Chapter Six: Elda…

Three weeks passed by in a blur with no sign of Hephaestus. Sypher and Vel traded off control regularly, content to share the duty of training the soldiers. Captain Reiner supported him, since the number of new recruits continued to increase.

Elda spent much of her time out in the training grounds as well, working with Gira to try and re-establish a link with Irileth without the magic of the Soul Forge to help them. Elda managed during the second week, finally hearing a whisper of Irileth’s voice. After the first connection was made, her power hummed through the Soul Blade, but they no longer had a direct link between their consciousnesses, so Irileth had to manifest in order for them to speak to one another.

It took Gira longer, but by the end of the third week he finally managed to manifest Aetheria - a small woman with green skin, made entirely of nature. Her hair was a mix of flowing vines and flowers, her body a soft, emerald moss. Polished grey stones made up her eyes and her dress was constructed from hundreds of flower petals in varying shades of lilac.

Gira was elated when she finally showed herself to him again, rushing forwards to take her hands in his and flashing the widest smile Elda had ever seen from him. After that, their Soul Blades began to function normally again.

The Vampires took turns tending to Syd and training Elda in the use of her dagger, honing her skills until she was deadly in close combat. Brady and Gira pitted their beasts against one another, sparring with tooth and claw while Syd and the dragons looked on.

The night of the banquet arrived and the palace filled with visiting nobles, reminding Elda of the days before her wedding to Sypher. She smiled to herself at the memory, glad things had changed so much between them.

“What are you smiling at?” Vel asked, leaving their washroom with a linen towel slung low on his hips. His runes and scars were covered with small beads of moisture, wet hair falling over his forehead when he rubbed a second towel through it. He looked good enough to eat.

“How much time do we have before we need to be downstairs?” she asked, pursing her lips as she followed the path of a water droplet down his muscled stomach. He cocked his head, mismatched eyes heating at her obvious appreciation.

“Why? Do you need some help washing your hair?” he teased.

“Among other things,” she replied, standing and shucking her clothes. She untangled her braid as she passed him, not missing the way his gaze followed the sway of her hips as she walked.

When she straightened up from setting the bath running, she felt his stomach muscles against her back, strong arms circling her as his lips found her throat. She turned in his embrace, gasping when he lifted her to lock her legs around his waist in one smooth movement.

“We have sex in the bathroom a lot,” she whispered breathlessly. A low chuckle rumbled through him and he pulled back to look at her, flashing a smile.

“What can I say? I can’t resist you when you’re naked.” His lips trapped hers again, stealing the little air she had left in her lungs. “But I can’t wait until the bath is full this time.”

Elda’s back touched the wall, a full-body shiver rolling from the soles of her feet to the roots of her hair when he pinned her with his hips. Her heart pounded in time with their rhythm, ragged gasps escaping her with every thrust. He groaned when her nails raked his back, increasing the pace and slamming his lips against hers.

A subtle shift in his aura, and suddenly Elda was held by both sides of his soul. Giddiness welled in her stomach, mixing with the electricity racing over her nerve endings. His hand squeezed her thigh, trailing up over hip to cup her curves. His teeth nipped her ear lobe, her throat, her lips, drawing involuntary moans and gasps from her that always made him smile.

She knotted her hands in his pale hair and kissed him back with everything she had, breathing in his scent and taste until she was dizzy with need.

“Fuck, Elda,” he groaned when her tongue traced his bottom lip. He turned, moving them so he was sat on the wide edge of the marble basin with her straddling his hips.

Once, Elda might have been embarrassed. She might have been frightened even, afraid to take what she wanted. But held by the Soul Forge, she felt no fear. Her lips claimed his with hunger so intense it left both of them panting, her hips rocking against him until the intense pressure building inside her reached a breaking point.

He swallowed her cries with a kiss, one hand fisted in her hair, the other gripping her hip tightly, encouraging her to keep moving. The intensity of her pleasure left her panting, fire racing up and down her spine as the Soul Forge crashed into his own climax, groaning her name into her shoulder.

Elda collapsed against him, revelling in the feeling of his arms around her and the aftershocks sending tremors through her legs and stomach. His breaths were ragged in her ear, his pulse thrumming against hers.

“I love you,” she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his throat.

“I love you too,” he replied, the Angel and demon soul speaking as one. “Now let’s get you cleaned up before I have to put that fucking monkey suit on.”

“Stop complaining,” she chuckled, sliding off his lap and climbing into the basin. “You’ll look as handsome as you did at our wedding.”

“I hated that outfit too,” he muttered, climbing in after her and leaning back against the side of the bath. Elda settled herself in front of him, sighing when his strong fingers raked her scalp. “The only reason I’m not wearing shadow armour to this dance is because my magic is gone.”

“And because you secretly love that we’ll match,” she chuckled.

“If you tell anyone, I’ll fall out with you.”

She turned and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

When he was done with her hair, his hands moved to her shoulders, working out the tension until Elda felt so relaxed that her eyelids began to droop. He prodded her, prompting her to rinse the soap off and watching as she submerged herself completely.

“I hope you’re quick at lacing your corsets,” he warned, arching an eyebrow at her. “I can unfasten them but I haven’t the faintest clue how to lace them up.”

“I’ll manage,” she giggled. “It’s a shame your elemental powers are gone. Your water trick is useful.”

“You’ll have to sit by the fire for a little while,” he shrugged.

“My hair will dry out enough to style it while I’m putting makeup on.” She stood and stepped out of the bath, wrapping herself in one of the dry towels and squeezing as much liquid from her blonde locks as she could with her hands.

The Soul Forge sat and read a book beside her in the firelight, his eyes devouring the pages while Elda painted her lips and darkened her lashes, patting a faint dusting of rouge on her cheeks. By the time she was done, her hair was only slightly damp. She arranged it in a thick fishtail braid, leaving a few wavy strands loose to frame her face and settling a sparkling tiara on her head.

Sypher helped her step into her dress, then moved away to get himself ready while she laced herself in. It was awkward to lace up when she couldn’t see, but finally the bow was fastened behind her and she smiled at herself in the mirror.

“I used to think red would never look nice on me,” she mused. The Soul Forge looked up from the cuff he was adjusting and froze.

“Holy fuck,” he murmured, mismatched eyes widening at the sight of her. When Elda blushed, he groaned and moved to stand behind her, laying his hands on her hips and talking softly into her ear. “Do I really have to share this view with a room full of people?” Vel purred, eyes tracking the curve of the twisted sweetheart neckline, the dip of her waist and trailing down the skirt that flared out at her mid-thigh.

“Unfortunately,” she replied, her breath hitching when his lips trailed over her bare collar bone. “Behave yourself,” she chastised, making him chuckle.

“A hard task when you’re wearing that,” he answered, and Sypher forced the demon away from her to shrug on his jacket.

Her eyes drifted back to her reflection, marvelling at how the off-the-shoulder style accentuated her delicate collar bones. The deep garnet colour made her hair and eyes brighter, the black gossamer fabric that draped over the train of the dress billowing behind her when she moved.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to dance in this, but at least it looks nice,” she remarked.

“At least you don’t have to wear this,” Vel muttered, scowling down at himself. Elda’s response lodged in her throat.

The Soul Forge wore a pair of polished black boots, close-fitting charcoal trousers, a fitted white tunic and a black waistcoat patterned with gold embroidery to match her tiara. A long, deep red coat stopped at his mid-calves, more golden embroidery decorating the shoulders, cuffs and hem. A smaller version of her father’s crown sat in his pale hair, a ruby as rich as his one red eye set in the centre.

“Wow,” Elda mumbled, her mouth drying up in an instant. “How can you hate something that makes you look that good?”

“You know I prefer travelling clothes,” Sypher shrugged, but Vel’s mischievous smile peeked through his grumbling. “Shall we?”

Elda grinned at his offered arm, hooking her hand into his elbow and allowing herself to be led out of the room towards the banquet hall. The staff stopped and bowed or curtseyed to them as they passed, several of them openly staring.

“Try not to kill Horthan please,” she warned quietly as they walked. “I know you have a dagger in your boot.”

“If he touches what’s mine, I can’t guarantee he’ll leave with the same number of fingers he had when he arrived,” Vel replied.

“Just don’t hurt him without cause.”

“I have cause. I’m within my rights to hurt him because he’s an asshole.”

“Cute,” she muttered. He winked in response. Elda bit down on the insides of her cheeks to try and stop herself smiling. “I’m serious. As the Prince of Eden you can’t just attack him. You could accidentally start a war.”

“Even without my magic I’d still win that battle,” he scoffed. “But I promise I won’t attack him unless he provokes me. Happy?”

“Yes,” she beamed. “Now let’s show people how genuine our marriage is. The sooner we finish this ridiculous posturing, the sooner we can leave.”

“I’ll be counting down the minutes,” Sypher muttered as Vel’s presence shifted aside so the two halves of his soul could share the space.

The doors swung open to reveal the banquet hall dressed up for a celebration. Elda understood why her mother had chosen red for their outfits when she saw the swathes of roses decorating the edges of the room, hanging from the chandeliers and adorning the tables. A wide scarlet carpet denoted the dance floor and every vase, plate, goblet, platter and utensil was polished, shining gold.

“Your mother didn’t hold back did she?” the Soul Forge muttered, peering up at the chandeliers to see the original silver ones had also been replaced with highly polished gold.

“Are you kidding?” Elda snorted. “She’s been planning our grand return party since we left. There’s nothing she loves more than advertising how much money and power we have.” She shuddered delicately, scowling at the newly upholstered benches with their ruby coloured padding. “Let’s get this over with.”