by Meg Xuemei X
“It gets under my skin just to listen to how she talks,” I said. “I don’t want to guard her either, but our lord father insisted on me finishing this chore until your wedding night. She whines that I did a lousy job while actually I’ve been doing a fabulous one. I stopped the assassination and saved her ass. Today, I brought her safely back to you. I’ve protected your property well, Brother, and all I get are accusations, ungratefulness, and offense. I’m tired of this unceasing high drama. I won’t be her damned bodyguard for long. I’m leaving Earth as soon as I’m done with this last insufferable errand Father made me do.”
A strange light flitted through Rose’s eyes.
We’d been playing the king, but she hadn’t known that I would depart Earth after her supposed wedding.
“Don’t make everything about you!” my brother snapped. “And slander me again, Seth, you’ll regret it!”
“Like what?” I asked.
Just then, Victoria stalked into the throne room as if she also owned it.
The king didn’t look pleased.
“This can’t wait, Your Majesty,” Victoria said after bowing to him. “The Princess of Mysth is responsible for the death of the sentinels in Section 7, Legion 2. She’s connected to the Dragonian rebels.”
“Careful, Victoria,” the princess said with icy calm. “I’m more devoted and loyal to King Agro than you can ever be. As you work to remove me from the spot your claws try to reach, I suggest you to come up with a more authentic and tasteful strategy.”
Victoria fixed on the king. “Your Majesty, I sent elite Section 7 to follow the Mysthian princess in Babylon—”
“—like how you sent assassins after me in my bath?” the princess asked. “Kind of tacky, don’t you think?”
“I had nothing to do with that,” Victoria said venomously, “as I’ve explained to His Majesty. I don’t need to repeat it to a traitor.”
Rose lunged, amazingly fast, and her blow landed on the general’s face. “Call me traitor again!”
Victoria looked momentarily stupefied, not expecting that the earthling princess could throw a punch.
The king chuckled.
Rage reddened Victoria’s eyes the next instant. “Think you can take me, little girl?” she spat as she swung her fist at Rose. The princess blocked it. The two had their wrists crossed like two blades. Rose stumbled back under the impact, but Victoria stood her ground with a cruel, disdainful grin. “Told you, little fey.”
Rose twirled like a violent wind, a series of kicks flying toward the king’s mistress; Victoria pushed back like hard waves, her fist shoving into Rose’s ribcage, spinning the princess. But Rose used the force to leap in the air, swinging her leg back. Her foot made contact with the side of her foe’s face.
This time, Victoria staggered back an inch.
“Impressive,” the king cheered. “That’s my bride!”
The princess had fought me once in my library, but she hadn’t put everything into it. Facing off with the king’s mistress was a different story. Rose was all malevolently focused rage. She wanted to erase Victoria from her native planet.
But after two rounds, there was no doubt who would terminate whom.
Rose was a young fledgling. Victoria, on the other hand, was a creature of bloodlust who had fought too many wars.
Victoria flapped her grey wings and leapt up. She was going to use her air advantage to attack Rose.
“You’ll allow this circus to go on, Agro?” I grated.
“I’m the king here!” my brother retorted. “I know how to rule. So mind your own place, Seth.”
“She’ll kill your queen,” I said, ready to strike down Victoria.
Agro grabbed a dragonfruit from a gold platter and hurled it at his mistress. The purple-colored fruit hit Victoria’s left wing and smeared its ridge.
“Stop it, Lady Victoria,” the king growled, “or suffer a severe consequence!”
The general halted her attack and landed, her diabolic grin at the princess promising a never-ending hunt until Rose was dead.
But for now, she couldn’t touch Rose, knowing it would do her no good to piss off the king and make him go berserk.
“Princess Rose,” the king drawled. “I understand your anger, but you’re my future queen. So try not to quarrel with my general. However, I do admire your kicks. They’re full of spirit.”
“Your Majesty,” Victoria said. “I can prove to you the Mysthian princess’s treachery. I’ve seized the courtiers who accompanied her to Babylon. I can make them talk.”
“You mean torture them for a false confession?” the princess hissed.
“Your lady-in-waiting vanished in the Free Market Place,” Victoria said. “A bystander saw a Mysthian fighting with the Dragonian rebels against my soldiers. She’s your maid in disguise.”
“Careful! I won’t warn you again,” the princess said, then ignored the general and turned to the king. “Your Majesty, as I’ve told you, I’ve been worried sick for my lady-in-waiting. She’s delicate. If your general sent her guards to kill my maid in an attempt to cover up assassinating me, she must answer for it!”
“Let’s not get overwhelmed assigning blame,” the king said. He scanned the faces in the room to show that he was the one who decided Earth’s fate, before turning back to the princess. “My general won’t touch you without my permission, Princess Rose. I’ll have her head if she dares disobey me. She wouldn’t send assassins after you.”
“General,” I said, “I also accompanied Princess Rose to Babylon. Are you going to make me talk, too?”
Victoria stopped short. She hadn’t expected me to jump in and speak for the Princess of Mysth.
“Were you suggesting I’m one of the traitors?” I asked coldly.
“No, Your Highness.” Victoria sucked in a breath. “As the king’s general and the captain of guards, I’m merely—”
“Shove it, Victoria,” the king said. “You aren’t popular these days. Your jealousy and paranoia are starting to wear me out! Just look at Princess Rose. She can’t be the one involved in such a big, complicated scheme. Seth was with the princess the whole time. Despite his bad judgment and uninvited sexual advances toward the courtiers, he brought her back. Go find the princess’s missing maid.”
“Your Majesty,” Princess Rose said, “may I suggest Prince Seth’s team should search for my lady-in-waiting? The high prince doesn’t fancy me, but he won’t have her murdered at first sight.”
Victoria looked daggers at the princess.
The king waved dismissively at me. “Seth, will you take care of that?” He then leered at the princess. “You mentioned the toys. I hope you didn’t lose them in Babylon. That would be a shame.”
“Fortunately my courtiers have them, but your general threw them into the dungeon based on false, vicious accusations.”
“Release them, Victoria,” the king said.
“Your Majesty,” Victoria said, “they’re the accomplices.”
The king lunged and backhanded his mistress. Victoria staggered back and her hand flew to her face, a stunned, snarling expression twisting her face.
“Haven’t I said that the princess and her courtiers are immune to further investigation?” the king asked. “Defy me again, and you’ll find some of your parts will go missing.”
Victoria thinned her lips. “My apologies, Your Majesty.”
Not a good day for the general. She’d gotten two punches and one kick to the face.
“Bring the courtiers,” the king ordered. “And don’t forget the toys.”
“I’d like to have Prince Seth escort them,” the princess said.
The king frowned. “I thought you didn’t trust Seth.”
“The only one I trust is Your Majesty,” the princess said. “But Prince Seth appeared so infatuated with our courtiers that I believe he won’t allow something unexpected to happen to them before they can present Your Majesty the toys.”
“I’m not infatuated with anyone,”
I said through my clenched teeth.
“Stop being a pain,” the king said. “Just go fetch the courtiers!”
I didn’t want to leave Rose alone with him, but I needed to get to the courtiers before Victoria’s cronies made them cough up something that would be used against the princess.
“Now I’m the messenger boy?” I said with distaste, but I gestured for Victoria to lead the way.
Once outside the throne room, Victoria tried to make a deal with me to derail the princess.
“You have nothing I need, Victoria,” I said.
And I planned to keep Rose alive long enough for me to get what I truly wanted.
PRINCESS ROSE
I wasn’t supposed to let the angel king see this side of me. I’d been hiding my combat skills from the angels except for Seth, yet today I had let all out in the open. It didn’t matter anyway. Angels were a warrior race. In their eyes, no earthling was their match.
The king was even more into me after seeing me fight. “You should have asked me to take you to Babylon,” he said. “I’d have indulged you.”
“As wonderful as it sounds, Your Majesty,” I said, “I’d have missed the fun of seeking to surprise and please you on our wedding night.”
The king nodded. “Even so, you should not put your safety at risk. At the very least you should have taken more guards.”
“I wanted to be discreet,” I said. “Prince Seth happened to be the candidate when discretion was called for. You know, he doesn’t have sensual feelings.”
The king snickered in delight.
I was trying to pull this off at Seth’s expense. Despite that the angel king constantly nagged his brother, he was afraid of Seth. And the high prince deserved to take some blame for my swollen lips. Luckily, before I’d come to the king, Souline had used her healing magic to return them to a normal state, though she had questioned the cause of my puffed mouth.
“It’s been riling him up ever since you came to Atlantis,” the king said. “He hates to be viewed as lacking while I have Earth and its beauty. We’d better not rub it in too often. Pushing the wild beast to the corner isn’t worth it. He’s been holding back dark rage. I’ve spotted murder in his crocodile cold eyes. He probably wants to stab everyone, and he’s good at that. Actually, that’s all he is good at.”
Not true, I thought. The prince is marvelous at kissing. I dragged my attention back to the king. I would slip in front of this monster if I kept relishing the kisses I’d shared with Seth on top of the mountain.
“I don’t want that monster to explode and spring into a killing spree while he’s still on my Earth,” King Agro continued. “But have no fear, love. He’ll be off the planet right after our wedding night. I don’t particularly care what hole in the universe he’s heading toward next; I only pity the ones who will be on his path.”
I’d heard about the prince’s supposed departure and I hadn’t given it too much mind, but now anxiety and rage surged in me all at once. I’d regarded him as an easy mark, but the bastard had planned to trick me as much as I’d played him. He’d decided to take off and leave me behind right after he claimed that fuck from me.
“I’ll keep you safe. I’ve never broken my word.” I wanted to fling his lie at his perfect face and bruise it!
Soon I would never see him again. I wouldn’t even meet him on the battlefield.
In another world which he was rushing to conquer, he would brag to his pals or the next female who he was going to bang that he had fucked the “Earth Mother’s favorite.”
Not going to happen!
The king cleared his throat. “I hate to limit your freedom, Princess, but your safety is most important to me and the kingdom. So from now on, you don’t venture out of my palace. As you’ve realized, my brother is the coldest, most heartless creature that was ever born. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about your wellbeing. As insanely jealous and vindictive as he is, he’ll throw a party if I lose my future queen. I can’t afford to lose you.”
Just then, Prince Seth stormed in with long strides, his expression icy.
Femi and Philomena sprang after him in smaller steps. They looked so relieved and joyful at the sight of me—alive and smiling beside the angel king.
But one look at them as they curtsied before King Agro, my smile vanished.
I completely lost it.
PRINCE SETH
I hurried back to the throne room; I couldn’t bear to let Rose be alone with my bother one second longer.
I wondered what her reaction would be when she saw her courtiers. They had both been tortured. Victoria’s goons had broken the redhead’s nose and lips, and pulled out nails of the black-haired one. Yet neither had confessed that their princess had been conspiring with the Dragonian rebels.
I had briefly wrapped bandages around the black-haired courtier’s hands after I had taken them out of the cold, damp dungeon. The court healers could care for them after their audience with the king.
And I’d gone to the couriers’ place to retrieve the box of sex toys, which was necessary for Rose to distract Agro and cross herself off the suspect list.
Rose’s eyes lit up at my reappearance, but the light lasted only half a heartbeat. Rage exploded from her as she saw her courtiers’ bloody faces and their bandaged hands.
She actually cared about the two lowly courtiers.
A dagger sliding into her hand, the princess lunged at Victoria, swinging her blade toward her foe’s throat.
No one had expected the fey princess would have snapped over her wounded courtiers, but Victoria was Victoria—she hadn’t carried the reputation of being the king’s general and captain lightly.
The princess was as fast as the wind, but Victoria still ducked the strike. The blade left only a short, red line on her jaw.
Victoria would retaliate and the princess’s ruthlessness would get her killed. With a diabolical grin, the general drew her long sword, the kill in her eyes.
Not even Agro could stop her now.
Victoria raised her blade, and the princess parried.
They slashed and ducked and twirled like two forces of nature. Then the general’s fatal strike arrived—the one that would cut deep into Rose.
My black lightning shot toward Victoria. At the same time, Rose sidestepped to avoid the heavy blow from her adversary and stood right in the line of my bolts.
“No! Rose!” I roared.
The courtiers screamed and sprang toward their princess.
The king bellowed.
Even though I hadn’t set my lightning to killing voltage, it would still damage the princess badly if it didn’t kill her. The fey race was more fragile than us.
I dropped to my knees, a voice echoing in my head.
What have you done, Seth?
PRINCESS ROSE
I drew blood from the king’s bitch for what she’d done to Femi and Philomena. I had aimed for her throat, but I had missed.
If I killed her, the king would be enraged but not to the point to slaying me. He still wanted the crown of the Emperor of Mysth through his marriage to me and to rule the twilight realm more than anything. He knew that if he murdered me openly, my people would destroy the magic and burn the realm to a barren waste when he and his angels came to take the kingdom by force.
So I could use this opportunity to take out one of my worst foes.
Victoria ducked, and my blade left a red trail on her jaw. Despite my hatred for her, I had to admit that I wasn’t her match in close-range combat.
Her sword followed me as it were alive.
I started sweating. I was fast, but the bitch wasn’t any slower. After all, she was a battle-hardened general.
Then I saw her start a sequence of killing blows. I might duck the first one, but I wouldn’t be able to avoid the second hit or the third. I sidestepped, my blade raised to block the strike meant to ram into my heart. Then like a flash, I was behind her, my blade thrust forward.
Without turning, Victoria slam
med her broad sword onto my dagger. Under the impact, my weapon flew from my hand. Before I could reach for my chakram, which wasn’t effective for hand-to-hand combat anyway, Victoria’s blade had come for me. Then a strong electric current struck me from behind, sizzling around me.
Immediately I knew it was from the High Prince of All Angels.
Betrayed by him at the last minute.
He was using this opening to kill me, so I wouldn’t drag him down with me. He’d finally decided to be done with me and our one-fuck deal, because he’d realized that I would never fulfill the contract. I would never give him the sexual satisfaction.
I roared in fury at the lightning spear, at his treachery, and at his cowardice, but still the great Earth Mother’s magic didn’t come to aid me to counter his lethal bolts. I was now sure it was never in me.
Victoria’s blade stopped half an inch from my chest, freezing there as black lightning locked us both. The bolts tore out of me and hurled into the bitch.
Good, at least it would take us both down.
Victoria flew back several yards and crashed onto the marble stairs of the dais. Her gray wings struggled to rise but went limp and draped over the floor like a huge mop.
Yet I stood firm. The lingering lightning swam inside me like a moonbeam, making me feel lighter than a feather and letting me believe that I could fly like an angel.
The lightning that had adored me like a puppy traced out of me, and the spark was gone.
I turned to look at Seth.
He stared back at me, a mosaic of joyful, awed, and puzzled expressions rippled over his sculpture-like handsome face. He started toward me, but then stopped short as the king marched toward me at the same time.
A hateful, jealous look flashed in the prince’s storm grey eyes as he looked at his brother. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles all white. When his gaze fell on me again, there was a silent promise: not for long, Princess. You’re mine!
