Forstarters,he’s,asstated,Vampire Onehundredpercent Nothingelsetohimexceptthatvulgarcreature Secondly,I’m kind of in love with someone else. Okay, so Blayne barely knows that I exist, and he’s also a Light Fae, which is still considered a bitscandalous inthe Fae Kingdoms, where the elder generationprefer the divide ButIcan’thelp how Ifeel whenIthinkabouthim.ButI’mprettysurehehasthehotsformyoldestsister,whojustsohappenstobetheDragonEmpress. Despitethistravesty,Ican’tswitchmyfeelingsoff,justlikethat.Butit’sjustanotherreasontogobacktotheFaeKingdoms whereIlive,sothatIcanseehimagainandconvincehimthatI’m thewomanheshouldbewithnotDelinda Shehasthreemen ofherown,followinginourmother’sfootstepswithmultiplemen.Shedoesn’tneedanothermantoaddtothepileofbodiesin herbed
Iclearmythroatandgivehimalingeringlook Unfortunately,IwanttogobackhomeandthereisnowayTheocanvisit me there. It’s too dangerous for Vampires in the Fae Kingdoms. So, I give thema brush-off. “I’mfine, thanks. Look. I’ve decidedtogobackhometonight.”
“Home?”Arathiasnaps,hervoicegoingupanoctave.
“Yes, the DarkFae Kingdom. Thatis myhome now. Idon’tbelonghere,” Istate withfinality, myarms folded over my smallbreasts,encasedinaconservative,blacklacegown DelindasaysIlooklikeagothicPrincesswithmyfashionchoices I’lltakeit.Itsuitsmypersonality,andIam aPrincess.JustaDarkFaeonefrommymother’sside.
“Don’tbe ridiculous,” Arathia says, flickingher longblonde hair over her shoulder She is the exactopposite to me in looks.It’sanywonderwecamefromthesamewoman. Definitelydifferentfathersiftherewaseveranydoubt.
“Momisn’tevenhere.She’swithDelinda,”Icomplain,feelingtheneedtojustifymyactionsnow.“What’sthepointinme beinghere?Whenshegetsback,tell her sheknowswheretofindme”Withthat,Istalkoffandmakeittothebottomofthe stairsbeforeTheocatchesuptome.
“I’msorry!” he yells, makingitevenworse “Ididn’tmean ” He backs up, withhis hands raised, and crashes into the cornerofthehugebed.OnlyhisnaturalVampiregracekeepshimfromsprawlingonhisassonthestonefloor.
WhenIgiggle, itmakes his cheeks evenredder, butthenhe smiles, and itlights up his face. “Canwe trythis again, out there?”heasksandpointsthroughtheopendoor
Isidleuptohimandalsoadmirethevista.It’sabsolutelystunning.ThereisnothinglikeitintheFaeKingdoms.Asthis castle is on a hill, you can see for miles. Constantine owns all of the land around here, so there are no neighbors, just spectacularsceneryofrollinghills,forestsandlakes Icanseewhymymotherlovesithere “Beautiful,isn’tit?”
Iputmyhandupstraightaway,theFaemagickcracklingonmyfingertipsinapurpleandblackdisplayofelectricity.Theo stopsdead,eyeingupmymagickwarily He should becautious Faemagickiswildanddangerous Ionlylearnedthatbybeing intheFaeKingdoms,surroundedbyitconstantly.I’dthoughtIhadagoodhandleonit,havingputintopracticeeverythingmy fatherhadtaughtme,andI’dexcelledatithereonEarth
Sighing,Idecidetospeaktomymomabouthim Thishasgoneonlongenough Iwantmyparentstogether Endofstory Turning, I head back inside the castle, to pack my bag. I should probably also find Constantine and thank himfor his hospitality.HehasbeennothingbutkindtomesinceIarrived,despitetheobviousawkwardnessthatIwasconceivedthrough amanhehates.AquicksearchofthedownstairsproducesnoancientVampire,soIheadtomyroominsteadandhopetofind himlateron.
I hurriedlypacka small bag I don’t want to take everythingthat I brought withme so that Momknows that I haven’t completelydismissedbeinghere.Ijustprefer tobebackintheDarkFaeKingdomifsheisn’there.Ithinkmypointwill be made
His face goes evenpaler thanusual. Ibite the inside ofmylip, feelingI’ve putmyfootinmymouth. He always gets a sketchylookonhisfacewhenImentionDelinda IknowthatshelivedherepreviouslywithMombeforethingswentsour,butI don’tknowtheinsandoutsofhertimehere.Somethingwentdown,anditwasn’tgood.
Mommaynotknow this,evenDaddoesn’tknow,butIintendfor thatthrone tobe mine.Iknow thatGramps sees me as someonewhocouldrule.HehasmentionedseveraltimesthatIwouldmakeagreatruler,butAmbrosiathinksbecauseDrake is her father, he will pickher. Mom, beingthe onlyother DarkFae Princess to have ever existed, is outofthe running. She wouldn’tacceptitifyoupaidher.AsformyUncles…well, everyone knowsthataPrincesswilltakethethrone.
Sometimemuchlater,Imakemywaybackdownstairs.Thefeastisinfullswing,asIknewitwouldbe,hencewhyI’mlate. I can sneak in without being noticed and hopefully sneak back out again early I have to show my face, though, or Ambrosiawilluseitasatactictodiscreditme.
Bitch
Followingthe noise to the huge DiningHall, situated onthe rightofthe downstairs hallway. Itis a huge room, and it’s packed Islipinside,andimmediately,myeyesgotothecluster ofLightFaeonthefar endoftheroom,easilyrecognizable duetotheir blondehairamidstall ofthedark-hairedDarkFae.IseeBlayne’smom,butIcan’tseehim.Thedisappointment hitsmehard,butIscanmyeyesacrosstheseaofpeopleanyway,justincaseheisheresomewhere.
AsIturnaround,Icomeeye-to-purple-eyewithAmbrosia
She is dressedina brightyellow gown,her darkhair coiledupontopofher headanda cruel smirkonher face as she takesinmyusualblackdresswithlacesleeves
“No,youare a DarkFaePrincess Mymomis the DarkFaePrincess Shedoesn’twantthethrone,sobyrights,it’smine” “Overmydeadbody,”shesnarls,nothappytoberemindedthatsheisn’texactlywhoshethinkssheis.
“Stayoutofmyway,” Isayandturnonmyheel toleave her behindme.Ican’tdeal withher drama rightnow.She is a stuck-uplittlebitch,thatneedsbringingdownapegortwo Sheloathesmymombecausesheknowsthatbeingthefirstbornby a thousand years, Imightadd, she is the Princess thatmygrandfather was waitingfor. He has many, manysons, butthenhe discoveredmymomhadbeenborninsecrettotheDragonEmpressafteranillicitaffair TheDragonsandFaehateeachother, aneons-oldfeudthattheDragonsstarted.Asaresult,mymomwaskeptfromtheFaeuntilabouttwenty-fiveyearsago.Drake wasoverthemoontofinallyhavehisdaughter.ShewasmeanttobringforththeunitingofthewarringDarkandLightFae,so thattheycouldliveinharmony,butitallwenthorriblywrong. Ofcourse.
Thebestlaidplansandallthat I’msketchy with the details after that. All I know is that Ambrosia turned up and assumed the place of the Dark Fae Princess Buteveryoneknowsthatsheisn’t ThenI arrivedhereandbleweverythingtoHellandback Funfuckingtimes.
Ihate this power thatthe LightFae Royals have The DarkFae don’thave it We cancontrol the wildweather andhave empathic abilities. I’measypreybecause theycancatchme outwiththis. They’re hard-pressed to find another DarkFae in whichtheycanimplanttheirsuggestions YetanotherreasonwhyIneed tobeherelearningandgainingmoreexperience
Untilthen,Ihavenochoicebuttoanswerhim.“No,”Igrate,glaringintohisgreeneyesandthenforcingmyeyesuppast hisblondheadtostareattheceiling Heknowshecan’tkeepthisupwithme I’mnotthatweak Hecancatchmethefirsttime, but I can throw it off quite quickly. Luckily, it’s not like he can force me into an uncompromising position. It’s all in the wording.Allhecangetfrommeisanswers.
“Never,” Isnarl “She doesn’twantto see you” He knows he can’treachher atthe castle onEarthwithoutassistance Full-blooded Light Fae are persona non grata for this very reason. I have no idea why he wants her so badly, but it’s somethingto do with‘unfinished business’. Unfortunatelyfor me, he takes this outonme whenever he can. However, Iwill protectmymomfromhimatallcosts.Thispowerisinsidious,andIknowthatshehashadtroublewithitbefore,eventhoughI don’tknowthedetails.Myparents,stepsincluded,canbethebiggestassholeswhenitcomesto‘need-to-know’.
I’vethrownoffthecompulsion,buttheKingisstillsomuchstrongerthanme TheLightFaeKinglooksatJerrickwithutterdisdain.“Whoareyoutotell me whattodo?”
“The Princess’s protector,” Jerrick replies, his vibrant, purple eyes swirling with unfettered rage. “Now remove your handsbeforeIinformhergrandfatherofyourdisrespect.I’msureyoudon’twantthat.”
Anders licks his lips anddrops his handfrommychin.HemaybeaKing,butheis ababycomparedtomygrandfather. “There’snoneedforthat,”hesayssmoothly “SavannahandIwerejusttalking,weren’twe,Princess?”
Ihearthesoftcalloftheravens,nestledintheirbarnforthenightandsmile Jerrickleads me over to the barracks thatare situated onthe far-leftside ofthe palace grounds. Ihave never beenhere before and startto geta bitnervous Usually, Jerrickand Imeetinthe barnwhere he paints, or somewhere inthe extensive gardens.Itseemsnowthatheistakingmetohisroom.
He nods and steps closer to the easel Itis covered witha clothwhichhe doesn’tremove as he picks up a paintingand movesittopropupontheflooragainstthewall.
This whole eveninghas gone downthe fuckingpan She hates me now What the fuckwas Ithinkingkissingher? Then makingitworsebytellingherIlovedher.Whatafuckingdick.
Ican’tletthistrainofthoughttakeseed.Evenif,bysomemiracle,shelovesmeback,herfamilywillneverallowustobe together Sheisdestinedforgreatthings Drakeisgoingtonameherhisheir Iknowit Everyoneknowsit Thatmeansthatshe willbeQueen,anditmeansthatshewillneedtounitewithaLightFaetobringforththeprophecythathasplaguedourraces for eons. Only the Dark Fae Princess can unite the Fae in a union with the Light, bearing a child of half of each of them, creatinganewracethatwillbringharmonyacrosstheRealm. Isigh.
Everyone thoughtthather momhadachievedthis over twentyyears ago,butshe wasn’tthe one She wasn’tFae enough, beingonlyahalf-breed.Herdaughter,Delinda,wastoomuchofaDragontobetheblessedchild.ButSavannahisdefinitely theone Thatmeansthatthereisnoplaceformeinherlifeasanythingbutherfriendandprotector
Lettingouta strangled moan, I’mdesperate to fixthis mess, butgoingto her now would be a bigmistake She will be furious withme and locked up tightinher room. Iwon’tgo to her there. She doesn’tallow meninher room, and for good
reason.Notonlywouldtheydieathousanddeathsifherfather,orworse, grandfather,ever foundout,butsheseesitasher safehaven.Aplaceshecangotoandnot have toworryabouttheslew ofpigslininguptobewithher.Iseethelustylooks theyallgiveher Ihearthelewdcommentsmadeaboutherbodyandwhattheywanttodowithit Ihavetophysicallyrestrain myself from beating to death every single male in this Kingdom, and the next, when I hear them talking about taking her virginity,frontand back,withgreatgusto Ifanyoneofthemtouchesher,theyknowthattheyhave me toanswertofirst,andif thereis anythingleftofthemafter that,her father will finishthemoffsothatonlyapileofbatteredbones wouldlandather grandfather’sfeetforhisturn
Itkeepsthematbay.
Mostly.
Afew stolenkisses have gottenthroughthe cracks, butshe is mature enoughto putthe brakes onand notgive into her desiresfortheseassholesthatdon’tdeserveher.
Ican’tbeartothinkabouthermarriedtoascumbagLightFaeandhavehimtakeherthewayIsodesperately need totake her,butneverwill.
Peeringdownatthe commotiongoingon, there is a crowd ofLightFae, who must’ve still beenhere fromthe feastlast night,millingabout,gesturingwildlyandshoutingaboutsomething,whilemyfather,Grandfatherand Jerrick trytocalmthem down
Helooksanxiouslyoverhisshoulderagain,andIhuffathim Istepback “Comeinthen,”Isay,resigned “What?”heasksfearfully.“No!Canwegotothegardens?” Ismiletomyself Heknowsmyissue,andherespectsitbecauseheknows me Rememberingthatmakesmyangerfade “Justcomein,”Ichideandwalkbackovertothewindows;turningtofacehim,Icrossmyarms.
Hesidlesinnervously Helooksaround,hiseyesdartingtothesplendorofmyhand-carved,fourposter,doubleking-sized bed and mountain of black silk pillows and matching coverlet. His eyes widen at the ornate coving near the ceiling and frescoes intricately painted up above. His feet sink into the plush black carpet as he steps forward, looking vastly uncomfortableinhissurroundings,leavingthedoorwideopen
“Close it,” I order. Heaven forbid someone wanders by and sees himin here. My carefully preserved safe space will suddenlyhavearevolvingdooronitagainstmywishes “Uhm,”hemurmurs.
“Longstoryshort, their momis also a half Dragon. To saythat the Lights are ina tizzyover this is anunderstatement. Apparently, she, a cousinofthe former King, concealed this informationalongwithher affair witha DragonPrince, which broughtforthtripletsons. She wanted to come backhere and broughtone ofher sons withher, leavingthe other two to be raised bytheir father as Dragons Ido believe thatthe third brother is married to your sister, the DragonEmpress,” he says withalookthatIcan’tquiteplace.
“Whichhusbandofmysister’s?Shehasthree.”Iwigglethreeofmyfingersathimandwatchashisfacegoespuceinhis disapproval If I didn’t agree, I would’ve laughed How Momand Delinda find this choice of not choosing a single mate acceptableisbeyondmyscopeofreckoning.ItalsogoesverystronglyagainsttheverytraditionalvaluesoftheFaeraceasa whole
“Hmm.Yes,aboutthatkiss…”Ilookhimsquareintheeyeandseethedesireswimminginhisthathetriestohidebutis unsuccessful Ican’thelpthefeelingsitinvokesinme Heisanexcellentkisser,andinspiteofhisassholebehaviorlastnight, Iwouldn’tmindkissinghimagainnowthatI’mnotsoangrywithhimanymore.Whatthatmeans,Ihavenoidea.I do knowthat heisrightinsayingmyfamilywilldisapproveheavilyofarelationshipbetweenus Butthatdoesn’tmeanthatwecan’tengage ina secret kiss now and again. I’mnot promised to anyone yet. I mayhave whatever these feelings are for Blayne that go beyondfriendship,butwehaveneverevenkissed,letalonedeclaredourselvesasmates.
AFTER ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES,Idecideit’stimetofindJerrickforourtrainingsession.Heisteachingmehowtokickassthe physicalway.I’mgettingquitegoodatit,andit’sanexcellentworkout.Plus,it’sgreatforventingfrustrations.Iseemtohave manyofthoseatthemoment,soIcoulddowithbatteringtheobjectofsomeofthem
Lettingmyravensgo,Iexitthebarn,lookingupatthesky.ItisalwaysovercasthereintheDarkFaeKingdom.Theblue skyandsuninthe distance hangs over the LightFae lands,butImuchprefer ithere It’s toobrightover there Itgives me a headache.
He’s intriguing me. Apart from his demeanor, he looks exactly like Blayne. It’s creepy. Does this mean that the third brother,whoismarriedtomysister,looksthesameaswell?
“Yes,seriously,”shesnaps.“HeisaLightFae,and I amtheDarkFaePrincess.WhenIbecomeQueen,Ineedtounitewith aLight I’vedecidedit’sgoingtobehim”Sheflicksherhairoverhershoulderandgivesmeasuperiorlook
This womanis sodeludeditwouldbehilarious ifsheweren’tbeingdeadlyserious.“Andhehas nosayinthis?”Iask, tryingtokeepthelaughoutofmyvoice
After a beat, where he gives me anincredulous look, he laughs outloud, his browneyes twinklingwithamusementand showingmehisrealselfagain “Jealous,LittleFaerie?”heaskswithasmirk “Pah!”Iscoff.“Ofher?Noway.” “Hm,”hemurmurs,takingmyhandagain “Ithinkyou’retryingtogetridofthecompetition” “Fancyyourselfquitehighlythere,don’tyou?” Heshrugs “Iknowmyworth” “SodoI,”Iretort.
Again, he gives me a once-over that makes my nipples tighten, and he kisses my hand. “Yes, you are definitely worth something,Princess”Hedropsmyhandandthenturnstoleave “Thanksfortheheadsup,”headdsoverhisshoulder “Idon’t dodrama.”
Peekingoutofthewindowsofthefoyer,intothefrontcourtyard,IseeJerrickstraightaway Heisahugemountainofaman amongstthe leaner LightFae. He is standingoffto the side,gloweringateverythingandeveryone insight.He is thoroughly pissedoff,somaybeit’sbesttoleavehimtocooloffforabitlonger
Edgingbackintothepalace,andseeingtheshimmerofmagiceverywhereIturn,Ishakemyheadandkeepmywitsabout me,eventhoughmyheadisnowstartingtopound.Ifindaladies’roomoffthefoyerandslipgratefullyinside.It’sempty,tomy relief. I run some cold water and then stick my wrists under it to cool me down. I’ve suddenly gone hot and sweaty and lightheaded.
The presence Ifeel is malevolent, and Ijump whenthe King’s voice whispers inmyear “Hello, Savannah We are all aloneinhere.Yourguarddoghasbeenwaylaidthistime.Takemetoyourmother.Now.”
“Well, some time ago, we were one step awayfrombeingunited. She was supposed to be myQueen, butwe failed to completetheunion,nothankstoyourassholegrandfather,”hegrowls “Wehaveunfinishedbusiness,andIintendtofinishwhat westarted.”
“Let me tell you something you might not know. My momisn’t all that. She is a colossal pain in the ass. You would seriouslyregrettakingher on Justaskher currenthusbands She would turnyouinto a little lap dogto do her bidding Or maybeyoulikethat?”Igivehimaquestioninglook.
He gives me a ferocious glare and tightens his grip onmychin. “Youare playingwithfire, little girl. Youshould do as you’retold,oryoumightfindyourselfintrouble.”
“Oh, please,” Treyscoffs. “Ihave beenhere all offive minutes, and Icansee your rule is tenuous atbest. Itwon’ttake muchefforttocauseacoup Keepyourhandsandyourthreatstoyourself”
Helaughs.“Perhapsyouraunt.Youwererightabouther.”Steppingbackfromme,hefixeshisclothesintoalessrumpled state Ijumpoffthecountertopandsmoothdownmydress.“Oh?”
“All she wants is to wetmydickand make me worship her,” he says absently, lookinginthe mirror and fixinghis hair Thenhelooksatme.“Notmything,baby.”
IgrimaceasIrealizethatIshould’vebeenabletosavemyself.ButI’mself-awareenoughtoknowthatI’malittlefishina bigpond Age and experience meansomethinginthe magickworld, and Ijustdon’thave enoughofeither to take ona Fae King.
As Ileave the bathroom, Isee Jerrickfightinghis wayoutofaboutsixLightFae Guards who are tryingdesperatelyto detainhim,butheislikearabiddog.Heseesme,andnothing,noteventhreeoftheguardsholdinghimbackbyclingingtohis neckandarms,stopshimfromreachingme “Areyouokay?”heasksinstantly.
Hekissesthetopofmyheadquicklyandthenputsmeonmyfeet,creatingadistancebetweenusthatmakesmesigh. As we amble oninsilence,Istarttothinkabouthow Icame tokiss twodifferentmenonthe same day.Itis as far from
Ineedn’thaveworried,though. He pulls backsharply. “What?” he spits out, smackingmyhand awayfromhimand grippingmywristtightlyto stop me fromreachingforhimagain “Youheardme.”
“Ow,”Icomplain,wigglingmyhandaround,butthere’snoroomtomaneuver. Heletsgoofmyhandandundoeshispantstoloosenthem,thenhemovesmyhandoverhiscock. “Takeitinyourhand,”heordersmegruffly Idoashesaysandthengasp.Mysmall handbarelyfitsaroundhim.Heisenormousinbothgirth and length,Ifind,as I movemyhanddown,feelingthesilkysmoothness
