Page 37 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

This couldn't happen; it wasn’t supposed to happen.

Bitter shame curdled inside of my gut like sour milk over the thought that I had given it. Intoxication of the liquor, the seduction of Drake, the words he’d purred in my ear—the way my body had hummed when in contact with his. He was drunk too. I remembered the way his eyes were glassy like twin marbles. Bile rose in my throat. I had taken advantage of him. A shudder crawled across my skin, goose bumps breaking out along my arms.

Drake only slept with me due to the intoxicating effects of the liquor; he didn’t want me. His last coherent words were that he could never mate with me.

My heart still clenched as I recalled those words in the garden, the flat resignation in his eyes.

This was a mistake. Our coupling was wrong.

And though I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t help the little small part of my heart that swelled with joy at finally having belonged to Drake in some fashion. But that didn’t erase the fact that he didn’t want me, had rejected me. A chill slithered down my spine at the thought of him waking up and finding he was in bed with me in some seedy inn.

I couldn’t let that happen. I had to get away, never live within shadow fae palace walls again, nor the werewolf palace. Going home wasn’t an option. I knew my mother’s determined will and my father’s iron conviction. They would try to force me to go through with the engagement whether I wished them to or not. The fact that Drake and I were fated mates trumped all else. The fact that our union would stave off war was all that mattered.

I raked a hand through my hair. Where could I go? Where could I get away from all the heartache, the hurt, the unrequited love?

My thoughts wandered to a realm that I knew of where only banished werewolves were sent to. A realm with no magic, no unearthly majestic landscapes with exotic creatures and flourishing plants and fauna. A world where technology reigned. A planet that was slowly being consumed by its own inhabitants’ misuse of it.

The human realm.

I swallowed thickly, my throat narrowing. But it was the only choice I had, the only place where I would not have to worry about soldiers from the shadow fae hunting me down or the werewolves of my kingdom searching for me.

It’s a place where I could start over.

And with that thought, my plan was cemented. I slowly slid out from underneath Drake’s arm. I stilled when he groaned slightly in protest and shifted a little beneath the sheets. Then, he remained still. I sat on the edge of the bed, frozen, eyeing him to see if he would stir—my heart in my throat. But he never moved so much as a hair again. I breathed a small sigh of relief, then straightened, making quick work of dressing. Once I was fully clothed, I walked to the door. I stopped before it, my hand on the handle, then glanced over my shoulder for one last look at Drake—my forbidden love.

“I do love you,” I whispered, my voice ragged with hurt and longing for what could never be. The tears pricked my eyelashes, and I bit down hard on my lower lip. With that, I turned the doorknob, opened the door, and stepped out onto my new path and the new life that lay ahead.

CHAPTER EIGHT: REGRET

DRAKE

Iwinced against the light that slanted over my closed eyelids. Shifting, I rolled over and burrowed deeper underneath the covers. Something was off.

The sheets of my bed were not this rough, this abrasive. My eyes snapped open, my gaze flitting over the pale walls of the room, the black sheets, and the burgundy curtains.

Where the hell am I?The mounting alarm washed over me.

How the hell did I get in here?I thought. I wracked my mind, searching for memories. Flashes erupted before me of the club, Rosalana offered me drinks, and Ember, dancing at the club. Then, I grabbed her hand, leading her away. My body grew hot at the memory of her kisses, her tongue swirling around my own, meeting my kiss with an endearing shyness; it was hot.

Horror rinsed over me like cold winter rain. My gaze slowly turned to the other side of the bed. It was empty, but the bed sheets had been wrinkled, and a few drops of blood stained the middle of the bed.

I inhaled—Ember’s blood.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit!

I laid with Ember, had made love to her, and wasn’t even aware I had done so. Guilt slammed into me like an iron fist. Ember was gone. She must despise me and wanted to get out of my sight.

But how the hell had I taken advantage of her?

Shadow fae didn’t become intoxicated so easily. Our high metabolism ran through liquor like it was water.

My memories flashed back to Rosalana. She kept offering me drinks; at one point had turned her back, and then I caught sight of her smiling coyly at me as she handed me another drink. Her eyes glinting as she watched me down the contents.

No. What the hell did Rosalana do?

First and most importantly, I had to find Ember, reassure her, and explain. I leaped from the bed, dressing quickly. Racing out of the room, I put the price of the room on the royal tab and ran outside. I spread open my wings. The giant wings spread out like twin sails catching the wind as I hurled myself into the air. Usually, I did not use this form of transportation, despising how much attention it drew to me, being one of the few shadow fae in existence to ever master the manipulation of flight. But this was an emergency, and my fated mate needed me.

I soared across the land, the town buildings whirling below—the tree tops nothing but a blur of green as I pumped my wings harder, propelling myself forward. In the distance rose the obsidian palace, its tall towers pricking the sky-blue expanse above. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, causing my heart to sink.

---