Neela

Neela

I walked through the forest as carefully as possible, trying to proceed like a fae princess and not crunch leaves underfoot. I was doing a damn fine job of it.

After my early morning exploring around the Library of Whispers, I’d slept the night through. The bed was damn comfortable I could have slept for days.

The tingling in my wrist woke me at dawn, rudely ignored me when I put a pillow over my head and told it to piss off, and pestered me until I got out of bed.

I knew my life as a fake fae princess was about to begin, so I put on the frilliest frock I could find in the wardrobe, an explosion of pale blue chiffon that would make Cinderella proud. I matched it with some strappy heels I could barely walk in that made me look the part.

Liz was waiting for me downstairs, and she swallowed a laugh at my outfit. “Do you want some help with that?” She ran a scathing finger through the air.

I bristled. I had spent my entire damn life managing myself, and I didn’t need help from some judgey fae chick.

“No,” I snarled, cutting myself a hunk from a loaf of bread that wafted with steam and ignoring the toast she had already prepared. “I’m quite capable of picking an outfit myself.” I knew what princesses looked like, and I would damn well figure this out alone.

Liz watched me chew for a few moments before opening her mouth. “It’s just that—”

“Just nothing,” I scolded. “Leave me alone.”

She leaned against the kitchen counter and flicked her pale green braids behind her shoulders, wearing a broad grin. “Suit yourself.”

Now, walking through this overgrown forest, I understood. These strappy heels were not meant for sneaking through woods, and rogue branches kept snagging my pale blue chiffon frills. Damn Liz and her damn smirky smirk.

I slowed my approach when I noticed someone in a clearing ahead. A female leaned against an ivy-covered stone ledge, watching me approach. She was the most utterly beautiful and alluring creature I’d ever seen. Soft pink hair floated around her bare brown shoulders, and a deep purple jumpsuit hugged her curves like molten glass. She was stunning. I didn’t normally go for chicks, but I’d make an exception for her.

She watched me with a small amused smile that made me feel that everything I said or did would be for her entertainment. And I was happy to oblige. Something about her drew me in, and I wanted to walk right up and become her best friend or maybe her lover.

It wasn’t just her sexiness or her relaxed stance that exuded power; something else tugged at me, and it took every ounce of my willpower not to cross the clearing and hug her or lick her or do something else I’d regret.

She must be Gabrelle of House Allura. The only female among the heirs.

I threw back my shoulders and tried to look like a belonged. “I’m Neela,” I said. Gabrelle nodded her head a fraction but said nothing.

Beside her were two tall, muscled males exuding masculinity. The taller fae had long silver hair, shining silver eyes, and wore light gray sweatpants with no shirt and a cocky grin plastered on his pale face. From what Liz had told me, I figured this guy was the wolf shifter from House Caro, the house of sensuality.

Last night over hot cocoa, Liz had given me a quick geopolitical lesson. The Realm of Verda had five ruling Houses, each dedicated to a different aspect of indulgence, and the wolf shifters ran the sex house. The silver-haired male wasn’t as beautiful as Gabrelle, but looking at him made my pussy throb with need, and I knew I’d have to keep away from him.

The other male had light brown eyes and hair that framed his face in soft curls, covering his ears. He could have passed for a human if it weren’t for his perfect stillness. He had a Mediterranean air, thick eyebrows, and a broad square chin.

I couldn’t tell if he was Ronan or Dion. Apparently, Ronan was the hotter of the two, and this caramel curly-haired fae was definitely shaggable.

Then the fourth fae climbed to his feet, and my heart stilled. Blood stopped pumping through my veins and pounded through my ears instead.

Fuck, fuckety, fuck. The male from last night. That fae wine hadn’t made me hallucinate, after all. He did exist. The sexiest male in the universe, with his raven hair and endless black eyes. And he was right there.

His white T-shirt pulled against his chest and arm muscles, and I didn’t know which part of him to drink in first. He was the hottest of them all. Ronan Mentium. The fae I fucked.

My heart resumed beating, and I remembered how to breathe, so I cocked out a hip, trying to compose a flirty greeting.

But when he saw me, Ronan’s face dropped, and my heart plummeted right alongside it.

A deep scowl etched his features, turning his coal eyes into pitiless black holes.

I couldn’t look away from him. He had all of the magnetic beauty of last night but none of the friendliness.

“You bitch,” he snarled like I’d seduced him, tricked him, and I supposed he was right. Not about seducing him but about fooling him. That was the reason I was here.

I was only pretending to be this princess chick. The damn bracelet didn’t belong to me; I’d stolen it. So yes, I deserved his scorn because this was a game of deceit, and he was my pawn.

All four fae checked out my tattooed bracelet with different degrees of subtlety. Gabrelle lingered half a moment longer on my wrist than elsewhere as her gaze swept from my strappy heels over my ridiculous dress to my spiky hair.

Dion licked his lips when his eyes found my wrist like the bracelet was a tasty meal. Leif Caro stared at it and grinned, shoving Dion with his shoulder.

Ronan just blinked. “You didn’t have that on last night,” he growled.

Who the hell did he think he was? I was happy enough with a simple one-night stand, and I didn’t ask for the complication of ending up in the same class or whatever this was. He had no right to be an asshole.

I put a hand on my cocked hip. “Last night, you had your mind on other things.”

Gabrelle arched an eyebrow, and Leif let out a whoop that sounded almost like a howl, then he leaned in to whisper something to the dark prince.

I strode into the center of the clearing, refusing to stand on the outskirts a moment longer, and all four pairs of eyes watched me. There were no desks or chairs, just a bunch of beautiful but oddly shaped flowering bushes and dangling green vines strung with flowers.

“What is this place?”

Gabrelle narrowed her eyes. “Interesting that you don’t already know.”

Fuck. “Why should I know? I spent my life in Hebes. I don’t know anything about your fae world…er, our world,” I said, rushing to cover my ass.

My ignorance about Verda seemed to irritate Ronan, and his scowl deepened into outright hatred. He slumped onto a hedge. Hopefully, he’d plunge right through and tumble on his butt in the dirt, but unfortunately, it held his weight. “She’s an ignorant human. She doesn’t know anything.”

Wow, his true colors were shining through bright and fucking clear. “Actually, I’m a fae princess who will kick your ass someday, Ronan. I just need to navigate a few details first.”

If he was a fae prince and also a complete asswipe, I could be a dirtbag and a pretend princess. I didn’t have to put on royal airs or wear stupid chiffon dresses, I could be myself. They wouldn’t know any better.

This group of entitled brats thought they ruled the world and everyone in it, but I wouldn’t take their shit. At least, not for the next few weeks. Then I’d need a Plan B real fast.

Gabrelle and Dion watched me with no emotion, so I couldn’t tell if they bought my princess act, but Leif sniggered when I tore a piece out of Ronan. Maybe that wolf was a potential ally…or perhaps he just got off on conflict.

I moved to sit on a bush covered in tiny orange berries, hoping like hell it would support me and I wouldn’t land on my face in front of these sneering prats. It did, hooray. Not only did it hold my weight, but it rearranged and shifted to support me ergonomically.

Leif came and squatted beside me, his bare chest inches from my face. It seemed friendly at first, but then a sexual pulse hit me like he’d fired a damn lust gun. It started between my thighs and spread along my skin, making every inch of me sensitive. A wicked gleam lit his eyes that I didn’t like. He was using his inner power against me, flooding me with desire, and I bet every one of these fae could smell the arousal soaking my panties.

“Fuck off,” I spit out. “Go annoy some other prick.”

He bared his fangs at me, and it didn’t look like a smile. Leif growled to his buddies, “This one’s spicy. You might like to take a bite, Big D.”

I spluttered. “Excuse me, did you call Dion Big D?”

Not a single fae muscle moved; they just stared me down. How could they remain so endlessly still?

I took a deep breath. “Isn’t his last name Dionysus?”

Silence.

No way on Earth could I out-shush or outlast these guys, so I plunged on. “So that makes him Dion Dionysus. Or Double D.”

Leif barked a laugh, but Dion scowled, not liking his new nickname.

I leaned back in my orange berry armchair and hooked an ankle across my knee. “Tell me, Double D, do you prefer V or A?”

Leif barked another laugh and released me from his sexual power, which was a damn relief.

But I hadn’t made any friends with Dion. His lips thinned, and he seemed to swell in size. “How old did you say you are, little princess? Twenty-four, right?”

This felt like a new line of attack. First, Leif had sex-tortured me, now it was Dion’s turn. But I was pretty sure he came from the house of yummy food and drink, so maybe he would just prepare me a five-course meal.

I tried on a smile. “That’s right.”

“And your birthday is…?”

“Next month.”

That admission got the biggest reaction I’d ever seen from a fae. Every last one of them startled, then grinned, which was the human equivalent of leaping up and down and whooping.

Ronan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, suddenly interested in the conversation. “And do you know what happens when you turn twenty-five, tomcat?”

Tomcat? What the hell? He’d chosen the shittiest dirtbag of an animal to call me by. Hilarious. He thought he was taking me down a peg because my real birthright was royalty, but he was spot on. I was a damn tomcat from the streets. The joke was on him.

But no, I obviously had no idea why my upcoming birthday was significant. “Humor me,” I said.

His soulless black eyes glimmered wickedly. “At the first Ascension Rite after you turn twenty-five, you must Ascend into your chosen power or forever forfeit your magic.”

Man, these fae spoke fluent bullshit. “And what does that mean?”

Again, my ignorance seemed to fuel his hatred for me. “You choose your power, and if you succeed in your Ascension, you become stronger.”

That sounded awesome. I wasn’t fae, but this would hardly be a disaster for me if I was. “I choose my magic, hey? Is there, like, a menu or something?”

Ronan shifted, and dappled sunlight reflected off his sharp jaw. “Oh, you can choose whatever power you want. There’s just one catch.” I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of begging for information, so I waited him out. He was gagging to tell me, and after a few moments, he did. “To Ascend to the power, you must kill yourself with it.”

He let that sink in. All four of these fae dicks looked smug, watching me reel at that information. If I wanted to wield the magic of water, I’d have to drown myself; if I wanted the power of fire, I’d have to burn myself. To death. What kind of a fucked up place was this?

Thanks, but no thanks. The smug expectation was tangible in the forest clearing, hanging from the vines and soaking up the air. I could almost take a bite out of the pleasure these bastards were deriving from me learning this.

But the joke was on them. Because I wasn’t fae, so I would never have to top myself in some weird fae ritual.

A genuine smile shone from my face. “Great, I can’t wait.”

Leif growled slightly and stepped away from me, and though none of the others showed any emotion, I knew I’d just won a point.

I shifted, loving the way my orange-berry bush grew around me in support. “So, is that why you gathered me here? To tell me the big news of my upcoming death? Or was there something else?”

This fake fae bullshit was kind of fun. These guys were so sure they had the upper hand, with no clue I’d stolen the identity of their precious princess.

“Oh, that’s not all,” Gabrelle said silkily, sashaying across the glade and plucking a scroll from a tree. “There’s also this.”

I couldn’t help the damn stammer that came with my reply. “And wh—what’s that?”

She unfurled the paper with sensual grace and read it, then a carnal smile caressed her plum lips. “This year’s first trial.” She locked her light pink eyes on mine. “It’s time to see what you’re made of, princess.”