The Shadow Prince

by Stacey O'Neale

  Marcus nodded, but said nothing; his emotional conflict written all over his face. If I could help it, I wouldn’t involve him in the killing. Only one of us needed to live with the anguish. It was my burden—my throne. A pain I deserved to live with for what I planned to do.

  I jolted when another light came on in the house. We were too far away to see anything. I tried looking through the binoculars, but couldn’t make out much. I adjusted the settings a few times until I found the right one. I gazed through the binoculars again and everything became clear. The blinds were open, allowing me to see into the room. A girl stood in front of the window. It had to be Kalin. Goosebumps ran up my forearms. She had her long, wavy hair tied back in a ponytail. Unlike the other air elementals, her hair was red. Her skin was creamy white like porcelain and her eyes were a bit larger, like most elementals. Purebred air elementals had lavender eyes, but hers were either blue or green. All elementals were beautiful, but there was something different about her. Maybe it was her mortal half, maybe something else. Either way, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

  She wore a tight black tank top with what looked like baggy pajama bottoms covered in cupcakes—the mixture of sexy and cute I happen to like. She sat down, elbow leaning on the window sill while her cheek rested in her palm. She appeared to be deep in thought. For once, I wished I had the power to read minds like Britta so I’d know what she was thinking. She wiped beneath her eyes with the back of her hand.

  She was crying.

  As she opened her window, within seconds, two elementals rushed into her room. Did they think she was leaving? They must’ve been standing right outside her bedroom door. She startled, then hurried them out. Yeah, she didn’t seem at all pleased with their presence. After they left, she paced the room, seemingly mumbling to herself. Privacy was important to this halfling. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She was unnerved by their interruption. By her reaction, I’d say this wasn’t the first time they had intruded in her life.

  A few minutes later she inserted a pair of earbuds, then scanned through a black iPod. Her head bobbed up and down a few times. Soon, the rest of her body joined in as she swayed to the beat of whichever song was playing. Her eyes closed while she mouthed the words. There was something seductive about the way she moved. I pictured myself standing behind her, our bodies pressed together with my hands on her hips—

  Wait, what the hell was I thinking? I was here to kill this girl, not ask her on a date. I shook my head. I must have momentarily lost my mind. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen a pretty girl before—they were all over the place. And lots of girls were hot when they danced. I needed to refocus, or maybe I needed to get some sleep. The last twenty-four hours had been intense.

  “What are you staring at?” Marcus asked, taking the binoculars.

  I cleared my throat, feeling a bit like a creeper. “Nothing, man.”

  He stood at my side. Both of us watched her, but only he could get a good look. “Oh, now I see what you’re looking at,” he said, nudging my elbow with his. “She’s pretty.”

  “I hadn’t noticed.” I lied. There was no point in talking with Marcus about her. It didn’t change what I had to do.

  “Yeah, sure,” he chuckled.

  “Whatever.” I didn’t know why I tried to hide my feelings from him. He knew me better than anyone else did. Half the time, I didn’t have to speak at all. He just seemed to be able to tell how I felt.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, handing me a torn piece of bread and an apple.

  My stomach growled. I bit into the bread, which tasted heavenly. “Thanks,” I said, mouth full. Within minutes, I’d eaten everything he gave me.

  When he was finished eating, he turned around and I followed. During the time I was checking out Kalin, he’d cleared out a spot on the ground and unrolled a sleeping bag. I didn’t even know he brought one. “Why don’t you get a few hours of sleep? I’ll wake you if something changes,” he said.

  Again, he knew what I wanted without needing to hear it. “I’m fine.”

  “We both know that’s not true. Stop being stubborn and get some rest.”

  No, I wasn’t fine. I expected I wouldn’t feel good about killing this girl, but seeing her face brought the guilt to a whole new level. My chest tightened as I pictured standing over her, ready to slice her throat with my sword. Her eyes filling with fear as she begged for her life. Bile built in my throat. I put my hand over my mouth, taking several steps forward. I vomited.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Marcus asked.

  I waved him off. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Yeah, right,” he huffed. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

  I couldn’t talk to him about this. I couldn’t talk to anyone. Regardless of how I felt, I had to kill her. It wasn’t right. It was wrong on every possible level.

  Like a mantra, I kept reminding myself what her death would mean to my court.

  It would remove my mother’s constant threat.

  It would free my best friend.

  No matter how much I will hate myself, I have to end Kalin’s life tomorrow.

  Chapter Six

  Marcus had let me sleep until she was about to leave for school. He shouldn't have done that. As I rummaged through the bag of food he’d brought, I worried about how the lack of sleep might affect him later on. I chomped on another apple while he packed up our tent. We had to be careful not to leave any evidence of our presence. Once we completed our mission, it was vital that no one could tie her murder back to the fire court.

  The very last thing we needed was an all-out war between the courts.

  I scanned the back of her house through the binoculars. Then, her curtains opened. Instantly, my mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert. I cleared my throat.

  How this girl managed to pass for a mortal was beyond my comprehension. What fifteen-year-old had a pimple-free complexion, perfectly angled facial features, and hair like she just stepped out of a salon? Staring monotonously out her window, she brushed some of her fiery red wavy hair off her shoulders. Every time I looked at Kalin I noticed a sadness about her. Our spies had said she was popular at school with lots of friends. Yet, both times I’d seen her, she appeared so unhappy. It was an interesting contradiction.

  In a way, it was easy to understand. She lived in a mortal world where she would never be one of them. She had to hide most of who she was. In Avalon, she would fit right in. She’d never have to hide any part of herself. As Taron’s daughter, she would have been welcomed by her court, but according to my mother's spies, her father kept most of them away. In her situation, I would have been unhappy. There had been times when I'd felt the same, but at least I had Marcus.

  I should have looked away as she tucked her white button down shirt into her navy blue pleaded uniform skirt. I failed. Who could blame me? With a curvy-in-all-the-right-places body like hers, she was definitely bringing all the boys to the yard. Hell, I'd be first in line.

  “Pass those binoculars over,” Marcus said, jolting me out of my thoughts.

  “What? Why?”

  He chuckled. “I'm dying to know what put that cheeky grin across your face.”

  I was doing it again. If I told him what I was really thinking, he'd freak out. I couldn't be this attracted to her. I had to find a way to turn it off, or I'd never be able to kill her. This was getting completely out of control. I held the binoculars at my side, refusing to hand them over. “I don't know what you're talking about. I was surveying the area around her house.” I lied, pointing to the empty space in her back yard. “All of her guards must be inside.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow, signaling I was full of shit. “Yeah, whatever.”

  I needed to move past this conversation. “We should start making our way toward the pathway. I'd like to get inside the school before she gets there.”

  “Aren't you afraid they'll see us?”

  “My glamour will protect us both.” Elementals
could see through any glamour with one exception, the royals. It's one of the perks of being a prince. Royal family members had stronger magic. Kalin had a better chance of seeing us, but since she was an untrained halfling, it was likely she was too weak.

  “And you’re sure Kalin won’t sense us?”

  Marcus wasn’t questioning the strength of my glamour. This was his way of stalling. He didn’t want me to do this. I needed to lighten the mood to get his mind off of it. “She won’t sense us, but your stench might give us both away.” I pinched my nose while I fanned myself with my other hand.

  He punched my shoulder. “Dick.”

  I laughed, playfully hitting him back. “Come on, let's get going.” I slid the sword strap over my shoulder, inserting the weapon inside the sheath.

  The pasty white hallways of her school were filled with students heading in every direction. A riot of voices rung out over the sounds of metal locker doors screeching open and smacking closed. The coffee scent was strong enough to make me thirsty. I regretted not stopping by a Starbucks. I didn't like most mortal food concoctions, preferring the taste of raw foods. But coffee was an exception—or more like a necessity since I was twelve years old.

  We stood off to the side where we wouldn't be in anyone's way. The glamour would protect us from being seen, but if we got bumped, they'd feel us. Thanks to our spies, we knew the location of Kalin's locker—twenty feet away from where she stood. The moment she arrived, I watched for her knights. I didn't see any. They must've remained outside. Maybe after they busted in last night she had insisted on some privacy. If that was true, they weren’t doing their jobs. They needed to protect her regardless of her need for space. But their mistake would mean I won’t have to kill them to get to her. I’d rather take only one life today.

  I wished I didn’t have to take any.

  In a matter of seconds, a gaggle of people surrounded her. More than half of them were guys, which for some reason turned my stomach. I had been right when I assumed she'd be popular. One of the bulkier guys in a letterman jacket put his arm around her shoulder. She smiled, but when she turned her head away from him, she appeared uncomfortable. A burning sensation built in my chest. It was obvious she wasn't interested in this dude. Why wasn't she pushing him away? She was being too nice. I had to put an end to it.

  I ignited a quarter size ball of fire in the palm of my hand.

  “What are you doing?” Marcus asked, waving his hands wildly.

  “Getting rid of a tick.” I said, reaching back like a baseball pitcher. I flung the tiny ball of fire right at him, bouncing against his wrist. Perfect shot. He jumped back, shaking his arm wildly. Pulling up his sleeve, he searched for the cause of the sting. There wouldn't be a mark. I only made it hot enough to get his attention.

  Marcus stood in front of me, blocking my view. “What the hell was that?”

  Me solving a problem. “Didn’t you see that?” I asked, pointing over his shoulder. “She didn't want him on her.”

  “So you threw a fireball at him? Have you lost your goddamn mind? Her guards probably saw that.”

  Okay, I had to admit, it was pretty stupid. Definitely not my finest moment. “I didn't see any of them when she came in.”

  His eyes were so wide, they could have popped out of his head. “Regardless, why did you do that?”

  “The guy was all over her.” I shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. “I was doing her a favor.”

  Marcus stared at me, a look of amazement across his face. After a long, uncomfortable moment, he put his hands over his face. “I can't believe this.”

  I crossed my arms. “What?”

  He shook his head. “You're into her. You're into the girl we came here to kill.”

  I waved my hands in front of me. “You've lost it, man. I don't even know that chick.”

  “Then explain to me what just happened.”

  As he waited for a response, I tried to come up with a logical answer. I thought back to the moments before I threw it. The irritation I felt watching her squirm in his arm. I wanted to storm up there and punch him in the face.

  But why? It made no sense. I didn't need to interfere. He wasn't why I came here. My insides cringed.

  Was I jealous?

  Impossible. I mean, I couldn't deny I was attracted to her—especially when she danced around in those cute pajamas—but I didn't know her. It was for the best anyway. The more I learned about her, the harder it would be to kill her. I'd rather assume she was a horrible person or dangerous like my mother claimed. That way, I was doing the right thing by ridding the world of her.

  The bell rang above our heads loud enough to wake a coma patient. The students hurried to their classrooms while we remained where we stood. Marcus looked like he was about to break a sweat. I understood why. I'd been behaving like an idiot. It was about time I was honest with him. “I'm sorry, man. I made a mistake. I guess I've been off the past two days.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “That's why we need to get this done and go home. The longer we stay, the harder it will be.”

  It will be hard, regardless. I hadn’t taken a life before, but I couldn’t imagine there was an easy way to do it. Not for anyone with a conscience. And, once it was done, I'd have to live with what I did. “I agree. Let's track her for the rest of the day and hope for an opportunity.”

  We spent the rest of the morning following her to each class. Mortal courses were mind-numbing. Each teacher taught from a text book using a monotone voice, which made them sound as bored as the students appeared. Kalin paid attention, unlike some of the other students. She wrote notes diligently in her notebooks, never talking to anyone.

  Outside of class, she was surrounded by friends. No matter where she went, someone was trying to get her attention. In the hallway, someone told her something that made her laugh hysterically. I smiled. Taking a quick glance at Marcus, he had a wide grin across his face. Her laugh was contagious. The sound was genuine, lighting up her whole face along with it. As the day went on, I found myself hoping someone else would make her laugh so I could hear it again.

  Slowly, I was figuring her out. When she was around her friends, she was a bubbly, happy teenage girl. But it was a mask. Her true identity was always hidden. No one knew she would be leaving for Avalon once she turned sixteen. She'd have to forget about her life here and start another with her father. I imagined it would be difficult to leave the life she’d created. It would certainly explain the tears from last night. The sadness she displayed when she thought no one was looking.

  It was different for me. Living a mortal life was never a possibility. I wasn’t raised with them. My education and training was always with other elementals. So there was never a hard transition for me. It was odd that Taron would allow her to live as if she were a mortal. There was definitely a reason he kept her away from the elementals, but unlike my mother, I wasn’t convinced she was the akasha.

  Marcus nudged my arm. “She just asked the teacher for a bathroom pass.”

  How did I miss hearing her? Oh, because I'd lost my focus once again. I needed to get my head out of my ass in a big way. “This might be our chance.”

  We followed her out into the hallway where two of her guards waited. She held up her hand when they attempted to follow. I pointed down at Marcus's shoes, trying to tell him to walk quietly without actually saying the words. He nodded, making me believe he understood. We crept slowly behind her, stopping when she opened the bathroom door.

  I put my head up to the door. “I don't hear her speaking to anyone. I'm going in.”

  “I'm right behind you.” Marcus rolled up his sleeves, revealing his caramel colored forearms—covered in faint scars. They had to be from his months of training.

  A quick reminder of why this was so important.

  I held up my hand. “No. I'll do it on my own.”

  He shook his head.

  Before he could say anything else, I said, “She's an untrained
halfling. I can handle her.” It wasn't a lie, but the reason I didn't want him in there was because I didn't want him to be a witness. Without him saying it, I knew he didn't agree. I didn't either, but I would be king. I should be the one to kill her.

  I opened the bathroom door inch-by-inch. Kalin was in one of the middle stalls. The toilet flushed. A moment later, she stood in front of the sink with her hands gripping the sides. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her expression somber.

  This was my moment. I took several steps forward as I slid the sword out of its sheath. With only a few feet of space between us, I was close enough to take in the strawberry scent of her hair. There was another aroma coming off her. Perfume? Something with honey and cloves. I closed my eyes, taking it in.

  I put my fist against my forehead. What the hell am I doing?

  Enough of this stupidity. I gripped the sword with both hands, pulling it back over my head. From this angle, I could decapitate her. There would be no screams for help; she'd be dead in seconds. Sweat pearled in the palms of my hands. My mind raced through the events of the last twenty-four hours. Visions of her laughing, smiling, and dancing. I couldn't get the images out of my head. My stomach twisted in knots. Suddenly, the weapon got heavy. My arms were shaking.

  It was as if my mind and body had turned against me.

  I lowered the blade to my side. Frozen as I watched her wash her hands. Then she walked out of the bathroom.

  Marcus raced inside. “Are you all right?”

  I dropped to my knees, letting the iron sword fall to the floor with a clang. “I can't do it. If I kill her, I'm no better than my mother.”

  He let out an exaggerated breath. “Good.”

  My head jerked up. I questioned whether I heard him correctly. “How is that good?”

  Marcus sat on the floor next to me, leaning against the white tiled walls. “Because I don't want you to kill her. Even if it means I'll never be free. How could I be happy knowing someone as innocent as Kalin died because of me?”

  “Why didn't you say something earlier?”