Chasing Hearts_An Underground Series Novel

by ERIN BEDFORD

  The thought of either caused a flutter of excitement and terror to fill me. Thankfully, my father’s voice pulled me out of my panic.

  “Daughter?”

  My eyes jerked to his, and I nodded. “I will be fine. Don’t worry.”

  No UnSeelie Prince would make a fool of me. I’d make sure of it.

  CHAPTER 2

  Dorian

  THE GLASS SHATTERED AGAINST the wall. The piercing scream from the irate woman in my room made my ears ring.

  “I can’t believe you are doing this to me!” a luscious brunette snarled at me, her state of undress not a worry to her.

  My eyes briefly drifted down to her bared breasts before I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I am hardly doing anything to you. It is not like I have a choice in the matter.”

  This didn’t seem to placate her any, because she stomped her foot and growled, “You are the crown prince of the UnSeelie Court, you don’t answer to anyone! If you didn’t want to get married, then you wouldn’t have to do it.”

  I ran a hand through my own dark hair, the length of it brushing the middle of my back. It should probably get cut soon. I didn’t want to displease my bride to be. But who knew what kind of men she was into. If she were anything like her mother than it didn’t matter what I looked like, she’d hate me either way.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  I sighed once more. I really didn’t need this now. “Of course I am, Bianca.” Stepping over to her, I slid my arms around her waist drawing her soft form against my hard chest. “Let us not fight. We do not have much time left before I am to be exiled to the other side.” I tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away from me, her ruby red eyes glaring at me.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” She placed her hands on my chest and shoved me away. Marching over to where her discarded clothing lay on my bedroom floor, she jerked them on. “I am not just some toy you can take out of your drawer and play with whenever you like. I have feelings, Dorian.”

  “Could have fooled me,” I muttered.

  Bianca and I had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. I thought we had both been on the same page. My reputation didn’t exactly paint me as the flowers and romance kind. I’d rather explore the hills and valleys of the female body than explore the depths of our feelings. For Reaper’s sake, I didn’t even know her last name or favorite color. It was hardly a basis for a relationship. Her outrage was completely uncalled for.

  Not bothering to put my own clothing on, I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for Storm Bianca to subside. Unfortunately for me that didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon.

  “And another thing! If your mother thinks that marrying off her only son to that ice queen’s brat will help our kingdom, she is crazier than Hatter!”

  The mention of the silver-haired Seelie Fae that currently resided in the dark forest made me frown. I didn’t know his story exactly. He’d come to my mother seeking refuge from the Seelie Queen’s rage a few years ago. My mother, of course, had granted it, as I would have done as well. Everyone was welcome in the UnSeelie Court. We weren’t biased to looks and power like other Fae. But there was something about the man that was unsettling. Something had happened to him on the other side but he would never say what, no matter how much I asked.

  Shrugging off the thought of the Hatter, I grabbed my trousers from the floor. “I trust my mother and so should you.” I dragged the pants on while giving Bianca a pointed look.

  “Of course I trust the queen.” Bianca’s expression quickly softened. She placed her hand on my chest, her eyes down as she stroked my chest. “I just don’t like it.”

  Placing my hand on hers, I gave it a tight squeeze. “I do not care for it either but we deal the cards we are dealt. And it is my turn to play the game.”

  Her lips turned down in a frown. “Be careful. Those Seelie aren’t like us. They wear their smiles like a suit of armor. You won’t know if they will strike until it’s too late.”

  I chucked her under the chin and smiled. “Do not worry about me, dear Bianca. I play to win and I never lose.”

  I sent Bianca on her way with the promise to call for her when I came back from meeting my new bride. Then with the heavyweight of duty on my shoulders, I made my way to the orchard.

  The UnSeelie Court was a precarious mistress, ever changing on a whim. It made the best defense against outsiders, but it was a headache for anyone who wished to map the land. It had never bothered me. I loved the land more than any woman I had ever been with. I enjoyed rediscovering her curves each day. I would certainly never bore of her like I would have other women.

  My feet sank into the soil as I stepped into the orchard, the only place that never changed and my haven from the rest of the Fae world. Rows and rows of trees filled the area. There were workers that cared for the vegetation, I was sure of it, but I had never seen them. Lower Fae like those who worked the fields were more of the shy type. They preferred to do their work away from prying eyes. Not that I could blame them. I would not want to be gaped at all day either.

  Sighing, I leaned against my favorite tree that sat above all the others. I could see the whole orchard from here and they had the most delicious oranges, far superior to any other I had ever tasted. Here I could relax and let my troubles roll off me.

  I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Then frowned. The heaviness was still there. It usually worked but for some reason today my haven wasn’t doing it.

  The brush of fabric against the ground pulled my attention from the view. I didn’t need to turn to see who it was. Only one person would dare bother me here.

  “Hello, Mother.”

  “Hello, darling.” Skirts as black as night came into view. As a child, the gowns she wore always reminded me of spider webs. When I had told her she had just laughed and patted my head. “Dorian dear, you are more perceptive than you know.”

  I hadn’t known then what she meant, but now I knew that she wrapped herself in clothing such as that to put up a defense. While the Seelie Court might hide behind their smiles, my mother hid behind a fearsome facade. One that most of her citizens knew was just a mask. No, Mab was softer than mush but had a wicked temper if betrayed. I’d only witnessed it once and the thought of it still made my spine tingle.

  “What are you doing out here?” She stood by my side not touching me but her presence was comfortable, nonetheless.

  “Thinking.”

  Her dark blue eyes, so much like my own crinkled at the corners, her lip ticked up at my answer. “You mean, procrastinating.”

  I shot her a smile. “That as well.”

  Her head fell back as she laughed, the smooth surface of her face contorted showing her age. If anyone didn’t know us, they would think we were siblings. The rate at which we aged made it almost impossible to tell who was the parent and who was the child. It made for interesting situations at parties that was for sure.

  “Ignoring the obvious reasons you are hiding,” she cleared her throat with a hand over her mouth, “while you are leaving another has come.”

  “Oh, really?” I asked my brow quirking up.

  “Yes,” her eyes sparkled, “a small little thing with golden curls and a peculiar disposition. Could make for some interesting events to come.”

  Shaking my head at her, I laughed. “Your interest in the humans is so strange. They are pests that are better left to their own devices. Having them in our world is not good for any of us. Say one of them goes missing?” I asked my lips pressed into a line. “Then they would be beating down the door of our world in moments. Don’t think for one moment they are our friends.”

  She placed her hand on my arm; the blood red of her nails glinted dangerously. “You worry too much. We need them as well, you know. They depend on them to survive. One here and there won’t hurt anything. And besides,” the smile on her face was positively wicked, “she’s just a child. How much trouble could she cause?”

  I didn’t hav
e an answer, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut telling me that this child could cause more trouble than any of us could ever imagine.

  CHAPTER 3

  Lynne

  RIDICULOUS! THIS WHOLE SITUATION was utterly and completely barbaric. My shoes made angry sounds as I stomped through the hallways of the palace. I’d just come from my mother, where she had requested my presence with the Court.

  She never requested my presence. If she had her way I’d be locked away in a tower only brought out for special occasions. I sometimes wondered why she even bothered to have me at all.

  Any other time I’d have been overjoyed to go to court but this time I’d have rather stuck my head in the dirt. Not only did she want to talk about my upcoming marriage, but also she had to ask in front of everyone if I was prepared to do my wifely duties. She might as well have asked if I was ready to spread my legs for a complete stranger rather than being coy about it. The whole court had laughed at my blushing face either way.

  If she wanted me to be prepared, she shouldn’t have kept me so cooped up all these years. The only experience I had with men and sex were from books and the stories my best friend Erydesa told me.

  Unlike me, she could do what she liked and when she liked, which she took full advantage of by sleeping her way through most of the royal court. Fae weren’t prudes by any means, but to someone like me that wasn’t even allowed to be alone with a male, it seemed a bit extreme.

  Even when she retold the tales of her nightly and sometimes even daily activities, I couldn’t help but be in awe of her and the whole aspect of sex. Some of the things she has had done to her or have done to others made me laugh and blush. Who used feathers as a way to get in the mood? And being tied down? I couldn’t imagine ever giving up that much control to someone else.

  The thought of what my future husband might like crept up, but I quickly shook it off. I didn’t care what he liked. I wasn’t marrying him. I’d sooner die.

  My face settled into a firm determination as I made my feet start toward the library. Rounding a corner I bumped into a hard chest and almost lost my footing. Large hands grabbed me before I hit the ground and a familiar chuckle filled my ears.

  “Pardon me, your highness.” Bastian, Erydesa’s twin brother, grinned at me. His hair was almost as white as my own, but his blue eyes were more of a muddy blue. He and Erydesa had the same position on sex and dressed to show off their assets. Having grown up with Bastian, the first time he started going without a shirt my face had heated to volcanic levels. Then when he had pierced his nipples I couldn’t look at him for days.

  My eyes went to the glinting jewels on his chest and my face heated. I forced my eyes to look to the side causing Bastian to laugh. Miffed at being laughed at I pulled away from him and smoothed my dress down. “What are you doing here Ba—Jewels,” I caught myself before I called him by his real name. These nicknames were really irritating though I didn’t need to ask why Bastian had decided to go by Jewels.

  Not mentioning my slip up, Bastian moved back into my personal space. “I wanted to check on you of course.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, you know, after what happened in court I thought you might need a shoulder to cry on.” He picked up a piece of my hair and twirled it between his fingers. I had the sudden urge to wash it again. It was no secret that Bastian wanted me. He’d come on to me enough times I would think he’d take the hint that I wasn’t interested. Unfortunately, he was one of the few males my mother let me be around. If all the other males were like him I wasn’t sure I wanted get to know them.

  “I’m all right,” my lips twisted, and I slowly withdrew from his touch and added, “But thanks for your concern.”

  I moved around him and resumed my path to the library where I hoped to drown myself in some ancient literature. Bastian, on the other hand, couldn’t take the hint, as usual. I rolled my eyes as his footsteps echoed mine.

  “Did you need something else?” I asked, my eyes forward hoping if I was dismissive enough he’d leave me be.

  We came up on one of my favorite hiding spots and without a word, Bastian grabbed my hand and pulled me into the darkened corner.

  Struggling against his hands, confusion filled my face. “What the hell?”

  Bastian’s hand straddled either side of my shoulders as he leered at me. “Come on, your highness. Let’s not pretend any longer.”

  “Pretend what?” I raised a brow at him.

  “That there isn’t some kind of attraction between us.” One of his hands came up to stroke the side of my face and I flinched away from him. “Your mother has a point.”

  “What?” Anger overwhelmed my disgust. My mother was never right.

  “You need to be prepared. You aren’t like my sister and I. You are delicate. Innocent.” He plucked at the collar of my dress, and I shoved his hand away. Bastian sighed and dropped his hands. “I’m just trying to say that we are counting on you to make this alliance work, and that means you need to keep that UnSeelie bastard happy.”

  “Keep him happy?” I exclaimed. “What about keeping me happy?” But it was like I wasn’t even speaking.

  Bastian grabbed me by the hips and pressed himself against me. “That’s where I can help you.”

  “Help me do what exactly?”

  “Help you learn how to please him, of course.” Bastian ground against me, letting me feel the hardness between his thighs. “Don’t you want your first time to be special? For the one who takes you to be someone you know? Not with some stranger who doesn’t give a shit about you other than to gain power?”

  Having had enough I conjured up some of my magic and shoved at him, forcing him off me. Bastian’s eyes widened, and he lost his balance causing him to crash to the floor. My lips formed a tight smile as I stared down at him.

  “Now let me help you, Jewels,” I scowled, “I am High Fae, and while I might be inexperienced in some areas of the world, I am also the daughter of one the most powerful Fae in the whole Underground. No one will be taking me.” I turned away from him but then paused and glanced over at him still sprawled out on the ground. “And for the record, it would never be you. Never.”

  The sound of Bastian’s cursing was music to my ears as I stomped away. Help me? I snorted. If anyone needed help, it’d be that UnSeelie Prince. He didn’t know what he was getting into, and if I had my way, he’d be the one eating out of the palm of my hand. Not the other way around.

  CHAPTER 4

  Dorian

  WE ARRIVED EARLY IN the morning. And when I say we, I mean two guards and me. The Seelie Queen wouldn’t allow me to bring any more people. More than likely she didn’t want any more dirty UnSeelie crowding her palace.

  I snorted, causing one of the Lower Fae unpacking my things to look up. The short, meek male could have been High Fae had they been taller and more attractive. I honestly was surprised the Seelie Queen would lower herself to let anyone not like her even be in the palace, let alone handle anyone’s things. But for all, I knew the Lower Fae could have been assigned to me because I wasn’t worthy of one of her own serving me.

  “Your highness?” the servant asked, his eyes down.

  “Nothing.” I shook my head and then paused. “Wait, what can you tell me about the princess?”

  At the mention of the princess, the servant's eyes darted up from the floor and then quickly back to the ground. “The princess is wonderful. A warm embrace in a cold winter storm.” The love and adoration in the servant’s voice surprised me even more so since he kept going. “There are no words to describe her beauty and grace. The very definition of—”

  “I get it,” I cut him off, “she’s a goddess.”

  “No! Not a goddess,” the servant cried out but then quickly lowered his voice. “A goddess would not seek to acknowledge those lower than her. Her Highness is beyond any of those such things. You are a lucky Fae indeed to be engaged to such as she.”

  “I see,” I drew out raising a brow at him. I w
asn’t sure how I felt about marrying someone who was thought so highly of by her people. It was great for being a leader, not so much when trying to woo them.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with, your highness?”

  “No, no. That is all. Thank you.” I waved him off and turned back to the room they had put me in. Thankfully, the servant hurried out of the room and I was alone once more. The room was furnished well enough, but it was nothing compared to the room I had back home and it wasn’t going to help me with the princess.

  Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sighed. I had only just gotten here, and I was already ready to go home. Fortunately, I’d only had a few encounters with Seelie Fae throughout my last hundred years or so. The few times I had gotten together with them hadn’t been pleasant. Everything took effort. Every word, every facial expression was being judged all the time. One wrong look at the wrong person and you could find yourself in the Seelie Queen’s dungeon. I’d heard it was even worse than being exiled to the Shadow Realm, and I could believe it. Speaking of good impressions, I doubted the queen would like it if I wandered her halls in mud covered clothing.

  I dragged my shirt off letting it fall to the floor. I thought for a moment to just leave it there, let them think the man they were giving their precious princess to was a slob but remembering the servant who had coward, not daring to meet my gaze made guilt eat at me. Sighing, I leaned down to pick up the shirt from the ground. Throwing it onto the bed on my way to the wardrobe, I dug through my clothes and frowned. I really shouldn’t have let my mother pack for me. There was nothing but frills and furs. Sometimes I wondered if she had wished for a daughter.

  Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the shirt with the least bit of frills and paired it with a pair of black pants. There was one thing my mother, and I had in common and that was our love of black. There wasn’t a speck of color in my wardrobe, which was just the way I liked it. Compared to the Seelie I would stick out like a sore thumb.