Faetal: A New Adult Fantasy Dark Prince Romance

by Deiri Di

  Great. A bodyguard that was amused by her discomfort. Just great.

  "Well, you can be a better bodyguard and not make me kill a giant stone gorilla by myself!" Mari said, pleased with her retort as she continued to mince forward, hating the outfit more with every step she took.

  It wasn't until she saw the look on Chase's face that she realized exactly what she had said.

  He stepped close to her despite her comment, taking her arm and tucking it in the crook of her elbow, giving her the support she needed to walk. Her belly was consumed with both relief and anxiety. He must understand. Why else would he help her? Why else would he try to save her from the stone monster? She tried not to look at him, tried not to lean against him, tried not to smell the scent of him. She couldn't be caught doing any of those things. If Vladmir suspected she was pretending to love him, Chase could be tortured again. Mari felt like she made a mistake in asking to have Chase back as a bodyguard. He unnerved her. She felt like she was walking on the edge of a cliff, and any misstep would have her falling out of control.

  They followed Gin through the corridors and to the ballroom that she had seen for such a short time before. Instead of being layered with a magical illusion of an ice cavern, the ballroom had its normal appearance. It was a large room with a high vaulted ceiling. On the ceiling was a painting of elves dressed in flimsy clothing, cavorting about on a sea of green grass, playing musical instruments, and lounging about at an extravagant picnic. Huge drapes of cream fabric hung down along the walls of the room, curtains without windows.

  The stone from before was still there, centered in the room on its little pedestal. It was surrounded by the same elves as before, along with the Queen and Lady Silvia.

  Mari tightened her grip on Chase's arm when she saw her. The woman had kidnapped her, held her captive at her castle, and was planning on killing her. Why was she there? She looked at Chase, searching for an answer, but he just looked straight ahead, his face expressionless.

  The Prince swept forward, taking her from Chase's arm to his own.

  "Why is she here?" Mari asked, hissing at him as he started walking her towards the group.

  "Trust me," he said. "If you prove yourself to my mother here and now, you will have defeated everything that Silvia was working for. I wouldn't have done this again so soon, but after the last attack... you need to do this for you and me."

  He led her through the circle of elves up to the stone.

  Vladmir stopped and took her hand in his, pressing it to his chest. He stroked her cheek and then leaned forward, planting a chaste kiss on her lips. Mari waited for her heart to skip a beat like it was supposed to. It didn't.

  Mari saw Lady Silvia frowning out of the corner of her eye. That wench! She had to have been the one responsible for nearly killing Chase and Mari with the golem. Mari wanted nothing more than to hurt her, so she leaned forward and returned the kiss for a moment. It was a kiss of anger, not affection.

  Vladmir broke the kiss almost as soon as it began. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered into them. "Please, my love, think of me. Think of the first moment you saw me, of how I rescued you from that monster in your room. Think of my love for you, how I gathered an army just to come to save you. Think of me, and only of me." He kissed the lobe of her ear, sending shivers along her skin.

  They weren't the good kind of shivers.

  Mari wanted nothing more than to step back, smack him in the face, and run away. She couldn't, not if she wanted to keep Chase safe. Certainly not in that dress either.

  Mari believed without any doubts what Chase said was true. At first, she couldn't believe that her affection was fake, that it was the result of a love spell. Spells weren't supposed to work on her. Now, standing there and feeling nothing but disgust, the thought of actually being in love with Vladmir was horrible.

  Why did he do that to her?

  Mari looked through the mesh of Vladmir's golden hair and saw Chase, standing with his arms crossed, far away from the circle of elves that surrounded her. She could see anger in his face... anger, and pain.

  It wasn't physical pain. She'd seen that written on his face when she came to find him in the dungeon. She thought of the first time she met him, how she hated him then. He'd been so rude to her, calling her names. She thought of how later he went out of his way to help her, finding useful books, having clothing made for her that suited her better than any awful gown Vladmir had picked. How he took her to the market despite his orders, showing her parts of his world that she couldn't have seen cooped up inside the castle. She thought of dancing with him. The feeling of his skin against hers. The way he had kissed her.

  As she looked at him, she saw the pain and anger move from his face. There was a pure and utter shock as he stared at a point to her right. Then the mask went back on. Mari could read nothing from his face. He was cold and blank.

  Mari looked to her right.

  The Prince had taken her hand and placed it on the stone.

  The color that bled through her fingers was a rich red, a solid shade of blood, unmistakable.

  Lady Silvia turned, her gown whirling around her as she stormed out of the ballroom.

  The Prince pulled her hand away, grabbing her and spinning her in a circle, joy on his face. She had to cling to him to keep from tipping over and falling in a horrible moment, like an antique vase in a museum that the clumsy person didn't notice behind them.

  He kissed her hands, her cheeks, and her forehead.

  "You are magnificent," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Your dreams are going to come true!"

  "What?" Mari said. She didn't know what her dreams were any more.

  "I'm giving my son my permission," the Queen said as she turned to leave the room. "You've proven yourself. As soon as we are prepared, you will have your most heartfelt desire. You can have my son. We will hold the ceremony in a few hours." Her voice reflected nothing but boredom.

  "Hours?" Mari asked. She didn't want the Prince! She didn't want him, but she didn't want Chase to be tortured either. She didn't know what to do.

  "Hours!" Vladmir said, dropping her hands and clapping his own together. "My love, you must go now. There is so much to get ready." He raised one hand, beckoning for Gin and Chase. "You are perfect," he said, planting another hit and run kiss on her lips before following the parade of court elves out of the room.

  Mari was left alone in the giant room with a bodyguard and the man who wasn't supposed to be the man of her dreams.

  "Come," Chase said and turned to walk out of the room. His tone was curt and rough. He didn't stop to offer her assistance.

  Gin took her elbow, bracing her as she inched her way through the halls after him.

  Chase held the door for her as she walked into her room but shut it behind her with a snap.

  Mari wasn't going to stand for that. She needed to make sure he knew what was going on. She turned and opened it back up.

  "What are you doing?" she asked. He was standing in the hallway, his back to her.

  "I'm going to guard the door to your room," he said, his words biting and sharp. "It's my job to keep you safe until the ritual." She could hear the struggle in his voice as he said the words.

  Mari leaned out into the hallway, lowering her voice. "I would much rather have you in here," she said. "We can go through some of the books. Maybe you can tell me what is going to happen, so I'm prepared for it."

  So that she could figure out how to get out of it without endangering Chase. She needed his advice, desperately. She needed to tell him what was going on without Gin overhearing and reporting back to Vladmir.

  "It's a little too late for that," Chase said.

  "Too late for what?" Mari asked, trying to think of how to get him alone. If she stepped out and shut the door, Gin would be suspicious. Chase could probably take the shapeshifter down, but how was she going to get him to pay attention and do it?

  Chase whirled. He planted a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back
into the room. "I do not want the company of a human!" he shouted. "Leave me alone!"

  He snatched the door out of her hands, slamming it shut.

  Mari stood there, looking at the barrier between them.

  Gin cleared her throat. "You need to rest before they come to prepare you," she said. "It is going to be rough."

  Mari didn't hear her. She didn't pay attention as the shapeshifter helped her undress and pushed her into bed. Her thoughts were twisted around each other. Mari thought love was supposed to be easy, a fairytale path that led her through challenges, just like it happened in a book. The challenges were supposed to be quizzes or moments of kindness with a beggar who was really a witch in disguise. They were not supposed to involve betraying the person she liked the most so that she could save him. When the Prince came for her, that was when it was supposed to be the happy ending. Everything was supposed to be perfect.

  The Prince wasn't supposed to drug her and cast a spell. She wasn't supposed to pretend to love him to keep him from maiming or killing his younger brother, whom she actually cared for.

  She pulled a pillow over her head, burying herself in her bed.

  Why couldn't Chase just understand what was going on?

  Mari curled up and tried not to let Gin hear her crying.

  #

  They put her in a white dress. It was basic, just a thin tunic fitted to the shape of her body. Her hair was left down, brown and stark against the simple outfit. There were no fairies or elaborate designs on the fabric. There were no slippers to go with the outfit either. She was left barefoot.

  Mari followed the elves through the hallways, quiet and subdued. She rehearsed what she was going to say in her mind, and in every scenario, the Prince was gracious. In her head, it was easy.

  Mari knew that it wasn't going to go that way. Not when Vladmir was the kind of person who would drug her and torture his brother. There was no way this was going to end well. She didn't even know why he had drugged her and cast a love spell in the first place. With a beautiful woman like Lady Silvia waiting in the wings, it couldn't be because he loved Mari and was hoping she would really fall in love with him underneath the spell.

  Chase led her to the gardens, Gin following close behind. They stopped, standing in front of the wooden gate that Mari had seen on her first trip to the garden. It was the one she had meant to come back to without him and take a closer look at it.

  The gate with the strange artwork carved into it.

  The gate with the dying human on it.

  Panic ripped into Mari, drawing a sharp breath from her, an audible and unmistakable sound of fear.

  Chase paused his hand against the wood of the gate, covering the lone woman in the center. Lines of stress and unhappiness dug into his face. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  Mari hadn't had a single alone moment to talk to him.

  "Chase," Mari said. "I..."

  He opened his eyes and pushed the gate open, moving through it before she could continue speaking. She followed after him, watching the stiffness in his shoulders.

  She was soon distracted by the private garden they walked into.

  The ceiling was a fake sky, fluffy clouds with birds flying by, sunshine that radiated into the room, warming it up. Mari would swear it was the real sky if she couldn't see through it to the glass behind and the less vibrant clouds behind that. The two images made her dizzy, and she looked away, annoyed. Why did they cover up the real, beautiful sky with a fake one, hiding the glass in between?

  The floor of the room was a spread of grass that tickled her toes, weaving through them. Vines grew along the sides, against the walls, creating a thick mesh, an artificial web of plants. Elves stood around the room's edges, forming a wide circle that she was starting to become familiar with. The faces were the same familiar ones, but this time the Queen was one of them, at the edges instead of at the center of the attention. The room was large enough that they were spread out, a large space in between each one. The center of the circle was a marble altar on which sat the stone, bereft of its pedestal.

  Vladmir stood next to the altar, dressed all in white, holding his hand out to her, a brilliant smile on his face. Behind the altar stood Lady Silvia. It took Mari a moment to recognize what she held in her hands.

  One of the crystals displayed emotions, but it was broken, a large crack down the center.

  What did she know about the stones? Mari wracked her thoughts, trying to piece together the information she knew so that she could figure out what was going on. If she knew exactly what was going to happen, it would make preventing it a lot easier.

  Mari walked towards Vladmir, twisting her hands together, every step she took feeling wrong. When she got there, she started to run her prepared speech.

  "Vladmir I--" Mari started.

  "Shhhh," Vladmir said, placing a long finger against her lips, silencing her. He turned to the assembled elves and raised his voice. "I ask that you who have gathered here today bear witness on all that transpires. Do you witness?"

  The group responded in monotone, the sign of a well-practiced ritual. "We do," they said.

  Chase was the only one who didn't speak. He stood near the gate, his arms crossed, scowling at her like he did the first time she saw him.

  "Now," the Prince said. "Do what you-"

  "Vladmir," Mari interrupted. "I can't do this."

  Vladmir dug his fingernails into the palms of her hands. "You must," he said. "If you love me, you must do this for me. I know I haven't been perfect for you. I know that you are scared and uncertain, but I also know that you love me. You've proven your love for me. I know this without any shadow of a doubt. I promise you after this, things will be perfect. You are going to make me happier than my wildest dreams, and I will owe everything to you. All you have to do is believe in me and love me."

  Mari didn't know what to say. How was she going to turn him down in such a way that didn't involve him lashing out at Chase?

  "Please, my love, please do this for me," Vladmir begged.

  She couldn't embarrass him in front of all of these people. Mari was not skilled with words, and she didn't know how to stop this without making Vladmir look terrible. If he were embarrassed, he wouldn't go easy on his bastard brother.

  Vladmir kissed her on the top of her head, tilting her chin, so she was looking back up at him.

  "Think of me," he said, taking her hand and holding it out over the stone. "We are going to have a happy life together, you and me. I want you to close your eyes and think of it."

  Mari closed her eyes, trying to follow Vladmir's instructions. She could show him how she felt about him instead of saying it out loud. Yet every time she tried to focus on the handsome Prince, her thoughts diverted on their own, worrying about Chase, worrying about how he was feeling, about how she was going to convince him to forgive her for hurting him.

  Vladmir pressed her hand down on the stone, holding it there with his own, and released her chin. She could tell from the pressure on her flesh that none of his skin touched the stone. It was only hers.

  "Stop!" Chase shouted, his voice strained with released panic. "Stop! You can't do this!"

  Mari opened her eyes and turned.

  Vladmir held her hand on the stone.

  She couldn't break free from him.

  Chase darted towards them, his face filled with horror. Several elves broke the circle, moving forward to stop him.

  Mari sighed, a weight lifting off of her. He must have understood her, realized that she was just lying to protect him.

  A red glow broke from the stone, lighting the room up with a blood-red stain.

  Vladmir's hand pressed hers against the stone harder, forcing the sharp edges to bite into her skin. She started to turn back, to look at him. She had to convince him not to hurt Chase!

  A searing pain laced through Mari's abdomen, and she gasped, doubling over.

  Mari looked down towards her belly.

  At firs
t, she didn't understand what she was seeing. Vladmir's hand was holding something against her stomach.

  The pain laced through her again as his hand began to pull back, sliding silver steel free from her stomach.

  Vladmir had stabbed her.

  That pitiful excuse for fresh cat vomit! He’d stabbed her!

  There was an inarticulate yell from Chase's direction.

  Mari fell to her knees, her hand still trapped by the Prince against the stone.

  She pressed her free hand against the bleeding wound in her abdomen.

  Pressure.

  She needed pressure.

  Vladmir laughed.

  Mari looked up at him to see that horrible expression, that disdain filled sneer, peering down at her.

  "How does it feel?" he asked. "Betrayed by the one you love the most."

  Mari looked over at their joined hands, still on top of the stone. The pain in her abdomen was horrible, but it didn't stop her from putting the pieces together.

  Mari felt stupid.

  Chase had been hinting the entire time, trying to get her to not be a fool, not to fall for the game. She was wounded but not trapped by Vladmir's game. Vladmir hadn't won, not because she noticed or even understood Chase's hints. She wasn't trapped for the simple reason that she fell in love with the wrong person.

  This was a competition.

  Vladmir was supposed to break the stone by breaking her heart.

  Mari wrapped her fingers around the stone.

  "You suck," she said to the Prince, ignoring the dagger that dripped with her blood at his side. It was important not to get angry. If she got angry, there was still a chance the Prince would get what he wanted. Anger would make the stone lash out at her. "And you failed. Lady Silvia wins."

  She wrapped her fingers around the stone, pulling it out from under his hand, scraping it against the altar.

  Mari held it up so that everyone could see.

  "It isn't broken," she shouted, pressing her hand harder against her side. She needed to end this. "I don't feel betrayed. My immunity won't break the stone so he can win his little competition."

  Mari turned, the world starting to swim in front of her eyes. She gritted her teeth.