The Dark Princess (The Balance Series Book 3)

by Janelle Stalder

  He wasn’t smiling as he lifted a bottle to his lips, his eyes narrowed, watching me.

  “I have never seen you at one of these before,” he said.

  I think.

  His speech was kind of slurred.

  “Yeah...I don’t normally,” I replied, watching him as prey might a predator.

  “You look...” his gaze dropped down the front of me and back up. “Nice.”

  “Thanks...?”

  “Listen, I wanted to say something to you,” he said, leaning forward and letting out a short laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re going to think this is strange coming from me, but I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  He was right. Actually, I was shocked into silence. My mouth opened to respond and then closed, opened again, and closed.

  “For almost hitting you yesterday in the parking lot,” he continued. He looked down, shaking his head. “I swear to god, I had started to slow down, and then all of a sudden the car just accelerated.” He looked back at me, his gaze pleading. “I promise you, Frenchie, I didn’t gas it. I don’t know what happened. I wouldn’t...I mean, I know I’m a dick to you, but I’d never hit you with my car or anything like that.”

  Damn it all, I found myself actually feeling bad for the guy. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I wasn’t hurt, so it’s all good.”

  He nodded, taking another drink as he leaned back into his spot. The conversation seemed to be over by the point. Awkwardly, I muttered a goodbye and fled for the back door. As soon as I reached the outside, I maneuvered my away around a number of couples locked together, and headed into the area of the backyard that seemed relatively empty.

  There was a bench hidden just by the tree line. I sat down, surveying the party from the dark like the outsider I was. People laughed and shouted, enjoying the experience, and here I was, by myself as usual.

  At least I had come, I thought, giving myself some credit. It was a step - a baby step, but still a step.

  “Why is there always someone separated from the crowd when they shouldn’t be?” A deep, raspy voice said from over my shoulder. I jumped, turning to see a guy walk out of the trees.

  I squinted, unable to see them clearly in the dark. “Pardon?”

  He chuckled low, taking a seat on the other end of the bench. The distant light from the deck lit up his face enough for me to see and I had to bite back a gasp. Whoever this guy was, he was gorgeous, in a really edgy sort of way. He looked at me too, his eyes roaming over me in a manner that had me shivering as if it were an actual caress. My gaze locked on his mouth, full lips that quirked up at the corners, lifting higher the longer I stared.

  Looking away, I thanked God that it was unlikely this guy could see how red my face was.

  “Not enjoying the party?” He asked, sitting back.

  I shrugged. “It’s not really my thing,” I admitted, glancing at him again, quickly so I wasn’t caught staring. “You?”

  He chuckled, my skin prickling in response. “Nah, I’m not into parties either.”

  “Are you new at our school?” I asked. There was something oddly familiar about him, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. There was no way I wouldn’t have noticed him in the halls.

  “No,” he said without further explanation.

  “Are you here with someone?” I tried, praying it wasn’t one of Lila’s friends. If they caught me out here with him, even though we were just sitting beside each other, there would be trouble.

  “No,” he said again. I could feel his gaze on me and it was making it harder for me to avoid looking back.

  I lost the fight, turning toward him, our eyes locking. His were so dark they looked almost black. My breathing became shallow, my body leaning in slightly toward him before I could catch myself.

  “You shouldn’t be out here, Hope.”

  “What? Why?” I asked, my voice slightly sluggish as if I were under some sort of spell.

  “Stay with the crowd. Can you do that for me?”

  I found myself nodding.

  “Go on back to the party.”

  I was still leaning toward him when I blinked and the haze over me lifted a fraction.

  “How do you know my name?” I said, brows furrowing.

  He opened his mouth to reply, pausing as his eyes went to something over my shoulder. “You have got to be shitting me.”

  “What?” I looked where he was and saw the new guy, Gabe, heading our way. “Do you know him....” The mystery guy was gone when I turned back. I looked toward the party but he wasn’t heading that way. My eyes searched the trees, wondering if he’d gone back in there, but couldn’t see a thing.

  “What the -?”

  “Hope,” Gabe called out, grabbing my attention.

  I stood, running my hands over the skirt of my dress, making sure it wasn’t sticking up anywhere and offered him a smile. “Hey,” I said, my voice slightly wobbly.

  “I was looking for you,” he said, stopping in front of me.

  Why would he be looking for me?

  “Oh?”

  “Your friend inside said you were here.” His eyes swept the forest, his smile sort of strained now that I really focused on it. “What were you doing?”

  “Nothing,” I said with a shrug, for some reason not wanting to mention the mystery guy to him. “Just getting some fresh air.”

  He hummed, still searching the dark before looking back at me. “You want to head back up?”

  “Yup!” I said, with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm. I wasn’t sure why, but the need to get him away from the spot where the other guy was felt important. I let him lead me back to the party, leaving my hidden bench behind.

  Six

  Sleepless Nights

  Whoever that was, whatever I’d been feeling, it faded into the back of my mind the second we walked into the house. I blinked against the bright lights, used to the darkness outside. When I could finally see properly, it was to find Gabe watching me, a smile playing on his lips. A blush stole across my cheeks as I tried to smile back, my mind racing to figure out why he’d even sought me out tonight.

  There was not one part of Gabe that wasn’t gorgeous. It was as though the lights were drawn to him, a golden sheen radiating off his tanned skin and hair. He watched me as I fidgeted nervously. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach.

  “Hey there,” Emily said, catching my eye with a wide look between us. “I see you found her.” There were questions there that I had no idea how to answer.

  “I sure did,” he said. When I turned to look at him he was still staring down at me, that unreadable look on his face.

  The silence that stretched was painful as I silently begged Emily to help.

  “Okay, well,” she said, taking a step backward. I had to stop myself from shaking my head before Gabe caught on to my panic. “I’m going to go back to the dance floor. You two...have fun.” She gave me a wink, before turning and sauntering out of the kitchen.

  Wonderful.

  I turned back to him with a nervous laugh, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

  “Did you want a drink?” He asked, motioning toward the kitchen counter where liquids of all colours now soaked the top of it, red plastic cups littered everywhere.

  “I think I’m okay,” I said, the aftertaste of the awful warm beer from earlier still lingering in my mouth.

  He leaned against the table, crossing his arms over his chest, making the fabric of the white polo shirt stretch across thick muscles. How was this guy in high school?

  “You don’t go to these often, do you?” He asked, snapping me out of ogling his body.

  “Why - why would you say that?”

  Was it that obvious? And here I thought I had been handling myself just fine. You were, I thought, until Adonis over here started paying attention to you.

  I couldn’t really complain though, there was something warm and comforting a
bout being around Gabe. Unlike the other guy, who had a sense of danger clinging to him as though it saturated the air around him.

  The other guy.

  My eyes went to the window, searching the black night out there, even though it was impossible to see anything with all the lights on in the kitchen. Had I imagined him? Where had he gone? And who was he? Gabe was suddenly there, standing in front of me again, blocking where I’d been staring.

  He smiled at me, and I swore my legs went a bit weak at the sight. I had to swallow the ridiculous sigh that was about to slip through my lips. He was like sex on legs, and that smile promised things my untrained mind couldn’t even imagine.

  Wait. What? Where did that thought come from?

  I gave myself a physical shake, praying I didn’t look like a complete nut as I blinked up at him again.

  “You seem a little nervous is all,” he was saying, replying to my question.

  “That’s just how Frenchie is,” a voice I knew all too well said from behind me, before a hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing. A sense of unease instantly washed over me as Aaron stopped beside us, his arm now wrapped around my back. “Hope here has always been a bit of a strange bird, haven’t you?”

  Was I supposed to actually answer that?

  I looked to him and back to Gabe, my face burning, when Lila strolled up to wrap her arms around one of Gabe’s, her trill laugh like nails on a chalkboard.

  “Strange isn’t a strong enough word for Hope,” she sneered, looking at me as if I stank like garbage. “I don’t even know what she’s doing here.”

  My mouth had gone dry. Usually I could manage to say something back to them, but with Gabe there to witness the entire exchange, I couldn’t manage to even get out a squeak.

  “Maybe she just has better sense than to hang out with trash,” Gabe said, brushing off Lila’s touch. My mouth dropped open as he held out a hand to me. I glanced at Lila, her body practically shaking with anger as she watched me place my hand in his, walking out from beneath Aaron’s arm. I didn’t bother looking at him as I followed Gabe. “How about I take you home? This party just got lame.” He looked at someone over my head, leading me out of the kitchen.

  “I can’t believe you just said that,” I said softly, my mouth still hanging open.

  He chuckled, the sound rolling over me. “Why?”

  I looked up at him, wide eyed. “Aaron and Lila are like the king and queen of the school, and you just made yourself their number one enemy.”

  He shrugged, holding open the front door for me. I would have to text Emily to let her know where I’d gone, since there was no way I was going back in there now. “They’re both so drunk, they won’t remember what I said by the morning anyway.”

  “It’s not just that, it’s that you stuck up for me.” I shook my head, looking at the ground as I followed him to a red sports car I was sure cost more than our house. I just stopped, staring at my reflection in the flawless exterior. “You won’t make any friends at this school if you’re nice to me,” I warned him. “That’s what they’ll be pissed about.”

  Gabe stopped on the other side of the car, smiling at me across the roof. “I don’t let other people tell me who I can and cannot talk to.” He braced his arms on the car as we stood on either side. “You seem like a nice girl, Hope. Nowadays, that’s a rare thing, so I think I’ll take my chances with ruining my rep or not.”

  He thought I was nice? Nice. That word sounded so...so...lame. Nice was who you were friends with, who you said hi to in the halls and offered rides to when they were made fun of at a party. My shoulders slumped. Nice was just...nice. It wasn’t interesting or alluring, or attractive like he was. Nice was what you called someone who was a friend, and nothing more. I managed a smile, knowing full well it didn’t reach my eyes.

  “Thanks,” I said. “For that, and for what you said back there. I appreciate it, and the ride.”

  “No problem,” he replied, smacking the roof as he pushed off of it. “What are friends for?”

  Ugh.

  Stupid.

  That’s exactly what he was.

  Cillian flew over the twinkling lights below, letting the air and the feeling of his muscles working as he flapped his wings, work off some of the ire now heating his blood. He had no idea why he’d revealed himself in his human glamour to her. Perhaps it was that he had wanted to make sure anyone, or anything, watching her knew he was there.

  Or, far more likely, it had simply been the image of her sitting out there, alone, while other kids laughed and partied inside. There she had been, sitting in the shadows as though they were far more familiar to her than the brightness inside the house. He could understand that. All too well. It had tugged at some small, forgotten part of him.

  Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. It had been an idiotic move, but nothing that was irreparable. She’d forget about him, brushing off the entire exchange, soon enough. A growl shook his chest. Right now, he had bigger problems to deal with.

  Landing easily, his feet just touched the balcony outside the penthouse when Caleb came out, pulling on the sleeves of a sleek, black suit. Cillian raised his brows, taking in his sharp attire. “Hot date?” He asked, remembering that Vivian had been by there only yesterday.

  Caleb gave him an incredulous look, not bothering to reply. “I thought you were supposed to be keep an eye on Hope.”

  “I am,” he said, a strange anxiousness in his gut sparking at the need to get back to her. He’d only left when he made sure she’d made it home and into bed. “I’ll go back, but I wanted to share some new info I just discovered tonight.”

  “Caleb, you ready?” Collin asked, as he came outside. “I thought you were on babysitting duty,” he said when he noticed Cillian, giving him a sly grin.

  “That’s my daughter you’re talking about,” Caleb said, his tone a light warning. “And he is, he just came to tell us something.”

  “Still don’t know how to use a cellphone, C?”

  He growled at Collin, turning back to Caleb. The other demon knew fully well that Cillian hated most of the human made technology. Except maybe their weapons. There were a few of those he rather liked. Not that he needed any, or that any of them could compete with his own abilities. “The angels are here,” he said, watching as the two of them both straightened, alert.

  “Where?” Caleb said with an dangerous calm.

  “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t just witnessed it for myself, but they have one pretending to be a high school student at Hope’s school.”

  Collin snorted. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Cillian shook his head. “I’m not.”

  “Which one?” Asked Caleb.

  He knew this wasn’t going to sit well. “It’s Gabriel.”

  They both swore.

  “Why would they send him of all people?” Collin said.

  Caleb looked out into the night, brows lowered over those blue eyes that seemed to look through everyone. “I’m not sure.”

  “They must have heard about the attempt on Hope’s life,” said Collin.

  “Why would they care? It’s our problem to worry about, not theirs,” Cillian said.

  The two brothers exchanged a knowing look, Caleb’s mouth thinning. “Perhaps not.”

  “What does that mean?” He asked, looking between the two.

  “It’s something I’m still looking into,” Collin edged. “I’ll fill you in when, if, I know more.”

  Cillian didn’t like being kept in the dark, but he also knew when to pick his battles.

  Caleb took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m going down to the demon plains tonight. I’ll ask around if anyone has heard anything about what they’re up to, but I doubt it. The angels are notoriously closed mouthed about their intentions.”

  “Just great,” Collin huffed. “The next thing you know, the damn Russians will come sniffing around too.”

  Ci
llian cringed. The Russians he spoke of were the Brotherhood, a group of idealistic humans who thought it was their job to protect their kind from the demons. They were all imbeciles in Cillian’s opinion, and had given them enough trouble over the years.

  “Let’s hope not,” Caleb muttered. “Keep watching,” he said to Cillian. “Let me know if there are any other surprises. Let’s hope they sent him just to make sure the attack was an isolated event, and not something that would draw attention by the general population. We’ll dig around on our end,” he said, motioning to his brother. “I want daily reports from now on. Especially with Vivian gone for a few days.”