Page 44 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
“Go on.”
“Zeke is a fool. It’s a miracle he passed the trials in the first place, and Willow… You know I love her, but even their magic combined wouldn’t be strong enough to best Damian.”
His lips thin as he scratches his thick sideburn. “I don’t want Damian Sombra to be king. He’s too strong, and not malleable enough to be of any use to us.”
I lean forward, trying to exude as much confidence and poise as I can muster. “Then leave Zeke to the moth. She’s the strongest darkling I’ve ever met and managed to ice the pond I created for the trials.”
My father raises an eyebrow, clearly rattled by the news. “She froze the water in your section of the labyrinth?”
“Yes.” I pause, munching on my next words carefully. Am I arguing for Beth to marry Zeke? The thought unsettles me, but I don’t want her to leave school, and my little sister deserves better than Zeke Nocturna. “Given the strength of the moth’s powers, she’s not a trail-blazer, but the exception to confirm the rule. And once she’s tucked away in the Shadowlands, no one will give her a second thought.”
Sweat pearls on my brow from the effort of phrasing that. I do think Beth is exceptional, which allowed me not to lie, but the overall message was on the cusp of dishonesty.
A thoughtful smile appears on the King’s lips. “I trust you, son, so I will take your advice into consideration. Now, if Zeke is not the man for her, we still have to get your sister settled. I do have another idea.”
“Why so fast, though?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.
I’m beginning to win him over.
He leans back in his seat, sinking deep into the cushions, his leg jittering over his knee. “Aidan… You’re a man now, so I will stop protecting you from hard truths. Your sister has certain….quirks that will only become more and more problematic now that she’s at the academy. You understand what I mean, right?”
“Yes,” I answer through clenched teeth, feeling like my mouth is full of burning, boiling sand.
“And those quirks will get out, eventually. We need to get her married before then.”
“You mean to entrap a future king of Faerie?”
“Everyone walks down the aisle with secrets, son. It’s just how life works.”
The conversation lingers in the air, heavy and unresolved, as I turn my gaze back to the ocean. The waves crash relentlessly over the beach, each new undertow stealing a bit of its red sand and dragging it toward the sea. My father’s words buzz in my ears, and I can’t help but feel like I’m being pulled under, too. Except instead of being slowly eroded by the sea, my soul and beliefs are going to be chipped, chiseled, or burnished away by the thousands of rules and expectations that define my life.
For a crown of fiery amber I’m not sure I even want.
I thought I did, but now… I want Beth more.
She’s in my head.
The way she held my hand in the labyrinth. How tightly she wrapped her thighs around me. The sweet taste of her lips.
I want itall.
I hang back at the loft for a couple of hours, trying and failing to think of anything else. Night has fallen by the time I snap out of my Beth-induced fantasies, joining Ezra and most of the fourth years at the Saffron Cove. The festivities are already in full swing, empty bottles of cider already piled next to the fire.
A silvery glow bathes the dark crimson hues of the secluded beach. The ocean gently laps at the shore in a rhythmic, soothing pattern. The night air is warm, carrying the salty scent of the sea and the strong aromas of burning wood and smoke from the crackling fire.
Ezra is playing poker with a bunch of the other guys over a flat rock, while Willow lounges on her stomach, chatting animatedly with Iris, Sean, and a couple of second-years. Beth is not among them, and my nails dig into my palms as I pass by a couple lying on a blanket. Zeke has his tongue so far down Diana’s throat, I fear she might choke.
I do my best to ignore them and sit beside Ezra on the sand, joining in as he deals the next round.
"Nice of you to finally join us. Did the old man keep you all this time?" he says the last part softly, so the others don’t hear.
I shake my head and offer a small shrug. My relationship with my father might be tense, but Ezra’s is far worse. It seems petty to complain to him about it.
When Diana finally leaves Zeke behind, the Shadow Prince joins our circle. He’s all flushed, and Ezra raises a pointed brow at him.
“Where’s your fiancée, Nocturna? Or do you still have one?” Ezra muses, a smirk creeping onto his face. “It’s hard to believe you gave me such grief for touching your girl this morning. What’s the matter? Did your lady dump you for your jealous fit, as she rightly should have done?”
“Beth is mine. But that doesn’t stop me from having some fun,” Zeke replies, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes.
