Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Iwas wearing the prettiest pink dress with a corset bodice over the base layer and its soft puffed sleeves.
The skirt was mid-calf, and the whole thing swished very prettily.
My ringlets were perfect, my makeup was solid, and Richard hadn’t shown up all morning, so I could really focus on my beauty routine.
Good. Hopefully he wasn’t still wearing Banus’s pants. Poor Banus.
When I saw Hallie at the castle door, I linked my arm in hers and beamed at her. “Hallie! Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She looked around and then nodded. I was early so Pearly White wouldn’t send someone to yell at me. “Of course, Princess Katriana. What can I do for you?”
So stiff and formal. What did that mean? Nothing good. “It won’t take long, I just wondered if you knew what this was for.” I pushed up my sleeve so she could see the fire flower on my skin.
She glanced at it, indifferent, then her eyes widened and she leaned closer, blowing on it slowly so it came to life, all golden and glowing. She pulled me into an empty room and turned to cross her arms and glare at me. “What did you do?”
I stared at her, for a second at loss for words.
I blinked and then folded my arms and lifted my chin.
“I know I shouldn’t have fallen asleep around someone so diabolical, but I was tired from the heart healing, and that’s when he…
” I frowned down at the fading rune. “I don’t know what he did. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“Oh.” Her voice was flat, and she took two steps away from me, hand going to the pommel of her sword. “I see. He life-bound you to him while you were sleeping? Without your consent? That shouldn’t be possible. And it’s certainly not legal. You can’t life-bind someone without getting approval.”
“And I definitely didn’t approve.”
“Not your approval.” She sighed heavily and looked in pain. “The Commander’s. He’s supposed to perform the ceremony. No one else is supposed to be able to do it, but of course Richard could, and if he can do something, then that’s permission, right? Wrong!”
Her words finally registered. “Life-bound? What do you mean, life-bound?!”
“Your life is his. As in, if you die, he dies, and vice-versa. He must have been tired of all the assassination attempts, and since he’s impossible to kill, he could give some of that immunity to you, but that would also give some of your mortality to him.
And everyone wants to kill him. So now he’s vulnerable when he doesn’t need vulnerability.
Then again, it’s probably heavenly justice.
He punishes himself with his own pride and arrogance.
No one else could kill him, so he will kill himself. ”
I grabbed her arm, denting her armor before I managed to stop the vampire from being so strong. “Wait, he bound his life to mine, as in if I die, he dies, even though I have assassination attempts like every day? Is he that stupid?”
She shrugged helplessly. “What else could it be?”
“But it’s not allowed. The Commander won’t allow it! So we just tell him and he can reverse it, and then I can beat Richard up for being so stupid!”
She blinked at me.
I shook her arm. “What? You call the Commander and tell him what his son did, and then he’ll fix it. He doesn’t want his son to die, and he broke the rule.”
“I don’t call the Commander.”
“But you’re an angel.”
“I report to my captain, and they report to whoever, and they report to whoever, and eventually it’ll get to the Commander unless it doesn’t, because…
” She wrinkled her nose and then leaned close to whisper in my ear, “You don’t want to get the Commander’s attention.
It’s not a good idea, or he’ll put you in a growth position. ”
“Growth position?”
“One that stretches your abilities. It’s good, of course, but it’s also very difficult, and painful, and best to be avoided if at all possible.”
I dropped her arm and stepped back, nodding and trying not to stomp my foot or scream. “I see. Thank you for explaining your position so clearly. You’re afraid of the Commander.”
She nodded soberly. “He’s like Richard only terrifying.”
“Got it. Are there any angels that aren’t afraid of him?”
“No, but Gavriel seems to navigate his growth position fairly well. And he’s recently married to the lovely Louisa, Ever Storm’s daughter.”
I blinked at her. Louisa my butt. Ruby Blood was the vampire involved with the pretty angel.
They’d brought her back to life, but she was one of the finest assassins in the world before that.
I’d seen her in the lab when the Scholar had personally given her blood bags, calming her down so she didn’t tear up everything.
And everyone. But the angels didn’t focus on who she’d been, only on the positive.
Still, I could probably get in contact with her, and as a former vampire, she might have sympathy for me.
I nodded and smiled. “Perfect. I’m so glad he’s found his happiness. Too bad Richard can’t because he’s so stupid!”
I whirled around and left the room, heart thrumming with absolute rage.
What kind of an idiot binds their life to someone constantly threatened by death?
Was he seriously suicidal? I was going to kill him for that.
No, I was going to vote him off the show.
I didn’t get a white rose? Then I’d make my own.
Small magic. I’d make it white as snow and cold as ice. How dare he?!
I walked into the grand hall, Rafe on the right stairs below Richard, and Banus on the left staircase with Monterose.
It was a pretty stupid name. Did he expect another rose?
He wasn’t going to get one. Maybe I wouldn’t give anyone a red rose, except for Banus because he was a victim of Richard’s stupidity. Who steals another man’s pants?
I focused on Richard and noticed what he was wearing.
Ruffles! Cuffs and collar. And his pants had a subtle floral print in golden embroidery thread over dark red.
He wore a golden sword and looked polished for the first time, like a golden prince in a storybook instead of a war angel in concave armor, or a bodyguard in borrowed pants.
And he’d bought those things himself, because he didn’t actually need me to buy a fairytale wardrobe for him.
And he hadn’t sent me a picture so I could be sure to match.
I had a pink dress with dark red trim that would be perfect, but no! What an idiot!
I smiled while Pearly White went through his spiel.
“Here we are, on the second week of the ultimate competition. Who will win the Princess’s heart?
Will it be Monterose Fellicci, whose recent solo went viral?
Or will it be Hughenot Raferty, the wolf with charm in spades?
Will it be Banus Jones, the billionaire charmer who was the victim of someone we won’t mention?
Or, ladies and gentlemen, will it be the angel, Richard the Lion, who has rescued our damsel not once, not twice, but three times from the fates of death?
This week since we’ve already lost another candidate, our Princess will be giving out two red roses, one to the winner of the baking competition, and one to whoever has won her heart.
Is it possible that one candidate will get two red roses?
” He smiled at the camera and then gestured me forward.
I smiled as I walked to the vase, took out two roses, and then headed left. Banus deserved a rose, and so did Richard. I walked up the steps past Monterose and then stopped to smile at the surprised incubus and hold out the rose.
“Seems we have an unexpected change of heart,” Pearly White said in undertone meant for the audience and not me.
Banus took the rose and gave me a half bow and a soft smile. “Thank you Princess.”
I kept walking past him, twisting the rose and muttering a changing spell.
The rose froze, turning white and crystalline as I walked to the landing above then continued down the other side where Richard watched me come with half-lidded eyes.
Bored, was he? I slapped the rose to his chest, icy white and hardened.
“And for you the white rose. Congratulations on winning two weeks in a row.” I bared my hardest smile at him. With fangs.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he only covered the stem, holding the bloom over his heart while he inclined his head ever so slightly in acceptance.
I continued down past him while Rafe guffawed incredibly attractively and held up a hand for me to slap.
I ignored it, because I was too angry and I might accidentally rip off his arm.
Then I’d beat Richard with it. How dare he put his life at risk for no reason?
Maybe I should turn vampire now. Would that break the binding?
I wanted to break his face. But he wouldn’t mind that.
Didn’t even mind the public humiliation.
What would make a dent to someone so incredibly bull-headedly dumb?
I took my place beside Pearly White who gave me a smile and then focused on the camera.
“Unfortunately, since we’ve already lost a candidate, the white rose doesn’t apply.
However, Princess, your feelings are noted.
And now for a dance with our red rose winner.
Banus, come down and show the world how it’s done. ”
Pearly White started clapping while the incubus started and then came forward.
Richard vaulted over the stairs and landed as graceful as a cat right beside me. He smelled so good. I was so angry at him! He’d tucked the ice rose behind his ear again like a prize.
“I believe the one voted off gets a dance, but since Spinnera couldn’t make it, I suppose I’ll have to take his place.”
Richard grabbed my hand and spun me around, ending close against his chest, so I could glare up into those annoyingly bright eyes.
“How dare you?” I hissed.