Page 17 of The Crimson Princess
I’m incredulous that he has no idea that I have not come into my full powers, and oh, how I want to throw it in his face. Somehow, though, I shackle my irrational urge to confront him when that will go nowhere pleasant. Besides, he’s already pushing to his feet, intent on dismissing me, and I want nothing more.
Go. Please. Forever.
But he doesn’t, not yet, as he just can’t seem to resist one more command. “Focus on the druid prince and show him the attention you did Toren. The druids intend to enslave the druid sorceress. She will be their property. Make sure that means us, too.” With that, he rotates and marches for the door, and I’m not about to let him get away that easily.
I pop to my feet. “Why not ask for her help? Are you really trying to whore out your daughter now?”
He rotates to face me. “You are far too uneducated on what a druid sorceress will do to all of us if we allow her the chance. I’ll deal with her when necessary. You make Bellar want peace,” he pauses for effect and adds, “princess.”
And with that, he marches away from me, and a moment later, the door slams shut.
My hands lift in the air, fingers curling into my palms, and I bite back a scream, refusing tears unworthy of a warrior or a princess. I’m coming out of my own skin, ready to chase my father down and battle this out. I need out of here before that’s exactly what happens. I walk into the closet, grab a baseball hat, and pull it over my hair, tucking it under the cap. It’s my favorite disguise and a fashion statement we garnered from the humans. They’re a part of us in ways I do not think my father will ever acknowledge. He protects them under the command of the Book of Life that says he has to protect them. Not because they deserve to live, not because they are a part of the thread of our existence.
I grab my backpack, pull it over my shoulders, and head for the door, well-versed on how to leave the castle without being spotted. I head down the rear steps, walk through the kitchen, and exit a side door used by staff. Once I’m outside, the stars glisten in the sky, uninhibited by clouds, leading me down a path to the ocean. The crash of waves on the shore soothes my aching heart, and the closer I draw to the sound, the closer I am to my escape from the kingdom that too often has felt like my prison. Soon, I’m on a brick path that leads from one ocean village to the next, and once I reach the first destination, Pava, a small commoner village, I snag a car—yes, we too have car services—and head toward my destination: Tegus.
It’s the village where my mother was raised, where her adopted family used to reside, but I’m forbidden from seeing them. My mother believed the council might well punish them in some way for raising a sage who did not belong with commoners. We protect them by staying away, and they are no longer in Tegus, anyway.My father gifted them a home amongst the humans, somewhere in Alaska, I hear.
But my mother held fondness for Tegus and we discreetly visited on several occasions when I was young. Visiting now will be good for my soul, healing, but the trip is not short, a full hour before I thank my driver, and pay him in gale gold.
Soon, I’m oceanside in the always bustling row of restaurants and bars that line a boardwalk, my destination the Silverdale Bakery that operates until late to accommodate the nightlife.
I step inside and inhale the delectable scent of bread, cookies, cakes, and every baked good imaginable teasing my nostrils. There is nothing like a gale bakery, and while, yes, I grew fond of human sweets, the spices and flour are different, not as lush and full of depth. And right now, this place, and the memories of visiting, feels like coming home. There’s a lift to my step as I cross to the counter and greet Naomi, the owner, a beautiful brunette with brown commoner eyes. What hurts my heart is to see how she has aged, looking more like a sixty-year-old human than the thirty-something of my mother, when they’re the exact same age, both far older than they look. Commoners age far more rapidly than sages and highborns. The more magic you possess, the slower you age.
“Oh my gosh,” she exclaims, a smile on her lips while tears well in her eyes. “I miss her already.” She rounds the counter and hugs me with the fierceness of a warrior, murmuring, “I’m so sorry,” before she pulls back, hands on my shoulders as she studies me. “How are you?”
“Confused,” I whisper, struggling to find my voice. “I don’t know why the Book of Life took hers.”
“She would have told you that it’s not for us to understand.”
“Yes,” I agree, nodding. “Yes, she would have. Is Marion around?” I ask, eager to see my mother’s long-term friend once again.
“No, honey. She met a man and moved to Hallos, the next village over. She will be sad to have missed you. And I think she’s afraidif she goes to the castle to show her respects, she’ll go off on your father and end up in the Third World. She never liked the way he treated her.”
For good reason, I think, but I tone the words I actually speak. “She was protective of us both.”
“As am I, honey. How about I make you a little box of all your favorites? My gift to you.” The door behind us chimes, and a group of gales enters. “I’m short-staffed tonight. Cali is pregnant and feeling poorly.” Cali being her daughter.
“Oh my gosh. Congratulations. Tell her, too, please. I’ll come back to visit her. And, take your time.”
“I’ll get you that cocoa you love.” She hugs me again and hurries behind the counter.
I walk to the rows of books and gifts along the far wall and imagine the conversations my mother and I would have about each item. The coffee mug is so darn adorable. This book, oh yes, we could read it together. I can’t take it, and damn it, tears pinch at my eyes.
“Cocoa up!” I hear and rotate toward the counter to find a tall male dressed in black jeans, boots, and a jacket, standing in wait as well, his back to me. I know immediately he’s not gale, the power radiating off of him lighting up my magic, and I wonder if he can hear the rush of adrenaline and the pulse of blood racing through my veins.
Vampire.
Toren.
Chapter ten
Ishefollowingme?What is this? I’m incredulous at Toren’s presence, uncertain if I should be ready for battle, manipulation, or seduction, but whatever the case, I will show no fear. Ifeelno fear. I don’t even hesitate to close the space between us and step in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
Just that easily, he’s towering over me, and I’m captured in the magnetic pull of those bluer-than-blue eyes. “Princess,” he greets softly, his eyes warm, but his expression cautiously schooled to be unreadably vampire. “What an interesting surprise.”
“Do not call methatoutside the palace.” I grit out the words between my teeth in a low warning. “Use my name.Satima. Andis ita surprise? How are you here? This is nowhere near the royal cottages.”
“Your mother brought me here one time. It seemed a good place to pay my respects.”
