AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Give us a moment,” he commands.
I turn around and see a group of guards standing there. They turn at my father’s command, leaving the room.
“What happened?” I ask once the guards are far enough away that they can’t hear our conversation.
Father lets out a breath, but he doesn’t say anything. He just looks from me to Poppy and shakes his head like he can’t form words.
“Did you compel her?” I look between Father and Poppy.
My sister has tears streaming down her face and her eyes flicker between black and gray. When I look at Father again, his eyes are their natural color of blue. He—like Cypress and I—has good control of his emotions. The fact that he lost control, even for a few moments, must mean Poppy did something truly horrible.
“I did,” Father answers after a moment of hesitation.
“How?” Cypress’s eyes widen as he looks at Father. “You shouldn’t be able to compel her.”
“He’s always been able to compel me.” Poppy hiccups, her voice breaking. “I’m not strong enough to resist like the two of you.”
“It doesn’t matter your strength,” Cypress says. “It’s a blood thing—”
Father cuts him off. “This matters not. What’s important is what Poppy did.”
I look at him, waiting for him to explain. When he doesn’t, I turn to Poppy. “What did you do?”
“I did what I had to.” She crosses her arms over her chest, not backing down despite seeing our father’s ire. “You wouldn’t understand—you’re the perfect one. Fatheradoresyou. It’s me he hates.”
Cypress shifts uncomfortably beside me. I want to scream at Poppy for being so callous. Out of the three of us, it’s clear who the least favorite child is, and it’s not Poppy.
Poppy continues, unaware of her harsh words. “I don’t want to marry the dragon crown prince. Everybody knows dragons are fearful, harsh creatures. Who would want to marry a monster?”
A monster? Really?
I want to roll my eyes at her dramatics.
Dragon shifters, while powerful, arenotmonsters. They are actually pretty tame compared to most supernaturals. They stay out of fights among the other supernaturals and keep to themselves. They’re known for being a peaceful bunch.
Father was right—Poppyislucky to be marrying their crown prince. She gets to go live with them and get away from the fae.
To the outside world, the fae are beautiful and elegant supernaturals. But the reality is, fae are cunning and cutthroat. Their beauty is only skin deep. As much as I hate it, I’ll never be able to get away from the games.
“I’ve told you, Prince Stellan is a really nice—”
Poppy cuts Father off. “I don’t care! I’m not marrying him!”
“Yes, you are,” Father says, a note of finality in his voice.
“I can’t be married to two people! And you can’t force me to divorce Florian.”
“YoumarriedFlorian?” I can barely hold back my disgust. “As in Florian of the Fire Court? The same guy who just last month caused a fistfight between Duchess Peony and Princess Helene?”
Cypress snorts. “Who knew Princess Helene had such a strong right hook?”
Poppy lowers her gaze. “We’ve been seeing each other for three weeks now. He’s who I’ve been sneaking out to see. He loves me. When he proposed marriage, it seemed like the answer I’ve been waiting for.”
I shake my head. “You’re so stupid. Even I would prefer the dragon prince over Florian. Heck, I’d marry ahumanbefore I’d marry Florian.”
Father’s eyes land on me. “You’re not seeing a human, are you?”
“Gross, no,” I say, assuring him. “Fret not, Father. I know my role. I would never date—or marry—without the council’s approval.”
