CHAPTER SEVEN
Pandora
Allyria is nothing like Aravelle, and not just because it usually snows here. The black brick castle is beautiful yet cold, and I don’t mean in temperature. There’s no laughter or loving family to welcome me whenever I return. Still, I admire the snow-covered cherry blossom trees surrounding the castle walls and the streak of sunlight that shines between the fluffy gray clouds. There is still beauty here, and more than that, I make sure all my people are well taken care of. No one goes hungry here or is without a safe place to call home. The castle is not gated—it’s very open, sitting on acres and acres of thick, lush forest.
My younger sister, Ebony, lives in the east wing—we can’t stand each other. It’s always been that way. She’s so much like our mother, whereas I take after my father, who was killed when I was about eighteen. Ebony is manipulative, calculated, and cruel. She would end my life if she had the chance and was more powerful than me, and we both know it. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t try to hurt me when she can, most recently catching me off guard and trying to strangle me. I had to play it off to Astrid and Soren that the bruises happened while enjoying myself in the bedroom, but unfortunately, that is far from the truth. She knows I can’t kill her because of the parting spell my mother put on me, and she takes full advantage of that. The scar across my lip came from her trying to stab me with a knife.
While the spell stops me from killing her, it’s a one-way curse.
She could kill me if she wanted.
And boy, does she want to.
But I was blessed with the magic and power, and all she’s been left with is bitterness and a heart as black as her name.
My magic alone could protect the entire kingdom if need be. And considering our numbers are much smaller than other kingdoms, that’s an incredibly important fact. I don’t even have many guards around the castle because the only person I need protection from lives here.
“You’re back.” Ebony smirks as she steps into the library. I’m sitting in my favorite leather chair, watching the snow fall through the large oval-shaped window. I can see my favorite fountain from here, the normally flowing water has now turned to ice. I thought I’d enjoy some peace before socializing tonight, but it looks like that won’t happen.
Ebony is wearing a long, red velvet dress and a black choker around her neck. She has the same violet eyes as me, but her hair is red instead of black. We don’t look too similar in our facial features, and she’s a lot taller than me. While I’m short, petite even, I’m still curvy in the right places. Ebony is more built like a model. “Kainan was looking for you.”
Kainan is my cousin, a strong warlock, and my councilman. He makes sure the kingdom is running smoothly whenever I’m not here and tries to keep my sister in line. Trust me when I say that’s a full-time job.
“I’ll see him tonight at the charity dinner,” I reply, lifting my glass of wine to my lips and taking a sip, my eyes never leaving her. My mind is still on Soren, and the evening we were forced to spend together. I’m hanging onto those little glimpses of himself he gives me when he forgets to keep up his guard—the way he brought me food without thinking and made sure I ate something and how his skin felt against mine during those short touches.
I bet he’s with another female right now.
Fuck.
I guess I can’t talk, considering I had that one night with August, but I wanted the pain to stop. I wanted to get out of my head and simply enjoy something for once. I gave August my virginity. I didn’t even tell him I was a virgin, and he was a little horrified when he saw the blood. Looking back, I should have warned him. I didn’t want him to stop, and he made it good for me. At least I got to experience that type of intimacy, even if it was just for one night. I crave even the simplest of touches sometimes, not that I’d ever admit that out loud.
I know I come across as confident, strong, and powerful. No one would have thought I was untouched. I’ve learned to wear that mask, to own it. I have to as queen. Sometimes, I wonder if I wear it so much that it’s just me now.
“I wasn’t told about any charity dinner,” Ebony sulks, crossing her arms over her chest. “I am still a princess, you know. I should be kept up-to-date on all the events at the castle. You aren’t even here half the time—”
“I don’t have time for this, Ebony. Kainan plans my schedule. If you want to know what’s going on, then find out,” I reply, standing and turning my back on her to leave.
Soren mentioned bad blood, and the truth is I have that with my sister. We will never have a normal, loving relationship, and I’ve long accepted that.
“You know, if you want to step down and go live with the fae, I can take over as queen,” she calls out.
She fucking wishes.
I would never leave my kingdom with her brand of evil.
***
A few hours later, I’m dressed in a purple silk wraparound dress, sitting on my throne, with Kainan standing next to me. His dark eyes narrow as he spots Ebony amongst the crowd.
“There goes the good vibe,” he mutters, crossing his powerful arms over his chest. He’s dressed the part in a perfectly tailored black suit, his dark hair tied back. He’s tall, well over six feet, and built like a warrior. “I wonder what she has up her sleeve this time.”
“She’s so draining,” I reply, smiling when a small child runs up to me, pulling on my gown. I lift him to sit on my knee. “Hello, little warlock.”
He flashes me a toothy grin. “Hello.”
We invited the children from the orphanage for dinner since all the money from tonight will be going directly to them. “Did you enjoy your meal?”
He nods, snuggling against me. My heart melts. Although I have to keep my guard up and can’t exactly relax when I’m here, these moments make it all worthwhile.
It hurts to know that I will never have my mate sitting beside me as king.
But it is what it is.
Even if Soren knew what he was to me, he’d never want to sit on the throne of the kingdom that once tortured him.
The fates must hate me to send me such a path.
Forcing a smile, I step down and mingle with my people. When I’m away from Aravelle, my heart hurts, but when I’m there, it hurts too.
There’s no saving me from this.
But at least this way, I’m saving him.