This absurdly good looking man with black wings towering over his head and a lean, muscular body was a weapon telling her to be careful with her next move. Yet, his grey-blue eyes betrayed him and told Adalia of a different story.
A tale of a man who clung to sorrow and bore the scars of pain, yet chose to embrace life’s journey, even as it led him through the sombre stretches of shadows.
This was who she was taught to keep the innocent from, the very enemy that she trained to fight against. So why was it so hard to walk away?
“Beast is the perfect nickname for certainsituations, but if we keep bumping into each other like this, you might want to learn who you are dealing with.” A smile tugged the corner of his mouth and Adalia froze, flicking her eyes between his lips and his intense stare.
“Well, are you going to keep me waiting all day, or shall I continue to call you beast, prince?” Adalia’s voice was low and calm.
The prince grinned, “I do love it when you call me either of those names, but if you ever get sick of them, you can call me Matthias.”
Adalia glared. “Well Matthias, I will leave you with your sad songs and your beastly presence and bid you farewell.”
She turned on her heel and stomped off towards the Veil shimmering in the distance, but just before she stepped through, she turned to glance at him one last time. He was grinning and sent her a wave with his ink covered hand. Adalia rolled her eyes and disappeared through the Veil.
She sighed with relief that their interaction had proceeded much better than she’d expected, not that she knew what to expect when she entered his kingdom.
The honey-coloured mare was still waiting patiently for her by the tree, and Adalia gave her nose a scratch as she reached her side. “Well, that was eventful. Though I’d best get a move on before someone reports me missing. We can keep this between us, right?”
She’d secretly hoped to find the blue-eyed prince on the other side of the milky curtain, but her mind remained in turmoil. If this was any other situation, she would report to the healers so they could mend the weak spot in the Veil–so why didn’t she want to?
The horse snorted in response and Adalia pulled herself into the saddle and took off towards where she knew her two companions would be waiting.
“Major! We were just beginning to worry that—”
“My horse needed a lot of water,” she said, waving away their concerns. The three of them finished their patrol and headed back to the Veil of Lucius.
Adalia couldn’t stop thinking about Matthias. He was the enemy. The Prince of Darkness. But there was something about him that drew her in, his eyes, his lips, his scent. She needed to see him one more time . . . if only to thank him. Because earlier she’d been so distracted, pulled into his magnetic atmosphere that when he’d started speaking with that voice of his, it made the knot in her stomach tighten and the warmth between her legs deepen, all sense left her body and she’d forgotten to offer her gratitude.
They reached the Gate to Lucius and Adalia thanked Blue for the horses before the three shot into the skies. Her two companions split off, heading to the compound. Adalia continued to the palace.
Keeping secrets from the King wouldn’t be right, he was just and kind, and he would have answers. There was nothing she kept from him. He needed to know that Matthias dwelt so close to the Veil, and even though she wanted to keep Matthias hidden, the king was the one person she could not hide the truth from.
Landing in the castle’s front grounds with ease, Adalia tucked her wings in and walked the rest of the way to the throne room. A few Lightners stopped her to ask if she was all healed from her unfortunate tumble in the enemy’s camp, curious about what it was really like in Oscuro. Not wanting to relive the memories that she kept at bay in the back of her mind, she kept her answers brief.
As she entered the palace greenhouse, she found the King attending to a beautiful display of orchids.
“My King,” Adalia greeted him as she knelt before him.
“Rise, my child,” came his warm reply. “How were your travels today?”
Adalia stood and smiled at the King. “The Veil is secure, and has been for the last few days. No Thorns have attempted to enter District Seven.”
“Well done, Major. I know The Grey is a safer place with you around.” He gave her a warm smile, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners.
“There is one matter I would like to discuss with you, though.” Adalia shifted and placed all her weight onto her right foot.
“Please, by all means,” the King answered.
“On patrol today, I stumbled across something unusual. I heard music playing and a voice singing. Upon further inspection, I came across the Oscuro King’s son, Prince Matthias. He is living in a cabin very close to the Veil. I tried to question what he was doing there, but he was very cunning with his answers and would not tell me. Should we do something about it, my king?” Adalia waited patiently for the king’s response.
“Is he dwelling in The Grey, or in Oscuro?” the king asked.
Adalia’s face warmed at his question. “He was in Oscuro.”
The King chuckled at Adalia. “So you stepped through the Veil?”
“I’m sorry, my King. I heard the beautiful sound and wanted to see what it was. I will not do it again if you wish it so.” Adalia bowed before him in respect.
