King of Always: Chapter 6

me.

For three days, I’ve followed the court’s whispered gossip throughout the castle and city grounds in the hopes of finding her, but to no avail. One morning I hear she’s breakfasting with Lara on the iolite balcony—by the time I arrive, she is gone. Visiting the moss elves with Lara? The red willow is deserted when I arrive. Pruning fruit trees with Magret in the orchard on a sunny afternoon? Not when I reach the gardens.

It’s beyond frustrating. I only wish to speak with her. To come to know her. How will I ever convince her she is to be my queen if she will not stop running from me?

At present, I stride alongside my brother through a sunlit glade, returning from a patrol in the Emerald Forest, uncomfortable and hot in my leather armor. Still, I laugh as my squealing mire fox scampers through the grass and pulls on Balor’s shaggy, gray tail. Poor Balor. Spark can be an insufferable pest when the mood strikes her. Which is often.

Seven silver and gold birds swoop from the dark-green treetops to skim over our heads, Ever’s órga falcons, screeching as they go. With a flick of my wrist, I cast a ring of fire into the sky which they fly through three times before disappearing behind clouds.

“I suppose Lara’s cousin greatly admires the Emerald Castle,” I say, careful to keep my gaze on a mass of golden birch leaves to my left.

I feel Ever study me. In the silence, I count four heartbeats, but still, he doesn’t speak.

“Did you hear me?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“I wonder which are her favorite places in the city?” I clear my throat. “It is fascinating to me how a mortal sees our world.”

“Really?” Ever raises his brow.

Dana damn him. He simply cannot be baited. I suppose I must be more direct. “I also wonder which courtiers are working in the pear orchard this morning. They have a new design for—”

“And I wonder about your idiotic questions of late.”

“What is wrong with what I asked? I take great interest in the gardens,” I say, rubbing the throbbing pain beneath my chest plate.

Black blood crawls, hisses and snarls. Foulest of toxins always invading, corrupting, corrupting. What I would give to silence its whispers.

“Rubbish.” Ever scoffs. “In the past, your main involvement in the gardens has been to roll about them with pretty fae while drinking copious amounts of wine made from their vines. But, of course, now that you are the heir, it’s only natural each blade of grass in the kingdom is of the highest importance to you. That makes perfect sense.” He shoves my shoulder, pushing me into a holly bush.

“I grow weary of your vague and ridiculous questions, Raff. Speak plainly. If you wish to know where Isla is, I am only too happy to tell you.”

“

?” I say, paying great attention to tightening a buckle on my bracer as I prepare for the lashing of pain my next words will bring me. “I’m not troubled by movements. It is of absolutely no interest to me where she—”

“—might search for opals?” Ever interrupts, grinning far too widely. “If you move with haste, Brother, you may still find her in the grotto looking for gemstones.

and perhaps even wishing for company.”

I take a second to grin back before I begin to run, swinging Spark onto my shoulders without slowing my pace as Balor nips at my heels, and I sprint in the direction of Firestone Creek.

“Balor!” Ever’s sharp whistle rings through the forest, frightening birds from their nests. “I wasn’t speaking to . You’re certainly not needed in the grotto. Let us go find Lara and Merri instead—they will appreciate your gamboling and drooling considerably more than Isla will.”

Before slipping into the trees, I turn back around. “You are wrong, Ever. I believe the human would much prefer Balor’s company over mine.”

I salute them, and then smash through the forest, leaping over giant logs, bounding over rocks and boulders, my sheathed sword battering the foliage. I’m desperate to shift into my phoenix. If I did so, I could be at the girl’s side in moments.

I grit my teeth and tense every muscle, fighting the urge to change. The girl already distrusts me, and a light scent of fear perfumed her silky skin the night we danced, the night I realized, like a broad arrow shot between my ribs, exactly who she is. My foretold mate. A cure to the bleakness, the dark pain that lives inside me.

.

But given her reaction to me at our first meeting, I suspect seeing my wild, fiery creature today would hardly endear me to her.

Only several moons ago, I lived for tricks and laughs, the thrill of playing with fire and burning an entire chamber to ash simply because I could. But as the poison progresses through my blood, my love of fun deserts me. I was once a wholly frivolous creature. And now? Now I’m more monster than a Seelie prince of Faery.

Detached.

Capable of immense cruelty.

A true Black Blood heir.

Spark squawks as a branch knocks her off my shoulders onto the forest floor. White-hot rage flashes inside me. I run back and collect Spark from the ground, blasting the offending branch with a beam of fire. It explodes, ash showering the tree’s scarred trunk and mossy roots—the dryad living inside it screeching in pain. Cursing, I keep moving, ignoring the hot wave of nausea that burns inside my gut.

These days, a wild and constant anger simmers beneath the surface of my skin, ready at the slightest provocation to break out and attack, whether violence is warranted or not. Most of the time, it’s not. Lately, I disgust myself.

Before Ever left Faery and followed Lara to the human realm, he gave me a choice—if I didn’t wish to become the heir, he’d stay and continue to bear the curse. At the time, I laughed and told him to hurry up and leave because, fool that I was, I thought it would be amusing to one day become king. I thought I was stronger than Ever, and that my light would defeat the evil of the curse, counteract the foul nature of the poison.

But alas, here I am—a prince who smites harmless tree spirits for the misfortune of being in my mire fox’s way. Is this the action of a good and just future king? I think not. My fists clench as I pick up speed, reminding myself that my queen can reverse the effects of the poison. My mate is the key.

The land snakes slowly downward, and, finally, a pool of emerald is visible through the trees. Surrounded by vine-covered cliffs, the creek’s surface is deceptively calm and mirror-still. Of all the terrible creatures that lurk beneath the water, kelpies are the worst, but thankfully this section is too shallow, and they cannot harm the girl who is sitting on the grassy banks. Undoubtedly, she’d make them a tasty treat. But they can only watch and yearn from a distance. Just as I am doing now.

There she is—Isla. My fiery future queen. Now, how to win her favor?

Dappled light casts curious patterns over her amber tunic and dark-colored leggings. They look wet, so she must have been fishing for stones, but why didn’t she remove her clothes first? Perhaps humans always bathe covered in cloth and only show their skin to lovers or mates.

Fire sears my veins as I imagine being wedded to her. She’s human, frail and plain compared to my own kind, therefore, my pulse should not be racing at the idea. But it has been a while since I’ve bothered to bed anyone. And there, right in front of my eyes, sits my mate. The girl whom the original curse bringer—Ever’s air mage—chose to join me with forever. Given the situation, perhaps experiencing a small thrill is reasonable.

My heart pounding faster, I watch her profile as she uncrosses her legs and trails tanned fingers through the water, her expression peaceful. Spark sits forward on my shoulders, chirruping in my ear and strangling my neck in her impatience to be introduced. No doubt she wishes to leap upon the girl and shower her with kisses. Not a completely unappealing idea, I must admit.

“Alright,” I tell Spark. “Wish me luck.” I step forward, twigs and branches cracking underfoot, echoing off the walls of the grotto, the only other sound the constant drip of water.

“Human!” I call loudly.

She flinches and turns, a hard scowl twisting her features.

My heart booms harder.

Humans are nothing special, I remind myself. High fae possess staggering beauty, but mortals are merely pretty. Sweet, in the manner of kittens or baby goslings.

I stop beside her, my thoughts a muddle as I stare at her frowning blue eyes, brighter even than the sun-kissed water. What should I say?

If I could manage to do it without her noticing, I would roll my eyes at myself. There is no reason to second guess my every word when speaking to such an ordinary creature. I must simply part my lips and begin.

Taking a deep breath, I point at the stones in her lap. “You’ve found the fire opals you sought. You must have ventured deep into the creek to gather so many of—”

“Hey, my name is . Or are you too thick to remember it? Calling me all the time is insulting.”

I take another quick breath, but she speaks before I can reply. “What do you want, Raff? I thought I made it quite clear the other night that fae princes aren’t high on my list of people I want to hang with.”

“How does one together? Do you mean the way draygonets roost upside down from tree branches?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re such a… oh! You’ve got a thing on your… Is that Spark?”

Her crystal-blue eyes flare in excitement as she spies my mire fox peering around my head. Spark chatters and points at the mortal as if she’s never seen one before. The girl smiles, and my bones melt like wildflower honey on hot bread.

I watch the way she studies Spark and hope fills my chest. My presence may not please the mortal, but she does seem to like pets. It has been my experience that people who love animals are usually kindhearted and treat all beings with fairness.

I crouch beside her, swiping hair from my eyes “I’ve brought Spark to meet you. Lara has said you enjoyed the tales of her escapades, and my mire fox loves nothing more than making new friends, especially human ones for some strange reason.”

I drop my gaze to the ground, shaking my head. Why does everything I say to her sound like I wish to start an argument? Here is the girl who will change my life, and all I can do when in her presence is trip over my tongue like a boneheaded youth.

Discomfort rising, I cast around for a neutral topic. “Similar to a Dún mountain troll who hides in underground caverns, you are very difficult to find.”

Daggers shoot from her eyes, and I sigh loudly. Once again, my words sounded like an insult.

“And I don’t suppose it occurred to your conceited royal brain that the reason for that is because I actually don’t want to be found?”

“But I have heard tales of your adventures these past days. You’ve enjoyed picnics with Lara and the moss elves, river frolics with Balor and Magret and other ladies of the court, you even attended a formal dinner with the tedious queen’s council. You are not hiding from anyone.”

“Yes, I am. I’m hiding from .”

“But, for what possible reason? I’ve told you; you are my mate and future queen. You’ve seen evidence of the curse in the story of Lara and Ever, so why would you doubt it? And now your cousin is mortal-wed to my brother. When Mother dies, you and I will rule over this land together, then our children after us.”

“Our cursed children?” She turns away, plucking grass from the banks in angry snatches. “You’re crazy, Raff. Leave me alone.”

Moving just a little closer, I say, “I have never been saner. Your presence brings a flame’s clarity, hope of a brighter future.”

She laughs, but it is not a happy sound.

“What is funny?”

“You are,” she replies, her hair glinting like spun gold.

Folding my legs, I sit next to her so I can better admire its shine, my smile faltering as she inches away from me.

I lower my voice to beguile her, to charm but without magic. “We could marry alongside Ever and Lara when they take their fae vows at Merrin Creek. Or immediately after, if you’d prefer it. You only need say what you desire, and you shall have it; your wishes are my own.”

“Well, then I wish for you to go away.”

Spark flinches at the human’s tone, then swings off my back into her lap and begins to inspect her gold locks. Isla giggles as they play a child’s game, clapping their palms together in a complicated pattern, both of them pretending I do not exist.

In this moment, I am an outsider, and this is a new and unpleasant feeling. As their prince, everyone at court notices and welcomes me. No matter what I do. Scuffing my boot heel through tufts of grass, I consider my next move.

This human is stubborn and difficult. Never in my wildest imaginings did I guess that when I found my chosen mate, she would not want me. Doesn’t everyone, human or fae, wish to rule over a kingdom? Perhaps Aer and Salamander were wrong about the phoenix tattoo she bears? Perhaps she is not the one.

She squeals in delight as Spark tickles her, and warmth spreads through my being. No—she’s the one.

The proof is in my diminished pain, the gentler flow of blood through my veins, the burgeoning power of my fire magic, kindling once again.

For .

I wait for her to look at me. When her eyes meet mine, shock ripples through my stomach. It’s not their bright color that astonishes me, but the spirit shining through them. The banked power bubbling in their depths.

Closing my eyes, I quickly turn my head away, relaxing my senses, feeling the subtle shifts of energy emanating from her. Yes—this human has magic; I am sure of it.

With renewed determination, I say, “Tomorrow, the entire court will begin a journey of nearly three days to reach the place of Ever and Lara’s Faery wedding. I wager that some time before the ceremony, you will have changed your mind about me.”

Eyes narrowing to slits of blue, her chest rises faster. “I won’t.”

I stand abruptly, pulling Spark into my arms. The mire fox screeches as though I tore her ear off. “Listen to me, . The air mage saw your tattoo. I have been dreaming of you since Ever left Faery and the curse shifted to my blood. You are destined to be my queen. This has been foretold, and our mages are never wrong. I tell you it will come to pass.”

“Right. So, is that an actual proposal? If so, it must be the worst one in history—fae or human. Who wants to marry a guy just because of a stupid prophecy?”

“But you would be queen of this land. Ruler of the Court of Five and all the Elemental Fae.”

“So what? When and I marry, it’ll be for love and for no other reason. And as you feel compelled to keep reminding me, I’m human. So how could a mortal be queen of the Seelie fae anyway?”

“The first Black Blood prince’s queen was mortal. Aer often chooses mortals as mates to punish the heirs. Gadriel and then Ever rejected her twisted affections; they are the reason she seeks to humiliate us by selecting mates who are beneath faekind.”

She leaps to her feet, tucking the opals into her tunic’s shallow pocket. “Is that how you see Lara and me? As embarrassments to your family?”

“No, I… Here, Isla, take this.” I unhook a leather pouch from my sword belt. “You can keep your stones safe inside it.”

“No thanks.” She swipes my hand away, pushing past me.

My most treasured possession, the pouch my brother Rain made me before he died, crumples to the ground where she blindly stomps over it.

“Nice to meet you Spark. You’re a real cutie. And, Raff—you’re a total asshat.”

My heart drops to my stomach. I whirl on my heels, tripping on my sword blade, and watch her stalk toward the trees. “Isla? What is an asshat?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

I collapse back onto the grass and bury my face in my palms, shaking my hands out in front of me when flames lick my skin, singing my eyelashes once again.

When will I learn to control my temper?

Probably the day the poison ceases to move through my blood. And given how much Isla dislikes me, that means possibly never.

Dana be damned—curses are no fun at all.