Page 10 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

“Ash, why are you so eager to leave? This is your home, no place is more important than The Capital. We need you here, where you can learn, rule, and remain safe. The demons would do anything possible to end your life, as they have to so many of your subjects.” The low timbre of his voice was absolute, though it was edged with a feel of somberness, as if it pained him to say it.

I nodded, no longer attempting to hide my displeasure. The royals offered tight lipped smiles, both of them reaching out their hands for me to place my own in. Sterling kissed the back of my left hand before letting go, his face full of understanding in this one thing, for he was also confined to the island.

I gripped Xavier and Mia’s hands, feeling comforted by the fact that I had them. My parents might be gone, but I was not alone. I would never be alone.

“We love you, Asher,” Mia said.

“Forever,” Xavier added.

“And always,” I finished.

***

After breakfast, Sterling offered to walk me to my chambers. I wanted to say no, so badly that I nearly did without thinking. But I felt the way the royals eyed me, and heard Xavier’s warning echoing in my mind.

“Your recklessness and disobedience put the future of this realm at risk.”

With the weight of a world I feared I could not carry, I agreed, taking Sterling’s hand. We walked mostly in silence, fingers entwined. He rubbed gentle circles on the back of my hand with his thumb, humming an unrecognizable tune.

“You know, Asher, for what it is worth, I believe that you should be able to see where your kind live. They are your subjects, and this is your realm, you should know it like the back of your hand,” Sterling said in a hushed voice.

I turned to him, bewildered by the statement. He merely looked straight ahead, a small smile on his face. What could I say to that? He was right, I needed to know my realm, but I could not agree. Not without verbally disagreeing with the royals, which would be the very disobedience that Xavier had reprimanded me for last night.

Sterling peeked at me from the corner of his eye, gauging my reaction to his words, to his lifeline. I maintained a stoic expression, my hand twitching in his slightly.

“In fact,” he continued. “I was thinking that perhaps once we are wed, we might work on seeing it together. And after, I would very much enjoy it if you allowed me the honor of showing you the Mortal Realm.”

A trick, that was what this likely was. He wanted leverage, submission, something. Because there was no reality in which he would fight on my side in that way. No future in which we would be a happy couple that traveled and ruled with grace.

So I stayed silent, listening as he described his home, his kingdom, the lands beyond. I smiled and laughed when warranted, all the while his hand held mine, grip tighter than it needed to be. As if he were holding me to him with every ounce of his strength, unwilling to let me go.

When we arrived at the double doors to my chambers, he turned to face me. Big, brown eyes glanced quickly down at my breasts, then settled on my lips. This time, I could say no. We were alone, it was not necessarily appropriate, and I could claim I was tired. Yet, all I could think of was the disappointed look in Xavier’s eyes last night.

With the battle of mind and heart ending before it began, I rallied myself, planting my feet. Sterling cupped either side of my face, licking his pink lips, then leaned in. I scrunched my eyes, wishing I could embody any other place than this one.

Our lips met, and I felt nothing. He settled for a soft joining at first, sighing into the way our mouths molded together. Then he grew hungrier, took more. I kissed him back, meeting his tongue with slightly less force and energy.

Sterling did not seem to mind. One of his hands slipped to the back of my neck, the other slid down to my lower back. All the while I wondered when he would be satisfied enough to leave me alone.

This might have been exactly why he offered the freedom of traveling once we were wed. He wanted me to make the marriage easy, to give and give until I was nothing but a shell of what I once was. Everything I had would gladly be offered on a silver platter, and when I withered away I would know that despite all of the unhappiness, I had saved my kind.

Chapter Six

Aknock at the door startled me, causing me to play a note off key. It was a nasty sounding lapse that made my teeth clench. Embarrassing.

I looked up to see Xavier walking in, his face grim. I froze, instantly filling with dread. It was always the same expression, a look of remorse, of regret. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew exactly what the fae king was here for. These days never got easier.

I stood, walking away from my piano forte. I followed Xavier through the halls of the golden palace, so bright and shiny, vastly different than my corroded and corrupt soul.

When we reached the courtyard, which held at least one hundred fae gathered in a crowded circle, I felt my throat close. It was a larger crowd than normal. Whoever stood on the wooden stage in the center must be important.

Even worse.

We made our way through the bodies of fae. Some were sobbing, others grinning. Many had blank faces, though fury radiated from them. No matter who stood there, most viewers felt this way. Looked at me with hatred in their eyes—with terror.

Being powerful means you are coveted, but it also means you are feared. I was both a prize and a punishment.

Xavier and I finally reached the wooden stairs, our every step echoing out into the gloomy sky. It would rain today, it always did on sentencing days. They were not held often, but when they were, the rain faithfully came.

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