The Dark Princess (The Balance Series Book 3)

by Janelle Stalder

  “Make it ten. Put some make-up on too.”

  I growled a curse at him before stomping the rest of the way up. I was pretty certain I caught a deep chuckle follow.

  ***

  Cillian was waiting for me outside when I finished. I stopped at the edge of the porch as he turned around, his eyes raking down the front of me. When they lifted to meet mine, I sucked in a breath at the heat I saw in the depths of them. My stomach tightened, a slow burn creeping up my spine. In a blink, it was gone. An emotionless shutter came down over whatever I thought I had seen there as he pressed his lips together and said hoarsely, “better.”

  Better? I looked down at the tight, black dress and red heels, the same red that was on my lips, and thought I had done more than just better. I’d even done the black, smoky look around my eyes in the hopes it made me appear older. With my hair sprayed and tossed into loose waves, I had surveyed myself in the mirror before coming down, and had thought I’d accomplished what he’d suggested.

  “Ready?”

  I stepped down. “Where exactly is it that we’re going?”

  His lips pulled up into a wolfish grin. “You’ll see when we get there.”

  “That’s very ominous,” I muttered, turning to look around.

  “You’re about to fully step into my world, Miss. French. Everything is ominous.”

  “First of all,” I said, facing him again. Where was his car? “That statement in itself was ominous, so stop it. Secondly, my name is Hope. Hope. Can you please stop calling me, Miss. French? We’re partners now, remember?”

  “Fine,” he said through tight lips, the whites of his teeth flashing in the night as he ground out, “Hope.”

  “Thank you. Geez. Was that so hard?”

  He turned away, and I could have sworn I heard him mutter under his breath, “You have no idea.”

  “Was there a third thing, Hope?” He asked, standing back from me.

  “Where is your car?” I asked, glancing around again.

  This time those full lips pulled all the way up, and I got the feeling I wasn’t going to like the next words out of his mouth.

  His large wings snapped out, and I stumbled back a step.

  “Don’t say it...” I said, shaking my head.

  His smile widened. “I don’t like cars.”

  “You have got to be kidding me! I’m not...flying with you!”

  “Would you prefer to stay here?”

  I growled, throwing my hands up. “No! I got all...” I motioned down the front of me, “ready.”

  “Then?” He crossed those muscular arms, cocking one eyebrow, and I have never wanted to smack someone so much in my life as I did him.

  “I’m wearing a dress,” I pointed out, exasperated.

  He shrugged. “I’ll make sure you stay - decent.”

  What choice did I have? I didn’t want to just sit around and wait for something else to come after me. I wanted to figure out who was behind this, and more importantly why. And then I wanted them stopped. Staying behind like some damsel in distress wasn’t who I was. Some deep part of me knew I could do more than that - was more than that.

  I groaned, my shoulders slumping forward. Dragging my feet, I walked over to him and stopped. “You’re enjoying this way too much. You know that, don’t you?”

  He chuckled, and the sound had me shivering. “You have no idea,” he said. Before I could make any more arguments, he bent forward, wrapping one arm around my waist and scooping my legs up with the other. I let out a gasp as I was lifted into his arms.

  Too much.

  Too close.

  I didn’t know what to look at or where to put my hands. The heat of his skin burned mine at every point of contact. My breath hitched, my heart racing a mile a minute.

  “Scared?” He asked.

  I could feel the blush on my cheeks, thankful it was too dark for him to see it. I tried to play off my reaction as fear. “Wouldn’t you be?” I said, clasping my hands in my lap.

  “Don’t be,” he said, bending his knees slightly. “I won’t drop you.”

  He pushed off.

  ***

  This was worse than any roller coaster I’d ever been on.

  My stomach was left down on the ground as we rose high into the sky. His arms squeezed me tighter to his chests as his wings flapped, the sound loud against my ears. I dug my face into his neck. My hands gripped his shoulders as another chuckle rolled through me.

  “This is not funny,” I shouted against his skin.

  “Maybe not for you,” he said, and then suddenly we were tilting forward and moving - flying.

  I was - FLYING.

  I pried open one eye, looking over his shoulder at the night sky above us. Stars twinkled so close, I couldn’t help but wonder if I reached out, would my fingers brush up against them? They glittered like tiny diamonds, so much more beautiful here than they ever seemed from the ground. I didn’t know how long we flew, but my fingers had eventually lessened their bruising grip on him, and my heart had slowed to a normal pace as I looked at the sky. There was something incredibly - peaceful, being this high up, alone.

  Cillian turned his face slightly. “Get ready to land,” he said, his lips brushing against my ear. I nodded, not trusting my voice.

  We were dropping the next minute, and I’m not proud to admit that I screamed a little, this time practically clawing my way up Cillian, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  We landed with a thud.

  “You can let go now,” Cillian said.

  I resented the amusement in his voice.

  He lowered my legs gently. They swung just above the ground since I hadn’t released his neck yet, my body hanging there.

  “Hope,” he said with a chuckle. “You’re going to have to let go.”

  “I’m working on it,” I bit out. I couldn’t do it. No matter how hard I tried, my arms wouldn’t relax.

  Cillian’s arm wrapped back around my waist, his large hand resting on my stomach. It only made me clench tighter. Suddenly I felt his nose glide along my neck, his inhale in my ear as he breathed in against my skin. That hand on my stomach gripped, and I swore I was lit on fire. It started low in my gut, spreading up my spine to my neck, and then further up into my cheeks. Some part of me I’d never felt before seemed to wake up, as if it had been sleeping until now, stretching and warming up from his touch. My entire body felt loose as it melted into him.

  “There, better now?”

  His words crashed over me like a bucket of ice. I realized I had lowered to stand on my own feet, my arms no longer clinging to him. I couldn’t meet his eyes as I stepped away, trying to get control of myself. Here I was, panting over his touch like some cat in heat, and he’d just been trying to get me to relax enough to let go of him. I was such an idiot. I was a job to him. That’s what he had said. Just a job. He probably saw me as no more than a child.

  I finally managed to look at him, tilting my head to the side as I took in his face. “How old are you?”

  His lips twitched. “Older than you want to know.”

  Yep, that settled it. I might as well have been toddling around in diapers to this guy. Talk about a dose of reality.

  Smoothing down the front of my dress, I swallowed my embarrassment and looked at where we were.

  It was a large mansion, not at all what I had expected. We were standing just in front of the walk way that led to a pair of black, iron doors. They looked so heavy, I wondered if I would be able to open them myself. The exterior almost reminded me of the White House, as it indeed was white as well, lined with windows on the upper and lower floors, and large columns holding up a gabled roof above the entrance.

  However, there was something innately menacing about this place. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but every hair on my body had risen to stand at attention, while that flight or fight instinct deep within my gut was screaming that this was a flight situation if ever ther
e was one.

  It was the stillness, I realized. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. Not an insect, or animal, not even the air seemed to want to pass through here. It was unnatural and eerie, as though we were in a world where only the house alone existed.

  “What is this place?” I whispered, some warning bell going off in my mind that said to not draw attention.

  Cillian stepped up beside me. “This is, Le Chateau”

  “That doesn’t really answer the question,” I said, forcing my feet to move as he started casually down the path. My fingers itched to reach out and hold on to some part of him as we drew closer.

  “This is where every key player in our world comes to rest and relax, and also to make strategic business deals with other key players. If there’s any talk going around about who is after you, this is where we’ll hear of it.”

  We stopped just in front of the doors. Cillian turned to me, his face grim. “The - people, and I say that loosely, in here are dangerous. Whatever you do, do not leave my side, do not take any food or drinks from anyone but me, do not speak to anyone unless you’re spoken to, and whatever you do - do not look down.”

  That last part surprised me. From the direction his instructions had been going, I was sure he would want my eyes on the floor the whole time, a silent piece of ass on his arm.

  “Why?” I asked, my brows furrowing.

  His fingers gripped my chin, not painfully, but enough that I knew I wouldn’t be able to look away, even if I had wanted to. “You don’t look down to anyone in here. You keep your head high and proud, and show them you are strong. Never convey weakness, especially not in here.”

  “Okay,” I said, my voice tiny, catching on the one word.

  He turned and banged on the door without waiting for me to say anything else. A loud grinding sound screeched into the silence around us, revealing a hidden panel within the door I hadn’t noticed before. Inhuman, yellow eyes with slit pupils like a cat peered out at us. There was a grunt of recognition before it slammed closed again, and I could hear a network of locks clicking on the other side.

  “Will people know who I am in here?” I whispered to him, stepping closer so I was slightly shielded by his body.

  “Yes,” he said simply.

  “How?”

  I could tell from the way his muscle bunched that it was a question he didn’t want to answer.

  “The creatures in here will have senses far superior to a human’s.”

  I waited for him to continue, but he fell silent as if that explained it all.

  “Care to elaborate?”

  He sighed. “It means, they’ll take one whiff of you, and know exactly whose blood runs through your veins.”

  My head snapped back in surprise. That hadn’t even occurred to me as a possibility. I sniffed at my arm, not picking anything up but the faint scent of my cocoa butter cream. I wondered if I smelled bad.

  “Plus your eyes are a dead giveaway,” he added.

  My eyes? I blinked, my heart clenching a bit. Mom had always said I’d gotten my bright blue eyes from my father. Swallowing, I took a deep breath as the iron door creaked.

  Out of the corner of my mouth, I said, “if people will know me, won’t that just make me being here bait for whoever is after me?”

  I could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, even though I couldn’t see his face.

  “I’m counting on it.”

  “I - what?”

  The door opened.

  ***

  It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness when we stepped inside. It was pitch black, as if we’d stepped into some kind of hole in the earth. It even smelled like dirt, the air strangely moist. It wasn’t at all what I had been expecting from the outside of the building. I reached out a hand, feeling Cillian’s wing just in front of me. My fingers brushed along the soft membranes. He sucked in a quick breath, and I instantly let my hand drop, finding the hem of his pants, gripping on there. It wasn’t my fault the man never wore a darn shirt. I was shocked by the silky softness of his wings, and would have felt them longer had he not reacted.

  Only our breaths and footsteps accompanied us as we walked through the darkness until suddenly I saw a pinprick of light. A curtain was pulled back, and a whole other world waited on the other side.

  I glanced at the thing that had let us in, and swallowed down a scream. Muddy looking skin covered a grotesquely skeletal body, those sickly looking yellow eyes set in a gaunt face. Teeth pointing into spikes, and as black as the claws on the end of his hands, flashed at me as he bared them. I gripped onto Cillian, swallowing as his eyes narrowed.

  Then we were out, and into a room that was much larger than the mansion had appeared. I was starting to think the exterior was for appearance’s sake only. I was also quickly understanding that we were no longer in my world. Creatures of all shapes and sizes lounged around the room that was ironically similar to human clubs.

  There was a bar set at the far side where bartenders were handing out drinks, creatures with trays that were clearly waitresses serving patrons, winding their way through the throngs of people. Tables and booths were scattered throughout, as well as sections with sofas and lounge chairs for those who wanted a more comfortable, laid back area. There were even dancers, not naked, but close enough that I quickly looked away, my cheeks flaring. They moved within cages hanging from the tall ceilings, skins of all colours - red, green, purple, glistening in the blue lights.

  There were three levels to the place, all along the outer walls, railings providing a clear view of the main floor in the middle where people - creatures - danced. It was...bizarre. I didn’t know where to look, what to take in, my mind scrambling to absorb what I was seeing.

  We had entered on the topmost level, and now stood at the railing, observing the place in its entirety. I didn’t know exactly what Cillian was looking for, but I was simply trying to not stare and gape at those around me. Some made my skin crawl. Others gave off an energy that made me want to go to them, tear off my clothes right then and there, and let them have their way with me, regardless of who could see. I realized one of those creatures in question had caught my eyes and had been staring back at me as I thought this. Long, pointed ears stuck out from the stark white hair that reached just to his collarbone. Two dark horns protrude from his head, curled slightly at the tops. A handsome face watched me, eyes that seemed to glow an amethyst colour. Wings protruded from his back like Cillian, but his were smaller, and a pale grey like his skin. My hand had just been reaching for the hem of my dress when my senses came back to me.

  Come to me, he commanded with his eyes. Or had that been his voice in my head? My foot actually took a step in his direction before I heard a menacing growl and the male looked away.

  I blinked, turning to Cillian who was sending daggers that way with his eyes. “What is he?” I asked, fanning myself.

  “An incubus, and I would suggest you stay away from him.”

  I nodded, swallowing against the sudden dryness in my mouth. Cillian turned back to surveying the room as if it were his kingdom. I kept my eyes on those around, making sure not to look down if any caught mine. Only a few seemed to react to my presence, and I had no idea what to make of that. There were some, ones that made me break out into a cold sweat, that I remembered from my nightmares as a child. I didn’t know what to make of that either, but I didn’t look at those ones for very long.

  No matter how big and scary they seemed though, there was some natural instinct inside me that said the most dangerous creature in here was standing right beside me. Even if it wasn’t for that gut feeling, I would have known from the way everyone seemed to avoid catching his eye, or literally ran in the opposite direction when they spotted him.

  “You seem to have a lot of friends,” I said as I watched a tiny green thing with iridescent wings actually scream and fly away when he saw Cillian.

  Cillian grunted.

&
nbsp; “Seriously though, why is everyone so afraid of you?” I asked.

  “Because they should be,” he said.

  “Should I?” I asked, watching his profile, allowing myself to just observe him since he wasn’t paying much attention to me, his eyes constantly scanning the different levels. He was so inhumanly beautiful. It was a strange word to use for him, but he was. There was definitely something different about his features, but I found that to be oddly appealing in itself. Not that I would ever admit that to him - or anyone, for that matter.