by K.N. Lee
Whatever Lennox did, she was sure he deserved it.
Instead of getting angry, Lennox grinned. “Oh, yes,” he said. “I remember now. I am sorry for fucking your sisters and not calling them. How’s that?” he asked Laxmi who growled in annoyance and turned to her sisters.
“Let’s go,” she said. Her eyes shot to Allyn for a brief moment with a look of pity, and they flew away.
Allyn wished they would have stayed and kept her company, but she couldn’t blame them for not wanting to hang around Prince Lennox.
“I wonder when they’ll get over it,” Lennox said before taking another sip of his drink.
“It’s appalling how little you know about human emotion.”
Lennox shrugged. “Why should I? I’m not human.” He lowered his voice as if he was about to tell her a secret. “I’m a beast.”
With that, he took her hand and led her into the crowd.
Allyn inhaled and said a tiny prayer as she followed him. Let me get through this.
There were many difficult situations in her life that she’d survived; bullying all through her school years, her mother’s death, beatings and glorified torture from the hands of the nuns, betrayal from the man she loved. What was a night pretending to be her captors date?
She could get through this. With poise.
When he led her to an older fairy couple, she immediately knew who they were.
“Allyn,” Lennox said. “Meet the king and queen of Faustinia.”
Allyn smiled at them, and gave an awkward little curtsy that made her cheeks turn rose red.
“Lovely to meet you,” she said.
The queen didn’t smile, but nodded without a word.
The king, as tall as Lennox, with white hair and eyes that were gray like Laxmi’s, smiled at her. “Likewise,” he said. “What do you do back in Elastria?”
Great. Let’s show them how much of a loser I am. What should I tell them? Waitress? Unemployed waitress? What lovely options.
“She’s a famed novelist,” Lennox said.
The king and queen both seemed intrigued by that reply.
“Is that so?” the queen asked.
Stunned by his response, she swallowed, faked a smile and nodded. “It is,” Allyn said. “I’ve always enjoyed writing.”
That—at least—wasn’t a lie. She’d gone to college for literature, and had written several stories. She’d never been published though. But, the fact that Lennox lied for her was a bit astounding. And to lie that Allyn was exactly what she dreamed to be was even more surprising.
“Well, that is incredible. Well done for someone so young,” the king said,
The queen put a hand on the king’s chest. “We should start the banquet now.”
He nodded. “Right. Lovely to meet you, Allyn. You two stay out of trouble,” he said, directing that last part to Lennox with a stern look.
Allyn now knew why they were so angry at Lennox. He’d slept with their daughters and ran back to Elastria. Her father would have been upset too—any father for that matter.
“You like that?” Lennox said, once the king and queen walked away.
“Like what?” Allyn asked, her stomach growling as the scent of food being brought into the room catching her attention.
“How I just elevated you in their eyes? Amazing what a little lying can do.”
Allyn pursed her lips as she followed him to their seats.
He had to rub it in that it was a lie. She wondered if she’d ever survive her ordeal to make it a truth.
Once they sat down at the table, Lennox gave her thigh a squeeze and ordered them more drinks.
As Allyn sat there, she stared at the centerpiece before her. A black tree wrapped in crystals and white flowers. All went quiet inside her head as she stared at it, until it started to bleed. Dark crimson blood left the creases of the tree’s bark and spilled onto the white table like a river.
Shocked, Allyn was broken from her trance and blinked.
Nothing.
There was no blood, and everyone continued to chat and go on as if nothing happened.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she clutched Lennox’s hand, thankful that she had something to grip, even if it was the hand of the man she should hate.
CHAPTER 17
DINNER ENDED AND everyone left the banquet hall to join the other guests for the ball.
Surprisingly, Lennox hadn’t been as vulgar as she thought he would be. He ate. He drank. He told terrible jokes. But, other than that, he wasn’t awful to be around.
They reached the center of the circular palace where the party was held and being around a whole new slew of guests made Allyn anxious. Too many cocktails and sugar made her adrenaline spike.
Her full belly churned and she had to avert her eyes from everyone that they passed on their way to the main ballroom.
Prince Lennox, however...
He soaked up the attention as if it was his driving force.
No wonder he was always on the front of the imperial papers every winter, getting into trouble, or in the middle of some scandal.
He outstretched his arms when they reached the main balcony that stood between two staircases that led to the dance floor.
Allyn lingered a few feet behind, wringing her hands with worry. She felt ill. She wasn’t prepared for this kind of attention. Despite the loud music that played, she could hear her own heartbeat thumping in her chest. She pressed her back against the wall.
I can’t do this.
She couldn’t even appreciate the beauty of the ballroom, with its golden chandeliers, and colorful streamers hanging from the ceiling with white lights along the fabric.
Everyone was so attractive. Their faces were smooth, without age, and like dolls. Every beat of the music sent her closer to losing it. She stepped backward, into the shadows of the corridor, hoping Lennox wouldn’t notice.
After a few minutes of adjusting to the setting, Igor approached. He handed her a drink as Lennox talked to a group of female fairies that seemed to pounce on the chance to get him alone.
Allyn drank it down, watching Lennox charm the group of women. Her throat burned at whatever she’d just swallowed.
She grimaced. “What was that?”
He smiled, his face shimmering in the dim red light coming from the chandelier above. For a fairy, he was handsome. Too sparkly to be her type, but nice to look at, and with each passing second, her body warmed more and more with the strange liquor.
Igor shrugged. “It’s just the special punch we serve at each party. We’re kind of known for it. They don’t have it in Elastria.”
The flavor was pleasant, like tropical fruit, but it made her feel drunk way too fast.
“So, I saw what you did earlier. I didn’t know witches were impervious to fire. How did you do that?”
Allyn shrugged. “I don’t know.” She really didn’t.
“Well, it was pretty cool,” Igor said.
“Thanks.”
“Tell me something, Allyn. What’s the real deal between you two? Are you really his date?”
“Why do you ask?”
Igor grinned. “You’re a pretty girl. Do I really have to spell it out for you?”
Allyn frowned and glanced at him. “Lennox would break you in half if he thought you were flirting with me.”
“Nonsense. Lennox doesn’t feel anything for any girl. He comes here almost every winter and brings women with him every time. You think he cares about them? I’ve seen how he treats girls.”
That revelation wasn’t very assuring.
“But, what I don’t understand is this dynamic between you to. I mean...he’s a hunter and hunts witches. Do you know how many he’s killed?”
Allyn looked away. Why did he have to remind her?
As if Lennox read her mind or sensed her anxiety, he turned to her, his brows raised, questioningly.
Allyn’s face flushed and she stepped away from Igor, who was too close for her comfort.
Instead of yelling at her, Lennox took her hand, ignoring Igor’s presence, and led her away from the crowds.
In tears, she followed behind him. She’d dreamed of a night like this for all of her life. A ball, fairies, a prince. Why did she feel as though her head was going to explode?
She wished she hadn’t drunk whatever Igor gave her.
Where was Conall? Why couldn’t she share this moment with him?
Far from the ball, Lennox led her to a door that led outside. No one was around on the veranda that overlooked a rushing river that glowed like diamonds beneath the moonlight the spilled into the doom through the glass.
Allyn sniffled and wiped her face. She couldn’t look Lennox in the eye as he turned to her. Just a glance revealed how angry he was.
She’d ruined his night to exploit her.
“What?” she asked, turning her back to him. “Go on. Say what’s on your mind.”
When he didn’t reply, she covered her face and sobbed into her hands.
Allyn glanced back to see Lennox sit down on one of the black, wire, and benches.
He let her cry, and she was surprisingly appreciative of that moment to just let it out.
“Come here, Allyn,” he said, his voice firm but not angry.
“Why?”
“Because I told you to.”
She exhaled and turned to him, closing the space between them. She stood right before him, her legs touching his knees, and faced him. “What do you want from me, Lennox?”
“I want you to be by my side. That is all.”
Perplexed, Allyn’s eyes narrowed. What was he trying to prove? Did he need the world to know that he captured the one witch that escaped, and parade her around like a prize?
“Conall gets everything. For once, I want to win.”
“You can’t win me.”
“But, I will,” he said, softly, a half smirk on his lips.
“I can’t do this.”
“Do what? All I asked was for you to join me tonight. I didn’t ask you to strip for my friends or lick liquor off another girl like the other girls I’ve brought out into the public. Not once have I tried to embarrass, humiliate or exploit you.”
Allyn frowned. “You actually made girls do those things.”
He smirked. “I’ve never had to make anyone do anything. Girls usually break their necks to get a chance to please me.”
“I see. I’m your first slave then.”
He grimaced, as though genuinely disgusted by what she’d said.
“I wouldn’t call you that. Seriously, Allyn. You’re so dramatic.”
“That’s what I am, though.”
He took her by the waist and moved her from before him. He stood, towering over her. “No, Allyn. I hunted you, and I captured you. You aren’t my slave. You are my prey. And if you don’t get in line, you’ll be my dinner. I will eat every last of your bones, and you will be forgotten. Just another witch. Exterminated.”
Those words stung...more than she thought they could. She let herself forget that he could rip her throat out at any moment.
“You better make up your mind, Lennox. Am I your prey? Or are you trying to seduce me? You’d better make a decision.”
He searched her eyes, and she could tell he was holding himself back from saying something.
“No one said anything about wanting to seduce you. You better get in line or you’ll be tossed back into the slums with that boyfriend that sold you to me.”
Mention of Byron sent her over the edge. Her cheeks burned red.
She balled her fists, seething, her eyes narrowed as she watched him walk away.
“Take me to my father,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m not asking.”
Lennox turned to her. “We leave when I am ready. You’re lucky, Allyn. Don’t push it.”
“No, Lennox. You’re lucky.”
Allyn raised her hands, her fingers outstretched as her power was released. It was euphoric, her body cooling as the red bands encircled her.
Lennox took a step back, his eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
Allyn tilted her chin. “I’ll start another world war if you don’t take me to my father. Right now.”
She hated to make such a threat, but threats were all that Lennox probably understood. He couldn’t be reasoned with.
To her bewilderment, he clenched his jaw and walked right up to her.
“Go on,” he said, his forehead pressed to hers. “Do it.”
Allyn’s resolve faltered. She was stuck in his gaze, unable to move or think.
He took her face into his hands and held her.
Allyn’s chest heaved at how close he was to her. She was sure he was going to kiss her and licked her lips.
His thumb stroked her cheek, and she closed her eyes.
Did she want Lennox to kiss her? He was nothing like Conall, the man she knew she wanted.
His lips pressed to hers, and an electric shot zapped into her body, jolting her awake.
He snatched his hands away, his eyes wide.
He felt it too.
Lennox backed away, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Come on,” he said, his brows furrowed as he turned around. “We’re going back. Fucking waste of time.”
Allyn stood there for a moment, completely confused by what just happened. She forced her legs forward, ready to get one step closer to finding her father, and as far away from Prince Lennox as she could.
If that shock wasn’t warning enough, she’d be stupid not to listen.
CHAPTER 18
IT WAS DAWN the next day when Allyn and Prince Lennox returned to Elastira. They hadn’t spoken the entire flight, and Allyn had tried to sleep, but her body was too full of adrenaline to let her.
Once they landed on the tower of Baran Castle, Lennox jumped from the jet before the engine even stopped. He didn’t bother speaking to Allyn and vanished inside the tower’s doors.
Like a child, he refused to speak to her, and treated her as if she didn’t exist. His kiss lingered in her mind and wouldn’t fade. It was all that she could think about.
That, and how she would rescue her father.
Robert Carmody didn’t deserve all of the suffering she’d brought to his life.
Allyn sat in the back of the jet, half-inclined to ask the man driving the plane to take her far away. Once the engine stopped, she had no choice but to leave and step onto the icy rooftop.
She stood there as the jet flew away, her hair flying in the wind. In a ball gown, she considered jumping over the edge of the roof. What was the worst that could happen? Nothing in her life was right.
Would Lennox let her father go if she no longer lived?
ON THE OPPOSITE end from Conall’s side of the castle, Lennox’s quarters were completely un-renovated. The raw, gothic style of the original design was what appealed to him. It wasn’t a secret that Conall and Lennox were completely different.
For once, Lennox wished that Conall was there...to help him sort out the strange attraction he felt pulling him to the witch.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He’d searched for her for what felt like his entire life.
The one witch that descended from the one that cursed his clan. He thought that he had it all figured out, but everything he touched was always left ruined.
The night he’d sniffed her out of the crowd and chased her down had been an eye-opening experience. Hunting was his skill, and to have her escape enraged him.
Now, he had her.
He’d kissed her.
Why was she still alive? What game had he found himself playing?
Lennox paused before the large mirror on his wall between his bed and wardrobe, cracks along the glass that distorted his reflection.
“Tell me, Conall. Will you be upset if I sleep with her? Will you b
e jealous of me for once?”
His grin widened as he looked at himself in the broken mirror. Despite his grin, he hated his reflection. He hated who he was.
He put his hands on either side of the mirror and closed his eyes.
“I’ll try not to ruin her for you,” he whispered and turned away to face the mess of his room. He slept on a mattress on the floor beside his broken bed. There were clothes strewn about the floor and glass from the lamps and antiques he’d broken during his latest blowup.
What he really needed was a hunt, but his ultimate prey was already within his grasp.
Perhaps he could approach her a different way, and sate his other carnal desires.
Lennox shot a glare toward his doorway.
“Who told you that you could come in?”
Calinda manifested before him, her cloudy white eyes looking deep into his soul.
“The girl,” she said.
Lennox shrugged. “What about her?”
Calinda faded back into the air, her voice surrounding him. “She’s getting away.”
Lennox tensed as he stood there. He balled his fists and looked at the broken mirror once last time.
“Not this time,” he said and stormed to his balcony.
He pulled his sweater over his head, snow falling all around him, but not touching his flesh. A grin came to his lips when he sniffed the air, picking up her scent. She could have run miles in any direction and he would have picked up her scent. Luckily, she was nowhere near miles away. He focused his attention ahead and caught a hint of red in the distance.
There.
He had her.
With a leap over the railing, he shifted into the form he trusted best.
A Wolf.
ALLYN RAN THROUGH the woods, her heels slamming into ice-packed dirt and snow. She didn’t care that they hurt her feet, or that the cold tore into her flesh and chilled her bones. She was not going to be anyone’s prisoner.
Spending six years in the convent was enough to make her fight for her freedom. Even though she wasn’t shackled and forced to sleep in the bottom of a dry well, her freedom was something she’d never give away easily.