The hunger pains came harder and wouldn’t go away. Tears slipped down the side of my face, soaking my pillow; I knew I would have to give in. I didn’t want to die. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and rapped on the door.
Lena opened it, dressed in a short orange dress. The ends of her hair were curled up. She smiled sweetly. “Yes?”
“I’ll come down to eat,” I said, my voice a whisper.
She grinned. “You lasted longer than I expected. I’ll be right back.”
A couple of minutes later, she returned with a tall glass of thick green liquid. “Here, drink this.”
I turned my nose up and made a face. “What is it? It looks nasty.”
“It’ll restore your energy so you don’t look so pathetic tonight.” There was something that appeared to be compassion in her eyes, though she hid it well.
I took the tall, clear glass from her. Whatever it was, it was really heavy and had a sickly sweet smell, like grass and fruit. I counted to three and downed the drink. It was so sweet that my lips puckered, but the effect was almost immediate. It filled me with warmth and clarity, and my constant stomach pain dissipated in moments.
“Go and make yourself presentable. The pink gown. Try not to cause any trouble,” she warned.
A few minutes later, I stood in front of the broken mirror, my single reflection refracted into a hundred tiny pieces because of the cracks. The dress was beautiful, with a hem that trailed the ground and a puckered, sweetheart bodice that emphasized my curves. It was light and airy and actually made me feel like a magickal creature.
Lena breezed through the door and paused to give me an approving nod. “Yes, well done.”
“Could you knock, please?” I snapped irritably.
She just smiled enigmatically and walked purposefully to the dresser. She opened a drawer and pulled out a headband that was almost the same color as the dress. “Here.” Gently placing it on my head, she nodded. “Perfect.”
I did feel beautiful. The only problem was, I wished I were dressing this way for Adam and not some monster who had abducted me.
Lena and I emerged from the bedroom, and she led me by the arm to the gigantic dining hall where I had first met Varwik. I recognized the abnormally large doors. Her grip was weaker than it used to be, and I entertained the thought that maybe she was starting to warm up to me.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye as we entered the dining room, the doors groaning on their hinges. If I could get her on my side, maybe she would help me escape. It was a long shot, sure, but it wasn’t like I had many other choices. Befriend Lena and we both escape, or sit and twiddle my thumbs, hoping Azura would come for me.
I hadn’t noticed some of the smaller details of the room when I was last there. A large crystal chandelier hung over the massive table, and museum-quality paintings hung on the sky-blue walls. An Oriental runner covered the open space of floor just inside. Even though Varwik was crazy, he had great taste.
My mouth watered at the wonderful aromas coming from the food that covered the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone standing at the edge of the far wall of windows. At first, I thought it was Varwik. The man’s hair was ebony and his skin pale. But his wings weren’t purple—they were black and teal. A beautiful, vibrant teal. They fluttered for a second and then stopped.
Slowly, he spun around. My heart did a flip-flop, and my own wings involuntarily fluttered as his strange blue-green eyes rested on me. They almost matched the color of his wings. His face was cold and hard. He looked like a younger version of Varwik, so I knew it must be his son. He looked me up and down, and then with a grunt, turned back to the window.
Varwik entered the room, his broad hands rubbing together. “Isn’t this wonderful? Kallan, get over here.”
My eyes flicked over to the window. Kallan turned and walked confidently towards his father, his face smooth and expressionless. His pale toes stuck out from beneath his long black pants, his steps silent on the floor. The black of his shirt was a stark contrast to his translucently white skin. His eyes and wings were the only splashes of color on him. He was one of the most gorgeous things I’d ever seen.
Dark faeries. I wondered if it was the way they looked or their evil nature that gave them their name.
Varwik held a hand in my direction, as if putting me on display. “I told you she was a beauty, didn’t I, son?”
Kallan glared at his father, but didn’t reply.
I watched the exchange with interest. There was no love lost between these two men.
“Oleander, I’d like you to meet your mate, Kallan.” Varwik addressed the statement to me, but his eyes were still narrowed on his son.
“I came down here to eat, not to meet anyone,” I said coolly. “I told you once, and I’ll tell you again. I’m not marrying anyone.” I stared into Kallan’s unusual eyes as I spoke, my fists clenched at my sides and itching to punch something. Or someone.
Kallan’s lips twitched as if he were suppressing a grin. He pulled a chair out from the table and sat in a graceful motion. His tone suggested boredom as he said, “The feeling’s mutual. Do you honestly think I want to mate with a light faery?”
Varwik glared at his son. “You’ll mate with who I say.” Then he turned his attention to me. “Oleander, I suggest you watch your tone or you’ll be sent back to your room without any food.”
I looked back at the table and realized I would pretty much do anything to eat at that point. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“I didn’t hear you,” Varwik said, his stare unsettling.
“I said, I’m sorry,” I snapped. These people were testing my patience. “Can I eat now?”
“Please, be seated.”
I sat down in a chair across from Kallan and filled my plate with ham, potatoes, and rolls. I shoved a roll in my mouth, the buttery, spongy goodness melting in my mouth. Groaning with pleasure, I threw a slice of ham in with it.
Lena cleared her throat, and I glanced over at her as I shoved a forkful of potato in my mouth. She shook her head slightly and mimed eating slowly with her fork.
I guess I wasn’t being ladylike enough for their tastes, but I really didn’t care. I was hungry, and it was all their fault for starving me for three days. I shrugged and took another mouthful. Who knew when my next meal was going to be? I wasn’t going to waste the one sitting in front of me.
Whenever I glanced in Kallan’s direction, he was looking anywhere except at me. He obviously hated the idea as much as I did. At least that was a relief. He was pretty to look at, but my heart belonged to Adam. Always.
I hastily shoveled the potatoes into my mouth, half-afraid they might disappear if I didn’t hurry. It was one of the best meals I’d ever had, and certainly better than anything my mother ever cooked. Thinking about dinner at home made me slow down, and my fork hovered over my plate. I swallowed hard to keep the tears away. As enjoyable as this food was, there was nothing I wanted more than to be sitting at my kitchen table with my parents eating dinner.
Varwik broke what was an increasingly uncomfortable silence. “We have much to discuss about your wedding.”
Don’t say anything. Just eat. I took another bite of ham without looking up.
“Father, marrying a light faery would be a disgrace. Surely, you do not wish this. We would be the laughingstock of the dark world.” Kallan’s tone was so flippant and uncaring.
Whether I wanted to be a faery or not, he was talking about my people as if we were nothing but vermin. Anger boiled inside me, but I held my tongue.
“Her father promised her to us. She belongs to us. And you will marry her. Everyone will see the brilliance of the plan.” Varwik paused to take a bite, and chewed slowly. “It’s really the only option.”
“We could kill her, Father. She is of no use to us.” Kallan surprised me with his words. He didn’t even know me, and he was willing to kill me?
I pressed my lips together and glared at them. “I do not belong to a
nyone, and certainly not your brute of a son.”
“In our world, Oleander, when a promise is made, that promise is kept. We never go back on our word.” He didn’t even look at me as he spoke, his fork moving around his dinner plate as if we were talking about the weather.
I wasn’t the weather. I was a living, breathing person. “I don’t live in your world.”
“You do now.” He stared at me until I looked away. “After dinner, you two will stay here and have a conversation.”
I wasn’t going to have any kind of conversation with that guy. I sat back in my seat and brushed the hair out of my face, using the motion to sneak a peek at Kallan. He was pushing food around his plate; it didn’t look like he’d even eaten anything. I quickly looked away before he caught me.
“Was the food satisfactory?” Varwik asked, noticing I’d put my fork down.
“Yeah, please thank the cook.” It really had been delicious, so I didn’t mean for it to come out so sarcastic. I wiped my mouth with the cloth napkin. I needed to shape up; I could probably get more answers if I wasn’t acting like a brat. “Could you please tell me what happened to my father?”
“He disappeared,” Varwik answered shortly.
“He just up and left and nobody knows where he went?”
“Nobody cared,” Varwik said with a laugh. “Your mother was mad as hell that he made the deal in the first place. Without being able to produce the child, our deal was null. He was probably worried I would kill him.” Looking from me to Kallan, he said, “I have things to do. I will leave you two to talk.” The conversation cut short, Varwik stood and walked out of the room with Lena trailing behind him.
So much for getting answers. I wasn’t having a whole lot of luck there.
The silence after their exit was absolute. Kallan didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t even look at me. He sat in his chair, his face turned so that he could study the paintings on the wall.
I drummed my fingers on the table, my lips pursed. “I have a boyfriend.”
He glanced up at me, just a flick of his blue eyes. “How nice.”
“We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve been dating a while.” I offered more information, hoping it would let him know that he didn’t have a chance with me. My heart belonged to someone else. “I love him very much.”
Sighing, Kallan said, “Oleander—”
“That’s not my name.” Hot fury rushed through me. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in the chair.
“What?” he asked, perplexed.
“My name is Rylie.”
His eyes softened for a split second before they turned hard again. “I have no interest in marrying you.”
“Good. So we’re on the same page.”
His face was emotionless. “We are. But you don’t know my father. He will force us to marry. He always gets his way.”
“We’ll just say no. He must want you to be happy. Doesn’t he?”
“You know nothing of the faery ways.” His jaw clenched and he looked away. There was pain in his eyes. I got a closer look at what was around his neck—a beautiful necklace made of shiny black stones.
“Well, duh. I didn’t grow up here,” I shot back. “I just found out I was a faery a couple of days ago. This is all surreal and completely unbelievable.”
“You have been made soft while living in the human world.” Kallan caught my eye, his own gaze intense and unyielding. His voice was dangerous. “Let me clue you in on something. You don’t say no to my father. What he says goes. We will marry.”
“I am not marrying you!” I shrieked, fighting the urge to launch myself across the table and choke him. Instead, I picked up a roll and chucked it across the table. “I love Adam. Not to mention I’m only sixteen!”
Kallan caught the roll without flinching. “Trust me, if I knew a way to get you out of my life and back to Adam, I would gladly arrange it. You are putting a serious damper on my plans.”
“Oh. Sorry to be an inconvenience,” I spat, surprisingly bothered by his declaration. My emotions warred inside me, unsure whether to hate him for treating me like trash, or be hurt by his obvious loathing of me.
The door banged open and Varwik strolled back in, a frown on his face. “I had hoped this would go better.”
“You can’t force us to get married,” I told him hotly. “This isn’t the Middle Ages.”
“You’re right,” Varwik said with a sinister smile. “I can’t.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Now we were getting somewhere. He could let Lena take me back home, and then I could beg my parents to move us somewhere far away.
“However, if you don’t marry my son and unite with us, I can kill you. It’s the only solution.”
I gulped. “I don’t have any great superpower! I’m not any help to you. Why can’t you see that and let me go home?”
“Your ability will show itself sooner or later, and it will be great. Of that I have no doubt.” Varwik dismissed me with a sniff.
“And what if I don’t want to marry her?” Kallan pushed his chair back and stood up, turning to stare down his father.
“Makes no difference, Kallan.” Varwik put a hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezed. “You must, and if you refuse, she will die.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Father. She doesn’t have some awesome ability. Maybe because she grew up in the human world, her ability was lost.” Kallan’s gorgeous eyes landed on me, and he sniffed. “She’s really quite pathetic. I mean, look at her.”
“Hey!” I narrowed my eyes. “If anyone is pathetic, it’s you. You can’t even make your own decisions. Your father dictates your life.”
Varwik held up his hand. “Enough! We all know looks can be deceiving, Kallan. I’ll give you some time to think about it, but you know what I want from you.”
Neither of us spoke, but I could read the fury just below the surface in Kallan. My anger had dissipated into something akin to despair.
Varwik called for Lena, and she appeared in the doorway immediately. It was like everyone in the place was at his total command. She took her place beside him. “Yes, my king?”
“Take her away.”
Lena took me by the arm—not hard, but her fingers dug in where I was bruised and blackened. I winced. “Hey, you don’t have to force me. I’ll gladly go with you to get away from these two.”
With a nod, she let go of me, and I followed her silently back to my room.
Once we were in front of the door, I turned to her. “I’ve been thinking. Why were you allowed out when I saw you at the mall? It seems too coincidental.”
“I can come and go as I please, so it’s really not that strange. I enjoy being out among humans.” She pulled the clip out of her hair, letting the mass of blonde fall around her face. Her eyes looked tired, and her face was drawn.
“What? Why would he let you leave? I thought you said you were here against your will?”
“If I do not return, Varwik has promised to kill my family.” Her statement was so matter-of-fact.
I stared at her in disbelief. This just kept getting worse and worse. I couldn’t imagine living like that. “Your family? How could he be so cruel?”
“He’s really not that bad,” Lena told me with a careless gesture. “He’ll eventually grow tired of me and let me go. He’s used to getting his way, and he uses any means to get it.”
“I don’t even know how you can stand being in the same room with him.” I shuddered.
“It was hard at first, but once I got to know him better, I realized he was actually lonely and enjoys my company. Believe me, there are worse fates.” She paused, and then touched my hand. “You must consider the consequences of your decision.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I said wearily. “Say yes or die. Nice choice. But I can find another way out.”
“There is no other way. Get some sleep, Oleander.” She opened the door to my room and motioned for me to step inside.
The lock bolted shut b
ehind me, and my shoulders sagged. Another day in paradise.
Chapter Thirteen
I lay in the bed and stared at the ceiling. Marry him or die. What kind of crap was that? I was not marrying him, but I certainly didn’t want to die. There had to be another way out of this.
What was my ability? It would work out pretty nicely if it was the ability to teleport. I closed my eyes and willed myself to be home. Please, oh please, work. But when I opened my eyes, I was still in the cell, lying on the small bed. Damn it!
What else could it be? I racked my brain for anything I knew about faeries from folklore and myth. Azura could manipulate the wind, and I think I’d read before that conjuring elements was common. I focused on the wall and commanded it to burn down. Nothing happened. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, I stared at the water, trying to make it do something, but nothing happened.
It was then I noticed the mirror had been replaced. Someone must have fixed it while I was at dinner the night before.
Frustrated, I organized the toiletries from largest to smallest. One of the towels was off-center, and it was driving me nuts. I straightened it and looked around the bathroom. “There,” I said to myself.
But the satisfaction didn’t last long.
I made my way to the closet where all the gowns were hanging and organized them by color and length, hoping that would make me feel better. Every dress was stunning and must have cost a fortune. I ran my hands over the different types of fabric and wondered if Lena had picked them out.
Thinking of Lena brought an entire wave of self-loathing that hit hard. I felt so alone. No one here was nice, and as stupid as that sounded, my feelings were hurt.
I sobbed, rushing to the dresser. Brush lined up to the edge of wood. I opened the top drawer—hair supplies. I began organizing them by size, color, and purpose, all the while, tears coming harder and faster, and my sobs becoming louder.
I pulled open the next drawer—undergarments. I tried to fold them all, but they were silk, and the material was too slick, so they kept falling off of each other. When I couldn’t wrangle them into submission, I collapsed to the floor, a complete mess.
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