Page 2 of To Charm a Dark Prince

He had once been a knight in shining armor.

Now, darkened and corrupted by the toll of endless war.

Perhaps they were to blame.

Perhaps not.

But it did not matter anymore.

Armor—rusted and asymmetric like all the rest of his works of “art”—covered his muscular arms and shoulders. Yet he wore no breastplate over the black linen shirt that he left unlaced. He had no need. For no one would stand against him in this place. No one would dare.

For here, the Prince in Iron reigned.

He pulled the dark hood from his head, gazing up at the stone that was their prison. Molten eyes that swirled with shades of red, orange, yellow, and grayish blue held nothing but contempt and perhaps even worry as they gazed up at his masterpiece.

The terrible warden. The empty prince. The elemental who had betrayed them all. How they cried for mercy—for freedom—and how they had been ignored for so very long. But there was one amongst them who would not sit still. Who had not surrendered to the inevitability of their cage.

One voice whose scream was one of rage. Who deafened those who crowded him in the place that was so overcrowded and yet so desolate.

This is your chance.

Go.

Run!

Escape!

* * *

Mordred nearly missed the motion out of the corner of his eye.

A creature—small and feline, dark and matted fur still glowing from the magic of the Crystal—was bolting for the iron door he had left ajar. It was limping, but it was fleeing.

Something had escaped.

Snarling in rage, Mordred chased the creature into the hallway. “Stop!”

The creature did not heed his words. A portal through space, inelegant and ragged at the edges, resembling a tear in fabric, opened in front of the escapee. The feline did not hesitate as it jumped through the hole.

Before Mordred could reach it—before he could rip the small portal open wider and follow it to its destination…it was gone.

“No!”

Slamming his fist into the wall, he watched as the stone cracked and splintered beneath his rage, like a chaotic spiderweb around his knuckles. Schooling his anger, he took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself.

Perhaps it would not be so bad.

Or perhaps this spelled the end of Avalon, once and for all.

ONE

Gwen was having a shit day. Areallyshit day.

Looking down at her phone, she let out a sigh. Nothing quite like betrayal to get the whole thing off to the wrong start. This weekend was supposed to be fun. Her parents were away until late on Sunday, having gone off to Wichita to see a show.

It was supposed to be quiet. Easy. Simple.

She wasn’t supposed to find out her boyfriend was cheating on her.

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