Heart of the Raven Prince (Entangled with Fae, #2)

by Tessonja Odette

She knows. She knows.

She don’t know shit. Shut up idiot.

I do my best to steady my breathing and hide the terror rising inside me, molding it into feigned indignation instead. “My treasure!” I shout and try to swipe the necklace from her.

Really?

“That doesn’t matter,” Imogen says. “My stepsister is missing and you have her locket. I want to know why and where she is.” I curl my fingers to keep my hands from trembling.

Simple solution. She found it a.) while in the forest with Franco b.) on her balcony one morning about a week ago (since they likely know she escaped through the window) c.) on the palace steps or at the Opera House. Finding it in the palace itself, especially since it has photographs inside, would make it look like the princess stole it herself since she didn’t turn it in.

Lifting my chin, I work my features into a mask of cold arrogance.

You should have been like that for this entire conversation. Idiot.

She nods, then heads for the door. “If you’ll allow it, I’ll find Clara and help her with your dinner.” “Very well.”

No, I won’t allow it. Clara can go herself and you can find another job. Simple.

Whipping around, she says, “Fall to your knees now. That’s a direct order from Mrs. Coleman.”

See, exactly why she should have been kicked her out and fired her.

With one look, you’ll be begging me to let you put your hands all over it.”

🤣🤣 Cute, Franco.

At least he didn’t ask me to explain.

He did. You shot him down. For no reason other than being stupid. You have the best ally in the world against both your stepmother AND Marus, but are too stupid to use him. 🙄🙄

The floor is of fiery opal while the walls are pink moonstone. His furniture is jet and obsidian, his bed framed with a sheer white canopy. The blankets are indigo silk and velvet threaded with silver floral patterns, and the pillows are plush and enormous.

That sounds really eclectic and ugly…

“Go ahead,” he says with a light laugh, as if he can feel my desire.

Because he can… 🙄🙄

I open my mouth but hesitate before I answer. “I took lessons,” I say. The full truth is,

He’s also fae, so why hesitate in telling the full truth? Sh is really getting on my nerves. The author really failed in making her lies and sidesteps of the truth reasonable or even warranted the majority of the time because there is nothing that prevents her from doing so. She just ended up making her a habitual liar for no reason.

I don’t dare look at Franco to see if he noticed my momentary shift.

Dumb statement considering he tastes your emotions…

My pulse quickens at such a personal question, but my heart aches at the thought of my mother.

But it was okay to speak to Marus with NO PROBLEMS and barely ANY HESITATION about your mother that was killed by a war started by HIS church or religion… yep. Makes sense author.

“The last time I sang, I killed my father.”

I’m glad she’s finally telling someone else this dumb ass thought so that they can attempt to educate her and make her see reason because this has gone on long enough…

The answer is my stepmother, but I’ve always known she was right.

No, you’ve always been dumb and gullible, believing this wretched woman after already admitting to telling your father that she mistreats you. 🙄🙄

With my father’s heart in such a fragile state, I never should have sung. “I killed him.”

And here I thought we were finally going to get to this stepmother business but this dummy still doesn’t tell him it was her. 🙄🙄

For the love of the breeze, there is no mine. I’m glamoured! He only wants to kiss me because I’m wearing the wrong face.

Seriously author! What the hell kind of book is this? This girl is just too dumb!

“No,” I say. Breezes, if I find myself pressed against his chest right now, I can’t promise I won’t do something wildly stupid.

So you’re going to walk from his chambers to yours in your nightclothes? So intelligent.

Quiet corridors fill my mind. Dark alcoves. Him close to me. Our hands brushing as we walk. Him whirling to press me against a wall, his lips coming hard on mine…

Yeah, she deserves to be captured by her stepmother and Brother Marus tonight for being so incredibly dumb. All it would take is for Mrs. Coleman to be in a hallway with her and give Ember a command and she’s done for.

From what sparse details Clara has given me, Imogen claimed to have lost her position by unintentionally displeasing me. Of course my stepsister would refuse to take responsibility for losing her position.

And you would be dumb to believe that considering the object that Imogen had found to question your identity in the first place… of course she told her mother she had found Ember’s locket UNDER YOUR MATTRESS of all places.

She’s always been whiny and entitled, always following in Imogen’s footsteps, always doing everything Mrs. Coleman says.

If you think about it, it’s not like she has a choice. She’s even younger than you.

Could that be the fate I’m condemning my stepfamily to?

Who cares? But just Clara? That should be something to consider. She’s still a minor after all and has to follow the adults for the most part.

“You didn’t tell Madame Flora about my glamour—” “No, of course not. I simply asked a few leading questions and confirmed whether the glamour would work for its intended purposes. She knows not why I needed it, nor for whom.”

Wouldn’t it make sense for him to do o considering he believes Madam Flora is the one that created Maisie’s glamoured shoes? What if her magic won’t allow the magic the be overridden or balanced with her specifically weaving it to do so?

Desire pulses between us, but I can’t tell if it’s coming from me or her.

Well then how is it pulse BETWEEN you? Wouldn’t it just be one way. 🙄🙄

Franco leaves before I can say anything more,

Well, you were taking all day if you were planning to say anything so… 🤷🏽‍♀️ I’m going to skip this entire chapter because looking down through it, I can see it’s a bunch of annoying Ember thoughts.

“I had no idea you were even there that day. Where were you? Thumping Seri in the bushes?”

Yep.

“You’re a princess. The perfect future queen.”

Time to skip. She’s about to spiral into self loathing and pity…

He never said I look beautiful, I note. He said I am beautiful.

What? Did she actually have a LOGICAL thought all on her own?

I’m not sure why Franco would find it necessary to fly me to the ball, but I have no complaints.

Hope you tied your shoes on…

Ones I’ve become quite familiar with.

Well, I hope they mischievously dry snitch so we can move this along…at least a little bit.

“Why are you always bothering me?” I say through my teeth, taking a few steps away from the prince.

Doesn’t that look suspicious considering you two are the only ones at the very center of the spotlight of the “dance floor”?

The wisps chortle. “She did! She did! She craved a journey.” “But not on land. To a bedroom.” “His bedroom!” My cheeks burn hot. “Hush! Enough of that.”

And exactly why wouldn’t he be able to hear this with how close they all are? Another ridiculously impossible thing the author writes in for us to swallow and accept. No logic at all.

On the third time, his spin is more of a fold, and he tucks me in close until my back is pressed to his chest.

How is that a fold?

He spins me in a full circle before setting me back down,

Hopefully her shoes don’t fly off..

At midnight, Marus loses all claim to me. As does Mrs. Coleman.

You would think she’d learn by now…

After a while, Franco turns toward me. “You like to swim, right?”

But she has to wear her shoes… 🙄🙄 I swear this gets more and more ridiculous as the story unfolds…

I try to think of an excuse to explain away the statement, but fatigue keeps me silent. When I’m this close to freedom, it’s exhausting to keep lying to him.

Oh my goodness… like that actually makes sense. I told you, more ridiculous as the plot unfolds…

So long as he doesn’t see me… “Turn around,” I rush to say as I jump to my feet.

So you’re going to somehow prevent him from looking at you the entire time in the lake? 🙄🙄 Wow… so ridiculous.

Ever so quietly, I inch back toward the shore and swim to the side. Eerily, his head follows my movements. “Franco,” I say through my teeth.

Gots to be the dumbest broad…

His mouth comes to my ear. “For the love of the night, Em.” The sound of my name has my grip on him tightening. But then I remember what it means.

What you mean is, “and then I let my dumb self ruin the moment thinking ridiculous thoughts because this is the name I told him to call me AFTER we established that I wasn’t Maisie so regardless of it sounding like the letter M, it’s still my name.” Stupid idiot girl.

And it just…it wouldn’t be right to do that to him.

And what exactly is the difference in what you’re doing right now?

Instead, I stand tall, adopting my princess persona. “As nice as that was, we don’t need to kiss to pull off this game of pretend.”

Idiot. Hate her.

“Nothing has changed for me. Nothing. I wasn’t a princess when I got here and I’m not a princess now. I’m not even a lady’s maid.” My voice breaks, catching on a sob that builds in my throat. I retreat a few steps. “If…if I was anyone else…”

It’s not midnight, so she’s still currently tied to the bargains. Why is she saying all of this now when she can still be captured and forced to do their bidding? And they are outside the palace, in a public and open space. Very likely Franco can’t sense anyone right now due to his emotions for her probably going haywire right now… this is so dumb.

So I unleash the one weapon I know I can use against him. The only thing that will keep those arms at bay, prevent them from wrapping around me.

And also land you right in Marus’ and Mrs Coleman’s snare… because YOU. ARE. AN. IDIOT.

With that, I turn and run the rest of the way to the palace while tears stream down my cheeks.

And if that ain’t the last place you need to be running towards so close to midnight… but you definitely deserve to get caught for being an idiot.

Shit. There’s so much I don’t understand. So much I don’t know.

Because you’re also dumb. You have so many hints to put together, starting with her reaction to Marus, the marriage to the missing fiancé, and her going missing at the same time that Maisie did. But… you’re an idiot.

“Fine,” she says with a flippant wave of her hand. “We both know you need to gain the respect of the humans and the fae.”

And it still doesn’t make sense as to why it would have to be a royal…

We both know the humans respect royal marriages and the ability to produce heirs while the fae respect strength and formidable alliances.”

And it still doesn’t make sense to why it has to be a royal… humans respecting royal marriages? Like this something that’s a prerequisite. Makes no sense.

You can marry a prince, a prince’s daughter,

Wouldn’t a Prince’s daughter still be a princess? 🙄🙄

Her expression darkens. “I can’t risk it going up in flames. We worked too hard for the Lunar Court for too long. Isn’t it already bad enough that we have a seelie king where once I ruled alone?”

But… you’re giving up the throne so… it’s really none of your concern…