Frailty: The Darkshine(37)

“You want me dead right at this moment, don’t you?” She said it without a trace of fear in her voice, even had the gall to laugh as she said it. “Well, love hurts, does it not, Gaijryc?” She finished off the rest of her Crown, setting the glass back down, the ice clinking together slightly. “Here’s how it is going to work. The ball will go on as planned. In the end, though, it is I who you will choose to be your future queen.” She smiled, her bright white teeth flashing. She walked up to him and ran her hand along his chest, making his insides churn with disgust. “Are you in agreement with the offer, Gaijryc?”

He didn’t speak for several minutes, didn’t know what to say. If he were to agree to what Iena offered, then at least he knew Helina would be protected. On the other hand, if he chose to be with Helina, to mate her and make her his queen, then he would forever have to be watching, making sure no one would dare hurt her. He thought about it, knowing that if he chose his female, and she was to die, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. It would be his fault, his own stupidity if something were to happen to her because of his own selfishness. He stared again at the fire, watched as the colors mingled together, blues turning to yellows, oranges and reds. He hated himself at that moment, hated the very blood that ran through his veins. He didn’t look at Iena, didn’t even glance her way as he nodded in agreement. Her skeleton fingers ran over his shoulders, her body rubbing against his as if she were a cat in heat.

“It’s a shame you have given all your love to the human. No difference, I suppose; you will learn to care for me as much as you do her.”

He knew that would never be the case, that he could never love Iena in any sense. He knew that the only emotion he would ever have toward her was hatred, a deep anger that pierced his very heart.

“Well, my future king, my future mate, I must bid you a good night. I do need my beauty sleep.” She leaned up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

Her lips felt like dry ice on his skin, like they were burning his flesh right down to the bone. He didn’t flinch, didn’t move as she left her lips on his cheek for longer than was necessary. She left the room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. He stared at that fire until all that was left was red embers and black tendrils of smoke.

Tomorrow night would be the night that his very heart and soul would forever be lost. Tomorrow night would be the night that he was forced to mate Iena in order to save the one person that meant more to him then life itself.



Ryce stood in front of the double oak doors and breathed in deeply. His heart pounded in his chest as he prepared himself for what was to come. He didn’t bother knocking, just pushed open the heavy doors and strode in. Gaijryc looked up from his papers, first surprise and then a furious hatred crossing his features. In the quickest move Ryce had ever seen, Gaijryc was over his table and had him by the throat, his back to the cold, hard wall. They stared at each other for a suspended moment, Gaijryc’s fury like ice melting over a hot flame. He was breathing heavily, his hand periodically tightening around Ryce’s neck.

“You dare show your face to me!”

His air was cut off, his throat feeling like a vice was around it, strong and unyielding. He nodded, not bothering to speak, just staring Gaijryc in the eye. He knew before he came here what was to come, knew Gaijryc’s reaction would be just this.

“You go to my female and speak with her, look at her without my presence, without my permission! I should kill you right now, snap your neck in half and feed it to the dogs.”

Even though Ryce was over two thousand years older than Gaijryc and could easily throw him off, this was his future king, the high ranking prince of the DarkShine. He knew his place, knew that he should never have gone to see the human female without Gaijryc being there. He tried to speak, tried to tell him that he did have a reason behind it, but with his airway cut off, no words came out. He felt the hold on his neck loosen, felt air slide down his throat and into his lungs. He inhaled several times as Gaijryc stepped back and eyed him with an intense rage. He wouldn’t have died without being able to breathe, but it certainly would have been uncomfortable. “I was wrong, I know that, but I did it to make sure she was protected.”

“It wasn’t, and isn’t your place to protect her, Ryce. She is mine. It should have been plain as day to you. You should know better than anyone how important a mate is.”

Ryce saw immediate regret cross Gaijryc’s features. Ryce dropped his head, his memories coming to the forefront of his mind and blinding him. He worked hard over the centuries to get himself under control, but when you lost the one you loved, you were never the same.