21. Please, Not The Bunnies
Sage drove us through the woods without a break. My limp grew more pronounced with every passing hour, and I could barely put one foot in front of the other by the time the witch finally admitted defeat and ordered us to make camp for the night.
“No fire,” Sage ordered. “We don’t know who it might attract.”
Or what. I shivered, but not because I was cold. In truth, my skin was damp with sweat after trekking through a world of eternal summer for hours on end. What I’d give for a cool shower.
No fire meant no cooking, and after the tents had been hastily erected, with me proving more of a hindrance than a help, we all gathered in a circle and Hyacinth handed out cheese and bread that was long past its best. When she smuggled me an extra parcel, I blinked up from the log I’d collapsed onto.
She bent low, whispering in my ear, “An extra portion for our saviour.”
I wouldn’t call myself that, but when I unwrapped the waxy paper to find a little block of cheese dotted with cranberries, I smiled. Who was I to refuse such a reward?
“That’s not fair,” Pansy hissed at my side. “I’m your daughter!”
Hyacinth flicked Pansy’s nose. “And I’m your mother, but you never thought to share your secret cookies with me, did you?”
She winked, moving along to where Prince Idris sat a little way away, not quite in the circle, staring unseeingly. He stirred when the witch spoke to him, but gave a brief, close-lipped smile as he took the food she offered. As though he sensed my stare, he looked straight at me. His eyes shifted from mine to my hair, and a tiny frown creased his brow. I was used to the way people barely glanced at my face before inspecting my hair, the same way they always looked at my feet to see if I was wearing heels. Idris’ obvious distaste brought a smile to my lips, just as the awed comments of little girls usually did.
“How did she know about the cookies?” Pansy asked in disbelief. “Did you tell her?”
I pulled my attention from the frowning prince. “No! As if I would.”
“She knows everything,” Pansy grumbled.
“At least she didn’t tell us to share.”
The witch giggled, pressing a hand to her mouth. She was pretty, with her dimples and the splatter of freckles over her brown cheeks. How she managed to continue looking cute after trailing through what felt like the entire magical world, I had no idea. I dreaded what I’d find when I finally had a chance to look in a mirror. Still, there was no point worrying about it now. I took a bite of cheese. It was still soft, and the flavours rich. I chewed slowly, savouring my hard-earned treat.
Nearby, Sage and Prince Anwir were arguing. Or rather, Sage was.
“I insist,” she said in a tone that left no room for disagreement. “I will not have our king sleeping on the forest floor.”
“Then allow me to ease your conscience by taking watch. My brother and I have been sleeping long enough. I have no desire to take to my bed this soon.”
“But—”
Anwir held up his hand. “I will take the first watch, Idris the second. It’s decided.”
Sage looked as though she would very much like to continue arguing, but the prince clapped a hand to her shoulder and turned away. Turned to me. He strolled with his shoulders thrown back and an easy smile pasted across his face, someone well used to having all eyes on him. He certainly had my attention. He was beautiful, and confidence rolled off him in gentle waves. The old ladies at the practices I’d been placed at would have loved him.
“Aliza,” he said as he settled himself on the log beside me.
“Oh, I’ve just remembered,” Pansy said in a bright voice. “I promised my mother I’d, um, help her with dinner.”
“It’s just cheese,” I said hurriedly, but too late. Pansy sprang up and away, leaving me and Anwir as alone as it was possible to be in the camp. Traitor.
“She seems a lively sort,” Anwir observed, but it was me he was watching.
Why did he have to be so gorgeous? It put me at a distinct disadvantage. I could barely arrange my thoughts, and I didn’t like it. I was too smart to go to pieces because of a handsome face, but however much I told myself that, I couldn’t force my pulse to slow.
“Are you alright, after today?” he asked. “It can’t have been easy.”
What? What on earth was he on about? The walk had been long, but it hadn’t been that bad.
“Breaking the curse,” he prompted.
“Oh! Oh, yeah, that. It seems like forever ago,” I said in a rush, heat rising in my ears. Thank God my hair covered them. They always turned beetroot when I was embarrassed, which only made things worse than they had to be. “I’m fine.”
“You’re sure? And, well, I couldn’t help but notice that my brother was a little short with you after the tunnels. You must excuse him. He’s been through a lot.”
“Haven’t we all,” I muttered. As far as I could see, I didn’t have to excuse anything.
“Some more than others.”
I didn’t care what Idris had been through. Poor privileged prince. What was a two hundred and seventy year nap when you were immortal? Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? God, there were days I could kill for a twenty minute snooze. He didn’t know how lucky he was, yet he had the audacity to treat me like dog muck stuck to the sole of his expensive boot. He had saved my life, I supposed, but I’d broken his curse, so we were even. I took an angry bite of my cheese.
“You have an extra portion, I see.” Anwir smirked, and I forgot why I was anything but perfectly happy, basking in the attention of such a hotty.
“It’s a treat. You can have it, if you want.”
What? What? Was I giving away cheese? That was it. It was confirmed. My brains had been scrambled by Maelgwyn’s curse. It was the only explanation.
To my immense relief, Anwir refused. “Thank you, but no. You keep it. You deserve your treat. If truth be told, I’m more of a sweet tooth.”
“Really? Go on then, if you could have any dessert right now, what would it be?”
I was always interested in talking about dessert, especially when it felt like forever since I’d had ice cream.
“Definitely lemon and lavender muffins.”
My eager smile turned flat. “Muffins? Really? Have you never heard of meringue? Or chocolate cake? Or even strudel?”
“Chocolate cake is too sickly.”
“In that case, we can no longer be friends.”
His perfect smile widened. God, his teeth could be on a toothpaste advert, even with those deathly sharp fangs glinting. Still, his portrait back in Nairsgarth hadn’t been entirely accurate. There was something about that smile, something different. Not wrong, exactly, because how could such good looks be considered a flaw, but something that hadn’t been conveyed in the painting. Not that I knew anything about art. Whoever had painted it had clearly possessed more talent in their little toenail than I had in my entire body. I could forgive one small inaccuracy.
“We were friends?” Anwir enquired, his tone playful. “Until I offended you with differing opinions, that is?”
For some reason, my ears began to warm again. I touched my hair to be certain they were hidden. “I don’t go around breaking curses for just anybody, you know.”
He’d called me the Human Queen, so he had to be aware that I was supposed to be his bride. He’d been suspiciously nice to me since we’d met. Had it really only been that afternoon? He was going to be a king. Surely, he’d have a lot to say about a bride being predestined for him? He wouldn’t stand by and let some whispers decide his fate, not when he could have his pick of potential queens. Why would he choose a human? Why would he want me?
He wouldn’t. Which was lucky, because I didn’t want him. Yeah, he was gorgeous, and kind, and charming, and maybe he’d be good for a night, but I didn’t want the life he offered me.
That was what I told myself as I lay sleepless that night, wedged between Pansy and the tent side. I didn’t want this life. I wanted mine. But… what would it be like to be immortal? To know my days weren’t numbered? There would be heartbreak, of course. I’d lose my parents one day, but I’d lose them either way. It was the normal way of things. Children buried their parents. What could I do with my life if I had eternity? What would I learn? What would I master, if time was no obstacle? The possibilities were endless. The world opened up to me as I stared at the canvas, but it wasn’t the tent I was seeing. It was a whole new set of fledgling dreams. Dreams I didn’t want, that I had no intention of fulfilling, but that nevertheless kept me wide awake and simmering with wild, foolish hope.
When the riotous birdsong began, signalling dawn’s coming, I gave up my fitful attempts at sleep and crawled from the tent. The forest air was as cool and fresh as it ever got, and I pulled my wrap around my shoulders to keep away the slight chill.
My ankle took my weight with only a twinge of protest, which was always a good start. Apart from the birds, all was quiet. The witches still slept. Lucky them. I’d barely closed my eyes all night, too preoccupied with foolish fantasies, and now I was paying the price. My eyes stung with tiredness, and my groggy head felt too heavy to carry. God knew what I looked like. Not a beautiful immortal queen, that much was certain.
Was it immortality that made the fae so gorgeous, or just the luck of genetics? If I did accept immortality, which I wouldn’t, but if I did… would I become as beautiful as them? And speaking of fae, where was Idris?
I frowned as I swept my eyes over the peaceful camp. Anwir had trusted Idris with the second watch, and as far as I could see, the younger prince was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t left our sleeping camp unguarded, had he?
I glanced up at the dark trees, afraid of the creeping monsters I might find lurking amongst the branches, but all I could see were leaves, their outlines painted in the first grey light of dawn. A few softly glowing fairies winked in the darkness. As quietly as I could, I crept to the edge of the camp, peering through the gloom.
Nothing. Nobody.
Where on earth was Idris?
“Have you lost something, mon amor?”
I jumped as though struck by lightning, but somehow managed to strangle my scream. I spun, and sure enough, a vampire lolled against a tree he most certainly hadn’t been leaning against a second ago.
“Stop doing that,” I hissed, massaging my chest. “You’ll give me a heart attack one of these days.”
He tsked, eyes glittering like diamonds. “Poor old Jacques would not be up to such a task.”
Old? Of course. He might look to be in his mid-twenties, but Jacques was a vampire, and likely at least as old as the princes, if he remembered a time before the curse. “Not when King Maelgwyn’s monsters could not.”
“Why are you still following me? The curse is broken,” I grumbled. I hadn’t forgotten his refusal to kiss me the last time we’d met, nor his claims that I belonged to another male.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you are safe. You are in more danger now than you have ever been. The false king knows the curse is broken. He knows you are here.”
My blood chilled. Was Maelgwyn hunting for me, even now? Was he descending on the camp that Idris had left unprotected? Were shades lurking in the copious shadows?
“But it’s done,” I insisted, trying to convince myself as much as Jacques. “Killing me would be pointless. The princes are awake, nothing can change that.”
The vampire shrugged, examining his chipped nail varnish idly. “Still. I will keep an eye on things until matters are settled.”
Maybe it was a good thing he was lurking. At least someone was keeping watch in Idris’ absence. Not that Jacques’ protection had done me any good so far. I’d still been attacked and almost killed at every turn, and it certainly hadn’t been him who’d saved the day.
“You’re not in a rush to get through the portals and start slaughtering humans? That’s why you needed me to break the curse, isn’t it? It’s why you didn’t kill me?”
Jacques chuckled, the sound clattering over my bones. It was an evil thing that set my hair on end. “We are not as uncivilised as you might believe. It would not do for all of my kind to storm the human realm at once. People would notice so many deaths. It might cause… a stir.”
I folded my arms. “Then you’re going to sneak through in pairs and just kill a few at a time?”
“My people need to feed.”
That old chestnut. “You’ve survived this long. Why kill people at all? I don’t eat meat. It doesn’t mean I don’t miss chicken nuggets; it just means I value life over my own tastebuds. You don’t need to kill people, you just want to.”
Jacques’ eerie eyes sharpened as they focused on me, his features tightening over his sharp bones. He pushed off from the tree, inching silently closer, until his breath, as fresh and cold as a winter breeze, fluttered over my face. “Yes, I want to. I have survived, as you say, but I am starving, Aliza. I am weak. I am eaten up by hunger, and yet, I cannot die. I am plagued by my want, night and day. It is endless.”
Panic tightened my throat, but not for myself. Of all the things that wanted to kill me, Jacques was the least of my concerns. I almost trusted him, as stupid as that was, but I knew his restraint would not extend beyond me. People were in danger, people would die, and it was my fault. I had broken the curse. I had opened the rifts to allow a swarm of blood-sucking monsters through to my own world. Without the superstitions of the olden days, nobody would be safe. My selfish, human desire to return home had endangered my entire world and everyone in it.
“Can you go in the sunlight?” I asked. Not that it would make any difference. The world was twenty-four hours now.
“I can, but it is uncomfortable, and harder to hide.”
“What about houses? Can you go in without permission?”
He laughed again, chilling the already cold panic rushing through my veins. “What is this? An interrogation? I must be invited.”
Relief almost had me sagging against a tree. That was something, at least. It wouldn’t stop the deaths by any means, but it was a layer of protection.
“Now it is my turn to ask a question, belle fille. How did you break the curse?”
Was this a trick? Was this sensitive information that needed protecting, or had I learnt to see danger in even the most innocent scenario? Whatever it was, my ears grew warm. “A kiss. That’s all it was in the end. There was a vision that said I’d have to give my life, but it was just one of Maelgwyn’s tricks.”
I laughed. The trials had been easy once I’d made it out of the cave. Nothing but tricks and illusions. Maelgwyn had underestimated humankind. He’d underestimated me.
Despite my cleverness, Jacques’ expression softened, something like regret dimming the glow of his eyes. He trailed a cold finger down my cheek. “Which prince did you give your life to, mon amor?”
Ice spread from his touch, coating every inch of my skin as the vision’s warning took on a new meaning. What if she hadn’t meant instant death at all? What if I’d cursed myself instead? “I didn’t. I told you, it was just a kiss.” It was, wasn’t it? Just a quick little peck. Nothing more. Nothing profound. Though, Idris would probably be only too glad to take my life after my performance in the caves.
What have you done?
“ Bien s?r. Forgive foolish Jacques. I misheard.”
My breath of relief hissed out as I smiled. It was nothing to worry about. I was still alive, wasn’t I? Idris’ unwilling kiss hadn’t been the brush of death for me, and he had saved my life. He didn’t want me dead. The vampire could keep his questions to himself if this was how it was going to be. My turn. I opened my mouth to ask about garlic and wooden stakes, but Jacques’ eyes widened, his head tilting as though listening for something I couldn’t hear. He whipped around, hissing, and leapt into the branches of a tree with the speed and agility of a cat.
“Jacques?” I squeaked, but it wasn’t him who answered.
“What are you doing out here?”
I yelped, spinning, and found Idris prowling silently in my direction, his arms full of sticks.
Oh, thank God.
The prince looked slightly dishevelled, a lock of dark hair falling into his eyes, and his shirt rumpled, though he’d washed most of the gore from his perfect face. He looked much better than I undoubtedly did.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I snapped, my frayed nerves getting the better of me. “Shouldn’t you be keeping watch?”
“I am.”
He drew level with me, and I fully expected him to pause and argue, but he walked right past me as though I was of no importance.
“That’s not what it looks like to me.” I hurried after him, keen not to be left alone in the gloomy woods now I knew Maelgwyn was after me. “I woke up to find the camp completely unprotected.”
“It was not unprotected.” His voice was flat and bored. Arrogant prick.
“Where have you been?”
“None of your concern.”
“It is my concern! When you’re supposed to be keeping us all safe and you just disappear and—”
He turned, quicker than my eyes could follow, and brought his snarling face inches from mine. I blinked, stumbling back a step. “You were safe, mortal. Now please, stop talking. It is far too early for your screeching.”
Screeching? Screeching? The cheeky bastard. He turned away and continued into camp. I followed, stomping my feet louder than was wise in enemy territory. The prince crouched and began arranging his precious sticks in the centre of the circle of tents.
“Sage said no fires,” I reminded him.
He ignored me, continuing to stack the wood just so. Irritation warred with unease.
“Somebody might see the smoke.” Maelgwyn might see, but as I couldn’t admit to my secret rendezvous with vampires, I kept that thought to myself.
“Do you ever shut up?”
The urge to march over and kick the stupid stick pile had my muscles clenching, primed for action. “I see your servants didn’t manage to teach you any manners.”
Idris ignored me, and a tiny flame appeared amongst the sticks, spreading until it was burning brightly. The prince sat back, drawing a knife. It was then I noticed three dead rabbits hung from his belt. My heart twisted in pity.
“You killed them?”
“I’m hungry. Everyone is hungry. We need more than cheese.”
Everyone was hungry but me. My stomach churned as Idris unfastened the corpses from his hip and laid them before him. The small, sharp knife, made from the same dawn-bright metal as his swords, flashed in the glow of his fire. I looked away quickly. I might not be squeamish, but as far as I was concerned, he was barbaric. Those poor bunnies. I retreated to my tent, unable to find any more words to waste on the prince.
With Pansy snoring softly beside me, I stared at our canvas ceiling, my guts churning.
What have you done?
What had I done?
I faked sleep for as long as I could, but the smell of cooking meat had the witches stirring, and before long, the camp was filled with the sounds of life. I preoccupied myself with removing the bandage from my hand and silently marvelling at the thin, pink strip of perfectly healed skin cutting across my palm, but when I couldn’t reasonably fake it any longer, I headed out into the open, only to find myself face to face with a prince. For a second, I thought it was Idris standing before me, but then I noticed the long hair tied in a low ponytail, and I relaxed, smiling.
“Good morning.” Anwir held a little metal plate, and my stomach dropped at the sight of slightly charred meat. “Breakfast.”
He pushed the plate toward me, but I clamped my teeth together and shook my head, unable to rid myself of the image of those adorable little angels with dead, staring eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t eat meat,” I managed, my jaw tight. “I’m a vegetarian.”
I grimaced in apology. It was sweet of him to think of me, and I wouldn’t have been so affected by the sight of meat if I hadn’t seen Idris settle down to skin the rabbits.
“What? You don’t like meat?” Anwir, to my disappointment, reacted the same way most people did when learning of my preferences. As though not eating meat was unthinkable.
“I don’t dislike it; I just don’t want anything to die for me. Thanks anyway.”
He looked slightly crestfallen, so I took pity on him. “You have mine. I don’t like a heavy breakfast anyway.”
It was an outright lie. I was often pulled from sleep by the insistent complaints of my stomach, but for some reason, I wanted to make Anwir feel better. He’d only wanted to show me kindness, after all. It was more than could be said for his brother.
The prince was quiet as we headed to the log we’d shared the previous evening, me grabbing an apple from Sage as I passed. Idris’ fire was still burning, much to my annoyance. I’d hoped Sage would admonish him, but apparently, being a royal arsehole meant he could do whatever he liked. The prince himself sat nearby, leaning against a tree trunk and staring unseeingly at the flames. His own plate of murdered rabbit lay untouched beside him. I scowled. What had he killed them for, if he wasn’t even going to eat them? So much for being hungry.
“I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t eat meat before,” Anwir mused.
Nearby, Idris stirred at the sound of his brother’s voice. Great. Was he eavesdropping? Though his eyes remained trained on the campfire, a tiny line appeared between his dark eyebrows. He was probably the type of person who would judge me for being compassionate to innocent creatures. He’d probably make a point of moaning and groaning in ecstasy as he devoured those poor bunnies, just to offend me.
“You don’t mind others eating it?” Anwir prompted, pulling my attention from his surly brother.
I smiled encouragingly. It was refreshing when people didn’t go on the offensive, and instead showed interest in my diet. A lot of people took my choices as a personal attack, when I really couldn’t care less what they did, as long as it didn’t involve skinning their prey in front of me. It was rare to meet someone who spoke without judgement, and rarer still to have them consider my comfort.
“Not at all. Tuck in.” I took a bite of my apple. It wasn’t that bad. I might be hungry again sooner rather than later, but it was crisp and fresh.
Following my lead, Anwir ate a piece of meat, though he chewed tentatively. The wary way he met my gaze from the corner of his eye had me stifling a laugh. I swallowed with difficulty.
“Honestly, I don’t mind!”
He relaxed, smiling with his lips closed as he chewed. Even with a mouth full of food, his face was the very image of symmetrical beauty. It was distinctly unfair.
“You have a good heart,” he said at last. “Compassionate.”
“Thank you. It’s a blessing and a curse.”
“How so?”
“Well, I’m a vet, or a student, for now. I should be graduating any day now, but instead, here I am, saving you two. Anyway, I care for sick animals, try to make them better, but it’s not always possible, and losing a patient is… painful.”
“A healer. I should have guessed.”
My ears heated. “I try my best.”
“You’ve never considered healing people?”
Irritation licked at my veins, a swift flip from the glow I’d felt moments ago. It wasn’t uncommon for people to learn of my profession and immediately judge it less worthy, as though performing surgery on an animal was somehow easier, requiring less skill than the human equivalent. “Animals are better company than most people.”
“I have offended you, please forgive me.” Again with the wary eyes. I softened slightly. “I only meant to say… healers are cherished in my kingdom, or they were. Before…”
“Before your uncle?”
“Yes. They are extremely rare amongst the fae. My mother was a healer. Perhaps she still is. I don’t know if she still lives.”
“She does,” Sage piped up from near the fire. “Though we receive little news on our side of the ward.”
My heart squeezed tight, oozing pity and shame. I’d been so preoccupied with my own plight, wrapped up in how my own parents might be feeling, that I’d never considered what the curse must have meant to those who had known and loved the princes. To have them taken away, to have hope wither with every passing day. Century, even. The poor queen. She had lost her husband, then had her children betrayed by their father’s brother. She had lost everything, and suffered for longer than I could comprehend.
I laid a comforting hand on Anwir’s forearm. He tensed, his muscles hard beneath my palm, but after a second or two he relaxed. “You’ll see her again soon enough.”
Anwir looked at my hand, still resting on his arm, then lifted his eyes to mine. I hadn’t realised how close we were until those beautiful, golden-green orbs were before me. My breath stilled at how utterly gorgeous he was.
Flushing, I snatched my hand away. “What sort of magic do you have?”
“Lightning.” His voice was gruffer than it had been a moment ago. “Almost as rare as my mother’s gift, but much more dangerous.”
Of course. The crown prince was the only fae capable of wielding lightning, the only one capable of fighting back against the shades. I already knew that. Why wasn’t my brain working properly?
“I’d like to see it, when we’ve crossed the wards.”
Anwir shook his head. “I never use it. It’s not worth the risks.”
Something gnawed in my gut. “You’ll use it to get rid of the shades, though, won’t you?”
What if he refused? How could the fae fight Maelgwyn if their best warrior refused to wield his unique weapons? Had my efforts to wake him been for nothing?
“Time to go.”
I blinked and found Sage staring down at us.
“If we want to reach the border by nightfall, we need to make good time. Pack up.” She turned on her heel and stalked away, issuing orders.
Anwir stood, extending his hand. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in those stunning eyes as I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. What would that enormous hand feel like on other parts of my body? I gulped. Did he hold my hand a little longer than necessary, or was it wishful thinking?
Why was I wishing anything of the sort? My task was complete. I was going home. But I didn’t pull my hand away. I let him hold it, his skin warm against mine, until he gave me a small smile and dropped it of his own accord. Was it my imagination, or where his cheeks pinker than they had been a few minutes ago?
Nearby, Idris clambered to his feet and wandered off between the trees, disappearing from sight. Why didn’t he stay with the group? Was he off to murder more innocent animals, or was he up to something much worse?