Darkness Within

by Carli Castle

  “I thank you all for being here to celebrate with me, or rather, with all of us,” she said to the room, her smile wide and her eyes happy and shining. “It means the world to me that you’re all here. Please, have fun, dance, eat, and let’s get this party started.”

  There was some laughter when she finished, and he had to remind himself to breathe as he watched her take a seat on a table in the front of the room. Her sisters were with her, both looking beautiful, and more alike than he’d ever noticed.

  To him, the other two princesses—though beautiful—didn’t hold a candle to Elle. She was magnificent.

  Caleb cleared his throat, and Lucas snapped his attention away from Elle. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He was able to tear his eyes away only because dinner started to appear in front of them. It was some sort of shellfish, though he couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t taste anything at all, just went through the motions of putting the food in his mouth, chewing, and swallowing until there was no more food on his plate.

  His eyes still darted to her every once in a while. Her attention was with her family at the moment, as she took tiny bites of her food. She looked like she was enjoying herself, for which he was glad.

  His plates disappeared into thin air when he was done eating, and he even drank all the fizzy drink they’d been served. It didn’t help the crystal flute kept being refilled as soon as he drank it all, because next thing he knew, he was starting to feel a little tipsy.

  If he lived in the sleeper realm, he would have been worried to drive, assuming he had a car.

  When the dessert appeared in front of him, some sort of custard with fruit on it, he caught Elle’s eye and her smiled widened, making his chest expand and constrict all at the same time. A human being shouldn’t have to try so hard not to swallow his own tongue in the presence of a woman, especially a gorgeous woman. He was going crazy.

  He would have to draw her like that, happy, smiling, and sparkling like a precious stone. He could already imagine himself doing it.

  After a little while, the dancing started and she stood and motioned with her head. As she excused herself, he stood, grabbed the box, and started walking out. He waited for her at the base of the stairs. There was no one else around, and it was a lot quieter here than in the ballroom.

  She came to the arch, and when she saw him, ran down the stairs as fast as her heels let her.

  She didn’t say a word when she hugged him. He breathed in her perfume, that distinct scent that was only hers, and wanted to kiss her, almost desperately.

  “I’ve missed you today.” He stepped back to look at her. He didn’t know if it was the magic of makeup, or if it was simply her obvious happiness, but she’d never looked so beautiful.

  “I missed you too. It’s been a really long day.”

  He took her hand and pulled her outside to the beautifully lit garden. The lights were on now, as the sun set, leaving the sky with a wash of purples, pinks, and oranges. It looked like something out of a dream. The warm summer breeze lifting the roses’ fragrance around them, and the tiny lights twinkling in the rose bushes. He took her hand and led her behind a large tree, seeking a bit more privacy.

  “You look amazing. I was expecting a cupcake of a dress. This is definitely not that.”

  “Oh, yeah, I got my way for once. This was entirely my idea.” She twirled around for him, holding the skirt of the dress. “It was supposed to be long and fitted, but I convinced the seamstress to do it my way.”

  “Good choice.” He meant it.

  Having her in front of him, all the scents, the colors of summer, he thought this was a scene you only read about in books. It was enchanting. He handed her the box and she looked at it for a moment.

  “What is it?” she asked with a huge smile.

  “Why not open it and find out?”

  She sat on a bench nearby, still smiling as she pulled off the top of the box, and gasped.

  She looked up at him, eyes sparkling just as much as the flowers did under the fairy lights.

  He wanted to jump up in the air and then do a dance that would humiliate him until the end of time. He didn’t, of course. Instead, he watched as she ran her finger over the delicate petals, pleased at her expression.

  “Lucas, this is amazing,” she whispered, looking up at him.

  “Well, I had a hard time finding something that you wouldn’t already have. This was the best thing I could come up with,” he said, trying to hold back a smile. She just looked at him, a tear gathering in the corner of her eye. He knelt in front of her so he was face to face with her.

  “It’s perfect.” Her voice caught. “I…” She couldn’t finish. Instead, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He gripped her waist, letting her intoxicating scent fill his already muddled brain. He loved the feel of her in his arms, her shape, the softness of her hair on his cheek. Every cell in his body shivered in response to her.

  “Thank you,” she muttered against his jacket.

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like them.”

  “I love them,” she corrected. “Thank you for being here. This is such a big affair, it’s nice to know you’re out there in the crowd.”

  “I couldn’t miss it,” he said, looking at her lips, considering sneaking a taste. She would be just as sweet as honey, he knew. “You look beautiful.”

  “You’re just saying that because you want to kiss me.” She set the box next to her on the bench, and her arms came around his neck.

  “I would never.” He moved his face closer to hers.

  “Mmmm.” She closed her eyes and tipped her face toward his, a small smile playing around her lips. And he couldn’t wait anymore. He touched his lips to hers. Just a soft kiss, nothing too deep.

  It wasn’t supposed to make him crazy, but the moment her lips opened under his, he went up in flames. His hands gripped harder at her waist, and his mouth ravished hers until he heard a distant laughing and had to tear himself away. He pushed away from her, because he didn’t want to do something drastic, like take her home and forget about the party. And he also didn’t want to get her, and himself, in trouble.

  “We should go back, your family will be wondering where you’ve gone,” he said, his voice husky.

  “Yes, we should.” She cleared her throat. “I guess there are people I have to meet.”

  “You don’t know everyone already?” he teased and she wrinkled her nose.

  “Well, my mother mentioned some people from distant lands that really want to meet me.” She shrugged.

  He knew what that meant. They were princes, looking for a suitable young woman they could marry. The jealousy that came over him was not welcome, because that didn’t mean she was trying to pursue any kind of meeting, but he didn’t like hearing it any more than if she was.

  “And you’ve met none of them?” he asked her, hoping she didn’t hear the slightly annoyed underlying tone in his voice.

  “I really don’t remember,” she said, sounding bored. “I think I met one of them once when I was younger, but if they’re not interesting in any way, I forget really quickly about them.”

  He said nothing, but he could not help but chuckle at her words.

  “But maybe I can save you a dance for later,” she said softly, and his heart jumped.

  “Maybe you can,” he suggested, knowing it wasn’t his most brilliant idea, but unwilling to stop himself from wanting to be with her in public, without the disguises, if only that one time, no matter what happened.

  “All right,” she said

  He couldn’t get his tongue to move, it felt too big in his mouth, so he nodded.

  They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other, his heart feeling so many emotions he wasn’t sure how they fit in his chest.

  Then, when she finally picked up the flowers and started walking away, he looked around quickly, noticed no one was around the area, pulled her to him, and brought his lips down on hers.

 
This kiss was hard, intense, a melding of tongues and feverish lips.

  When they parted, both were breathing heavily, like they’d been running.

  She looked as dazed as he felt when she extended her hand over the box and it disappeared. When she was walking away, leaving him completely scrambled, she turned over her shoulder and smiled, and he nearly collapsed.

  ***

  As she walked away from him, toward the palace, she felt his eyes burning at her back. When she looked back, she had to smile at the look on his face. No one had ever looked at her like that, like she was all he could see. She turned back to walk inside, because she had to, not because it was what she wanted. She wanted to go with him. Anywhere. She didn’t dare look back at him again as she continued her trek into the palace, even though she wanted to, lest she do something dumb like asking him to just go. She would gladly leave the party to be with him. Alone.

  Her heart raced, the remnants of that kiss rumbling through her.

  It had been different that time. There had been so much more in it, so much passion, so much promise. Her heart hitched as she reached the front doors.

  She stopped and took a deep, calming breath. It wouldn’t do to be seen so agitated, and her mother would be able to tell right away.

  She wondered what it was about him that made her senses go into overdrive. She had kissed other boys before, interesting, handsome boys that were just as interested in her, but never before had she felt this kind of elation. This excitement, the spreading fire in her chest at the mere thought of him.

  She stepped into the brightly lit foyer, and smiled at people as she passed them. Most of them she saw on official business only. They weren’t friends of hers, or even friends of her parents, but it made a good impression to invite them all. She did like a lot of them, but most she couldn’t say she knew at all.

  She walked up to the ballroom, where the round tables were decorated with black tablecloths and the hibiscus centerpieces. They were definitely beautiful flowers. But not more beautiful than Lucas’s gift. How had he thought of giving her those? Where had he found them? Maybe he had made them, she thought, realizing she hadn’t even asked him where they came from. For now she was going to imagine he had made them, because she loved thinking his gift was that personal.

  She looked around, noticing her mother walking around the room, smiling prettily, conversing politely. She was a beautiful woman, Elle thought, poised, gracious. Everything Elle wasn’t and would probably never be. Elle wasn’t one to live on appearances and everything her mother did was with others in mind. And what kind of life was that? Yours, yet never completely your own.

  As soon as the thought came, Elle felt a pang of guilt. Her mother wasn’t a bad person, she wasn’t a bad mother, though she could be cloying. At the very least, she wasn’t like her father. Controlling and indifferent all at the same time.

  She watched him as he placed his hand at her mother’s back, laughing at some joke the King of Cionaodh had told them. Would any of these people still be there if they knew just how he was? How unyielding, unreasonable, and uncaring. To the outside world he was the best king the mainland had ever had. Kind, gentle, concerned for the wellbeing of its citizens. To the people living within the walls of the palace, he just simply wasn’t there. He said what he wanted to happen, and they followed orders.

  And the worst part was that he didn’t even dignify them with talking to them directly. No, he used their mother as a means of communicating, which made it all that more humiliating.

  Even Harper, who worked harder than anyone Elle had ever known, was a disappointment to him. Elle didn’t even want to think of what kind of disappointment she was to him.

  She took her seat, even as people continued to sway on the dance floor. The young man singing on the stage had a silky voice, and Elle really enjoyed listening to him. It distracted her from watching her parents.

  She took a drink of her champagne, watching the dancers glide across the floor. She wanted to dance, but not with just anyone. She wanted to dance with Lucas, because with him, she didn’t have to worry about hands that roamed far too low, or about men seizing her up to see if she was a suitable mate, like she was some kind of horse.

  Harper was dancing with Olon Kevathanir, and laughing about something he was saying. Elle had always heard Prince Olon was a pleasant man, but she’d never had the chance to talk to him. It was nice seeing Harper laughing and looking happy. Her poor sister was too serious most of the time.

  Smiling, she continued to peruse the crowd and saw Aiessa smiling politely at someone Elle did not recognize. He was tall and lean, with dark hair, and he was talking a million miles an hour, as far as Elle could see. Aiessa was also not using her pheromone power on him, which was quite new, since Aiessa used her power on pretty much every man she came across.

  Aiessa caught her eye from the middle of the floor and rolled them to the back of her head. Elle laughed, just as the song ended and everyone clapped.

  Harper walked up from the dance floor, and sat next to her as Aiessa got swept into another dance.

  “What are you doing sitting down?” Harper asked, her face flushed with pleasure.

  “I just got back from the gardens and it was the middle of the song. I was happy to watch you have fun.”

  “It’s been a nice party, don’t you think?” Harper took a drink of water.

  “It really has, I hate to have been wrong about it,” Elle muttered. Harper shrugged one of her slim shoulders, which were almost completely bare, except for a thin strap of material holding up the bodice of her off-white gown. “Mother did well.”

  “Everything was your idea,” Harper said. “You chose the best things. I love that you’re wearing green in this sea of black and white.”

  “I am enjoying that part.”

  “Which makes you a little bit of hypocrite.” Harper giggled. Elle turned to her, suppressing a laugh. Harper was drunk. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need, you’re absolutely right,” Elle told her, and she was. She hated being the center of attention. Tonight, though, she was enjoying it very much and she was not going to apologize for it.

  “It looks like mother is having a grand time,” she whispered, watching their mother, who was still speaking to the Queen of Cionaodh, their father by her side.

  “So does father,” Elle pointed out.

  “They’re the perfect hosts,” Harper said, sitting back. “So where were you just now?”

  “Lucas gave me a gift,” she blurted, then looked around to make sure no one had heard.

  “Did he now?” Harper cocked her head.

  “He did,” Elle said, heart jumping when she saw him walk into the ballroom again. Harper followed her gaze then turned to look at her, not even blinking.

  “What,” Elle asked. She knew she wasn’t fooling Harper, but she wasn’t even trying to do that, she thought as she watched Lucas take a seat next to Caleb.

  “Oh, I see,” Harper said softly, narrowing her eyes a little.

  “What do you see?”

  “He’s the guy.”

  “What?”

  “He’s the guy that you’ve been spending so much time thinking about.”

  Elle didn’t have to respond. She really didn’t want to get into it right there and tell Harper she’d been doing a lot more than just thinking about Lucas.

  “Just be careful,” Harper advised, taking her hand, then she stiffened. “Oh here comes Prince David. I hope he isn’t about to ask me to dance.”

  “Why not?” Elle asked her. “He’s a delight.”

  “He’s a barbarian. You should have seen the way he stood at the council the other day, looking like he wanted to kick Aali.”

  “Everyone in the council wants to kick Aali, with the exception of Prince Noren.”

  “That’s true,” Harper said. “But still. He’s just too ready to confront people, I’m not so comfortable with it.”

  “You’re not comfortable telling the co
oks you don’t like liver, Harper, any kind of contradiction is weird to you. I think Prince David’s wonderful,” Elle reiterated. “It doesn’t hurt he’s so handsome.”

  “Not you, too,” Harper muttered, and stood when Prince Noren appeared out of nowhere and asked her for a dance as the next song began. Elle thought her sister was insane to want to dance with Prince Noren and not Prince David. It made no sense. Prince Noren was a stuck up jerk, if there ever was one.

  Prince David came straight to her, extending his hand gallantly.

  “May I have this dance, Princess?” he asked, and she took his hand.

  “Why, of course.”

  Of all the eligible bachelors in her party, Prince David was the one she liked the most. Not that he was even a little bit interested in her that way, nor she in him, he was just quite a character.

  Harper said he was a barbarian because he didn’t shy away from confrontation, but took them head on. She hadn’t seen him be confrontational with anyone before, but she just assumed he was not the kind to be hostile without a reason for it.

  Elle really liked that about him, and thought that maybe Harper would benefit from having someone like him close to her. She needed a backbone.

  “I was wondering if I would have a chance to dance with the beautiful birthday girl,” he said, twirling her smoothly. His hand landed on her waist as he led her to the middle of the dance floor.

  “You’re the first one to ask me,” she pointed out. “Or you’re going to tell me you didn’t notice?”

  “Everyone just started to dance, I was just lucky I happened to be the first to get to you,” he said. “Or maybe they’re all just really bad dancers,” he added with a serious face, but she wasn’t fooled for a moment.

  “Not everyone can be as good a dancer as you are, Prince David.”

  “And you’re not so bad yourself, Princess Eleanore.” He stepped to the side, bringing her with him.

  “Tell me, do I dance as well as my sisters do?” Elle couldn’t deny she was trying to get a reaction from him, but all he did was raise his brow, his tawny eyes dancing.