Unlocked

by Casey L. Bond

  I didn’t even have to search the sea of people for him, because suddenly he was there, waiting at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at me as if he was seeing me for the first time. The wings of a thousand albatrosses beat in my stomach.

  His eyes met mine, and then he took a step toward me.

  I shook my head.

  I wanted to descend these stairs by myself. I needed to assert myself as sovereign in front of him and all the assembled people; royal, noble, and peasant alike.

  I was the reigning Queen of Paruth. No one could dispute it.

  As the Princess and sole survivor of a tragedy that decimated the Kingdom of Paruth, I was the phoenix who didn’t die in the fire, but became part of it. Who learned to breathe in the ash and exhale the smoke and flame, refusing to succumb to the scorching heat. And I wanted Trevor and the whole world to know it. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted. I watched him like a hawk as I descended the staircase.

  Murmurs and whispers floated up to me, and the long braid of my hair beat my back with every step toward my future. Ella was right. There was no other woman in the room who held his attention, and it wasn’t because we were best friends, closer than thieves. It was because he loved me, and I loved him just as strongly in return.

  I could feel it snap into place, this thing we’d both been fighting for so long, each thinking we didn’t deserve it. But we did. We deserved this love. Not because we were special or because we were royals, but because we were more incredible together than we were apart. We made one another happy, and we had this beautiful life ahead of us, full of second chances. I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend it with.

  Step by step.

  Stair by stair.

  I made my way to him.

  And the world fell away.

  When I reached the final step, he was there with his hand outstretched. As I took it, he pulled me to him. “You’re beautiful, Ray,” he choked.

  Tears stung my eyes. “You’re magnificent,” I replied. He was. With his honey hair, topped with a golden crown, and expensive dark suit, he looked the part of Prince; but in his eyes, he was just Trevor: my best friend in the world and the man I loved with every speck of me.

  If I were made of sand, every grain would call out to him. If I were made of sea, I would make sure he never drowned.

  His eyes promised the same. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a while.”

  “I know.”

  “Where did you get this crown?” He brushed his knuckles over the metal, setting my skin on fire when his skin met mine.

  “It was my mother’s. It’s a long story and I’ll be glad to tell you later, but right now,” I glanced around the room, “everyone is waiting for the Ball to begin. This isn’t the time.”

  “No, it’s not the time for that,” he answered. “But it’s the perfect time for this.” He dropped to one knee and stuck his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small, silver ring. Mounted on top of it was my gray pearl. I couldn’t stop smiling, and once started, the tears wouldn’t be staved off.

  “I’ve loved you longer than I realized,” he began, “and I should’ve told you a long time ago, Raya. I should have made sure you knew it before we left the island, but I wasn’t sure I was what you needed or deserved. I needed to find myself and make sure I became exactly that, and I wanted to make sure you were happy. If I’m right, you love me back.”

  I nodded, swiping another tear.

  “Good,” he grinned. “Then do me the honor of becoming my wife, my equal, my princess, and one day, my queen.”

  “Of course I will,” I choked. He slid the ring onto my fourth finger and rose. I threw my arms around him, almost knocking us both over. Our crowns clanged together, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to hold him. I buried my face into his neck, breathing in the masculine scent of him and feeling the scruff of his jaw against my soft flesh.

  Everyone around us was cheering. Well, almost everyone. Mina looked like she’d bitten into something sour. She stomped away into the great hall, weaving haphazardly through the giddy crowd.

  Trevor picked me up and spun me around. I couldn’t help but laugh. “I get the first dance,” he claimed.

  Wincing, I pointed to Cap. “Actually, I promised him the first dance.”

  “Cap? The old man works quickly.”

  Cap wiggled his fingers at Trevor.

  “I’ll take the second dance, then,” Trevor vowed.

  I winced again. “I might have promised it to Gill.”

  “And the third?”

  “Carden.”

  “Hell, no. Carden can go fourth. I’m taking his turn.”

  Carden, who was standing nearby with Ella and Asher, rolled his eyes dramatically. “Fine,” he yelled. “I’ll allow you to cut in.”

  The crowd filed into the great hall, but we stayed behind, unable to let one another go. King Yurak finally made his way to us. “Welcome to the family, Raya.”

  “I know I’m not your ideal choice for…” I started.

  He shook his head. “Nonsense. You are exactly who I want for my son. You’re the one he loves. Nothing else matters.”

  I hoped he meant it.

  “Life has her own agenda sometimes, and we must choose from the paths she provides. I’m grateful that you and Trevor have chosen to walk your paths together. I truly am,” he admitted.

  “I only want him to be happy,” I acknowledged.

  Yurak chuckled. “Then you and I will get along splendidly, my dear. Now, if you two are ready, the Ball is beginning.” Music poured from the opened doors, along with the babble of many conversations at once. I think Trevor surprised more than just me. Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe he only affirmed what they knew all along.

  Trevor groaned when Cap stuck his head out the door and waved for me. “You owe me a dance, girly!”

  I tugged Trevor’s arm, promising to find him after the first two dances.

  TREVOR

  Cap playfully spun Ray around the floor. For an old sailor, he was certainly light on his feet. I tried not to feel jealous that he was dancing with my future wife. I tried really hard. And for the most part, I did pretty well.

  Until the second song began. Ella and Asher chatted playfully with Carden, which surprised me a little, but I was glad for their distraction as they tried to include me in their conversation. A conversation I was only half listening to, because everyone in the room could see Gill’s blush.

  What kind of man blushed like a boy?

  The kind touching my future wife.

  Carden threw an arm over my shoulder and sloshed his ale over the rim of his goblet. He’d downed three of the drinks in the last five minutes. “Easy, boy.”

  I shrugged his hand off. Ella and Asher had done me a favor. They had made a circle of the room and had quickly spoken to every group asking that they stay off the dance floor for the next number.

  They’d made it back just in time. The song was finally coming to an end.

  Ella started to whine about how swollen her ankles were, and then her eyes locked on Enik across the room. “Is that who I think it is?” she remarked angrily.

  Asher grabbed her arm as she started stalking toward him. “It isn’t nice to pick fights in the middle of a celebration, dear,” he reprimanded.

  “He’s terrible!” she fumed. “Ivy was right about how her life would have been with him.” Asher calmed her down while I waited for the interminable song to end. Gill kept flashing nervous glances in my direction.

  When the two bowed and curtsied and she started in my direction, I wasted no time in making my way toward her and pulling her into my arms. “This is where you belong,” I murmured.

  “I know, and this is where you belong, too.”

  Her attention diverted by sudden movement, her mouth fell open. The entire floor cleared out, and it was just her and I. The musicians began playing the perfect song; capturing the aching, the happine
ss, and the sadness of every moment that brought us to this very place. “Did you do this?”

  “With a little help from some friends…yes.”

  She beamed at me and I memorized the moment, the way her hair fell and the sweeping contour of her cheeks and chin, the way her eyes lit up and the softness of her hand as I took it in mine. I couldn’t have cared less about the proper distances we should keep while dancing. I pulled her close and held her body to mine, leaning in to whisper against her lips. “May I?”

  “You may,” she grinned.

  Closing the distance was almost as easy as getting lost in her; in her scent, feel, and taste. We kissed for what felt like hours, oblivious to the crowd of people who cheered for us as we parted. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have stopped smiling. Raya was mine, and I was finally hers.

  “We have a wedding to plan, Ray. Unless you want to call for a priest right now.”

  She swatted me playfully. “I want to marry you more than anything in the world, but I want to wait until the Winter Solstice. That’s when Paruthan weddings are traditionally held.”

  I didn’t groan aloud, but waiting six months was going to be difficult. Especially now that I knew she felt the same way about me as I did about her.

  “Stop pouting, Prince.”

  “Stop torturing me, Princess.”

  She tipped her chin up. “Never.”

  Chapter thirty-seven

  Raya

  Trevor and I rose early and walked together to the docks to say our farewells to Carden, Ella and Asher, and the men aboard Cap’s ship. We also had to give Tross goodbye kisses. He was spoiled by smoked fish and the promise of a stiff sea breeze, and was going with them to the Southern Isle.

  We peppered him with kisses until Cap called for the anchor to be raised. Tross flew to Gill, perching on the railing beside him. Tross and I had once been inseparable, but if he was happy and well-cared for, I was happy for him.

  I told Trevor the truth. Tross recognized the brokenness in him the night he risked his own life, his wings, to fly out into the blizzard to lead me to him. But it was also true that he came to me and stayed because he saw the same in me. He saw I was hurt, that I was damaged and needed a friend. And now that I had a new home and someone to care for me, he was content to sail elsewhere. Maybe Gill needed him more than I did now.

  Whatever it was, it was joyous and freeing to see him go, knowing he would come home soon enough if he was able. Tross knew where to find us, and we’d always keep a place open in our hearts for him.

  If life taught us anything, it was that things could change in an instant. The places we lived could change. The people we loved could die. And it was because of the tumultuousness of life that we should live it to the fullest, and love like there may not be another tomorrow to do so.

  I slipped Carden a bag of coin and jewels, hoping he didn’t squander them on ale and women, but knowing he probably would. He’d comforted Mina last night the only way Carden knew how, according to the murmurs aboard the ship. Not that she wasn’t a willing participant in their scandalous and very short affair. The moment he gave her his attention, she attached herself to him and the pair disappeared into the shadows, each carrying their own bottle of wine.

  Carden thanked me for the pouch, but insisted he could support himself on this journey. He was infuriatingly proud, stubborn, and arrogant at times, but he’d also become my friend, and I didn’t want him to struggle once he stepped foot onto the Southern Isle. Life was different there. I’d heard many stories in my childhood about the Fae, and knew firsthand what havoc they could wreak. They were destructive, vindictive. All I could do was pray he kept his wits about him.

  Ella and Asher waved to us from the ship, Carden standing beside them. Cap was taking them home first before sailing south. The remaining parties from the northern kingdoms would depart soon enough.

  “Father wants me to travel to Tierney to seek an audience with King William,” Trevor announced as we started to walk back towards the castle.

  “I’m going with you,” I asserted.

  “You can’t go with me. It’s too dangerous.”

  “It would be far more dangerous for you, if you were to leave me behind, Trevor,” I retorted wickedly.

  “Is that a threat?” he marveled, fighting a grin.

  “Absolutely.”

  He turned and wrapped his arms around me, placing his lips at my ear. Every word sent a shiver down my back. “I love it when you’re bossy. And you can come with me, as long as you let me make the decisions about our safety. I know William, and though I think he’ll be amiable, if I sense you are in the slightest of dangers, I’ll take you away from it. I’ll keep you safe. You mean more to me than my own life. Do you understand?”

  “Mhmm. I like it when you’re bossy, too,” I admitted.

  “Want to go see your tower?”

  “It’s still mine?” I asked.

  “Of course. It can be our special hideaway.”

  “I love that,” I breathed against his lips. He growled, his chest rumbling under my fingertips. And then he bent down, picked me up and tossed me over his shoulders, and ran to the sand while I squealed, watching the world bounce beneath me, grains of sand flying up from his boots.

  Every bad thing that happened to us brought us to this moment. And though they hurt, and though we still bore the scars of our pasts, I knew that no matter what else life threw at us, we had a bright future ahead because we would face it together.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’m blessed to have some very magical people in my life.

  To Elton for encouraging me to be happy in whatever I do in this life.

  To Juliet and Eris, thank you for being so supportive of my dream.

  To my mom, thanks for always helping me with the plots to my stories. And my dad for always listening to my nerdiness.

  Thanks to all my family and friends who care and are there for me in good times and bad.

  To my beta-reader: Cristie Alleman, thank you for helping make the story better.

  Thanks to Stacy Sanford. She always makes my books shine and she’s pretty much like an editing fairy godmother.

  Thanks to Melissa Stevens, who drew the cover, map for the series, and interior illustrations and formatted it for print and e-book. Thank you for slaying the imagery for this book.

  Thanks to my amazing reader group, The Bond-tourage, who keep me excited about writing!

  The world is a better place because we can lose ourselves in our imaginations for a little bit. Thanks to every reader who picks this, or any of my books up and gets lost. I appreciate you so much.

  And, most of all, thanks to God for his many blessings in my life.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Award-winning author Casey L. Bond lives in Milton, West Virginia with her husband, where they’re raising two amazing, bright little girls. She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write, letting the voices in her head spill onto the blank page.

  To learn more, visit her at her website.

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  RElEaSiNg in 2018

  Hearts are beastly things.