“Yes,” I answered. “I’m nervous about how damn creepy you’re being. If you won’t answer my questions, then I suppose I’ll be on my way. It was not nice to meet you, stranger.”
I turned to continue walking, but he pushed himself off the tree and blocked my path.
“You’re being sent to marry a fae prince,” he repeated. It wasn’t a question.
I lifted my chin. My mind swarmed with the possibilities of what he could possibly want from me. Did he need me for leverage? Or did he hate the fae so much he wanted to kill anyone associated? This man might have been a stranger, but I was not going to show him fear. Not on my last day alive.
“No,” I said with all the confidence and power I could muster. “I’m being sent to be killed by a fae prince. Not much of a difference, though.”
For the first time during this entire interaction, the man looked shocked.
“What, you’re surprised?” I asked. “If you know enough to know that I am being married off, then you should know that every human who marries the mysterious Prince of Shadows ends up dead.”
“Those are rumors,” he said, suddenly defensive.
“Maybe,” I replied. “But rumors start from somewhere.”
“I have a good feeling about this. You will not die tomorrow, Jade Farrow. I wish you a long and happy marriage to your mysterious Prince of Shadows.”
His words were respectful and cordial, but I nearly laughed in his face. A marriage to the Prince of Shadows had no hope of being happy. I had no hope.
Death would be easier.
“Sure,” I said after a few seconds. “Whatever you say…”
“Mal. My name’s Mal.”
“Well, Mal, I should get going. Big day tomorrow and all.”
I’m not sure why I was expecting him to protest, but the tiniest amount of disappointment crept into my chest when he nodded his head and moved away so I could pass.
“I’m sure I will see you again soon, Jade,” he said as I walked away. I ignored the butterflies that ignited in my stomach, likely from the sudden nerves about the realization of what would happen tomorrow.
Mal was never going to see me again. Tonight was my last night alive.
CHAPTER 2
Jade
My father was awake when I made it back to the house.
Not good.
His slurred, temperamental voice carried into the street, followed by Tessa’s crying. I changed pace into a run.
“What’s going on?” I said, storming through the front door. My father, clearly drunk, was pacing in the kitchen. Tessa had cowered herself into a corner, arms across her body and tears streaming down her face.
If he laid a hand on her, even a finger, I was going to kill him.
“Are you okay?” I asked Tessa, running to her and blocking her line of sight with my body. “Did he hit you?”
She shook her head. “Then what’s going on?”
She opened her mouth to speak but the only thing that came out was a stifled sob.
My father shattered something behind me, mumbling something that I couldn’t understand.
I turned my back to Tessa but made sure to keep her protected.
“You should be asleep,” I yelled to him. He staggered forward, shirtless, and nearly tripped over nothing.
“Don’t tell me what to do, girl,” he slurred as he caught himself on the kitchen table. “I’m your father. I’ll go to bed when I please.”
My body stiffened. “You’re drunk. It’s late.”
“I know how late it is. I am not an idiot, despite what you believe. You look down on me, you treat me like garbage. But I am the leader of this household. Show some respect, both of you!”
Tessa was still crying behind me. “Go to your room,” I whispered to her, making sure my father wasn’t paying attention as she slipped by in a hurry.
I hated that she saw him this way. I hated that she had to endure his behavior, and I hated that after tomorrow I wouldn’t be here to help her.
My father reached for a mug of ale that likely came home with him from whatever tavern he had wasted away inside of all day. I grabbed the mug of ale from his hand and slammed it back onto the kitchen table, causing liquid to splash over the both of us.
“That’s enough,” I demanded.
“It’s enough when I say it’s enough,” he responded, but his words strung together.
“Just go to sleep!” I said, feeling my temper unraveling. “Isn’t it bad enough that you scared Tessa? Can you just for once be a good father and not ruin everything?”