The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance

by Kortney Keisel

  “You’re everything to me,” he whispered. “When I found you, everything changed. My heart changed. You made love real, not just an illusion. And I don’t want to kiss Seran for the rest of my life.” An intense emotion radiated from his eyes, an emotion she immediately recognized in herself. “What I really want,” his eyes dropped to her lips, “is to kiss you.”

  She wanted that too.

  What would it feel like to be in his arms, to feel his chest against hers? What would his lips feel like? Taste like? What would his touch do to her skin? She had wondered these things a thousand times.

  The desire in his eyes matched her own. She could see the moment he’d made up his mind—the moment he gave in.

  His face slowly inched toward hers. In the seconds before his lips touched Renna’s, he scanned her eyes for permission, and she gave it. Wholly. Completely.

  His lips skimmed the top of hers.

  Quietly.

  With restraint.

  It was sweet and sensual, gentle and explosive all at once. Trev’s warm fingertips brushed over her cheeks just as gently as the movement of his lips. There was so much behind his kiss. So much between them that couldn’t be said.

  For a brief moment, they only felt.

  And Renna felt it all—the longing, the attraction, the friendship, the chemistry, the passion stirring within. It was all in his gentle kiss.

  Trev broke the kiss for a moment, searching her eyes again. They both knew what was coming next by the way they looked at each other—by the heavy breaths between them.

  In a fiery instant, their lips crashed together once more.

  This time it was different. At first, Renna couldn’t even breathe—couldn’t keep up with the hungry demand of Trev’s kiss.

  His body pressed against hers, but there was nowhere for her to go. The wall at her back forced her to blend into him. His wild hands clung to the fabric of her dress, grazing over her bare skin, pulling her body impossibly close.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her fingers through his curls the way she had always wanted to. By kissing, they had crossed a line. Renna didn’t know who had pushed who over it, but neither of them seemed to care.

  The kiss went on, eager, passionate, endless. Her heart raced, charging her body with explosive fire. Everything intensified. Her desire. His desire.

  Surely, no kiss had ever felt like this before.

  “Prince Ezra.” Her mother’s confident voice sounded from across the room, interrupting them.

  Trev and Renna broke apart, slowly untangling their limbs as they turned to face Queen Mariele.

  “We are expecting you downstairs. They are about to sign the marriage treaty.” Her mother spoke smoothly, seemingly unconcerned that she had just found them in each other’s arms. She didn’t even seem surprised, really.

  Trev cleared his throat. “Of course.” He pulled his suit jacket down and repositioned the gold crown on his head. The burning fire that had been in his eyes moments ago had turned to embarrassment. Or was it regret? He exited without a glance in Renna’s direction.

  Renna dared a look at her mother. She couldn’t read the expression on her face. Was it pity?

  “You are done for the night,” her mother said authoritatively. Mangum appeared behind the queen’s shoulder, his face solemn as if he knew exactly what she and the prince had been caught doing. Shame and guilt hung around Renna like a halo.

  “Mangum will escort you to your room, and you will remain there until I say you can come out. All of your food will be brought to you and Nora can get books or anything else you require.”

  Renna didn’t say a word, not of acknowledgement, nor of protest.

  She followed Mangum to her empty room.

  He hesitated by the door before leaving, like he wanted to say something to her, but he didn’t.

  Kicking off her heels, Renna dropped into bed, covering herself and the dress with her bedspread. She imagined nobody at the ball would have guessed that the girl in the red dress was upstairs above them, crying herself to sleep.

  36

  Trev

  Queen Mariele hadn’t been exaggerating.

  His father and Seran were on the dais in the great hall, ready to sign the treaty. An ornate table had been brought in with colorful flowers in a glass vase sitting on each end. Two extravagant pens with feathers poking out the back were placed on each side of the treaty. The only thing missing was Trev.

  Everyone watched him. They had all seen him chase after a woman that was not his fiancée. He could only imagine what they were thinking now. The heaviness of their stares and the sounds of their hushed whispers made his heart race with a panging guilt.

  Trev cleared his throat as he approached them, praying his lips weren’t swollen from the kiss. He swiped a hand at the beads of sweat forming on his hairline and stepped onto the dais.

  “Ezra,” Joniss sneered behind him, “you’ve kept an entire ballroom waiting, chasing after Renna like that.”

  Seran came to him with a smile, and all the blood drained from his face and rushed to his beating heart. She clasped her hands around his, dropping something inside his palm then pulled back.

  “Did you find my engagement ring?” Seran asked, raising her eyebrows as if prompting him. She turned to the guests gathered around the dais, smiling in her calm way. “I asked Miss Degray to hold my engagement ring, and then she left the ball, not feeling well.”

  Trev wrapped his fingers around the small circular object in his palm.

  A ring.

  He looked at Seran with her flawless smile, but her eyes gave her true feelings away.

  Seran knew.

  She knew, and she was helping him anyway.

  Trev swallowed hard. He had never hated himself so much.

  “Yes!” he said, a little too energetically. He opened his palm to the crowd. “I caught up to Miss Degray just in time.”

  A murmur rippled through the crowd and the tension loosened in the room. Seran’s actions had deflected their suspicions. They believed her.

  Queen Mariele stepped onto the dais as Trev slipped the ring onto Seran’s finger. Her expression was guarded, but he could see disappointment behind the brown swirls in her eyes.

  “Are you ready to sign the treaty?” Seran asked, leaning into him.

  Trev plastered on a smile. “Of course.”

  He picked up the feathered-pen and nodded at Seran. She bent over the document and signed her name. Then it was his turn. A heaviness rested on his shoulders. His heart protested that this was wrong, but then his mind reminded him of his kiss with Renna.

  That was wrong.

  He scrawled his name across the paper as if the very act could somehow take away his sins.

  The great hall cheered as King Carver held up the signed document. Then a procession of people came to shake his hand, congratulating him on a job well done.

  Trev didn’t deserve their respect. He didn’t deserve anything.

  The guests started thinning, and the servants rushed around, picking up glasses and plates.

  “I’m going to retire for the night,” Seran said as she passed him.

  “Wait,” Trev said, leaving the group of men he was talking with. “Can I walk with you?” He needed to face up to what he’d done, unsure as he was of what the consequences would be.

  She nodded, and he followed her out of the great hall.

  Neither one of them spoke as they walked to her room. She paused just before her door and turned to him expectantly. Trev rubbed his sweaty palms on the sides of his suit.

  “Seran, I’m sorry.” His words held so much shame.

  She took a deep breath like she was gathering her own courage. “For chasing after Renna, or for something more?”

  He wanted to hang his head, but he didn’t. He looked straight into her dark eyes. “For something more.”

  Seran let out a harsh laugh. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” She folded her arms across her
chest. “But I thought you were different. I thought you were going to actually try to make this marriage work.”

  “I do want to make this marriage work.”

  Her dark eyes glossed over. “So then, am I to blame Renna?”

  “No! It’s not Renna’s fault. It was all me.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Let me explain what happened. It’s not what you think.”

  “Ignorance is bliss,” she whispered as she bit her bottom lip. “My mother was married to a man who loved somebody else, but she never confronted him about it. I remember her saying that what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.” Seran puffed out a small laugh. “I used to think that made her weak, but I understand now. I don’t want to know any details about you and Renna. I don’t want them hanging over our relationship the rest of our lives. I just want to know if you can let her go.”

  Trev had wondered that same thing a hundred times. “I can let her go.”

  Her jaw set. “You’re going to have to because I won’t cover for you again.”

  “Why did you cover for me in the first place?”

  She laughed her harsh laugh again. “Because I was hoping it was a misunderstanding, but I can see that I was wrong.”

  “Seran, I’m so sorry.” His voice was raspy and thick as he tried to hold back his growing emotion. “I betrayed your trust and I don’t blame you for being angry. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again. I know my promises don’t mean much right now, but hopefully someday you can trust me again.”

  She placed her hand on the doorknob. “Then there’s nothing else to talk about.” For the first time, she didn’t look like a dignified princess. Just a young girl trying to be brave. He’d been so consumed with his own feelings of not wanting to be forced into marriage; he hadn’t considered Seran’s.

  She opened the door to her room. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then she was gone, and somehow Trev felt worse than he had before.

  The next morning, Trev sat in his office, staring blankly out the window. He wasn’t hiding out. At least that’s what he told himself.

  It was just a kiss.

  Just a kiss.

  Now wasn’t the best time for his excellent attention to detail to surface, but it did anyway. His memory recalled every moment with Renna, every touch, and exactly how it made him feel.

  It made him feel hot.

  He had been a sweaty mess since the kiss—loosening his tie, squirming out of his suit jacket, tossing the covers off last night. This was a persistent heat he couldn’t turn off, and he hated himself for it.

  “I think I will pay a visit to the province of Axville.” He spun in his chair, so he faced his assistant. “How soon can we be ready to go?”

  Crosby’s brows creased. “Sir, the wedding is in less than two weeks. What about the preparations?”

  “Princess Seran has all of that covered.”

  “What about your father? He won’t like you leaving so soon before the wedding.”

  Trev thought about Renna. “I don’t think my father will mind.”

  “What about the guests? They will be starting to arrive soon.”

  “Crosby, are you trying to talk me out of leaving?”

  Crosby dropped his chin in embarrassment. “No, sir. It just seems like odd timing to be leaving town. That’s all.”

  It was odd timing, Trev knew that, but he didn’t care. Nothing was happening at the palace that he couldn’t miss, and he needed to get over Renna. He couldn’t do that if they were under the same roof.

  “Not really,” he argued. “They still haven’t found the missing girls. I think it’s time somebody from the royal family visits their families and shows some support.”

  “It sounds like an excellent political plan, sir. I will get things arranged for a departure in a couple of hours.”

  37

  The Informer

  The night was quiet. Not even the echo of voices filled the city. The buildings lining the streets cast shadows one on top of the other, creating shapes in the dirt below him. He studied them for a minute, lost in thought as he waited in the secluded alley. A shadow emerged from the shapes; the skunk had finally come.

  “You’re late,” the informer said, pushing his body off the wall he leaned against.

  “So?” the skunk replied sharply.

  “So, I don’t like waiting.” His eyes flicked over the brusque man and his white streak of hair. He wasn’t intimidated by the skunk or his brooding eyes. No, he was repulsed by his filth.

  “Are you scared of the dark or something?” the skunk asked.

  He lifted his nose in disgust. “No. I just don’t enjoy fraternizing with the riff-raff.” He waved the man closer. “Do you have what I asked for?”

  The skunk shoved an envelope into his hand. He eyed him as he flipped through the stack of money inside.

  “It’s all there,” the skunk sneered. “Or don’t you trust me?”

  He gave the skunk a wry smile. “I don’t trust you at all. But I do trust King Adler. Here.” He opened his suit jacket, pulled out a file, glanced over his shoulder, and made sure no one was around before passing it to the man. “I’m sure this will make for some very interesting reading. All the information is there, everything that Adler needs to do and say to pull this scheme off. If he does his job right, the plan will succeed.” He couldn’t help but be proud of the plot he had come up with against King Carver and Ezra. “And in return, Adler better turn those pretty little missiles away from Albion when I’m king.”

  The skunk grabbed the file and turned to go.

  “Hey!” He grabbed the skunk by the shirt collar and pulled him close, whispering into his dirty face. “This plan puts the Trevenna family on a platter. Tell Adler not to screw this up. My entire future depends on it.” He released his grasp and roughly shoved him away.

  The man glared back at him but didn’t comment before disappearing around the corner.

  Joniss crossed the street, making his way to the waiting transporter.

  “Is it done?” Maxwell Doman asked once Joniss had climbed inside.

  “Have I ever let you down?” Joniss raised an eyebrow at his father then motioned to the driver to pull away. “Are you sure everyone believes you were strongly against the assassination plan? I wouldn’t want anything to be linked to us because you didn’t do your part.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve said it to Karda, Folly, Pryer, everyone. I said it during the high ruler’s meeting to the king himself. I may have planted the seed, but I made sure everyone knew I was wrong for suggesting it and was against it. This can’t be traced back to us.”

  Joniss pulled out the envelope from his suit jacket and flung it at his father.

  “That was the final piece in bringing down the Trevenna family,” Maxwell said, showing a satisfied smile as he peeked inside at the money.

  “Not entirely.” Joniss smirked. “There’s one more thing I need to do to secure the throne. Every future king needs to save the day.”

  38

  Renna

  Renna had been lying in bed for two days. Hours passed in a blur. The sting of loss had taken over her entire soul, seeping into every crack and crevice.

  Occasionally, she drowned herself in memories of Trev—memories of his lips on hers, his gentle touch, his playful banter. It all invaded her weak heart. She read his note about not flirting, tracing over the curves of his handwriting. It was a terrible game to play, but she’d always had a flair for the dramatics.

  Renna lay half asleep. An autumn breeze floated through the open window wrapping around her, cradling her in her depression. Her eyes opened to listen as voices got louder and louder until her door flung open.

  “She looks awful!” Cypress twisted her face into an ugly grimace then looked at Nora. “Bathe her and take her downstairs to Mangum. He’s waiting by a transporter for her.”

  “A transporter? Where are we going?” Renna was annoyed by Cypress’s intrusion.

  “Mang
um wants to take you to explore some ruins.” She could tell Cypress didn’t approve. “And for some reason, your mother said yes. Nora is going to try and make you look presentable.” Cypress nodded at Nora then quickly left as fast as she had come.

  Once Renna was dressed, the anxiety of possibly seeing Trev plagued her as she looked down both directions of the hall.

  Nora must have read her thoughts. “Don’t worry, miss. The prince is not here. He left yesterday afternoon to Axville for a few days.”

  Renna’s heart squeezed. He left? Without saying anything to her?

  “I only say that because I heard the queen and Mangum talking,” Nora added. “It sounded like his absence was a big deal.”

  Did Nora know about her and the prince?

  “He’s checking on the girls taken by those awful Tolsten soldiers. It’s so thoughtful of him to think of those poor girls. I’m sure their families will be delighted to see him and his kind eyes after such a terrible ordeal. It’s mighty good of the prince. He’s just such a sweet . . .” Nora clamped her mouth shut when Renna rolled her eyes. “Sorry, miss,” she said. “I won’t talk about the prince anymore.”

  Oh, Nora definitely knew something.

  Outside, Renna found Mangum waiting by an open transporter door.

  “It’s good to see you out of your room, Miss Renna.”

  She climbed past him into the soft leather seat. “I was only allowed out of my room because Prince Ezra is gone.”

  Mangum climbed in after her. “That may be true, but it’s still good to see you out.”

  “Where are you taking me? Cypress said something about ruins.”

  “I know how much you enjoy things from Pre-Desolation. There are a few acres of ruins about an hour away.” His lips curved into a half-smile. “I thought it might cheer you up.”

  Mangum had thought about her—planned something for her? His kindness prompted a cautious smile—the first one in days.