All Chapters of The 200-Year Bride Swap: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Alicia)I wake with a start, the incessant buzzing of my phone against my thigh having done the trick. I ignore it, let it buzz to its little heart’s content. Whoever it is can leave a message.But now that I’m awake, I take note of my surroundings. Oh hell. What did I do?The room smelled like old beer and too-much perfume and something warmer, darker. Six people lay scattered across the furniture, asleep in that awful, sudden way that follows too many drinks and too little care. I knew two sets of breathing: Shannon and Phoebe, Ruben and Dimitri. The other two were strangers, unfamiliar weights and a human scent that didn’t belong to our crowd.They’d been close together, careless and collapsed. Phoebe’s face rested against a stranger’s chest; Shannon was half-rolled beneath Dimitri; Ruben had an arm flung across someone else. The scene said the night had been loud and messy. It said things I didn’t want to commit to memory.I reached up and discovered a sticky smear across my coll

(Alicia)I look at him, the imposing figure in a suit that likely costs more than a small house, as he remains seated behind his desk. Instead of answering, I shrug. I know it would annoy him.He tries not to show it, but I spot the slight tick to his right eyelid as I did that. I smirk inwardly. I’m not going to make this easy for him. The only reason he’ll summon me is because he wants something. I’ll do my best to make him sweat for it.I enjoy him squirming silently while he’s quite clearly trying to work out how to ask whatever the hell it is he wants to. Then I cross my arms over my chest and stare at a spot over his right shoulder, patiently waiting.“Take a seat,” he grinds out, glaring at me. My gaze returns to his and I hold it.“No thanks. I’m sure this won’t take long.”I transfer the weight from one leg over to the other and keep staring at him.“Very well. Your time to serve your kingdom has come,” he blurts out. Well, I was right. That didn’t take long at all. I cock an

(Alicia)The call from the woman named Chiara comes as I’m once again reduced to eating cereal. I ignore it, along with her next four calls and messages. I’m busy with training, and some part of my brain really wants to ignore the previous day and all its implications.The woman is pushy and clearly a bit miffed that I’ve been ignoring her. Womp-womp.She drones on about dress fittings and flower choices like she’s planning a human wedding. Am I getting married to a human? I only half-listens as she mentions how she’s got this schedule that she’s sharing with my email account and that I ‘better not miss any of the appointments’. But I’m fully awake when she ends the call with ‘Oh, and the King asked me to mention that Luka sends his regards’.A white-hot fury makes me almost sling my phone against the wall, but I rein that anger in quickly. Not here. Not now.Feeling like a naughty schoolgirl who’d been hauled to heel by a schoolmaster, I check my emails. Yes, there are all the neatly

(Alicia)Wtf? Bride swap? I vaguely remember something about the 200-year bride swap being taught as part of our history lessons. I wrack my brains trying to remember exactly what it was about while I wrestle the Long Island Iced Tea back out of Darren’s clutches. He was looking at me like I’m a simpleton he needs to educate.A memory flashes from the back of my mind, the kind you dredge up on quiz night, that you didn’t even know you know, yet somehow you know. The 200-year bride swap. It was this archaic idea to foster harmony and tolerance between the supernatural species. A princess from each kingdom, or if one wasn’t available then a very high-ranking official’s daughter, had to marry the King or other high-ranking official from another species. They needed to stay married for at least 10 years to ensure peace-treaties stay in place for the next 190 years.Which was a complete farce, because what is truly to guarantee peace after the 10 years are up? Or, if the couple managed to

(Alicia)I’m in my apartment warming up an uninspiring mac and cheese when the thought hits me. Someone in my family must marry a woman from another species too. That’s how the exchange works. You give one away, you gain one.And just like that, my curiosity is piqued. Which of my half-brothers are being compelled to offer up the chance to find true love by binding themselves to a stranger for ten years…?Surely, it wouldn’t be crown prince Daniel who’s currently betrothed to one of councilman Galewing’s daughters. If I had to place a bet on it, it would be one of the twins… but which one? Archer, being a minute or so older than Angus, is the official ‘spare’ and therefore too precious to have tied to an inter-species marriage. Which means it must be Angus.Whipping out my new phone I type off a quick text message to him. R U IN IT TOO? THIS 200-YR SWAP?My phone pings about ten minutes later, as I’m licking the cheese sauce off a spoon. It’s a series of emojis, from the full-on cryin