by C C Solomon
“You sent me on my merry little way only to end up a few years later engaged to a demon. Perhaps that’s your preference, just as it was your mother?”
“The way you say it sounds like an insult.”
“It’s no offense. Perhaps I’m a bit jealous.”
I pondered his words. I knew the annoying side of my brain wanted that family acceptance by the fae and this would be an easy path but the more independent side of my brain also hated for men to dictate my future and an arranged marriage was just that. “I never wanted to be told what to do or be a kept woman. I’m sure at some point I fell in love with Alister. He was my choice. I wasn’t forced. Except when my memory was snatched. In that case, I was fooled to stay with him. So, it wasn’t that I didn’t like you. It was more that I didn’t want to be told what to do. I guess I have a good idea what you want now.”
Marcus smiled and scooted to the edge of his seat, closer to me. “Just hear me out. We were already thinking about supporting each other in our bid for the throne. Instead, why don’t we go for the throne together? As a married couple. You want power. Your brother is already on the throne for your family’s court, this is a good way to still get you to rule. We’d be equal partners. Something you rarely see. But I know I couldn’t make you submit no matter how hard I tried.”
He had that right. Still, marriage. I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down for that idea. “You saved me not knowing if I would say yes. I owe you a favor but it doesn’t have to be that and if you try to send me back to that town I won’t go without a fight.”
Marcus leaned back with a look of disdain. “I would not do that. First, it’s cruel and I consider you a friend. Second, your father would murder me rather painfully.”
“Did you tell my father what you want to do?”
“He was the one who suggested it. He knew of our prior arrangement. Apparently, daddy approves.”
As if I would ever go to Herrod for approval for any of my decisions. “Like that matters.”
He tilted his head from side to side. “No, but it does give me a little hope. Who was the bloke in the hotel room?”
“A friend.”
Marcus gave me a lopsided grin, exposing one fang. “From the way that he looked at you and then glared at me, I’d say he was more than a friend. My proposal doesn’t have to get in the way of whatever you have going on.”
Okay, now I was confused. “You think Felix is going to want to be with me if I get married to you?”
“Do you want to be with him?”
I didn’t know what I wanted. I knew I didn’t like how we left things. I didn’t like that he was still in that town and that he seemed so disappointed in me.
Marcus lowered his head and his eyes became mischievous. The way he kept looking at me was starting to make me uncomfortable. “I don’t mind sharing.”
Crap, that hadn’t entered my mind. I wasn’t sure I was that enlightened. “Maybe I don’t want to be shared.” I’d actually never thought about entertaining an open relationship before. Nadia was in one. It’d be any day now that she’d officially tie the knot with her boyfriend and girlfriend. Some would call her a lucky girl. I just thought it was too much of a headache. More importantly I didn’t want someone else. Felix had occupied pretty much all the romantic residency in my mind and I didn’t have room for any more.
“Think on it. You’re not going to get a fae throne if you’re with a Nephilim.”
“Who told you about him?”
“Your dad.”
He must really dislike Felix.
Marcus balled his fist and put it in front of his mouth. “Ooh, you really like him.”
I lifted my upper lip and looked away. Were my complex internal feelings about this guy that obvious? I wanted to wince again just seeing the look on his face when I left. He looked, emotionless.
The cook came in carrying a large tray of goodies with utensils and placed them on the wide coffee table before leaving.
I took in a deep breath and grabbed half of a sandwich off the tray. “Maybe I don’t need to marry. I can run a throne alone.” I took a bite but it felt dry in my throat. I felt queasy and unsettled. Was it all because of Felix? Maybe I was upset because we hadn’t taken Yasmine out and stopped her wraiths.
Marcus sat back and chuckled. “No, no, no. You like him. I can see it all over that pretty face of yours.” He pointed at me and made a circle with his index finger. “Looks like I came too late. Another man has stolen your heart.”
“Don’t say that,” I growled, taking another large bite of my sandwich in spite of my stomach issues. “I have no heart.”
Marcus moved closer to me and tapped under my chin with a finger. “Sure, you do, love. Problem is, he’s not the best pick for a royal.”
“He’s not my pick.”
Marcus chuckled and picked up a sandwich. “Stubborn as always. Listen, you do need to be married to continue the line.”
I couldn’t continue a bloodline because I couldn’t have kids but I could adopt a powerful kid and that’s all that was needed. Power.
Marcus continued. “Only you can’t do it with Felix. What I’m offering you is a business deal. You marry me and carry on your affair of the heart with Felix behind the scenes. Having your cake and eating it too and all that.”
I didn’t want a marriage out of strategy. It was what my mother clearly had and she’d ended up giving up everything and then eventually dying because of it. I wasn’t interested in repeating that life.
I looked at Marcus as he finished eating his sandwich, seemingly oblivious to my gaze. I didn’t really know him but he behaved like we were old pals. It felt nice but also unsettling. Without my memories I couldn’t confirm anything. Everyone was a threat. It was an exhausting way to live. Part of me believed that I’d stuck it out with Alister so long because it was scary living on my own without anyone I could trust, including myself. Felix was lucky to have Faith and Azrael had always stuck with him. Carlos was my guardian but I’d abandoned him like an idiot.
Things weren’t the same now. I did have those I could trust. Nadia was free to be the full friend she’d wanted to be without fear from Alister. Felix, at least until now, had seemed devoted to me and by extension his friends seemed to support me. Maybe I was in a position to live differently than my mother. Change the rules. Didn’t Marcus want better, too? “Don’t you want love?”
Marcus slouched back down on the couch, another sandwich in his hand. He looked ahead at Nadia’s outside patio through her glass doors. “I want power. Love is over-rated. I thought you were just like me. Perhaps I was mistaken.”
“I am just like you.” Or so I thought at first. Now, things were fuzzier. He didn’t need to know that yet while I sorted things out.
He tilted his head towards me with a side grin. “No, you aren’t. And that’s quite all right. In theory. You aren’t going to win this battle for the throne running after that man and doing the bidding of the angels. You want your memories back, you have your dad and me. Forget the others. Forget that town.”
I frowned. He was right. I knew that but another part of me still hated the idea of leaving those monsters alive to harm more children. It would also make me look more formidable as a fae leader if I had a reputation of eradicating threats which the wraiths were. They’d eat fae all the same. “It’s a town full of wraiths that eat children.”
“What business is it of ours? We’re Unseelie. You’ve been too long in the human realm.”
“Through no fault of my own. They also eat paranormals. They’d eat you and wear your skin. They are a danger to everyone.”
He waved a hand at me. “Let your boyfriend and his mates deal with it.” He sat up, running his tongue over his bottom lip and removing any crumbs from his mouth. The look had a very sexual effect and I wasn’t sure that wasn’t his duel purpose. “You need to focus on the campaign. You have that weasel Sylvester on the loose bad-mouthing you whenever he can. And he’s been trying to dig
up dirt on who you are. It won’t be long before he finds what he’s looking for. You won’t be seen as one of us as a half-demon who grew up in the human world without the right spin. You’ll need support to convince voters. And I need your royal lineage combined with mine to make us a formidable pair. Others may doubt your strength but those who remember your mother and those in her ancestry know full well what you are capable of. If you reconnect with your family, it will aid our cause. Let’s help each other.”
Everything he said made sense. He could get me to where I needed to go. Unfortunately, my currently adolescent mind was stuck on one thing. Talking to Felix.
I shook my head at him. I had to start thinking with my brain. Marcus made perfect sense and without my memories, I really was at a disadvantage. “Fine. Let’s do the fake marriage thing. No love.”
Marcus stood up. “Glad to hear it. That makes me very happy. I’ll get started on our joint campaign. You realize it’s less than a month until decision day.”
My eyes grew wide. Did I know that? It seemed like just yesterday I was learning the campaign rules. I slapped my forehead, realizing that time was different and I’d allowed myself to get confused again with fae human time. Even demon realm time ran at the same speed as human time. “Shit, I got confused about the time.”
“See this is why you need me. I’ll let you rest up. I’ll be back later to take you back where you belong.” He kissed the top of my head before disappearing.
I let out a breath. I’d made the right decision. I was sure of it. But it didn’t feel good.
Chapter 23
Since sleep hadn’t come easy while I was at St. Michaels, I’d fallen asleep in Nadia’s guest room quickly. The next morning Nadia’s housekeeper, a short, stout woman with green skin and red eyes, told me I had a visitor. I figured it was Marcus coming to whisk me away to the world of the fae.
I finished getting ready for the day and strolled in the living room, surprised to see Felix standing there. He had his broad back to me, arms crossed as he stared out at the pool in the backyard. I felt a giddy excitement at seeing him, inwardly pleased that he seemed to still, well, want me. I wanted to kick myself for that thought.
I sat down on the couch. “Didn’t expect to see you so soon. Don’t still want to hang out with mommy dearest?”
Felix turned slightly to me, golden-brown eyes dead. Something cold wormed its way inside of me. There was no love in his eyes like I was used to seeing. Had my omission of the truth really broken this man? Or maybe his mother had?
He opened his arms. “Come here, I need a hug,” he said with very little enthusiasm.
I remained where I sat. I wasn’t a woman who jumped at any man’s beck and call. “Your feet work fine to come to me.”
He twisted his lips, eyes still emotionless. “You lied to me, can’t you give me one win?”
I grumbled and stood up. I suppose if this would smooth the waters, I could be accommodating this one time. I walked over to him and he wrapped me tightly in his embrace. I rested my cheek on his chest and closed my eyes as he stroked my back lightly. It was a distinctly Felix thing to do and for a moment, I was content in his attention.
“You disappointed me, Francesca.”
“I did explain to you why I did what I did.”
He moved me slightly from him and stared into my eyes as if searching for more truth. What else did he really think I was lying about? I’d told him everything. “I know. And I’m having a hard time staying away from you,” he replied simply before taking my face between his large hands and leaning his head towards me.
His lips found mine, tongue tickling my own, replacing the coldness in me with heat. He pressed me to him tighter and I dug my hands into his arms. I didn’t want to let him go.
However, he had other ideas as he slowly pulled away from me. “I’m sorry, Francesca.”
Why was he calling me by my full name? He never did that. “What are you sorry for?”
“Because I think it’s time we go our separate ways.”
Something stabbed at my heart that I wasn’t expecting. Was he dumping me?
He gave me a sad smile and brushed the back of my cheek with his knuckle. “Look, you fully don’t trust me and maybe I don’t fully trust you. Not to mention our families have some sort of Hatfield-McCoy hate for each other. And you’ve wanted to get rid of me from day one.”
“Not true.” Okay, it was very much true. But I was an idiot who didn’t know what she really wanted. I was headstrong and sure about most things but when it came to him, I couldn’t make a decision and stick to it.
Felix patted me on my head and I felt my eyes burn with anger. Did he really have to seal the deal with an insulting head pat? I fought the urge to kick him in the kneecaps. “You pat me on the head again and I will break you.”
Felix threw his head back with a laugh. “Why are you so mad? It’s what you want.”
“I said it wasn’t.”
He looked down at me with a frown, his eyes were still a bit lifeless but at least I could feel some type of emotion from him. Was he even sad about this? How had I gone from wifey to some chick he wanted to break up with? “If it’s not, renounce your father and come back with me. My mother won’t hurt you if you stay under me.”
I jutted my chin out, perplexed. Something about what he said hit me wrong. It sounded almost like submission. And let’s not even get to the whole giving up my father bit. I may not know the demon, but he had access to getting my memories back. “When you say stay under you, what do you mean?”
“Oh, Francesca, I think you know what I mean.” His began to stroke my cheek again but this time I found it agitating.
I shook him off of me. “I submit to no one.”
“Well, that’s not true. You submitted to Alister. I’m ten times better than him.”
“You know that was different. Why are you being a dick?”
He lifted a shoulder, biting his lip as he looked at me with bedroom eyes. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like this Felix. Was this the dark side of him that Azrael had warned me about?
“Why don’t you just come back with me and let me make it up to you?” He reached out and began to rub my arm. “If you really do like me, maybe you can prove it to me.”
Something about the way he said it made it very clear what he meant by proving it to him. This wasn’t my Felix. I wanted to be angry but a deep sadness began to take root. How did I fix this? How did I get my old Felix back? Was it too late? Was being next to his demon mother the final nail in the coffin?
Tears stung the back of my eyes against my will. I backed away from him, fighting against showing him any emotion. He couldn’t know how sad I was. I puffed out my chest. “You can go. I’m fine with not seeing you again.” I turned my back to him holding onto a small hope that he would snap out of whatever he was in and apologize, leaving St. Michaels behind.
“Good,” he said simply.
I turned to have the last word but he was gone.
It took all the energy I had to focus on campaigning in the fae realm later. We sat in a grand conference room as stuffy looking fae on our campaign team discussed what amounted to the fae version of polling numbers, strategies and debates. The news of Marcus and my engagement seemed to bring a boost to our chances. It seemed even Unseelie fae liked a good love story and as far as I could tell no one knew my background. We’d decided to play it close to the chest for now but the truth would find its way out once we became more popular and the other courts took notice. Of course, I was older but I didn’t look unrecognizable from my 12-year-old self.
However, the fae court wasn’t front and center on my mind. I still kept thinking about Felix and his cold eyes and overall creepiness toward me. It made my insides feel queasy. I didn’t like where we left things. I found myself downright distraught that Felix had turned so frigid towards me. He was the one person I had foolishly believed was unconditional. There was just something about him that gave me comfort. I
’d taken for granted that he would always be there. Even when I knew our relationship couldn’t last I secretly thought we’d stay connected in some form. Of course, playing it out in your head wasn’t the same as feeling the real loss. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of pain. Our last encounter replayed in my mind and I couldn’t shake it away. Had I really lost him for good? Why was I so stupid to think it wouldn’t hurt me? Was I really so foolish to think he would never get tired of me? That I would be the one always in control? I felt like lying on a bed and never getting up.
I also thought of St. Michaels and the wraith. Were more people being lured to their death as I sat in this boring campaign meeting? Had the angels got off their asses and invaded?
A hand snapped in front of my face and I sucked in a breath, sitting upright. I looked over to Marcus who eyed me with slight amusement in his eyes. “If you’re going to be a leader, beautiful, you’re going to have to pay attention to even the boring bits.”
I gave him a tight smile. “Maybe that can be your thing since we’re joined.”
He raised a brow. “Why should I get stuck with all the boring work? What’s on your mind?”
I looked away, staring out at the indigo sky through the tall arched windows of the massive conference room. “Nothing.”
“Lies.” He leaned into me, looking me over. “Did you break up with the giant?”
I sucked my teeth and turned my back to him.
“Did you tell him about our arrangement and it sent him flying into a jealous rage?”
I looked at his smiling face. Why did he look so damn happy at what he thought was my heartbreak? “No, he left me for his mother.”
His smile dropped. “That sounds very inappropriate.”
I shrugged as I glared at Sylvester shimmy his way into the palace conference room. “Why is he here?”
Marcus closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I suppose you really did hear nothing. All the candidates are now to cover the most pressing issues to the fae realm for court discussion.”