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seven

H is kisses started off soft and searching, like warm drops of rain along my lips, my cheeks, my neck. Then his mouth was hovering over mine, tracing along the seam of my lips, requesting permission to enter.

I opened for him and was flooded with sensation as he teased his tongue against mine. Sparks exploded down my spine, all the way to my toes. I felt wobbly as both limbs and willpower went lax.

He knew what he was doing, and he was something real to cling to. So strong, so solid… as solid as the door I was pressed against. My wrists were shackled under one large hand, while the other held my waist. I was hungry, starving for a touch I didn’t know I needed until now.

This was madness. How had things escalated so quickly?

He was a Prince, who was used to getting what he wanted—that’s how .

He scraped his teeth along the delicate skin of my throat, then licked his way down to my collar bone. I was sweaty and dirty, but he didn’t seem to care, licking me like an ice cream cone. And I was melting.

I gripped his hard biceps, anchoring myself to him to keep from floating away. After another slow-burning kiss, I shoved him off.

“What-Why- Who… do you think you are, kissing a stranger like that!” I demanded, trying to pull myself together. I rubbed goosebumps away, crossing my arms in an attempt to create a boundary between us.

He let out a a slow exhale, running his hands through his fiery auburn locks. His eyes were glazed over, making him look more animal than man. “You’re so sweet. I can still taste blood berry juice on you, but you… you are sweeter ,” he breathed, taking a step closer .

“Stay,” I said, pointing a finger at him, as if he was a dog and not a Prince .

His mouth tugged into a smirk and he lifted his hands, feigning innocence.

“I should apologize, but I’ve been thinking about that kiss in the woods all day.

It was… rushed. It felt important that you knew how I really wanted to kiss you.

I thought my brothers would’ve found it rather distasteful if I took you against a tree. ”

“It’s… it’s alright. Just don’t let it happen again,” I said, lifting my chin up in an attempt to salvage any shred of dignity.

I was not myself. It was difficult to feel so many things at once. I’d kissed two men in one day, did that make me a terrible person? This day had felt more like a week, a month, a year, but that was no excuse for my behavior.

“Things will change tomorrow when you know more about me—when I know more about you. I just wanted one real kiss before who we are… complicates things.” The sincerity of his words struck deep, settling somewhere deep in my belly.

Tomorrow would be a day for truths. Today…

today I could still pretend this was a dream.

“It’s my birthday,” I said quietly, peering down at my brown shoes that had been white hours earlier.

“Today? How old are you?” He cocked his head like a dog waiting for a bone.

“Twenty-one. I was supposed to be presented to society today… at my Debut, if that equivalent exists here.”

“I believe it does, more or less. I’m sorry you missed it… to be thrown to the wolves.” He took my hand and ran a finger along the sensitive skin of my wrist.

“Not all of the wolves were terrible,” I said, biting my lip.

He bent down and gave me a peck on the cheek before whispering, “Happy birthday.”

The maids arrived shortly after Galen left. They brought in countless buckets of water for the over-sized copper tub in the washroom. There was no indoor plumbing in this world. Nymera seemed to be a couple hundred years behind Erador in both fashion and function.

They set out a towel, a crisp white nightgown, and a covered dinner plate on a small corner table before dismissing themselves. And then I was alone.

I was starving, making it difficult to decide between a bath or food first. I chose to bathe.

A cold soak would simply not do after a day like today.

I scrubbed the dirt and blood off my skin first, using the oils and soap they’d left.

I washed my hair next, massaging it with Eucalyptus shampoo.

The scent filled my nose and I sighed in pleasure.

This fragrance was a luxury where I was from.

I cupped my hands and breathed it in. It tingled with its cooling effects and gave me a moment of zen I’d been desperate for since this morning.

This was the second worst day of my life, but it hadn’t been completely terrible… Galen’s emerald eyes were branded into the back of my mind. I closed my lids and laid back against the tub’s headrest, letting myself ponder our kiss.

He’d been brazen. I should’ve slapped him.

Instead I’d melted into him, backbone and all.

What did that say about me? Was I so desperate for connection, for passion, that I’d grown reckless?

Or was I just so upside down and sideways that it felt as if my actions didn’t have consequences?

I’d have to face him tomorrow. I’d have to face all of it tomorrow.

Once I was clean, I lifted the cover on my dinner plate and almost cried with relief when I saw pita bread, cheese, fruit, and a side of greens.

It was strange how similar this world was to mine.

They spoke the same language, ate the same food.

We’d originated from the same place, but…

they weren’t human . I tried not to linger on what that meant. Soon enough, I’d have answers.

When my head hit the pillow, exhaustion pulled me into a deep, dream-filled stupor.

The Queen was crying on her throne. My mother was with her, comforting her.

“We knew it would happen today. We couldn’t keep her from her destiny,” my mother said, pacing in front of the Queen before coming to stand by her side.

“She ’ s not ready. I wish I’d had a chance to tell her more before she left. If they find out who she is—what she is—you know what they ’ ll do.” Ophelia, who never slouched, was hunched over, elbows on her knees, hands covering her eyes. I ’ d never seen her look so… normal.

I tried to run up to them, but I was stuck in place as an observer. My arms ached to hold my mother. Her gold hair fell wild over her shoulders. She was magnificent.

“ It ’ s not something one can truly be ready for.

We just have to trust that the gods are watching over her.

I ’ ll be watching over her too.” My mother bent down in front of the Queen and took her hands.

“ Ready the armies. Stock the castle. We don’t know how this will play out. Find the others.”

The Queen looked up from her hands and rolled back her shoulders, steeling herself against the coming storm. “ I will. I ’ ll be ready. Keep her safe.”

My mother nodded before bursting into flames.

Light streamed through my windows as the morning sun crested over lavender mountains. I jumped out of bed like I’d been sleeping with spiders. My skin crawled as I accepted that I wasn’t in my own bedroom. It really wasn’t a dream—I was in another world.

I ran to the window and looked at my surroundings. I had a view of the gardens, the forest, and the mountains beyond. They were purple— looking like bruised mighty giants, passed out after a fist fight.

The gardens were different from the structured, pruned ones I was used to.

It appeared they were mostly functional, growing food and herbs.

There were also wild flowers that flourished where spanning lawns should’ve been.

Bumble bees and other pollinators bounced along a symphony of flora, working diligently.

It comforted me to know that even in this strange place, I was surrounded by familiar sights.

Perhaps with the right perspective, this could be seen as the adventure of a lifetime. I’d been praying for something that would uproot me from my life, and here I was… so very far from home. A prisoner, yes, but I was already used to feeling caged.

Here, I was a nobody. They didn’t know that I was the heir to a throne, as far as I knew. I was oddly giddy from it—or maybe I was feeling giddy from someone rather than something … But then I remembered the Queen and how much she seemed to hate humans, and I felt heavy and hopeless once more.

A knock at the door startled me. Two maids strolled in, weighed down by armfuls of clothing. “Good morning, Miss. Or… um, what should I call you?” A waif-like woman asked with a polite smile.

I smiled timidly. “Thea, my Lady’s Maid, calls me M’Lady. You can call me Marigold, if you’d like.”

Her forehead creased. “Lady? Miss, I don’t mean to be rude… but Her Grace mentioned you were a… human. ” She whispered the last word, as if it was a shameful secret.

My eyes grew round as I realized my error. I should’ve assumed that humans in this world wouldn’t have status or titles. The Queen had made it clear that we were inferior to… to whatever they were.

“Oh, yes, of course. Marigold is fine,” I said with a tight smile.

The woman side-eyed me with curiosity, then smiled. “Lovely to meet you, Marigold. I’m Lusha. We’ve brought some dresses. It looks like most of them should fit with a few quick alterations. May I?” She had a brush in one hand and held up a dress in the other.

I ushered her forward, sitting down at the vanity, and Lusha began to work. The other woman, who hadn’t acknowledged me, busied herself by organizing my wardrobe.

Lusha whispered near my ear, “Don’t bother with Tildy. She’s as cold as Beira . It’s not personal. She did grow up with human friends, but working in the castle as long as she has… she’s forgotten how to talk to humans. I told her it’s no different than talking to anyone else.”

She caught my eye in the mirror and made a face, rolling her eyes, then gave me a warm grin. My shoulders relaxed. She was being kind when she didn’t have to be.

“You have beautiful hair,” Lusha said as she brushed it out. “It shines like liquid gold.”