Lost Darlings (Refractured Realms #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

James

I’m at my desk, writing a recipe, when our small house seems to rattle with the loud thump of Barry jumping off the bed. It made the picture—one of us five—fall off the desk.

“Barry stop it, you know mom is resting. Dad will get mad again.” I sigh. I love my brothers, but they’re a lot younger than me. They want to play and be active, which isn’t ideal considering the house has needed to be quiet ever since mom got sick.

Not the excited quiet of a Christmas morning, when we’re waiting for mom and dad to wake up and show us what they spent the extra Christmas money on. This is the oppressive kind of quiet that comes with waiting for an invisible threat.

“James, that man with the horns is coming back today. He says he is going to show me some place special,” Matthew says effortlessly, changing the topic, saving Barry from another round of scolding.

For the last couple of weeks, Matthew has been telling me about a man with horns visiting him and our younger brother Barry for weeks. But in his excitement, he is pacing around, loud enough to convince me his wool slippers have brick soles.

“You boys be quiet, or I’ll make you,” Father yells, foot already on the bottom step, judging from the creaking sound.

“Come on, Matthew, let’s get in bed, and you can tell me all about him,” I managed to distract my brother. Both to protect him from my father’s rage and to know more about the horned man. Probably a story he made up to cope with the way our lives have soured.

Mother no longer laughs like bells chiming in the wind.

She coughs, cold wet coughs, in between shifts at work to keep a roof over our heads.

Father doesn’t cough, but his laughter died along with my mother’s.

He is quiet between his long shifts. Life is no longer carefree and light.

Sometimes my parents will tell me how happy they are that I’m taking on so much of the household chores and the cooking.

I love it, and I love helping my family where I can.

But I wish this wasn’t a consequence of the tiredness bringing my father down, and the slime that’s trying to drown my mother’s lungs completely.

“Or I can just tell you about myself,” a voice interrupts my thoughts, by answering the question I asked Matthew moments ago.

It’s light and smooth like honey; it feels like I submerged my body in a warm fragrant bath, softening the edges of my apprehension.

When I turn around to face the source of the voice, my last shreds of sanity leave me.

The man in the room with us is breathtaking.

About my height, but where I am soft and round, even with his shirt on, I can tell he is hard and sculpted.

Not even the goat like horns protruding from his flowy light auburn hair, or the rectangle pupils in his golden eyes, can take away from his undeniable, almost eerie beauty.

“Please do,” I managed to stammer out.

“My name is Peter. I’m the Prince of Silvermist, and I am so happy to finally meet my fated mate.”

Peter smiles, walking closer to me. A voice in the back of my mind tells me to step back.

To not trust the non-human intruder, to scream and hide like one does when creatures that should not exist come out to play.

But it’s muffled by something, a warm fuzzy feeling, like the comfort of getting into your bed after wash day, when your nightgown and bedding is warm and fresh.

“I know humans don’t believe in fated mates, but please tell me you feel it too, my sweet boy.”

Peter offers me his hand, and as soon as I take it, soft warm lips press onto the back of mine. A touch that—coming from a stranger—would have normally made me recoil. But now I hesitantly admit: “You’re right; there is a pull between us.”

The pure joy on his face as I agree tells me all I need to know. “Why did you speak to my brothers first, if I am your fated mate?” I need to keep my brothers safe no matter how drawn I am to Peter. No matter how safe he makes me feel instantly.

“I offer children whose lives aren’t easy a way out. A chance to move in the castle with me. They will never want for anything anymore. We all keep the castle clean and make sure we all have food. That’s fair, right?”

Barry rushes to agree with Peter, but I wonder what the catch is. “Why would you just do that? How do you even pay for feeding and clothing… I don’t know how many people?” I ask.

“See I knew my sweet boy would be a smart one. The thing is my parents never let me be a child, so, it’s been my life goal to make sure no child ever has to grow up too fast because their families are suffering.

I will leave a bag of gold behind for the parents and the children can stay with me until they want to go back.

Normally I give them one night to decide, but with your brothers, I kept coming back ,hoping to see a glimpse of you.

At twenty-two, you’re hardly a child anymore.

” This still sounds too good to be true, and somewhere at the back of mind, I wonder how he knows my age.

“I’m going to give you all a night to think about this, regardless of what your brothers decide, James.

I hope you will consider moving in with me as the rightful King Consort to Silvermist. For now, can you walk me out please?

” I nod, feeling like I have to be courteous enough to walk him out.

I can never abandon my parents. My mind is filled with questions, but it all come to a screeching halt at Peter’s next words.

“Can you do me one favor, James? Can you give me one kiss? That way, if you decide you’re not coming with me, I at least know what it feels like to kiss my fated mate.”

His handsome face falls, seemingly at the idea of me not coming with him, and one kiss can’t hurt, right?

Lord knows, I kissed worse men for flimsier reasons.

The second I nod, he’s in front of me, a hand wrapped around my throat.

Not enough to hurt or restrict my breathing.

It feels like a claim, a possession, and before I can take it in, we kiss—it’s passionate, rough, and it makes my knees buckle.

It’s very clearly a first kiss where you still need to find each other’s rhythm, but it’s a good first kiss.

“Perfection… like I knew you would be.” Peter sighs, forehead pressed against mine.

Next thing I know, he is gone, like he was never here to begin with, the eerie silence that descended over the house upon his arrival taken with him.

I sneak in, not wanting to alert my parents to the fact that I was outside.

My foot hovers above the fourth step, ready to skip the creaky third step, when I hear my mother’s weakened voice, no longer soft and smooth like silk.

But rough and wet like a rotting tree bark coming loose from the tree.

“I don’t know how I feel about selling James to that man, Jonathan.

” Fear grips me matching the alarmed tone in my mother’s words.

I know money is tight, but I always thought we were just making it.

That my pay was enough help, they never spoke about marrying me off for money.

They always said they wanted us to find someone who made us happy.

“I know, my love, I would never, but we can’t keep feeding all the kids like this, not with your sickness. We will tell James the truth with the next new moon. He will understand; he is such a good son.”

My chest feels tight at the last six words. I want to hate Father for what he is suggesting, but I can’t deny how broken he sounds. How his voice cracks when he calls me a good son.

And then my thoughts go back to the handsome man who wants me beside him to rule a new and unknown land.

Who promised to give my brothers everything they could want for.

I can trade the remorse and guilt. My parents will fall into a bag of gold large enough to give my mother her medicine.

And the knowledge that their sons are happy and safe will be a relief for them.

Right there and then, on the stairs of the home I grew up in, I make a decision. One that will change my life in ways I don’t even know yet.

“James, what took you so long, please consider going to Silvermist.” Barry begs me, unaware I already made my decision. But he doesn’t know what he is begging for. Not really. How can he at eight years old, when even I, at twenty-two, am not sure what is going to happen?

“It would help mom and dad too,” Matthew adds. He has always been the smart, attentive one, even at twelve years old.

“It would.” I sigh.

“Mom could get better with all that gold!” Barry’s voice rises, growing almost shrill with excitement.

This all feels like cliff diving, jumping into the unknown, praying that the adrenaline I feel is because I am flying and not because I’m falling.

I keep telling myself, my parents won’t mind, that they will be happy to be rid of the financial burden.

That this is no different to marrying the man they were going to marry me off to.

“James, are you sure we can’t just wake mom and dad and at least tell them, so they won’t wake up and find all three of their sons gone?

” Matthew asks, and I give him the same answer as I have given him several times today…

“We can’t Matthew what if they try to stop us” And that’s just it, am I really convinced this will make my parents happy if I am worried about them, stopping us from going.

Six months later, I wake up before Peter does, his sleeping form painted in streaks of pink and orange.

He is beautiful like this, soft and pliable.

When awake Peter is like the colorless peaks, the black mountains shielding Silvermist castle from Silvermist fall, and all the enemies that managed to pass the roaring waterfall.