It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see them, because I did. It was more like... I didn’t think I should want to, and so I was sort of shaming myself for allowing those wants and desires to arise in the first place.
I’m a jewel miner. A peasant. A nobody from Blackleaf.
They could never love or appreciate me. They could never value anything I had to offer.
But on the other hand, this was my fate. My new reality.
I’m also a princess in training, a magical woman with the power of the Greek gods.
I would suffer through etiquette and history lessons. I would be forced to attend important dinners and stuffy balls. And I would absolutely be expected to marry one of the four princes, whether I liked it or not.
It was difficult to blend the two together—the me from before and the me I was becoming. Who the hell was I right now, in this very moment? Just a lost, in-between girl who couldn’t even trust her own head or heart.
A knock sounded at the door, and I rolled over again.
“Who is it?”
“Gemma, my lady,” she said, emphasizing my title. There must have been other servants bustling about in the halls. “I’m here to prepare you for dinner.”
I sighed. “Of course, you are.”
I got up and shuffled over to the door, unlocking it so she could come skipping inside, then relocked it behind her. Her smile was bright enough to blind me. I almost shielded my eyes.
“What are you so happy about?”
She smiled wider and cocked her head. “Nothing. This is how I usually am. Why are you so sullen?”
“Is that what it is?” I asked, flopping onto the edge of my bed. “I’m brooding, so you seem overly chipper in comparison?”
“Why are you brooding? Was it the princes? Want me to kick their royal asses for you?” She rolled up the dull green sleeves of her servant gown and made a fist, shaking it in the air.
I almost laughed. Gemma was feisty, I’d give her that, but she’d never been in a brawl in her life. She was way too sweet and fun to be confrontational. People liked her too much to ever want to fight her.
“No, it’s nothing the princes did.” Which was technically true, and it made me frown.
Gemma sat down beside me on the bed and put her arm around my shoulder. “What’s wrong, Lex?”
I shook my head, still trying to figure the situation out myself.
She smiled curiously. “If not the princes, then what? The king? Your mom?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Gemma took a deep breath and sighed. “Is it me? Or Speedy? Because I can tell you right now, we’re both doing fine. No need to worry about us.”
I leaned my head on her shoulder. “Thank you, Gem. For coming to the palace with me and for taking care of that ridiculous sloth while I’m occupied. I love you both so much.”
She chuckled. “We love you too, girl. So smile! This place is a far cry from your drafty old shack and the dirty old mines! I think we’re actually lucky to be here, but even if we weren’t, even if it was awful, you can choose to make it better.”
She pointed to her temple and smiled. “Your mind is a garden, one that can grow beautiful flowers even in the rockiest of tundras, but it can also grow weeds. You’re the one who decides what seeds to plant. You’re the one who can choose to be happy here at the palace.”
I shook my head again. “It’s not that easy, Gem. I can’t just flick my emotions on and off like that.”
“It’s not about controlling your emotions, Lex. You’re entitled to feel whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s how you react to those feelings that’s important. You can’t control the situation you’re in, but by slightly changing your attitude, you can change your life.”
I lifted my head and stared at her. With bright blue eyes, bouncy blonde hair, and an undimmable smile, it was almost hard to believe such a wise, peaceful soul lived somewhere inside.
“I like them, Gem,” I said, finally cutting to the root of the problem.
“Well that’s great! I’m obviously missing the problem here.”
I dropped my chin into my hands. “I’m not supposed to like them.”
“Who says you’re not supposed to like them? I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do, considering you’re going to be marrying one of them by the end of the month.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Is it because they’re rich and you were poor? I know that’s always been a sore spot for you.”
Even now, it still stung to hear the word. Poor.
“Why does money have to dictate everything?” I asked, rising from the bed and pacing around my new room. “From the food you can eat to the clothing you can afford to the job you’re forced to work to the person you’re stuck with marrying. It all depends on money, and I hate it.”
She folded her hands neatly in her lap as she watched me pace. “It doesn’t. Not for you. Not anymore. If you hate it so much, why do you let it consume you?”
I paused, turning to glare are her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you were poor, but you’re not anymore. The princes are rich, but they don’t act pompous about it. Why turn this into a money issue?”
Pursing my lips, I continued pacing. “What about the other issue?”
“What other issue?”
“The one I never told you about.”
“Well, I don’t know, Lex, maybe if you told me, we could actually talk about it.”
I bit my lip then told her everything my mom had told me. That the Storm King had taken over the four kingdoms by force, that his war is the reason my father was dead, the reason my mom and I had to suffer the grueling life of jewel miners, and that his sons were likely to be just as awful as he was.
She was silent for a moment, taking her time to gather her thoughts. Then she said, “You ever meet someone for the first time and you don’t know why but you’re just sort of... drawn to them? You want to be around them, even though you have no idea what their favorite color is or what their pet’s name is or what they want to do with their life. There’s just... an energy, a magnetism when they’re around.”
I raised a brow. “Of course, I have. I felt that when I first met you.”
“And we’re best friends!” she shouted excitedly. “See what I mean?”
I’d felt it with Adam too. But, no, I didn’t see what she meant.
“What’s your point, Gem?”
She groaned. “The point is, you’re drawn to them. Maybe you should discard your previous assumptions and just get to know them. Trust your own intuition, trust that energy and magnetism, and make your own decision.”
I stopped pacing and bit my lip. “So, you think I should just... allow myself to like the princes?”
She slapped both hands onto her face and dragged them down her cheeks. “Yes.”
Clearly, I was being a dumbass, but she hadn’t convinced me just yet.
“What if I like them all? What if I can’t choose just one?”
She chuckled. “That sounds like a problem for future Alexis. Present Alexis needs to get ready for her first royal dinner.”
I groaned once more as she skipped to the closet and grabbed the purple gown that she’d picked out earlier that morning.
“I’m serious, Gem!”
“Me too, girl. Get this on. You’ve only got fifteen more minutes.”
Sighing, I did as asked. When I began squeezing into my attire, she did me a solid and answered my damn question.
“You know the Storm King has his very own harem.”
I poked my head through the hole of my dress and rolled my eyes at her. “Thank you, Captain Obvious, but, yes, I already knew that. I met all six of them. Remember drilling me on their names and faces?”
She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, making me grin.
“I’m just saying, if the king can have a harem, maybe you could too?”
M
y heart crashed to a dead stop before hammering wildly in my chest. Me? Have a harem? Of princes?
“That’s ridiculous,” I said as I shimmied further into the gown. “And laughable and stupid and—”
Gem cut me off.
“You’re the first and only woman in centuries with the power of the gods,” she countered, “and the king really wants you on his side. Enough to crown you as a princess. Maybe you can use that to your advantage?”
But I was still in denial.
“And ludicrous and absurd and impossible—”
“Oh, come on!” she cried, throwing her hands into the air. “Don’t act like you haven’t fantasized about taking them all at once.”
I nearly choked on my tongue. “Of course, I haven’t! That’s like... physically impossible and, like, kind of gross.”
No, it wasn’t. It totally wasn’t. Just the thought of it had me yearning for them. I had a feeling it’d be fueling my fantasies for the next few weeks at least.
I pulled the lower half of the dress down over my hips and smoothed the hem around my ankles.
“What if I fantasized about it?” Gem asked, startling the hell out of me.
I stood up and shot her a cutting glare before I realized what she was doing.
“Is that jealousy I see on your face, Alexis Marie?”
“No. It definitely isn’t.”
“So, you wouldn’t mind if I, uh, asked one of the princes for a little roll in the hay?”
Gods damn it, my glare was back in full force.
“Don’t even think about it, Gemma Rae, or I’ll...”
She grinned wickedly. “Or you’ll what?”
“I don’t know! Stab you with a sloth claw while you’re sleeping.”
She laughed so hard she fell off my bed, and soon I was laughing too. Not only was my threat totally fucking ridiculous, but we both knew I’d never do anything to actually hurt her.
“Sounds serious,” she teased, when she could finally breathe again. “I think you like them more than you want to admit.”
I grabbed a pair of lacy purple shoes and shook my head. “Can we just not talk about this anymore? I’m all princed out for a while.”
A knock sounded at the door, followed by another and another and another.
Dear gods.
My eyes darted over to Gemma’s.
A sheepish look of feigned surprised danced across her face. “I guess I forgot to mention... the princes will be escorting you to dinner.”
I whacked her arm. “What the hell, Gem? You couldn’t have told me that a few minutes ago?”
She shrugged theatrically. “We were a little busy discussing other things, remember?”
“We were not discussing other things,” I hissed. “We were discussing them, the very thing we’re discussing now!”
“Oops.”
Oops, my ass. As my best friend, she was supposed to be on my team, but I had a feeling she was on their team as well.
“Just a minute!” Gem called out to the guys, grabbing a brush and hair clip. “Quick, let’s fix your hair.”
Once the top half was pinned up and presentable, she pinched a pair of heavy earrings onto my earlobes and dusted a fine, glittery brown powder across my eyelids.
Another booming knock came from the door.
“We don’t have time for this, Jewels! If we’re late...”
I didn’t know what would happen if we were late, thanks to the fact that Rob hadn’t finished his sentence, but I had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be good. I shooed Gemma away, hurriedly rushed out into the hall, and was immediately met with silence.
None of them said a word. They just stared at me.
Panic struck. “Oh, my gods, did Gemma make me look like a toad?”
She smacked the back of my head. “Of course, I didn’t.”
“No,” Cal said, seeming to gather his wits first. “You look...”
“Beautiful,” Ben filled in.
“Sexy,” Dan decided with a wink.
Rob swallowed hard and turned away. “You look... fine. Not at all like a toad.”
Well, there was that.
Cal held out his arm. “Shall we?”
I stared at it like it might be poisonous and shook my head. “No, thanks. I don’t think it’d be the smartest idea to stroll into dinner with the ambassador of Timberlune with me at your side. I think it would send the wrong message.”
"And what message is that?" Cal asked, keeping his face carefully neutral.
I hesitated. "That... you're interested in me when you're really not? That you're courting me when you should be courting Timberlune's princess?"
His lips tightened ever so slightly. "I see."
I glanced at Gemma then back to Cal. "Is that not what you told me?"
He sighed. "No, it is. And you're right. Perhaps Prince Benson would be the better choice to escort you?"
"Why Ben?" Dan protested, stepping into the middle.
"I already told you," Cal said, stepping up to meet him head-on. “You’re not emotionally available.”
"I don't have to be emotionally available to walk a hot girl to dinner."
"It's about more than walking her to dinner, and you know it. It's about potentially marrying her. As far as I'm concerned, Ben is the best candidate in that situation."
Dan scowled but didn't argue.
My smile wilted.
It wasn't that I was displeased with having Ben. I wasn't. He was a beautiful, kindhearted man. It was the fact that I could only have Ben that was the problem. I wanted more time to get to know them—all of them. I didn't want to choose so soon, and even worse, I didn't want them to choose for me.
So, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I started walking to dinner alone. It didn't take long for them to catch up, but it at least made me feel empowered for a moment.
"What are you doing?" Cal asked, taking up the space on my right.
"I'm escorting myself to dinner."
"You can't do that," he insisted. "Royal protocol demands that a lady has an escort to dinner and any other important function."
I shrugged. "It's just dinner."
"Dinner with the ambassador of Timberlune," Dan added, taking the spot on my left.
"So?"
"So," Dan pressed, offering me his arm, "it's important that we do this right."
Cal glared over me at his brother. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Dan asked.
"This!" he cried, gesturing to his brother's bent elbow.
"Because she's a woman, and I’m a man, and we both have wants that need to be met."
Cal's gaze narrowed. "You'd ruin Ben's chances of a happy marriage because you can't keep your dick in your pants?"
"Okay!" I shouted, walking even faster and breaking away from them. "I said I'm walking myself to dinner alone, and I mean it. This bickering is kind of embarrassing."
It wasn’t even like they wanted me. Not really. Cal wanted me to go to Ben, Rob wanted me to go to Hades, and Dan only wanted me for a night. Who knew what Ben actually wanted? It didn't seem like anyone cared. Nor did it seem like they cared what I wanted—whatever that might have been.
At the bottom of the stairs, I hung a left and waited for Rob's insult on my choice of direction. It never came, so I assumed I'd chosen correctly for once. Ahead, there was a small group of servants carrying trays of food and drink standing outside a doorway. I assumed that's where we were going, so I strolled along with a bit more confidence.
One of the servant girls broke free from the line and rushed over to me.
"My lady," she said, curtseying with a tray of empty glasses in her hands, "where is your escort for the evening?"
I looked over my shoulder at the four brooding brothers and grinned.
"I'm my own escort tonight."
The servant girl's mouth fell open. "But, miss, the king will not be pleased, nor will the ambassador. They'll take it as a personal insult. You must allow
a prince to escort you."
I smiled. "The king will get over it. They both will. I'm just as capable as any prince to walk into a room on my own."
"But, miss," the servant protested, "there will be punishment.”
Finally, Rob growled and yanked my arm into the crook of his. I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly.
"I'll be escorting Miss Ravenel this evening."
Then he jerked my arm and pulled me through the doorway.
Chapter 12
"Ow!" I hissed, trying once more to remove my arm. "That hurt!"
"That's nothing," Rob muttered ominously. "Keep trying to defy my father's rules, and you'll see what pain really is."
I snapped my mouth shut and stared into his gray eyes. For once, they didn't look dangerous or angry. They looked beseeching, as if he were trying to tell me something more with his words. Something I couldn't understand.
"Just keep your mouth shut and do as you’re expected and everything should be fine."
Should be. I didn't miss the uncertainty in his word choice.
I nodded curtly and took in the scene before me.
A large staircase descended into an open room with dull stone floors and a massive, archaic chandelier. It was made of rough-hewn wood with white, waxing candles that had long ago turned yellow. The walls were uneven, made of stacked stone and mortar. A giant wooden table stood in the very center on top of an ornamental rug with a dozen chairs tucked in all around.
Much of the castle had been rebuilt, according to Dan, but this particular room had clearly remained untouched. It looked ancient.
An older man with wavy blue hair and soft, glowing skin sat watching us keenly, while the Storm King sat at the helm, his bejeweled crown resting heavily on his head of silver hair. The creases at the corners of his eyes were shadowed, making me wonder if he wasn't already angry somehow.
"You're late," he said flatly.
Oh. That’s why.
"Need I ask which one of you is the reason behind this lack of punctuality? Or shall I simply assume it was all of you?"
I opened my mouth and prepared to tell him the truth, that it was my fault we were so late. That I'd taken too long to wallow in self-pity, taken too long to dress, allowed the princes to bicker too long over who would or wouldn't be escorting me.
Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1) Page 12
