by K. Lyn Hill
“Please don’t leave me...I’ll miss your cuddling and the way you sit on my face in the morning.”
“You have so much more life to live!” Eli pressed a hand to his chest and wailed dramatically.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Aerity mumbled under her breath as she stared out at what her life had become. Was this really her future?
Would it be terrible if it was?
Kayden was now practically wiping tears from his eyes as Eli began petting one of the cookies.
Dear God, they had all lost their minds.
Ignoring them, she took her steps towards her room, only to take one more glance behind her. The boys were still caught up in their acting class practice to see her leave.
She leaned against the door frame and just took it all in.
She thought about her life back home and what her father must be doing. Mya. All the people she loved. Eli was a big part of her life and the fact he was here with her made her smile. She would never wish for anyone to go through what they had so far, but she had a feeling it wasn’t over yet. Not even close.
She headed upstairs, the sound of laughter sounding behind her as she made her way to her room. It was supid to get complacent. She didn’t know how far the princess would go to get her back. How high she would climb to get revenge. As much as Aerity hoped they could move forward with their lives, she was constantly waiting for something to drag her into the past. Damien would get his bride and Siel…she wasn’t quite sure what Siel would get but she refused to care.
Never before had she taken notice of how meticulous everything was in the house. Slowly, the thoughts of it not just being Kayden’s home had begun to seep in.
There was a peace there that she hadn’t expected. She just had a strange feeling that the peace wouldn’t last long.
Flopping herself on her bed, she stared at the patterns on her quilt. Tracing her finger along the circles and lines calmed her anxiety.
It seemed like only moments later when Eli popped his head in the door. “Hey.”
She looked up and smiled. He took it as an invitation and joined her on the bed. “You look to be in deep thought. How long have you been sitting here?”
“I left when you guys were talking to the cookies.”
Eli snorted. “We were doing that for a while. Be more specific.”
She shook her head and playfully shoved his shoulder. His playful mood disappeared and he looked at her with a somber expression. “Do you think you could be happy here?” He looked nervous asking the question, his eyes shifted around the room. “I mean if we can’t get back home.”
“Yes.” Her attention flipped to the flame that was flickering by the window. “But I have a feeling it won’t last long. There’s this ever-present nagging fear that the rug is about to be pulled out from under us.”
Eli sighed, raking a hand through his hand. “Yeah I’ve been sensing that too.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Damien
The weather had been even more tempestuous over the last few weeks than he remembered it being the year before. Servants scrambled around in an attempt to block out the inevitable cold that seeped under doorways and in cracks through the windows. He had done his best to avoid his father as much as he could besides the occasional war meeting. Wedding preparations were underway for the third time now and the ceremony was supposed to happen the following day.
He had difficulty stomaching the meals that were brought to him each day. Now that he had something to compare it to, the thought of being married to someone like her made him sick. Part of him almost wished for another attack so he could get out of it this time as well, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be so lucky.
A guard he didn’t recognize had come to his room with a message from the king. Apparently, dear old dad wanted to meet one last time before the ceremony. Tomorrow would be too hectic; the man relayed his supposed words. It struck Damien as odd because his father didn’t seem to care what occurred at the ceremony. Just that he finally got it done and over with. But then again, his father had ever changing emotions and behavior so maybe it wasn’t so odd.
He walked towards the king’s wing of the castle with his hands shoved in his pockets. It was abnormally quiet, but he assumed that since it was late most of the staff had gone off to bed.
It wasn’t until he approached the hallway that his suspicions grew. Two guards normally flanked the king at all times, even in his personal chambers.
Either the king had called for him and left the room or something happened to his guards.
The second thing he didn’t fail to notice was that the door was cracked open. Just a hint. Not enough to alert anyone of a problem, just enough to make Damien’s mind race.
It wasn’t exactly in the back of his mind to grab a sword before going to visit his father before bed, seeing as how his father would remove it from him anyway. Although now that he thought about it, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. He thought about going to find a guard to get a weapon, but the back of his mind screamed that something was horribly wrong and if he left, he would be too late.
No. He didn’t have time to get a sword and come back.
Scanning the hallway, his gaze landed on a priceless vase standing stoically on the table in the corridor. It wasn’t much but it would have to do. Grabbing the vase, he stalked to his father’s room.
The hallways was eerily empty, free of all commotion and noise. The temperature dropping had nothing to do with winter approaching and everything to do with the hair that began to stand on end as he got closer.
The potent scent of metallic stung his nose.
Raising the vase above his head, he carefully toed open the door with his right foot, being careful to keep his eyes open for any movement and surveyed the room. His gaze fell to the bloody puddle on the floor spilling out from underneath a body draped in royal robes, the hilt of a knife pultruding out of the king’s chest.
He felt like his body was moving in slow motion.
The vase slipped from his grasp and shattered to pieces on the floor.
Damien tried yelling for help as he dropped to his knees to check for a pulse. He knew not to pull the knife out for fear of it nicking the wrong artery. His father’s body was still warm, his heartbeat fluttering ever so slightly as Damien ripped his shirt off and balled it up, applying pressure to the wound around the knife.
“Who did this?” Damien demanded as the king’s eyes fluttered open.
“Son.” He rasped out before one final wheeze. His father’s chest slowed to a grinding halt. Damien pressed a finger to his neck again only to find that the skin was beginning to grow cold.
Later when he reflected on this evening, he would realize the convenient timing of the maid coming in to bring towels, along with her inevitable scream that woke up the rest of the castle. But at the moment, he couldn’t think, move or process the corpse lying in front of him.
In fact, as he sat there, everything around him hazed into a giant blur.
Someone murdered the king.
The roaring in his ears blazed as the room suddenly oozed and overflowed with a plethora of guards and servants that hadn’t been there moments before as someone killed the king right under their noses.
No. All they saw was what was in front of them now.
Fearful expressions filled their faces as they took in his blood drenched clothes and red stained skin.
Whispers sounded all around him. “Murderer.”
“He killed his own father.”
“What kind of monster does that?”
“Is Siel going to marry the princess and become king now?”
He could barely register what they all meant when cold metal slapped over his bloody wrists and he was dragged from the room. His eyes didn’t leave his father’s dead body until they rounded the corner and all signs of death snuffed out of view.
∞∞∞
Aerity
It was time. The moment for
her revenge. the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Kayden won his final tournament, so he was rich and happy. Eli was drinking in celebration and was none the wiser. Once they passed out, they wouldn’t feel a thing.
She inwardly chuckled as she waited for them to go to sleep.
And then the fun would begin.
∞∞∞
Eli
A nagging feeling in his gut told him something was wrong. Aerity was humming and smiling to herself as she danced around the room. His head was pounding like nothing else as he lifted his hand to his temple.
“What are you so happy about?” He grumbled as she handed him a glass of water with a grin.
“Oh ya know. I’m just so excited about last night. The game, win, celebration. It was an unforgettable night.”
Something should have sent a warning through his head but he was too busy focusing on the banging in his skull. Not to mention the very suspicious fact that she wasn’t hung over too. He could have sworn she had done just as many shots as them. “Doesn’t your head hurt?”
“Maybe I’m just better at being hung over than you.” She smirked and bit her lip while footsteps sounded, belonging to Kayden who was walking into the room. “Why are you two screaming?!” Kayden shouted from the doorway and seemed to instantly regret it as he cringed. Aerity handed him a glass of water and now Eli was really suspicious.
Something was definitely wrong.
One glimpse at her blonde hair was all he needed as a reminder. He got a very very bad feeling.
Kayden sat beside him at the bar with her across from them. She bent down to rest her chin on her elbows and looked at them with an amused look on her face. “Eggs?” she said cheerfully as she jumped up and scooped the eggs she had cooked onto two plates.
Eli eyed them cautiously and she just laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with the eggs. Go on. Eat.” He was still suspicious, but he was too hungry to care. Slowly he took a nibble of the egg and seeing as though it tasted normal, he devoured the rest. Kayden followed suit.
She took up her position against the bar again. “So, I think we should call a truce.”
His stomach flipped as he glanced back down to his plate, afraid to swallow the remaining egg still in his mouth.
She laughed again. “I told you nothing was wrong with your eggs.”
He turned to give Kayden a disbelieving look and sucked in a breath. Eggs lodged in his throat and he released a violent cough. Horror shook his body as he reached up to his own face. He whimpered when what he felt matched Kayden’s face.
Kayden seemed to have the same revelation because he raised his hand to his face as his eyes widened painfully. “You…” He started but couldn’t seem to finish his thought.
Aerity just manically grinned. “It will grow back. Just like my blonde will ‘wash out.’” She sang as she took their plates and put them in the sink. His mouth dropped open as it registered what she had done, his hand instinctively reached up to his eyebrow.
Correction.
His hairless…
Now missing eyebrow...
“Oh, don’t be such a sour pus. I left you one at least.” A pained noise slipped from his mouth as he watched as she sauntered from the room.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Aerity
They were relaxed on the couch when Kayden pulled off his jacket, revealing the pin hooked to his shirt. It wasn’t the first time she had seen it but curiosity got the better of her and she spoke without thinking. “Kayden, what is that?” She pointed to the object and leaned in to get a better look when Kayden reared back like she had burned him. His relaxed demeanor disappeared, and a tense stone took its place. He had always been one to keep secrets, but it troubled her how quick he was to react. It made her curiosity grow.
But then a lazy grin appeared on his face, almost as if she had imagined the whole thing. “A friend gave it to me. As a reminder.”
Mesmerized she stared at it closer. “A reminder of what?” She couldn’t help but ask and surprisingly he didn’t ignore her question.
“To remember what we have lost and what we have to gain.” It was vague but she would take it. She thought of asking more but then Eli burst into the room. “So what do you think? Does this help?” One look at his face and she lost it. Laughter erupted and she doubled over, tears began streaming down her face.
Eli had taken it upon himself to try drawing in his missing eyebrow, making them far too thick and much too dark. They practically formed a v in the center of his forehead. “Did...you...get a little...crazy with the charcoal?” She heaved in bated breaths.
Kayden reclined in his seat and placed his hands behind his head. “You need to learn to just embrace it. Chicks dig confidence. Even with one missing eyebrow.”
Her stomach began to cramp as she looked back at Eli who was currently scowling in her direction.
“I’m sorry. You just look ridiculous.” She puffed out, still wiping her eyes from her episode. The guys had been pretty good sports about their payback, but this was just too much. She couldn’t hold in her glee any longer.
Kayden soon joined in.
She almost paused just to listen to the masculine laughter tumbling out of him. Sarcasm and fake laughter, she had heard before from him. But this was his first true, genuine laugh. It made her smile reverently and bask in it. Eli caught her expression and a smile finally flipped his scowl.
Kayden was now the only one laughing. As if just noticing, he immediately stopped and looked around dumbfounded. “What?”They all burst out laughing again at his expression.
It felt like they had just crossed a line.
Not a bad one.
Not necessarily a great one.
But it was a spectacular sight to see.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Damien
The trial was a complete and total sham and everyone in the room seemed to know it too. Haughty expressions beamed down at him as he entered the room as if they already knew the outcome.
Then again, they most likely did.
The council members had always hated him because of the example of distain his father had set in his regard. One would have proclaimed him to be a fortune teller because he already knew how this trial would end.
He would die.
After he had been dragged from his father’s warm corpse, he was thrown in a cell as if he was a common street criminal. The only person standing in between his neck and a noose was his brother and by the looks on his face, Siel wasn’t in any position to change the course of his fate.
The princess sat beside him with that all too familiar frozen expression on her face. Cold and unfeeling as the guards roughly hauled him to the center of the floor, slamming a booted foot into the back of his leg, reactively bringing him to his knees. He collided with the ground with a jolt. Sharp waves rippled up his thigh and yet he never took his eyes off her. Funny how today was supposed to be their wedding day. How quaint.
She was a fraud and a coward and if he was to die, she would be forced to face it until his very last breath.
Her hand caressed Siel’s with a wicked smile on her face. Damien didn’t miss the way Siel flinched. Something below the surface was going on right now. He was sure of it. Something that was bigger than his measly life. There was no other explanation as to why Siel would allow him to walk to his death. Either that or Damien was in denial of how badly his brother had him fooled.
One of the council members glared down at him, as if his and Damien’s current position were reversed.
Imbecile. Damien was the one about to be sentenced to death. Not him.
“How do you plead?” This was custom for all the court hearings. Not that it made much of a difference.
He released a bitter laugh. “Does it even matter? You’re going to put me to death anyway.”
His point was only reaffirmed by the knowing smirks appearing around the council table. Why hold back at this point? He knew how the system worked as corrupt as it may
be.
“Will you not even attempt to defend your case?”
What was the use? There was none. But he decided to amuse them anyway.
“I didn’t kill my father, but if I were to kill him, I would have come up with a much more creative way than my own knife.”
A few gasps sounded around the room and he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. Ever since his mother had died, his father had been wicked. He would never have laid a finger on him, but that didn’t mean that he was crying any tears now that he was gone. The king would have been thrilled to sit up on the dais, watching Damien’s execution. Finally, the son that always disappointed him would be taken care of without him doing a thing.
Siel could finally take his true place. Too bad, Siel wasted all his childhood chasing skirt, which wouldn’t prove very useful on the throne.
Although that seemed to have done him well up until this point seeing as though everyone still saw him as the savior and Damien was the beast.
Regardless, he found himself not caring. This was all just individual steppingstones leading to the gallows.
“The evidence is piled up against you.” Another member said, all for show of course. The ‘piled up’ evidence consisted of a knife that used to be in his possession. What fool would kill a king with his own weapon? Then again, they knew that too and didn’t care.
Someone powerful wanted him dead. (Join the club.) Which meant that no defense would be big enough.
“You were found standing over his dead body, covered in his blood.”
Yes, because his father had sent him a message to see him at once and when Damien had seen him bleeding out on the floor, he had tried to stop the bleeding. Again, no one cared. So he remained silent and waited for the final verdict. It was any minute now.
“And getting him out of the way would make you king so the motive was clear.” Another piped in.
Clearly, if that was his plan, it worked out so well for him being on trial for murder and all.
