CHAPTER 2
Dorian
THE GLASS SHATTERED AGAINST the wall. The piercing scream from the irate woman in my room made my ears ring.
“I can’t believe you are doing this to me!” a luscious brunette snarled at me, her state of undress not a worry to her.
My eyes briefly drifted down to her bared breasts before I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I am hardly doing anything to you. It is not like I have a choice in the matter.”
This didn’t seem to placate her any, because she stomped her foot and growled, “You are the crown prince of the UnSeelie Court, you don’t answer to anyone! If you didn’t want to get married, then you wouldn’t have to do it.”
I ran a hand through my own dark hair, the length of it brushing the middle of my back. It should probably get cut soon. I didn’t want to displease my bride to be. But who knew what kind of men she was into. If she were anything like her mother than it didn’t matter what I looked like, she’d hate me either way.
“Are you even listening to me?”
I sighed once more. I really didn’t need this now. “Of course I am, Bianca.” Stepping over to her, I slid my arms around her waist drawing her soft form against my hard chest. “Let us not fight. We do not have much time left before I am to be exiled to the other side.” I tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away from me, her ruby red eyes glaring at me.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” She placed her hands on my chest and shoved me away. Marching over to where her discarded clothing lay on my bedroom floor, she jerked them on. “I am not just some toy you can take out of your drawer and play with whenever you like. I have feelings, Dorian.”
“Could have fooled me,” I muttered.
Bianca and I had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. I thought we had both been on the same page. My reputation didn’t exactly paint me as the flowers and romance kind. I’d rather explore the hills and valleys of the female body than explore the depths of our feelings. For Reaper’s sake, I didn’t even know her last name or favorite color. It was hardly a basis for a relationship. Her outrage was completely uncalled for.
Not bothering to put my own clothing on, I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for Storm Bianca to subside. Unfortunately for me that didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon.
“And another thing! If your mother thinks that marrying off her only son to that ice queen’s brat will help our kingdom, she is crazier than Hatter!”
The mention of the silver-haired Seelie Fae that currently resided in the dark forest made me frown. I didn’t know his story exactly. He’d come to my mother seeking refuge from the Seelie Queen’s rage a few years ago. My mother, of course, had granted it, as I would have done as well. Everyone was welcome in the UnSeelie Court. We weren’t biased to looks and power like other Fae. But there was something about the man that was unsettling. Something had happened to him on the other side but he would never say what, no matter how much I asked.
Shrugging off the thought of the Hatter, I grabbed my trousers from the floor. “I trust my mother and so should you.” I dragged the pants on while giving Bianca a pointed look.
“Of course I trust the queen.” Bianca’s expression quickly softened. She placed her hand on my chest, her eyes down as she stroked my chest. “I just don’t like it.”
Placing my hand on hers, I gave it a tight squeeze. “I do not care for it either but we deal the cards we are dealt. And it is my turn to play the game.”
Her lips turned down in a frown. “Be careful. Those Seelie aren’t like us. They wear their smiles like a suit of armor. You won’t know if they will strike until it’s too late.”
I chucked her under the chin and smiled. “Do not worry about me, dear Bianca. I play to win and I never lose.”
I sent Bianca on her way with the promise to call for her when I came back from meeting my new bride. Then with the heavyweight of duty on my shoulders, I made my way to the orchard.
The UnSeelie Court was a precarious mistress, ever changing on a whim. It made the best defense against outsiders, but it was a headache for anyone who wished to map the land. It had never bothered me. I loved the land more than any woman I had ever been with. I enjoyed rediscovering her curves each day. I would certainly never bore of her like I would have other women.
My feet sank into the soil as I stepped into the orchard, the only place that never changed and my haven from the rest of the Fae world. Rows and rows of trees filled the area. There were workers that cared for the vegetation, I was sure of it, but I had never seen them. Lower Fae like those who worked the fields were more of the shy type. They preferred to do their work away from prying eyes. Not that I could blame them. I would not want to be gaped at all day either.
Sighing, I leaned against my favorite tree that sat above all the others. I could see the whole orchard from here and they had the most delicious oranges, far superior to any other I had ever tasted. Here I could relax and let my troubles roll off me.
I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Then frowned. The heaviness was still there. It usually worked but for some reason today my haven wasn’t doing it.
The brush of fabric against the ground pulled my attention from the view. I didn’t need to turn to see who it was. Only one person would dare bother me here.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Hello, darling.” Skirts as black as night came into view. As a child, the gowns she wore always reminded me of spider webs. When I had told her she had just laughed and patted my head. “Dorian dear, you are more perceptive than you know.”
I hadn’t known then what she meant, but now I knew that she wrapped herself in clothing such as that to put up a defense. While the Seelie Court might hide behind their smiles, my mother hid behind a fearsome facade. One that most of her citizens knew was just a mask. No, Mab was softer than mush but had a wicked temper if betrayed. I’d only witnessed it once and the thought of it still made my spine tingle.
“What are you doing out here?” She stood by my side not touching me but her presence was comfortable, nonetheless.
“Thinking.”
Her dark blue eyes, so much like my own crinkled at the corners, her lip ticked up at my answer. “You mean, procrastinating.”
I shot her a smile. “That as well.”
Her head fell back as she laughed, the smooth surface of her face contorted showing her age. If anyone didn’t know us, they would think we were siblings. The rate at which we aged made it almost impossible to tell who was the parent and who was the child. It made for interesting situations at parties that was for sure.
“Ignoring the obvious reasons you are hiding,” she cleared her throat with a hand over her mouth, “while you are leaving another has come.”
“Oh, really?” I asked my brow quirking up.
“Yes,” her eyes sparkled, “a small little thing with golden curls and a peculiar disposition. Could make for some interesting events to come.”
Shaking my head at her, I laughed. “Your interest in the humans is so strange. They are pests that are better left to their own devices. Having them in our world is not good for any of us. Say one of them goes missing?” I asked my lips pressed into a line. “Then they would be beating down the door of our world in moments. Don’t think for one moment they are our friends.”
She placed her hand on my arm; the blood red of her nails glinted dangerously. “You worry too much. We need them as well, you know. They depend on them to survive. One here and there won’t hurt anything. And besides,” the smile on her face was positively wicked, “she’s just a child. How much trouble could she cause?”
I didn’t have an answer, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut telling me that this child could cause more trouble than any of us could ever imagine.