Chapter 25

Twenty-Five

~ Princess Blake ~

Iwake to the feel of a silk pillow beneath my head, and there’s a brief moment when I think I’m back in Seral. That is, until the scent of roses reaches my nose, the flowery perfume so strong it makes me want to gag. Bolting upright, I grab for my weapons, but my fingers slide against smooth velvet, and my heart thunders when I realize my blades are gone. I blink rapidly in the bright light, glaring down at the white velvet gown fitted to my body with a long slit that reaches up my left thigh. A metal cuff is fastened to my right ankle, chaining me to the bed, but when I try to use my strength to kick my leg free, all I manage to do is pull the chain so tight the cuff pinches my skin. Pain zaps up my ankle making my teeth chatter, and I curse. Whatever it’s made of the cuff isn’t ordinary metal.Trying to keep my cool, I take a deep breath as the pain passes, and I assess where I am. The four-poster bed I’m on is covered with gauzy white material that drapes down and there’s a beautifully carved wooden dresser on my right. Along the walls, a detailed painting of a mountain shrouded by clouds is depicted to my left, and I stare in confusion at the sparkling white crystals embedded into the picture.

Squawking sounds from across the room, and I spot Shade standing on a silver perch inside a large cage that hangs from the ceiling. I blink, staring back at my hands as I remember how I’d been holding her when we’d emerged from the portal, but then I look to the cage again. Shade’s feathers are ruffled like she’s been roughly handled, and she watches me with panicked black eyes. I open my mind, trying to use my magic to communicate with her, to soothe her, but I can’t find her voice, like somehow, we’ve been disconnected. Like fuck if anyone puts my girl in a cage. I reach down and use my hands to try and pry away the cuff on my ankle again, but another intense wave of pain shoots through me, and I last a few seconds before snarling and releasing the metal. Shade squawks frantically, and I pivot to where she’s indicating with her beak to a door on the opposite side of the room.

Crap. I scan around, looking for anything that I can use as a weapon, but there’s only silk pillows and a large downy blanket. I’m not too worried about that fact. I don’t need weapons to be deadly, it just would have made this whole thing a lot easier.

The moment the door opens, I tense, mentally preparing myself to fight, but my jaw slackens as a single figure strides through the doorway.

The male is handsome with long flowing dark hair that reaches his waist, and white eyes that shine like crystals, but it’s not his eyes that I’m gaping at. From the waist down, his body has the form of a sleek black stallion, with four strong legs and wide black hooves. Even more strange, are the feathery onyx wings folded behind his back.

“I see you’re awake,” the stranger says with a smile, his hooves clopping on the floor as he walks into the room. His voice is musical and alluring, but my skin prickles, my instincts telling me this is all wrong.

“Who are you?” I bite out, not bothering with niceties, because if this guy was friendly I wouldn’t be chained to a bed right now.

The male’s crystal eyes sparkle as he stops a short distance away. Instead of answering my question, he goes on to say, “I’ve been very patient with your kind, allowing you to visit my city for some time now, but when such a large number of you invaded the city, well, I thought I was going to have to decree a battle order. That is, until I realized the strange males were all there because of some kind of game, and they were trying to find a female. You see, I then had to discover who you were for myself.”

My heart starts pounding an erratic beat in my ears. “Wait. You were watching us?” I think of all the times in Perstalia that I felt as if someone was out there observing me. I’d thought it must have been because Alaric had been stalking me, but now, I think of the three black feathers I found, feathers that I thought were my own. Glossy black feathers that are the same as the ones this male has, and I realize my mistake.

The male strolls around the room as he speaks, and I can’t stop staring at his massive hooves. “Well, you weren’t hard to find, and now I understand what all the fuss was about,” he replies.

“I don’t know what you want from me. Our intention was never to invade. We were sent here,” I try to explain, but he goes on.

“Luckily for you I was able to step in, and you no longer have to worry about those unsavory males who have been hunting you.”

Panic makes my heart squeeze. The guys. “What have you done with them?” I ask, my breathing becoming shallow.

“They’re alive for now, but like I said, you won’t have to worry about them any longer. From what I’ve seen, you should be thanking me.”

Shade starts squawking, and he walks over to her cage and smirks like he enjoys seeing her like that. “You shouldn’t give your pet so much freedom, you know,” he comments. “I, more than anyone, know the importance of protecting those we love.”

I want to point out that sticking Shade in a cage isn’t protecting her, but I’m still focused on my guys. Shade might be locked away, but at least I know where she is. Even if she is going to be pissed when she gets free. “Tell me where my mates are,” I say, my hands curling into fists.

He smiles cruelly. “Let’s just say they’re being put to good use.”

I grind my teeth and try to calm my panic by reminding myself that at least the guys are still alive. For now, anyway. I’ll find a way to free them, but first, I need to get myself out of this mess. “I don’t understand any of this,” I say, backing up to some of the previous information he revealed. “You said that Perstalia is your city? You still haven’t told me who you are.”

His appreciative gaze slides up my body before his gaze meets mine. “Why I’m King Celzar, proud ruler of Perstalia, or as we like to call our new home, The Haven. And you, my beloved, are to become my bride.”

TO BE CONTINUED…