Page 6 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

My parents had both been Readers. My mother was the Royal Tomorrow, as she was the strongest of her time. My father was also a Tomorrow, and together they read not only the future of the royals, but also any put on trial for crimes against the crown. They, along with the Royal Yesterday, assessed someone’s past and future, determining whether or not they had committed the crime and how they would affect the future of the realm.

It hurt to recall the loss of them, but the knowledge that I survived what they did not was even more painful. Mia and Xavier lost their son in the same attack, so we rarely discussed the topic. It made me afraid to ask about what my mother and father were like. Had they held the same temperament as most of their faction? Was I like them at all? I knew bringing them up reminded the king and queen of what they lost: their heir, their only child, their pride and joy. I was thankful they took me in, but we would never be to each other what was lost.

I often wished that I could have lived on Isle Reader, just to feel closer to my parents and see where they grew up. But even if the royals allowed me to go, I would never be accepted. I was no Reader, and outsiders were not treated well. Each fae lived on the island that represented their faction, required to marry within to keep bloodlines pure.

The faction islands surrounded The Capital, which was where all younglings went to harness their power and learn to control themselves. It was the only time that fae would live with factions outside of their own. Although, they were still separated, each having their own building where they learned, ate, and slept. Being left to live on Isle Reader would have likely gotten me killed.

Bellamy was similarly out of his depth here at The Capital. I was unsure of his reasons for attending my ball—unless he thought he might be able to secure a marriage with one of the other attendees—but recklessness was not tolerated, insolence even less so. He was a flame walking on thin ice, tempting Eternity.

“He is not my prince, and you had no place interfering. You embarrassed me.”

You forced me to use my powers on you. On everyone. To be the monster they all think I am.

His head snapped in my direction as if he heard the thoughts running through my mind. He opened his mouth to speak, but I held my hand out to silence him.

“Regardless, Sterling is my betrothed whether I like it or not, and our issues are simply that, our own. I thank you for standing up for me, but I do not need the help.” Each word that left my mouth was sharper than the last.

“Asher,” Bellamy said, putting himself in front of me to halt my steps. “You do not know me, and I do not know you. I understand why it was not my responsibility to stand up for you. I apologize for upsetting you in any way. I did not seek to do so, and I deeply regret it.”

I knew he was being honest, could feel the genuine tone of his words and understand a vague tenor of his thoughts. Still, something was off.

I noted the way he wiped his hand on his pants, seemingly removing the sweat. Was it simply nerves? I could find out if I wanted. The mind was easy to take control of, but doing so felt invasive and manipulative. In fact, I was called “The Manipulator” by many of the fae in our realm, their fear of the unknown leading them to hate me.

“I accept your apology,” I said, trying to get my mind to focus on the conversation. We had stopped at another pair of double doors, both of us facing the other. His dazzling eyes and full lips were too distracting, and I found I could not stay annoyed for long.

I knew the best thing I could do for both of us was walk away before I made a poor decision.

“These doors here will lead you out to the gardens, if you follow the path to the right, you will find yourself at the front of the castle where you entered. I am afraid that if you do not leave soon, then you may be subject to far worse horrors than Sterling’s foul attitude. I hope you have a good evening, Bellamy.”

Right as I took a step away from him, Bellamy spoke.

“Wait,” he said, voice low and husky again. “Would you care to take a walk, Asher?”

Chapter Four

Iknew it was dangerous, and so very stupid. Yet, I found myself nodding. My body moved towards him as if he was the center of gravity. The corners of his lips lifted, but he did not dare smile fully, likely knowing by the look on my face it would be unwise to gloat.

We began our walk in silence. The night was still chilly, and neither of us were necessarily dressed for it, but it was nice to enjoy the gardens with someone other than Sterling for once. Bellamy reached out and plucked a rose, twirling it between his fingers.

“A peace offering,” he said, holding the flower out to me. I grabbed it, only to be stuck through my glove by a thorn. “Oh gosh, I am so sorry.”

Reaching out to my bleeding finger he gently touched it with his own, making heat pool in my stomach.

“It is nothing, just a bit of blood,” I said with a wave of my other hand. The small dot had already stopped bleeding and was threading back together.

After we passed the last of the roses and entered the section with lavender, I felt his arm graze mine, electricity racing from the point of contact down to my toes. Then his fingers brushed my skin too, and my stomach spun. A simple touch, far too innocent to be getting so worked up over. I needed to stay calm before I scared the poor male.

On our left we came up to a concrete bench hidden within the lavender. Bellamy gestured to it with his hand.

“Would you care to sit for a moment?” It was an invitation that was different than what I was used to. He had chosen to ask if I cared to, rather than ask if I had time or if I was allowed. I smiled, moving to sit.

The second I did the cold bit into my thighs through my gown. I let out a sharp hiss, drawing Bellamy’s attention. He pressed his body into mine, his skin growing warmer by the second. His hand moved towards my chest, and for a moment my thoughts were hazy with anticipation. He stopped just shy of my breasts and cupped his hand, calling on his fire.

A small flame sat in his palm, heating the air and casting a red hue over his bright blue eyes and black hair. I felt silly for what seemed like the thousandth time this evening. I did not recall having such promiscuous thoughts before tonight.

“Fires never cease to amaze me,” I said quietly, watching the flame whip in the wind but never burn out.

King Xavier was also a Fire, and when I was a youngling he would do tricks for me with his flames, juggling them or throwing them in an arch and letting them land in a bucket of water. Queen Mia was an Element as well, but an Earth. She very rarely used her power in public. In my experience, when a fae let their power lay dormant for too long, they would begin to feel pain as the gift ate away at their body. Which was why Mia found ways to use it inconspicuously, like throughout this garden of hers. She often did small displays in front of me as well.

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