicked amusement coursed through me at the hatred sparking to life in her bright green eye. The envy and jealousy clear to see, so I wasn’t surprised when she barked, “Get the fuck out of my tavern.”

“No.”

The brow above her lacy eye patch arched and she slowly got to her unimpressive height of 5’7, “That wasn’t a request. It was an order.”

Her crew closed in around us, swords drawn but I kept my eyes on her, “You owe a debt, Nimue. And we’re not leaving until you pay it.”

“If our Captain doesn’t want to-”

“It’s a deal with Macha O’Riordan.” I cut off the black haired pirate who interrupted.

And just like that, her crew abandoned her. I knew I gave her shit for having an infamous reputation but I don’t think it’ll ever not amaze me that just the mention of her name cleared a room. Mab’s name had the same effect but these Fae left in respect and fear of Macha. There wasn’t a Fae alive who heard of her and wouldn’t respect the way she crafted a deal. But they also knew that if you were crazy enough to do a deal with her then you were on your own.

Shaggy neon green hair bounced as she shook her head angrily, “If she wants to collect on our deal, tell Blue she can come do it in person. Not this third party shit.”

“Are you refusing to fulfill your side of the deal?”

Hesitation filled her eye.

Dani grinned, “Still a little bitch, then. Nice to see some things don’t change.”

Nimue’s confidence came back at Dani’s taunt and spat, “I refuse. You don’t hold the deal so-”

Her voice cut off suddenly as she began to heave and convulse. Jerking violently in her chair, Nimue’s green eye rolled back and white foam began coming from her mouth. Gurgling and choking sounds came from her straining throat as her hands gripped the edge of the table tightly.

I glanced at Dani when she started laughing, “What’s happening to her?”

“The bitch is overdosing on her own product. Macha told her if she ever refused the deal then her recipe would take its revenge. I didn’t realize this is what she meant but fuck if I don’t love her sense of irony.”

The feeling in my chest that I couldn’t put a name too when it came to Macha flooded my system. It seeped into my bones and I couldn’t help but smile because it was her pure evil genius that was causing it at the moment. Her wicked mind was probably the sexiest thing about her right after the way she inflicted violence without thinking twice. Nimue’s body going slack brought me back into the present and the urgency of our situation.

Standing, I rounded the table to grab Nimue’s arm before looking at Dani, “Grab her other arm.”

Coming to her other side, we hefted the pirate captain out of her chair and through the crowd. A few Fae seemed to start towards us in concern but stopped when someone whispered in their ear or pulled them back. Nimue hung limply between us, her boots scraping the wooden slats of the dock as we carried her to shore. The rocky surface of the beach shifted underneath us as we stepped off the last step of the dock. Releasing my hold on her arm, I watched as her body crumpled to the ground causing her head to smack off the dock steps.

Catching sight of the blood sliding down her temple, I glanced at Dani, “Oops.”

“I’m suddenly realizing why you and Macha are mates.” She grinned, twisting my words from earlier.

Moaning abruptly, Nimue shakily pushed herself up onto her arms and panted, “I’ll fucking kill you both.”

“Are you still refusing to fulfill the deal?” I asked.

Pressing a hand to her head, she pulled it back to see the blood coating her fingers and snarled, “I think I’ll enjoy cutting your throat more than Dead Weight’s.”

“Threaten him again and I can guarantee you, you won’t survive long.”

A green eye narrowed in on Dani, looking at her pink and black hair, “Already cheating on your mate, Dead Weight? Not surprising.”

“I never said you’d be answering to me, Captain Cunt.”

I held still, a sense of dark satisfaction filling me at what Dani said. I didn’t need protection, I never have but knowing Macha cared enough to want to was intoxicating.

“Blue’s fucking you?” Nimue sneered, scrambling onto her feet. “You?”

Ignoring the dig, I replied blandly, “Fulfill the deal or overdose again.”

“What does Blue want?” She spat, still looking me over with growing disgust.

Stepping forward, Dani drew her attention, “A cure for iron exposure.”

“What?” Nimue pinned her wide eye on Dani, “There’s no cure for iron exposure. You have to work through it, everyone knows that.”

“But everyone isn’t deadly afraid of dying like you. Pun intended.”

Lip curling, Nimue flashed the shorter woman her pointed teeth, “If I had such a thing and I was to give it to you, what would she use it for?”

“An explanation wasn’t included in your deal.” I gritted out.

“I deserve to know. What you’re asking me to give-”

Dani aggressively cut in,“Honestly, you don’t deserve shit after what you did to Macha. Give us the fucking cure.”

“What I did to her?” Nimue blurted out, her bright green brows pulling together. A tan hand reached up and ripped her eye patch off, “Blue took my fucking eye!”

I raised a brow at the dull unseeing eye staring back at us with a gruesome cut over her eyelid. Huh. She blinded her.

Unimpressed, Dani immediately snapped back, “She didn’t take your eye, she blinded you and you deserved a lot worse for what you put her through.”

When Nimue took a deep breath and opened her mouth to continue arguing, I moved. Taking less than a second, I disappeared and then reappeared right behind her. Pulling my axe free of the sheath, I slipped it in front of her neck and clamped a harsh hand on her shoulder. I was done wasting time.

“Give us the cure or I slit your throat and we ransack your ship for it.”

Her body went as rigid as a board, the fear of dying paralyzing her, “You kill me and you’ll never find it.”

“But I’ll still get the satisfaction of watching you die.” I replied, pressing the edge of the blade firmly against her neck. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt that she’d give us the cure now that her life was on the line. The woman was a coward at heart, an unworthy distraction that I was concerned Macha would make all those months ago. Turns out she made that mistake centuries prior.

Her head pressed back into my chest to get away from the blade, “Let’s all just relax, okay? It’s not on my ship.”

“Where is it?”

Taking too long to answer, I jerked the axe enough to give her a small cut on the side of her throat.

“Okay! Okay! It’s not on my ship. The cure is a person. It’s a person, I can take you to him!” She rushed out.

“Where?” Dani snapped.

“He’s in the human realm. Washington, D.C.”

“If you’re lying, I’m going to enjoy taking you apart. Piece by piece.” I whispered in her ear before tightening my grip on her arm and nodding to Dani, “Grabbed her.”

Coming around to my right side, Dani latched onto Nimue’s other arm with enough force to turn her knuckles white, “Travel.”

Instead, Nimue turned her head enough to look up at me from the corner of her eye, “You’ll never last. Blue will lose interest in you as soon as the challenge you represent wears off. And trust me, it’ll be sooner than you think.”

“Travel.” I ordered on snarl, flashing sharpened teeth.

…………

The second time our feet touched down it was on a hard surface that the leather of our boots slapped against. Early morning light filtered in from the large window casting light over the black leather and cream colors of the living room. Looking left to right, I noticed a hallway on either side of the apartment framed by white walls and dark wooden flooring. A glance behind us showed me an open styled kitchen gleaming with stainless steel appliances and white marble.

Turning back to the living room, I narrowed my eyes at the empty luxury apartment around us. But it was obvious that someone was here or had been here just before we arrived. Low murmuring from the T.V. mounted on the wall and the red blanket carelessly slipping from the couch hinted at that. So did the condensation crawling down the iced coffee along with the books, laptop and pens scattered on the glass coffee table.

Nimue jerked underneath my hand and I pulled the axe away from her throat as Dani yanked her around to face her, “Where the fuck is he, Captain Cunt?”

“Hands off, Dead Weight.” She gritted out. “I’m sure he’s here or coming back soon. We just need…”

I stopped listening to her when the sound of a door opening came from down the left hall. Turning, I watched as a man came walking through the doorway to stop at the sight of us. The look on his face was odd, it wasn’t any of the emotions you’d expect from someone who found strangers in their home. Clad in a pair of black sweats and a grey t-shirt, the man gave us all a bored expression. Closing the door firmly, the light brown skinned man turned and sauntered towards us as if he had all the time in the world to do so.

Disinterested dark brown eyes gazed back at us through a pair of thin clear rimmed glasses that sat on a crooked nose. He was tall, probably around Macha’s height, with an athletic build like a runner and a buzzcut. The hard bottoms of his black slippers clapped over the wooden flooring as he padded towards us. A few pale gold rings on each hand weighed down his long fingers along with the thick gold watch on his right wrist.

Coming to a stop, he gave a small jerk of his chin at the green haired female, “What are you doing here, Nimue?”

“To collect on our deal for an old friend.” She replied.

One of the man’s thick black brows rose as he pushed his hands into his pockets, “And who did you bring into my house?”

Sliding my axe into the sheath between my shoulders, I responded before Nimue could, “My name is Cillian and this is Dani. We were told you have a cure for iron exposure...We need it.”

“For?”

“Her name is Macha, she’s going to be our realm’s Queen and she’s going to die without the cure.” I said, ignoring Nimue’s sharp inhale.

His expression remained the same, disinterested but not cold, “When does she need it?”

“Now.”

Pulling his hand from his pocket, he checked his watch for the time before shaking his head, “Can’t. I got a chem exam in an hour.”

A chem exam?

Dani must have felt the same way because she exploded, “A chem exam? We’re talking about saving a life, Asshole. And you want to blow it off for a stupid test?”

“You’ve obviously never attended a college before.”

“This is life or death.” Dani enunciated, angrily.

The corner of his mouth flicked up as he shrugged, “Priorities.”

“Arseniy,” Nimue cut in. “We had a deal. I make the evidence disappear and you give me the cure if I ever ask for it. Now, hold up your end.”

“And I’m not denying you the cure. I just can’t do it right now.”

Stepping forward, I glared at the male, “You can and you will. It’s just a matter if you come willingly or not.”

Behind clear lenses, unreadable dark brown eyes drifted over my arms and chest, “Is that right?”

Ignoring his bone dry tone, I tried a different tactic, “She my mate. We don’t have much time, she could already be dead.”

The males eyes slipped back up to mine and held for a long moment. He didn’t blink, he didn’t move an inch nor was there a shift in his bored expression. But he must have seen something in mine because suddenly he blinked and gave a bone deep sigh, “Fuck it. Let me get my shit and then we can go, yes?”

Turning, the man gave us his back and headed down the hall on the right side of the apartment. It would have bothered me that he didn’t tense up or seem hesitant to give us his back if I hadn’t caught sight of his lower back. The hem of his t-shirt on the right side got caught behind the butt of a gun. He’d been armed throughout our entire conversation and nothing about his stance or walk had given it away. He hadn’t even twitched towards it when I threatened him. Impressive.

“Is he human?” I asked, swinging my gaze back to a sour looking Nimue. There was nothing obvious about him that hinted towards a supernatural lineage. If anything the glasses he wore along with the gun he was carrying screamed human. Even his voice was hard to place, it was gruff and held a flat muffled accent. It was clear he spoke another language and probably often but like everything else about him it was hard to place.

“No.” Was the tense reply I got before she hissed, “Mate? There’s no blue in your hair. Already taking liberties since Blue isn’t here to put you in your place? Your a bed partner, a fuck, not her possible mate. And when she’s down with you, you’ll end up just like me. Wrongly scarred and tossed-”

“Will you shut the fuck up? You bitter bitch.” Dani spat. “‘Wrongly scarred’ are you shitting me? You cheated on her-”

“She cheated on me too!”

Dani’s hair went flying as she shook her head vehemently, “No. She flirted but never crossed the line, even with all the shit you gave her assuming that she was cheating on you all the time.” A weight settled in my gut when I realized that I had done the same thing to Macha as Nimue. “You cheated on her with some random, Nimue. After fifty years together, you threw it away for some random! And you had the nerve to use her chocolate with your little one nightstand? Tell me, what did you expect her to do? She walked in on you both, which I’m sure you planned, and saw you both naked and covered in her chocolate. You’re lucky all she did was blind you in one eye!”

Nimue’s face flushed red, looking angry and embarrassed enough to do something stupid. The story of their break up pissed me off. To use something Macha loved to purposely cause the most amount of hurt was unforgivable. She had told me they ended things mutually before they started to hate each other, told me that it got ugly at the end. But this was a lot more than ugly and I didn’t understand how Macha didn’t hate her for what she put her through.

Which was why when Nimue’s fist shot out towards Dani, I grabbed it and snapped her wrist without a thought. A sharp cry of surprise and pain ripped past her lips as her other hand grabbed hold of her forearm below her broken joint. Yanking the axe from over my shoulder, I swung and slammed the flat of the blade against her left knee. Nimue went down with a loud thump against the hardwood flooring and a short scream of pain as the bones in her knee cracked.

Squatting beside her, I grabbed a fist full of her neon hair and forced her to look at me. Tilting my head, I met her eye with contempt, “Macha will never be done with me or I her. We’re destined mates, something much bigger than what the two of you shared. I won’t end up like you because we’re nothing alike. You’re a coward, unwilling to change or admit your wrong. You were never worthy of Macha and you should be thankful for the time she wasted on you. I do want to thank you for making something clear to me though. Jealousy poisoned your relationship with Macha. I won’t make the same mistake….But if you don’t change the fucking flag on your ship, I’ll find you and wring your scrawny neck.”

Nimue’s face twisted into a ugly sneer but before she could spew anymore bullshit, I hit the butt of the axe against her forehead. Her bright green eye rolled back and her body slumped as the blow knocked her out cold.

“Are all Fae relationships this messy?”

Rising to my feet, I turned to find Arseniy leaning against the doorway with a large bag like the one the healer carried, “Sometimes. ”

He nodded and pushed off the wall to walk towards us, “Makes sense. So I fulfill my side of the deal with Nimue and this is done, yes?”

I cocked my head to the side at his bored tone, it was different than a few moments ago and then I realized, “Your accent...What happened to your accent?” Because despite the way he added a yes to the end of his sentence, it was in perfect English with no hint of another language.

Arseniy smirked, flashing us a peek of his straight teeth, “What accent?”

Had he faked it? But why?

As I eyed him in confusion, Dani rushed over to his side and reached up to grab his bicep, “Who cares if he has an accent or not? He has the cure. Let’s go!” Suddenly she paused, eyes snapping from Nimue to Arseniy, “Wait, is it going to be a problem if someone finds her like that?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, “Wouldn’t be the first body someone’s found in here. One of my roommates might try to bury her though.”

Pink eyes shot to me before grinning, “Macha’s going to love him when she wakes up.”

A new jolt of urgency flooded me and I quickly moved to his other side and grabbed his shoulder, “Let’s go. Directly inside her tent, Dani. I want to see my mates eyes again.”

——

Ooookay, so what did we think?! Was Nimue who you thought she’d be? Or what about Arseniy??? I was so excited to give you guys a little teaser of him as he’s the main character in the next book! Don’t worry, though! I’ll give you guys some hints about his species like I did with Macha in Feral Born in the next chapter and reveal a tiny bit more of his personality. Gotta tell you tho, I already love him and his blasé personality.

As always, drop your thoughts on the chapter if you feel like it!!

Smooches, Verbage💋