"Let's find out." He stepped toward me.
I put up my hands. "No. I don't want to kiss you, fuck you or spend time with you. I know you don't like it, but you'll have to deal with it." I gave him the firmest look I could. I wasn't backing down, not for a moment. The more he pressed the matter, the more determined I was.
He flinched. The anger was back in his eyes. "Fine, be a spoilt little bitch. There will come a day when you'll need me, want me, beg for me, but you'll get nothing in return."
"I doubt it," I said as calmly as I could. "By all means, keep telling yourself that though." I pushed past him and moved toward the door.
"Where are you going?" he called after me.
I said over my shoulder, "It's none of your business."
"I'm Crown Prince—"
I rounded on him. "I don't give a flying fuck if you're the king of the lowest hell. I don't care if you're all of the gods rolled into one. You're a spoilt brat who will only be happy when I'm on my knees, choking on your cock. That will never. Ever. Happen. Get that through your thick head!"
I held my breath. If he really did care about my lack of respect for him as a prince, then I had crossed the line and then some. In the past, fae had been beheaded for less.
He looked taken aback, but then, to my relief, broke into a smile. "I knew you liked me."
I blinked. "What the hells? Are you completely insane?" That would certainly explain why he was behaving like such a dick.
"You're the one who brought up blow jobs. Clearly you've thought about it before." He looked smug.
Damn him to the first hell, I had. I blushed.
He gave me a look which suggested if he could, he would grab me by the hair, push me to my knees and pound his cock between my lips.
The stupid part of me wanted him to. The rest of me backed toward the door.
"I only thought about it because then I could bite your dick off," I said awkwardly.
He laughed and grabbed his crotch. "As much as I'd love to feel your teeth on me, that might be a bit extreme."
"At least then you'd leave me alone," I told him.
"True," he agreed, "but where's the fun in that?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" I asked.
He stepped closer. "I've decided I might not exile you."
I rolled my eyes. "That's really big of you."
"Isn't it though?" I swear, he was preening on the inside. "No, I've decided to keep you around until you admit all you want is for me to bend you over the back of one of the chairs in here and screw you hard."
I made an exasperated sound. "I think you need to spend time less time in human realm, smoking their weed. It's clearly having an impact on your brain."
He chuckled. "I've never smoked human weed. I just know I'm irresistible."
"Are not," I retorted.
"If you say so." He rubbed his chin. "I think if you're not going to the ball, you should be put to work doing something useful. I hear balls generate a lot of dishes. You can help in the kitchen."
So, he was punishing me after all.
I forced a smile. "I'd much rather be there than with you or my sisters." Gods, I hated washing dishes, but I loathed them even more.
Chapter 2
"Don't tell me, Prince Huon sent you?" Daisy used the word like it was an insult. "With the king away, he's become unbearable. More than usual." She slipped a few bowls into the wide sink.
"I hear he yelled at Tulip because she put the wrong sheets on his bed," Lilly said, her voice low.
I snorted, dunked my hands into the sink and started to wash. "He probably yelled because she wouldn't let him get under her skirt."
Lilly looked startled. "But Tulip just got married. He can't expect—"
I gave her a sidelong look and she closed her mouth. "He expects us all to do what he says."
"He didn't used to be like that," Daisy pointed out. "Maybe someone damaged his head with a blast of magic."
"I think the only thing going on with his head is power." I started to stack the bowls to the side of the sink for Lilly to dry.
"While the king is away, the fae will play," Durian said from the other side of the kitchen.
"Thank the gods the king is so young," Daisy said. "Although I don't know why neither of his mother's other husbands haven't kicked his ass."
"Maybe they've tried," Lilly suggested. "His highness probably ignored him."
"That sounds like him," I agreed.
"What sounds like him?" Huon asked from the doorway. He leaned against the frame and crossed his arms over his chest. He was dressed from head to toe in dark blue, with gold accents. I knew if he turned, his wings would be complimented perfectly by the shade. He certainly looked the part of royal fae.
His eyes were narrowed as though he'd caught at least the tail end of the conversation.
"Durian," I said quickly. "Daisy was just saying she's always telling him to add more salt to the soup."
"It's true," Durian called out. "She insists I ruin perfectly good soup, but I say no!"
Huon frowned. "The soup usually does need more salt, but that wasn't what you were discussing."
"Shouldn't you be enjoying the ball, your highness?" I asked sweetly.
"I came down to make sure you were here," he replied. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped inside. He looked around as if he hadn't been in the kitchen a thousand times already.
"Of course I am." I washed another bowl to show I was doing as I'd been told. "Where else would I be?"
He snorted. "Knowing you, anywhere but here."
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do?" I suggested.
One of his eyebrows twitched. "Perhaps that's true. All the more reason to find out." He gave me a look that suggested he wanted to clear a bench and take me on its surface.
I gave him a look which I hope suggested he should take a swim in a cold bath.
"You've seen I'm here. I'm sure the other guests are missing you by now." If my hands weren't under the water, I would have made a shooing gesture and pushed him out the door.
"Yes," Daisy said more loudly than was necessary. "It wouldn't do for the Crown Prince to be seen here, with mere kitchen fae." She admirably held back an eye roll.
The Huon I had grown up with would have laughed off that suggestion. He had always said the fae were equal and the title of prince was a formality. This Huon nodded and backed toward the door.
"You're right," he muttered. "I should return to the ball."
I gave him a sidelong look. "Are you feeling all right?" I'd read books about fae and humans being under the influence of magic, but those were fiction. No magic I knew of could make anyone act strangely. Still, I wasn't quite ready to rule out dark magic. There's was certainly something afoot here.
"I'm fine," he snapped. "I just have to remember how a prince should behave." He drew himself up.
"Right," I said. Apparently he was only under the influence of his own arrogance. I turned my attention back to the dishes.
His heavy footsteps moved away toward the stairs.
We all let out a sigh of relief.
"We're almost done here," Daisy said. She gave me a sincere smile. "We really do appreciate the help."
"I'd like to say it's been fun, but the rate I'm going, I'll be here a lot more often." I fished out the last plate and handed it to Lilly.
"Maybe you should learn to respect your prince?" Durian said. His eyes shone with humour and he broke into a smile.
"When he respects us, I'll think about it," I replied. I sighed. "Hopefully when King Birch returns, he'll stop being a dick."
"And maybe trolls don't eat fae," Daisy said sarcastically. "I think he's been working up to this for a while now.'
I sighed. "I suppose so." Maybe I should go and spend some time in one of the fae villages on the coast, or in the human realm. Like most fae, I had a few lovers I visited from time to time. Humans were strange, but fun. And they had coffee.
&nb
sp; I grabbed a cloth and dried my hands before I headed out of the kitchen. I needed some fresh air.
THE BALL MUST HAVE ended some time ago. The fae capital—a series of wooden structures built into the treetops—was quiet. Every so often the breeze would blow the sound of music or laughter toward me. Even after a ball, fae would be having fun.
I looked across the walkway to the palace. A bigger structure than the rest, the front was well lit with torches. Golden light flickered and danced across simple wooden walls and coloured glass windows. A large terrace sat out across the treetops, railed for the safety of younger children, but large enough for a few hundred fae if we stayed at our present size.
Our magic allowed us to shrink or grow larger whenever we chose to. The ability was especially handy when we visited the human realm. Generally speaking, humans were a lot bigger than the size we kept to, so we needed to be larger to interact. And smaller if we wanted to avoid being seen.
Two figures walked across the terrace. The firelight flickered on blonde hair. Huon. Whoever was with him looked like a male fae with red hair. No one I knew then. Undoubtedly he was as big a dick as Huon.
The fact the prince wasn't surrounded by a bunch of women was curious. Although the titles of king and queen were little more than ceremonial—apart from ownership of the library—it was still something coveted by some. A few hundreds years ago, the role held great power. The prestige remained, if nothing else.
Add to that the fact Huon was an attractive fae, with a good sense of humour—usually—and women were drawn to him. All of them, it seemed, except me.
"You always want what you can't have," I muttered.
"So it would seem." A voice spoke from beside me.
I jumped slightly and turned my face.
"Sorry." Lucas gave me a genuine smile. With grey hair and creased face, Huon's stepfather was one of the few humans who lived in the fae realm. Apart from the king, Aster's other husband was also fae. Being human, Lucas was younger than me, but looked a lot older. "I didn't mean to intrude. Fae parties can be a bit..."
"Yes they can, can't they?" I agreed. "Especially when you're exiled to the kitchen."
"Huon?" he guessed.
"Who else?" I sighed. "He seems to be...not himself lately."
"Ah." Lucas nodded. "I think that might be my fault."
I blinked in surprise. "Yours? I don't understand."
He leaned against the rail and exhaled into the night. "I'm dying," he said softly. "He's been behaving strangely since his mother and I told him."
My lips dropped apart. "Dying?" I asked in disbelief. "But you're..."
"Nearly seventy. That's old for a human."
I squinted at him. Now that I looked—really looked—his skin looked pale, tinged slightly grey. The depths of his eyes spoke of great exhaustion, even in this light. He was clearly unwell.
I sucked back a sob, but a tear trickled down my cheek. "I'm so sorry. I've been so caught up with my own problems, I didn't even notice." Maybe I was as bad as Huon, as self-absorbed. Shame warred with grief.
He patted my shoulder lightly. "It's all right, really. I haven't gone around telling everyone. Only Aster, Birch and Alder know. And now you."
Lucas and I had never been close like I was with Birch, but if I hadn't had my head stuck up my own ass I would have seen how frail he had become.
I sniffed. "Huon is going to miss you. So will I." How bizarre to think Huon was fifty years older than Lucas. The man had been another father to him for thirty years. It just went to show how slowly fae mature. Huon still had another fifty years to do that, at least.
Lucas stepped closer and gently folded his arms around me. "When I came here, I was just a boy. I had no idea about life. The fae took me under their wings, literally and figuratively and gave me the most wonderful gift a mere human could imagine. I've been blessed by the gods for the time I've had here, and knowing folks like you. Please, don't be sad for me. Be happy I had the honour of marrying Aster and knowing you all. All right?"
I nodded, but my tears left a damp patch on the front of his shirt. "I think the fae are better for having you here." I wiped at my cheek. "Maybe we should be sure to always have a human in our midst."
Lucas smiled. "That would depend on the human. I'm not sure many of the women and men I knew as a kid would handle being away from television, pizza and all that, for very long."
I laughed softly, then focused my eyes on his. "When the king and queen went to the human realm, why did you stay here? Didn't you want to..." I bit my lip.
"See it one last time?" he suggested. "No. I said my goodbyes a long time ago. The human realm has changed so much I don't recognise it anymore. The people I knew are gone." He shrugged. "It hasn't been home for a long, long time. And then..." He exhaled softly. "If I die, I'd rather die here."
I swallowed the ball of emotion that threatened to choke me. "I understand." The gods knew I didn't want to die in the human realm. Or any time soon, for that matter. "If you need anything., anything at all, please ask. I can get you some coffee, or whatever you need."
Lucas chuckled. "Thank you. Aster is bringing back a few things for me. I do miss a good spot of Vegemite on my morning toast."
"A spot of what?" I asked with a laugh.
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter." The lines around his eyes crinkled. "Thank you for your kindness though. And try to go easy on Huon."
I smiled, but it may have looked more like a grimace. "I make no promises."
At least now I understood why Huon was being such an asshole. The question was, what did I do about it, if anything?
Chapter 3
I didn't see him for three days, but when I did, Huon looked more sullen than ever. I hadn't ruled out whipping his ass, but I decided on a nicer approach to start with.
"Hey." I flopped down next to him beside the stream and watched the water flow by for a while.
"Did it, by any chance, cross your mind that I want to be alone?" he snapped.
I gritted my teeth at his tone, but let out a soft breath. "It did occur to me, yes, but then I decided you don't really," I replied easily. "I'm the one who runs off to be by myself, not you."
He huffed. "I can behave differently if I want to. I am the prince."
"So you keep on reminding me." I rolled my eyes. If he said that one more time, I was going to scream.
"And yet, you still seem to need to be told." He squinted at me.
"Trust me, I couldn't possibly forget." I straightened my skirt and looked back toward the water. "I know about Lucas," I added softly.
He flinched. "What do you know?" he asked carefully.
I considered beating around the bush, but decided against it. The truth sucked, but it was what it was. I told him what Lucas had told me.
"He shouldn't have said anything," Huon said finally. "It's none of your business, it's a family matter."
For some reason, that stung. All right, I wasn't family by blood and gods forbid I'd be family by marriage, but family was more than that. In spite of everything, I cared about Huon, his mother and her husbands. Confidentially, I'd like to be just like Aster some day. Except the part about being queen. I had no desire to have that title, but she had so much more. She had three men who adored her and none minded the arrangement as far as I could tell. She would never be alone when she needed love and support. And—I assumed—sex. I didn't want to think about that too much. It would be like imagining my parents doing it. Ewww.
I ground my teeth for a moment. "Excuse me for thinking you might need a friend."
"I don't need you to be my friend," he snapped, "I want you to respect me and my station. I'm tired of people trying to ingratiate themselves to me, just because I'm the prince. I sure as hells don't need it from you too."
"You think that's what this is?" I stared at him. "I don't want to ingratiate myself to you." Had I not made myself clear enough on that count over the last few days? "I don't give a fuck if you're the prince. I
just thought you might want someone to talk to. Clearly I was wrong."
"Yes, you were," he said, his voice flat.
I almost rose and stormed away, but something held me back. I stopped and searched his face. "No I wasn't. You're just trying to push everyone away because you're hurting. You know what though, even though it sucks that Lucas might be gone soon, you shouldn't treat everyone like crap."
"That's your idea of trying to make someone feel better?" he asked sourly.
I shrugged. "I suck at sentimental stuff."
"Yeah, well you don't need to worry, I'm fine." He looked away.
"Bullshit," I said.
His head snapped back. His eyes were blazing. "That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. You have no respect."
"Respect is earned," I reminded him. "Your father—"
"I'm not my father," he grunted.
"Well that much is obvious," I said dryly. "He would never treat anyone the way you are."
"Is that what this is really about?" Huon asked.
I frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Why you said no to going to the ball with me. Why you won't give me the time of day most of the time. Because you want my father."
I sat stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Oh gods no, of course not. Why would you even say that?" I held up a hand. "Wait, you think because I resist you, I must want him? That is the most thick-headed idea I've ever heard."
"Is it?" he asked. He jumped to his feet and stalked a few steps away. "I don't understand you."
"That feeling is entirely mutual." I rose and moved to lean my back against the trunk of a tree. I inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers above my head. "You want respect but you won't give it back. You want to screw me, but you don't want me to be a friend. I think you really need a friend more than you have ever needed one. You need someone to talk to. You need—"
He closed the distance between us and pressed the length of his body against mine. His mouth was so close his breath brushed my cheek.
"Stop telling me what I need," he growled. "You have no idea."
I looked him in the eyes, unflinching. "Do I? I think I know what you want better than you do." My heart raced at his proximity.
Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection Page 6
