Bride of the Traitor (The Prophecy of Sisters #1) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,47
night since Elias left. It’s as if whatever gods they have here feel as sad as I do about this whole marriage, this whole life surrounding me.
The women eventually leave. I feel shitty for ignoring them, but I don’t want friends right now. I want to go home. I want to pretend that I never met Elias. I want to forget how his touch, his lips, his dick made me feel. I want to forget it all. But I don’t want to forget even a moment of it at the same time.
I hate it.
I hate him.
I hate myself.
Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh and try to force myself to fall asleep. It’s been days since I’ve rested, every time I close my eyes, I see him, I see the way his eyes went from glittering black to steel blue in an instant.
He turned everything off as quickly as he turned it all on and I can’t help but wonder if any of it was real at all.
I wake with a start.
My eyes fly open and I sit straight up. I can feel my hair is a ratted, dirty mess, the comforter falls from my chest and my heart starts to race. Then when I realize who is standing in front of me, I let out a scream.
He turns his head to the side, holding his hands up in a show of innocence. Reaching for the comforter, I pull it up to hide my naked breasts.
“I deeply apologize, Your Highness,” he murmurs as his gaze shifts back to meet mine.
Shaking my head, my eyes find his, and I shrug one shoulder. “It’s fine.”
He frowns, noticing my lack of expression returning. “I don’t agree with this union, I’m not going to hide that fact, but you are the Queen of Bunafi and you are not behaving thusly.”
“How am I supposed to behave? Elias married me, fucked me, then turned his back and just sauntered his fine ass out the door like he didn’t give one flying fuck about me. I’m sorry, I’m alone in this world, scared to fucking death and now I’m some queen. I don’t know how I’m supposed to act,” I snap.
Merek’s brows lift and his lips part slightly. “I thought it was mostly a jest, but unless you’re a linguistic expert, I can’t fathom how you would make up so many words in a single sentence.”
“I’m not making shit up, Merek. I’m from Portland, Oregon in the United States and it is most definitely nothing like this place.”
His lips twitch into a smirk. “Aye, Your Majesty, I’m more apt to believe it now. Regardless of where you are from, you are now here, and here, you are Queen Sybilla. You have subjects. Nobody has seen you for well over a week, they are beginning to suspect things.”
“Like what?” I demand with a frown.
Merek shakes his head, as if he finds me funny or maybe unbelievable, I’m not sure which. “It would be best for you, for Elias, for everyone if you were to be visible to the people.”
“Do they think I’m sick?” I ask. “Jasmine said something about people suspecting Elias is like his father…”
Merek’s face hardens almost instantly at my words. “Elias is nothing like his father,” he snaps. “I’m sure you hiding away doesn’t help in those talks, along with the fact that Elias has not been king long and he’s still earning his people’s trust.”
Biting my bottom lip, I search his gaze with my own. “You love him,” I whisper.
“He is my cousin by blood, my brother by choice,” Merek announces, his spine straightening as he looks down his nose at me.
His words are somehow beautiful and they move me. I only have my sisters, no true best friends to call my own, all my boyfriends have run them off over the years and vice-versa. But my sisters, they are always by my side, even when I’m queen of unbearable.
“And me being visible, pretending to be happy, this would help him and you?”
“And you, milady,” he murmurs.
“I don’t much care about myself right now,” I admit with a whispered breath.
He jerks his head to the side, then his eyes find mine. “You should, Your Highness. One should always have regard for one’s self.”
My nose wrinkles and I watch as his lips turn up into a smile. He knows that he’s gotten to me. It isn’t difficult, I’m kind of a doormat that way. I’m easily read, easy to talk into things, especially when