“Sophie, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” I ask.
She’s walking a few paces ahead of me but stops and turns, although she doesn’t look up. I get down to her level.
“You can tell me anything, Sophie,” I reassure her.
“Some of the people in The Palace… they were saying bad things about you. They were saying you’re bad; that you’re going to make bad people come here and hurt everyone.”
“Oh, Sophie!” I sigh. I hate stupid whispers like this. I swear, being an adult is no different to being at The Academy, just that the people whispering are older. It’s tiring.
“I’m not going to hurt anyone, especially you. And I’m really, really not going to bring bad people here.”
“I know that, but… what if bad people come here and hurt you? I don’t want you to get hurt, Addie.”
“I promise you, no-one is going to hurt me either. And even if they tried, that’s what the guard are here for – to protect us all.”
“But what if they get past the guard. Then what?” she asks, her eyes open so wide and full of emotion that it cracks my heart.
“Well, if they get past alllll of them, I’ll protect us. I am very powerful and strong, Sophie.”
“But you’re a Princess! Princesses can’t protect people against the bad guys.”
“Well, that’s enough of that. Anyone can become strong enough to fight the bad guys, and don’t you let anyone ever tell you any different. As for me, I’m kind of extra special.” I wink at her. “Do you want to see?”
She nods so hard I think her head might fall off and I can’t help but laugh.
“Okay, come on then.”
I take her hand and lead her to the open green space at the back of The Palace. There are plenty of people milling around, but I’m not worried, especially since everyone here seems to think they know everything about me.
“Before I show you, I want you to promise to not run away, and if you’re scared, you have to tell me, okay?”
She nods and I shrug out of my jacket, leaving me in just my tank top.
“Okay, well here goes,” I say before letting go of her hands and creating some distance between us. I see Michael in the distance and send him a tight smile; he’s never too far away. I close my eyes and concentrate, taking deep breaths. In. Out. I focus and feel my wings stretch out behind me, and its bittersweet. It feels amazing to stretch them out again after so long, but their presence reminds me of all I’ve had to sacrifice because of who and what I am. I hear a squeal, which causes me to open my eyes. Sophie is running towards me with wonder on her face.
“Addie, that is amazinggggg! They’re so pretty! I thought only the Vampyrs had wings. Oh my! Can I touch them? Can you fly? Oh! Can you take me flying? This is so cool!”
“Sophie, calm down, sweetie. Normally, yes, just Vampyrs have wings, but I told you I’m extra special.”
“Can I get wings?” she asks, still looking at mine like they’re the best thing she’s ever seen.
“I don’t know about that, but I’m pretty sure I can take you for a little flight, if you really want to?” I smile at the excitement taking over her little body. I’m glad she’s not afraid of me. It could have gone the other way and I would’ve hated that.
“So, you see, this is why you don’t need to be afraid of any of those bad people, not when you’re with me, okay?”
“Okay. Can we go now?”
“I don’t see why not, but we won’t go too high for now, okay?”
“Yes! This is so cool!” I pick her up, placing her back to my chest.
“Hold on tight, Sophie,” I say before pushing off. I don’t take us up much higher than the top tower of The Palace, but I fly right around it as she coos and squeals with such happiness, I know any repercussions from this will be totally worth it. I bring us back down on the green, setting Sophie back on her feet. I pull my wings in and she hugs me tightly.
“Thank you so much, Addie. That was amazing. Best day ever! Thank you for telling me your secret,” she whispers into my ear and I squeeze her back.
“Anything for you, sweet girl. I’m so glad you enjoyed it,” I tell her before pulling back. “Now, I’m meant to go and meet with my friend Naoki. How would you like to come with me?”
“Really?” she asks with wide eyes. “But isn’t he a Prince?”
“He sure is. He’s not quite as special as me, but he’s still pretty cool.”
“He sure is! He has a sword. It’s so cool! Can I please come with you? Do you think he’ll show me his sword?” I can’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm.
“I don’t know about that, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we.”
I shrug on my jacket before taking her hand and we walk back to the front doors of The Palace, where Naoki stands with his older brother, Yuki.
“Good afternoon, Naoki, Yuki. I apologise if we’ve made you wait.”
“We only just arrived, it is fine, Adelaide. We caught your little aeronautic show on the drive up, very impressive,” Yuki says, looking at me with what looks like a hint of suspicion hidden behind his laughter.
“Why, thank you. Please excuse my rudeness – Naoki, Yuki, please meet my friend Sophie.” I introduce them and Sophie says “hi” so quietly, more than a little overwhelmed by the company. I can’t blame her, the brothers are a sight to behold. They’re both tall and muscular, with jet black hair, though Yuki’s is shorter than Naoki’s. They certainly are an intimidating pair.
“Shall we go to the dining room? I believe chef prepared a lunch for us.” I say as Michael appears behind me. He doesn’t say anything, but he follows us to the dining room. I guess he’s going to be with us for the afternoon.
We talk through lunch and I find out that Yuki is actually the next in line to the throne in their territory, but he wanted to meet me before ‘throwing his brother to the lions’.
“Naoki seems like he can hold his own,” I counter. “I’m sure any Prince of your stature is more than a worthy adversary for someone like me.”
“Thank you, Adelaide,” Naoki says bowing his head. “Perhaps we can test your theory?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I would love to see you in action, so I invite you to a duel. Any wife of mine would need to be a proven warrior, and while we’ve heard stories, I’d love to see it for myself.”
He looks me square in the eyes while he sets the challenge. I’m really, really glad that in amongst the Princess craziness, I made Michael carve out some time for training. Hopefully, I’ve not lost my touch.
“Well, there’s no way in hell I’m going to turn that down. It’s been a decent amount of time since I had a new sparring partner. You’re on.”
“Brilliant. Well, if you’re finished, lead the way to your training room. I see no reason to delay.”
“Excellent,” I say to him before turning to Sophie. She’s been very quiet all lunch, just asking one or two questions. I’m not sure exactly what it is about these two that subdues her, but I’m not sure I like it.
“Would you like to come with us, Sophie?” I ask.
“To see you fight?” she asks hesitantly.
“Yes, but don’t worry. I’m extra special, remember. I won’t get hurt,” I say,reassuring her softly.
“As long as you don’t get hurt, then yes please. I like being with you. It’s much more fun than being downstairs.”
I smile at her, turning to Yuki and Naoki. “Let’s do this.” I push back my chair, rise to my feet and take Sophie’s hand, leading the way to the training room. Thankfully, I’ve been here long enough now to have learnt my way around. I’m now doubly glad I dressed for comfort today. Sparing in a dress would have been more than a little ridiculous, but jeans and a tank I can just about get away with.
When we reach the room, I seat Sophie in the corner and Michael joins her.
“You okay with this doll? It’s been a while since you did real sparring. Our training hasn’t e
xactly been hardcore.”
“Yeah, I’m actually kind of excited. It’ll all come back; it was such a big part of me for so long. I’m dying to get my hands back on my Sai.”
“They’re in the weapons cabinet, tucked away where I showed you.”
“Thank you.” I pop up on my tip-toes and kiss him on the cheek. I can feel the excitement and adrenaline kick in, and I remember how much I love this feeling. The thrill of the chase. I head over to the cabinet and take out the box containing my Sai. I sit on the floor, my ass on my heels, as I gently take them out of their velvet casing. They might not be fragile, but they’re sharp as hell. I bow forward to them, before standing and grasping them tightly.
It feels so good to have them back. So natural. I kick off my shoes and pad over to the mats in the centre of the room where Naoki is stood with his Katana.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks. From anyone else, it would sound cocky, but he has the stance of an experienced warrior and I know he can back up his words.
“I’m more than ready for this,” I say, taking my position on the mats. He steps forward, doing the same.
“Remember boys and girls, this is a friendly. All is fair in love and war,” Yuki says with a smile before signalling to begin. I barely have time to think before Naoki is on me; his katana coming towards me. I block him with my Sai and push him back.The rest of the world fades away as I focus on this. On him.
I couldn’t tell you how long we went back on forth, each of us getting in cuts, parrying against each other. I thought I had him, but I got over-confident; I ended up flat on my back, his sword to my throat. I dropped my Sai, recognising my loss and raise my hands in defeat. His win is reflected in the satisfaction in his eyes, but he’s also looking at me with respect. He lifts his sword and offers me his hand to get up off the mat.
“I am very impressed, I did not think you would be as good as I had heard, but you were better,” he says, matter of fact.
“Thank you – and I was right, you were more than a worthy opponent.”
“Thank you, Adelaide. That is a great compliment, and you should know I could never value my wife if she were not my equal, but you Adelaide have proved you are more than worthy; I look forward to what our future might hold.”
These past two weeks have been exhausting. Between visiting the territory’s Nurseries and Academies, training with Michael, spending time with Sophie, and still making time for Dante, Ambrose, Aleksandr and Naoki, I’m exhausted. I drop my bag from my latest trip onto the floor as I enter the main door to The Palace. This time, I’ve been gone three days. I’ve never travelled this much, and I’ll be happy not to again.
I know the Proposal ball is creeping up on me, and I still haven’t got a clue what decision I’m going to make. The pressure on me is immense and I just want to escape for a while. I start up the stairs towards my room when the door goes.
I groan, turning back. Dante strolling into the hall.
“Addie, I caught you, good. Are you busy?”
“Hey, Dante, I did kinda have a date with my bed. My intention was to full-on face plant and not move for a week or so, but what’s up?”
“Well, I can’t quite offer you a date with your bed, but how about a date on a lake?”
“On a boat?” I gag a little thinking about my last excursion on a boat and shudder. “Like a yacht?”
“Boat yes, yacht no; I’m not that flashy. I was thinking a row boat.”
“No waves?”
“Not massive ones,” he says. I groan.
“Okay, we can try it, but if I’m sick, we come back. Deal?”
“Deal.” He smiles at me before grabbing my hand and leading me towards his car. It feels strange to be holding his hand again, but he seems comfortable with it so I don’t make a fuss. I’m going to have to get used to holding someone’s hand at some point, I guess.
We drive a little while before turning onto a dirt road. It almost looks overgrown and abandoned. After a few minutes, we come to a clearing and I look out over a lake so big, I’m not sure it’s not the ocean. It’s beautiful.
“How do you know about this place?” I ask, whilst looking out over the abandoned park.
“It’s a best kept secret. Not many people know about it here, those that do, tend to keep it quiet because it’s so natural and untouched.”
“This is the second time you’ve bought me to water. Are you secretly hoping I’ll drown?” I laugh at him.
“Hardly. I’m a water Fae,” he tells me and I look at him a little puzzled. “I’m sure you know that each Fae has an affinity to one of the four elements. Earth, Fire, Water and Air. It’s the reason we keep the earth so clear, so protected.”
“So that’s why you really fought in the Dark War?”
“I imagine that was a great deciding factor, yes. But each Fae draws their power from their element, and we can recharge best when we’re with it. Air and Earth affinities, as I’m sure you can imagine, tend to be some of our most powerful Fae. But Water and Fire affinities tend to be more deadly. Your mother is a Fire Fae, and the King is a Water Fae, which in itself explains a lot about them.”
“That explains my mother’s temper for sure,” I say off the cuff and he laughs.
“Don’t worry,” he reassures, “anything you tell me will always be just between us.”
“Thank you. I’m pretty sucky at this Princess etiquette stuff.”
“No, you just speak your mind. It’s refreshing.”
“Errm, thanks. I think.”
“How about we get out on the water?”
“Really?” I groan. “I don’t think I have any affinity with water, hell, no-ones even mentioned affinities to me. Maybe I don’t have any, but water, while it makes me feel at peace, boats seem to make me sick.”
“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to. We can just sit here by the water.”
“Thank you, Dante.”
“It’s fine. Let me grab a blanket from the back of the car,” he says, working his way to the trunk and pulling out a couple of blankets. He moves back towards me before leading me to a patch of grass by the water. I watch as he lays out the blanket and sits down. I follow his lead and stare out at the water before laying back to look up at the clouds.
“Have you ever watched the clouds? Made funny shapes with them?” he asks, with a small smile on his lips.
“Once or twice, it feels like a lifetime ago though.”
“You should do it, it’s a great way to clear your mind,” he says pulling me down next to him. We lay for a while, pointing out the different shapes and animals until Dante turns his face to mine and gears up to say something important. I look deep into his eyes, searching out the real him. He seems far too good to be true on the surface, and time and experience have taught me to be suspicious.
“I know I’m not the love of your life, and I could never hope to replace Xander, but I hope that what I feel for you could one day be returned Addie. You’ve made me hope again; realise second chances aren’t just for dreamers. I know I’m not meant to persuade you, but I hope you choose me, Addie. We might not have known each other long, but we’re kindred souls, you and me – we’re both searching for something to light our darkness. We can’t change the past, but we can work to make a better future for us.”
I am pretty sure whoever came up with the idea of this stupid ball was a fan of torture. I’ve had to pick colours, flowers, drinks, food, and a whole host of other things I had no idea would be necessary for a ball. Just another wakeup call about my new life. As I’m trying to escape Penelope and her never ending list, Jessa finds me.
“Addie,” she whispers. “The King would like to see you in his quarters,” she tells me quietly. I follow behind her. What on earth could he want? All I really want to do is hide and pretend I don’t have any decisions to make. I want my old life back. Jessa leaves me at the door to Kellan’s quarters and hurries away. I knock tentatively before pushing the doors open. It’s q
uiet and I don’t see anyone. Maybe Jessa was wrong?
“Ah, Addie, good, you beat me here.” Kellan walks through the door and shrugs off his jacket before sitting on the sofa. “I wanted to speak to you about tomorrow.”
“The ball you mean?”
“Yes, but more importantly your choice. Please know that I just want you to be happy.”
“Me being happy would mean me not having to make a decision, or this ball even taking place.” I sigh, sitting down beside him. He turns to me, taking my hand in his.
“Oh, I know that – you’ve made that quite clear, but unfortunately, your mother is quite insistent - and never have been able to deny her anything. Even now, knowing what I know about her past indiscretions, I love her too much to say no.”
“How could you have fallen in love with someone so cold? You’re so different.”
“Your mother wasn’t always this way, Addie, and I know she has been harsher to you than most. She used to be warm and loving; bright as the sun, and happy as the day is long. She changed slowly, which I now understand was connected to her giving you away. I put it down to what I thought was your death. I was so consumed in my own grief, that I’m ashamed to say, I neglected her somewhat. Although I suppose I must have neglected her beforehand, otherwise you might not even be here,” he says with a sigh and a sad smile.
“Nevertheless, once we discovered Xander had died, she retreated fully from me. She loved him like a son; she saved his life many, many years ago, and so she grieves his loss deeply – but that is no excuse for her treating you this way. I’d hoped that she’d share her grief with you; that it might bring you closer.”
He stands, pushing his hand through his hair as if the whole thing is just far too complicated. “Perhaps she loved him too much, and … well, seeing you, knowing that he loved you, and chose to save you at the cost of his own life… maybe she resents that. She shouldn’t, but that woman has never done what she should, it’s one of the reasons I love her. You get that from her, you know – you’re more alike than you’ll ever know.”
Soar (The Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 15
