“Stop,” I whimpered, my chest heaving in fear. “This isn’t right!”
“Such compassion,” Arenn murmured. “But what kind of prince would I be if I stole the show away from my adoring fans now?” He swept his hand over the buzzing crowd. To my dismay, there were no fearful looks from any of the fae. All their attention was fixed hungrily on the flailing faery as if he was just another part of the night’s entertainment. The sight made my stomach churn. Suddenly, I felt a lot less like a princess in a glittering faery ball and more like a tiny mouse surrounded by hundreds of cats – horrible, sharp-toothed faery cats who hadn’t eaten in days.
“What do you think, Princess?” Arenn tossed me an excited grin, clearly oblivious to the intense pounding fear in my chest. “Shall I kill him now?” With a flick of his wrist, each vine sprouted an uncountable number of dagger-sized thorns. I winced as one of the deadly vines caught Valen mid-fall, piercing his skin as a blood curdling scream filled the ballroom. “His death is at your command, sweet human. Say the word, and I will end his pathetic life.”
I whimpered again just as another thorny vine coiled round his arm, slicing his skin. His blood fell like crimson rain onto the sparkling floor below.
I screwed my eyes shut, desperate to clear my head of the tortuous scene before me.
“Please,” I begged, “punish him, but not like this.”
A cruel laugh sounded from the prince’s lips. “Sweet, innocent, Naria,” he mused. “Your merciful nature is charming. Unfortunately, I must give my people what they want. I’m sure, as a princess, you understand.”
No…
Then there was a nightmarish crunch, followed by an awfulsquelch and raucous cheers. Around us, the faeries erupted into an endless wild applause.
My breath stilled as my eyes refused to open. Everything was moving far too fast. I tried desperately to clear my mind, to steady my breathing, but all I could hear were his screams and that same squelch over and over again, as if my mind were caught in a whirlwind.
When I felt Arenn’s hand rest on my shoulder, dread slowly crept in with the fear. If Arenn and I were to marry, not only would Corlixir rise again, but he would beKing.
And I would be unleashing a monster on my people.
I’d seen just how violent his power could be and how he relished every second of pain he inflicted on that faery. Of course, Valen was not exactly innocent, but that didn’t change how Arenn toyed with him so cruelly and without a moment’s hesitation. Seraphina was wrong. Faeriesweremonsters, and like a fool, I’d just agreed to marry one. It was one thing to refuse a proposal arranged by the very human King Ikelos, but could I break a proposal bound by the magic crystals now embedded into my arm? If the pain was intense from the bond being forged, what would it be like if it were broken?
My breath was racing faster than my thoughts when suddenly everything felt incredibly heavy. My eyelids dropped. Then my knees buckled. Arenn only just about managed to catch me before everything faded to night.
CHAPTER 30
It hadn’t been easy to get away from there. After I’d collapsed, Luminessia erupted into a frenzy of panic. Everyone was concerned for the safety of the crown prince’s new bride, and although I’d been unconscious for mere seconds, Arenn had insisted on personally escorting me to the infirmary. Thankfully, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the second I was left alone, I darted out of the unguarded entrance and barreled out of the palace.
I needed time to think. I needed time away from all of this. Besides, surely Raena would know what to do. Together, we’d fix this.
Surely.
Loyal Theo was exactly where I’d left him, standing outside the entrance gates to the faery kingdom. Concern flashed across his features as he noticed me approaching, though his reaction was hardly surprising. After running all the way from the palace, my breathing was ragged and my pink cheeks dripped withsweat.
“Princess?” he muttered. “What happened to you?”
I was in no mood for stories.
“Please take me home, Theo. I want to go now.” Desperate tears were blurring my vision, but I swiped them aside.
“Of course.” He nodded. Theo wasn’t nosy. Or at least he knew when to not ask questions. Either way, thanks to his calm demeanour, I was able to hold it together as he led the way back to the spiral staircase, with me stumbling closely behind.
Outside, the cool air hit me like a calming wave, along with a welcome sprinkling of light rain. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky when we’d left, but after such a long night, I didn’t mind the drizzle. Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and let the rain rinse the sweat from my face. Perhaps if I stood there long enough, it might wash away all the mistakes of the evening too, although I doubted the crystals embedded in my arm could be flushed out with a few drops of rainwater.
Beside me, Theo stiffened as he cursed something obscene under his breath. I’ll admit the chosen curse was a bit of an overreaction to the change in weather, but I assumed he just didn’t like getting wet.
It was only when he hissed my name in a panicked tone that I tilted my chin down and blinked the rain from my eyes. Then, the curse that flew from my lips was equally obscene.
“Prince Lukas and Lady Raena,” Theo said, bowing deeply. Suddenly, running back to my wicked faery prince didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Just beyond the forest clearing, leaning against a tree with his arms folded, was mybelovedfiancé. A thick cloak of greencovered his shoulders, while his dark wavy hair stuck to his face, dripping with rainwater. He was completely soaked, but I doubted that was the reason for his stormy expression. Beside him, Raena trembled as she sniffled into her sleeve. When she noticed us approaching, her body shook with violent sobs.
“I’m so sorry, Naria!” she squeaked. “I tried to hide! When I heard he was searching for us, I hid in the library. But then he found me, and I couldn’t lie to him. He’s the Crown Prince! I’m so sorry! If you never forgive me, I’ll understand, please I—” Choking sobs overcame her and she fell to her knees.
My heart crumbled, and I almost sank with her. This was all my fault.
