Hey everyone! How are you today?
Sorry for taking so long with the update, I've been sick (again), and I went to a camp with my friends. WE WENT SURFING, and the food at that camp is effing amazing.
As for this book, I woke up this morning and freaked when I looked at Unmarked. ITS #24 IN FANTASY EVERYONE!!!!!!!??!!! Not only is that a great achievement, but also, this book has received 27K+ reads! That is amazing everyone, thank you so so so so so so much.
^^^^ This beautiful cover was made by @Lamija-chan and I absolutely love it!
If you would like to make me a cover or a banner, go ahead! If you do, I'll feature it in a chapter and dedicate that chapter to you.
Please vote, comment, and share!
Also, this chapter has a slightly mature scene in it, but not really, I'm just warning you guys <3
Remember to be good to each other!
Byeee
Word Count: 2278
Unedited
Chapter Ten:
In the shadow of the night, one stood alone.
Their eyes were a black so dark, with a depth so deep it was hard not to get lost in them. That was the only thing visible behind the black cloak that hid their features from the rest of the bar. Drunken men and sinned women stared fearfully at the person who seemed to hypnotize them in their swaying forms, The cloaked figure staring intently at each and every one of them.
"Does anyone here know of a Jade Harvingston, from Esterhaven?" The voice was firm, dark, and filled the silent air of the pub that had silenced upon its arrival. Chilly night air filled the sweating room from no where in particular as goosebumps rose on the towns peoples skin.
The people stilled, even more than their original stances, sending worried looks towards one another with the corner of their eyes. Rarely did you see a stranger in Belacand, the place was tiny and those who lived within the cities and towns their usually never left. The thought of a masked stranger arriving at a pub at an unfatedly hour was unheard of, and sent chills down one of the waitresses spines.
"No, sorry we can't help you, Sir. Do they live around here? And Would you like a drink?" The bartender started mumbling about what kind of alcoholic the cloaked figure was, unfazed by the tense, nearly suffocating fear of the room.
Silence filled the room once more as everyone waited in anticipation for the newcomer to reply, everyone still.
The figure waited for nearly three minutes, before his lips pulled back into a deep ugly smile. "Of course," it said with the same sense of authority heading closer to the counter. With a sigh of relief, everyone turned and started laughing with one another again, momentarily forgetting the fearsome person who had entered a Shenseva, Belacand pub so late at night.
As the figure headed towards the counter more, a woman dressed in what would not even be remotely considered a dress, more like a piece of cloth, stopped it. "Are you looking for me, big guy?" The woman batted her eyelashes unflatteringly and stared nearly fearlessly at the man.
The man smiled once more, leaning closer to the woman and grabbing her tightly by the arm, "Are you Jade Harvingston?" He asked lowly, the tension in the room rising again.
Gulping in fear, the woman nodded, "I'm whoever you want me to be, pretty thing." She knew she wasn't Jade, but if she could get into another mans pants by sunrise, she might be able to make some more money.
The man leaned in, his breath fanning against her face, his pearly whites showing in a dangerous and sadistic way, and said so quietly, "Sorry dear, I know when someone's lying." Before grabbing her neck and snapping it with one bare hand.
"And for the rest of you...I'll see you on the other side." He said grimly before everyone in the pub dropped dead, their bodies convulsing and foam coming from their mouths.
The sooner he could find and kill the girl that could take over the world with her bare hands, the better.
---
"Wow..." I breathed staring out at the vast city. It was more beautiful than I could fathom, the lights seeming to shine brighter than the ones back home.
Home. I already missed it so much. It had barely been a day, and yet I missed my mothers warm hugs, my brothers jokes, Angelica's sassy attitude, and Jackson's stupid revelations. They were the people who kept me sane, kept me happy, loved me. And now that I'm standing miles away from them, without their counsel and loving advice, I felt like a balloon that had been set free. My heart was beating too fast, and I felt scared, scared of what was to come. There was no way to describe how homesick I felt.
Drendann was indeed the most beautiful city I had ever seen. Probably more beautiful than Esterhaven. There were lights upon lights, skyscrapers upon skyscrapers, blaring music, and most importantly, people. There were people of all sorts of Aldmistian Ethnicities, Those from hot Belacand, their skin dark, noses flat, and eyes wide, to the people from Fyria, with fare skin, and dark mischievous eyes. Accents flitted through the air, and people speaking in various tongues, laughed and danced together.
It was quite the sight to see everyone so joyous, especially on a Monday night.
"Why are they partying like that?" I ask Prince Adrian softly, amazed by the beauty of everyone getting along. It looked like a scene from the movie Pangled, by Qwalt Fisney.
I had my arm wrapped around Prince Adrian's, as we walked through the crowd that separated like a wave. The townspeople stared in amazement at their future king, and the other princes who were trailing behind us, in awe, others had envy written all over their faces as they watched me cling to the princes arm so I didn't get lost. I couldn't leave...yet.
Prince Adrian glanced down at me - he was probably six foot five or something...unfortunately - sending me a prideful smile. "It's the spring solstice," he chuckled, glancing out at the people, his people, "they party like this for the rest of the week. It's tradition. Plus, the younger people can find their mates." His voice died out after the word "mate" his lips turning to a frown.
The action made everything seem awkward, so I gingerly smiled and looked back at everyone partying in the stone-brick streets, lights stringing from store to store.
"So, where are we going?" I turned my attention to Prince Sebastian, who was quietly walking beside me, dressed in a suit and tie, unlike his brothers who wore more casual outfits. Sebastian was a quiet, thoughtful boy, who seemed to observe every situation with an intuitive and smart outlook.
"The restaurant just up the street." Was all he said, without even glancing at me. He either really hated me, was intimidated by me, or both. He stiffened his shoulders and fell into a slower step, so that he was behind Adrian and I.
The streets started narrowing down, and there were less people partying, as the shops started getting less closed in. The fancier, modern restaurants and stores were equal distance apart, and perfectly in a line.
Adrian led me up to a large tent, with a sign saying "Adam and Eve Grill" in fancy swirly letters.
"Woah..." I breathed, staring at the tent in amazement. It was beautiful. Lights were strung from the top of the tent, and every table was set up perfectly, identical to the ones next to it. Elegant looking people sat straight in their chairs, chatting, laughing, and eating their meals. A few servers stood in a stance that reminded me of handsome little soldiers standing at attention all in a row.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Adrian grinned down at me, and nodded to a server who smiled politely at us before leading our group of four towards a neatly decorated table.
As we sat down, I mentally calculated my escape plan in my head.
I will ask to go to the bathroom, walk towards the bathroom, and when no one is looking dart towards the woods that surrounded us. I would rather get lost in there, than stuck out here with a drool worthy prince who believes I'm his mate, and his two brilliant brothers.
"It's more beautiful than imagined," I sighed with content, still looking around in awe. The Prince beamed at me, his eyes lighting up in satisfaction. I reached for my water, and took a small sip.
"I'm glad, I wanted it to be perfect for our first date."
My water was spit out all over Adrian's face, "Th-This isn't a date." I stuttered, and looked down blushing as I realized I had just spit water all over my future kings face.
Wiping away the water with a napkin as both of his brothers laughed from across the table, the prince narrowed his eyes at me, "Alright, it's not a date. But one day it will be, when my idiot brothers aren't here."
"Hey!" Prince Felix shouted from across the table, crossing his arms and pouting like a young child. "I'm not an idiot, you're an idiot." He stuck his tongue out at Adrian and wrinkled his nose mockingly.
Sebastian rolled his eyes at the two bickering brothers, and sent a sideways glance at me. "Have you met our father yet?" He asked calmly.
I almost had another spit take as I stared at him in surprise, "The king? U-Um no?"
Meeting the King was the worst thing I could possibly think of at the moment. He was strong, fearsome, and had the power to make or break you. He was basically Fate, without the magic and being immortal. Plus, if I met the king, it meant Adrian and I were something, which we weren't. At. All.
"I will take her to meet him when she is ready, but I don't want her to fret over meeting her future father-in-law." Adrian said light heartedly. I blinked in surprise, gulped down my bubbling anger that wanted to scream "I AM NOT GONNA MARRY YOU, YOU IDIOT." And smiled almost too-sweetly as we ordered our food.
"I need to use the restroom." I said politely to the server. She nodded, and pointed her finger towards where the restrooms were.
"Be back quickly," Adrian warned, "Or I'll come check on you." He smirked slightly, sent me a little wink and turned his attention back to his brothers.
Walking brusquely towards the restroom, trying to avoid looking overly suspicious. If I were caught again, I would be in serious trouble.
People were seated all over, so no one would notice if I quickly slipped into the brush of the trees. As soon as I was mostly hidden, I darted off running as fast as I possibly could away from the restaurant.
The green of the trees surrounded me, as if enveloping me in their shivering hug as I kicked faster, the wind blowing my hair into my face. The ground beneath me was dirt, twigs, and little pieces of grass and moss that had grown atop the forest floor.
"Jade!" Someone shouted in the distance, their voice ringing with concern and anger. I smirked, they wouldn't be able to catch me now. As I was running, I slowed my pace so I could catch my breath. The birds tweeted quietly in the trees, and leaves rustled among one another, as if children whispering in a game.
All of a sudden, I was knocked to the ground. I let out a heart-wrenching scream, thrashing violently against the person who had tackled me. They flipped me around, and my heart nearly exploded in fear as Prince Adrian loomed over me, his eyes dark with a lustful sort of mischief.
"How dare you run away from me!" He shouted out angrily, straddling my waist. He wasn't even sweating, his face red with anger as he stared down at me, power radiating off of him at an alarming rate. Prince Adrian leaned down so close that are breaths mixed, and narrowed his eyes.
"There should be a punishment for this..." He trailed off, looking over me, and the position we were in. I bit my lip and tried to hide my blush, realizing that he was completely straddling my waist, his knees on either side of my hips.
"Sorry?" I questioned, blushing more.
His face contorted in an anger, knowing I wasn't really sorry.
Adrian leaned closer to my face until our noses nearly touched, his hands grabbing my arms and pulling them above my head. I struggled and tried to get him to stop, but he merely leaned down to my ear and whispered roughly "don't fight." Which forced my stomach to do flips, and stars to dance around my vision.
It's not the mate bond. I reminded myself, trying to keep my breathing under control, don't let it fool you.
"Hmmm," he hummed against my neck, kissing down it lightly, making me shiver. Involuntarily, I moved my neck to the side to give him more access. I felt him smirk against my skin lightly, before one of his hands trailed to the hem of my dress.
Prince Adrian was looking for a reaction, he wanted anything. He wanted more.
My body was in autopilot and I was at his mercy. I wasn't in control of my own body, it seemed, or I wasn't being levelheaded about the situation. I was stuck in a heart-pounding daze, like a school girl who had just gotten her first kiss.
"I can't wait until you're mine," he mumbled against my flesh. His warm hand grabbed my thigh, and without any control I gasped and bucked my hips slightly, pleasurable shocks running from my skin. He chuckled lightly and pulled his face away from my neck.
In that moment, I was torn between struggling more, and begging him to kiss me, which scared me. All of my emotions were so conflicted at the moment, all because of a stupid prince who thought I was his mate. I can't have a mate! And here he is trying to make himself and myself believe that we were in fact, mates.
Prince Adrian leaned down as close as he could to my lips without touching, his hot breath fanning across my face.
"I've been waiting to do this since I met you," he whispered, before smashing his lips onto mine.