by Erin Hayes
Despite her sadness, Allyn couldn’t help giving the girl a small smile. She realized that though she was a ghost, she looked to be a child of ten at the most, with chin-length brown hair and brown eyes.
Maisie looked confused to see Allyn smiling at her, and her brows furrowed as she looked away and restarted the bath water. Steam started to fill the bathroom.
“Lin dropped off some clothes that are her size,” Maisie said. “I picked out the pretty blue dress since they’ll be dining in the sunroom.”
“Good girl,” Calinda said. She looked to Allyn. “Go on and bathe and put on the dress Maisie picked out for you. I will be waiting outside.”
“Sure. Whatever,” Allyn said, rubbing her eyes.
Calinda began to close the door behind her. “And try not to take too long. Prince Lennox doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“Of course he doesn’t,” Allyn said under her breath.
With that, Calinda closed the door and Allyn was left alone again.
She looked to her right at her reflection. For a second she thought she saw her image flicker in the glass, and stepped away from its view.
Eyes wide, Allyn held her breath.
What was that?
Chapter Thirteen
WHENEVER ALLYN WAS quiet, the castle seemed to speak to her in hushed tones that vibrated along her bones. Her heart thumped in her chest as she left her bedroom and walked down the long dark hallway to a double winding staircase that led to the main floor of the castle. The very air of the palace was thick with an eerie cloak of dread and suffering.
Sensitive to such things, Allyn could feel the strife of all who were cursed to be there.
The dark energy was overwhelming, making her sick to feel all of the pain and sadness that had occurred within those walls. There were so many stories that begged to be told, but she shut them out of her mind.
“This is the main floor of Baran Castle,” Calinda said, as she led Allyn to the staircase. She paused at the top and pointed to the level above. “Upstairs is where the princes live. Prince Conall lives on in the east wing, and Prince Lennox lives in the west wing. I’d stay away from both wings and keep to your room and the common areas.”
Allyn shook her head. She didn’t care to venture up there or anywhere else in that castle. If Conall wasn’t there, she had no care as to anything within those walls.
Dressed in a blue dress with long sleeves and flat black shoes, Allyn secretly plotted her escape. If Prince Lennox wouldn’t see reason and listen to how she knew his brother, she needed a backup plan. She counted the doors of the hallway, glanced at the main door, and noted how many guards were around.
What she couldn’t figure out was how she would get past the ghosts that roamed the halls, completing tasks they’d been doing for centuries as if they still lived. Why did they do it? Why were they working even in death?
At the bottom of the stairs, Calinda stopped her, stepping aside. “We will wait for the prince. He will join us.”
Allyn crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the master walk down the stairs.
Her face was flushed once he emerged from the shadows of the opposite end of the castle from where her room was located.
Captivated, their eyes met, but still cloaked in darkness, she couldn’t see the color until he stepped down and into the light of a grand chandelier that hung above the double staircase. Allyn tensed and she found herself holding her breath as he held her gaze, his blue eyes bright as the purest summer morning.
With white hair that was almost silver and styled much differently from the longer style the men of the kingdom wore, his hair was long on the top, cut short on the sides.
Those eyes.
Dear God, if he doesn’t look just like Conall.
Twins or not, they could have been the same person despite the difference in hair color.
The scowl on her face softened as she looked at him, a glimmer of hope that he would be even a tiny bit like his brother.
She still had yet to draw a breath. Something about him was unsettling, and just as he held her gaze, he broke it once he made it to the bottom of the staircase and turned the corner.
“Come,” he said to Allyn. “We no longer need you, Calinda. I’ll summon you after our meal.”
Calinda bowed and vanished, leaving Allyn feeling cold as she was left alone with the king.
Without another word, he led the rest of the way through the massive castle and its many halls. All of the other servants bowed as he passed them by, and returned to their duties, their expressions solemn and resolute.
Allyn had to quicken her pace as she followed him. She also found herself easily distracted by all that she saw. The paintings of his ancestors were intriguing. To actually see the original artwork of the Baran clan was remarkable.
All of her life she’d been on a quest for knowledge of history and legends. She lived for a good story, and history had some of the best. She paused at the end when she saw the remaining picture on the wall.
Prince Conall looked down at her, those kind eyes hiding a smile as if the artist that painted him had told a joke.
Where was Prince Lennox’s painting?
I guess the black sheep of the family doesn’t deserve one.
“Miss Carmody,” Prince Lennox called from far down the hallway. Sunlight shone from behind him, breaking up the dim lighting of the otherwise darkened castle, and highlighting the silver of his hair. “Move your ass.”
Allyn was surprised that he knew her last name, and taken aback by the harsh tone of his voice.
She lifted her dress’ hem to keep from having it drag at her feet and abandoned her spot before the wall that stretched up to the ceiling and the row of portraits that lined it.
Once they made it to the sunroom, Allyn looked to the glass ceiling and all around at the different flowers that lined the wall of windows. The wintry scene was much more beautiful from inside where it was warm. It was almost magical, especially with the vines of roses climbing the window and ceiling.
Two men stood there, waiting in their white uniforms, their ghostly figures translucent just like Calinda’s.
Prince Lennox stood at the head of a table set for two and motioned for her to take the seat across from him.
She did so and watched him sit. One of the men put a black cloth across her lap and poured her water. She couldn’t help herself, and stared at the prince while he checked his shiny, gold watch.
He sighed as if annoyed and finally looked at her again. When he did so, she quickly looked away. Something about his gaze was too unnerving and stirred something in her that she wasn’t used to. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Conall looked at her instead of Lennox. It was just her heart wishing it were true.
“You look tense,” he said, his voice smooth like velvet. “No one is going to hurt you. Not right now at least.”
“Why is that? I thought the point of the witch hunt was to catch us and kill us.”
He sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “I’m going to make something clear to you. When you got away from me a year ago, I’ve wanted nothing but to watch you burn.”
Allyn sat up. Prince Lennox was the Wolf she escaped in the woods outside of her village. The revelation frightened her. Memories of how big he was in his Wolf form was unsettling. She recalled the fear that filled her as he chased her that night.
“My assistant tells me you and my brother met, and that he wants to let you live.”
“Yes. Conall and I know each other. He is supposed to come for me once winter ends. We are kind of…together.”
Lennox nodded, mocking interest in her story. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding eagerly.
“Oh,” he said. “That’s interesting because I couldn’t care less what Conall wants.”
Allyn leaned forward. “What do you want?”
As if her question caught him off guard, his eyes widened for a split second. Then, he cleared his throat
and leaned in toward her, so that their faces were almost close enough to touch.
She looked at him, not backing down.
“I’d be happy to glide my tongue along your entire body. You know, while my fingers stroke your sweet spot.”
Lennox licked his full lips and Allyn coiled back. Her face flushed.
He chuckled and sat back in his chair. He rubbed his chin. “Not what you were expecting?”
Allyn picked up her glass of water and drank it down, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes again or reply to his question.
Once brunch was served, Allyn had no appetite. She picked over her steak and eggs while Lennox demolished his. You’d have thought he didn’t have access to the best food in the kingdom by the way he ate.
“Eat up,” he said.
“I’m not hungry.”
He paused and put his fork and knife down. “Eat.”
Allyn’s brows furrowed.
He ate a piece of rare steak. “Suit yourself. I’m taking you to Faustinia and you’ll want to eat before we go. It’s a long flight on a small jet. What size are you, anyway? Can you dance?”
A gasp escaped her lips. “What? We can’t go there. That’s the War Zone.”
“You say this like its news to me.”
Allyn pushed her plate away. “I’m not eating or doing anything until you tell me what is going on. Why am I here?”
“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?”
“Well, if my life is in danger, I feel like I have a right to know.” Her cheeks were red. Lennox’s conceit was irritating, to say the least.
He failed to realize who he had sitting before him. The secret was already out. What was to stop her from using her power?
Keep cool, she reminded herself.
“Fair enough,” he said and pushed her plate back to her. “I have some friends I’d like you to meet.”
“Why would I do anything that you want?” She’d reached the end of her patience.
His voice lowered. “I don’t know, witch. But, I think your father would want you to do whatever I say.”
Allyn shot to her feet. Her heart sped as she looked down at him, that smug look on his face only angering her more. When he stood, he was a full foot taller than her. He pushed the table away and crossed the space between them.
Chest to chest, he peered down at her. He leaned down to speak right into her ear. “Do you understand who is in charge now?”
Tears fell from her eyes as she stared at his shoulder, his warm breath on her neck.
She nodded. “Yes.”
When he stroked her cheek, she flinched. “Good girl,” he said, with a laugh and stepped away.
Allyn stared ahead as he left the room, her heart thumping in her chest.
How would she get out of this now?
A tear dripped from her chin.
He’d found the one way to really make her his prisoner.
Chapter Fourteen
A SLEEK BLACK JET awaited Allyn and Prince Lennox that afternoon. She looked on in wonder as they stood at the top of one of the towers where the jet landed. Prince Lennox stepped out into the snow, like Conall, unaffected by the brutal winds. He walked across the snow-covered rooftop as if he strolled along the beach on a summer day.
Allyn stared in awe as the wind seemed to make way for him, not a single flake of snow landing on his black suit. Allyn, on the other hand, ran from the castle and climbed inside as the wind blew snow into her face.
Once she was inside, she took off her hood and warmed her hands with her breath. There were only two seats in the back of the jet, and when Prince Lennox sat beside her, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to avoid staring at him.
It had been ages since Allyn had been out during the winter curfew. For as long as she could remember, she had watched it pass by from her bedroom window, or from the inside of the convent. She used to count the days until winter ended so that she could be free to play in the woods.
“Tell me something, Allyn,” Lennox said, not bothering to look up from his phone as he seemed to check emails. He sat on the opposite end of her, while an attendant poured whiskey into his glass.
A quick glance down at his phone showed that he had thousands of unread emails. No wonder he couldn’t take his focus off of it. It would take hours to go through them all.
“I’ll tell you anything if you tell me where my father is.”
“He’s somewhere safe. I promise. Nothing will happen to him if you cooperate.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I will do whatever you ask.”
He grinned, leaning closer to her. “Is that so? Whatever I ask?”
She shot him a glare. “Within reason.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” He scrolled through his messages, his finger swiping upward on his phone’s screen. “I’ll never forget the first time I shifted in a Wolf. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. To revert to something so primal and untamed is liberating. Sometimes I wish I could remain a Wolf at all times.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I prefer being a man. While there are social constraints that come with it, there are also perks. You know, pretty women, football,” he said, and lifted his glass. “Whiskey.”
“You’re a simple man,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“It would appear that way,” he said, taking a drink of his whiskey. “Tell me when you knew you were a witch. What was that like?”
“It wasn’t pleasant,” she told him, closing her eyes against the memory.
“And why is that?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Do I have to remind you of who is in charge? Answer the question, Allyn.
Allyn shot him a glare. “Because my mother died that day. Are you pleased? Are you satisfied?”
That made him look up from his phone. He stared at her, his brows furrowing in what she would have anticipated being horror or judgment. Instead, he looked saddened, his face paling as he watched her scowl at him, her cheeks reddened.
She looked down at her hands. “My power used to be controlled by my emotions. The day she died was the day I lost all control of whatever is inside of me,” she said, her voice lowered to barely above a whisper.
The silence that followed her story left her feeling exposed.
“I had no idea.”
She glanced at Lennox as he put his phone away and met her eyes.
“All I remember of my mother was how she couldn’t even look at me.” He stopped talking and looked away.
“That must have been awful. Why couldn’t she look at you?” Allyn asked, a part of her heart hurting for him.
She couldn’t imagine such a thing. Her mother’s love was half of what shaped her into the woman she was. If Allyn didn’t have a loving mother and father, she was certain that she would have grown into a cold woman, bitter and too weak to fight whatever evil awaited within. Perhaps if Lennox had been shown more love, he’d be a different person.
“How should I know?” Lennox looked at her with an agitated look on his face. “She didn’t like me. Simple as that.” He waved a flippant hand at her and went back to his phone. “Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”
Allyn looked out the window at the clouds. That was clearly a sensitive area for Lennox, and the first glimpse of humanity she’d seen. Maybe there was a tiny crack in his hardened façade, but bringing up their mothers did nothing to improve her mood either.
She hadn’t spoken about her mother in ages. She’d been twelve when she died, and it was an event that changed her life forever. Everything and everyone Allyn had ever loved had either died or left her, and now, all she had left was her father. She had to find out where he was, and get away from Prince Lennox.
First, she needed to survive whatever he had planned for her in the War Zone.
Chapter Fifteen
THE WAR ZONE wasn’t what Allyn imagined. The media made it seem as though it was a desolate place where
nothing stood but ruins and old decrepit buildings.
Instead, she looked down in awe at domed buildings that housed buildings that looked much like those within the city limits. To think that this thriving city was only a half day south from Elastria was perplexing.
“What is this place?”
“Faustinia. Where the fairies live.”
Allyn shot him a look. “Really?” With widened eyes, she peered out the window at the darkened city. History said that the fairies started the war. But, she never believed it. She imagined the fairies had books as well and probably blamed the humans.
Lennox nodded. “You aren’t afraid?”
“Why should I be? I have more in common with fairies than I do with humans.”
“Good.”
“Why is that good?” Allyn asked as the jet landed on a black strip outside of the massive dome. The vibrations of the jet slowed as the engine was shut off.
Lennox stood and reached for her hand. “Because you’re my date.”
“For what?”
“For the Faustinian Winter Ball. I never miss it. And I’m known to have the most beautiful arm candy.”
“Good Lord. I have to be seen with you?”
He laughed—a laugh that was exactly like Conall’s—and nodded. “That you do.”
She scrunched up her nose, hating that he shared Conall’s charming laugh. She accepted his hand as he led her from her seat and to the door.
Outside, the storm raged just as hard as in Elastria, with winds that threatened to lift her from the ground and throw her into the flat wilderness that surrounded them. Prince Lennox held tight to her, seeing her having trouble staying balanced. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist as they waited for a black car to come from the dome and park in front of them.
Allyn only had a few moments to appreciate the warmth of Lennox’s body as his chest was pressed to her back, as he stood behind her. They hurried into the car and closed the door against the tirade of fluffy white snow.
Allyn covered her face with her hands, trying to warm her nose which had gone numb from the cold. Without delay, the car turned and drove them toward the dome, and in through the metallic gates which stood several hundred feet high. It didn’t look as though the fairies were trying to invade human territory. You’d think that they were trying to protect themselves from the humans.