Finally I was back in bed. Viktor thoughtfully retreated to his own bedroom, leaving me alone and confused.
I had far too much to think about based on tonight's events alone.One single fact was ever so present in my mind.What happened the night of my birthday wasn't some spur of the moment coup.It was calculated, planned, and well thought out.A message had been sent when the men shattered the windows in the ballroom. The game had begun, and I was now a player.One, people were after my necklace. They knew the power it held and wanted it for themselves. Knowing they could not rip it from my neck was comforting, but I wondered if that would still apply if I died. Could they remove the necklace from my dead body? I was beginning to suspect they could.Two, there was a high chance I had been responsible for the deaths of ten men. Eleven if you counted the man August and I had taken down. For a moment, my miViktorI had made three mistakes within the last few days.One, I had let Arabella slip through my grasp as the masked men infiltrated her birthday Gala.I had never felt true fear in my life. Facing death had only strengthened my resolve. You could not truly bring someone to the precipice of death if you feared the thing itself. Death had never frightened me. I was sure someday I would meet my match, ending in the only way I knew; violently.Down on my knees and staring down the barrel of Kreslers gun, I felt no fear.The moment I locked eyes with Princess Arabella, I had felt something new. Fear, like white hot pin pricks swarmed my skin. I feared dying without ever telling her the truth. I feared what would happen to her after my last breath.Something had changed following her eighteenth birthday. Something I had not anticipated.It was as if there were another consciousness occupying m
ArabellaI woke the next morning feeling a plethora of conflicting emotions. I was blissfully excited at the appearance of my mate, but confused on why he didn't reveal himself. It had to be someone already in the mansion, as I couldn't see how someone would get past the hundreds of guards my Dad had just employed around the perimeter of the city center. My options were quite limited, and yet I wasn't sure where to begin."Miss me?" Aela's familiar voice filtered through my head, and I couldn't contain the happiness I felt."I've missed you so much, Aela." I whined."It seems things have been..eventful in my absence." Aela murmured.I closed my eyes as I lay in bed, relaying everything that happened within the time I had been conscious."Goddess." Aela groaned, "I couldn't have picked a worse time to be gone.""If you recall, it wasn't exactly your fault." I gave her a kind smile.
With those final words, Bryton left me to my thoughts. While Bryton tried to make his touch appear romantic, it was anything but. I felt like a specimen on display, my beauty being analyzed under his critical gaze.I was too wrapped in my thoughts to feel the other emotions swirling through me. It seemed I could only feel my mate's emotions when my mind was clear.I knocked on the door to my Dad's office and entered at the sound of his voice. Viktor gave me a gentle nod and waited outside the door. Dad looked up from a stack of papers and sighed.I decided to get straight to the point."So, I ran into someone interesting today." I lifted my eyebrow at my Dad and saw the awareness flood into his eyes. He knew exactly what I was talking about."Who might that be, Bella?" Dad responded, humoring me instead of simply coming clean."Bryton Duboi." I pursed my lips, "If I look around will I find the other Royal's?"
My mind was racing as I left Uncle Jaspar's office.It had been my fault ten men were dead. While I felt shaken to my core, regret was one emotion I was lacking.The men had infiltrated my birthday Gala and threatened the lives of innocent- and not so innocent people. As far as I was concerned they were fair game.Aela was stunned into silence for the next half hour."That's why I was gone, isn't it?" Aela frowned, "I felt so drained after everything happened.""I did too." I nodded, "But what if our energy was drained due to our intentions?""Well..What were you thinking of when it happened?" Aela replied."Just.. protecting Viktor." I frowned, that was one moment I remembered clearly, "He was about to die, and I couldn't let that happen.""I don't see how those intention's weren't pure." Aela shrugged, "You weren't trying to kill them."I searched around the grounds for Shannon, hopi
After my long conversation with Viktor, the first step of my plan was beginning. Viktor was right. I couldn’t take on everyone at one time, I needed to go one by one.The night provided little in terns of rest. My mind was busy concocting plans for each potential snake in my life. August was a main priority at the moment. The way Elena spoke of her son gave me a sickening feeling. While I didn’t get gut feelings often, my gut was telling me to protect August at all costs.When I wasn’t thinking of plans or August’s safety, my mind was wandering back to the Aslanov family.Their two sons in all of their beauty, playing the game with an anticipating and skillful mindset. The one family that truly seemed to enjoy the game and potential pain they could inflict on others. The eldest son Nikolai Aslanov, held such beauty it was incredible. The false emotion’s he played on his face were incredibly calculated and well formed. In the short c
I wasn’t even sure where the words had come from, they just emerged from my mouth without warning. Even though I couldn’t figure out their source, I knew they were the truth. Mom’s death was a horrible tragedy, one I’m sure was orchestrated by a Royal or someone of high ranking. Dad had never been able to figure out the true cause of her death, forcing him to call it a simple rogue attack. I knew it was risky playing the same game, but I couldn’t sit idle. Dad was an amazing ruler, that much was clear. Our own Kingdom was flourishing, but others were failing. I wondered how many lives had been lost in other Kingdoms because Dad refused to play the game.I headed to the west wing of the Mansion, trudging up the stairs to the second floor. I nearly knocked on room twenty four when Viktor’s gloved hand stopped me. His hand wrapped around my raised hand, a single finger coming to his mouth in an attempt to tell me ‘quiet’. Only when
That hour was one of the longest I've experienced in my short life. My brain came up with every possible scenario that left Viktor permanently wiped from my life. It was selfish to ask this of him, but he was my only hope. I couldn't trust anyone else with the task, and I knew Viktor could come and go easily without being spotted. There was no way I'd be able to complete the task myself without getting noticed.Viktor came silently through my bedroom door and I released a sharp breath. Viktor had come back after all. My eyes raked over his towering form, looking for any injuries. Viktor looked as good as ever, with his tousled chocolate hair and piercing eyes. It seemed as though there wasn't a single scratch on his body."You underestimate me?" Viktor was the first to break the comfortable silence. His tone wasn't mocking or condescending, simply curious.I shook my head, "After watching you kill four guys by yourself, I think I'm past underestimating y
After I gave Uncle Jaspar the necklace, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. While I believed my intentions to be pure, the thought of losing Aela for even a few days was terrifying. Uncle Jaspar provided me with what help he could and for that I was thankful.I stayed in my bedroom well into the afternoon. The dinner cart pulled me from my thoughts."You can just leave it." I nodded at one of the servants with a smile."Place it outside your room when you are finished, Princess." The older woman smiled back.I ate my dinner in silence, my mind attempting to focus on many things at once. I found I couldn't tap into my mate at will. It was a give and take type of connection. I could only receive the emotions and thoughts