A Thorn in Every Heart (Enchanted Legacies, #1)

by Kate King

Suddenly, Kastian gripped my forearm, and I turned to look at him. “What?” His brown eyes widened. “Are you certain about this?” “No,” I said honestly. “What do you think?” Kastian looked at the ship. “I think my father will shit himself if he ever finds out I managed to escape the Dyaspora with the King of Vernallis.” I laughed hollowly. I didn’t doubt he was right. Kastian had been my first friend while in exile.

“It only breaks when the king finds his true love,” Odessa explains. “That’s fucking stupid.” Fox scoffs. “Why would anyone cast that curse?” “Spite,” I mutter bitterly. “Ninety-nine years ago, Thorne was betrothed to a woman the entire kingdom believed was his soul-bonded mate.” “She wasn’t?” Jett asks. I shake my head. “Apparently not, because the week before their wedding, he betrayed her with another woman. Unfortunately, the girl was a powerful sorceress. She was so heartbroken that she cast the curse on the entire kingdom, then flung herself off a tower.”

“You need money,” I blurt out. “Who doesn’t?” she snaps. “Capitalism is the root of all evil.”

“Yes. I’ll pretend to be my grandmother and in one month you’ll send me home with more money than I could possibly spend in one lifetime.” She holds out her hand as if for me to shake, and I take her fingers immediately, my own hands feeling suddenly cold. The strangest sensation washes over me. It’s relief mixed with anxiety. Satisfaction and dread.

“Because I should have told you last night. You can’t tell anyone what happened before you got here. No more announcing to strangers that you might have slept with their husband.” “Hey, I didn’t mean⁠—” “I know,” she soothes, “but really, it’s best if you just act like Daemon is as much of a stranger as the rest of us.” “He is a stranger,” I mumble. “And I really wasn’t planning to say anything.”

I am such a fucking idiot. I have no idea how I didn’t realize that there was something weird about Daemon from the beginning. He’s just so inhumanly handsome, even while glaring at me like I’m the cause of all his problems. It feels unreal.

I frown. He’s probably right but he doesn’t have to be an ass about it. “I liked you better when you were just some guy in a bar.” I mean it to be a throw away comment, and one that I expect him to have some quick retort for, but instead his face falls slightly. His eyes shutter, and he takes a step back. “So did I, Peaches.”

“I wasn’t trying to be an asshole to her.” Kas laughs. “Then I’d hate to see you try.” I scowl, knowing he’s right.

But none of that explains why I can’t seem to stop myself from taking my mood out on Alix. I just find her…aggravating. I feel Kastian’s eyes on me and I glance over to find him scrutinizing me as if he can read my mind. “What?” I bark. He sighs, shaking his head slightly. “Nothing. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

I don’t want him or anyone else touching her.

Appearance aside, the characters are nothing like the real people who obviously inspired them, and worst of all, the details of the curse on Vernallis have been so sanitized that it’s no wonder Alix was willing to bargain with her life to break it. She thinks we’re living in a fucking dreamland.

“In the book, there are four Fae kingdoms,” I explain. “Ellender in the west, Hydratta in the south, Solistine in the east, and Thermia in the north. Ellender is the largest kingdom, and it’s ruled by the Fae king, Thorne. In reality, Thorne’s kingdom is called Vernallis, and Ellender is what we call the continent as a whole.”

“Hate to interrupt, but I don’t think we’re at the sexually charged banter portion of the show!” Jett yells. Daemon and I turn to look at him in unison. “What are you talking about?” Daemon asks.

“I disagree. I like things to be really simple. Fall in love, happily ever after, the end. No traumatic epilogues.” Jett frowns in confusion. “Then why would you agree to⁠—” “There’s an inn up ahead,” Daemon interrupts. “We should stop there, at least to get dried off.”

“Well, I’m not playing strip poker. It would be over in one turn.” He looks at me, his eyes flicking from my face down the length of my body and back. I think it’s the first time he realizes I’m not wearing anything but underwear beneath the thin quilt. He blinks slowly, then shakes his head as if to clear it. “Fine. We’ll just pretend, then.” I nod, flushing. Why am I always naked around this man? Not only that, but I’d have to be blind not to notice the way he just looked at me. It was the same look he gave me yesterday in the Summer Palace, and the other night in my Nana’s living room. Like he’s on a diet and I’m a slice of chocolate cake. Off-limits but entirely too tempting.

Daemon’s eyes flick over my body before landing back on my face. His eyes linger on my lips and heat flares in his gaze. Before I know what’s happening, his lips are on mine. My stomach flutters with a heady mix of excitement and desire as his hand cups my cheek, pulling me closer to him. He kisses me feverishly, hungrily, and I eagerly respond, my fingers finding their way to the nape of his neck. I tug him toward me onto the bed, knocking the desk out of the way. He lands over me, hands braced on either side of my face. Then, he moves his lips away from mine and down the column of my neck. I gasp, tingles erupting all over my body and heat pooling in my core. I drag my nails down his bare muscled chest and skate my fingers over his belt.

He shakes his head. “Nope. Ashwater is intense, but he’s not usually an ass. Ever since going to the human realm, something has been off. I wonder⁠—” Fox bumps him hard with his shoulder. “Don’t wonder,” he says under his breath. “You might strain a muscle.” Jett seems to take Fox’s suggestion to heart and doesn’t continue. Still, my mind immediately flies to his explanation last night. “For this to work, you have to mean nothing to me.” Now, I’m the one wondering.

“What dinners?” Daemon asks, whipping his head around to look at his cousin. “King Thorne always wanted Belle to eat supper with him.” “And you weren’t there?” I ask, trying not to let my own panic and frustration sound in my voice. Odessa shakes her head. “No one was.” Daemon grimaces. “So in other words, we have no idea what they talked about.” Oh my God, I’m going to crash the fuck out.

He moves closer, and something pangs in my chest. He reaches for my chin and forces my eyes back up to his, literally holding my attention. “I told you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. As long as I’m breathing, no one will touch you.”

I turn back to my friends and find them all watching us. Fox looks annoyed, Jett amused, and Kastian seems worried. I make the mistake of catching Odessa’s eye, and find her smiling smugly. I blow out a frustrated breath and blink repeatedly, determined to stay focused on anything but Alix.

“Bullshit, we are not,” Alix hisses, then stops and turns to Jett directly behind her. She holds both arms out, like she wants him to pick her up. “Okay, I changed my mind, the wings aren’t scary. Let’s go, fly boy. Beam me up or whatever.” “Uh…” Jett stammers, for once at a loss for words. He freezes and glances over his shoulder at me, obviously waiting for instructions. For the love of fucking God. Part of me realizes that Alix is probably only gravitating toward Jett because he’s nice, the same way she’s already warming up to Odessa. Still, I find myself grinding my teeth. I make sure Alix isn’t watching me before growling under my breath so only Jett can hear. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Foulo puffs his chest, looking pleased. He steps forward, reaching around me to grab Alix’s hand. “Come. The king is in the throne room. I’ll walk you there.” “Oh—” Alix blurts out as Foulo tugs her roughly forward. “I’m fine on my own.” “Nonsense,” Foulo says, too enthusiastically. He grips her too tightly, dragging her like a limp rag doll away from me and further into the palace. Spontaneous rage erupts inside me. Before I can stop myself, my hand shoots out, gripping the back of Foulo’s jacket. “Let her go. Now.”

Daemon walks in with his head down, lost in thought. His expression is unreadable, his brow furrowed as if he’s turning something over in his mind. Then, after a moment, he looks up. The second his eyes land on me, he freezes. His mouth parts slightly, and something flickers across his face—shock? Recognition? Hunger? His gaze drags over me, slow and thorough, like he’s committing every detail to memory.

“You were busy,” I say. “I’m not going to wait around for any man. My time and attention belong to people who are thinking about no one but me.” Without warning, his hand shoots out and lands on the wall behind my head, boxing me in. He leans down so his mouth is mere inches from mine and bares his teeth. “Then I should get every single minute of your fucking attention.”

“Back up. You can’t be so close to me when anyone could walk by.” His gaze darts to my lips for a fraction of a second. “You’re suddenly really interested in telling me what I can’t do.” My heartbeat speeds up again. Fuck, I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore. Is this about Claudette or the king or Daemon and me? What am I even mad about again?

There’s a long silence. I know this is my cue to say something, but I don’t want to. I don’t care about being polite to Claudette, and I’m not about to do something that will start another argument with Alix. Especially not here, with so many eyes on us. “It’s fine,” Alix says, filling the silence. “You were busy.” There’s that word again. Busy.

“No!” I snap, and all chatter in the room stops. Fuck. “Everything okay, Baron Ashwater?” Alix says, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. I grind my teeth. No, everything is not alright and I’m not even sure why. I have no fucking idea what’s wrong with me except that the woman sitting across from me is clearly sapping me of whatever shreds of sanity I didn’t lose in Dyaspora.

I can easily imagine how Alix might feel because I’ve never been jealous of anyone in my damn life until this week. Suddenly, I want to tear my hair out every time I have to watch her eat dinner with Thorne or smile at one of my friends, and that’s far fucking crazier than her being bothered by Claudette. Except, I can’t let myself think about that.

Daemon grips my elbow tightly and pulls me closer as we merge with the teeming crowd. “Stay close to me. I don’t want you getting lost.” I roll my eyes. “Yes, Daddy.” His eyes flash with something like interest and he grips my arm tighter. “Say that again.” I flush and stumble over my words.

“The only thing that would make me happier is if there’s a music store around here. If you could get me a new violin, I wouldn’t just let you spank me, I’d marry you in a heartbeat.” He stiffens, and I falter, realizing what just came out of my mouth. Oh God. What is wrong with me? I don’t say things like that, especially not out loud!

He dips his head so his mouth is pressed against my tangled hair, and his hot breath tickles my ear. “Did you know that Fae senses are much stronger than humans? I can always smell how much you want me to fuck you. I can taste it, and it’s driving me fucking insane.” I suck in a gasp. He can smell me getting wet for him? Um okay, that’s so fucking embarrassing. Please let me just drop dead now.

“Fuck, I need to go talk to Alix. Explain, or something…” I trail off. What the hell am I supposed to say to her? “I could have fucking killed her.” Kas shrugs. “I don’t think so.” I laugh hollowly. “What do you mean? She’s human, of course I could have hurt her.” “I don’t know, mate. You didn’t seem that interested in killing her. And before you try to tell me that’s worse, she seemed pretty willing to me.”

I reach the door and stride halfway down the hall before Kastian runs after me. “Daemon! Wait, before you go rampaging all over the damn castle, you should check on Alix.” “Why?” “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but if your instinct wasn’t to kill Alix but claim her⁠—” “You’re right,” I bark. “I don’t want to hear that because it’s bullshit. It doesn’t mean anything. I was out of my fucking mind.”

I know I told her last night how I can’t stop thinking about her. I hope she assumes that was just a product of the curse, but it’s more true than even I’d like to admit. In a very short span of time, my entire existence has shifted to revolve around Alix. I wake up when she does, walk her to and from meals, and stand against the wall always watching her. Even when she doesn’t come out of her room all day, I sit there, watching the door. She’s the only damn thing I can think about anymore to the point that I can’t keep track of why I’m doing this. Am I here because Thorne ordered me to be or because I promised to keep her safe?

“Getting information from you is like pulling teeth,” I complain. “What do you want?” “What do I want?” He looks genuinely confused and it makes me smile. It’s nice not to be the one in the dark for once. “I mean, Fae like bargains, right? There must be something I trade you for the information.” I hadn’t exactly meant that to sound like a proposition, but our eyes lock and I know we’re both remembering last night. Even if it was just the curse making him act like that, it still felt real. And I have no excuse. I just…wanted to. “Fuck,” Daemon curses and runs a hand through his hair. “Don’t say shit like that, Peaches.”

I nod. At this point, I know exactly how Fox is. When he’s on guard duty, sometimes, I amuse myself by trying to say things he’ll feel the need to reply to. Once, I just ask why he’s so quiet. I’m not really expecting an answer, but he says, “Most conversations are just to fill silence. Silence has never really bothered me.” “That’s so Zen of you. Very Yoda.” Unsurprisingly, Fox said nothing.

“I’ve never heard of her,” Fox says, startling Odessa and I. I glance up at him. “Excuse me?” He shuffles on his feet uncomfortably. “That woman. I’ve never heard her name.” “So?” His arctic blue eyes widen, and he blows another frustrated breath out—which I’ve come to understand means that he’s exhausted by having to explain what he thinks should already be obvious. “I wasn’t in Dyaspora as long as Ashwater. I came forty years ago, but forty years is still a long enough time to hear every story worth telling. I don’t like to share, but I listen. I know all their families’ names, every friend, every relationship. I don’t know of Claudette.” “Why are you telling me this?” He raises an eyebrow at me. “I told you. I listen.” “Uh…okay. Thanks.”

“Honestly, Daemon didn’t seem that different to me. I thought he might be drunk, but not that he was a different person.” Odessa shakes her head. “That just means you got lucky—or maybe that his gut instinct is somehow in your favor. Trust me, you don’t want to see what it looks like when someone’s instinctive desire is violence.”

Without thinking, I reach out a hand to touch the nearest feathers, stroking them like I might run my fingers through someone’s hair. “Incredible.” He shivers. “Sorry, Peaches. I can’t ever seem to hold on to control around you.” “No…” I mutter softly, my face flaming. “Don’t be sorry. I like it.” I like you.

By the time I emerge, the horses are already saddled. Nearly everyone is mounted, ready to leave. Even Alix. She’s already in my saddle. For a second, I wonder who the fuck helped her up. A possessive growl bubbles in my throat, but I shove it down. I shake my head to clear it. I’m being fucking insane—irrational—and it has to end now.

To my surprise, he grins. “Good. If you knew half the things I’ve thought about doing to any male who looks at you, you should be afraid. As long as I’m breathing, no one will fucking touch you, because I’ll kill them and fuck you in their blood.” Jesus Christ.

releasing them, but that explains the strange looks I got in the hall and from Kastian. I know immediately what they’re all thinking—what I’d be thinking if this were happening to anyone else. But it’s impossible. No matter how I feel, Alix isn’t really mine. She’s not my bond—she doesn’t even belong here. Shaking my head, I fold the wings around myself and lean against the wall, watching the sunrise outside the windows. When it finally does, I’ve never been so grateful for the moment that the curse takes over and my mind shuts off.

Ugh, I don’t want to go there. Because once I start picking at that thread, it unravels fast. If I think about the nightmares, I’ll have to think about the wings and the intense promises and how my stupid heart squeezes every time he looks at me. But if I think about that, I get depressed, because this isn’t going to work out.

King Thorne doesn’t explain himself. He steps back from the doorway, his gaze tracing over me again and lingering on the shirt I’m wearing. I brace myself, half expecting him to reach for my throat like Foulo did. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he says shortly. “Make sure you’re ready on time.” Without another word or so much as a smile, he turns on his heel and departs. I realize I’m shaking with anxiety as I look up at Kastian. “What the fuck was that?” “Lucky is what that was.” Kas lets out a breath and glances at the T-shirt I’m wearing instead of a dress. “You should change.” I flush, but nod and retreat inside.

I sigh. I suppose she’s right. But I still can’t seem to shake the feeling that something is wrong.

“You alright?” I turn around at the sound of the voice behind me, expecting it to be Kastian. He’s tried to corner me into talking twice since letting me out of the bathing room several hours ago, but I don’t want to talk. I don’t know what to say and I don’t want to hear whatever he’s thinking. I’m surprised and grateful when I come face-to-face with Fox behind me. I plaster on a grin and pass him the bottle of wine. “Yeah. Of course, why?” He just stares at me with calculating eyes before taking a sip of wine directly from the bottle. See, this is why I like Fox. He’s not quiet because he has nothing to say—I’m fairly sure he’s the smartest of all of us. I’m damn fucking sure he’s smarter than me. But rather than rubbing that in everyone’s face he just observes.

Shielded from the crowd by my body, she turns her wide blue eyes to mine and for a split-second our gazes lock. For a breath, I can’t even feel the pain in my back. The haze on my mind clears, and whatever has been shifting in my brain finally stops, locking into place.

“That had to be intentional,” I mutter. “What the fuck is going on in this castle?” And more importantly, what does it have to do with Alix? “Agreed.” Kastian nods grimly and adjusts my arm on his shoulder to better help me up the stairs. “There have been far too many near-death encounters lately. The train crash, and everyone waking up to the sound of the bells.” “Then there was Foulo in the library,” I add through gritted teeth. “What happened with Foulo?” Jett asks. “I noticed he wasn’t at the ball.” I freeze. Fuck. I didn’t tell them about that.

“Do I really have to be the one to point out the obvious?” Jett blurts out. “She’s your bonded.” He says this so matter-of-factly, without any shred of doubt or concern that it knocks me back. A weight seems to clamp down on my chest, and for a moment, I can’t think of an answer. “That’s insane,” I growl. But even as I say it, a voice in the back of my head disagrees. Is it insane?

I growl low in my throat, as much from anger as from the pain in my back. “I’m fucking sure. Alix isn’t for me. If I were bonded to her, I wouldn’t be able to handle her marrying Thorne, would I?” Jett frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not to kick you while you’re down, Ashwater, but you’re not handling it. At least, not very well.”