Page 48 of Cursed Heirs

“All manipulation, darling princess. Half-truths, omissions, even lies. Your own mother even instructed the educators at Electi Academy to hold back with you and not to push you at all, to leave it all up to you. She’d been hoping that your fear would win out and your time at the Academy would merely serve to contain your power so there were no more dangerous bursts that she had to cover up. And, amusingly, on the flip side, the Dark Fae Prince manipulated you from the very beginning. He didn’t target you merely because of what your mother did to his father. He’s far too calculated to be that shortsighted. He wanted you to come into your true power, to grow stronger. All for Obsidian, so he’d have somebody at his side who could stand on his level for when the time came to attack me.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed, struggling to absorb his revelations.

The depth of the manipulation that had been levied upon me, twisting me up, changing my life path, and generally fucking with me.

“Nothing… nothing is real,” I murmured, overcome in a way I normally wouldn’t be.

But here, in this place, the way I felt here, I was like a lost little lamb in the realm of the big, bad wolf.

That thought had me jumping up from the armchair and spinning around to face him.

He eyed me steadily, seeming not the least bit surprised or worried about my reaction.

“You’re doing something to me. I don’t feel like myself.”

“This is merely part of a transition period, the uncertainty that comes with moving from what all these imbeciles made you into, to the true version of you.”

“Transition period,” I uttered aloud, mulling it over. “I don’t… I don’t know.”

He came to me. “And you won’t. Not until you stop fighting the falsity they’ve created in you, not until you finally let go of your fears concerning your power.” He was so close, his minty scent enveloping me, the heat coming off him.

But he didn’t touch me.

Not sexually this time.

It had been tender gestures through and through—holding my chin, stroking my hair.

And it had felt… safe.

Nice, even.

Comforting.

Reassuring, really.

At a time when I seemed to need it the most because of this… transition period.

“It is not a crime to possess great power, Alena. It’s not something to be ashamed of. It should be recognized, applauded and absolutely celebrated in every way possible.” He smiled kindly. “You. Are. Extraordinary.”

I stared up at him. “You’re helping me.”

“Of course I am.”

“After I hurt you?”

“You were misguided. All the manipulation I just revealed to you, remember?”

“Yeah… I… I remember.”

“And what do you think about that?”

“I think… Iknow… you’re right. You want to help me.”

He leaned in, his hot breath at my ear. “Good little princess. Very good.”

“Is this what happened to you? They were so afraid of your power?”

“Indeed. They spread falsities concerning me. Now the supernatural world believes me to be evil incarnate. They fear and despise me in equal measure.”

---