“It will be when we are married.”
“I am not marrying you,” I snapped, my hands balling up into fists beside me. “We were engaged under false pretences. This was clearly all some scheme. You send your sister into the Steel Palace to pose as the King’s healer, who by some coincidental reason seems to be suffering from a faery curse, have her manipulate the generals into sending our armies away, and oh, also have her convince me to pay you a visit, too?” My heart pounded against my ribs as I pieced it all together. “I’m not a fool, Arenn. Did you not think I would work it all out? Now she will have Drothmore and you can have Corlixir. But I’d rather die than ever marry you. Drothmore may have already fallen, but you will never rulemykingdom.”
Arenn’s smile faded. Rising from the chair, he stepped closer until he towered over me. My chest heaved with my quickened breath. He wouldn’t actually hurt me, would he?
“Do not for a second believe that I am on the same side asher.”
I blinked, confusion stuffing up my throat. That was not what I expected.
“I’ll be honest with you,” he continued coolly, “I didn’t even know I had another sister until a few hours after Luminessia.”
“What?” I breathed.
“When she stormed into the palace shortly after you… departed, I assumed she was just some lost faery who’d gone insane after spending too much time outside the realm. But when my mother and father found out she was here, they became hysterical.” A distant scowl crossed his face. “Suddenly all the attention was on precious darling Lyssi. Let’s just all forget that was supposed to bemyspecial night. It’s only the Crown Prince’s Luminsessia,” he scoffed.
“Lyssi?” I questioned.
“That’s her name. Or at least what my mother kept screaming over and over again when she fell to her knees in the middle of the ballroom,” he drawled. “Rather embarrassing, really.”
“But why would they never mention you had another sister?” My fists loosened from where they were clenched as I ran a few fingers through my hair. “How do you know this isn’t some elaborate trick?”
Arenn shrugged, moving to lean against his dresser. “It’s possible… But my father has the power to manipulate people’s thoughts and memories. I’m sure he’d be able to tell if someone else was using his own tricks against him. And in my mother’s case, her reaction seemed genuine, albeit a little dramatic.” He sighed, rolling his shoulders. “These are strange times for all of us, Princess. My mysterious long-lost sister arrives with a secret goblin army, desperate to invade Drothmore. And while she’s not a threat to Faelenna at present, who knows what will happen when she’s bored of her new kingdom.” He picked up his circlet, running his fingers along the woven strands of silver. “I’m still the eldest, so eventually, when my parents retire, this kingdomwill fall to me. I trust Elsie and Elara to never challenge me for the throne, but I cannot trusther.”
I studied him carefully. “Would you stop the invasion then? Kill Seraphina to protect your throne?”
His amber irises flicked up to meet mine as he returned the circlet to its place. “I thought you didn’t approve of murder?” he mused gleefully. “You told me yourself last night that you thought I enjoyed sucking the life out of that poor faery.” He prowled closer, my heartbeat quickening with every step. “You called me a monster.”
“How?” I asked breathily. “How is that possible? That was a dream.”
A wild grin dominated his jaw. “It was a dream, of some kind…” He snatched my wrist, running a slender finger down the two crystals that glittered in my forearm. “Ever since you agreed to my proposal, we have been connected. You can enter my dreams. I can enter yours.” He traced around the crystals as I shivered. “Our connection is growing stronger now, too. That’s how I found you in the forest today. Last night, I could barely feel your presence, but this morning I could sense you were close and that you were scared. That’s why I came for you.”
“How romantic,” I replied, the words dripping in sarcasm, “but please don’t enter my dreams anymore.”
“Why?” He grinned. “Are you scared we might do more than share a kiss next time? You know there are no real-life consequences from making love in a dream?” I choked back a gasp. “I know it’s not proper before we are married, but no one will ever know.”
When I shot him a furious scowl, he finally released my wrist. Still, he drew closer, his voice darkening. “You know this connection between us will only grow stronger. Haven’t you felt it already? The pull to always be closer? It will keep drawing you to me… Soon, you won’t be able to stay away.”
“I think I’ll manage,” I retorted.
“We’ll see.”
He held my gaze for a few more heated moments before pulling away and heading towards the door.
“Where are you going?” The words just slipped out.
“Miss me already?” he chuckled. “Do not fear, I won’t be long, little human. There is some business I must attend to before I retire today. For now, though, you should rest. I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that fae tend to be most active at night. You’d be wise to try adjusting to our schedule, especially since you’ll probably be staying with us for a while.”
A knot formed in my throat. I was a prisoner here, even if Arenn danced around the words.
“I can’t sleep in your bed,” I protested, glancing at the sheets that probably smelled exactly like him – so dangerous, yet the butterflies in my stomach seemed to crave those wildflowers.
“Then sleep on the floor.” He laughed cruelly while reaching for the door handle. “Although, you may wake up to me carrying you into bed. The servants will gossip if they believe I am mistreating my betrothed.” Before I could argue that he was doing exactly that, the door locked shut behind him.
And I’d never hated myself more for immediately wishing he’d come back.
CHAPTER 39
Arenn wasn’t there when I woke up the following evening, nor was he present when a faery servant briefly unlocked the door to deliver a tray of breakfast. The food looked delicious, and I couldn’t hide the rumbling in my stomach as the servant lifted the silver plate coverings. But still, I couldn’t bring myself to eat – not when all I could think about was Lukas. Was he trapped here too? Were they at least feeding him? Or was he locked away, hidden deep in a cell somewhere, being tortured by a wicked faery prince?
