AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can eat her too after we slay the druid. And we’ll take her rubies for ourselves, Sy said. You can put those rubies with the diamond Rowan gave us and the other gemstones the house got us in that shoebox.
Sy knew all my hiding places.
“Today, we’re gathering in our beloved Skyward, as the time has finally come!” the headmistress called, her silver eyes shining with tears. What an actress! “The kings and queens of all five kingdoms and the Council of Mist of Cinder will be watching the livestream of the first bride trial from their palaces. Let us honor them!” She raised a fist and pressed it against her heart. Everyone followed suit. I hesitated for a beat, looked around, and did the same. Whatever.
“Unfortunately,” the headmistress continued, “the House of Underworld, the new gem of the realm, will be absent from the Brides Selection. As we all know, the heir of the House of Chaos has found his mate, Queen Lilith of the House of Underworld. At this moment, instead of gracing us with his presence, Prince Killian and his beloved are celebrating their bond…”
The rest of her words passed by my ears without my registering their meaning as “Prince Killian and his beloved are celebrating their bond…” echoed in my head over and over, piercing my heart.
What did I expect? Even if the chaos prince offered me a future, what could I give him back? I’d known right from the beginning that he was taken. Spoken for. Betrothed. But in the middle of it, as our relationship progressed, I’d thought he was mine. The next second, I knew it was impossible and decided not to ask him for what he couldn’t give. I was living on borrowed time anyway.
Yet when the reality of his being with another woman slipped into my mind, I still couldn’t deal with it.
A riot of angst hit me like a dark storm, chasing me, shattering the reason that held me together, until I felt my chest grow too tight and my lungs close up to stop air from coming in.
Shit!
My lips parted in terror as I felt my core power emerging from my dark abyss, ready to meet the storm. If they merged, I’d lose my shit. I’d torch everyone here, along with the tainted ivory tower.
I needed to get the fuck out of here before I went supernova.
Then an arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Lean on me,” Cami said in my ear. “I promised my cousin that I’d be in your corner during his absence. Just remember, he won’t abandon you.”
I shivered in her arms. While her skin felt icy, mine was burning.
“Breathe,” she said. “I got you, Barbie.”
I let out a breath, and my core power sank back down. My temperature returned to normal. Then Cami’s hand left my shoulder.
“Killian won’t leave you to the wolves,” Cami said.
“Wolf?” I asked. “You mean the big, bad wolf Silas?”
She let out a low laugh.
As if on cue, we both peered into the royal seats. Silas was looking back at us. He threw me a thumbs-up, a goofy smile on his handsome face. Louis scowled at him.
Headmistress Ethel had stepped aside, and the druid took center stage, barking instructions. “Each student must drink the potion. There’ll be no exceptions.” His inky eyes fixed on me again. Cami squeezed my hand to show her support. She’d also noticed the druid’s unhealthy interest in me. Every student shivered in front of the druid, as he just crept everyone out.
“After you take the potion, the crystal ball will show if you’re worthy and chosen,” the druid explained emotionlessly. My heart skipped an icy beat at the mention of his crystal ball. “If it glows red, you’ll join the next trial of the Brides Selection. Should the crystal ball turn green, you’ll be sent home. You may choose to stay and study at Shades Academy, but you won’t have any of the privileges of a bride candidate anymore. You’ll also have to pay for tuition and your boarding expenses…”
The druid moved his hand over the glass table, and a crystal teapot with pale blue liquid inside appeared on the table. At the same time, the crystal ball that had attracted my father’s attention materialized in midair, spinning slowly.
My blood turned to ice at the sight of the fucking crystal ball. I’d lose my shit if Ruin showed up in it again. I sank my fingernails into my palms to keep my panic at bay. I had to hang in there until the trial was over.
“Any questions?” the druid asked sternly, darting a dark glance at me, as if he expected I’d raise a hand.
“What’s in the potion, Professor Druid? How does the potion tell who is worthy to enter the second round?” America asked from the ranks of the House of Fae, sounding worried.
“The potion contains a drop of old magic,” the druid said. “It reveals your very essence. Only the brave who can face their fear and true self will be allowed to stay in the Brides Selection.”
My heart pounded. This was bad. All my life, I’d been running from my true self and fear. This wouldn’t end well for me.
Don’t worry, Sy said, cheering me up as she always did when I was near panic. If we fail, they kick us out of the Selection. Isn’t that what you want? We’ll have more freedom. I bet Rowan and Killian will still feed us even if we aren’t a bride candidate.
That was the plan, then. What worse could happen? They’d just kick me out. Besides, no potion worked on me. But what would they do if the crystal turned neither red nor green?
