by River Ramsey
“Danica,” he growls. That one utterance of my name speaks volumes. Frustration. Disbelief. Confusion.
Rowan finally decides it’s his turn and pulls me into his arms, but then pulls away to glower at me. “Explain yourself. Now.”
I sigh. No matter how long I had to come up with an explanation, I just couldn’t find any that would satisfy them, so I decide to go with the truth. By the time I’m finished telling them about the apparition I saw both times in the woods, their eyes are glazed over. There’s pity on their handsome faces and I’m pretty sure they think I’ve finally lost my mind, but at least the concern is softening their anger a bit.
“Let me get this straight,” Rowan begins. “Your dead mother appeared to you in the woods and told you to go after the guy who kidnapped you and almost had you sacrificed to his vampire master if not for a last-minute change of heart, and you went for it?”
Usually James would have something to say about his bluntness, but for once, they’re both on the same page.
“I know how it sounds, but all I can do is be honest with you.”
“It’s not about how this sounds, it’s about the fact that you could have gotten yourself killed,” James snarls. “Going into Aedan’s territory, Danica? Disguising yourself as a soldier?”
“I was surrounded by armed soldiers the whole time, and I knew Mace wouldn’t get far if he did try to escape.”
“But why?” Rowan asks in disbelief.
Before I can answer, James chimes in. “Isn’t it obvious? She still thinks Mace can be saved.”
“What if he can?” I challenge. “He gave me a chance. I’m alive because of him. How was I not supposed to return the same?”
“Easily,” James growls. “You’re the Princess. An omega. A pregnant omega. Mace has made his choice, and it’s time for you to start thinking about making the responsible one.”
His words cut, even though I know they’re justified. I’m not used to James being harsh, but I know it comes from fear.
Rowan looks between us, always determined to keep the peace, despite his tough guy attitude. “Look, it’s been a long day for everyone,” he mutters. “Let’s get Dani to the doctor so he can look over her and go from there.”
“I’m fine. There’s no need to see the doctor,” I insist. “Nothing happened.”
“Don’t argue,” says James.
I’m about to do just that when Albien comes in, his eyes widening as soon as they meet mine. “Dani!” he cries, rushing to take me into his arms. “We were so worried.”
“I know,” I murmur guiltily. “I’m sorry.”
He pulls away, looking at me in confusion. “What on Earth happened?”
“It’s a long story, and I promise, I’ll tell you everything, but not now,” I plead. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
Nine
As soon as I get a moment’s peace, I go to Albien’s room and knock on the door. He opens it immediately and from the look he’s giving me, I can tell he’s still pissed about me running off.
“I’m surprised you’re still here. I expected you’d be across the continent by now.”
“Haha,” I mutter. “Can I come in?”
He steps back to let me inside and closes the door. There are chocolates on the table and he must see me staring longingly, because he says, “Help yourself.”
“You’re forgiving,” I say, dropping into the chair by his bookshelf. He loves to read even more than I do, and that’s saying something.
“Can’t give you another reason to run off.”
I give him a look. “Don’t you at least want to know why I left?”
“Oh, I know,” he says, crossing his arms. “Mace.”
“I wish you wouldn’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like the others have been looking at me ever since this started.”
“What, like we’re worried? Like your sudden case of Stockholm syndrome is as concerning as it is?”
“That’s not it,” I mutter.
“Then what is it? Because I’m your twin and I have no idea where your head’s at right now.”
I sigh. “I saw Mom.”
He blinks at me, pausing for a long moment. “What?”
“Our mother,” I clarify. “The woman from the vision. She told me to go, and I listened.”
He pauses again and I can tell he doesn’t know what to say. He’s probably torn between curiosity and not wanting to push me further into what he and the others see as madness. “Danica, I don’t know who or what you really saw, but…”
“It was her,” I insist, standing to walk over to him. “I know what I saw, Albien, and I know how hard it is to believe, but she appeared to me.”
“How do you know it wasn’t just one of Aedan’s tricks?”
I hesitate, realizing I don’t have an answer that will satisfy him. “I don’t,” I admit. “Other than just knowing. I know that’s not good enough, but…”
“No,” he sighs. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned to trust, it’s your instincts. Not that I even believe in ghosts, or that I want to, but…”
I can’t help but smile. He looks a few shades paler at the thought. “For what it’s worth, it wasn’t a scary experience. More like... she was trying to warn me.”
“Warn you about what?”
“I don’t know. It felt like she was warning me not to give up on him.”
“On Mace?” I can hear the doubt returning to his voice.
“I know. Trust me, I know. No one hates the guy more than I do, but…”
“But?”
“There’s another side to him. One I never expected. I know it’s crazy, but I have to believe that’s closer to the truth of who he is than everything else.”
“That’s a lot of faith to put in someone you wanted to kill not too long ago.”
“I did say it was crazy, didn’t I?”
Albien takes my hand and smiles. Whatever happens, it’ll be okay. Just talk to me next time, okay?”
“I will. I promise. But in that vein, I need a favor.”
He groans. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Because it’s me asking.”
He snorts. “True enough. What is it?”
“I need you to get me in to see Mace.”
“Danica—”
“Please,” I beg, squeezing his hand tighter. “He’s in custody, it’s not like he can do anything. I just need to try to get through to him.”
“I don’t even know if I can, Danica. Let alone the fact that the idea of you and him in the same room makes my skin crawl.”
“You’re the King. You can do anything you want.”
He raises an eyebrow. “If you think that, you really haven’t been paying attention.”
“Please, Albien. Five minutes, that’s all I’m asking.”
I feel guilty for needling him, but I’m desperate and I can tell he’s starting to actually consider it.
“I’ll see what I can do, but it certainly won’t be tonight.”
“Fair enough.” I smile a little. “You could always ask your secret girlfriend.”
His face turns bright red. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mhm,” I say, wandering over to the door. “For the record, I approve. Not that there’s anything to approve of.”
He huffs and I close the door. He may not have been willing to give me any guarantees, but I know he’ll come through. The question is... what am I going to do with that time once I get it?
Ten
It’s been a week since I talked to Albien, and I’m starting to lose hope that my meeting is going to happen without some creative breaking and entering. I’m halfway to donning another guard uniform.
It’s the middle of the night when my chocolate cravings become impossible to ignore. I head to the kitchen and take out a slice of devil’s food cake from the refrigerator. I’ll say one thing for the royal lifes
tyle, its desserts are decadent.
Of course, my mouth is stuffed with cake when I realize I’m not alone in the kitchen. Jenna usually isn’t up this late, unless she’s on a guard shift, but the fact that she’s not wearing her usual uniform gives me pause. “Princess,” she says in an urgent whisper. “It’s time.”
My heart leaps and I stand up from my stool. “I’m going to be allowed to see Mace?”
“I wouldn’t say allowed,” she says dryly. “As a matter of fact, if anyone finds out I had a role in this, they’ll have my head.”
“They won’t,” I promise, walking over to her. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” she says, motioning for me to follow her down the hall. “We don’t have much time. The next guard will be on duty before long.”
I don’t know how she arranged this and I’m almost afraid to ask, but there’s no time. I rush after her and realize just how many stairs there are leading down to the dungeon. It’s dark and silent and something about the fact that Mace has been here for a solid week makes me feel queasy, even though it shouldn’t.
Yeah, he kept me in a gilded cage, but it was still a cage and I’d never done anything to him. There are so many questions I want to ask him, so many answers I want to demand, but when I see him sitting on a bench in his cell, his hair covering the scarred half of his face, it fades to something much harder to understand. I’m sure he knows I’m here, but he doesn’t look up right away.
“Could you give us a minute?” I plead with Jenna.
She eyes her prisoner warily, but I reassure her. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call if I need anything.”
“Five minutes,” she warns.
I nod. Hell of a lot better than nothing. Once we’re alone, I turn back to Mace. “You have no idea how hard it was to get this chance, so the least you could do is look at me.”
He finally looks up and his cold eyes stop me in my tracks. “You shouldn’t be here. I didn’t ask for you to come find me, then or now.”
“But I did,” I say, taking a step closer. “You know they’ve sentenced you to execution, right? You’re going to die.”
“And?”
It takes me a moment to process his total apathy. “I don’t know what that guy did to get into your head like this, but you do realize you’re free now, right? You can live your own life, make your own choices. I know there’s more to you than just his automaton.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“Fine, then I don’t. But you should still at least want to fight.”
“And what do you suggest?” he challenges. “Got a key?”
“No,” I mutter. “But I’ll try reasoning with the Pentarch. Maybe—”
“Maybe they’ll what, listen to the Princess?” he sneers. “Haven’t you been in Eternus long enough to know you’ve traded one cage for another?”
His words get under my skin more than I’m willing to let him realize, but I grip the bars in front of him and lean in close. “You saved me. Now, whether you regret it or not, I’m not one to owe a debt.”
“Then consider it forgiven.”
I growl in frustration and he actually seems surprised. “What’s wrong with you? This isn’t the Mace I know. The pain in the ass who always had something up his sleeve.”
“The Mace you knew isn’t real.”
“Bullshit. I don’t believe that.”
“Even if it wasn’t true, it is now. Aedan is gone. I don’t care what happens to me.”
I freeze as I realize what he’s getting at. He thinks Aedan is dead? Shit…
“Mace, I…” The words die out in my throat as I realize the can of worms I’ll be opening if I tell him the truth. That Aedan is just a pawn in another vampire’s game now. I want him to fight for himself, not that twisted bastard who’s brainwashed and manipulated him his whole life.
“Princess,” Jenna says, appearing at the end of the hallway. “It’s time to go.”
“Alright,” I say, turning back to Mace. I hold his gaze. “I’m getting you out of here, one way or another. By the time I do, you’d better have found your spine.”
He doesn’t answer, but I think I see the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. I follow Jenna out of the dungeon, my heart sinks deep into my chest. Despite my confident assertion in there, I have no idea how I’m going to pull this off. I just know that now, more than ever, it’s something I have to do.
Sure, it’s a gut feeling, but they’ve never led me astray before. Here’s hoping they don’t start now.
Eleven
The day of the execution, my stomach should be full of butterflies, but it’s not. Instead, it feels like there’s this big, empty hole sitting inside me and nothing I do or think or anyone says can fill it. No reassurances, no apologetic looks from James and Rowan.
I didn’t sleep all night, and while my body is exhausted, my mind’s still wired. I’m no closer to a plan to save Mace than I was, and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t even want to be saved.
No more strange apparitions, either. Never thought I’d say this, but I could actually use one.
Even Jenna keeps glancing at me in pity as I go about my morning like nothing’s amiss. The fact that she’s been following me around is proof that James and Rowan asked her to. They think I’m planning on springing Mace somehow, and they’re not entirely wrong. I would if I could, but they have more faith in me than is probably warranted.
I dress in a black gown, even though my advisors recommended a neutral gray. I’m not going to pretend like this is anything other than what it is. This kingdom’s habit of public executions is repulsive enough, no matter who’s on the chopping block. Let them all be reminded of it.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?” I ask Jenna. She looks up in surprise. Then again, I’ve been in a quiet mood all morning. “The royal family is always expected to arrive first at these things.”
“Yes, Princess, but…” She trails off as footsteps approach from the hall. James appears, dressed in a suit I might find dashing if he was wearing it for any other occasion.
“Danica,” he murmurs, his voice low and husky. After our last encounter, I can tell he doesn’t really know how to approach me and he’s not the only one. I hate what this has done to us. The wedge it’s driven between us, but I know he sees that as more proof of Mace’s scheming.
“Could we have a moment alone, please?” he asks Jenna.
She nods do him. “Of course, Sir James.”
As soon as we’re alone, my walls go up. James is far more capable of surpassing them than I want to allow. I know he means well. He thinks he’s doing this in my best interest, but he’s a Marok wolf at heart. Always will be. Being half vampire doesn’t change that.
“We need to talk,” says James.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind, we don’t have anything to talk about.”
His face doesn’t change, but he takes a step closer. “I don’t think you should be there.”
“Where?”
He gives me a look. “You know where, Danica.”
“Just say it,” I challenged. “The execution. The public murder.”
“You know it has to be done.”
“Bullshit. Just because it always has been done doesn’t mean it has to be.”
He sighs, like this is a conversation we’ve had thousands of times. To him, I’m sure it feels like that. “I’m not the one who makes the rules.”
“No, but you’re certainly not doing anything to change them, are you?”
His gaze softens. “This is why I don’t want you there. You’re upset enough as it is.”
“If you cared about me being upset, you’d find a way to stop this.”
“You know I can’t.”
“I know you won’t,” I say, stalking past him. He grabs my arm and when I spin around, the pleading look in his eyes stops me short of lashing out.
“Please, Dani,” he says, his voice rough with sorrow. “Just stay home.”
He
leaves me with that, when I’m sure he’s going to stick around and try to lock me in my room. To be fair, the fact that he left the choice up to me is a far more compelling deterrent than a door would have been, but it’s not enough to keep me here.
Logically, I know Mace is going to die, and he doesn’t even give a shit, but my heart won’t let go. It’s the same impulse that had me following my mother’s ghost into the woods. The same one that told me that we all belonged together. I can’t start ignoring it now.
“Dani?” Aspen’s small voice draws me out of my thoughts and when I look over at him standing by the table, I’m relieved to see that he’s still in his pajamas. I instructed the servants that he was not to be allowed to attend the execution under any circumstances, and while they all looked at me like the idea of shielding a child from such a spectacle was absurd, they agreed. I’m just hoping they kept their word about not mentioning it around him.
“What is it, sweetheart?” I ask, putting on a smile for him. I can only hope it doesn’t look as fragile as it feels.
He rubs his eyes and yawns. “Why is everyone dressed up?”
My throat tightens and the words I want to say stick in it. “There’s… someone visiting.”
I promised myself I wouldn’t lie to him again, but it feels like I don’t have a choice. Innocence is something so rare that it should be preserved at all costs for as long as possible, and I’ll do anything to make sure he retains his. He’s already been through so much. Knowing what’s about to happen to the man he idolizes would crush his spirit.
I feel like even more of a failure for not being able to stop it.
“I want to go,” he protests.
I sink down to my knees so we’re at eye level and take his hand. “Listen to me,” I begin carefully. “You know how I promised to always tell you the truth?”
He nods.
“Well, sometimes that means I’m not going to be able to tell you everything. But I’m going to do my best not to tell you anything that isn’t true,” I say, my voice breaking. “Today is a very sad day.”