Princess of Shadows: A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance by Olivia Hart (read me a book txt) 📕

Others found homes in the plants while several stood like sentries in front of the door. Large and imposing, a stone gargoyle stood opposite a lion on either side of the door. Rose smiled at them and ran her fingers over them.

The door swung open without the hint of a creak. The home’s caretaker was meticulous in his duties, and he was paid well for it. The last thing I wanted to do when I came here for a moment of peace from the Courts was to find chores.

I opened the pantry and pulled a few small bags out. Travel rations. Nothing to be excited about, but it would do until tomorrow when we went to town. I set them on the wooden table of the one-room cottage as Rose closed the door and latched it.

We were in the Dark Realm, the half of the Immortal Realm that the Dark Court ruled over, and so more than half the hours of the day were dark. Only a thin period was truly lit by the sun, and even that seemed dim compared to the Light Realm.

The darkness was at its peak at this point. Even the moons didn’t truly illuminate the world. It was the point in the night when only the darkest of beings felt completely comfortable. The rest would take a nap or even sleep during this period.

“Food’s on the table. Eat what you want, and I’ll eat what’s left. We’ll get breakfast in town, so don’t worry about saving anything.”

She nodded, and I saw her glance at the bed. The single bed that was meant for me and no one else. I sighed. No one else had ever slept in that bed. If I had been hungry, I would have taken my companion for the night somewhere else. Her bed or an inn.

“So, who’s going to sleep on the floor, Sebastian?” she asked, putting more than a little emphasis on my name.

“I’m sleeping in my bed. I already saved your life twice now. I’ve already met my chivalry quota for the week. You can sleep on the floor or next to me in my bed, but I must warn you that I snore. And probably drool.”

She sneered at me. “The floor will be fine as long as you don’t have rats. The bed probably has bed bugs anyway.”

I ignored her jab since I was getting what I wanted and obviously didn’t have bed bugs. Whatever those were.

Rose sat down at the table and began to open the bags. I lit an oil lamp and let it burn low, a soft light in the room. No need to make my eyes hurt just for her benefit.

I sat down across from her as she pulled pieces of dried meat from one of the pouches and put them in her mouth. “These are really good,” she said between bites. A part of me wanted to snarl at her as she ate more than half of the meat. This was one meal for me. All of it.

She moved to the bag of dried fruit and began to shovel it into her mouth like an animal. I had to grit my teeth as I watched her. How could someone eat like that? She wasn’t some vagrant who hadn’t eaten in days. The more I looked at her, the more I doubted that she could ever be a Queen. Just by watching her move and talk, her lack of respect and poise annoyed me.

I stood up, unable to stand watching her eat. Going to the cabinet, I pulled a bottle of wine out. I poured myself a glass of the deep red liquid, and then I glanced at Rose who was eyeing me and the bottle.

Snarling, I got another glass from the cabinet. Great. She’s going to eat all my food, and now she’s going to drink all my wine. She’ll probably slurp it like a mug of ale.

I handed her the glass, and she took a sip before I’d even sat down. “This is really good. What kind is it?”

“Are you really asking about the type of Fae wine you’re drinking? Would you know the difference between a Bhaldraithe and a Talún?”

I smirked when she shook her head. “I guess that since you can’t really go back to the Mortal Realm, you should start learning these things. It’s a Talún. Not my favorite, but it’s local to the region.”

“It tastes like a darker blush, but it’s more… intense? Like the flavors are stronger without any of the chemical tastes.”

“They’re grown in the Immortal Realm, so magic is infused in their very essence. That’s the intensity you’re tasting.”

I took a sip of my wine as I leaned back in the chair and let out a deep breath, feeling the stress of the day lighten just a little bit. I still needed to get Rose to a safe place before I returned to the Courts to deal with Seraphina, but at least we’d survived the day. More than that, I needed to figure out how exactly I was supposed to deal with her. I’d gone against her commands, but those commands had gone against the morals of the Dark Court.

Against my own morals.

That didn’t matter when Seraphina was Queen of both Courts though. I glanced at Rose and asked the question that had stopped me. Could she fill the empty seat? Was that why Seraphina had put the contract out on her, or was it simply because she knew that I’d never kill someone who had even the slightest chance of filling the seat?

I sighed. There was no way to tell. Not unless I brought her to the Dark Court and allowed them to test her. And I couldn’t do that until I dealt with Seraphina. The last thing I needed right now was to waltz into Court with my mark beside me. It might save her, but it would doom me.

Rose was staring at me and sipping her wine as I thought about our