Marked (Last Princess Book 1)

by A. M. Hardin

  "Then they'll take you home," Andrei says in a way that makes it so there's no way to argue.

  Kade turns around and ushers Lucy and Zoe ahead of him while Xander walks with me, keeping a hand settled on my waist. Zoe hands Kade my keys, and we all pile in the car with Kade in the driver’s seat and me in the passenger seat, while the others go in the backseat.

  "I can't believe Adam did that," Lucy hisses once we're on the road.

  I rub my hands over the spots that'll be seriously bruised tomorrow. "I can't either," I say quietly. "It was almost like he wasn't himself. I've seen him angry, and he can be an asshole, but I've never known him to be so angry that he'd hurt a girl."

  I notice Kade looking in the rear-view mirror and nodding his head slightly.

  We're silent on the ride to Lucy's house except for Lucy giving directions. Since Zoe's car is at her house, we're dropping her off there, too.

  "You okay, honey?" Zoe asks quietly before getting out of the car.

  I turn and give her and Lucy a strained smile. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just a little creeped. And pissed because I left my shoes at school," I mutter, mentally cursing myself for forgetting.

  "They're right here," Lucy says, holding my shoes out to me, and I grin at her.

  "You rock."

  "Get some sleep and call us tomorrow," Zoe says with a reassuring smile. Probably reassuring me that it's not my fault our night got cut so short.

  "Alright. Good night."

  They get out, shouting good night. We watch as they both enter Lucy's house.

  "Take me home, please," I whisper to Kade, wrapping my arms around myself.

  "You got it," he says, putting the car in reverse. "Uh, where do you live?"

  I laugh and give him directions to my house, and he gets there even quicker than I would have expected for someone who's never been to my house. It's not exactly the easiest to find in the dark.

  "How will you guys be getting home?" I ask when we pull up in front of my house.

  "We'll have Andrei pick us up, since we all came in his car anyways," Xander says from the backseat.

  I nod, and we all get out of my car. I pause and bite my lip. "Did you guys want to come inside and wait?"

  Kade shakes his head. "Nah, go on up and go to bed, sweetheart. We'll be fine out here."

  I nod. "Okay, thank you guys, for helping me tonight."

  Xander smiles. "It's our pleasure, Princess," he mutters.

  Chapter Nine

  Andrei

  I stare at the human–who dared to harm my princess–after Kade and Xander have taken her away, and I have to beat back the anger pulsing through me. The human glares at me.

  “She’s mine. Just because she opened her legs to you three doesn’t change that,” he hisses angrily.

  I close my eyes, reining in the fury blasting through my veins. Opening my eyes, I take in the human’s slightly jerky movements that have gotten worse by the minute and the pallor of his skin.

  Before he can react, I place my palm on his head and murmur, “Sleep.” The human slowly crumples to the ground in front of me, his breathing deep and even. I crouch beside him and place my finger against his forehead. Closing my eyes, I let my energy read the spell that’s been placed on the human.

  After discovering the spell I send a surge of power through my finger and into the human boy’s body, my power searching out and destroying all traces of the spell in his system.

  Moments after I take my finger away from his forehead the boy’s eyes flutter open, and he looks around, disoriented, the power I sent to him, waking him up.

  “What the hell? What’s going on?” He looks up at me, his expression fearful. “How did I get here? What did you do to me?”

  I roll my eyes and pull him off the floor. Waving my hand in front of his face, his expression falls lax. “Nothing happened. You slipped and hit your head on the floor. Go back to the dance, remember nothing that happened here.”

  I wave my hand in front of his face again, and his cocky expression falls into place.

  I turn and walk away before he has the chance to say anything, making my way outside where I can get to the princess’s house without being seen.

  Stepping up to two trees off to the side of the school, I cast a portal between the trees and step through, closing the portal behind me, so no unsuspecting humans go from being at the school to being in Cherish's backyard.

  Spotting Kade and Xander leaning against Cherish's car I make my way to them, my eyes darting to the dark house.

  "Everything okay?" Kade asks, the first to notice me approaching.

  Xander straightens and turns to face me.

  "The boy was under a spell," I inform them.

  "A spell?" Xander asks. "What kind of spell?"

  "One that enhances his emotions of whatever he's feeling."

  "That would explain why the girls thought that he wasn't acting like himself." Kade runs a hand through his hair.

  Xander puts his palms against his eyes and groans. "This isn't good. That means that whoever's been sending out assassins after the king's children know about her. That also means that they've found her."

  I nod in agreement. "Exactly. We are going to have to tell her sooner rather than later."

  "We can't afford to wait, to gain her trust," Kade admits, though he doesn't sound happy about it.

  "She's going to think we're crazy," Xander warns.

  "I'm aware. We don't have any other options. They may not have managed to hurt her much with the human boy, but they will not hesitate to spell someone to kill her the next time.

  We can't just wait around while they take advantage of her ignorance." I focus my attention on Cherish's bedroom window. "We need to talk to her in the next day or so."

  Kade sighs. "She sits next to me in english, so I can talk to her to see if she can come to our place after school."

  "That'd be best. The sooner the better." I look between them. "How was she after that?"

  "Shaken up," Xander says.

  "Her friends were pissed, but she was more in shock than anything," Kade explains.

  I cross my arms in front of my chest and let out a deep breath. "The king will not be pleased."

  "You're going to tell him?" Kade asks, shock flashing across his face.

  "We have to, he needs to know that there's already been one attack on her, and though she was left unharmed for the most part besides a few bruises, he needs to be aware that there could be more. She's no longer safe here, so he needs to get everything ready for her to come back to the castle."

  Xander gives me a look. "I take it I'm going to have to call him again?"

  I chuckle. "Of course, you're able to get through quicker than Kade or myself can."

  Kade laughs. "That's what happens when you're best friends with the prince and have been on the king’s radar since you were a kid."

  Xander scowls. "Were best friends. Ever since he learned that I've been tasked with keeping the princess alive, he refuses to have anything to do with me. I think he resents that he has a sister still alive."

  I roll my eyes. "Go, Xander. We don't have time for this. I need to make sure that the wards we've placed around the princess's home are still in place. Kade, you stay here and watch the princess."

  Kade raises a brow at me as Xander walks away. "I think you mean to watch her house. I can't exactly go in there and watch her without being a creep."

  I narrow my eyes at him. "Quit being a smartass."

  "But it's so fun."

  "Dick," I mutter, shaking my head as I walk away from him to check on the wards.

  Chapter Ten

  Cherish

  Standing in front of my mirror, I examine the fingerprint bruises Adam left on my arms on Saturday night, wincing at the horrible color.

  "What the hell?" Ella exclaims when she sees me poke at one of the bruises.

  I frown at her and shake my head. "It's a super long story, El. I'll tell you later. We're going to
be late for school if we don't go now."

  "Not until you tell me where you got those bruises!"

  I grab a hoodie out of my closet to put on, so I can cover the bruises. Zipping it up halfway I look at Ella. “I’ll tell you later. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  “You didn’t even leave the house yesterday,” she mutters, staring at my now covered arms. “I don’t get it.”

  Of course not. I wore a long-sleeve shirt all day yesterday, and barely left my room.

  “It’s nothing to be worried about. Come on, we need to get to school.” I walk past my sister and out the front door, grabbing my bag as I go. I’m vaguely aware of Ella trailing slowly behind me.

  “Why are you so eager to get to school?” Ella asks.

  “I want to have some quiet to draw for a while before class starts. I can’t do that when there are a bunch of people around.” I know I’m not a bad artist, I just don’t like drawing with an audience. It makes me feel extremely self-conscious.

  Ella nods in understanding then starts playing with the radio for the rest of the drive to school.

  Once we get to school, I quickly make my way to english class, avoiding any questions Ella throws my way. Settling in my seat, I pull my sketch pad and pencil out of my bag.

  Plugging my headphones into my phone since I have at least forty-five minutes before people start coming into class, I start my music.

  Opening my sketchpad to the drawing I started yesterday while confining myself in my room, I run my hand over the picture. Taking a deep breath I lean over and get to work, shading in the horned Pegasus I had outlined the night before. Putting in the details on the wings and horn.

  I'm so lost in my sketch that I don't notice how quickly time has passed since I started. Lucy pats a hand on the desk in front of my pad to get my attention. I look up and take my headphones out, peeking at the time and groaning. Damn, time for class, when what I really want is to keep working on this.

  "That looks seriously kickass," Lucy says, eyeing the page in front of me.

  I smile. "It'll be even better once it's finished."

  "Can you draw me something like that?" She asks.

  I roll my eyes. "Dude, you have like a giant binder with pictures I draw for you."

  "Well, yeah. Your drawings are the shit." She looks up and smiles. "Hey, Kade. How's it going?"

  I turn my attention to the sexy guy that helped get me away from Adam the other night and give him a smile. "Hey."

  His smile is a little forced. "Hey." His eyes flit down to the drawing in front of me. He tilts his chin towards it. "What's that?"

  I bite my lip and push my pad over, so he can see better.

  His eyes widen as he gazes at the drawing. Several minutes later he looks up at me, his gaze studying. "You drew this?"

  I shrug. "Yeah. It's not done, though. Give it back," I say with a laugh when he doesn't hand it back right away.

  "It's really good," he says softly, eyes roaming over me, as if he's seeing me in a new light.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask, suddenly feeling seriously self-conscious.

  He shakes his head, "No reason. Hey, uh, I wanted to ask you something." His eyes flick to Lucy who's eavesdropping unrepentantly. When she shows no sign of moving he sighs and rolls his eyes. "Xander, Andrei, and I need to talk to you about something later today." My eyebrows fly up. "Any chance you can come over to our house for a little bit? It shouldn't take too long, it's just something that we need to talk about from the other night."

  "Okay," I say slowly. "Any particular reason we can't just have this conversation at school?"

  He nods once. "There is, but we'll explain the why later."

  "Kade? Are you aware of how shifty that sounds?"

  He runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know. It's the best I’ve got, though."

  I eye him carefully, studying the strain around his face and realize that from the circles under his eyes he hasn't been sleeping well. "Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah, everything's fine. We just need to talk to you later." A pause. "Please."

  I almost say no, but something in his eyes stops me. There's this worry and urgency in his gaze, like he's begging me to agree.

  "Alright." I grab my notebook as the teacher walks in. Ripping a page out, I hand it to him. "Write down your address, and I'll meet you there after school."

  Relief spreads across his face, and he gives me a small smile. "Awesome."

  After dropping Ella off at home and dodging her questions again, I pull out the piece of paper that Kade wrote the address on and frown when I realize they’re practically right next door to us. Well, they’re a street away, but still.

  “Okay,” I mutter to myself and drive to their house.

  A minute later, I stop and frown as I stare at the house in front of me. The vague shimmer to the air that I’ve been seeing around people, Kade and his friends in particular, is surrounding the house.

  What the hell? Maybe I just need glasses.

  Shaking my head, I get out of my car and make my way to the front door. I lift my hand up to knock, but before my hand even makes contact with the door, it swings open.

  Kade flashes me a smile. “Hey, thanks for coming.” He steps back and out of the way, so I can come in. “The others are in the living area. Just down the hall that way, I’m getting drinks for everyone.”

  I grin. “Are you taking requests? I’d kill for a coffee.”

  He chuckles. “Alright, coffee for you then. I’ll be in there in a few minutes. Go make yourself comfortable.”

  He disappears down the other end of the hallway, so I head to the direction he pointed me towards. Walking into the living room I raise a brow when I see Xander and Andrei lounging lazily on the couch while watching something on the TV.

  They look relaxed but there’s an underlying tension there that wasn’t there earlier when I saw them at school. Their eyes come to me simultaneously, and I give them a brief smile to hide my nerves.

  “Hey, guys.”

  “Cherish,” Andrei greets me simply before turning his attention back to whatever’s happening on the TV.

  “Hey, Princess,” Xander says with a smirk twitching on his mouth.

  “So, do I get any hints about what this is about?” I ask, moving to sit in the armchair they have off to the side of the couch.

  “I just gave you one,” I barely hear Xander mutter. I shoot him a questioning look, and he just shakes his head. “Nothing, Princess. We need to wait until Kade’s in here anyways.”

  The energy in the air is heavy with tension while we wait for Kade to return a few minutes later. He hands me my coffee. I thank him, and I inhale the delicious smelling aroma deeply before taking a sip.

  I watch as the guys all exchange looks, as if they’re unsure who should talk. Andrei sighs heavily.

  “Cherish, the other night . . .” he pauses, rethinking his words. “Did that hu– uh, Adam guy seem like himself to you?”

  I narrow my eyes at him before answering, flicking my gaze to the other two before focusing back on Andrei. “No. He might have been an asshole on the best of days but he’s not really a violent person. He never hurt me before.”

  Andrei nods his head once. He looks to Kade then back at me. “Kade told us that you draw? That you draw really well. Can I ask what made you draw a horned pegasus?”

  I raise a brow at the random turn of the conversation. “Uh, I like to draw mythological creatures. I do draw other things, but they’re my favorite to draw. You are aware that that was a completely random question, right?”

  He sighs and rubs his hand over his face. “Fuck, I know. I’m screwing this up already,” he mutters to himself. “Have you ever wondered why those kind of things are your favorite to draw?”

  “Honestly? No. Many people have many different tastes, so no. I’ve never thought about it. I just draw what I like.”

  “Jesus, Andrei, you’re butchering this,” Xander sa
ys with a roll of his eyes. He meets my gaze. “Let me ask you a question. Do you believe in the things that you draw?”

  I shrug. “I mean, anything’s possible right? Most of the things I draw, I don’t actually believe exist, but it’s kind of fun to imagine they do.”

  “Do you believe in magic?” Xander asks softly.

  “No, I don’t,” I answer bluntly.

  “Really?” Xander looks amused by my answer, though I can’t imagine why.

  “Really, I don’t. It’s all fake, hollywood movie shit. Or stuff that you read in books. It’s not real.”

  “What if we said that it was?” Kade asks quietly, not looking at me, his attention is outside the window on the other side of the room.

  “I’d probably say that you guys are full of shit.” I sit up straight, getting annoyed. “If you guys are done, I have homework to do.”

  I move to stand up but stop in my tracks when I see a shimmer in the air in front of me. It stays like that for a split second before it opens up into a large door-window thing, and on the other side of it I can see a large castle in the background, surrounded by a large forest with a small opening for a dirt road, big enough to be an actual street.

  I blink at the image in front of me, slowly moving back into my seat as I stare the image in front of me. “What?” I don’t even know what I’m asking, shock has officially rendered me speechless.

  The window disappears a second after the word leaves my lips, and I turn to face the three grim-faced guys on the couch.

  “How? I don’t–” I cut myself off, not knowing where I’m going with the thoughts swirling around in my brain.

  “Magic is real,” Andrei confirms. “Magic is what caused Adam to act the way he did the night of the dance.”

  I raise a brow questioningly. “How do you know this?”

  “I sensed it in him. I destroyed the spell, so he went back to normal shortly after.”