by Ivy Clyde
“Being their slave is better than being dead.”
“Mother!”
“Keep your voice down,” she said in a cold tone.
My breathing came out in harsh pants as I struggled to control the rage threatening to break through me. How could this woman be my mother? How could she not care about my happiness and well-being?
“Make Rowan marry Deirdre,” I said. “Let her make his life a living hell.”
Mother put down her goblet of wine. “I want you on the throne. No matter what sacrifices are needed, I will make them.”
“Why are you so obsessed with it?” I asked her for the hundredth time. “Why does it matter if Rowan becomes king? He will still treat you with respect and father with courtesy despite the way you acted toward his mother. I know that much about him.”
She scoffed and rose to her feet. “You’re already close to being twenty-one,” she said. “How can you still be so naïve?”
“You really want me to believe Rowan will have me murdered if he takes the throne?”
“That has been the custom among royals for eons.”
“I will never do that to my brothers,” I said, balling my hands into fists. “And they will never do that to me. Despite the differences and clashes you’ve created between us, neither of us will ever stoop down to fratricide.”
A cold chuckle escaped my mother. She turned around to face me and stared down at me. “You will have to kill them so they can never snatch away the throne from you.”
“Mother…don’t…” My heart thumped hard in my chest. Was this the future she was weaving for me and my brothers? She would put me on the throne and have both Rowan and Leon murdered. While their suffering would be short-lived, I would have to endure the rest of my life with a cruel, heartless woman while her father controlled the kingdom.
For a long time, I chose not to believe the rumors. I hoped Mother hadn’t gone as far as murdering Lady Cynthia but now that I stared into her cold eyes and listened to her plans for me, all I could do was shudder. Was my life going to be like my father’s? I would be king but only in name while my queen and nobles ran the kingdom and my life? Wouldn’t I even get the freedom to choose my mate?
“You have never been so agitated with the decisions I’ve made for you,” said my mother in a deceptively soft voice. She laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and leaned down to stare into my eyes. “What is really upsetting you, son? The marriage to Deirdre or me giving away the stupid, weak faeling to your brother?”
“She is none of those things,” I said through clenched teeth.
My mother’s cold laugh seemed to freeze my heart with dread. “The most beautiful and powerful women hang around you all day but you’re letting that insignificant girl sway your mind.”
My nails dug into my palm as I balled my hands into tight fists.
“Perhaps, I should have her eradicated altogether to avoid complicating matters.”
“Mother!” I shot up on my feet and was baring my teeth at her.
She stumbled back from the sudden shock but within a moment, her eyes burned with rage. She struck me hard in the face. The blow stung but I didn’t show any pain or emotion.
“Fix things with Deirdre,” I said through clenched teeth. “I will do as you say.”
Rage burned through my veins but I didn’t want her to know how much her words affected me. As was custom, I bowed low to her and slowly walked out of the room. My heartbeats thundered in my ears but I willed myself to hold onto my emotions. The slightest slip-up would end up in getting Moira killed.
Moira…my rage turned into anxiety as I thought of her. There was something about the new girl at Belenus Court. She wasn’t an ordinary abandoned fae who came from the human realm. While she’d been clueless the first few days, she’d quickly got control over her magic. Not only could she build a mental shield, but she could also keep someone as powerful as me out of her mind.
Moira intrigued me. She avoided me at school and stayed out of sight but she never left my mind. My obsession even had me going to speak to Lady Chantal to learn more about her and her past. From what she told me, Moira was one of the strongest faes in the kingdom. The only thing stopping her from being the most powerful was her lack of training.
I didn’t think of her as weak or useless. Within the first few weeks, she could hold up a strong shield against mental attacks as well as fight a powerful fae like Deirdre. One of my spies had seen the two fighting. It was incredible that Deirdre was the one who needed rescuing and was presently recovering in her father’s castle while Moira visited my mother this morning without showing any signs of weakness.
I wanted to tell my mother about how precious and incredible it would be to have a mate like Moira who was powerful but not attached to any of the noble families. A mate like her would help bring the royal family back into power and control, but my mother was already deep in the webs of her lies and deceits and had made up her plans for me. She wouldn’t change them. She would rather have me licking Coran’s balls than stand up and fight against him.
“Where to, Your Highness?” asked a voice, breaking me out of my thoughts. My feet carried me back to my carriage waiting outside my mother’s palace.
“Back to Belenus Court,” I said, climbing inside.
I could no longer allow my mother to decide our future. Moira needed to be protected from her clutches. My loss of control was already making the queen feel threatened. There was no way she would let things go even when I agreed to her plans. No, she would make sure everything happened the way she intended.
I had to reach out to both my brothers as well. They had to know what was coming up. No matter how much I loved my mother, the future of the kingdom and loyalty to my father’s house mattered more. There was no way I could shirk my duties as a prince and succumb to fear.
I am going to protect both Moira and my brothers, I vowed silently.
19
Moira
“Wake up, darling,” whispered a deep, soft voice. It was exceptionally gentle, like the brush of a feather’s edge against the shell of my ear. Still under the grip of my deep slumber, I continued to sleep, surprising a more conscious part of myself. It had been years since I’d felt so safe and slept deeply.
Warm lips pressed on my lips, cheeks, and eyes, leaving soft kisses. I buried my face into the pillow, still unwilling to wake up.
It was only when a warm, wet towel glided over my thighs did I open my eyes. Looking down, I watched Leon clean up the mess drying against my pussy lips. He wore a loose, unbuttoned shirt, giving me glimpses of the defined planes of his broad muscular chest. There was an affectionate look in his amber eyes as he continued to wipe my thighs. The strands of his crimson-hued hair glowed golden from the glow of the floating lanterns in the room…wait! Lanterns?
My head turned toward the window. It was completely dark outside.
I sat up immediately.
“What time is it?” I asked, feeling panic rising within me.
“It’s past midnight,” said Leon calmly but his eyes were glued to my naked breasts. The sheet covering me had slid off me completely. Clutching the blanket to me, I glared at him.
“Why didn’t you wake me? Lady Demitria would be searching for me. What if the queen found out about us? What if…”
“Calm down,” said Leon, holding my shoulders firmly. “Lady Demetria has gone back to the castle already.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“Of course, not, silly girl,” he said, booping my nose playfully. “I sent one of my servants to tell her to go ahead without you. She agreed without any fuss.”
I felt my shoulders relax. A smile blossomed on my lips as I met Leon’s amused expression. He shifted closer to me and moved a strand of hair away from my face. Suddenly, I felt awfully embarrassed. Heat flooded my cheeks as I averted his keen gaze.
“Why do you have to be so shy with me?” he asked in a deep, rumbling voice that reverberated through me. His thumb br
ushed over my heated cheek. “Look at me.”
I risked a glance at him.
His amber eyes swirled with a mix of emotions. “Was I too forceful?” he asked.
“No. You were…” My gaze fell to my knees as I said, “perfect.”
Hooking a finger under my chin, he forced me to look up at him. His eyes looked into mine, studying me attentively while my cheeks grew hotter. With a sigh, he let me go and sat back. “I am glad you’re okay. You’d been sleeping for so long, I was beginning to worry.”
“I haven’t slept well since the day I got here,” I said. “It felt so safe here with you, I just conked off, I guess?”
Leon’s expression tightened. “From now on, you can stay in my private chambers.”
“The place with the paintings?”
“There are more rooms along the corridor. You can use the bedroom in the evenings and at night. My only condition is that no one else gets to know about it.” He leaned in close, a fierce look in his amber eyes. “Or you know what happens, don’t you?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice.
“You will kill me?”
A grin appeared on his beautiful face. “That’s right,” he said, pressing his lips to mine.
The warmth flooding through my chest made me smile broadly. I wondered if I’d ever felt this happy in my life. Leon was making me smile, blush and forget the complications of our lives. Neither of us spoke about the events from earlier today. This happy little bubble of happiness around us was too precious to let go just yet.
Leon left the room to bring us something to eat, giving me time to search for my clothes among the tangled sheets on the bed. I quickly put on my uniform and shoved my bra and panties into the pockets of my jacket.
Walking to one of the windows, I stared out into the clear night sky, twinkling with a million stars. The nights in Aelia were gorgeous. A contented sigh escaped me. While life among the fae was loaded with political sabotage, I’d found something precious here.
I could have never imagined being attracted to anyone in my past life. Not only that, I never expected anyone to treat me so preciously as Leon. I couldn’t help thinking of Rowan at this moment either. Even though he liked me, he was keeping his distance to keep me safe. I had to get stronger to keep them both safe too because, minus all the political bullshit, I wanted to be with them too. I wasn’t sure of what the future held for me or them, but I was sure of that one thing. I would get strong enough to stand on my own without needing anyone’s help.
I was surprised to find my hands balled into tight fists at my side. In my past life, I rarely felt this strongly about anything. All my effort had been to survive my mom’s abuse and to stay on alert of every male figure in my vicinity.
The sound of the door opening made me turn around. Leon stepped inside with a massive tray in his hands. I rushed forward to help.
He frowned at me, his gaze roving all over me. “You got dressed already.”
“Did you want me to stay naked?” I asked, walking behind him as he carried the tray to the table in the corner.
“That is precisely what I wanted,” he said.
I giggled, staring at his annoyed face. He smiled a second later, lightening up the moment. “Let’s eat and then we’ll go back to Belenus Court.”
I looked down at the tray. It was filled with dishes of meat stew, thickly sliced bread, cheese, fruit and to my surprise, bars of chocolate.
“I had no idea we had chocolate here,” I said, picking up a bar and biting into it. “Mmm,” I moaned as the gorgeous milk chocolate melted between my tongue and the roof my mouth.
“We have delicacies from the human world here,” he said, tearing into a loaf of bread. “They are pricier, sure, but available to everyone. The only condition is that they should be free of poisonous chemicals that can cause sickness to the fae.”
“The food here is delicious,” I said, chewing through a mouthful of chocolate. “I can live on bread and butter alone.”
He chuckled. Spreading a chunk of bread with gravy from the meat stew, he handed it to me. “Eat some meat and bread.”
“Thanks.”
For a while, we busied ourselves with the food. Even eating with Leon was like a new experience. I couldn’t remember a time when eating made me so happy.
“Would it be so bad if I hid you away?” he asked after a while. His eyes were alight with a cold, calculating look that sent a cold shiver down my spine. Something told me he wasn’t kidding.
“I don’t want to hide anymore.”
It was a moment before his eyes cleared of that expression. Releasing a deep breath, he got to his feet. “Come on, then. I will take you back.” He picked up a cloak from a tall stand and wrapped it around his figure. “Cover yourself,” he said. “I don’t want anyone catching a glimpse of you near my quarters.”
I put on the cloak he gave me earlier and lowered it over my head.
Leon opened the door to his chambers and led me out into a dimly lit corridor. The lower levels of the palace still had maids and servants but there weren’t as many as that morning. I kept my head lowered under the hood, feeling the happiness from before evaporating in the face of reality. We would never be able to be together as a couple outside our bedrooms.
I followed Leon out of the main entrance hall and spotted a carriage in the courtyard. Reaching close, he opened the door for me and gestured for me to step inside. He climbed in after me and placed a finger on his lips.
Throughout the journey back to the castle, we stayed quiet. I guessed we couldn’t risk letting the coachman hear us talking.
The carriage stopped before the main castle of Belenus Court. Leon and I descended down wordlessly.
“Go back,” commanded Leon shortly. The driver obeyed at once, leaving us to stand in the dark area by ourselves. “I will take you to my private chambers,” he said, walking forward.
I hurried after him.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I asked in a lowered voice.
“No. I want people to see me in my regular quarters here,” he said, taking long strides through one of the garden paths. “This way, I won’t attract any attention to myself.”
“We have to act distant in front of everyone too,” I said.
“Yes.”
“I am going to miss you.”
He must have heard the pain in my voice because he came to a halt and turned around to face me. “Moira, we have to be careful.” Removing the hood from my face, he leaned down to capture my lips in a heated kiss. I was beginning to enjoy the feel of his luscious, soft lips on mine when he suddenly moved away. “We can’t kiss like this where anyone can see us.” Grabbing my hand tight, he began walking toward his concealed quarters.
This time, I watched the magic happen before my eyes. The wall melted before my eyes, revealing the open doorway leading into the rooms where Leon hid his paintings and his real self from the outside world.
“I am going to leave you here,” he said from the threshold. His face was hidden in shadows but I could hear the longing in his voice. “You can stay here every night. I will come to visit whenever it’s possible for me.”
“I’ll miss you,” I said. My heart squeezed at the thought of parting from him.
He pressed his lips to mine in a deep kiss as a reply. I wanted to keep going but he forcibly broke away from me. “Don’t tempt me,” he said in a rough, husky voice.
I smiled at the effect I could have on him. Leon was no longer the elusive fae prince who kept threatening me all the time. He was mine…at least for now.
20
Moira
I slept through the night in the bedroom in Leon’s secret chambers. Even when he wasn’t around, the familiar scent of sweet hay and wildflowers lingered in the sheets, reminding me of the afternoon I spent in his arms. Needless to say, I slept well again, waking up in the morning feeling more energized than ever before.
It was barely seven A.M. when I woke up the next morning. Rising from
the bed, I stretched my arms over my head and looked toward the windows. Sunlight streamed through the closed curtains, telling me it was time to get out of there before anyone saw me. I fixed the bed quickly, making sure everything was tidy before leaving.
The courtyard and garden path leading toward the dorm building was still deserted. Staying alert, I hurried forward. The past few weeks taught me to stay on my guard by now. However, no one was waiting to pounce on me that morning. Reaching the dorm building, I slipped in and headed for the staircase leading up to my room.
My breathing relaxed when I stepped inside my room and locked the door.
A moment later, I realized something different about the space before me. There were at least a dozen wooden crates, both big and small, gathered in one of the corners. Wondering what they were, I walked toward them. The royal emblem, resembling a flaming sun, was stamped on the closest box. Catching hold of the latch, I lifted the lid.
Neatly folded pieces of fabric lay inside the velvet-lined box. My hand brushed over a purple-dyed cloth, feeling the softness of the material. Suddenly, I remembered the queen’s command of gifting me clothes and jewels.
She already sent them over to me? I wondered. One after the other, I opened all the boxes. Clothes, luxurious fabrics, jewelry, spices, sweets, bottles of liquor, and pouches filled with fat gold coins were revealed to me. For a while, I could only stare at the treasures sent to me by the queen.
A knock on the door broke me out of my stupor.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“Who else bothers knocking on your door?”
I smiled, recognizing Isla’s voice immediately. She had a point. Anyone wanting to bully and hurt me wouldn’t bother knocking. Straightening up, I went to open the door for her.
“Where were you all night?” she demanded, striding into the room. “I was so worried. Were you in the palace the whol–” She spotted the gleaming jewels and fabrics in the open boxes. “What’s all this?”
