“Yes. I was supposed to get married today. So take me back,” I demand, though my voice warbles with uncertainty.
Do I really want to go back? Is this hallucination like a wake-up call for me—a realization that Henry is not the one for me? And if it’s a kidnapping, am I actually lucky? I purse my lips thoughtfully; I could always use the kidnapping as an excuse to break up with Henry. No one could blame me if I did that. But what kind of person would that make me? The kind that can’t take responsibility for their own feelings.
Altair’s eyes are like a razor-sharp blade piercing through my chest. I thought he looked dangerous before, but now, there’s a murderous gaze in his eyes. He picks at his nails. “You don’t sound particularly enthused, perhaps you should be thanking me?”
No, I can’t back out of my wedding. Henry is a good man, mostly. And my parents need me to do this for them. “I am enthusiastic,” I argue, forcing a grin. “But being kidnapped has killed the mood. Take me back.”
Altair loses all semblance of nonchalance. He leans forward, baring his teeth at me. “You may as well forget about your groom because you are never going back. You’re mine now, do you understand?”
Rage floods through me, followed by painful sorrow. “You won’t get away with this, you can’t keep me here!” I shout, balling my tulle skirt in my fists.
Altair rises, looming over me. “I do what I will,” he says, his voice dangerously soft. I freeze at the tone, some instinct in me forcing me to clamp down like a rabbit in a hawk’s gaze.
He turns on his heel and stalks from the room. I can see the rage broiling off of him. The door slams shut in his wake, and I hear the lock click from the other side. Trapped here. Exhaustion sweeps through me, quelling some of my rage and fear. If he had wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. But I don’t trust him.
I drop my head against the blue suede of the armchair, staring morosely at the fireplace. My room is several stories off the ground, and the castle appears to be built on a cliff side. If I tried to escape through the window, chances are good I would fall to my death.
And, of course, waltzing out the door isn’t an option. Altair said there were many guards. I bet he has some posted outside my door right now. And if I were to run, he wouldn’t be far behind. He’s fast, impossibly fast. But maybe that’s because he’s Fae.
My lips spread into a grin at the thought. In my fatigue, I had actually almost started to believe his ludicrous story. If it were true, and I was in another dimension—or another realm as he called it—I would never find my own way back to New York again. I wonder vaguely if time passes differently here. Maybe I’ve already been gone for three years.
I shake my head, forcing the thought away. Speculation won’t help. I drop my eyes to my wedding dress, to the lace and tulle that’s torn and frayed after a day of raging and the brief scuffle I had with Altair.
Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them back. I can’t cry. I can only imagine how upset my parents and Tara must be. My parents were so looking forward to the wedding. Henry is their idea of a golden boy, the perfect son-in-law. And Tara is probably worried sick. She would know that I wouldn’t run away without telling her.
Henry… I curl in on myself, thinking of how angry he must have been when I never appeared for the ceremony. I’m sure after a few days of fury, he’ll come around. He’ll realize that something must have happened to me. And if I do find a way home, he’ll take me back. I hope.
But I can’t sit around in this wedding dress any longer. I fumble with the zipper in the back but finally manage to tug it down. I step out of it and carefully drape it over the arm chair Altair was sitting in. After rummaging through a dresser, I find a man’s shirt. The same style that Altair was wearing. It’s loose and airy, with two strings at the neckline to tie together.
If I’m to get out of here, and I need to get out of here, then I’ll have to somehow convince Altair to trust me. Once he trusts me, maybe he’ll reveal how I got here and how to get back. He’ll give me more freedom and leeway, which is exactly what I need. Altair is my ticket out.
After some thought, I drag a wooden chair in front of the door and prop it under the handle. They can keep my locked in but perhaps I can keep them locked out. Satisfied, and feeling a little safer, I slip under the covers of the king-sized bed and roll to face the door. Blinking sleepily, my eyes grow heavier each time they slip closed. Sleep takes me swiftly, and I dream about Altair.
Chapter 5
Altair
I spread my wings, relishing the warmth of the sunlight on my feathers as I soar over Desmarais. Perhaps Navi was right about Verity. Perhaps she isn’t the key to ending the curse. I bank sharply left until I’m facing the castle. She’s there, inside her room. What she’s thinking only the Gods know. Though I can assume with some certainty she’s thinking of her beloved fiancé. I snarl at the thought of the man I’ve never met.
I snarl because he has claimed her heart. Because if her heart belongs to another, she will be hard-pressed to do what she must to save my kingdom. I don’t want to fly too close to the castle, in case I see her on her balcony. I
