It was beautiful.
Beautifully horrific, I reminded myself. These walls were my jail cell, as gorgeous as they may be. This compound was no haven. It was filled with evil and torture and malice. It housed the worst family in the entire kingdom.
These beautiful details were no more than a facade.
Adeline walked me to a pair of massive black doors. My future husband and the rest of the fae were on the other side, I could feel it in my bones. I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders back. If the Prince of Rewyth thought he was going to get another ignorant human wife who would kneel before him and thank him for killing her, he was terribly wrong.
I wasn’t going out that easily.
The massive doors swung open.
“You’ll be fine,” Adeline whispered to me. “I’ll find you after the ceremony.”
I nodded at her, but I was frozen where I stood. Hundreds of people filled the ballroom, everyone now staring directly at me.
I forced myself not to shiver, now very aware of how much skin was showing.
I kept my eyes on the floor directly in front of me. The room was silent. I was certain everyone could hear how fast my heart was pounding. Fae could hear that stuff, right?
It didn’t matter. Keep moving forward, I told myself. Move forward and stay alive.
I walked down the aisle, gold dress flowing behind me, until I arrived at the front.
“Well come up here, girl, we don’t have all day,” one of the men at the altar said. I had to look. I had to lift my head and lay eyes on the fae prince that was going to ruin my life.
“Jade,” a softer, familiar voice said. This caused me to finally lift my eyes. I had heard that voice before.
When I met his eyes, I nearly vomited.
Standing in front of me, waiting for me to arrive at the end of the aisle, was Mal.
No. Not Mal. The Prince of Rewyth. The Prince of Shadows.
My soon to be husband.
CHAPTER 3
Jade
The King and Queen sat on a pair of thrones next to us. This was a guess, but considering the golden crowns they wore, I assumed it was a pretty good guess.
“Prince Malachi,” the king growled from his throne, “Please take your beloved by both hands.”
My heart was racing. Mal was Prince Malachi? Mal–Prince Malachi–was fae?
Not just any fae. A fae prince. My fae prince. The Prince of Shadows.
“Don’t worry,” Malachi whispered with a smile, clearly noticing my hesitation. “It will be over soon.”
Over soon? Was he talking about the ceremony, or my life?
He held his hands out, inviting me to take them. If I declined, they would certainly kill me on the spot.
The way the King was looking at me confirmed it. Like he was waiting for me to make a mistake so he could end my useless, human life.
I took Malachi’s hands.
They weren’t as cold as I had expected. They were large and warm, and he held my hands gently, as if he wanted to give me some space.
I tried to keep my hands still but couldn’t stop the mild shaking.
His respect was a facade. I knew enough to know that the fae, however kind they may seem on the surface, were creatures of malice.
Especially the Prince of Shadows.
“Jade Farrow,” The King said, standing from his throne and approaching us. Malachi’s hands tightened around mine, just barely. His shoulders stiffened as his father approached. “Let me be the first one to formally welcome you to Rewyth. As I’m sure you’ve heard, these lands are precious to us. Generations of fae have lived and died to protect the very ground you stand on today.”
I held back an eye roll. If he really intended to preach to me on how noble the fae of Rewyth were, he could hold is breath. I knew better than to listen to any of them.
“You are not the first human to enter the compound, and likely will not be the last,” he continued. “Yet my son remains in need of a wife. A human wife, who will bring together our lands and create peace across all of Rewyth. Your duty here is not just that of Prince Malachi’s wife, but as a leader to our people.”
One of the men standing behind Malachi, his brother I assumed, laughed. I turned my attention to the brothers. They looked nothing like Malachi. Malachi was tall and sculpted, with dark hair and brooding shoulders. His brothers were lighter, in both color and muscle. They looked young, and based on their inappropriate laughter, I assumed they were just as immature as they looked.
“Prince Malachi,” the King said, turning my attention back to him. “Jade Farrow stands here to become your wife. It is your duty to protect her with your life. It is your duty to honor her as you would your own, and it is your duty to fulfill these vows as long as you both live.”