Chapter 38
Stars are absent from the dark sky. Thick clouds hide the moon’s presence, blackening the sea until it looks like we’re floating in darkness. The only thing that indicates we are out at sea is the sloshing water parting as the ship glides towards the Kingdom of Cloud.
A cool breeze hangs in the air as I lean against the railing and overlook nothing.
Such a sad, bleak night is filled with nothing but a damn prince watching my every move like the stalker he is.
Off in the corner, the Prince of Darkness hides in the layers of shadows, but the unsettling red glow clarifies he has eyes only for me.
“Are you just going to follow me around all night?” I say, the hint of bitterness plaguing the tone of my voice. “I don’t see why you are. It’s not like I can go anywhere else.”
Prince Reen steps out of the shadows. The lamp outside the door leading to the dining hall illuminates his features, sharpening them until his looks can cut stone. Almond eyes narrow, but there’s a playfulness in them hidden beneath the layer of suspicion.
He leans against the railing and folds his arms across his chest. “I’m not following you because I believe you’re an idiot who will jump off the ship to escape the deal you made. No, we’re nearing the Kingdom of Cloud. More assassinations will appear from above.”
I smile. “I thought you wanted me dead.”
“By my hands, Pandora. Any other death would be devastating. I was meant to kill you.”
“You’re so fucking crazy,” I breathe.
“Says the one who declined my offer to become a Knight of Eraminia. Instead, you want us to fight to the death, and whoever survives gets their wish.” Prince Reen turns around, takes out a cigarette, snaps his fingers until the flame lights it, and inhales deeply.
Streams of smoke emerge from his mouth as he says, “You’re a mystery to me.
Someone I cannot place. And when I cannot place something, I want to kill it. ”
“Why?”
“Because it means they’re a wild card. An elemny who eagerly dances with fire without care for who or what’s in their path. Someone who will kill without remorse. Someone like me.”
I eye Prince Reen. “And who are you?”
A smirk settles across his lips, and bright red eyes darken until they reveal the souls hidden there, crying out from the agony and slaughter to which he has subjected them. “Who fucking knows anymore?”
I huff a laugh. “It seems like we have much more in common than we want. This might be the reason for our animosity. We see ourselves in the eyes of another.”
Silence hangs in the air for a breath at a time. Aside from the lamps attached to iron hangers, the only other light comes from the orange glow of Prince Reen’s cigarette.
“What are you going to do if you end up killing me? It’s unlikely, but enlighten me a little.”
“Cocky.” I smile. “Uh…my boyfriend wanted me to be myself and do things I want to do.”
Prince Reen arches a brow. “Boyfriend? The peanut butter fucker?”
“Peanut butter…” My eyes widen, and I howl with laughter. “Xavier!? Fuck no. He’s not my boyfriend. No, I’m talking about Desmond.”
“Who’s Desmond? An ice elemny?”
I smile. “Yeah.”
“Did he die when the Kingdom of Crystal fell?”
“No.” My fingernails dig into my skin, and it’s hard to keep my voice from breaking when I say, “My, uh..I killed him. It was by my hands or my dad’s, and he enjoyed slow torture, so…”
Prince Reen flicks his cigarette into the darkness after one last intense puff. “I’m curious.”
“About what?”
“How are you still standing?”
I shrug. “I had no choice.”
Prince Reen narrows his eyes. It’s as if he sees right through me. Agitation and irritation shudder through my bones, so I look away before he can see any more.
“Let’s play a game.”
A smile appears on my face. “The only games I’ve ever played are those I have played with you.”
When I look back at Prince Reen, he’s tapping his finger against his arm and has a pensive look across his sharpened features. It’s something I notice he does whenever he’s deep in thought. He tries to figure out the meaning behind my words when I say something he can’t fathom.
As much as he keeps me on my toes, I do the same to him.
“I’ll think on it more now and get back to you once I figure out an entertaining one.”
“What did you have in mind before I said that?”
“A simple question-by-question game won’t be much fun for you. So, I will think about it more and get back to you tomorrow night.”
“I can’t wait,” I say drily.
Prince Reen breathes a laugh.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing.”
“Fine,” I hiss. “If you aren’t going to tell me, I’ll wait until your game. Then you can’t shut me down. Double fucking standards.”
“Sure, Crow Tit.” Prince Reen pushes off the railing, raises his hand in the air and waves with a sense of uncaring nature as he heads back toward his room.
“Keep acting like I’m the only one who shuts down when asked a question.
I’m still waiting for an answer as to why you awakened for a short time when we were in the apartment. ”
What the fuck is a crow tit?
I look down at my chest and flush at the thought that he’s belittling how small my breasts are in a way I don’t completely understand. Which is fucking funny, considering he has a monster dick!
Why doesn’t that sound like a negative compared to flat-as-a-board or this fucking new crow tit one?
Whatever.
I move up the stairs to my room, but slow my pace when I notice Astin leaning against my door. Hollow silver eyes roll in my direction, and the gaze of a hawk sharpens the dark circles underneath his eyes.
“Hey,” I say. “What’s up?”
He doesn’t answer. He’s a man who lacks words unless he needs to have a conversation, and even then, what he says doesn’t hold any depth or emotional pull.
Any form of small talk feels like chatting with a bloody brick wall.
He does, though, offer me a smoke when he sees me.
It’s a joke between us because every time he sees me, it’s an awkward situation.
“No thanks,” I say. “The smoke burns my throat too much. It’s more of an air and fire elemny thing they enjoy. Sometimes even water, but never earth or ice.”
Astin pockets the cigarettes and steps aside. I reach for the handle, but hesitate. The silver in his eyes illuminates when my focus rolls in his direction, giving him a level look. “How far does your devotion go for me? Will you save me if Prince Reen tries to kill me?”
“No,” he says, but the way he says it bothers me. Thick resolve swirls on the tip of his tongue, sucker-punching me because, for a moment, even slightly, I thought he might hesitate. Whatever he has felt or feels for me is nothing compared to how he feels for Prince Reen.
“What does he have on you for you to act like his lapdog?”
Astin stares with vacancy. No light shines in those eyes. There’s nothing but darkness. “The difference between you and Reen is that while I saved you, he saved me. Therefore, the vicious cycle continues with being in one’s debt.”
My eyes narrow. “I am not in your debt.”
“No. You have no morals.”
“Neither does Prince Reen.”
Astin twitches a smile. “That’s where you’re wrong.
He has a code: his family and the Knights of Eraminia.
You, though, kill or yearn to kill anyone who gets in your way.
And even if you empathise with someone tethered to the one you want to kill, you will still kill them, regardless.
Like how you killed King Ragan without a second thought for the Queen—if you ever thought of her. ”
“Air elemny,” I say through clenched teeth. “You think you’re so fucking smart, over-analysing someone without knowing them.”
“Didn’t you do the same with Prince Reen by accusing him of having no morals? I am merely showing you how, compared to Reen, your thinking is grey. As much as you hate how he talks, he speaks with the most truth when he talks to someone he finds curious. Maybe you should, too.”
What is his game? What is everyone’s game on this damn ship? Fuck me, it’s getting on my damn nerves.
My brow twitches. Without a word, I swing the door open, enter muttering curses, and slam the door shut behind me.
It’s irritating to know that when I thought I had an ally, they are not mine when they’re around him.
So, during the past few days on the ship, seeing him protect my door and be watchful was never in my best interest, but because Prince Reen likely told him to.
All this time, his motivation was for Prince Reen.
Fuck me. I thought I had a damn edge, but my hope has crumbled. I know I don’t have the strength to beat him in the arena. He’s powerful, and it’s telling. His bloodlust for me is too strong for him to hesitate.
So, how do I survive the deal I’ve created for myself?
Desmond would tell me to fight, no matter what, but other thoughts, darker, tell me to manipulate Prince Reen. Would he go for it? I fucking tried earlier, and he called me flat-chested. He is a damn wall made of iron, and he will not buy the cute, flirty persona I showed Xavier.
Fuck.
I’m going to die.