Chapter 18

Inever thought trailing behind Rhydian would feel so good, but walking further and further away from Iestyn with every step feels liberating. Nevermind being freed from the silence spell. I'm so happy right now, I feel like I'm walking on air, not ridiculously expensive crimson carpet.

Rhydian turns a corner. Well, this is surprising. I'm pretty sure this is the way to his office, not his rooms. Looks like I'm getting to spend the day with him instead of being left to my own devices. My stupid heart flutters at that. I really need to get a grip.

He opens the door, and sure enough, this is his office. Except now it has a purple beanbag next to the desk as well as a stack of books. And I'm pretty sure they are the books I am currently reading.

My breath hitches. I'm being absurd. It was probably Pinky who noticed, not Rhydian. Princes do not pay attention to what books their pets are currently reading.

Rhydian drops my leash and heads towards his desk.

My heart is still flip flopping like crazy. I ignore it and flop down onto the beanbag. This is way better than kneeling on the floor. Like, a thousand times better.

I look up at Rhydian, and my words of thanks die on my lips. He is staring at some papers, but he looks tense and deeply unhappy. And I'm pretty sure I know why.

"That Iestyn is such a bitch," I say.

Amber eyes snap up to mine, wide with shock. He can't believe I've said such a thing. But hey, I'm a pet, my lowly status perversely gives me some freedoms a prince doesn't have. He continues to stare at me, then the corner of his mouth twitches and he lets out a little chuckle.

I smile. "What is his deal anyway?"

Rhydian shakes his head in wry amusement and turns away again. "He has wormed his way into both the king's and the queen's bed. It makes him extremely powerful."

Oh wow. Okay. I was not expecting that. "He…um…is having affairs with both of them?"

"I do not know what your word affair means. He warms both my father's and my mother's beds and is often invited to share the royal suite."

I am pretty sure my eyebrows have disappeared into my hairline right now. Threesomes? Royal threesomes? Rhydian's dad is bi? And that leads to another thought.

"Wait, your mother?" I hear myself splutter. "I thought Dyfri was younger than you, but he said his mum was sent away?" I'm so confused. Is Dyfri older than Rhydian? Did the stupid rhocyn thing take all his power and standing?

"Yes. My father had two wives for a time."

Rhydian's tone is sharp. He yanks open a laptop and glares at the screen. Okay, I get it. This is not a topic he wants to talk about. Ever. What a messed up family. And now my attempt at cheering Rhydian up has completely failed. I've made things worse, not better.

"What's a tylwyth?" I ask because I'm getting the distinct impression they are not simply fey with wings. And it is as good a distraction as any.

"A race from a realm we conquered," answers Rhydian coldly. "They put up a good fight."

He doesn't say, ‘unlike humans,' but I hear it nevertheless. I shiver and stare up at him helplessly. He stares back at me and I cannot read his expression at all.

"Do you understand social media?" he says suddenly.

I blink. "I guess?"

I mean, I use social media, just like everyone else my age. That hardly makes me an expert or anything.

"Come," he says as he beckons imperiously.

I climb to my feet, a very difficult thing to do from a beanbag, and scurry up to his desk. The laptop screen is displaying Instagram.

"The translation spells are perfect. However, there are nuances to human humour that are…baffling."

An undignified snort laugh escapes me. "I bet."

He raises one eyebrow at me.

"And all the pop culture references will go right over your head," I add.

His eyes narrow. He can be such an imposing bastard when he wants to be.

I sigh. "Fine. Give me a chair and I will translate for you."

This watermelon tastes delicious, and today the sun is shining. I'm getting far too used to this routine. Leisurely breakfast with Rhydian, under bright windows.

Yesterday was wonderful. Spending hours in Rhydian's office, translating internet humour for him was hilarious. It was fun, and it seemed to really bring us closer together.

Of course, I could be in a fabulous mood because he gave me another earth shattering orgasm last night. Eating my ass for hours, then sticking his fingers in along with his tongue. I thought I was going to die, whimpering and sobbing because I didn't think that this time I was going to cum with no attention to my cock. But Rhydian persisted, and I did. Spectacularly.

His tongue must feel strained this morning. Oh god. I'm glad he is behind that newspaper.

"You were born in this city?" he says suddenly and I nearly drop my watermelon.

"Um, yeah? Born and raised."

"So you know it well?" he clarifies as he peers over the top of his paper at me.

"I guess?"

The newspaper snaps closed and thumps down onto the bright white table cloth. "Today you will show me London from a human perspective."

What now? I stare at him blankly as my mind tries to process what he has just said. Is this his way of asking me on a date? Did he enjoy yesterday as much as I did? The Instagram stuff, not the ass eating. Well, okay, maybe both.

He is still staring at me. He doesn't need me to agree, he just flipping barked an order at me and I am his pet. What does he want?

"Okay?" I try.

He nods sharply and flows to his feet. A leash appears from inside his robes and he clips it onto my collar deftly, before I've even had a chance to blink.

My body remembers to scurry after him before I get dragged along. I turn slightly and throw my half-eaten slice of watermelon onto the table. I have nothing to wipe my hands and mouth with, except for my silk robes, so they will have to do.

I must look ridiculous, scrambling after Rhydian as fast as I can walk while wiping my chin with the hem of my robe. Oh fuck. Please, please let it be clear that it is breakfast I'm wiping off and not…er…Rhydian.

He strides out into an enormous courtyard. My mind whites out for a moment as a dim memory flickers of seeing this place on television for the Trooping of the Guard. The juxtaposition of my old reality and my new one is almost too much to cope with.

But there is no time to adjust, because now a carriage is rolling around the corner. Gold and ostentatious. Cinderella would be embarrassed to be seen in it. My gaze flicks to the four horses pulling it, and my heart forgets how to beat.

Those are not horses. Those are horse-sized deer. Shadow black, with glowing red eyes.

My jaw drops open as the giant deer trot right up to me. Their cloven hooves are silent on the cobblestones. Actual tendrils of shadow seem to twine and twist like smoke around their black antlers.

One of the leading deer curls its lips in the way horses do, but those are not horse teeth. Pointed, wicked looking canines gleam at me.

Rhydian yanks on my leash, pulling me forward and closer to these monstrous beasts. He bundles me up into the carriage, and as I sit on the plush red velvet, I actually feel safer. Being behind the beasts, in a stout, enclosed carriage, definitely feels safer than standing next to them.

The carriage lurches forward, and I yelp. My hand clings onto Rhydian's thigh as if it is a lifebuoy in a stormy sea.

We whiz out of the palace and onto the streets of London. The carriage is smooth once it gets going, and I force myself to take a couple of deep breaths and to calm down. I look at my hand on Rhydian's muscular thigh. He hasn't moved it. So, I'm not going to either.

"Tell me what you see with your human eyes," he says.

Oh right, yes. I have a job to do. I look out of the window and try to get my bearings.

My mind and my eyes argue for a moment. What I am seeing cannot be real. It is London, but empty of traffic. Nearly empty of people. No cars, red buses or black taxis. No cyclists weaving through the mass of humanity.

Empty streets. Weeds poking through the cracks in the pavement. It looks post apocalyptic, which, fuck, I suppose it is.

"Well?" asks Rhydian.

I force a swallow down my throat. "It looks as if my world has ended," I say softly.

He flinches, ever so slightly. If my hand wasn't on his thigh, I wouldn't have felt it and I never would have known.

"I haven't ordered them to stay inside," he says.

"There is a frigging fairytale carriage being pulled by nightmare monster beasts roaming the streets, I'm not surprised they are staying inside!" I exclaim.

Even though I'm immensely relieved to hear that's where everyone is and that the fey haven't murdered them all.

"Shadow Elk."

"What?"

"The creatures pulling the carriage are called Shadow Elk."

I glare at him. How can anyone miss the point so utterly and completely? The bastard isn't even looking at me. He is staring pointedly out of the window instead.

"What else do you see?" he asks.

I sigh in exasperation. "What do you mean?"

Silence falls. Nothing but the gentle creaking of the carriage as we drive through the eerie streets.

"I see nature reclaiming what has been stolen from her," he says softly, as he gestures at the weeds. His head tilts up towards the tall buildings. "I see concrete monstrosities built as temples to human greed. I see prisons where humans toiled, away from the sun and the breeze, selling their precious time for money. I see misery and wasted lives."

I lean back in the plush seat and cross my arms. Whatever I was expecting him to say, it wasn't that. It sounds like something from the Matrix film. Or something some hippy influencer on TikTok might say. Regardless of what it reminds me of, it has pissed me off and I don't know why. I mean, I hated my shitty job and my crappy life. I moaned about society and what a bum deal my generation had, just like everyone else. And none of that is a million miles from Rhydian's declaration. Perhaps I'm simply insulted by his low opinion of humans.

"There is also beauty," I say.

Rhydian turns to look at me. Amber eyes full of interest.

"Some of these buildings are really old and you can feel the history. They were built with hope and dreams."

Rhydian looks unconvinced.

I take a deep breath and start again. "Eight million people call London home. People come from all over the world, with the hope of making a better life for themselves and their loved ones. And yes, there is some violence, but the vast majority live happily side by side. The tube and buses are crammed. Everything is horribly expensive, but most people just get on with it, because they have hope that it will all be worth it."

He stares at me intensely. The carriage falls silent again. The streets of London flow past the windows, but all I can see is Rhydian, looking at me as if he is trying to catch a glimpse of my soul.

"What did you hope for, Jamie?"

Goosebumps spring to life all along my arms. The tone of his deep voice, the sound of my name upon his lips, the fact he used past tense, acknowledging that any dreams I once had are now dust because he has stolen those future possibilities from me.

I shrug awkwardly. "I didn't have lofty dreams. I just wanted love. And a family."

Another flinch that I can feel from him but cannot see, even though I am staring deep into his eyes.

"Love is the loftiest of all dreams," he says.

"Yeah, well," I say as I turn away and blink tears from my eyes. I don't know what to say to that. It was a ridiculous dream. Now it is an impossible one. But it was mine.