The early morning light snuck in through the windows of my attic bedroom like a thief, creeping across the old floorboards with the dogged intent to steal away my time. I focused all my attention on Rayner, sliding my hands up his back and into his thick red hair. He moved his lips along my jaw, then down my neck, his breath hot and ticklish against my skin. I sighed, squirming closer to him.
We had little time with each other, save for the gray hour before dawn, so it usually ended up like this… Rayner sneaking into my attic, slipping into my bed, and playing with my hair as we talked for hours. We’d been doing this for years, but only recently had it included kissing.
He smiled against my chest as he began kissing along my collarbone. “When do you have to go to the palace?”
“Not for a while,” I whispered.
His boyish smile turned wicked. “I better make the best use of my time then, huh?”
In response, he untied the front of my nightgown, letting it fall down my shoulders. He trailed kisses from my shoulder down my stomach, his fingers gathering up the long skirt of the nightgown. He leaned to kiss me, and I arched my body against his, eliciting a slightly-too-loud groan from him.
Warmth flashed through me, and I panted, “My father might—”
Rayner nodded in response, still kissing. “I know, I know. I’ll be quiet… Let’s see if you can do the same.”
I gasped as he lowered his head and resumed kissing me. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of his hands and lips on me, even through the thin fabric. He kissed me again, sweet but with an eagerness behind it. When his breathing intensified and he began to pull the gown up again, I put my hands over his. “Wait—I-I just remembered I have to be there early.”
It wasn’t strictly true. I would need to leave for my position at the palace soon, and being early didn’t hurt. But I did have a few more minutes…
Guiltily, I admitted to myself that the real reason for my haste was to keep our pleasant make-out session from escalating. The first time I had laid with Rayner, it was a bit…I still didn’t know. It had felt like it was missing something, and I’d been a little nervous to try again since. What if I felt the same?
Rayner brushed my hair back from my face. “Do you really have to go right this second? The palace will manage.”
Just then, I heard a sharp clack—the telltale sound of a pebble hitting the window. I bolted upright. Goddess bless Amory for being early. “Yes, that’s Amory now.” I jumped out of bed and scrambled for my maid’s uniform. “I can’t afford to lose this position. Father’s work has been slow at best. If we want to keep food on the table, my family needs the money.”
Rayner rolled onto his side and gently caught at my arm. His red hair was mussed, and he wore his sweet you-can’t-say-no-to-me smile—the one that could almost always coax me back into kissing him. His thumb lightly brushed the inside of my wrist. “Come on, Vel. Just a few more minutes. You won’t have to work there forever anyway. I won’t be your father’s apprentice for much longer. I’ll be a full-fledged smith soon. We’ll run the shop together after we get married.”
Marriage? The concept seemed so far away, a thing I knew I would eventually get around to, but one that was still a long way off. Rayner’s casual mention of it caught me off guard. “I would love to take over the shop,” I said at last. “But we both know it’ll go to Finneas.”
Rayner scowled. “He’s too busy drinking and gambling to swing a hammer. Your father would be a fool to hand the shop over to him. You and I will run it together one day, just you wait.”
I shook my head and finished getting dressed. I hoped my father would be willing to pass the shop down to me instead of Finneas, but I had to think realistically. Finneas was my older brother, and tradition said it should go to him. It was as simple as that.
“Enough dreaming.” I leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips, then forcibly pulled him out of bed. “Out with you.”
He laughed. “All right, all right.”
He put on his clothes, and I watched, wondering if I’d made a mistake. Fully dressed, he walked over to me, pulling me into a hug.
“How much longer are we going to have to hide from your father?” he asked.
“Who knew you were such a hopeless romantic?” I teased, though my heart was heavy. “We should tell him soon, but perhaps now isn’t the time after you’ve kissed me quite thoroughly.”
“You’re probably right.” He leaned down to kiss me goodbye. “Miss you already.”
A few minutes later, I dressed and hurried outside to meet my best friend, Amory, who smirked as she linked arms with me. “I so enjoy watching Rayner climb down from your bedroom window. Today he almost fell when I tossed pebbles at him.”
“I’m glad he didn’t. My father and brother surely would’ve heard that,” I said.
“They still don’t know?” she asked. “It’s been weeks, Vel.”
I shook my head. “I know, but they would be furious if they found out Rayner and I are more than just friends.”
Amory rolled her eyes. “You’re going to have to tell them at some point. You can’t keep it a secret forever. At some point one of you is going to slip up.”
I paused for a moment, trying to think of how to voice my uncertainty. “I know. I just… I think I need a little more time. It’s all going so fast. I care about him a lot, but I feel—” I broke off, struggling to articulate myself. “I feel like I’m lagging a bit behind him, that’s all. Like we’re not quite on the same page, and my feelings for him aren’t quite as…intense yet?”
Amory laughed. “You’ve read too many fairy tales. It’s never going to be some perfect, starstruck, breathless connection. Rayner is kind and compassionate. He has a clear future as a blacksmith where he can provide for you. Plus, he loves you. Let that be enough.”
I nodded, comforted by Amory’s levelheaded advice. “You’re right.”
We made our way through the village as it began to wake up, shutters and doors opening, townspeople filtering out to begin their days. Past the cheery bustle of the village lay the gate to the palace, an imposing behemoth of stone and spires. The guards recognized the two of us and let us pass. At the front doors, Amory hugged me goodbye before heading to Princess Ophelia’s chambers where she served as a lady’s maid. I made my way to the kitchen, where the cook immediately handed me a breakfast tray and told me to bring it to the princess.
I scurried off with the tray balanced in my hands, surprised that the princess wanted breakfast so early. It was barely dawn, and the princess was known to enjoy her beauty sleep. Was something going on?
I quietly entered the princess’s chambers and came face-to-face with the head lady’s maid. “Breakfast for the princess.”
“Wait here for a moment before bringing it to the bedroom.”
I gave a polite nod and stood to the side. As I waited, I observed a handful of guards flirting with some of the other maids, gossiping under their breath.
“...heard rumors that war is coming.”
“War? Surely you can’t be serious.”
“It’s true. Everyone’s saying the Oceanic Empire and the Farlands Empire are on the brink of it.”
There was always talk of war with the vampires. I’d heard whispers of it for as long as I could remember. Nothing had ever come of it, and I doubted anything would now, either, despite the guards’ insistence that things were getting worse. Still, the thought was scary. Everyone in our kingdom lived in fear of the dreaded Farlanders for good reason.
“That Prince Ares is a nightmare,” the guard was saying. “And he’s next in line to the infamous Queen Emlin. Like mother, like son.”
I shuddered at the mention of the queen and the prince. I’d heard countless tales of their cruelty. They terrified me. The only comfort I could find was that they were far away. King Garrett’s soldiers kept the war at bay from our door. We were lucky in that regard, but others? Not so much. I hoped these rumors of war weren’t true.
“I heard he drains the blood of virgins and bathes in it,” one of the maids whispered.
“I heard he takes up to twenty victims at a time!”
“The queen likes to feast on the hearts of her victims. Her son is no different.”
I was saved from the fearful rumors by Amory opening the doors to the princess’s bedroom. She waved me inside, leaning in close to whisper, “Her Highness is in her usual ‘pleasant’ mood.”
I sighed, bracing myself for a tantrum. But before I could go in, one of the guards stopped me. “You there. Leave the tray. The king has summoned you.”
I froze. “Me? Are you certain?”
“Yes. Come with me.”
Baffled, I handed off the tray to Amory and followed the guard. As we made our way to the king’s chambers, I tried not to panic. Why would King Garrett want to see me? I was a lowly kitchen maid; by all rights, he shouldn’t even know I existed. There must have been some kind of mistake.
The guard ushered me into the throne room, a place I had only glimpsed before through the doorway. It was hard not to stare at the opulence of the gleaming marble floors and plush red carpet, not to mention the ornate gilded throne where the king was seated. I dropped into the most graceful curtsy I could manage. “You called for me, Your Highness?”
King Garrett rose from his seat and motioned at his grim-looking advisors, who circled me like a pack of vultures. They peered at me, making disdainful comments. “She’s a bit grubby, isn’t she?”
“That’s true of all the serving class.”
“She would need to be polished up.”
I did my best to hide my annoyance at the insults. I had no idea what this was all about. “Could someone please tell me what’s going on?” I asked politely.
I received no response, as if no one had heard me. I cleared my throat and tried again, this time a little louder. Still nothing. Then one of the advisors gruffly brushed back a lock of my hair, and I slapped his hand away on impulse. “What the hell is going on?”
The advisor’s eyes flashed with anger, and I braced myself for him to strike me. The king held up his hand. “Enough,” he said, and the advisor backed away, glaring at me.
King Garrett stepped closer, finally turning to address me. “You should show more respect. The duty you’re about to undertake is an honor.”
His explanation only confused me further. “What duty, sir?”
“You have been chosen.”
I bit the inside of my lip to keep from screaming or bursting into tears. “Chosen for what?”
The king’s expression was perfectly calm as he sealed my doom. “You will go to the Farlands to marry Prince Ares.”
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