Of Royal Blood: Part One (Courting Magik Series Book 1)

by Michele Barrow-Belisle

  “You know I would never let that happen.”

  “I appreciate your support, Ethan, I do, but the queen, from what I’ve seen, she pretty much does as she pleases, whether or not anyone else agrees or disagrees.”

  “I know how to handle my mother.”

  I wanted to believe that. But I didn’t. She only gave the illusion of acquiescing to others. Her son included. It was like her superpower, and I’d seen it in action far too many times to count. With her staff, with her husband, and most recently, with her son. No one was a step ahead of that woman.

  “So, you don’t want a repeat?”

  “No. I mean, we just had one and we torched perfectly lovely foliage. So no, I don’t,” I said, then realized my head was nodding “yes,” while my words were saying “no.” The body never lies. It always betrays your truth.

  He knew this, because he stepped closer to me.

  My breath caught.

  “If that’s what you prefer, then I will honor your wishes. I’d never take advantage of a girl who hasn’t given her full consent.”

  “I, um.” I licked my lips, feeling the hallway squeeze us closer together. Or maybe it was just in my head. Like it was straight out of Alice In Wonderland, with moving walls narrowing the space between us, as everything went into slow motion. The hall lights flickered again, then went out.

  I felt Ethan’s hand reach out into the darkness to touch my cheek. My eyes fluttered closed.

  Dammit, dammit, dammit. What was wrong with me? This cannot happen. Not ever. And I had to find some way to get out of this little trip to the Isle of with him next week. From here on out, I would make certain that I was never left alone with Prince Ethan again.

  When I opened my eyes, everything seemed to swing back to life. The hallway returned to its normal width, the lights glowed back to life, casting pale amber pools of light in our direction. A faint din of music from the party, wafted up the steps.

  “Come on,” he said, taking my hand.

  I followed numbly, noticing the way he was looking around us too. Had he noticed the change? Or was I imagining the whole thing? I felt like no one else noticed the strange things happening at court, other than me. And I was starting to question my own sanity.

  Without thinking, I threaded my fingers with Ethan’s, letting his warmth soothe my nerves. Marveling at how his touch made me come undone and yet made me feel whole.

  We’d only taken a few steps back the way we’d come, when from the semi-darkness, a cold accusing voice, stopped us short.

  “There you are.”

  The queen’s tone cut through us, and in a panic, I pulled my hand away from Ethan’s so violently, that I fell backward onto the floor.

  Zara rolled her eyes. “Never worn formal heels before, dear? Or have you had a glass too many?”

  Ethan reached out his hand to help me up, but carefully withdrew it once I was firmly planted on my feet.

  Zara studied each of us in turn, clearly taking note of the fact that we were together. Alone, together.

  “Where are the two of you coming from?” Her hard eyes narrowed.

  “I, um—"

  “Your daughter insisted on two bedtime stories and held us both hostage ‘til they were through,” Ethan said casually.

  She stared hard at her son, then cast her scrutiny toward me, so I nodded, affirming his not-quite-truthful story. I mean, what else were we going to say? We put Charlie to bed and then nearly made out like teenagers in the corridor? God, Kat, why do you keep setting yourself up for failure?

  “She’s resting now, though,” I added, gesturing awkwardly. “And the nanny is with her. And Coco. Her, um, her rabbit, so that’s… good.” My voice faded away.

  “You better not have kept her up too late or let her eat too much cake. She’ll frighten Ingrid with her nonsensical nightmares again.”

  Ethan just laughed. “Please. You think chocolate cake is responsible for her bad dreams? Try that crazy-ass painting you had put in her room.”

  “Oh, she loves that painting,” I piped up. I was afraid that the queen might have it removed, and it would be one more sacrifice that child would have to make, and one more way her mother had disappointed her. I knew all too well what that was like.

  The queen didn’t respond, but she addressed her son. “Come downstairs and meet the new Head of Defense before he leaves for the evening.”

  It wasn’t a request, but rather a command. And since it didn’t seem to include me, I took the opening. “I think I’ll turn in for the evening,” I said, feeling a little off balance from, well, everything.

  She didn’t bother to look back at me when she said, “Don’t be late for Charlotte’s studies tomorrow. Hungover or not, I expect you to carry out your duties on time.”

  Ethan’s expression was unreadable, but he dipped his head, offering a small secretive smile before he followed his mother back to the party.

  It was only after the pair had vanished from sight that, for the first time all evening, I pulled in a full breath.

  I’d nearly reached my room, when Dominic rounded the corner, holding a paper in his hand. “Well well, if it isn’t Cinderella back from the ball.” He grinned. “Your timing is impeccable really. I’ve been asked to provide a list of names in my newly appointed position as deputy to the minister of security and defense.” He paused, angling his head to scan me from a different angle.

  “Congrats,” I muttered, and walked past him. He followed me.

  “I’m certainly not worried about meeting my quota this term.” His voice travelled over my shoulder. “When asked if I knew of any transgressions against the crown, I had one very specific name to offer.”

  My feet froze.

  “Oh, so now you’re interested in what I have to say.” He sneered. “Good. And before you think running to the prince will save you, it won’t. I’d think again, because while I might owe him several favors, my bosses…they don’t. And their job is to see to it that the laws of our land are upheld. Which means putting people like you away.”

  Animosity poured off of him in waves. “I’m not here to hurt anyone Dominic. Why are you so intent on hating me?”

  “Because your kind is responsible for all of the horrors that have even happened in this country. And in my life.”

  I shook my head. “It was a very long time ago.”

  “No. Actually, it wasn’t.” His tone bit into me.

  Then I remembered what Ethan had shared, about Dominic’s father. How it was magik that had ended his life. My voice lowered. “Dominic, I get it… your father had powers he couldn’t control. And, I’m sorry for what happened to him, but that doesn’t automatically mean everyone with it is evil.”

  His dark eyes grew even darker. Anger twisted his features. “What the hell are you talking about?” He came at me, his hand clamped around my throat and he slammed the back of my head against the wall. “You’re spreading lies about my family now?”

  “No—I…”

  His grip tightened, cutting off my airway. I felt the pressure build in my face, as I clawed at his hand, choking for air. The lights started to flicker again, flashing like strikes of lightning.

  “I know what you are, and I know what you’ve done. The murders, the disappearances. You and your kind won’t get away with it. You hear me. And you breathe one word of our conversation to Ethan, and I’ll see to it your family suffers just like mine has.”

  The ring on my finger singed my skin as a wave of rage burned through me. I felt a build of pressure move through my hands and push out though my fingertips as I shoved against his chest. He released me and his body flew backwards and crashed in the wall across from us, hitting it like a ragdoll, he fell limply to the ground. Two painting came crashing down on top of him, shattering and raining fragments of glass down over him.

  His body was motionless. And for a beat all I heard was the rapid thud of my racing heartbeat. I should have gone to see if he was okay. Make sure he wasn’t dead�
�but I couldn’t. I felt nauseous, like I could vomit right here in the hall.

  A moment later, he slowly climbed to his feet, his glare glued to mine as he backed away. He retreated until I could no longer see his hateful face in dimly lit hall.

  Trembling, I leaned back against the wall gasping for breath. Pressing my spine to the wall, my body slid to the floor. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face in my hands.

  “Don’t try me donut shoppe girl…” Dominic’s voice carried from the darkest end of the hall.

  My blood ran cold.

  “Because you will lose.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “Class is dismissed early today.”

  Ethan’s interruption caught me off guard. In my haste, I knocked over my glass of water, spilling it all over my papers. Crap.

  “Time to pack it in,” he said, flashing that devil-may-care dimple of his.

  “What?” I scowled at him, blotting the notes his surprise visit ruined. “Says who?”

  Today he wore a black long-sleeved tee and dark-washed jeans, hair perfectly tousled. The fact that he looked as good as he did, only amplified my annoyance. It had been a couple of weeks since I saw him last, but the feelings he churned up in me, were just as potent as the last time.

  “Says the king.” He strode past me to Charlie, whose eyes widened at the prospect of getting out of her lessons early.

  “Mrs. Shiers will take you and Becca to the playground. Bug—would you like that?”

  Charlie's little fist punched the air. “Yesss! That would be so cool! Can Colin come, too?”

  “That's up to Mrs. S.”

  “But,” I sputtered, holding up a sopping wet page. “We still have another few pages to go before—"

  I didn’t have the chance to finish my objection, before Ethan whisked his little sister up, twirled her in the air and then handed her off to the nanny waiting at the door to the library.

  The paper in my hand disintegrated to pulp, and I dropped it into the trash bin. “Well, that's just great.” I slapped my book shut. “We were making some decent progress, and now, because of your inability to focus on work before play…” I sighed. What was the point. “Never mind. I'll just go back to my room.” I stood up, and grabbed my bag, started collecting Charlie’s workbooks.

  Ethan strolled back to me and perched on the edge of the table, stretching his long legs in front of him. “Oh, don't worry, Kat, you've still got work to do.”

  I set my bag down and eyed him. I was still weary from the party two weeks back, and my encounter with Dominic. I’d no idea how to handle things. Telling Ethan what had happened seemed almost natural. But Dominic’s threats… they weren’t empty, and while I knew Ethan promised he’d look out for me, I didn’t see how his protection could possibly extend to my family. Lincoln was just a little kid. Innocent in all of this, like Charlotte was. He didn’t deserve to have his life ripped apart by frightened, petty, vindictive people who didn’t understand what we were. I don’t even understand what we are.

  The fact that I was still here, employed and possessing some measure of freedom, meant Dominic hadn’t said anything…yet. Who knew how long his silence would hold, or what exactly he’d want in return for keeping my secret. The whole thing frayed my nerves and seeing Ethan only made it worse. So, while my foul mood had little to do with him directly, he was on the receiving end of it now.

  “What does that mean?” I snapped, fixing him with a cold glare. “What work?”

  His brow arched as he looked at me. There was the hint of a query in his expression, but he didn’t voice it. Instead, he said, “remember that trip to the abandoned amusement park?”

  I frowned. “Wait, that's today?” Crap. Panic rippled in me. I never forgot appointments. I fished in my bag for my phone, furiously flipping to find my calendar. “No…no, it's set for next week,” I said, tapping the screen, as a flood of relief came over me.

  When I looked up, Ethan was standing directly in front of me. His hand closed over mine and he slid the phone from my grasp. A surge of heat raced up my arm and I pulled back. Reflexively my hand went to cover my burn. If that spark we had on contact was an electrical shock, he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Plans changed. And since you're suddenly free.” He shrugged, then leaned back against the desk. “Father gets home tomorrow. If I don’t have this done, there’ll be no getting him off my ass. Your lessons with Charlie go for what, at least another four hours, right? Plenty of time for us to get this done within your workday.”

  “That’s hardly the point Ethan. I just don’t see how cancelling Charlotte’s classes benefits anyone, least of all her. And for what?”

  A frown worked across his brow, as he looked at me strangely. “For the restoration of one of Britannia’s most historic landmarks, Kat what’s with you?”

  I puffed out a frustrated sigh. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

  He pointed to my scowl, angling his head to the side. “That, is the opposite of fine. Tell me what’s going on. Is it about the party?” Ethan gave me the same familiar, knowing look as he had that night.

  Yes, only not in the way you think. Slightly ruffled, I broke the stare. I moved away from him, busying myself on the far side of the room. It was nearly impossible to maintain eye contact with him, so I said, “I don’t want to talk about last night,” while I was staring down at my feet.

  “Okay…” he began, but then stopped. “Proposition. You agree to come with me, and I agree to leave the past behind us. Fair?”

  It was beyond fair, especially since I didn’t really want to leave all of the past behind. A large part of me wanted to say yes, and just escape all of this, if only for a while. But there was still that other part of me. The part that felt too out of control when I was with him.

  “I, uh, I don't think...” I looked back at the door to the spot where Mrs. Shiers and Charlie had gone from a few minutes ago. It had been a request from the king, and I'd already refused one of his requests. How many more chances would I get? Didn’t I need them on my side? Did it matter? If Dominic was planning on turning me in, then, disobeying the king was the least of my problems.

  “You are coming.” Ethan’s gaze skimmed over me briefly. “You need this, Kat. I know what’s been weighing on your mind, and this is the perfect opportunity to get away from it. Away from magik. Away from the queen, away from all of it.”

  I felt like it was the first time he’d said it aloud, and the word echoed around me, closing in like the steely wall of a vice. Suddenly it was all I could do not to get out of here. Now. I glanced down at my white blouse, black skirt, and tall boots. I looked like a waitress, but I'd dressed for teaching, not a trek through an abandoned park. Still, I couldn’t be bothered to change. Any stalling and I might change my mind.

  I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. “All right, fine. I'll go. Can I have my phone back please?”

  He flashed a mischievous grin as he handed it to me, and I took it, carefully avoiding any skin-to-skin contact.

  I followed him out through the back passages of the castle, and up to the fourth floor. “Um, aren’t we taking the car?” This was planned as an event to be sent to the media after the fact. I’d assumed it meant, drivers, bodyguards, and a bevy of chaperons. But as he opened the door to the roof, and stepped outside, no one was waiting for us.

  He was eyeing me speculatively. “This trip, it’s just you and me. We can do one for their benefit another time.” I heard the smirk in his voice as he led me to a small landing pad, with a helicopter sitting in the middle. Gleaming silver embellished with the Royal Family’s crest on the side, it sat patiently waiting for permission to fly.

  My hair blew across my face and I shoved it back as I stared. "You’re not serious. Helicopter? Isn’t that a bit…much?”

  He gave me a puzzled glance. “Why not? It’s here, it’s private.”

  “And, you actually know how to fly that thing?” I eyed it and then him dubio
usly.

  His expression didn’t change as he pulled a pilot’s license from his wallet and showed it to me.

  All I could do was shake my head. “I'm not sure I'm ever going to get used to this. I mean, seriously, the luxe is staggering. You do first class like it’s a mundane chore, rather than a luxurious privilege."

  A smile touched his lips. "And now, you will also. Come on."

  I blinked at the helicopter perched like a bird of prey on the rooftop of the castle, and shook my head before following Ethan up to the door.

  Riding around in private helicopters...definitely not the kind of thing I'd get used to. Not ever.

  ***

  Trading a landscape of decadence for one of decimation, we landed in what was once a parking lot for the Shadowland Amusement Park. Now vacant and desolate, with cracked asphalt and overgrown foliage. It was seated between a patch of dense forest, and the rocky shores of the Eastern side of the island. What remained of the original boardwalk, still circled the grounds, leading from the lot, past the scenic waters, and stretching to the original entrances at the main gates.

  We strolled along the boardwalk, waves crashing against the rails, and spraying us with a briny mist. It had a calming effect, the setting had as much to do with it, as being here with Ethan.

  I breathed in the salty air. “You should know, I really hate amusement parks,” I said, as a cool spray of sea water misted my face. “And really, is this what all the fuss was about?” I gestured to the broken path we were following.

  “Of course not.” Ethan pointed toward a rather ominous-looking, wooden bridge. Beyond it, a massive Ferris wheel scraped the sky.

  “Okay, please don’t tell me we’re going to have to cross that thing, because I’m afraid of heights.”

  “Is there anything you’re not afraid of?” he teased, still smiling.

  I caught his eye and couldn't help but match his smile. "Wouldn’t you like to know? And before you say it, the scaredy-Kat meme…so over-played.”

  “It’s the only way in, Kat,” he said, taking my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”