Her Merciless Prince

by Daniella Wright

  We break the embrace. I place my hand on the side of his face, his stubble rough against my palm.

  I love every inch of him.

  “Go,” I say. “I’ll see you tonight. I have to see my parents.”

  He nods, kisses me quickly, then walks back to the palace.

  He casts glances back my way and I meet every single one. We’re both worried they might be our last.

  “Your ship could really use better protection,” I tell Starz as I step in his office. He looks up and grins at me.

  “We’re Time Agents. More people find us terrifying. I mean, what do Time Agents even do?”

  He gestures to a chair, and I fall into it gratefully. It’s metal and doesn’t move, fastened to the ground. It’s definitely not the most comfortable seat.

  But the company makes it worth it.

  “Eron asked me to marry him last night,” I say, unsure why. “I mean, he asked me to join his pack, which is the same thing, to my understanding.”

  I know why I said that, now. To gauge Starz’s reaction. He looks unsure himself, his eyes slitting and unslitting at an alarming speed.

  “You have no more idea than us what will happen, do you?”

  “That’s how time works, I fear,” he gives me an apologetic smile.

  “Can’t you stop the time trap?” my voice shakes. The worry that I don’t want to show Eron, for fear of amplifying his own, is easier to show Starz. He stands and crosses his station, kneeling before me and placing his hands on mine, now balled into fists on my lap.

  Fists of worry, and anger.

  Fists that wanted to do something, but were unable to.

  Fists that want to rail against the injustice of losing Eron, after having just found him. Or, having him lose me.

  “We can’t do that,” he says. “We’re not even sure how it was triggered.” He looks frustrated, angry.

  I suddenly understand. The radiation rods in the time vault hadn’t been like the ones from my village. They’d been exact rods. That’s why Starz pulled me away. Because he hadn’t realized that he was in the trap until he saw them again.

  The words catch in my throat. “You already tried.”

  I don’t think his eyes can shed tears, but they look very moist at the moment, the slitting also stops, his eyes still, pupils as wide as I’ve ever seen them.

  “And I failed you and Eron,” he whispers.

  “You didn’t,” I make sure he’s looking at me as I speak. “You gave us more time than we ever thought we’d have, already.”

  He gives a bitter laugh. “Time. I don’t get to give it, Sybil, though I wish I could. I often have to take it away. To reset it. To leave echoes in the wind, never remembered by even those who loved them.”

  He stops, looks as though he’s said too much.

  “Will Eron remember me?” my voice is so low I can barely hear it.

  “He might,” he says. “He might remember all of this, having crossed into a time rift. He might just dream of you, still.”

  He stops, but there’s more there, and I sense it. I’m a scientist, trained to follow logical conclusions to their bitter end. Like with the acid creature. Like with my dying world.

  Hope is beautiful and necessary. But also deadly.

  “Starz,” he looks at me, his eyes impossibly sad. He knows what I’m about to say. “Have we done this before? Is this why we dream about each other?”

  “I can’t be sure,” he whispers. “The trap is strong enough to reset even Time Agents. We lose agents to time traps all the time. But only once. As far as we know we’re not stuck forever, but that’s the beauty of time traps. You don’t necessarily know it has snared you. For all we know, we might be traveling back and forth, too, living this doomed tale over and over again with you and Eron.”

  He looks frustrated by his own uncertainty.

  “I was,” I say, “and I had no idea.”

  “You’re not a Time Agent,” he offers with a sad smile.

  “No. But I am a girl who really wants to stay here.”

  His eyes break contact as he looks down. Starz cares about us. His friendship means the world to me.

  And his friendships can mean time for Eron.

  “Starz,” I say. “I imagine you’ve come up with different ways to remember if you do get jostled in time, potentially again?”

  “Of course,” he meets my eyes again. I see my reflection in them. I’m sad, but not afraid.

  “If it resets,” he looks about to protest, but I stop him. “If it resets, promise me that you’ll stop Eron from coming after his parents. From ever meeting me. He should be free.”

  “Your people will die.”

  “My people never existed they’re already dead.”

  “He might dream of you forever, Sybil. Never knowing who the strange girl in his dreams is, but always holding back in case he should meet you. Your echo would always reach him, across any age.”

  I close my eyes. Oh, Eron. And I would dream of him, time and time again.

  But he would live, and I would too. If we’re trapped reliving these moments time and time again, wouldn’t that be more important?

  No. Eron could be free. He could grow old. Take up the throne. Marry someone else and have children.

  Become a father and a grandfather.

  “Set him free, Starz” I whisper, and open my eyes to meet his again, tears streaming down my face. “I love him enough to let him go.”

  It looks like Starz is capable of tears, after all.

  “Your DNA sampler is simpler amazing,” Mom tells Dad. She’s pouring over his latest analysis of DNA from Eron as a wolf vs. Eron as a human. Here I thought they would freak out when they saw him change.

  I should have known better. They’d asked him about a thousand questions and take blood.

  Of course.

  I watch from the doorway as Mom reaches for Dad’s hand and squeezes it. He looks stoked as he points out another few anomalies, and what it could mean for research and medicinal applications.

  “This can change everything,” mom says, and dad nods. “Well done, Henrouk,” she leans in for a kiss.

  It’s rare that I catch my parents in such tender moments. The stress of living on Earth had seeped like radiation into all of our relationships. Survival was imperative and left little time for anything else.

  I hadn’t really noticed until leaving earth. Watching my parents with each other since coming here... it certainly made it clear.

  “What did you find?” I ask as I step in.

  Mom breaks away from Dad and smiles at me. She doesn’t look embarrassed. And why should she? The love between my parents is something I can only wish to have some day.

  No. It’s something that I do have. Right here, right now.

  For a brief moment in time.

  “DNA sequence changes from wolf to human,” Mom says, and Dad jumps in, the two completing each other’s sentences the way they complete each other. “It’s a mutation unlike any we’ve ever seen!”

  “I can mean so much for science, especially medical science!”

  “Especially when combined with our own radiation resistant DNA…”

  “Goodbye cancer!”

  “And hangovers!”

  Mom frowns at Dad. He shrugs. “Well, it could be a long term application.”

  She laughs, then turns more serious.

  “This is a wonderful discovery, though. It could make a big difference.”

  “I’m glad,” I say, but my voice catches in my throat. I haven’t told my parents about the possible reset. Like not telling them somehow kept the truth at bay.

  But I can’t. Not anymore. They need to know. They deserve to know.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Mom asks, concerned.

  “Eron’s parents left for Earth,” I whisper the words, not wanting to speak them out loud. How do I tell them we might vanish from existence, or be reset again, never knowing about this? Everything worked on here mi
ght be lost.

  Mom takes my hand. Dad walks up to us. I feel surrounded and loved.

  “No matter what happens, we’re grateful for this time here,” mom says.

  “You... you know?”

  She shrugs. “About the potential reset? Well, we figured it out on our way over. But Starz says you’re the anchor. You might stay, regardless of what happens to us.”

  “I don’t want to lose you,” I whisper.

  “Sweetheart, it’s the way of life,” mom says, then kisses my head. “We’ve seen more here than a lifetime on earth. Your father and I had good lives,” she takes Dad’s hand in hers. They share a sad look.

  “Your mother is right, Sybil. If we can trade our lives for yours, we would do so in a heartbeat. Always.”

  A new fear materializes and slips from my mouth. “What if I forget you? What if I stay, but it erases my past?”

  “Oh honey,” mom takes me in her arms. “You know in science that you have to ask the ‘what if’ questions, but it doesn’t mean you’ll ever find answers.”

  “That doesn’t sound like you,” I mumble.

  She laughs. It’s a beautiful sound, like the bells of this world. “I’m learning new tricks. You’re never too old to learn, Sybil.” She glances at my dad. “Your dad and I just want you to be happy.”

  “What about all of your discoveries? What about what you’ve just found?”

  “Starz is stashing it in the time vault. With the technology from our world.”

  Technology from our world... the same tech that Starz took to his time vault. If he’d taken it there more than once, wouldn’t he have noticed when he went to stash it away? Even if he’d forgotten being caught in this loop beforehand, surely then he’d remember?

  Or maybe he had. I think of Starz before me, failure etched on his features.

  He’s seen the tech more than once. When we left earth, he looked there and saw that he’d already stashed it. Maybe more than once.

  Starz had been caught in the trap, and might not even be able to save Eron. Because he himself might not remember come the morning.

  “Starz says that he’s never seen anyone with such a strong anchor,” mom says, as though reading my mind. “I refuse to worry about it. And so should you. The evening is ours to capture, after all.”

  “Eron asked me to marry him,” I suddenly blurt out.

  Mom and dad hug me. They’re genuinely happy.

  “He’s a good man. He’ll make you happy,” mom says. “Just like your dad always has for me.” Dad looks pleased. “Go spend the evening with him. Don’t worry about the morning. It will rise no matter what, Sybil.”

  We chat a bit more, and I hug them hard like it might be the last time. Because it might be.

  I watch them laugh together a bit more before leaving. The Mom and Dad embrace, leaning into each other as though they were the only two people in the world. They kiss not with passion, but with acceptance.

  That this might be their last night.

  I turn and walk away. This is now their moment. I have my own to forge.

  Eron grins when I enter the throne room. He sits on a small throne, put before his parents. Not the king, but representing him in his stead.

  He looks good there. I smile back.

  The last supplicant of the day done, Eron jumps off the throne, grabs me in his arms, and kisses me. He lets go, and we’re both breathless.

  “Decorum, your highness,” I tease him.

  “I hope I never show that around you,” he says, then the light dims in his eyes a bit.

  “We’ll have many years together,” I whisper, staring into those orange eyes. Dreams, reality, time... we’d have each other one way or another. Always.

  “I love you,” he whispers, and kisses me again, more gently. He takes my hand and leads me to the castle’s central balcony.

  The sky is turning pink. The blood moon is rising.

  It’s bright yellow.

  Eron doesn’t offer an explanation of what kind of omen it represents. I don’t ask.

  Whatever morning will bring, we still have this evening.

  I lean over, kiss him. He meets my kiss and soon we’re intertwined, hungry for each other. We break free, out of breath.

  Eron’s eyes blaze orange. “If you want to maintain some decorum, we should head to my room now.” He looks at me hungrily. “Otherwise, I’m taking you right here.”

  I laugh and take his hand.

  We only stop twice for a deep kiss on the way to his room.

  I want to remember every inch of him. Every curve of his body. Every rib. Every heartbeat.

  The breeze lazily pushes the sheer curtains of his bedroom. We both slowly peel of our own clothes and stand naked in the yellow moonlight. We take a moment to draw every detail of each other’s body in our memories, in case it’s the last time we see each other.

  In this timeline, anyway.

  We cross the floor and meet in the middle.

  “I love you,” he says, without hesitation.

  “I love you,” I reply. And I do. All of me loves him. And forever will.

  Enough, even, to let him go.

  Our lips connect, the same lightning jolt coursing through my body. His tongue slips into my mouth and I sigh, content. My breasts are against his naked chest, his heat intoxicating.

  He kisses me more deeply, his hands on my lower back descending to my ass, gently stroking it.

  My sighs turn into moans. I want him. So badly. I want him now, and forever. In dreams, in reality, in every timeline available to us.

  If I am to be forever trapped in a time prison, let it be with Eron. With his kindness. His laughter. His hands and body.

  If dreams are all I’ll have of him after tonight, then I will have all of him tonight.

  I kiss his neck and travel down his chest. I kiss every inch of him that I find. I lick his hardness, taste his desire. He places his hand on my head to steady himself, his breath coming out in spurts.

  I come back up, kissing every inch again. And then I find his mouth, hungry for me.

  But he holds off and begins wandering down me as I had done him. He kisses my collar bone, licks my neck. Nibbles on my nipples and makes me gasp. His lips travel every inch of my stomach, his hands cup my ass.

  He looks up, orange eyes blazing with desire.

  He stands, takes my hand, brings me to his bed, the satin bedcover luxurious under me. I lie down, and he continues his exploration, licking every inch of my own desire, finding every fold, tasting me completely.

  The blanket bunches up in my hands. I moan and almost come.

  He makes his way back up. Lazes around my breasts before finding my mouth. A long, deep kiss, his tongue hungry for me.

  I feel him near my thighs, hard.

  I wrap my legs around him, and he needs no further invitation, pushing into me.

  I gasp into his mouth as he continues to kiss me. He thrusts gently, intent on drawing out the moment. My own body demands more, and I try to hold him close with my legs.

  He laughs, breaks free from my mouth and grins at me. His mouth is on my breast, playing with my nipple.

  I moan and teeter on the edge. He thrusts hard into me twice, pushing me over the edge. I moan loudly and arch my back as the climax electrifies my entire body.

  He disengages from my nipple and frowns at me, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Decorum?”

  I laugh. He pulls out of me, and I turn over on all fours, offering him my ass. It’s luxurious to be doing this on such a bed.

  Eron doesn’t come inside of me right away. He takes a moment to kiss every inch of my ass. His tongue toys with my clit.

  I almost come again. He senses it and stops.

  One breath. Two. His hands come on my hips, and he thrusts in.

  I moan again. His breathing speeds up as he thrusts more enthusiastically. I follow his rhythm, our bodies used to moving as one. Faster and faster... before coming, he turns me over and
kisses me, then we both come, hard, wrapped in each other’s limbs.

  I’m shaking with fatigue by the time he pulls out, as spent as I am.

  We kiss gently, one more time.

  One last time.

  There’s nothing left to say.

  We fall asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms, in the glow of the yellow moon.

  As yellow as the waterfalls and lightning of my world.

  Epilogue

  Eron

  Footsteps approach my chambers.

  I jerk awake.

  It’s daytime, and I’m alone in my bed.

  “Sybil,” I whisper, touching the bed beside me. It barely holds an imprint of warmth.

  Maybe she’d never been here, at all. Maybe she was just a dream.

  Footsteps are coming, like the morning of my parents’ death.

  This morning.

  Sybil!

  She’s gone. She’s gone, even though I can still taste her, smell her, feel her beside me. Even though my heart aches for her presence and her love.

  I am alone.

  They will knock soon and tell me of my parents’ deaths. And Sybil is either gone forever, or out of reach. I might even forget her as I move away from her. If I allow the day’s events to continue without me, will that allow me to continue here, basking in the thought of her?

  The door opens.

  I look up, at the figure slipping in.

  I’m staring. I know I’m staring, but I can’t help it. Sybil is here. Sybil is here, radiant in the dawn, smiling at me as she slips back beside me.

  “My parents are okay, too,” she says, as though not quite believing it. I’m not sure that I do yet, either. I reach up to her face, touch its contour, kiss her.

  Gently at first. Then deeply.

  “Seems real enough to me,” she says, breathless.

  “Let’s make sure,” my voice is raw, and I kiss her again and undress her.

  It would be our morning.

  Our time has finally come.