Page 73 of One Last Promise
“You can go to hell, youmurderer!”
“Are we really doing this first?AftereverythingI’ve done for you?”
“Let me go!Ihateyou!”I spat, trying to break from his hold.
“Hate me all you want, but you wouldn’t even be alive right now without me.”I was still struggling in his grip.
“I wish Ihaddied that night!”I spat, pushing at his chest, still unable to get away.
“You don’t mean that.”His face looked pained.
“Let mego!”I was squirming with all my strength but still couldn’t move.
“I don’t have to do anything you say,Princess.You’re not in Dallethas.”
“What?”I gasped, playing along to keep my cover intact.“Where am I?”
“Eallarim.”
“No!”I cried out, acting panicked.“I can’t be!How?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Darce muttered, stroking the side of my face before twisting a strand of my hair between his fingers.My body burned with the simple touch.“As beautiful as your hair is, Alora, we need to change it.You stand out too much here.”Using his shadows, he ran his hands through my hair, and I gasped when the tips started to turnblack.“It’s not permanent.I can change it back at any time.I changed your attire, too.Take a look in the mirror.”He tilted his head to the far corner of the bedroom, where a large, gilded mirror stood.My feet moved of their own accord.When I saw my reflection, I looked like aNoxlin.My eyes were a light golden brown, and my hair was as black as night.My dress had been turned from white to black with a gold trim.This was impossible!How had Darce done this?
“H...ho...how are you able to do this?This isshadowmagic.I thought only bloodlines could...”I stopped in my tracks, realising what I was about to say.If onlybloodlineshad light and dark magic, that made Darce...No...it couldn’t be.The reason he could defeat Xavier’s power.The way he had goaded him.Theyhadmet many times on the battlefield.
I took in the surroundings more closely.The size of the room, the wealth, the large painting that appeared to be of The Battle of False Promise.This room wasn’t too unlike mine in Dallethas.This wasn’t a bedroom that belonged to a foot soldier, or even a member of the army.This was a room built forroyalty.
“Alora, before you work itallout in that beautiful head of yours, allow me to explain.My friends are going to arrive any minute, and we need to get our stories straight.I will try to get rid of them as quickly as I can so we can talk.”
“Whoareyou?”
“You know who I am.”He grimaced, running his hands through my now dark hair.“This colour suits you.”He was trying to distract me, but it wasn’t going to work.
“I need you tosayit!”I seethed, pushing away from his touch.The light power started to surge through my body.“You reprimandedmefor keeping my secret about being the princess, when all along...All.Along...you were...”My power was radiating off me.“Tell me!Who.Are.You?”
“I’m the son of Tamus and Duna,” Darce admitted, soothing the power in my hands with his shadows.“You need to control your light here.Breathe.I can keep you safe from everyone in Eallarim,exceptmy parents.”
“THE PRINCE!YOU’RE THE FUCKING...NOXLINPRINCE!” My power shot across the room, knocking the battle painting off the wall.Darce quickly diffused it with his shadows, calming my blazing light.His darkness across my skin sent shudders of pleasure through my body.It felt like a gentle caress.
“You’ve heard of my parents then?”he joked.The insufferable asshole was smirking?My fist flew out in pure rage, smacking him square in the jaw.Of course, it had little effect.Darce didn’t even flinch.
“You fuckingbastard!I didn’t think it could get any worse.Apparently, I was wrong!”That was how Darce was immortal.He was of the Noxlin bloodline!
“Oh, it’s about to really get interesting,” he snorted, rubbing his jaw.“Myfriendsare going to join us.If they ask, we met on my trip to Ustavar, okay?”
“Where?”
“Just play along,” he sighed, pulling me to his side.“That was an impressive left hook, by the way.If we weren’t about to be interrupted, I would have my mouth between your legs right now.”
“Excuse me?What makes you think that I’d allow you between my legseveragain?”
Darce was about to respond, but his door swung open.Three Noxlin wandered through, two males and a female.They were all giving me a bewildered gaze.
“Darce, are you going to introduce us?You don’t usually keep your latest conquests a secret,” the female quipped excitedly.She was every bit as beautiful as Darce, with her long, dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, and thin, agile body.“I’m Nyx.”When she held her hand out to me, I took it, too afraid not to.
The two males were reasonably attractive too, and both were built of pure muscle.One had short, mid-length hair, and the other one’s hair was longer and tied up in a bun.Nyx caught my unease.“Oh, don’t worry about Mrak and Nox.They are harmless.”
“Nyx, I’m thegeneral.I’m far fromharmless!”the mid-length haired male snorted, watching me closely.Suddenly, I realised who I was standing in front of...General Nox!
