Page 7

Chapter 6

Meera

Prince Damon tasted like wine and bad life choices. I knew the taste all too well.

Basically like every ex-boyfriend ever, except this guy was a damn good kisser. I’d never had to seduce someone. I wasn’t even good at flirting. I had quite literally tripped and fallen at the prince’s feet. Not exactly a sexy and enticing maneuver. This lifestyle wasn’t for me. I was far better off sneaking around and finding artifacts.

Tilting my head to the side, I bit down on Damon’s lower lip. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, clutching my bag in one hand. My fingers fumbled with the opening, trying to get the magical handcuffs out while pushing him toward the bed. Damon let out a low chuckle and moved back to unclasp the collar of his shirt.

“Impatient much?” he said with a grin.

“You could say that.” Impatient to get out of here.

“Slow it down,” he said, grazing his thumb down my cheek before he held my chin and tilted my head up so he could look at me. “We have all night. Let me take care of you.”

Said no man I’d ever been with. I could see why women found him so charming. He was still a pig, but if he was looking to give out pleasure and not just receive it, that was an appealing quality.

“Take care of me?” I let him move my body, giving him access to trail his lips up my neck. “That’s generous for a no-strings attached one-night stand.”

He pulled back, and I tensed, fearing I’d said the wrong thing. My poor attempt at flirting might have just cost me my edge. Right now, he was putty in my hands, and I didn’t have to use magic.

“No-strings attached?” he asked. “Not out for a favor or to gain status in the court?”

“Do you sweet talk all the girls this way?” He shrugged playfully, and I fiddled with the collar of his shirt, gripping it tightly as I looked him in the eye. “No favors, and I don’t care about status.”

“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” he mused, pulling me against him as his hand moved to my face. His five o’clock shadow brushed my chin, tickling skin as he pressed his lips to mine, then moved down the column of my throat.

“We have all night?” I asked, trying to use my most playful and seductive voice. He hummed the confirmation as he kissed my neck. “If that’s the case, how adventurous are you?”

He chuckled against my skin, sending goosebumps over my arms. His husky voice taunted me, and my heart began to race. “What’d you have in mind?”

I took a chance. If I could do this the easy way, I’d be in bed with my book by ten. Pulling the handcuffs from my clutch, I held them up, dangling and swinging them lightly while I raised my brows in question. He smiled wickedly in return.

“I’m all yours,” he said, his voice darkening as he backed up a few steps until the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and he began unbuttoning his shirt further.

“Yes, you are.” I followed and leaned in to kiss him, smacking the cuff against his wrist hard, hearing it click as it rounded over and caught the other side.

The bedroom door flew open and cracked against the wall with such an intense urgency, both Damon and I startled. He accidentally bit my bottom lip, and I gasped. My clutch had fallen to the floor. Red lipstick smeared over the prince’s lips.

“Uncle?” he said, both pissed off and alarmed.

Uncle . . . Unless he had another uncle I didn’t know about, King Vareck was standing in the room with us. Oh gods, please leave.

I froze, fearing what would happen if I turned around.

“What are you doing here?” Damon demanded, but the king didn’t respond, stepping inside and slamming the door behind him. I kept my back to him, thinking of all the possible outcomes. None of them were good.

I wondered what prison was like in Faerie. What was the punishment for attempted kidnapping of royalty? Did they chop off heads here, or just wait until you turned into a popsicle in the dungeon while they starved you?

“Get out,” the king growled, and my entire body went stiff.

I gasped, unable to hide my reaction.

His voice. I’d heard it before . . . My heart began to pound, and I could feel the adrenaline shooting through my veins. Maybe I wouldn’t lose my head. I’d die of a heart attack first.

“This is my room, and she’s my companion for the evening,” Damon argued, “you get out!”

“This isn’t your room. You’d never bring a woman to your actual room. This is your fuckboy playroom, and it’s in my castle.”

What were the odds that ‘get out’ was aimed at me?

I cleared my throat softly, thinking I could just keep my head down and excuse myself. “Pardon me, Your Majesty. I’ll leave you and the prince to . . . um, do whatever it is you need to do.” I turned slowly, staring at the floor, hoping that he’d let me pass by.

“He’s going. You’re staying here,” he said firmly. My stomach tied itself in knots. I definitely knew that voice. My lips parted, and a lump formed in my throat as I struggled to breathe. Struggled to think.

I may not have recognized his face, but that was because in my dreams, his face—his features—were never clear. Each night I dreamed of him, yet all I could remember when I woke was the heat and desire in his every touch. The way his warmth enveloped me, keeping me safe. More than anything, I vividly remembered the sound of his voice.

I would know it anywhere.

I just never thought he was real.

And I never in a million years thought he was the king of Faerie.

“Oh my god, it’s you,” I whispered so quietly, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d spoken it aloud. Not until he responded.

“You know me, don’t you?” he asked, a hint of hope laced in each word. He stepped forward, and my body finally had the good sense to unglue my feet from the floor. I took a step back, holding out a hand for him to stop.

I shook my head, swallowing thickly. The denial was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t seem to voice it .

Very convincing.

“You do. I can see it in your eyes.” His voice had a raw edge to it, and though it was a little less harsh than when he’d been addressing Damon, it still sent a shiver down my spine. I could feel the weight of his gaze. Persuasion—one of those little parlor tricks all high fae were known for. The same trick I’d used to get rid of Tinkerbell was now being turned against me. “Answer my question.”

“Um, of course I know you. You’re the king.” The words were strained. Not a lie, and yet not the truth. His presence was suffocating. I stepped back, dodging around the side of an armchair, trying to put distance between us.

“That’s not what I meant.”

I bit my bottom lip, inhaling deeply. Gods, his voice did things to me it shouldn’t. Especially not now.

“Well, this is awkward,” Damon said with a heavy sigh, taking a step toward the door. “I think I’ll just…” He pointed toward the exit with his thumb. “Maybe leave now.”

“Stay , ” I commanded, and Damon numbly sat on the bed.

Vareck groaned in frustration, stepping around Damon. “I want to talk to you.”

“Sure,” I said, circling around another chair. “We can talk. From a distance.”

He held up his hands, but didn’t make any move to step away. “Why did you come here?”

“For the ball.” I moved away, stepping closer to the bed and positioning myself near the door. “Stay back.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He scrunched his brows. “Why are you acting this way?”

“Because you’re freaking me out,” I blurted, the pitch of my voice rising.

“I just want to talk to you. I want to know you. ”

“Yeah, that’ll calm her down. Not creepy at all,” Damon muttered, and the king shot him a look.

“Stop talking,” Vareck told his nephew before returning his attention to me.

“Why are . . .” I paused, trying to catch my breath. His eyes were intense, and for the first time in this little slice of hell, I fully grasped that he didn’t know what I was here for, but for an entirely different reason, he was here for me. I wasn’t sure which was more dangerous. “Why do you want to talk to me?”

“Because I know you,” he began, shaking his head like he’d said the wrong thing when I flinched back slightly. “What I mean is, I’ve dreamt about you—that came out wrong.” Vareck raked a hand through his thick chestnut hair. “Fuck.”

A whooshing sound clouded my hearing as my heart pushed blood through my veins at a high rate of speed. Mouth dry, my balance faltered, and I stumbled.

How could he . . .? If I had dreamed of him . . . and he was dreaming of me . . .

Too many questions. I couldn’t breathe. It was as if someone had sucked the oxygen from the room.

“What did you say?” I choked. “That’s not possible.” I couldn’t look away. My heart hammered in my chest, but I tried to stay in control. Shaking my head in disbelief, I blinked rapidly, replaying his words in my head, too shocked to figure out what they could possibly mean.

“I knew it.” His eyes widened as he looked at me with realization. Vareck took a step forward.

“ Stop !” I cried out, not knowing if my magic could work on someone as powerful as him, but to my surprise, it did.

Vareck froze, darkness clouding his gaze .

I let out a stuttered gasp. That just happened. I just used persuasion on the king.

Well. I was going to die. Dream girl or not, I was pretty sure that was a capital offense here.

Damon coughed a laugh, pulling me back to reality. “This night has taken a weird turn, but I have to say, it’s a good look on you, Uncle.”

My hands shook as I scrambled to Damon, my magic still holding both of them in check. I couldn’t believe what was happening.

“ Stay. Don’t move,” I commanded. I used my magic again, my voice trembling, “Good. Good boy… err, man… king. Good king.”

I was running on fumes now, my energy rapidly draining. This whole thing was confusing on every level, and I had to get out before it was too late. I’d figure out the rest of it later.

“Get up and follow me.” I grabbed Damon by his cuffed wrist, dragging him out of the room. I didn’t dare look back. The cold metal clicked as I wrapped it around his other wrist, securing it tight.

“Question, if you don’t mind me asking,” he said casually as I pulled him behind me.

“I do mind.” I tugged on the chain, trying to recall how to get out of this damn palace.

“Still, I think I have the right to ask why you’re taking me with you. I mean, sure, we could have had fun. I’m all for tying each other up, cuffing to the bed, and what not, but the mood is gone, don’t you think?”

Left, right, staircase, left? Or was it right, right, staircase? I stopped at a corner, peeking around to make sure the hall was empty before I turned to him. “You really are a wanker. ”

“Maybe, but I’m not the one who’s lost,” Damon said with a shrug.

“You’re right.” I shot him an angry glare, pushing more of my magic into the command. “Show me a secret way out.”

“You could say please,” he teased, but I wasn’t in the mood for his jokes.

“Now. Hurry,” I barked, shoving him along. I could feel my power waning. Holding him and the king drained more than I could have ever imagined. I couldn’t summon the energy to persuade Damon to shut up.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, almost dragging me along as he took the lead and stopped by a large portrait. He angled his head toward it. “It’s a door. I’d open it for you, but I’m sort of tied up at the moment.” He waved his fingers in the cuffs, smiling.

Of course I’d be kidnapping the class clown. I groaned, following his instructions and then entered the hidden passage.

“My uncle will probably have your head for this,” he mused as we snuck through narrow hallways in the castle. “But then again, he said he’d been dreaming about you. That was weird. Don’t you think it was weird?”

“Do you ever stop talking?” I muttered.

“No, not really. It’s part of my charm.”

“I can see why your uncle doesn’t like you,” I muttered, though the thought of the king made my thighs clench.

As we neared an exit, I felt the pressure mounting. I glanced back once, the weight of the situation finally threatening to crush me. I was stealing the prince, and I’d just subdued the king of Faerie. This turned out to be a fine evening.

Damon had taken us through a maze of secret hallways and successfully led us to the outside of the castle, right by the corner gardens. A hedge maze of glass lilies and indigo snow dahlias took us further from the castle. Our path was marked in the fresh snow, but there was nothing I could do about it. I might be part high fae, but I didn’t possess an ounce of their elemental abilities. The chilled night air bit my skin, making me shiver and wish for my cloak.

“Take me to the center fountain,” I whispered through chattering teeth.

“The portal?” he asked, raising a brow. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” Though I tried to keep my tone neutral, I failed, and a touch of bitterness leaked through.

He looked me up and down with a crooked smile. “You didn’t strike me as someone from around here. For one, you’ve actually got some curve and an ass; a beautiful one at that. Few women in Faerie do, given the whole starvation problem.”

I sighed and pressed my lips into a thin line. He was baiting me, or he was just truly this annoying. Either way, if I didn’t respond, he wouldn’t get what he wanted, and that was for someone to pay attention to him.

As we exited the gardens, two guards came into view, standing by the main gate. We just had to get past them, and we’d be clear to head to the portal at the fountain. Like a sixth sense, I felt Damon ready to start talking again, but I cut him off. Looping my arm through his, I draped my hands over the chain to block it. “We’re going for a walk. You will tell them nothing else.”

His jaw clenched as he tried to resist. That’s when it happened. My magic flickered, losing almost all the strength I had left . . . and a feral roar sounded from inside the palace. I no longer had a hold over Vareck .

The guards turned, looked at each other in panic, then rushed to the palace doors. My heart was racing. We had minutes, at most, but it felt like seconds. I could hear the shouting and screaming from inside the castle walls.

Damon tutted in disgust. “Oh, fine soldiers, they are. Kaia will have their armor for abandoning the front gate,” he said, watching them leave a wide-open exit for us.

“She can have their armor, whoever she is. Just move,” I growled, running swiftly on the frosty pathways leading to the center fountain, thanking the stars I had good boots on. He kept pace beside me, not that he had much of a choice anymore.

When I saw the fountain, I felt a rush of relief, even as my adrenaline skyrocketed. I could hear the shouting outside now. Guards would be flooding the city soon.

“Well, here we are, milady.” He stopped at the edge of the fountain, dipped his chin, giving a slight bow. “Have a pleasant evening. While I’ll admit that watching you persuade the king was truly a highlight in my life, the rest of it has been. . . well, strange. Have fun. Please don’t come back.”

I twisted my lip and scrunched my nose. “Afraid you’re coming with me.”

He huffed a playful laugh. “As you so eloquently stated earlier, my uncle doesn’t like me. He won’t pay a ransom.”

“Sorry, princling. This isn’t for ransom.” For the first time all night, real emotion crossed Damon’s face. A mixture of confusion and worry. A pang of guilt rang through me. I had no idea what was going to happen to him, and the thought made my stomach roil. Whoever hired Lou had plans I wasn’t privy to. Maybe it involved ransom. Maybe it didn’t. The reality hit hard, threatening to consume me .

Damon put in true effort now that he realized my intentions. His will battled mine, fighting for the right to control his body. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I fucked up.” I didn’t stop to think, my words slipping out in a rush. Pulling a small vile from my cleavage, I tossed it into the frozen fountain, watching the glass shatter and the liquid spill over it in a shimmering wave. His frown deepened, and I mumbled ‘sorry’ before tackling him around the waist and throwing our weight toward the fountain.