In War, There Is Love

Fate

“How is it possible we have never seen her at any social event all these years?” Lilith kept pacing around the Throne Room as if she was the one going to get married.

Married. This was all so ridiculous, Demetrius wanted to laugh at the irony of this all.

Him, married. To a faerie.

She would have a heart attack the first time he was going to show her his fangs. And no one of her damned family would believe he was not the one that had murdered her. Rightfully so. Demetrius wanted to have that privilege himself, but he couldn’t afford another mistake on his part. So, if he had to play the role of the dutiful husband to the Council of Peace, then so be it.

That would be fun. He couldn’t wait to see her tears of fear. Or taste her blood. If she could ever be good for something, it would be being his constant blood supply.

Demetrius could bet she tasted good.

“Demetrius!” His sister rolled her eyes hard, a habit of hers she hadn’t let go of even though she was centuries old now.

“It’s because she’s a bastard, Lilith,” he said, already annoyed with the conversation. Why were his brother and sister this curious to get information about his bride-to-be when she would arrive just tomorrow?

Although the lack of knowledge was making Demetrius curious too. How was it possible no one knew anything about her?

“No one would want to introduce their bastard child while having their wife by their side, Demetrius is right,” Anthony agreed. “Although... how has she managed to be part of her father’s Council in a society as old-fashioned as the faeries’ one?”

This was all they knew about her, actually. That her name was Maya, her mother was dead, and she was one of the only female members of the Council—and none of the Princesses actually were.

“She sounds impressive,” Lilith said to Anthony, who looked like he agreed with her. Of course he did. He always did. As twins, they were inseparable. And if there was someone Demetrius really gave a damn about in this world, it was them. It was always going to be them. No one else.

“She sounds like her Daddy gave her a place in the Council to justify the lack of her Princessness.” Demetrius was getting bored with conversations of her. She wouldn’t be that relevant. If she wanted to play Queen, Demetrius would let her. For a short amount of time, of course.

“Her Daddy literally offered her to you, Demetri. I doubt he cares about her that much.” Lilith did have a point. The fact that he wasn’t cruel to his sister didn’t mean he would be the same to his pretend-wife.

Maybe once, when he was young, he would have wanted a Queen by his side. Back then when he thought there was going to be a mate in this world for him too.

Now he was more than thankful there wasn’t.

And even if there would have been one, Demetrius doubted he would have been capable of caring for her. He would have probably ended up killing her too.

It would have been fun though. Proving to all the blinded fools that fate was nothing but something they had projected themselves into.

He could beat fate.

He was fate.

“I do not have time to speak about a faerie anymore.” He stood up from his throne to leave the room and actually do something productive. His clan wasn’t the most powerful one among the vampires because of him talking about a pathetic female faerie that was going to breathe the same air as him.

Demetrius had meant it when he had told Silas it would be better for her if she ended her own life herself. Or run.

He wasn’t going to try to chase her down, although the idea was tempting, if he wanted to be honest.

“Can’t you just be a little less cruel to her?” Lilith followed him, but he didn’t slow down. His sister was usually not the warmest type—none of them were—but she didn’t have any of his cruelness in her heart.

“Not possible.”

“But why?”

Abruptly, he stopped and searched for her eyes. ”You know why, Lilith.” And just like that, she knew exactly what he meant. ”It's who I am. It is in my blood. And I sure as hell don't have any intention of changing it.”

***

There would be no wedding ceremony. No vows, no until-death-do-us-parts. None of these things.

And it was alright, it was not like Maya actually expected the Vampire King to celebrate his marriage to her.

They were enemies. Even sharing a bed—if they even shared one—would never in a million years change this.

And she didn’t want it to change, anyway. She loathed the vampires even more than King Demetrius loathed the faeries.

However, she had to admit somewhere under the layers of strong, cold Maya, there was the little Maya that had dreamt of finding her faerie mate. Marrying him. Someone that cherished who she was, not who she was supposed to be.

It didn’t matter now.

Nothing mattered.

The maids had found a beautiful white gown for her that resembled a wedding dress, of course, by order of her father, but Maya would rather cut her own wrists than present herself in a wedding gown to someone that didn’t have even the intention of respecting her.

Dark red. This was what he was going to get. A smiliar shade to her blood he would never, ever get the privilege to taste.

Maya let her long blonde hair free and forced her big wings out of her back, which filled her room with their grace. Losing them once had been her greatest pain. But growing them back, they were even prettier now.

And Maya liked what she saw in the mirror. It screamed fierceness. At that right moment, she swore to herself that whatever would happen, she was never going to lose that fierceness. Not again.

The people that had gathered in the biggest hall of the castle didn’t hide their gasps of surprise when they took in her appearance.

Good. It had the intended effect.

And perhaps for the first time after many years, she realized she didn’t care about them. Not at all. Not when they were there to witness some drama and tears from her rather than for once to support her.

King Silas cleared his throat, a sign of his silent disapproval, but Maya couldn’t care less for him as well.

Only Lea out of her six sisters and one brother ran to give her a hug, and Maya hugged her right back. This was as close as an apology she would get to.

“I’ll come visit,” Lea whispered, tears in her eyes.

“For your sake, don’t, Lea. Its not a place I ever want you to be.”

“But you—”

“Shh, I’ll be alright. I always am.”

Reluctantly, Lea separated herself from Maya, and Maya was thankful for that. Getting emotional in front of these many people wasn’t her goal right now.

“Are you ready?” Silas asked.

Did she have another choice?

Her gaze found Nolan’s, but thankfully, he didn’t do anything to embarrass any of them. However, there was some sort of promise in his eyes Maya didn’t want to analyze right now. As if he wanted to say they weren’t really over. That he didn’t want to let her go yet.

Maya had craved that kind of promise her entire life, yet not from him.

“Did you say goodbye to everyone?” Silas asked her, and if they were alone, she would have laughed. Who was everyone? His children that looked at her like their lives would become ten times better just by her leaving—especially Liam—or his wife, who actually looked pleased? The proof of her husband’s betrayal was finally getting out of her face, so why shouldn’t she?

The only ones that bowed down to her were just a few of the Council members that she had actually gotten along with, and taken decisions with. It was a sign of respect, not a duty, which she admired more at the moment.

Maya gave them a curt nod and turned to her father. “I’m ready.”

Her father opened his wings and flew to the sky first, followed by her and lots of guards after them.

The soft wind played with her face and hair, giving Maya just a little peace of mind. Flying had always done that for her. Only while flying, was she free. Free of duties, free of pieces of memories that bombarded her mind from time to time. It was just her and the wind and the sun and the birds.

In those tiny little moments, she was happy.

“You remember what I asked of you, right, Maya?” Her happiness was crushed as if by magic.

She flew right at her father’s side, not any inch behind him, a sign of disrespect she was so glad to show right now. “You remember I told you I cannot do it, right? Even as the wife of a monster you forced me to become, I appreciate my life.”

His white browes furrowed in anger, but he held himself back. “I’m not telling you to do it blindly, the second day in his palace, Maya. I’m telling you to take the opportunity if it ever arises. If not for me, then for yourself. We faeries have long lives for you to spend suffering by his side.”

Maya raised her brows in disbelief. “We’re talking as if it wasn’t you who took that decision,” she hissed.

He gritted his teeth and flew closer to her. “And we’re talking as if I had another choice. I am King. I should always put my people first.”

Yourself, Maya thought. You should put yourself first. Because truth be told, no one feared King Demetrius as much as King Silas did.

“You should write me constantly,” he kept going, as if he hadn’t said he would always put everyone else above his own daughter. “About every little thing you see that you might doubt will be of use winning this war.”

Excellent. So she would have to live not only with the vampires, but in the constant fear that they’d find out she was actually the spy at their Court.

“What about my wellbeing, Father? Should I write about that, or is it of no importance to you?”

Before he had the chance to reply, she flew far from him and the guards, deciding to enjoy the last few hours of her freedom as much as she could.

When they were finally inside the borders of the vampires’ kingdom, it was already night, which meant they were all awake.

Countless pairs of dead eyes flew above to them, no doubt knowing it was the night their King was going to get married after centuries.

Chills ran down her spine as the three pairs of eyes appeared inside her head.

It’s not them. It’s not them.

When they were above the Court, it was almost sunrise, but not yet. Which meant their enemies were awake and waiting for them.

Everything about their palace was so different from theirs. There was no bright color to it. All black and creepy and beautiful at the same time.

Maya felt tired from flying for so many hours, and all she wanted was to sneak inside her sheets and sleep for at least a few days, but her senses were too much on high alert for her to think of sleep right now.

He’d be outside. In a few seconds.

There was not an ounce of fear in her body, however, only... anxiety. Apprehension. And some kind of... excitement.

This time was different. This time she wasn’t the scared little Maya anymore.

Vampires had already gathered outside in the garden, looking at them with shock and curiosity in their faces, as if they didn’t expect her to be brave enough to come.

Maya couldn’t wait to disappoint them all.

They were almost reaching the ground now when her eyes found the one thing they were searching for.

Amber eyes, so transparent they were scary. Endless. Eyes that belonged to the most attractive male creature she had ever laid eyes on.

Something inside Maya’s chest trembled, and it vibrated all over her body, taking her breath away. Her knees buckled when they reached the ground, almost giving her up right in front of him.

Of all of them actually, but it was like everyone else had disappeared but him.

When Maya thought the trembling of her body would stop, and this was all a damned mistake, there was this rush of magic in her veins.

Mine.

No.

Mine.

No, it couldn’t be possible. It just couldn’t.

It was a mistake, faeries were never, ever mated outside of their kind, and especially not with a vampire.

And yet, her body knew, her heart knew...

“King Demetrius,” her father spoke, and it was like someone had hit her with an iron rod at the back of her head.

This was the cruelest joke fate could ever gamble on her.