Page 7

EMBER

I sat inside the horse carriage, each bump in the dirt road shattering the already fractured pieces of my heart. My eyes burned with repressed tears. I swallowed back the lump lodged in my throat.

Already the landscape was going through a twisted metamorphosis.

The lush prairies of the elven kingdom were replaced with dense trees, the thick canopy blotting out the sun hovering high in the sky, the only witness to my grief.

Except for the other witness, the only other Lanair riding in the carriage with me.

Prince Drake Evenus.

The shadow fae sat across from me; his eyes remained fastened on the scenery blurring by outside our window. The clopping of hooves was the only sound to our ride to his palace.

My thoughts returned to my parents as a memory flashed to life .

“Dad, please tell me you’re not going to go through with this,” I had said as I stood within my parents’ chambers. “You—” my voice had strained in panic. I licked my lips. “You can’t possibly be thinking of making me…mate that prince.”

My dad had watched me through eyes dull with resignation. “What choice do we have, dear?” He had snarled in frustration, his brows slamming over his green eyes. “You are his mate!”

I had raked my hands through my hair and paced the length of the room.

“And why the hell did you go meet him in the gardens?”

I had whirled. “I didn’t meet him!” I had beat at my chest. “I just wanted to escape, so I went to the gardens because I couldn’t sleep. He came to me.”

My mother had stiffened. “He stalked you?” Her claws had sliced out.

I shook my head, immediately sensing my mother’s bloodlust. “No, Mom.” I sighed.

“Honestly, perhaps he was trying to escape the knowledge of our mate bond like I was. But when we saw each other, the mating bond pulled us both under. That’s why we embraced.

” I had eyed my arms. “That’s why his scent clings to me, Father. ”

My lower lip trembled as I realized the full reality of my situation. “But that doesn’t mean I want to be with him. He’s the enemy!” I had slashed a hand out. “I’ll never forget what they did to my brother.” Even now, my inner wolf bowed her head in grief for our littermate.

My father’s features had turned solemn. “Even if you never forget, your body surely has. It has chosen a shadow fae as a mate.” His fists had clenched. “I cannot ignore that. No one, not even the king, has the right to separate mates. You know this! And so does King Tridar.”

I bit my lower lip, desperate to keep the tears at bay. “W-what…are you saying, father?”

He had remained silent. I had read all I needed to know in his eyes. And my soul had caved in. Turning pleading eyes on my mom, I begged, “Mom…?”

Her blue eyes had moistened with tears. Her jaw had trembled on a repressed sob, and she turned away from me, leaning into my father and taking comfort in his embrace. He had wrapped an arm around her and tucked her to his side.

“You know what you have to do, Ember,” my father had told me. “This is the only peaceful way to end the war. We might as well use this opportunity your mating has presented.”

I flinched as if my father had slapped me.

My father’s face had twisted. “Please don’t look at me like that.” He had breathed a harsh sigh. “This hurts me as much as it hurts you.”

My eyes had narrowed to thin slits. “Does it?”

His lips had pinched in a frown. “You know it does.”

I had torn my gaze away, staring at the floor, lest I started spouting venomous words that I would not be able to take back.

“Ember.”

I had lifted my gaze at my mother’s voice.

“Please don’t let your brother’s death be in vain.

” Her words had lanced through me with more precision than any blade could’ve.

“This is what he fought and died for. Peace. And now the shadow fae king is offering it to us.” She lifted her chin a notch—her gaze firm though her eyes glistening with wetness.

“You have a duty as a royal werewolf. It’s no different than your father’s and my own duty.

You know what you need to do. Now the question is…

will you turn your back on your responsibilities? ”

I could only stare at them as tears spilled down my cheeks. I had lowered my eyes to my feet, bowing my head in acceptance of this cruel fate.

My fate had been sealed when my father agreed to the union only minutes later in the Great Hall.

Which left me now eyeing the prince. A silent tension had been brewing in our carriage ever since we’d set off toward shadow fae lands.

He’d refused to look at me sans the brief side-eye glances he’d cast my way.

Meanwhile, I stared him down, willing him to face me. And yet, he’d still faced the window.

My already fraying and fragile nerves snapped.

“Hey,” I said, tone brusque. A muscle feathered along his jawline, indicating he’d heard me. “We’ve been put in this carriage together so we can start to get to know one another. How can I do so when you remain tight-lipped?”

A tick at his eye. Still, Prince Drake remained mute. I fought to keep my claws sheathed, though my fingertips itched to unsheathe the weapons.

Attempting to keep the irritation from bleeding into my voice, I said, “I know this rankles. I’m not too thrilled about this either.” Drake’s eyes flashed, his shoulders going taut.

What in star's name is his problem? He was so very different in the gardens …

The male I spoke to now felt like a phantom of the man who’d embraced me so tenderly a night ago. My mind raced back to his brow slanting over mine, his breath fanning my cheeks, full lips so close they were the greatest temptation of Lanair.

A tight heat crept into my abdomen. Wetness gathered between my legs. My eyes snapped wide. One look at Prince Drake and I knew…

His nostrils flared, picking up my arousal. Then, he went predatory still; he didn’t even seem to draw in breath.

His eyes slowly slid to mine, the amethyst glowing an otherworldly violet.

I had to nip this in the bud fast! No way in hell did I want him mounting me. Not now, not ever.

Pressing as far back into my seat as I could, I growled. “We’re both in a mating we don’t want. But it’s not about our wants. It’s about our people.”

Speaking of our subjects seemed to rein in Drake’s male desires, for the glow in his eyes ebbed, his features lightening.

He licked his lips and breathed deeply. Turning in his seat to face me, he folded his arms across his chest and leveled a hard glare at me that was cold enough to freeze the sun.

“There is nothing to know regarding me,” Drake said.

His incisors lengthened, and I felt a bead of sweat snake down my temple.

“Let’s get this straight right now. I will never love you nor be your mate in the full sense of the word.

” He cocked his head to the side. “Look at this as a contract, an obligation, and leave it at that.”

My mouth slackened; all I could do was stare at him.

I couldn’t even formulate the right words.

Shaking my head, I gathered my bearings.

I leaned forward and growled, “You can’t at least try to get along with me?

I mean, we’ll be stuck together for the rest of our lives.

” More silence from the prince. I huffed, my irritation mounting. “What reason could there be not to?”

His cool gaze cut into me. “Plenty.”

I stiffened. I wasn’t going to get anywhere with this male. I sat back in my seat and watched the scenery, a hole gnawing at my insides as I felt more alone than I ever had in my entire life.

Trepidation flared to life inside my bones as the horse-drawn carriage pulled up to the courtyard of the shadow fae palace.

Instead of the soft golden stonework of home, the place was built with obsidian stones, resembling an impenetrable fortress rather than an inviting place to dwell in.

The towers that rose to prick the sky were spiraled, the pointed black roofs and violet flags ominous as they waved in the chilled wind.

As they approached our carriage, fae servants swathed in dark gowns resembled wraiths. Every step they took toward us made the knot lodged inside my throat grow larger. I felt like I couldn’t draw in oxygen, like my lungs were shriveled up inside.

The servants opened the door. Drake stepped out first without a glance at me. Once outside the carriage, he kept walking. I would’ve bristled if I wasn’t so nervous.

“Drakegeon,” a sharp voice scolded from the other carriage standing a few feet away. I peered out the window .

King Tridar already stood outside the carriage as he helped a tall female step down.

The female, whom I’d recognized as Drake’s mother, glared at her son.

She gestured with a jerk of her head toward me.

I blinked. Drake froze—every muscle in his strong back locking in place.

He shot an imploring glance at his father. King Trader’s eyes narrowed.

Clenching his hands, Drake returned to my side.

What is he doing?

He extended a hand, and realization went off inside my head.

He was to help me out of the carriage as his father had helped his mother.

A gentlemanly gesture, if it wasn’t that he was coerced; Drake stood with a scowl on his features.

My inner wolf lowered her head, a small whimper escaping her muzzle. He had hurt my wolf. She felt unwanted.

That knowledge alone fueled my anger. I took a step down out of the carriage and slapped his hand away. I would get my self out of the damn carriage, thank you very much.

Drake’s eyes shot wide at my downright refusal to accept his hand. He slowly lowered his hand to his side, and his glower darkened.