2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Ember
The carriage felt crowded, even if I was the only person inside.
Outside there were at least twelve guards who rode on either side, securing the royal property, which I was now.
I fiddled with my thumbs, feeling so out of place and dirty inside the pristine carriage.
Even the seat was cushioned and comfortable.
My muddy pants should’ve never been anywhere close to the soft and luxurious fabric.
The royal palace was only an hour away and we reached it sooner than I would’ve liked. I heard the guards call out for the crown prince. Excitement seemed to break out just outside what now felt like my sanctuary. I did not want to leave the carriage, no thank you.
The carriage door was opened and there he was, the crown prince.
He smiled widely, his perfect white teeth gleaming with happiness.
He didn’t even seem to mind my appearance as he held out his hand for me.
I took it and stepped outside, only to then realize he wasn’t the crown prince, he couldn’t be, not when a man wearing a crown stood close by and glared.
“He is absolutely perfect!” the man who still held on to me gushed as he hurried me over to the crown prince. “Just look at his hair! Exactly like the old books foretold!”
“We’ll need to make sure it’s not simply colored,” the crown prince drawled, barely looking my way.
“Of course!” the man agreed easily. He then turned his head to face me, still smiling happily. “My name is Rad and I’m the royal historian. I told our lovely crown prince, Lianthorn, that you would be perfect for him to breed with.”
I almost choked on air. Did he seriously just say that to my face? My appalled expression made him falter. “Were you not told this?”
I gritted my teeth and spoke as calmly as I could muster. “I was only told I was sold and that I was basically worth nothing more than my womb. Is there anything else that I need to know about?” Yes, I sounded like a petulant child, but fuck they were assholes.
Lianthorn sneered at me. “You should be honored to be bred by royalty, peasant.”
I shrank in on myself. I was a peasant. One that he now owned. I couldn’t risk getting sent back to my family. They would disown me anyway and what would I do then?
Averting my gaze to the ground, I kept my mouth shut as Rad dragged me inside. Likely to wash out my hair.
It had been two tortured days. But I was still alive and hadn’t been defiled by the sneering prince just yet.
I was actually left alone for most of the day, which I appreciated.
Rad was very interested in my shifted form.
It wasn’t until after I’d shifted in front of the fae royal family that they seemed to believe I truly was a phoenix shifter.
Lianthorn didn’t treat me any better after that.
He actually seemed to hate me. But then why buy me?
“You don’t actually believe his highness will be satisfied with that?” An omega sneered in the doorway. I was minding my own business in the library, reading, or trying to read, a book. I was only taught a little and these words were so proper that I couldn’t understand them correctly.
“He’s perfect!” Rad exclaimed proudly to the newcomer. Rad lived in the library and he was the one person I’d met in the palace that I could actually stomach being around. It seemed my safe haven was now ruined, though, by the look of utter distaste from the omega.
“Ugh,” the omega said, waving his hand in front of his face. “He’s not even pretty!”
Rad rolled his eyes. “Relax, Pearl, you’ll still get to warm his highness’ bed.”
His name was Pearl? And he willingly slept with the crown prince? I either hated or feared him now, or both. Pearl glared my way. Definitely both.
“I think I’ll go take a walk in the garden," I announced, fleeing the library as fast as possible.
Pearl’s scent had been altered by something fake, which made me feel sick to my stomach.
I was definitely either getting sick or nearing my heat.
Since I’d yet to have my first heat, I couldn’t know for certain which it was yet.
All I knew was that as soon as my heat started, I would be bred by Lianthorn, and that was something I wished to avoid for as long as possible.
Rad was an alpha, but his scent was just…
normal, I guessed. And I hadn’t been close enough to Lianthorn to sniff him, but I doubted I would enjoy his scent.
I also couldn’t quite understand why I was there, just that I would be bred and they hoped to get phoenix babies.
My babies. Would they be considered for the throne one day?
Or would I simply be used as an experiment and my children treated poorly if they weren’t born as phoenix shifters?
I shivered from the thought alone. I’d never wanted children of my own, a selfish thing really. Although, after having to be a parent for my younger siblings, it kind of ruined the whole thing for me. Not that I seemed to have a choice in the matter.
The garden was my favorite place in the palace, mostly because I felt free out here.
I’d contemplated shifting yesterday and flying off, but the whole kingdom now knew I belonged to the prince.
It was embarrassing as hell, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
I’d been sold. My family had enough money to build a bigger and better house and my siblings would survive into adulthood. That was the bright side of things.
The roses to the left had been magically changed to make them appear blue when I knew them to be red.
I adored this sort of magic use, mostly because it was something used to just enhance their beauty and create something magical.
Not all fae had magic, and most had very little.
The only thing that showed they were fae, was their beauty and pointed ears.
Those with lots of magic had enough to create wings, often having them out all the time to show off their power.
The whole royal family had wings. Which was no surprise at all.
They were pretty wings, but useless. Fae couldn’t fly, which made the wings nothing but decorative.
I had to agree the wings looked mesmerizingly gorgeous, especially the queen’s.
I suddenly felt like I was being watched, which was a ridiculous feeling because I knew I was.
The royal guards were always close by, making sure the prince’s property stayed inside the palace walls.
But this feeling was more intense. I felt like prey as I looked around uneasily.
My skin then started to sweat and more signs of my upcoming heat came forth, making me a little dizzy.
My curiosity forced my legs to move on their own, and I neared the fountain which stood in a proud circle lined by pink blooming flowers. I swore something glittered on top of the fountain, like the air stirred or something. There definitely had been movement there.
As I approached, the lovely scent of rain hit me, which had to be from the fountain.
I laughed at my reflection in the water, recalling Rad’s excitement when my hair had remained red after they’d washed it.
It had been mortifying, being washed by Rad, but he wasn’t at all interested in me.
I could smell as much when he rinsed out the soap.
Something moved again, just out of my periphery and then a smooth voice spoke from above the fountain. “Hello there, omega.”