The Angel's Fate

Chapter 9

I have to hold my hand over my mouth when my feet finally hit solid ground again. Everything is spinning. It’s almost like transporting so much is draining my energy in a very dangerous way.

But I have no choice right now.

I close my eyes and take a long, slow breath to settle my stomach. When I finally open them, the enchanted trees of the Fairy Woods are towering over me. Despite my dizziness, I can’t help but grin with excitement.

So I take off running through the forest, ignoring the nausea bubbling in my stomach. The branches of the living trees magically part ways to make a path for me, welcoming me with open arms. Before long, the towers of Robin’s castle appear, and I can barely contain my anticipation.

I practically leap up the castle stairs, and the guards at the doors smile when they see me. They move aside to allow me to pass through. “Good morning, Lady Mariel,” they say. I smile and bow a little as I run past.

The giant doors open before me, and I bound into the ivy-lined foyer.

My joy doesn’t last long. My face falls immediately at the sight before me. Robin is standing in the center of the room, engaged in a deep conversation with a tall and elegant fairy woman, their eyes locked intensely.

They have the same iridescent skin, it glimmers in the morning sun like mother-of-pearl. Their long, sleek hair cascades over their shoulders, falling like water as they gracefully turn their heads. They look so good together. They fit.

Robin immediately steps back from the woman when he sees me, and the fairy woman’s brow knits in frustration at my interruption.

“Mariel!” Robin exclaims, “You’re back!” He runs toward me, throwing his arms around my shoulders when our bodies collide. The electric energy begins to swirl around us once more, but I can’t bear to look him in the eye. I return the hug, but restrain myself from holding him as close as I want to.

“How did it go?” He asks.

“Good,” I say with my eyes locked on the ground.

Robin frowns and takes a step back, the magic between us fizzling away into the air. “Are you okay?” He asks.

“Yeah,” I answer with a forced smile. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Robin’s frown doesn’t fade. He knows me too well. “Okay,” he says suspiciously. “So what happened with the wolves?”

“They were actually very kind,” I tell him. I pause for a moment, wondering whether or not I should tell Robin about the whole “mate” thing.

The beautiful fairy woman scoffs a little. “Wolves? Kind?” She says with disgust on her tongue.

I clench my jaw a little. “Yes, and their Alpha welcomed me with open arms,” I tell her through tense lips. Who does this woman think she is? And how dare she judge the wolves without knowing them?

Robin looks between us with worried eyes. “Oh... Sorry, Mariel...” he says, “This is Aurora,” he gestures toward her, “She’s a member of my court, a high Fairy and a trusted advisor to my father.”

“I was supposed to be much more than that to your family,” she says as she crosses her long arms across her slender chest.

I look at Robin with questioning eyes, but this time it’s him that can’t look in my direction. “Let’s go find somewhere to talk in private,” he says, placing a hand on my lower back. He shoots an angry glare at Aurora as he guides me out of the room.

“Sorry about her,” he whispers. “She’s from one of the oldest Fairy families. They are very... traditional. Purists, I guess you could say.”

I nod slightly, but don’t answer.

“Let’s go to my chamber,” he says quietly. “We can be alone there.”

My heart thuds like a jackhammer. His room?

We walk silently though a few hallways lined with columns of shimmering trees and ivy, until we reach an intricately carved door that is coated in vines of purple flowers.

He pushes it open, guiding me inside with his hand still on the small of my back. When he shuts the door behind us my heart begins to pound even harder. I see his bed, the posts made of knotted wood covered in a delicate white canopy of silk.

The sight of his bed makes my palms begin to sweat.

“So tell me,” he says, “How did you get into their camp?”

“The Alpha let me in,” I answer with a shrug. “He... liked me, I guess.”

“He liked you?” Robin asks curiously.

My cheeks betray me and immediately begin to flush.

“Wait...” Robin says, his eyes growing wide. “Mariel, did he... did he imprint on you?”

I look down, but have to nod. It’s so hard for me to hide anything from Robin.

He swallows loudly and takes a nervous breath. “Did you...?”

“No!” I snap. “Of course not.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Okay. Did he agree to come to the meeting?”

“Yes,” I answer with a little smile. “In thirteen days. He will come here to meet with us.

I decide not to tell Robin about my promise to kiss the Alpha King. “Now I just need to find a representative for the vampires and the shifters. Maybe even a demon if possible.”

“If anyone can do this, it’s you,” Robin says with admiration in his voice. He grabs my hands, and the tingling of magic zaps through my veins at his touch.

I can’t stop my eyes from finding their way up to his. The longing I see in the face staring back at me is intoxicating.

How can I pull away from him?

The sparks are flickering around us, swirling about in a vortex that pulls us together. We couldn’t resist it if we wanted to.

His hand reaches up to cup my face, his thumb softly stroking my jaw. I close my eyes for a moment, getting lost in the tingling sensation of his touch.

When I open my eyes, Robin’s face is close enough that I can smell the sweet scent of flowers wafting from his hair. I hear him swallow nervously, and it makes my stomach leap into my throat.

He leans forward, his lips slightly parting as they approach mine.