Chapter Two
I spotted Kafele Selassie and Nicola Salvatore dancing in the center of the room, grace and beauty incarnate. Nicola’s curly brown locks bounced and swayed with their every move, keeping in time with the music. Her full lips were tilted up in a shy smile, but the gleam in her hazel eyes was mischievous. The red gown she wore mirrored wine with its color and fluidity, making it seem as if she were floating.
Kafele wore the classic black that every other male wore, except for Bellamy apparently, and his single gold earring shined brightly under the lights. Through his well-kept beard I saw his broad smile, the black hair and his ebony skin making his teeth appear even whiter. He looked down at her with so much adoration and love that their dance felt too intimate to be watched. Or perhaps that was the slight red hue to his lips that matched hers, suggesting they were far closer than that at some point in the evening.
Giving myself a break from the agonizing torture that was true love, I headed to the table full of food, my stomach growling violently at the sight of the delicious spread. Glancing at the two thrones on the far end of the room, I checked to make sure Mia was not looking my way when I popped a sugary pastry in my mouth. I was not supposed to be indulging in sweets for the foreseeable future due to my “rather full figure,” as the castle seamstress called it.
I had always been aware of the fact my size was not that of most young females around me, but it never seemed to be a problem until the agreement with King Lawrence was made. He was the only one of the mortal kings who was willing to spark an alliance, even with the offer of my hand on the table. Mia knew I needed to impress Prince Sterling in order to make the truce work. After all, he had the right to reject the marriage.
Regardless of my desire to make peace with the Mortal Realm, I did not feel as though I should have to marry a crown prince to do so. I remembered protesting that it would leave the mortals of his lands without an heir, but Xavier said that Sterling’s older sister, Genevieve, was in line for the throne. So that meant I needed to fit into a smaller dress, apparently.
My hand instinctively reached down to my soft stomach. Where most were flat, I was round. This included other parts of my body as well. I recalled the other night when Nicola and I challenged each other to swim nude in the lake behind the castle.
Where her breasts were small and perky, mine were full and slightly hung. Where her hips flowed smoothly down to her thighs, mine curved out. A small part of me understood the reason for restricting my diet, but I mostly loathed it, especially now that I was being watched.
Snatching another sweet just to defy everyone, I ate it and once again watched the dancing pairs in front of me. Two males sweeping across the room caught my eye, and I instantly knew that the couple was Jasper Cromwell and Farai Sibanda.
Many of the fae my age were married or betrothed, with this couple being the former. Farai willed his nose into that of a pig, causing Jasper to let out a laugh. The two Shifters seemed to have a running joke, always attempting to make the other laugh at inopportune times. Seeing them made my chest ache. More often than not, I felt left out and lonely despite my own engagement.
Lost in thought, I did not hear someone approach me until I felt hot breath on my cheek.
“Would you like to dance, Asher?” Sterling asked, placing his hands on my waist from behind.
Even through my many layers, his touch made my skin crawl, every glorious tingle that lingered from Bellamy’s hands fading immediately.
Rage threatened to take over when his hands slid down to my hips. Sucking in a deep breath, I moved out of his grasp and turned to face him.
In truth the prince was rather handsome. His golden curls were thick and shone in the light. His brown eyes were large, and his blonde eyelashes framed them in a beautiful way. He was average height for mortal standards, though that was shorter than most males in our realm, standing at eye level with me. His skin had begun to tan from the weather in the Fae Realm, but the autumn chill was slowly returning it to that pink hue it had been when we first met.
The black tunic he wore had gold stitching to match not only his hair, but also my gown. I had picked out a silky black fabric, but instead was put into one so gold it reflected the light. Not that I was surprised, I never wore anything other than gold.
The bodice was pulled as tight as it would go, and the skirts flared out, weighing me down. My crown sat atop my head, golden branches reaching towards the sky, diamonds accented throughout. It was a smaller, less grand version of Mia’s, made to represent her Earth power. Xavier’s was golden flames instead, bigger than necessary, but Fires were proud like that.
The crown atop Sterling’s head was also gold, but adorned with startlingly large emeralds and rubies, highlighting his title and his wealth.
As if we all were unaware somehow.
My problem was not with his appearance, but rather his arrogance.
“Prince Sterling, as I have asked many times, please do not touch me without my permission,” I said with the most respect I could conjure, which was not a lot.
He smiled as if I did not just remind him of his own indecency. Placing his hands behind his back, Sterling took a slow step towards me, his eyes falling to my breasts. I let out a small cough, catching his attention and bringing it back to my eyes.
“Yes, you have. I am sorry for being inappropriate,” he responded. I thought I heard a hint of amusement in his voice, but his tone was mostly sincere. I should move on; Mia would want me to. “You are just so beautiful it is hard to keep my hands to myself,” he whispered, getting close to my ear again.
He was simply nervous about what the night signified, I told myself. Or excited. Maybe both. Our impending marriage was terrifying and… well, terrifying. I knew I was struggling to find words that would fit the arrangement, which would leave us bound together for the rest of our days. Xavier and Mia had not gone into detail about how the magic would work, but they confirmed that for as long as I lived, so would Sterling.
My lips formed a thin line.
“Thank you, but be that as it may, I still do not wish to be touched without being asked first,” I stated bluntly, taking another large step back.
His smile turned predatory as he quickly closed the space, barely leaving room between our bodies. My hands began to shake with fury at his blatant lack of respect. Before I could do something foolish, Sterling spoke again.
“Would you dance with me, Asher? I promise to be well mannered. I just want to dance with my bride-to-be.” Sterling held out his hand, waiting for me to agree. To submit.
My eyes veered to the left where I felt the stares of King Xavier and Queen Mia watching us intently. They both had smiles on their mouths, but their stiff body language told me they were nervous I would mess this up.
Was Sterling aware we had an audience? Had he waited to ask me until he knew I would be in a position where I could not deny him? I felt in my gut that the answer was yes.
Relenting, I grabbed his hand and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. Surprising no one at all, Sterling chose the center of the ballroom. His eyes were ignited with lust, bright and blazing. I knew that this was not only for me, but for the attention and power that being with me brought him.
Mia had explicitly told me not to ever use my power on him, but I could sense the ambition pouring from him, projecting my way.
Months ago, when I was hopeful something beautiful could come of the arrangement, I resented her for taking that option from me. Normally I was against invading someone’s privacy and stealing their choice from them, but I wanted to know whether or not he was a good man, if he deserved my love. However, I found ways around it by involving my friends. Each time Sterling said something less than savory about me to them, they faithfully filled me in. Still, I often considered what I could learn about him if I had not been forbidden from his mind.
Sterling guided my hand around his neck, wrapping his left with my right. I felt his warm fingers trace from my upper back down to my hip, squeezing before he started to move us. Only the fact that we were surrounded by other dancing couples stopped me from smacking that smug smile off of his face. Or better yet, kicking him right between his legs.
The thought of him weeping on the floor, clutching his groin, had me smiling wide. This seemed to convince him I enjoyed his touch, because he pulled me all the way into him and rested his forehead on my own. I attempted to push him back gently, but he held firm.
“We are being watched, Asher, please do not make a scene,” he whispered, his hot breath fanning my face.
I backed my head away to see his eyes on my lips. I knew what he was planning before his head moved towards mine, but I had absolutely no way to stop him. As he leaned forward, I closed my eyes tight, cringing at the memory of his mouth on mine. Right when I felt his lips graze my own, someone cleared their throat, and he pulled back. I opened my eyes to see Bellamy standing beside Sterling, rage clouding his eyes and a tight smile on his lips.
“Sorry to interrupt, but may I cut in?” he asked. It did not go unnoticed by Sterling that Bellamy was directing the question at me, not him.
I felt Sterling’s other hand wrap around my back, his hold tightening. The boy prince opened his mouth to decline, or possibly argue, but I firmly gripped his hands and freed myself.
“Of course, this is my introductory ball after all. It would not be fair to only dance with Prince Sterling,” I responded, stepping towards Bellamy. Sterling looked from him to me, then back. He was seething, and I knew that this would cost me later, but did not regret it.
Anything to avoid kissing him.
Sterling stomped off to the side of the floor, and when he turned, his eyes immediately went to us as I put my hand in Bellamy’s. Smirking and radiating satisfaction, Bellamy lifted our hands, his other going to my mid back. I placed my free hand on his shoulder, and we began to dance. “Thank you.”
“You do not have to thank me Princess, no one should be touched against their will.” Again, I felt silly for thinking that his intentions were anything beyond basic decency. My skin flushed, heat rising to my cheeks. We spun in silence for only a few seconds before he spoke again. “Who is that male to you if I may ask?”
His question took me by surprise. How did he not know? Everyone seemed to be aware of the bargain the mortal king made with ours. It was why no one had asked me to dance tonight, despite this being my introductory ball. Why they allowed a mortal to hoard all of my attention. Why their parents flocked to the king and queen to sway them to pick their son instead. That, and they were all terrified of me.
“He is to be my husband,” I whispered, the words tasting like poison in my mouth. Acknowledging it in front of a stranger was more painful than only thinking it. More than that, it was reality that stung me. I was not going to get out of this marriage. There would be a day where kissing Sterling, and more, would be expected of me. Required of me.
“You do not seem to be very happy about that,” he responded, his head tilting to one side. No one but my friends had ever said that out loud, not daring to point out the fact that my union was already tense and less than ideal. It took me off guard to hear that he was paying so much attention. Which is probably why I spoke without thinking.
“I am a gift of good faith between the fae and the mortals. I had no choice in my future husband. It is hard to be excited.” My eyes grew wide and the hand I had placed on his shoulder flew to my mouth. I considered taking the memory from him then and there to avoid whatever repercussions would come from my blatant disregard towards Sterling, but before I could, Bellamy let out a quiet chuckle.
“Honesty is a brave trait to have, you do not have to fear what I will think of you.” His hand grabbed mine from my face and he said, quieter this time, “And I will not tell a soul any of the words you share with me.” He kissed my palm this time, sending sparks up my arm and to my heart, setting a ferocious beat.
My eyes slid over to the royals, who were conversing with the Prime of Trade and the Royal Air. If either of them saw this, the strange fae might not leave The Capital alive. I worried my bottom lip at the thought of being the reason yet another died. Bellamy returned my hand to his shoulder, as if he could sense the stress building up inside of me.
I looked up at him apprehensively, not fully believing in his promised discretion, though his life was the one that depended on it. Our eyes stay glued together for a moment before he continued.
“Honestly, he seems like a bit of a twat to me, but that goes without saying. You can trust me with your words, Princess.” I nodded my head with wide eyes, a chuckle escaping my mouth.