Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖

the castle and took a different path. “Where does this go?” I asked curiously.

“A fountain.” He didn’t offer any details.

“Man of many words,” I muttered. Even if I wanted to get to know him, I couldn’t because he wouldn’t offer anything. He didn’t even seem like he wanted to be with me. What was the point? The only good thing to come out of Varwik’s decree that we take walks together was I was able to escape my prison for a little while.

The further we walked, the better I heard the water in the distance. We soon stepped out of the woods into a circular clearing dominated by a giant, clear crystal formation that flowed water. The sun shone brightly, shooting facets of light through the combination of crystal and water. Three marble faery statues appeared to guard the crystal, their stoic faces facing away from the water and into the forest. The large, smooth rocks beneath my bare feet felt cool, and the mist of the fountain’s spray hit my skin. Its beauty left me speechless. I didn’t think I’d ever laid my eyes on anything so peaceful before.

I sat down on one of the low wooden benches surrounding the fountain and smiled. The sound of the water trickling was almost musical. I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun.

After a few minutes, Kallan said, “We should go.”

I didn’t want to leave the fountain. It was the most relaxed I had felt since I got to this awful place. “It’s so serene here. Can’t we stay a little longer?”

“We need to get back to the castle,” Kallan murmured, wrapping his long fingers around my elbow and propelling me to my feet.

I opened one eye and glared. “I don’t want to.”

“Well, you don’t have a choice. Now, let’s go.”

I was getting madder by the minute. “You listen to me, you jerk. I’m not one of your father’s servants. You can’t order me around.”

He pressed his lips together. “You seem to have forgotten that you are a prisoner here.”

“No. There’s no way I could do that,” I retorted, yanking my arm from his grasp. “The way I’m jerked around and yelled at all the time keeps me reminded.”

A brief look of sympathy passed through Kallan’s eyes, and then he looked away. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with my father. We’ve been out too long. Please, let’s just head back.”

“And what if I don’t go with you?” I planted my feet. If he wanted to drag me kicking and screaming, I could make it fun.

Kallan ran a hand through his dark hair, his eyes closing briefly. “There are consequences.”

“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve already been kidnapped, what else could you possibly do?”

“I assure you, whatever my father would do wouldn’t be pleasant.”

“Everything is up to your father. Don’t you have a say in anything?”

He looked down and kicked at something on the ground with his foot. “No.”

“You should stand up to him.”

“Right.” He gave a short laugh, and then glanced back up at me. “Things are different here. Not like the human realm. We have a leader, and we have to follow what he says. Unfortunately, that leader happens to be my father.”

“You’re pathetic.”

Kallan drew a deep breath. “You’ve tossed that word out quite a few times. Makes me believe you’re nothing but a selfish brat.”

“At least I’ve never hurt anyone!” I screamed, shoving him with both hands.

“Neither have I!” he barked back, and a pained expression crossed his face. But then suddenly, he was gone.

“Kallan?” I stared at the space where he had been standing. When I didn’t get an answer, I laughed. “Good! With you gone, I can stay here longer.” I flopped back onto the bench and draped my arm across the back.

He grunted and invisible fingers grabbed my wrist. “We need to go.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Besides, you’re supposed to be spending time with me. What’s wrong? You have a hot date you’re missing?” I swatted at where I thought he might be with my other hand.

He caught it and became visible again. He was sitting right in front of me, holding both my hands. My breath hitched in my throat, I was so struck by his beauty.

“Why the attitude?” he asked.

“Why did you disappear?” I shot back.

Kallan cleared his throat, and one of his thumbs drifted over the back of my hand. It sent electricity through me. “Strong emotion can sometimes trigger it. It began when I was younger.”

“Oh.” I stared at him. He wasn’t perfect. Faeries could be flawed, so maybe there was a bit of humanity in him.

“Why are you being so difficult?”

My breath quickened, and my wings fluttered. I could get lost looking into his hypnotic eyes. Swallowing hard, I answered, “I don’t like being cooped up in that room. You don’t know what it’s like.”

After a long pause, he leaned a little closer. “I’m sorry.”

I bit my lip to keep from getting any nearer to him. Keep your head on straight, Rylie. He’s the enemy.

Oh, but how I wanted to kiss him. Just once to see how it felt. I could feel myself leaning towards him, as if I were in a trance. I wondered if that was possible. I felt such a strange pull towards him. No! No! No! my mind screamed, and I yanked my hands back. I had never been so attracted and repulsed by someone at the same time.

I hopped to my feet, brushing my palms down the front of my dress as if I could get rid of his touch. “We can go now.”

He walked me to my room and opened the door for me. “Have a good night,” he murmured, looking me in the eye.

I nodded and walked in, and I cringed as he shut it behind me. After a minute, I realized I didn’t hear the bolt lock. Curious, I went to the door and pulled on it. Sure enough, it opened. A shiver went down my spine, but I slithered out the door into the hall.

I took a few steps, expecting someone to catch me and throw me back. Nobody came. It was quiet, so I continued on a few more steps. When I made it down an entire hallway with no one in sight, I began walking faster, peering around corners and into empty rooms. It all looked so similar: long hallways, large, open rooms. The only thing different was the decor.

I came to a closed door. All of the other doors had been open. Curiosity got the best of me, so I peeked inside. It seemed to be a closet. As I opened the door further, something on the floor caught my eye.

My backpack.

From down the hall, I heard footsteps getting closer. I looked left and right, panicked. Where to hide? Eyeing the closet, I thought, What the hell? I hurried inside and quietly shut the door behind me. I hid all the way in the back, pulling my backpack closer. I heard the footsteps pass by, but I didn’t feel safe enough to leave the closet yet.

I unzipped the backpack. It was too dark for me to see anything, so I stuck my hand in the backpack and felt around.

My hand rested on my cell phone. I pulled it out of the bag and pushed the sleep button. The screen lit up, displaying ten missed calls. I tried to call home, but there was nothing but silence. I looked at the screen again—no service. Damn. Had I really expected there to be? I couldn’t even listen to the voicemails. But, ten calls before it went out of service…at least someone was looking for me. I turned the phone off and slid it into my bra.

I cracked open the door and peeked out. Seeing nobody around, I snuck out and continued to walk the hall. I had no idea where I was going.

“Hey!” I heard Lena’s voice behind me. “What are you doing out here?” she hissed.

I spun around and faced her. “I’m just taking a walk.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Looks like you’re trying to escape. That’s a sure way to get yourself killed.”

“If that was the case, I’d be running.” I sighed. “Do you have to take me back?”

She nodded. “We’ll take the long way.”

I followed Lena as she led me down a different hall. “The library is on the right. Full of books from the human world as well as our world. Living area on the left.” She kept on walking. “Sewing room, where all the clothes are made.”

“Who makes the clothes? The dresses are amazing.”

“Servants.”

Of course. Probably light faeries that owed Varwik something.

“Further down is the kitchen, which connects to the dining room we eat in. Varwik’s quarters are on the other side of that.”

“And Kallan’s?” I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

She glanced over at me, one dainty eyebrow raised. “There as well, down the hall from his father’s.”

I wondered if he was asleep and what his room looked like. I quickly admonished myself and touched my bracelet, visualizing Adam’s face.

“What do faeries do, Lena?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“School? Work? Is there a whole faery town out there?”

Lena chuckled. “Of course. There is a whole village. But Varwik won’t let you off the palace grounds until you’ve accepted your fate and married Kallan.” She paused, as if considering her words, before she continued. “There’s work to do, most of it out in nature. You’ll learn more about that later. Right now, it’s time to get back to your room.” She turned a corner and stopped in front of the door.

Startled, I stared balefully at the cell where I’d spent the last five days of my life. We’d gotten there so fast.

“Thanks for the walk.” I opened the door and went inside.

“Don’t ever leave your room again without an escort.”

This time, I heard the lock clang into place.

The next morning, I got up and in the shower before Lena had a chance to come harp on me. I let the water run down my wings, making them tingle in the intimate way I had come to love. I was able to relax, if only for the moment.

I stepped out on to the plush gray rug, wrapping a towel around my wet hair. With the hand towel from the sink, I dried off the mirror so that I could see myself.

I ran my fingers around the outside of my ears; the points seemed even pointier than usual. It still felt weird. My fingers traveled to my birthmark, which glowed a little, letting everyone know it was there. It was like a having a gigantic pimple waving a flag on the tip