Then the chatter resumes.
“Looks like the bastard decided to join us.” Fatima, the daughter of the high advisor, fake whispers and the other women surrounding her let out exaggerated giggles.
“She could have at least tried to better her appearance, my god,” Eileen, Fatima’s sidekick and daughter of the high guard, says snarkily.
“As if, I’ve yet to see proof that she even knows how to use a brush.” Fatima laughs, shrewdly.
I make a show of pretending to ignore them as Gerald and Magnus take up guard behind me. Too bad the only thing I need protection from is the prejudice I face every day for being the king’s bastard daughter.
Aphaedra Tempest.
Supposed daughter of a lady of the night that trapped my father into lying with her. A charity case with no real claims to the throne. A woman with hair too unruly and skin too dark to deserve more than a passing glance.
“Your highness,” Anima, one of the servants, greets me with a kind smile on her face as she places a plate in front of me.
The plate is steaming with roasted pig and fluffy eggs. I return Anima’s smile even though it's slightly strained. The note of sadness in her eyes tells me she understands. “Thank you, Anima.”
“Of course.” She bows before hustling to get back to work.
I eat my food in silence, very aware of the eyes on the side of my face and the whispers that make their way down to me.
Don’t show them any weakness.
Kofu’s words ring through my head and I can’t help but wish he was here. The words were the first he ever said to me and he’s repeated them many times over the last couple of years, wielding me to be strong in the face of adversary.
I finish my food quickly and drop my fork to my plate, listening to the soft ping as I push away from the table. Gerald and Magnus step back, giving me room to stand and I nod. I don’t let my gaze travel to the other women as I move toward the door.
Just make it out of here and that’ll be a win.
I should have known better.
I feel it before I see it, the acute sensation of burning spreading through my neck and shoulder as something hot and wet drips down my skin.
I let out a gasp and stumble back as the hands of Gerald and Magnus crowd me.
“Oops, I tripped,” the voice belongs to Fatima but I don’t even have time to look at the devil in royal clothing.
The pain increases as Anima rushes to me with a cloth. I turn my head, cringing at the pain as I stare at the chunks of meat from the hot soup that was just poured all over me, because I have no doubt that this was on purpose. There was no tripping or accidental slip of the hands.
It was fully intentional.
Electric tremors vibrate under my skin as Anima tries to get the food off of me. My blood pumps quicker and a tingle spreads under my finger.
A storm is brewing.
But I know better than to let it out.
I gently move Anima’s hand off of me as I try to get control of my powers. I turn my gaze on Fatima and when she takes a step back, I know exactly what she’s seeing. Fully dilated pupils with a lining of silver around them, icy white veins appearing under the surface of my dark skin, and death in my fingertips.
I can't even feel the burning on my skin anymore as my storm demands to be let out. I take deep breaths as I push the feeling under.
Not here. Not now.
The intense feeling starts to retreat and the burning returns as I feel the storm leave.
I don’t linger, moving away from the dining hall quickly.
Moments like this are dangerous.
Honestly, any moment is dangerous when you’re a living, walking, talking storm that could kill thousands with only a thought.
Chapter Three
My door flies open with a bang and I feel the anger coming off of Kofu before I see it. I lift my eyes to find my husband storming into the room, his fists balled at his sides. Gerald and Magnus linger just inside the door of our bedroom, visually confused as to whether they should be in here or not.
“What happened?” Kofu asks as he glances to where I sit in the middle of our bed. I can tell from the way his jaw ticks and the fire in his eyes that he already knows what happened.
“Fatima tripped,” is all I say as his eyes glance at my bare shoulder where it is visibly swollen from the burn. If my skin were lighter, I’m sure it’d be an angry red color. Luckily, the burns were minor, not enough to scorch the skin. One added ability of my powers is quick healing so I know within an hour, it’ll be like it never happened.
It's nothing.
“Aphaedra.”
“It's nothing,” I repeat my internal monologue out loud for Kofu. “Just a little burn, I’ll be okay. I’ve dealt with worse.” And it's true, I’ve dealt with worse both mentally and physically from those girls and others. From them chopping off my hair when we were kids to my father having my back whipped when he found out I’d slept with non-royalty as a teen.
Kofu’s gaze turns to the door where my guards still linger. “What were you two doing when she was being attacked?” He barks out at them. Both men only stare back at him with blank gazes.
I sigh, reaching out to grab Kofu’s arm to calm him down but he pulls away. That in itself hurts more than my burnt skin. “You’re her guards, it's your job to protect her.” Gerald and Magnus have been my guards for a
