Page 41 of To Charm a Dark Prince

Reaching down to the table, he picked up a small figurine. It was made from iron—which wasn’t surprising. He tossed it to her. Catching it, she studied the little thing. It was in the shape of a monster—or a demon. A strange creature with the posture of a gorilla but resembling a lion more. It had one broken, jagged horn and one that curled away from its head like a gazelle. Its face was caught in a rage-filled roar.

“We elementals are fueled by the magic of Avalon—and are just as unpredictable. The island chooses who to ‘gift’ with its power. It is not given to those whodeserveorearnit. No, sometimes I think indeed the island has a sick sense of humor in who it chooses and who it does not.” He sneered. It was clear he had strong feelings on the subject.

Gwen stayed quiet, listening to him talk.

“When the demon Grinn, the so-called and self-titledAsh King, decided to wage war upon the whole of Avalon, I rose to stand in opposition. I would not let the monster go unchecked—for he wished to reduce all life to cinders, to turn it into his own personal Hell.”

“Did you kill the demon?”

“No. To kill another elemental is against the law of Avalon, save by unanimous vote of the others.” He laughed, a dark and unhappy sound. “They could not even agree uponthat.A war against the demon that ended in imprisonment was the only answer. But I foolishly sought the aid of the elementals to assist me in my fight. And for a time…they did.”

“For a time?” She frowned.

“And therein is the rub. There lies the reason why I did what I had to do. For thosebastardscannot be trusted.” He grimaced. “They saw me as a threat, due to iron serving as a foil for all the rest of them. Afraid of my strength, they waited until I had defeated the demon to strike against me. Insisting that I should not exist, they sought my head on a pike. In that, they stood united.”

She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Clearly, you won.”

“Indeed.” He huffed a laugh. “Their alliances could not last long enough to see them put an end to me. They turned their bickering inwards. If they had managed to simply unite against me, I would not be standing here today. And Avalon would likely be nothing but char and coal.”

“But you could have killed them all. I mean, laws are laws, but clearly, you’re now the guy in charge.”

“Yes. But if we do not hold ourselves to our own standards, what do we have in the end?” He downed the rest of his glass of alcohol. “Nothing.” He walked away to stand by the fire burning in the hearth by the wall, gazing into the flames. If the world was always this gray and dreary, she imagined they went through alotof firewood.

“How many other elementals are—were—there?”

“Twenty, thirty perhaps. I am unsure. We could not be trusted in one place all at the same time without a brawl breaking loose.” He sneered down into the fire. “The factions shifted and changed as chaotically as the power that wielded it. Betrayals were more common than friendships.”

He paused for a long moment, clearly debating whether or not to ask his next question. “Would you rather live in a world that is stagnant, or a world gripped by constant war?”

“I don’t know.” And that was true. She really didn’t. She looked out the window at the dreary gray sky beyond. “Does the sun ever shine here?”

“No. Nor do the seasons change.”

Wincing, she sighed. “Then I really don’t know.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Gwen.” He shut his eyes and leaned his forehead on his wrist. “So many once sought to placate me—they fed me lies, promising that they were onmyside. That they would embrace this cold, sterile order, if it meant they could remain free of the Crystal. Each time I was betrayed.”

Trust issues. Check. That explained a lot. She sighed. “I promise I won’t ever tell you something untrue.” She paused. “I just can’t promise to tell you everything.” Like about the stupid cat and his stupid plot.

He smiled wearily. “That is the kindest gift you could give me, firefly. Thank you.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely, though? With nobody else around?”

“Immensely.” Mordred tilted his head to the right. She heard it pop loudly. He repeated the action to the left, and it came along with another loud pop.

“At least you have your knights.”

He laughed darkly again, as if she had said something extremely funny without realizing what it was. “I believe I prefer the company of my hounds.”

Oh! Right! Maewenn had mentioned that he had dogs. Her mood instantly brightened. “Can we go see them?”

He turned to look at her a little quizzically, as if surprised.

She smiled a little sheepishly. “I really love animals.”

“Yes. Right. So you said.” He shrugged. “Very well. I could use a distraction. It will give you something to do with those meat pies.”

She hopped up and down, thrilled at the notion. She could use some time with some pets to brighten her day. It had been a little rough, all things considered. Although the whiskey was helping. She emptied the rest of her glass, coughed, and grinned at the prince. “Let’s go!”

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