by A. M. Hardin
Levi is technically already there, but the reaction I had to the female’s attention being directed their way is in no way the normal reaction I used to have. It used to just annoy me. Now, though, it was like jealousy had a firm grip on my sanity. It took everything I had not to kill every single one of them on the spot.
Not just for how they were looking at Levi, but for how they were looking at Ezra and Julian, too.
And that thought scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to let these guys in any more than they already have been. I can’t afford to.
I don’t even really understand how they’ve gotten to this point. I mean, I’ve only known most of them for a short time.
“Are you alright?” Ezra asks, frowning at me.
I give him a strained smile. “Of course. I’m just getting tired. It’s been a long day.”
None of them look convinced. Fantastic.
“Really, I’m fine. I’m just getting a little fed up with being stared at.”
Each of their eyes scan our surroundings before turning their attention back to me. Ezra has an eyebrow raised, and Julian looks a little puzzled, but Levi looks like he’s trying not to laugh.
“And you don’t like being the center of attention,” Julian says.
“No, I don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like people enough to have all their attention on me. They can go somewhere else with that shit,” I say with a bit too much snark.
All three of them laugh at that.
Yeah, I know it’s weird that I have no tolerance for all the people staring at me considering I am a princess here and that kind of comes with the position.
“Where are your friends tonight?” Julian asks once they all calm down.
“They weren’t allowed to come,” I answer dryly.
“They’re not here to protect you, then?” he asks with a knowing smile.
I laugh a little. “No. They wish they were. Even though they don’t like these kinds of things.”
“They are pretty protective of you,” Ezra says with approval.
I shrug, but don’t say anything else. Turning my gaze to the room around us I see my mother staring hard at me with my sister beside her, the two of them talking again. I saw them chatting earlier by Maxwell as I was dancing with Julian. The way they’re watching me so hard has one question on a loop in my mind.
What are they up to?
A hand waves in front of my face, startling me from my suspicions. I look to the man attached to the hand and frown at Levi. “What?”
He smiles. “You were frowning pretty hard there. All good?”
“Yeah, it’s all good,” I mutter, my eyes briefly darting back to my mom and sister.
Levi tracks my gaze and a frown appears on his face making me laugh. “Now who’s frowning?”
He sighs and raises an eyebrow at me. “Why aren’t you mingling? It’s your favorite thing to do.”
My face scrunches up in disgust. “You have me confused with my sister.”
Levi smirks but otherwise stays quiet. I rub at the back of my neck trying to release some of the tension there. “How much longer do I have to be here? I’d rather be force fed nails.”
They laugh but it’s Julian who answers. “Truthfully, I’m feeling the same. Enough time has passed that I’ll be taking my leave soon, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to.”
I snort. “I think the only reason my mother would let me leave is if you were gone, so hurry the hell up and leave already.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. I just shrug, unrepentant.
I can’t help that I’m a little bitchy tonight. My control over my abilities is taking its toll. Especially with the constant stress from being here and being around my family.
Footsteps drawing near pull my attention behind me and I frown at the exasperation in Maxwell’s eyes as he joins us.
“What’s wrong?” I ask before turning my attention back to my mother and sister.
I see him shake his head in my peripherals, but he doesn’t say anything. Alrighty then.
“What do you say we get your mother to stop glaring at you for a little bit and dance to another song?” Julian asks me. “I’ll take my leave after that.”
“Alright.”
We move to the dance floor and dance for another song. After the dance is over, he leans over me, pressing a kiss to my cheek, startling my gaze to his.
He smiles. “Good night, princess.”
“Good night,” I automatically respond but it sounds more like a question.
I watch as he makes his way to my parents, probably to let them know he’s leaving. Still watching, I can’t help but frown at the way my mother beams at him. What the hell is she playing at? I don’t buy that she truly likes Julian or his parents.
My stomach churns as I watch the conversation happening at the other end of the room. My powers surge to the surface instinctively, causing glass to break all over the room. Gasps and cries start echoing around me.
Taking deep breaths to reign it in, I turn away from my family and Julian. Instead of going to my guards who are patiently waiting not far off to the side, I walk straight to the doors that lead out of the ballroom.
Once I’m further down the hallway, I hear three sets of footsteps coming from behind me. I don’t bother turning around since I know it’s just Ezra, Maxwell, and Levi. Instead, I keep walking until I get to Celeste’s room where I know both Celeste and Jade are waiting.
I barely glance at the guys as I open the door. “Stay out here, please. I won’t be long.”
The door practically slams shut behind me as I enter the room. Celeste frowns as she looks up from her book and Jade raises an eyebrow.
“All good?” Jade asks, tossing a small throwing knife on the bed beside her.
Taking a deep breath, I clench my fists at my sides, only realizing that my hands are shaking and shake my head quickly. They both stand, tensing immediately. “Celeste can you—“ I ask, gesturing to my ears.
She nods. “We can speak freely. They won’t be able to hear us.”
I sigh. “I need to get the fuck out of here.”
“Are you okay?” Celeste asks, her expression worried.
I take several deep, calming breaths before answering. “Now that I’m away from all the bullshit, I’m a little bit better.” I bite my bottom lip. “I’m losing control and I don’t know what to do besides get away from here. I made all the glass shatter in the ballroom right before I came here. I don’t think anyone knows it was me, though.”
Jade frowns thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about how we can get out of here. Give me a few more days and I should have a set plan that won’t get us caught.” She meets my eyes. “Do you think you’ll be fine for a while longer?”
I suck in a breath as I think about how much control I still have before I lose that control. “I think so.”
She nods. “Good. It shouldn’t take long but it may end up being another week or so before we can actually leave,” she warns.
I wipe my hand down my face, feeling extremely weary. “Alright. I think I can cope so long as I know that it won’t be forever.”
Jade smirks. “So, how was the party?”
* * *
Maxwell
The door shuts behind Crystal and I hear Jade ask if everything is alright. After a beat of silence Crystal asks Celeste to do something but I can’t hear anything anymore. I frown at the door.
“They soundproofed the room,” Levi observes, looking like he isn’t sure whether to be impressed or annoyed.
“That’s. . .odd,” Ezra mutters. “Why would they do that?”
I have a sneaking suspicion, but I can only hope I’m wrong. “Levi?” He glances over at me. “You said that Crystal never used to have much of a temper, right?”
Levi frowns. “Yeah, why?”
“Has she been more short tempered than usual as the days pass?”
“Yea
h,” Ezra says thoughtfully. “She chewed out one of the other guards yesterday because he ran into her on accident. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and she went off on him.”
Levi sighs, nodding. “Yes, her temper seems to have gotten worse the longer she’s here.”
“Because of her family?” Ezra asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t think it’s that.”
They each narrow their eyes at me. “What do you think it is?” Levi asks.
“I can’t be the only one who noticed how Crystal’s facial expression changed when she was fighting Miranda after being caught by her, can I?”
“No, I noticed it too,” Levi admits. Ezra nods, confirming he noticed as well.
“I’ve caught that expression several times tonight. Her facial features changed multiple times when she was about to lose her temper. I noticed it more while she watched you guys and her mother and sister. I don’t know for sure, but I think Crystal may have been the one who exploded all the glass in there tonight.”
And this is the part that I’m hoping I’m wrong about. “Crystal said she let more of her power out than she meant to while she was fighting Miranda. What if she almost becomes a different person when she lets her powers lose. It would explain the different body language. What I’m wondering is, if that’s the case, then she’s barely keeping control of her powers right now. What happens when she does lose complete control?”
Each of them exchange a worried look before turning back to me, their expressions somber.
Chapter Twenty
Crystal
My balcony window creaking drags me out of a fitful sleep.
It takes a moment for my fuzzy thoughts to clear and realize that it’s something that shouldn’t be making noise. In an instant, I’m awake and alert.
Careful to keep my breathing even, I listen to the sound of footsteps as they make their way toward my bed. Whoever this is, they’re confident. They’re not even trying to keep quiet any more than necessary, so my guards can’t hear them.
I close my eyes and when I open them again, I’m standing in the shadows at the other end of my room. I watch as the assassin creeps closer to my bed where an illusion of myself is sleeping soundly.
I chuckle as they reach into their cloak. They freeze, but don’t turn around.
“You’re pretty useless as an assassin, you know?” I say breezily. “You didn’t even realize that it’s an illusion in the bed and not actually me.”
The assassin turns, and in the blink of an eye something glints in the air and is flying toward me. It bursts into pink and black smoke as soon as it gets a breath away from me.
“Princess,” the assassin spits out, their voice distorted.
I raise an eyebrow at them. “Who hired you?”
The assassin laughs, the sound grating my nerves. Whatever’s changing their voice makes the laugh extremely annoying. “Wouldn’t you like to know, princess.”
I roll my eyes. “So, let’s skip the part where you inform me that you’ll kill me and if you don’t succeed there will be others and we’ll just move on to the part where you actually tell me who sent you.”
“Pretty cocky for a dead princess, aren’t you?” Their head tilts to the side, as if they’re confused.
My mouth curves as I step toward the assassin. “Pretty cocky because I am going to kill you. There are no doubts about that. However, if I have the restraint to wait until you tell me who hired you still remains to be seen.” The assassin tenses the closer I get, then reaches into their cloak again. In a heartbeat, a short sword appears in their hand, the tip pressed against my throat. “You should know, I don’t have the patience or restraint at the best of times to hear who hired you. And right now, my patience and restraint has worn out.”
The sword presses into my throat, a warm trickle of blood flows down my neck and into my top. I don’t bother looking. “You won’t live long enough to do anything, princess. Your guards can’t hear you, so they won’t be able to help.”
The arm holding the blade retracts slightly, but before they can thrust forward, I open my mouth and blow outward. A hazy vapor leaves my mouth, going straight into the assassin’s system through their eyes, nose, mouth and skin. The assassin jerks backward, their body seizing before they collapse to the floor, the short sword cluttering to the ground beside them.
My bedroom door bursts open and all three of my guards enter with their swords drawn. All three pause, their expressions shocked as their eyes bounce from the dead body on the floor to me and back again.
“Crystal—” Levi starts.
“Are you okay?” Ezra asks as they each sheathe their swords; their bodies still tense as bowstrings.
“I’m fine,” I assure them as I kick the foot of the dead assassin, knocking their foot to the side. “Whoever this is, they were an amateur. They couldn’t see through my illusion, which is pretty much engrained in assassin’s training. Either this isn’t a professional, or they were still in training.”
Maxwell tilts his head to the side, studying me. “How do you know that? I mean, you’re not wrong, but how do you know that?”
My mouth curves, but I don’t answer.
Levi’s eyes narrow on me, but he doesn’t say anything either. After a few tense moments, Ezra breaks the silence. “I’ll go let the king know. He’ll want to know about this.”
I watch Ezra leave the room, ignoring the feeling of guilt that is blooming inside my stomach. I already gave these guys too much of me. I can’t afford to give anything else.
I sigh as my attention is drawn back to the body at my feet. Without a word to the others, I bend down and remove the mask off the assassin’s face. I don’t recognize them, but that doesn’t mean anything.
“This guy was at the ball earlier,” Maxwell says, kneeling beside the assassin’s head. “I thought it was odd that he wasn’t doing anything except hanging against the wall. Most of the guests at least moved around and talked with others. Not this guy, though. He stayed in one spot the entire night.”
“He was probably ordered to watch but not engage during the party,” I murmur, my eyes going to the open balcony. I move around the body toward the balcony, but Levi grabs my arm, stopping me from getting too close.
“Crystal—”
“I just need to check something,” I assure him, my eyes still glued to the balcony.
“Let us check it out. Nothing can happen to you.” I look up at him and meet his worried blue eyes. Sighing, I nod.
“Fine. Hopefully all this shit will be over soon enough, anyway.”
For the second time tonight, my bedroom door slams open, admitting my mother and father. They storm inside with a tense Ezra behind them.
“What happened?” my father roars as soon as Ezra closes the door.
“Another assassination attempt,” Levi informs him.
“And it failed,” my father finishes.
“Clearly. As you can see, I’m fine, father.”
He snarls at me then looks at my guards. “Who killed him?”
“I did,” I answer, not paying attention to his glare.
“No, really, who killed him?” he growls at Levi.
“Princess Crystal tells the truth, your majesty. She killed the assailant before we even heard something was amiss in her bedroom,” Levi says, his tone oddly flat.
“From now on, at least one guard in the room with her,” my father orders, not allowing any room for argument.
That doesn’t stop me from trying anyway.
“Father, I don’t need—”
“Enough, Crystal!” he says. “I will not have you killed because you’re too prideful to accept that you now have around the clock protection. The only exception being the restroom.”
“Thanks,” I mutter dryly. So glad I get to take a piss without an audience.
I meet my guards’ eyes and realize that they all have the same look in them. They’re blaming themselves for what happened. My parents
stick around long enough to gather the dead assassin, but they leave immediately after. Probably wanting to go back to bed. I don’t blame them.
“It’s not your guys’ fault,” I assure my guards after my parents leave.
They ignore me and talk between themselves about who is going to stay in the room with me tonight. I roll my eyes and climb back into bed. I don’t turn to look at who was chosen until the bedroom door closes behind the others.
I look up at Maxwell and frown. “You going to beat yourself up all night? I can feel you brooding over here.”
He rolls his eyes and glares at me as he moves to stand beside my bed. “How did you kill the assassin? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
I don’t answer. “Still blaming yourself. Got it.”
“Crystal,” he says, his tone hard. “Tell me.”
I sigh. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I want to know. I won’t tell anyone else if that’s what you’re worried about. I just want to know how the assassin died.”
I purse my lips as I meet his dark eyes. “I can breathe toxic fumes if I want to.”
“Poison? That’s a fast-acting kind then?”
I smirk. “It’s instantaneous depending how high of a concentration I decide to dose the person with. I let the guy seize a bit before he died, so he knew death was coming.”
He stares at me with approval gleaming in his eyes. “Bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?”
“That’s really not the first time I’ve heard that,” I say with a sigh.
He sits beside me on my bed. “You should get some sleep, princess.”
I sit up so we’re only a few inches away. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
He studies me for a moment then shakes his head. “I’ll stop calling you that when you stop hiding shit from us.”
“I’m not hiding anything that has anything to do with you guys,” I answer carefully as my bangs fall into my eyes.
He brushes the hair away. “You’re still hiding shit, Crystal. Because it has to do with you. And you are very much our business.”