A Deal with the Dark Fae: Enemies-to-Lovers Standalone (Cruel Intentions Book 1)

by Valerie Harmon

  “Usually I spend even less time on preliminary introductions...”

  Preliminary? Oh, he’s even worse than I thought!

  “I suspect that’s the main difference between us.” My whisper turned into a hiss.

  “But opposites attract.”

  “But not so fast!”

  I understood that if I tried to push him away, then everything could end, even before it started. And he’d just go look for more accommodating fairies, and I’d be back in the fourth circuit. But I couldn’t just sleep with him!

  Panic hit me as he put his lips on mine, trying to go straight for a deep kiss. He kissed me in the most insolent way, not paying attention to the fact that I was in no hurry to melt from his caresses. A single thought pulsated in my temples: Should I try to use my gift?

  Fortunately, I couldn’t get into his head (the same couldn’t have been said about his tongue, which was deep in my mouth), otherwise, everything could’ve ended badly for me.

  I pushed him away when a loud sound echoed along the deserted beach.

  “Xanor!”

  Elias appeared next to us in an instant, and the mere sight of him began to stir up trouble.

  “Uncle,” Xanor growled rather than uttered, squinting with such anger that it looked like he was ready to jump at him. “Why are you yelling? You scared my fairy.”

  His fairy?

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt... whatever you were doing.” He scanned me from head to toe. “Garanor is impatient to have an urgent business meeting. Some problems with development in Maycore. The board members are already on the phone with him.”

  “What the fuck? A meeting? Now?!”

  I exhaled in relief. Thank you, Garanor Horos, for being a workaholic!

  “Come on.” Elias patted Xanor soothingly on the shoulder. “I, too, hoped to end this evening in more pleasant company, but what can we do? Work is work.”

  Xanor hissed some more swears through his teeth, but he no longer resisted, and again, as if by magic, he turned into a caring soul.

  “Come on, Lenny. You must be tired.”

  “I’m surprised you noticed.” I couldn’t miss the opportunity, and I caught a smile that briefly appeared on his lips.

  In the lobby, we said goodbye. Xanor left to deal with his brother, and I hurried to the stairs, but Elias intercepted me and whispered: “You smell good, baby. It’s a pity that you have my nephew’s scent on you.”

  “Good night, Sonor Horos.”

  “Good night, Sonorina Lei. It was nice to meet you,” he replied, and as I climbed the stairs, I felt his eyes on me.

  ***

  A call from Jamie woke me up in the morning. Half asleep, without even really having time to figure out where I was, what I was doing, and who might need me so early on Saturday, I touched my smartphone screen, and my friend’s face appeared on it. Well, a holographic projection of it. I noticed his look of alarm and quickly sat up.

  “Hi! Did something happen?”

  “You tell me,” he said, staring.

  My brain was still asleep. Slipping out from under the covers, grabbing my phone, and trying to suppress a yawn, I went out on the balcony to not wake Lita up.

  “Where are you?”

  “On a sofa,” I honestly answered, making myself comfortable on an elegant wicker sofa. I put the phone in front of me and explained. “I’m in Alicantar. With Felicia Solt.”

  He continued to frown.

  “I was at your apartment this morning, but you already moved out.”

  Damn it! All this fuss about the weekend with the Solts made me forget that I needed to warn Jamie about moving and about the strictest veto in the contact.

  “My new employers decided that it’d be better if I moved closer to them while working on the wedding. They rented a new apartment for me.”

  “Can I get the address?”

  Another “mmm” and a pause from me.

  “I’ll ask Dina,” I cowardly excused myself. “I haven’t yet memorized it. Everything’s happening so fast.”

  “That’s what frightens me.” He was in no hurry to be happy for me.

  “How are things at work?” I quickly changed the subject.

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Lenny. Aurora found out who’d be in charge of the wedding, and she was furious. Last night, she told the entire office that you set this up on purpose just to steal a lucrative job from her.”

  Wow! I set it up. Poor Aurora, I’m such a sneaky bastard.

  “Well, at least she found out about it before the weekend. Maybe she’ll calm down in a couple of days.”

  “Let’s hope.” He grinned gloomily, and after a couple of seconds of awkward silence, asked: “Lenny, when will I get to see you? I’m worried about you. First, Garanor in your apartment, then a sudden move, and now I don’t know where you are.”

  “I’m in Alicantar, with Sonorina Solt,” I repeated patiently.

  “I heard you the first time,” he said gloomily.

  For me, Jamie’s care was priceless, but not when it was dictated by jealousy. And that was exactly what I was seeing in his eyes right now.

  Fortunately, Lita saved me from the conversation. She woke up and I, having quickly said goodbye to Jamie, ended the call without answering his last question about when we’d see each other.

  Probably after the wedding.

  Oh, the wedding! We were going to check out the castle today!

  I spent the entire morning with Lita and Dina. We went to the beach and tried to sculpt a sandy version of La Molita, but ended up with a shapeless heap of sand on which Lita, remembering that it was much more interesting to destroy than build, began to stomp with a joyful squeal.

  “She’s delighted with this place.” Dina smiled. “And so am I! This is the life!”

  “Yes, Monson is really fabulous.”

  If only monsters like the Horoses didn’t live in it.

  Xanor picked me up from the beach at noon, and we headed to the castle. Fortunately, Oli was in the car with us, too.

  “Tell me, Elenia, why La Molita?” she asked from the back seat.

  Today she was wearing a dress with a large flower, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and dark glasses. I didn’t remember to take mine and now I was suffering because the sun was bright here in autumn.

  “Have you been there before, Elenia?” Xanor joined the conversation.

  He hardly looked at me, but I still couldn’t relax. Memories of last night were still there.

  “No, but I read a lot about this place. Once I even thought that I’d set up my own dream wedding over there.”

  “Wow!” Oli whistled, clearly knowing that only the wealthiest people and non-humans of this world could afford a ceremony in the former residence of the kings of Grassor.

  “I’ve always been a dreamer.” I turned to her, and Oli sighed.

  “Garanor isn’t really a fan of the old days. I don’t think he’ll like it. But maybe Felicia manages to convince him. She just loves history and everything connected with it.”

  “Those aren’t impossible dreams,” Xanor said almost instantly. “I’m sure, Lenny, that everything you wish will happen one day.”

  “I’m not planning on getting married anymore. Not in La Molita, nor anywhere else.”

  “Why so?” He grinned.

  “I have Marisel. I don’t need anyone else.”

  “That’s what you say now.”

  “And I’ll keep saying it in the future, too.”

  “We’ll see,” he declared with a grin and nodded. “And here’s your castle.”

  I looked down and gasped with delight.

  Located on the top of a steep slope, La Molita seemed to float in the clouds like a lonely island frozen in the middle of a gorgeous snow-white ocean. It was thousands, no, millions of times more beautiful than in photos! Yellow brick walls and blue-green roofs looked like they were lined with large sapphires. Wide paved roads and narrow, winding paths almost disappe
ared into the dense forest surrounding it.

  “Do you like it?”

  I didn’t look at Xanor, but I could feel that he was smiling.

  “That word isn’t strong enough.” I exhaled and held my breath again.

  As we were landing I scanned every turret and balcony of the castle. Garanor couldn’t possibly say no to this!

  However, I needed to do my job properly, so if he didn’t like La Molita, there was a luxurious residence not far from Kadris built at the end of the last century. Everything was modern, reserved, elegant. Boring, if you asked me, but he could get married wherever he liked.

  I had a couple more options, but I still hoped Felicia would love this. This really was a dream-wedding venue. Well, not mine, but hers! Personally, I was mind-blown by this place and wanted to clap my hands like a child.

  Garanor and Felicia had flown in earlier and were now looking around the castle courtyard. Rather, she was looking around, and he was leaning against the door of his aerocar, and, with a bored expression, observing his brother park.

  The floor in the courtyard was paved with gray-blue slabs with an intricate, partially faded light pattern. In the very center, there was a fountain made of off-white stone. At the foot of the wide steps were giant statues. They were creepy, to be honest, but even they didn’t spoil the overall impression. On the contrary, they made the atmosphere of the castle even more luxurious and gave it a special charm.

  And what gorgeous photos could be taken on that staircase...

  “You managed after all,” Xanor said as he was getting out of the aerocar.

  “Managed what?” Garanor frowned, staring at his brother with a questioning glance.

  “To find time for something other than work.” His voice was full of sarcasm. “Do you know, Feli, what he arranged for Elias and me yesterday? The most boring meeting that lasted till midnight. And I was going to show Elenia around Monson...”

  He probably meant his bedroom.

  “It’s okay, you’ll show her today after the party,” Felicia tried to console him.

  “I don’t even doubt it.” He sounded too confident.

  “I hope the night passed calmly, Elenia? How’s the baby?” Felicia asked.

  “I slept like a dead woman. And so did she. Thank you for asking.”

  Garanor just nodded and snorted. I remembered the dirty diaper idea.

  However, I was a professional, and no matter how strong my dislike toward him was, I’d organize such a ceremony that he’d remember it for the rest of his life.

  “Well, shall we?” Felicia interrupted my train of thought and, taking her fiancé by the arm, went with him to the stairs.

  The castle was closed for visits, but for the Horoses and the Solts, they made an exception. The caretaker, a short elderly man, bowed, complimented the Solt sisters, and even honored me with a smile, after which he left us alone to get acquainted with the interior of the castle and the halls of the first floor.

  “I must admit, Elenia, you have excellent taste,” Oli complimented me. “La Molita is perfect for Felicia.”

  “I really like it.” She was delighted.

  “What do you say, Garanor?” Xanor joined the conversation.

  Garanor walked in front of us, hiding his hands in his pockets. It was much better to admire the back of his head than to feel his gaze on me.

  “Not a bad place. But I’d look at more options.”

  Not a bad place? I’d stuff that diaper in his mouth right now!

  It was insulting, so much so that an unpleasant bitterness appeared in my mouth. I didn’t always manage to please clients with the first suggestion, but I never reacted like this.

  We continued walking through the castle, passing from one luxurious hall to even more luxurious ones. Xanor left us for a while to, as he put it, inspect the bathrooms, while Felicia, Oli, and I continued to admire the beauty that surrounded us. Garanor stopped in a corner and typed something on his phone. Clearly, he didn’t need this trip to La Molita any more than I needed all of his clauses put together.

  “Honey, is something wrong?” Felicia was noticeably sad.

  “Everything’s fine,” Garanor muttered, not taking his eyes off his phone. “Please, continue.”

  Felicia sighed softly. Oli ran ahead, and soon we heard her enthusiastic call.

  “Oh, look at the garden! Feli, come here!”

  Sonorina Solt hurried to her sister, and I was left alone in the hall with Garanor. I focused on the pink marble of the columns, the huge fireplaces on both sides of the hall, and the windows that overlooked the park.

  “You don’t like it,” I stated the obvious.

  Looking up from his phone, he finally graced me with a glance and shrugged indifferently.

  “I don’t know much about it. If Felicia likes it, and you have no other suggestions, we can stop looking.”

  Resentment flared up in me with renewed vigor.

  “I have a lot of proposals!”

  “Doesn’t matter...” He grinned and then added: “I definitely don’t have enough time to look at a hundred venues.”

  It was impossible to please him.

  “I’ll send you a list. Mark the places you want to see with Felicia.”

  “Do you prefer La Molita to all other places?”

  “I do. But not because I don’t want to be bothered to look further.”

  “Do you think this castle suits us?” he asked unexpectedly.

  “I think it’s perfect. I myself wouldn’t mind getting married here.”

  Under his gaze, long and attentive, I immediately fell silent again and started studying the floor. There was a small chip on the marble, and a crack. How interesting.

  Oli and Felicia returned, and Xanor followed them. He embraced me for a moment when he returned.

  “Did I miss something?”

  “We decided. We’ll have the wedding here,” Garanor announced, without bothering to consult his fiancée.

  However, she was clearly used to this. Felicia’s face lit up with a smile.

  “I’m so happy you like it!”

  “I didn’t think my brother gives a shit about this event,” Xanor whispered to me with that mocking tone of his.

  I didn’t know what he meant, just as I didn’t know what made Garanor decide so quickly and agree to a castle that he didn’t seem to like at all.

  Chapter 13

  Elenia

  Before heading back to Alicantar, Felicia suggested we switch aerocars. She took Xanor’s and sent him to Garanor’s.

  “The girls and I need to go shopping,” she replied when Xanor frowned. “But if you wish to join us...”

  Neither of them showed any interest in shopping. With listless faces, they got into their aerocar, while Oli and Felicia jumped into Xanor’s silver one, with huge smiles plastered on their faces. I also wanted to smile. Why wouldn’t I have some fun before another challenging evening with these people?

  I could never feel comfortable around the Dark Ones. They were what they were. Their abilities, just like mine, could be used for good, although more often than not, they used them to hurt others. They were capable of destroying or corrupting everything they touched. If they wanted to.

  But they were mortal, too. Like people. Like fairies. If memory served me, Garanor and Xanor’s father died in a car crash. It was tragic, and so mundane.

  It was good that the Dark Ones could die, too.

  It was a shame that one of them didn’t.

  The monster that took Leticia from me.

  The monster that nearly took Lita, too.

  “It’d be great if it snowed on the wedding day! Just imagine, the castle would be all white, and you in a snow-white dress...” Oli’s tender voice overlapped my thoughts.

  “Do you want your sister to be invisible at her own wedding?” Felicia laughed.

  “You won’t if we add some bright accents to your outfit, Sonorina Solt. For example, a bracelet with an Ersilla. They say these fl
owers bring happiness.” I returned to reality.

  “Exactly! I heard about it, too,” Oli added. “Why don’t we decorate the whole dress with them?”

  “Sure, turn me into a flower bed.” Felicia snorted. “But I like the idea with the bracelet. However, there’s something I don’t like...”

  I bit my lip, wondering where I had already managed to screw up, and Felicia continued as if nothing had happened.

  “Elenia, we agreed that we’d be on a first-name basis. When will you stop calling me Sonorina Solt?”

  I exhaled and felt my lips stretching into a smile.

  “From this moment on, I promise.”

  “It’s high time,” Oli joked and reached for a bottle of mineral water.

  We talked all the way to Alicantar. The girls asked me about other weddings I had organized, and I shared funny stories with them.

  “Elenia, as soon as we return to Kadris, we should immediately start looking for a wedding dress. I went through many online magazines and came to the conclusion that I don’t have the slightest idea which style to choose, let alone more specific details.”

  I caught Felicia’s nervous gaze in the rearview mirror and tried to calm her down.

  “I’ve already contacted several shops. They’ll be happy to see you in their stores. Just tell me when you’re free.”

  “We need to make a schedule.” Felicia smiled, turning her head to me.

  “Definitely.” I smiled back at her and swallowed hard as the aerocar stopped and I read the name of the store to which she was taking me.

  All I could afford from Liu Fran were probably garter clips. Even though they didn’t sell those here, just dresses. Luxurious, gorgeous, expensive dresses. Several outfits were flaunted in the shop window, and each one was breathtaking. But the price tags could easily give me a heart attack.

  Liu Fran definitely wasn’t a place for me.

  Thankfully, Felicia walked past that store and entered the one next to it. It was less expensive but still not affordable.

  Having tried on a dozen dresses, I chose the simplest and most modest one. Its price wasn’t modest at all, but at least it didn’t make me sick. It had a fluffy golden skirt just below the knees, and a black openwork top with three-quarter sleeves. It looked elegant and at the same time discreet. The last thing I needed now was to attract extra attention with my appearance. Having picked a simple black mask and a clutch purse, I gave the accessories to a smiling girl in a gray suit to pack them with the dress and went to pay.