by Belle Kayce
“That is the Castle Dovelore, owned by His Grace, Alexander Whitlock. ‘His Grace’ because some say his grandfather was a duke, and that has now been passed over to him. He is also very rich if the castle isn’t proof enough. But not by heritage, most of it is self-made and all. We are supposed to visit that castle this year, you know. Mr. Whitlock is providing one lucky student with a full-time scholarship to any university he or she wishes to attend and another lucky student a chance to stay in his castle for the breaks with the full usage of his library and a full tour around the castle if he or she wanted to, that is,” Blond spoke, but his gaze did not once shift from the castle, which although looked quite brooding, looked equally inviting as if charming me into visiting. There definitely was something about that castle.
Suddenly very curious, I turned towards Blond and asked, “What would you like?”
He turned his attention towards me, and for the first time since the fifteen minutes that we had known each other, he smiled at me—a real smile.
“Although the most brilliant of literature are available in the castle library and I would love to roam the dungeons and secret pathways where the pirates were slain and beasts held hostage, I want the scholarship.” I nodded and turned back to look at the castle.
What beasts was Blond talking about?
The feeling of my feet pushing itself forward registered slowly before I found myself staring at the castle and my hands, sliding the window open.
Is someone living there right now? How many rooms can there be?
I swept my gaze along the windows of the castle but stalled when I saw someone staring back at me. It seemed a he. His bulky built made sure of showing no confusion even if he was so, so far away. It was quite distinguishable that he was wearing a white shirt, but that was all that could be made sense of. The rest was a blur.
“Hey, Blond, come here!” I whispered, motioning Blond to move forward.
“Blond?” he asked quite confusedly and sounding outraged as he made his way to me.
The man was still staring. His stare seemed so intense it made hairs stand at the back of my neck. I turned towards Blond, wishing he could see the strange man just as I did. Castles were always haunted. But the one I would see day and night could not possibly be haunted, could it?
“Can you see the man?”
“What man? I see no man,” he whispered back, scrunching his eyes as he looked in the direction of the castle.
I turned towards the castle, and the man was gone.
“He was just there! I promise!”
He looked at me frowning for a second before his smile came back.
“I can help you decorate your room.” He offered, looking as if he really were interested in sorting out my mess.
I smiled as I brushed a stray of brown hair behind my ear, silently thanking God for his sudden offer to decorate my bedroom. It would have taken me all day and night, otherwise.
“Let’s do this.”
If you enjoyed this sample, look for
Mated to the Alpha King
on Amazon.
Chapter 1
I settled myself on the saddle, feeling the powerful horse’s every stride as he moved. I took a deep breath, letting all of my previous worries waft away. Here, with my beautiful horse, Poison, I didn’t have to worry about curtseying properly, the right fork to eat a salad with, or the best way to wear a tiara. All I had to think about was rising on the correct diagonal while keeping myself in a calm, happy state.
I glanced at the small fences that I had set up in the massive indoor arena and encouraged Poison into a smooth canter. He took off easily, his ears perked forward with excitement. As we got closer to the jump, I could feel his pace quicken beneath me with excitement so I gently tugged on the reins, bringing him back to reality, then steered him around the jump. Poison obeyed, like I knew he would.
He loved jumping, but he didn’t work on autopilot. He snorted and shook his head, annoyed with my tricks, but when I looped him around and switched his lead, he still stayed at a good, level pace. Even when we approached the jump, he stayed eager and responsive.
The barn door slammed as someone entered.
“Princess Adeline!”
Poison let out a startled scream at the booming voice and dug his heels down into the sand. I had been ready to jump with him and not prepared for a sudden stop. I let out a surprised cry as I tumbled forward, falling onto Poison’s strong neck.
I quickly collected myself, sitting upright and getting a better grip on the reins. Once I had gotten myself together, I gave the reins a light tug, grounding Poison as I spoke soothingly to him. The black beast didn’t bolt like he would’ve months ago, but I could feel how antsy he had become.
I glared over at the guard who stood stiffly at the door, staring at me as if he had done no wrong.
“What is it?” I hissed out through tightly clenched teeth. “What was so important it couldn’t wait till after I was over the jump?” I demanded.
The guard, Preston, just ticked his chin up defiantly. “The queen and king demand your presence for dinner,” he said, his gray eyes narrowing into slits. “So I suggest you get off that animal and go straight to the palace.”
I hated Preston. I hated him with all I had in me. Since I had been a young girl, my parents had deemed him to be the only one who could look after me, though I protested extensively. He was arrogant beyond belief and less than thrilled when he found out he was going to be nothing more than a baby sitter. Still, my parents were fairly busy, and I knew there was very little time we got to spend together.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I sighed reluctantly.
I wanted to defy Preston for the sheer purpose of setting his teeth on edge, but my parents would not be pleased.
Preston shook his head. “Now, Princess, they were quite frustrated when I left; we don’t want to make them angrier.”
“But Poison needs to be cooled down and brushed,” I protested.
“You have staff for that. Hand him off to a groom and come with me,” he ordered.
I wanted to snap at him, remind him that I was the royalty here, not him. But I knew he would go crying to my parents, telling them how unladylike and rude I had been. The last thing I wanted was for my father to sigh and look at me with pleading eyes while he told me, again, how important it was to be nice to staff. Frankly, if my mother―the hot head of the two―had to deal with the real Preston for more than five minutes, she would come undone and fire him, but I didn’t have my mother’s authority, and Preston would forever kiss my parent’s asses in hopes of a promotion. They would never see fault in his actions and only believe his accusations against me.
I slid off Poison after I made sure he was perfectly calm again, and then I led him out of the arena and back into the barn. I handed him to the first groom I saw and told him what Poison needed, trying not to sound too dejected. I knew the staff in my barns were the best for miles, but Poison was still my horse who deserves my attention.
“Come now, Adeline! We can’t keep your parents waiting any longer!” Preston called.
I grumbled profanities under my breath and walked behind him.
I supposed to many people I was lucky. I lived in a grand palace with my loving parents. We had acres upon acres of land to ourselves, more than enough luxurious cars, a handful of staff to attend to our needs, and a healthy amount of guards to protect us from every angle. I had clothes from every material in every style hand-sewn by my personal seamstress, and my parents didn’t bat an eye when I said I wanted horses and a big fancy barn.
When I was young, I thought it was all amazing. I had an indoor swimming pool to impress all my friends, a big theater room inside my own house, my room was enormous, and I had personal chefs who would make whatever I was craving at the wave of a hand. But now, things were different. I was completely alienated from my peers; it seemed like my only real friend now was my horse, and my days were filled with lectures about t
hings I hardly cared about: the correct etiquette, how to curtsey, and the history of the waltz. And through it all, there was Preston, tailing me, watching my every move.
I sighed, removing the thoughts from my brain as I moved behind Preston, entering the dining hall.
“Ah, Adeline,” my mother said excitedly, “we were waiting for you. Come sit and eat with us.”
My father’s green eyes glimmered when he took in my state. “How is Poison today?”
I blushed as I looked down at my riding gear. Yes, my riding clothes were the top of the line, but riding clothes were not to be worn at dinner. Dinner was a time for grand gowns, and when I glanced warily at my mother, I felt my heart drop. She was, in fact, wearing a specular dress and one of her prettier crowns. While I had taken after my goofy father, she was a vision of perfect refinement.
“I’m sorry, your Majesties. I tried to get her here earlier, but she refused to get off her horse,” Preston whined.
I nearly rolled my eyes but resisted and instead, sat down at the table.
“It’s fine, Preston,” my mother said. “You are dismissed.”
Preston’s smile gleamed brightly at my mother, then he bowed deeply and scurried away like the dirty little rat he was.
“So?” my father prompted.
“So what?” I said stiffly, ready for an argument about disobeying Preston. Or a harsh comment about my attire.
“How is that horse of yours?”
“Oh,” I diffused quickly, but beamed with happiness as my thoughts progressed. “He’s getting so much better, Dad. He’s incredibly responsive to me; you should’ve seen him today. He listens so well, and I know it’s because he’s starting to trust me more. You should come watch me sometime.”
My dad smiled happily. “Sure. Maybe next week. I’m swamped this week,” he said. “But I’m glad to hear that he’s turning around. I have to admit that I was quite worried when you first got him; he was really wild.”
My mom scoffed. “That horse is just like her. If anyone could tame a wild beast, it would be another wild beast.” I knew she was trying to be the disciplinary parent, but I could see some humor in her eyes.
If you enjoyed this sample, look for
The Princess and the Alpha
on Amazon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to TypeWriter Pub for publishing this!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you so much for reading The Demon Alpha! I can’t express how grateful I am for reading something that was once just a thought inside my head.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book. Please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads because I just love reading your comments and getting to know you!
Can’t wait to hear from you!
Belle Kayce
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I love reading and writing. My passion for writing started when I was only 11 years old, creating fantasy stories because that was what I was so inspired by.