Page 14 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

“Careful, Fire, I am beginning to think you cannot take a hint,” I said, back still against my doors. He smirked, placing one hand in the pocket of his trousers and the other above my head. As he leaned in, my breath caught, eyes flicking to his lips before I regained my wits and stared back into his icy gaze.

His eyes did not meet mine though, instead they honed in on my arm, where my cloak had slipped off my shoulder. My bruises, which had faded to a greenish hue, now sat on full display.

“Who did that to you?” he asked, his voice a deep growl. I winced at my careless mistake, covering my arm once more with my cloak.

“It is none of your business. Now, what do you actually want? Hurry up and tell me, then leave before someone sees you and cuts off your head,” I said, my words a rush of nerves and stress. I had not planned to ever see Bellamy again, let alone be sharing the same air as him once more. It was unnerving. Hypnotizing.

He shot a glare at my now covered arm, then sighed.

“Spend the day with me. One day, and then I will leave you alone if you wish,” he said. His eyes were wide, pleading.

A tempting offer to say the least. In fact, it was too tempting. Had I not just been discussing my desire to travel and live? Had Sterling not insinuated that he would take me to see the world if I were willing to marry him? The timing of it all was suspicious, and I was in no place to be running off with strange fae males.

Still, there I stood, considering saying yes as if it were not the absolute worst way to spend my day. As if I would not be marking him for dead just by being this close to him.

His own eyes slid down to my lips, not attempting to hide it as I had, and I felt all of my sense leave me. My head nodded, the slightest dip of my chin to signal that I agreed to the idiocy. That gorgeous smile returned in full force, taking over his face and making his dimples widen as if someone had placed their thumb to both his cheeks.

Making this stranger happy was unnaturally exciting, my own eagerness to experience something new bleeding into the joy that seeped from him. Sadly, I would need to crush his hopes, because there was no way we were getting out of this castle, let alone off the island, without being noticed.

I meant to say as much to him, but Bellamy was quick to hold out some sort of ball, a mischievous smile on his face. It was a deep green and only half the size of his palm.

“Do you trust me, Princess?” he asked, offering his hand.

I swallowed hard as our eyes connected, the same tug from the night of my ball telling me to say yes.

“I do not even know you,” I answered instead, my words coming out with much more conviction than I felt.

“Let’s change that,” he whispered, pulling my arm around his neck and wrapping his around my waist. Before I could question his forwardness, he took the ball and slammed it onto the ground.

The color seemed to be ripped from the world around us as the cinnamon scented smoke surrounded our bodies. Suddenly I felt as though my skin was being stretched and ripped, a slight cry releasing from my mouth. Just as soon as the pain started, it stopped.

“You can open your eyes Asher,” Bellamy said into my ear.

Realization that the world was not a black void hit, and I opened my tightly scrunched eyes. The sea was in front of us, the sun reflecting off the calm expanse of blue. Below our feet there was bleach-white sand where my golden floor had just been. Fear and curiosity were at war in my mind, which formed an overwhelming tornado of questions. The most obvious ones left my lips.

“What just happened? Where are we?”

“You are safe, you just portaled,” he said, voice deep. I felt his heart racing against my right hand and realized how close we still were. When I dropped both hands to my side, I felt his grip on me tighten a bit. “I assume they have yet to show you based on your reaction, but it is not a new creation.”

I remained silent, too confused to speak just yet.

“And you are in the place I call home,” he added. When I finally lifted my gaze from the ground to his eyes, I saw that he was staring at me rather intently.

“I find it hard to believe that I would have not heard of such a miraculous tool,” I responded, the accusation in my tone obvious. Impossible as it was that I just went from one spot to another in an instant, it was even more improbable that there was nothing suspicious about the magic.

“Check with the king and queen, I am sure that they will admit to their knowledge of portaling. Tell me, is it so hard to believe that they would refrain from giving you knowledge of a way to leave without detection?” he asked, eyebrows raised. He had a point there. That did not mean I had to like it though. In fact, my rage seemed to rise within me at his knowing response.

I squirmed out of his grip and took a handful of steps back. Spinning in a full circle, I slowly took in my surroundings. We were on a crowded beach; the air was cool and the wind was fierce. At least I knew he was not planning to murder me. Yet.

In the distance there was a strange red hue to the sky, as if somewhere far out at sea a fire raged. It stunned me momentarily, the sight of something so odd and out of place. Especially in comparison to the beauty of the beach and its occupants.

Everywhere around me fae of all colors and sizes and ages walked about. There were younglings splashing around in the chilly water, their parents not far, laughing at their antics. Young fae in their prime also mingled, the styles of clothing varying as much as physical appearances.

Off in the distance, many white buildings I assumed were homes could be seen, beyond that, a dark structure loomed. It appeared to be a castle of sorts, black and ominous, leaching the light from the day.

It sent chills down my spine.

Facing him once more, I latched onto that anger and brought it to the surface, letting it spill from me. “If you ever take me anywhere against my will or knowledge again, I will not hesitate to take everything that makes you unique and warp it into something you do not recognize. In fact, I will gladly shatter your mind with barely a thought,” I said, my finger pointed at his face.

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