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Crown Prince Emrys Tesra, heir to the human kingdom of Aetheria, possesses a secret that he dare not reveal to anyone, even to himself. For within him, dormant and unbidden, are powers long forgotten...
Cold seeped through the back of my thin cotton shirt as I leaned against damp stone. The corridor was dark and musty, but it was tucked away in a low level of the castle that afforded more privacy than most other places. It was eerily quiet down here, the only sound being the occasional drip of water against wet stone. The guard kneeling before me was obscured by the darkness, hiding the strong planes of his face. I was drawn to him the second I saw him stationed outside the door to my rooms. He'd been assigned as one of my personal guards for months, though it only took a few days to get him into a dark closet with me. Usually when a prince showed interest, it took very little effort to get interest in return. A loud metallic clang echoed through the hallway, making me nearly jump out of my skin.
"Relax," Erik laughed, running his hands down my thighs as he pulled away from me. "It was just me. It's hard to kneel with a sword, you know." I watched in the dim light as he fumbled with the belt around his waist, then the sound of metal scraping on stone followed as he shoved the scabbard and sword away from him.
"You'd think a soldier would know how to handle a sword," I smirked down at him, slipping my hand into his mass of brown curls to draw him back. His hand landed on the plane of my stomach, pushing the thin fabric of my shirt up so he could press a kiss to my navel. I wasn't sure how to interpret his tenderness, whether the feeling it caused in my stomach was happiness or fear.
"Oh, I know how to handle a sword, my Prince." The teasing whisper of his voice floated up to me out of the darkness as his mouth descended on me again. This was exactly the sort of distraction I needed. I tipped my head back against the cold stone and let my eyes fall closed, all of my attention focused on the feeling of his tongue against my skin. A soft groan fell from my lips, amplified by the empty corridor. He shushed me, reminding me that the last thing I needed right now was to be caught having relations with a guard by whomever else might be lurking down here. I did try to keep quiet, I really did, but I couldn't help the breathy moans escaping me because he's suddenly doing that thing with his tongue that always makes m--
I gasped loudly as a drop of water splashed onto my upturned face, dripping from the damp stone above my head. One moment I was there, with Erik, and the next I was back on that awful platform, warm crimson splattering across my face . I swore that I could feel it still, burning my skin. Staining me. Murderer.
"Emrys?" Erik's concerned voice pulled me back to reality and I opened my eyes to see him standing before me, his face inches from mine. I stared back at him, blinking rapidly to clear the wetness in my eyes. "You okay?" He spoke to me gently, as if I might shatter into a million tiny pieces if he talked too loudly. I probably would.
"Take me back to my rooms." I shoved him away more forcefully than I meant to. The hurt that flashed across his face at my rejection made my stomach twist with guilt but I stalked away from him anyway, fastening my pants back around my waist as I left him in the darkness.
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The girl was kneeling before me, hunched over herself so I couldn't see her face. Bones jutted out of stretched skin, poking through the tears in her thin white gown. Cold metal bit into the skin of my hand, drawing my eyes down to the dagger grasped in my fist. The sharp edge glinted in the light. My eyes, widened in horror, reflected back at me as I stared down at the blade.
