The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Two month’s later…

Slipping out from underneath the furs, I carefully tiptoed across the cold stone flooring of our chambers. Calling a thin piece of metal to me, I finger combed my long locks free of braids today and tied it up in a messy bun. Cringing at the creak of the drawer, I peaked over my shoulder and released a sigh when Lilly’s sleeping form didn’t move. Putting on my undergarments, I shrugged into a pair of brown leather pants and a long sleeved white tunic. My swords and waist chains settled onto my body comfortably as I bent over to pick up my boots.

“Where do you think you’re going, Cell Bait?”

Cillian’s gravelly morning voice almost had me crawling back into bed but I had promises to keep, “To the human realm.”

“And this wouldn’t have anything to do with our portrait being painted today, would it?”

“Whaaaat? Is that today? I completely forgot.” I exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the four poster bed to stuff my feet into my boots. “Sorry, Lilly. But I made plans I absolutely cannot cancel on.”

“Mmmhhh.”

Tying the laces, I continued, “So, it looks like you’ll have to do your solo portrait with Calvin first.”

“Oh, no. No way, you’re the one who wanted these portraits taken. And I didn’t agree to a solo one, I barely agreed to a conjoined one.” He spat, bed furs rustling.

Standing, I stared at the way the black furs pooled around his hard abdomen, “Yes, but our portrait is for the grand hall so everyone can gawk at our radiance as a couple. Your’s is for my private collection.”

“I am not letting Calvin paint me naked. Forget it, Macha.” Cillian stated blandly, full lips twisting into a scowl.

Faking offense, I waved my hands around, “Whoa! Who said anything about a naked portrait?”

Scanning my face with narrowed eyes, he flopped onto his side and pulled the fur over his shoulders, “No. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Come on, Lilly. Don’t be a prude. You’ll look amazing in oil paints.”

“No.”

I pouted, “But I wanted to hang it in my office.”

“Where? By the live painting of you repeatedly killing Mab?” He snorted sleepily, wiggling into the mattress.

I blinked, “Wow, actually that’d be perfect.”

“Not happening. Unless you’re...doing onetoo.”

Grinning at his sleepy mumble, I thought about that, “Sure, it wouldn’t be my first.”

The covers flung back down to his waist and wide awake Cillian stared at me, “What. Do you mean it wouldn’t be the first?”

“That I’ve been painted before, Cillian. Duh.”

“Naked?”

“There’s only two ways to be painted. Post battle and naked, so yea.”

His oak colored chest rose heavily in a deep breath as he pressed his palms into his silver eyes, “Macha. Are you trying to tell me that there is a naked portrait of you floating around the realm?”

“Of course, not. Don’t be crazy.” I laughed. “It’s somewhere in the human realm.” Seeing the fiery look in his silver eyes, I backed away slowly with raised hands, “In my defense, it was the 1400’s and everyone was doing it. But I can see you need some time to make your decision, so I’m going to leave you to it.”

“Macha, get your ass-”

Grinning at his charging naked form, the rest of what he had to say was cut off as the hard stone of the castle dropped out beneath me. In the past month, I’d been able to divide the territory between the two old Kingdoms between the Faekind. It was grueling and I wanted to kill some of them to make it easier but Lilly stopped me. He also completely took on the task of hunting down the last of Mab’s supporters which helped his image to the public or so Puck told us.

More importantly though, Cillian’s help has allowed me to erect a giant ass castle in the middle of Tir Na Nog.With enough rooms to house my entire council, guests and a few entertainment areas, plus a dungeon that I insisted on. Lilly tried to say we didn’t need one but after I formed an entire military wing for him, he quickly came around to my style of thinking. I huffed at the memory of his awestruck face, like a violent child in a weapons chamber.

The vibrant blue haze surrounding me cleared up to show the quaint cabin as icy bits of snow melted on my skin. I grinned at her timing and stepped out of the tree line when Kai came stepping through the doorway. Bright red eyes locked on me immediately, tilting her head in question while walking down the porch steps.

Meeting her halfway, I bounced on my heels in the crunching snow, “Loving the red cargos, Babes. You really should go fitted, they look fabulous on you.”

“This was my last clean pair.” The she-wolf grumbled in that gravelly voice of hers. “I don’t like these.”

I grinned down at her, “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Holding out my elbow for her to grab, I raised a brow when she snatched my hand instead, “I’m cool with holding hands but I didn’t take you for the affectionate type.”

“You’ve been bitten.” She snarled, turning my wrist this way and that to look at the temporary scar.

“Oh, that.” Taking advantage of her hold, I linked our fingers to my amusement and her distaste, “Don’t let go, Jack.”

Kaiya didn’t even blink at the blue haze around us as her grip tightened, claws scraping my skin, “Who?”

“Well, it’s a long story but to make it short there was this ship and-”

“Macha, who bit you?”

Touched at her snarling rage, I answered truthfully, “Cillian, to give us the temporary mindlink that mates have. It’s also how I can get us to Arseniy’s apartment.”

Kaiya calmed considerably, “The man you announced as our new best friend?”

“Yes!” I grinned as my boots hit a solid surface. “And Babes, I didn’t know you had a protective streak!”

The red eyed female grunted and dropped my hand to survey our surroundings.

It was a tastefully modern apartment with high ceilings and dark hardwood flooring, exactly how Cillian remembered it. Spotting the expensive looking leather couch, I stalked over and dropped into the unbelievably comfy surface with a sigh. Tapping my fingertips on the black leather, I nodded at Kaiya, “Anyone here?”

She went eerily still and turned her left ear to the empty hall past the kitchen, “Yes. Someone is here and...they’re very calm.”

Raising a brow at her comment, I tipped my head back against the couch and shouted, “Hey, Arseniy! Get your ass out here!”

My voice echoed off the walls moments before a door opened and closed down the hallway. Kaiya straightened up, narrowed eyes scanning over the male she could see while I could only hear his footsteps. Grinning, I watched the familiar bored looking male lazily stroll from the hallway and into view. Dressed in black slacks with a tan turtle neck half tucked uncaringly behind the golden snake shaped buckle of his belt, Arseniy looked like a male model. A high end male model with the thick gold watch on his wrist and the gold rings on his fingers but…

“Two questions,” I announced. Holding up two fingers and putting them down as I asked, “One, where are your glasses? Two, are you a model or a pricey escort? No judgement on the last one.”

His lips twitched in mild amusement before dark brown eyes swung my way, “Contacts and neither. I don’t have the cheekbones and I don’t need the money.”

Laughing, I motioned to Kaiya, “Arseniy, this is my best friend and your new one Kaiya. Kaiya, this is our new best friend Arseniy.”

They nodded at each other before Arseniy looked back at me, “I thought I told you we’d meet up after my semester ended, yes? My semester hasn’t ended.”

“You don’t like rules,” I shrugged with a grin. “I do what I feel like doing and Kaiya is very literal. This is going to be very interesting.”

“I think you meant, very chaotic.” He drawled in a bored tone, glancing at his watch. “And as very tempting as that sounds, I’m late.”

“For?”

“An important meeting.”

“About?”

Arseniy smirked,“Something important.”

“You’d have made an excellent Unseelie.”

“What are you?” Kaiya rasped. “Your heart rate hasn’t changed the entire conversation. And it...it smells…”

Leaning forward, I urged her, “That’s it, Kaiya. What is he? Deep breaths, sniff him.”

“You brought her here so you could figure out what I am?” Humor coating his tone for the first time as he watched Kaiya stalk him.

I snorted at the way Kai took cautious steps forward, sniffing the air as she went, “It was part of the reason we came, Kaiya was interested about that too. But the purpose of the short visit was to give you a ring.”

He arched a thick brow.

Taking the blue ring from my right thumb, I tossed it slightly to the left of him with narrowed eyes. My own brows rose at the way his left hand snapped out to catch it, in a fluid motion that rivaled his relaxed state, “You’re a lot quicker than you look, Babes.”

“His heart rate didn’t even spike.”

“This isn’t my ring. My ring is on your thumb, yes?”

I jumped to my feet and quickly crossed the short distance between us all,“Yes, it is. But now we have friendship rings!”

Brown eyes slid from Kaiya to me and back again before he slipped the blue ring onto his finger. Checking his watch one more time, he pulled a pale gold ring from his left hand and held it out towards Kai, “You’re going to need one too, Kaiya.”

Plucking it from his fingers, her red eyes narrowed in on it, “What are friendship rings?”

“Ryan will explain it to you later.” I replied, handing her one of mine as well. Looping my arm through hers, I spoke over the ringing coming from Arseniy’s pocket, “We’ll leave you to it, Babes. See you soon!”

“Drop in next month. We’ll make plans, yes?” He asked, freeing the sleek red phone from his pocket. We nodded our goodbyes as he hit a button on his phone and brought it to his ear, “I know, I know….fuck. Skazhy yiy, shcho ya mayzhe tam. Tak.”

As he sped over to the door, the world fell out under us and I immediately turned my head down to Kaiya, “So?”

“I’ve never smelled anything like him. But he does smell similar to a lizard I once saw in Arizona.”

“Damn. No way is he a lizard, the only lizard shifters are the chameleons and he doesn’t fit the type.”

“Why?”

“They’re all albino.”

Kaiya huffed, “When I touched him, his body temperature was low.”

“What do you mean low?”

“His skin was cold.”

I scrunched my nose in confusion as we popped back into existence, “I guess the apartment was drafty?”

Kaiya shrugged.

“Right. We’ll figure it out next time, Babes. Until then,” I grinned and then waved at a bed headed Ryan standing on the porch. “Go snuggle with your mate.”

Before she could respond a royal blue haze coated my vision and I disappeared from her view. Humming, I twiddled the remaining rings on my fingers in boredom. I should probably make more metal soon. Actually, having a stock pile would be smart. I gasped with a forming grin, And I could make a secret room in the middle of the castle to hide it in. A slap of leather on stone, brought me back into focus and I immediately stripped down.

Stepping up onto the chest, I launched myself like a starfish straight down onto a sleeping Cillian. Silver eyes snapped open seconds too late and groaned when I slammed into him, “Why?”

“Snuggling, Lilly. We’re snuggling.” I grinned, wiggling deeper into his chest.

His arms fell heavily across my back, “Well, I think your ’snuggling’ cracked one of my ribs.”

I snorted, “Asshole.”

“Bitch.” He huffed, tightening his grip on me and rolling us to the side.

Grinning, I threw my leg over his hip and pinched his cheek, “You’re so cute when you’re trying to be mean.”

“You drive me absolutely fucking insane.” Cillian snapped, slapping my hand away and pinning me to his chest. “Sleep.”

Snickering, I fell asleep in the warm suffocating embrace of my mate.

——

Skazhy yiy, shcho ya mayzhe tam. Tak.Translation: Tell her, I’m almost there. Yes.

Thank you to everyone who’d read this book to completion! 🤎 Especially those that have been with me from update to update. I love your guys’ comments and it makes me happy to see how many of you enjoyed Macha and Cillian’s story. I truly appreciate all of you, it means a lot to me.

Macha’s P.O.V. was so fun to write, I’ll miss it but it was time to put them to bed😭 We’ll see glimpses of them throughout the series but this is it for their P.O.V’s.😭😭😭 But I can’t deny that I’ve already had scenes for Arseniy’s book floating around my head. Hope some of you join me for his book! It’s going to be interesting to say the least!

Like, comment, and review to your hearts content! And please remember that this is the unedited first draft so if it felt lacking, hopefully the edited version will satisfy you!

Smooches, Verbage💋