4. Chapter 4
4
Chapter 4
Violet
I woke up early. I couldn’t wait to see him. I knew I couldn’t interact with him other than a cordial nod, but I needed to see him. Bronwen said Calum and Nathara were gone on holiday which didn’t seem like something you’d do with someone you had no relationship with.
Calum’s plan was to come here and be horrible and completely uninterested in his fiancée to the point where she would convince her brother to call off the engagement. I’m sure Nathara was trying everything she could to get Calum to pay attention to her and get him to fall for her. I hoped that was all that this holiday was, an attempt on Nathara’s part.
I didn’t blame her for that. Calum was perfect, and anyone would want him. It wasn’t her fault that her betrothed loved someone else. I actually felt pity for her, but it didn’t change the fact that Calum was mine, and we would be leaving together.
We had to leave together.
I sat on my bed waiting for a servant to escort me to breakfast. Breakfast at eleven. That’s more of a brunch—almost lunch—but I guess the Night Realm’s schedule was a little different. A later breakfast must mean they were usually up later into the night, when the faeries and creatures thrived here, so I’m sure it’s no different for their fae.
Night Realm schedule or not, I was starving and it looked like a servant wasn’t going to arrive until exactly eleven.
I was right.
There was a gentle knock on the door at eleven exactly. I nearly ran to the door. I opened the door and was taken aback by the servant standing in front of me.
The servants that were waiting at the castle entrance looked like fae, but I knew they were servants based on their attire. I thought it was weird because there are no fae servants in the Mountain Realm. Other faeries filled those roles.
The Night Realm lived by a different set of rules than any of the other realms. I guess unless you were the most important fae you were nothing but servants to the Sovereign.
I just assumed that a fae servant would escort me to breakfast.
Standing in front of me was the top half of a woman and the bottom half a gray mist. She was slightly see-through as if she was a ghost, and she had long black hair that seemed to float around her rather than rest on her shoulders. But the part that had me frozen in place was that she didn’t have a mouth.
I knew what she was—a wanderer. They were benevolent creatures, but because of the way they looked, Queen Mother assigned them to the Night Realm. She must have realized that I was internally freaking out because she looked down, like she was embarrassed.
“I-I’m sorry,” I said, feeling horrible, “I’m from the Mountain Realm. I’ve just never seen . . . I mean, you . . . I’m sorry.”
She looked back up to me and nodded but still had a look of sadness in her eyes. She motioned for me to follow her.
I was almost running trying to keep up with her. She floated through the halls at a pace that was hard to keep up with. I made sure I paid attention this time to the turns we made and the stairs we took in case I needed to get somewhere on my own.
As soon as we made it to the entrance to the dining room, she motioned for me to go in. I walked past her, and as I turned around to thank her, she was gone. I couldn’t believe how fast she was at leaving.
I walked into the dining room and was completely disappointed to see that Calum was nowhere to be found.
The dining room was long and narrow with the same stone walls that were in the rest of the castle. It would be very dark in the room if it wasn’t for a window that covered the entire left wall.
Bronwen, a fae I’d never seen before, and unfortunately, Celine sat at the long table that could seat at least ten others.
When Bronwen saw me, she jumped up to greet me. “Good morning, Violet! I hope you rested well.”
“I did, thank you,” I said as I walked closer to the table.
“Please, sit.” I sat at the only remaining place setting which was by the fae I didn’t know. He looked at me up and down and narrowed his eyes. I knew it couldn’t be the shadow king because he wasn’t sitting at the head of the table. He was dressed like he was going to battle and held a stiff posture, which told me everything I needed to know. He was the Commander, and apparently, he didn’t like me.
I wished I knew what he was thinking.
“Violet, this is Adar, our Sovereign’s Commander,” Bronwen said, gesturing to the fae sitting next to me.
Adar was pale, ghostly pale, with long black hair tied neatly in a bun, and his eyes were black. He looked like he was dead. Exactly like fae native to the Night Realm.
“Nice to me—”
“Well, where is your Sovereign? His Commander is here, so is he joining us?” Celine interrupted me, something she was so fond of doing.
Adar gave her the same look Bronwen gave her yesterday. Bronwen giggled.
“He doesn’t enjoy entertaining guests that he wishes weren’t here in the first place,” Adar said as he moved his food around with his fork.
“Adar!” Bronwen said as she stared at him.
“Well, she asked,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and keeping his eyes on his food.
“It is customary for the Commander to be with his Sovereign at all times,” Celine said while staring at Adar.
“His Sovereign doesn’t need me to protect him. He is perfectly capable of handling himself,” he said, still staring intently at the eggs on his plate.
“Then why even have a Commander?” Celine asked, pushing her luck a little too far.
Adar dropped his fork and raised his glare to meet Celine’s.
“Because if my Sovereign doesn’t want to get his hands dirty with tasks he deems beneath him, I will gladly step in and make the annoyances disappear.” A chill ran down my spine when he said that. Bronwen’s welcoming behavior made me forget momentarily that I was in the Night Realm surrounded by monsters and cold-blooded killers. And I was sitting next to one right now.
His response caused Celine to slide down slightly in her chair and quietly eat her breakfast.
Adar and Bronwen exchanged looks and were completely silent for at least a minute before Adar let out a huff and rolled his eyes. They had to be communicating through their minds.
It’s pretty rare, but Calum was able to communicate like this with his father, and now he could with my father. Specific bonds like Sovereigns with future Sovereigns of the same realm, Sovereigns and their Commanders, and mates can communicate like this. The specific bonds they had with each other allowed them a tether into each others mind to privately communicate. Anyone else would’ve ignored this exchange, but I’d seen it enough with Calum that I could tell when it was happening.
Were Bronwen and Adar mates?
Bonded mates were so rare now. Ever since the realms were created, Sovereigns were seen like gods to the fae in their realms. Since Sovereigns had arranged marriages, the rest of the fae population decided they should have arranged marriages, which made the chances of completing the mating bond almost impossible. Once you’re married, the only way out of it was death, so if you did had a mate and found them after you’d entered marriage, there was nothing you could do about it.
It’s sad to think about.
“I do have some bad news. Calum and Nathara are running late and won’t arrive until after nightfall. But don’t worry! I’ve planned a party to welcome them home,” Bronwen said, bringing my attention back to the group before me.
“We have a party practically every night, Bronwen,” Adar mumbled.
“This party is different. We have guests.”
Adar rolled his eyes. I was starting to notice that he did that at everything Bronwen said. Nope, couldn’t be mates.
“I am so ready to meet my future daughter. A party sounds like a wonderful place to meet her,” Celine said.
Knots formed in my stomach at Celine’s words.
“You two are welcome to explore the castle grounds today. The party will begin around eight, and I will have a servant escort you both to the ballroom.” Bronwen stood up and placed her napkin on her plate. “I will see you tonight.”
Bronwen left the room, and Adar wasn’t far behind. I realized then that I had barely touched my plate. I was so hungry before but as soon as I was in the room with Bronwen and Adar, I was so focused on watching their mannerisms and the looks they kept giving each other that I forgot my hunger.
I started to eat when Celine let out a loud huff. I had forgotten that she was even at the table.
“A day in hell without my precious Calum. How wonderful,” she said as she stared at the wall behind me.
Her favorite activity was pretending like I didn’t even exist. I didn’t mind because I wished she didn’t exist either. She stood up and walked out of the room.
After I finished my food, I sat there for a while and looked out the large window. I still didn’t understand how this was the Night Realm I’d read so many books about. It was beautiful. Even though it’s the Night Realm, the sun still shone, but it didn’t look anything like a day in the Mountain Realm. The sky was a dusty blue, the sun was out, but you could look directly at it without hurting your eyes and you could still see the stars. I guess they never went away, but other than that, it looked like a normal day. There was green grass, large shady trees, and flowers. Nothing scary or evil about the landscape.
After brunch, I wandered around the castle for a few hours. I found the library and a large sitting room. Bronwen said we could explore the castle and that’s what I did. I wanted to look at the books in the library but I didn’t want to touch anything without getting explicit permission first.
After I made it back to my room, I decided to go ahead and get ready for the party. I wanted to look my best for Calum even if I had to stand in the back and pretend like he didn’t mean anything to me.
All of my dresses were exactly the same but in different colors. High necklines, long sleeves, and loose fitting. Ladies in Mountain Realm fashion covered everything so only your husband could see your skin. I chose the terracotta dress because it’s one of the brighter colors I had, and I thought it would help me stand out a little more so Calum would notice me.
I sat at the vanity and tied part of my dirty blonde hair back with a ribbon that matched my dress. My hair was long with the slightest wave to it, but I hated it. It had always felt so dead to me.
I saw people like Bronwen with fiery red hair or even Celine with her white hair that was so bright it almost glowed, and I just wished that I had something like that. My eyes were light brown and felt just as dull as my hair did.
After putting on my heels, I went to my nightstand and got a pill from the bottle. I had to take it at exactly nine, just like I had for my entire life. I slid it into the pocket of my dress and sat on the side of my bed while I waited to be escorted to the party.
The servant came to my room to lead me to the party. It was the same one from breakfast. As we made our way down the hall, she was going just as fast as earlier, but this time I was in heels, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with her.
“I’m sorry, can you slow down? I’m having a hard time keeping your pace,” I said as I came to a stop.
She turned to face me, placed a fist on her chest, and moved it in a circular motion.
“Sorry,” I said as I watched her hand movement, “you know how to sign.”
Her eyes widened when she realized I could communicate with her. When Astrid taught me how to read and write, she also taught me how to sign. I never understood why until this moment.
No matter how many books I read about the different faeries and creatures among the realms, I had never read of one who couldn’t hear which was what I always associated with sign language. It was something messengers that visited human kingdoms learned how to do in case they came across a deaf person. But I never thought about someone who couldn’t speak.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
She began to sign a series of letters.
“Y a r a. Yara. It’s nice to meet you, Yara. I’m Violet.”
She nodded and began to glide down the hall again, but slower. Yara stopped once we reached the large double doors of a room and motioned for me to go inside. I wasn’t sure if she was not allowed into certain places or if she simply didn’t want to be seen by others.
I could hear the music and the sound of conversation coming from inside the room. I let out a sigh. I was so nervous at the thought of what I could be walking into. They had parties and events at the Mountain Realm castle, but Celine never let me attend. She was worried about others finding out about mine and Calum’s relationship.
I looked at Yara and told her goodbye before I turned the handle on the door. I entered a ballroom with high ceilings made of glass so you could see the stars above. Large windows lined the room, so it felt like you were inside a snow globe. I wasn’t sure if it was meant for the fae inside to feel like they were outside or for the creatures outside to be able to see inside.
On one end, there was a band in full swing with several fae dancing, and on the other end sat a large, empty throne. It was made of black iron and sat up a little higher than the rest of the room. It was made for a king. The shadow king.
But he wasn’t there. A chill went down my spine when I thought of him. Even with everyone being nice so far, well besides Adar, his absence made the fear I had of him worse. Was everyone putting on a show since they had guests? Was he hiding to ensure his sister’s marriage went through? I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to find out the answers. I just needed to get through this and get the hell out of here with Calum.
“Violet!”
I glanced over to see Bronwen running over to me and dragging Adar with her.
“Do you like the party?” she asked as she came to a halt in front of me.
“Uh yeah . . . You did a great job,” I said, looking around at all of the fae that seemed to be deeply enjoying themselves between dancing and drinks.
Adar scoffed. If looks could kill, Adar would be dead from the look Bronwen gave him.
I glanced back over at the throne. I couldn’t stop thinking about who the mysterious shadow king was. “Does your Sovereign not attend the parties you throw?” I said as I looked back at Bronwen.
“He does, but with his sister arriving, and the spectacle she likes to make of herself, he thought it would be best to let her have her moment, I guess you could say,” Bronwen said with a bit of apprehension in her voice. It seemed like she wasn’t telling the entire truth.
“He doesn’t want to see her? I’m sure he misses his sister since she has been gone on holiday,” I pried.
Adar started to choke on his drink when I said that. Bronwen acted like she was ignoring him but I’m sure she was mentally giving him hell.
“Well, let’s say their relationship is . . . complicated.” Bronwen was picking her words carefully. I knew I was already pushing my luck with the questions, and I didn’t want her to take my interest the wrong way. I just liked to know things.
“Oh. I don’t have any siblings, but I just assumed siblings were close,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“Oh, some are. Some are so close that they are inside your head and don’t give you a moment’s peace,” Adar snarked.
Bronwen opened her mouth to say something, but it seemed like she was at a loss for words. She just stared at Adar.
“Wait, are you two siblings?” I said as I looked at both of them confused.
“Yeah, you couldn’t tell by our looks?” Adar looked at me, completely serious.
Bronwen was tan with red hair and emerald-green eyes while Adar looked exactly like the rest of the Night Realm fae at this party. Just like their personalities, Bronwen and Adar’s looks were completely opposite.
“I—” I tried to say something, but I just didn’t understand what I had just learned.
“Adar, you ass, leave her alone,” Bronwen said, elbowing him in his side.
For a second Adar slightly smiled before he was back to his annoyed look.
“Oh look, our lovely couple has arrived,” Bronwen said as she raised her glass towards the large ballroom doors.
I turned around quickly to get my eyes on Calum. I couldn’t wait to see him and see how his plan was coming along.
It was delusion, I guess.
The months without him were so lonely and miserable that I actually started to believe he was finding a way out of the marriage. That hope shattered into a million pieces when I saw him walk into the room with his hand on her waist. He whispered something in her ear, and she started to giggle. He looked forward, and his face went pale when his eyes met mine. He clearly had no idea that I came with his mother.
I wanted to scream and run up to him and yell at him for every promise he had broken. But I couldn’t. In this moment, I knew how worthless and powerless I was. Everything Celine had always said was true.
I couldn’t bear it. And I couldn’t break down in front of everyone.
No one could know about us.
“E-excuse me.” I looked for the closest exit so I could get away from everyone. There were two large glass doors to my left that led out to the garden so that’s where I went. Pushing through the crowd of fae and slinging the doors open, I made my escape. The cold night air hit me, but it wasn’t enough. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t get the image of Calum and Nathara out of my mind.
I ran into the garden. The hedges were high and cut into a maze with different paths, which were lined at the bottom with rows of violets.
A left, then a right, and another right.
I didn’t really know where I was going. I just knew I needed to be far away from everyone.
I rounded the next corner and ran straight into the back of someone.
As I accepted the fact that I was going to fall on my bottom, something caught me. No—more like consumed me. It was cool, almost like a morning mist. I looked down, and my bottom half was covered in total darkness. Like shadows— oh gods , the shadow king. I couldn’t look up. I was too scared to move. Were the shadows going to consume me? Honestly that would be a better fate than walking back into the party and having to watch Calum with her .
Maybe it would be painless, quick and easy. Maybe I—
He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Are you going to let me help you up or are you too comfortable to move?”
I shifted my eyes slightly up to see he had his hand extended waiting for me to accept it.
I reluctantly placed my hand in his, which was just as cool as the shadows that were holding me. As he pulled me back to my feet, I slowly looked up a sleek, black suit to see the shadow king’s face.
As soon as our eyes met, he let out a sigh of relief and mumbled, “Finally.”
Something the rumors and horror stories failed to include was that the shadow king was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
He had short, black hair that was perfectly placed. It looked like he ran his hand through his hair and every strand was too scared of him to shift out of place. His skin was pale, and he had a strong jawline. His eyes were dusty blue, a shade of blue that was all too familiar. It was the same blue of today’s sky. Something odd—not only for that coincidence, but also because Night Realm fae should have black eyes.
I regained my balance and watched as the shadows seemed to slither like snakes back into the shadow king. Although the majority of the black mist disappeared, some lingered around his body. I watched as a trail of shadows went up to his neck and reached his ear.
It was almost like the shadows were telling him something. Whispering, even.
He towered over me, like Calum did, but he was not as wide as Calum, and while he looked as if he was tight and toned under his suit, his muscles were not as pronounced as Calum’s. But he didn’t need Calum’s strength, because he could put down his enemies without lifting a finger.
“Are you alright? You came around the corner like you were running from something,” he asked with almost a look of concern on his face.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to find somewhere to be alone and get some fresh air. I was . . . getting a little hot.”
He cocked his eyebrow at my response. “Hot? It’s freezing . . . Are you sure you’re alright?”
He was right; it was cold. When I first ran outside, the cold air hit me, yet somehow, I was now sweating. Something was wrong.
“Wait, what time is it?”
“A little after nine,” he said.
“Oh fuck. I forgot to take my medicine.” I stuck my hand in my pocket but couldn’t find the pill. I started to look around where I was standing to see if it had fallen out when I ran into the shadow king, but it was too dark to see anything.
“Your . . . medicine?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, my medicine. Can you tell me the quickest way back to the east wing?” In that moment, the shadow king wrapped his arm around me, and the next moment we were standing in my room.
I’d transferred a million times with Calum. It’s a skill that only Sovereigns can do. Being able to move from one place to another in an instant was the gift Queen Mother blessed all Sovereigns with, along with their individual gifts. I just didn’t expect the shadow king to help a complete stranger like me get to my medicine—let alone know which room was mine.
It didn’t matter right now. I ran over to the nightstand to get my medicine. I’d taken it every night at exactly nine. My father always said that I couldn’t miss a dose, even by a few minutes. It was too dangerous.
“You’re a faerie.”
I spun around, dropping the pill bottle on the floor. I fully expected him to leave after getting me to my room, not standing there watching me with such a puzzled look on his face.
“Yeah, s—” I was reaching down to pick up the bottle when it flew across the room and landed in his hand. “Excuse me. I need to take that now.” I’d never been late with my medicine, and I was starting to freak out. I had no idea what would happen to me.
The shadow king was inspecting the bottle and glancing at me every few seconds with a confused look on his face. “What is this medicine for? Faeries do not take daily medication.”
“Well, I do.” I walked over to him and tried to snatch it out of his hand. “Now give it.”
He jerked his hand back before I could get the bottle from him. He looked me up and down with a hint of amusement on his face.
“I have a heart condition, and if I don’t take that medication, I could die.” I was getting mad. It’s not like me to get angry or have an attitude with someone, let alone someone as deadly as the shadow king. I usually sat back and submitted to anything that was asked of me.
But in that moment, I wanted to rip his beautiful head off, and I wasn’t afraid of him. I was afraid of my heart stopping and then me dying.
“Faeries do not have heart conditions.”
“Okay, well, hi, my name is Violet Ashwood, I am the daughter of the Mountain Realm’s Commander—which, in case you didn’t know, means I am a faerie—and I have a fucking heart condition. Congratulations, you’ve now met a faerie with a heart condition. Now please give me my medicine.”
“Violet.” He began to look me up and down. He shook his head and chuckled. “Of course.”
I instantly regretted what I just said to him. In the past, fae had simply looked at him the wrong way and he killed them. But he just handed me the bottle.
I ran to the bathroom to take the pill and get a sip of water from the faucet. As I looked up to the mirror, I swear I saw the faintest golden glow in my eyes. I immediately shut my eyes and slowly opened them again, and they were back to brown—the plain brown eyes I’d always had. I must’ve been hallucinating from forgetting to take my medicine. I was scared to think what would’ve happened if I waited any longer. I started to feel myself cool down, and my heartbeat began to slow.
I walked back into my room to see the shadow king sitting at the end of my bed. “I-I’m sorry I spoke to you like that. I just really needed to take my medicine.”
“You have quite the mouth on you, Violet,” he said, allowing the most perfect smile to come across his face. It was just as sinister as it was entrancing. “It’s alright. We can just pretend like it never happened.”
“Thank you . . . um . . . Your Highness?”
“Your Highness? I’m a Sovereign, not a king,” he said, cocking his head to the side.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just thought that . . .” What if he doesn’t know everyone calls him the shadow king? What if he took it as an insult and decided to end me right now? “Never mind,” I mumbled.
“What?” He stood up and started walking slowly towards me.
I didn’t realize that I was backing away until I hit the wall. I had nowhere to go to get away from the shadow king. I was trapped.
He stopped when there were only a few inches between us and allowed a smirk to form on his face.
“Being ‘the shadow king’ doesn’t make me an actual king. You know that, right?” I was absolutely terrified and completely intrigued all at the same time.
He leaned in until his lips were almost touching my neck. I could feel his breath, and it was just as cool as the black mist and the hand that helped me up. Goosebumps formed all over my body.
“Please, call me Sebastian,” he whispered in my ear.
And then he disappeared, leaving a faint trail of black mist where he had been standing. I stood there, unable to move, as I watched the mist fade into nothing.
I was so confused. I knew the stories I’d read, and I could feel the danger as I was standing in front of him. But at the same time, I—
My train of thought stopped when I saw Calum standing in front of me.