The Dark Prince

Chapter Two

"You'd be surprised how good our doctors are. He's better off here than anywhere else," Rowan reassured me.

I hope he's right. Instead of worrying myself more, I tried to push that feeling away and walked closer to Cameron. As I lay a comforting hand over his, his eyes slowly started to open. The second he noticed me, he jolted awake and tried to sit up. I pushed him back onto the bed immediately.

"Freya," he breathed out, not knowing what else to say.

"How are you feeling," I asked, forcing myself to smile.

"I feel great. I don't know why they still have me here. I'm fine."

I sighed. I know he's saying it for my benefit, but it only worries me more. Cameron would only sugar coat it if it's really bad.

"Freya, I'm fine. You healed me, so everything is going to be fine," he stated, though this time he might be trying to reassure himself. He must have seen the dread in my face, because he decided to change the subject. "They are treating me like a king. It's great, honestly. Best I've been treated my whole life."

I know that was meant to make me feel better too, but that made my heart pang even more. I never really thought about the way a guard would be treated in the fae realm. Besides the fact that they didn't get to eat with us, I didn't see much other mistreatment. A lot of things happen behind closed doors, though.

I forced myself to widen my smile. "That's great!"

He smiled sadly then and opened his arms as best as he could. I gave him a watery smile in return and gently dropped into his arms. I made sure to avoid the parts that were bandaged, taking special care not to hurt him. I laid against his chest and fought tears as he stroked my hair. This is ridiculous, I should be comforting him.

Despite that, I didn't pull from his grip. I need him right now.

After a while, Rowan placed a hand on my shoulder. "We should probably let him rest."

I nodded and slowly pulled away from Cameron. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll be back tomorrow."

Cameron nodded as his eyes drooped slightly. I bent down to kiss his cheek before slowly walking out of the room. I let out a small breath as I exited.

"There's a meeting tomorrow at noon about him, if you want to come," Rowan offered.

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I'd like that."

He nodded and led me out of the small hospital. I didn't realize how long we were there until I saw that it was pitch black outside. I looked up at the sky, marveling at the way the stars shined. They are much brighter here than anywhere else.

"We turn all the outside lights off after dark, so that everyone can enjoy the sky. The Daemonium kingdom favors the night, unlike the fae who favor the light," Rowan informed me as we walked.

"It's beautiful," I murmured.

We walked in silence the rest of the way, taking in the beauty of the town. When we got to the woods that lead up to the castle, I shuddered at how eerie it was. The lights being off may make the town pretty, but they make this woods the enemy.

I subconsciously walked closer to Rowan, ignoring the slight smirk that grew on Rowan's face as I did. Though, I did notice that he picked up the pace a bit. Probably for my benefit. We came upon the castle quickly, and I practically ran to get out of the woods.

Rowan chuckled under his breath. I narrowed my eyes at him and huffed. "What if Freddy Krueger came running out and killed us!"

Rowan laughed. "First of all, Freddy only appears in your dreams. And second, I'm pretty sure that I'm much scarier than some burned guy with claws."