CHAPTER 7
Lynne
“THE PLEASURE IS ALL mine? Really?” I smacked my hand against my face while Erydesa laughed at me from my bed. Glaring, I pointed a finger at her. “And you weren’t any help at all.”
Swallowing her laugh, Erydesa held her hands out to each side. “What? It’s not like I knew you’d freeze up worse than a troll on mating day.”
I rolled my eyes as she burst out laughing again while tossing around on my bed.
“I did not freeze up.”
“Did too! You said not one intelligent word the entire time we were with his royal deliciousness.” Erydesa’s eyes glazed over and she licked her lips. I didn’t need to smell the air to know she was attracted to my betrothed. Not that I blamed her. He was quite something to look at.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen my fair share of attractive men. The Seelie Court was littered with them. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way. Beauty was everything to the Seelie Queen. Even the Lower Fae she used as servants had to be a certain level of attractiveness. I didn’t know when she became so shallow or power hungry. I felt like she’d always been that way. Though, my father would argue that.
“I don’t know what happened,” I mumbled staring out the window. The sky was beginning to darken, which meant my first dinner with my betrothed was quickly approaching. Thankfully, I wouldn’t be alone, but it was a mixed blessing. My parents would be there and that came with a whole other set of problems.
“Well, you better get a hold of yourself quick,” Erydesa said sliding off my bed and approaching me. “I’ve heard about this guy, and he’s a smooth talker. He’ll have you on your back before you even realize you are being seduced. Though,” her eyes twinkled with a wicked gleam, “with how he reacted to your presence alone, I don’t think you will have a problem guessing what’s on his mind.”
We both giggled.
No, I definitely wouldn’t have a problem telling what my Fae prince was thinking. I had only heard rumors about the UnSeelie, but it seemed like the talk was true. The UnSeelie didn’t control their emotions the same way the Seelie did. Which put me at an advantage in a major way.
“So,” Erydesa started, “what are you going to wear to this dinner?” she brushed past me and opened my wardrobe where she thumbed through my clothing and frowned. “Don’t you have anything more… just more?”
“Unlike you,” I pushed in beside her and grabbed one of my better dresses to drape over my arm, “I don’t spend all my time in the company of the opposite sex. So forgive me if my wardrobe is lacking a certain provocative luster.”
Erydesa eyed the pale colored garment in my hand with a disappointed look. “Come, now, your betrothed has given you the perfect weapon against him and you aren’t going to take advantage of it?” She pulled the dress out of my hands and held it up. “At least wear something with a bit of cleavage. This just screams virgin.”
Jerking the dress from her hands, I snapped, “I am a virgin.”
She shrugged. “So, doesn’t mean you need to look it.”
“He didn’t have a problem with what I was wearing before, so why change?”
“To drive him wild of course.”
I shook my head at her, not even bothering to argue. We would always have differing opinions on how we should portray ourselves, and there was no use wasting my breath on it. My everyday clothing had easily aroused the prince; purposely showing more skin would be showing my hand. I’d rather keep my moves subtle. So I could keep him on his toes until I had him right where I wanted him. One thing I knew for sure about this arrangement, I would be the one with the power, no one else. I was done being pushed around.
* * *
METAL CLINKING AGAINST PLATES was the only sound to accompany the awkward silence that filled the dining hall.
Normally I dined alone in the library or with the servants. My parents were usually too busy entertaining to eat a meal with me. I couldn’t even remember the last time we sat down together to eat, so sitting with them now made the situation even tenser than it should have been.
I felt bad for the UnSeelie Prince. He wasn’t used to the intensity of my parents. My eyes watched as he shifted in his seat, his eyes darting around him like he was waiting for someone to jump out at him and attack at any moment. It took all my effort not to smirk at his discomfort.
“So,” my mother finally broke the silence. Her sharp gaze locked onto the prince not missing a detail. “What do you go by?”
“Excuse me?” the dark haired prince’s brow rose and genuine confusion filled his face.
“Well, we can’t very well call you your highness now can we?” My mother glanced at my father and me and gave a dirty chuckle. “You must have some kind of name to which we can refer to you by?”
My betrothed’s face actually reddened at my mother’s question. “No, I suppose not.” His eyes met mine, and I gave him a reassuring smile but quickly dropped it.
You’re supposed to be making this harder for him not easier, I chastised myself. I couldn’t seem to help myself when it came to this man. There was something about him that just made me want to save him. Whether from my mother or from himself I wasn’t sure.
“Most of my citizen’s call me the dark prince. I suppose you can call me that as well.” As soon as he said his name, I had to hold back my laugh. I didn’t do a good enough job though because a strangled noise came out causing the dark prince’s eyes to snap to me. I covered up my slip up by taking a drink from my glass.
“And what about my bride to be?”
His words caught me off guard causing my drink to go down the wrong pipe. Coughing, my eyes watered as I croaked, “What?”
“What do you wish me to call you?” His dark sapphire eyes glittered with laughter. “Or would you prefer just wife?”
Before I could answer my mother burst out laughing. “I had forgotten how amusing your kind are. I will have to remember to invite more of you to my gatherings. Don’t you think, dear?” She clasped hands with my father who had a tinge of a smile on his face as well, but the strain around his eyes told me he wasn’t as happy to be here either.
“Whatever you say, my love.” He gave my mother a tight smile, but his eyes never wavered from the UnSeelie Prince.
For all my father’s convincing to get me to agree to this marriage, now that it was actually happening and right in front of him, he didn’t seem too thrilled about it. Or trusting of my betrothed. Was it just fatherly concern or something more?
Unfortunately, I was unable to answer that question yet because everyone’s gaze turned to me, waiting for me to answer the question. “I… I don’t know.” I frowned hard. I’d never had to think about a nickname. As the princess, everyone just called me your highness anyways or my parents called me daughter. Unlike Erydesa, I didn’t have an outstanding trait like talking too much or body jewelry like Bastian. It was in that moment that I realized how utterly boring I was.
“Then shall we name you now?” my betrothed suggested causing all of our eyes to turn to him.
“I think that’s a splendid idea.” My mother clapped her hands together with a gleeful smile. “Since you are soon to be taking my daughter as your own, I think it is only fitting you do the honor. Don’t you think, daughter?”
My jaw clenched at being referred to as if I were a piece of property. I smiled tightly. “Of course, mother.”
The dark prince didn’t say anything for a moment. His eyes roamed over me taking in every inch. I felt a slight twinge in parts I had never felt before at the intensity of his gaze. It caused the dark prince’s nostrils to flare and his eyes to turn stormy. Shifting in my seat, I didn’t dare meet my parent’s eyes. They no doubt could tell that my scent had changed, and that was too horrifying to even contemplate.
Finally, when I felt as if I could no longer bare his stare, he spoke, “Peach.” The single word caused a liquefying effect on my insides. Not the word itself but the way he said it. Dark, forbidden. As if he were talking about more than just a name. It caressed my flesh and coaxed my magic, asking me to let it in. And Reaper help me I really wanted to.