Blessed by the Gods (Gods & Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter fifteen

"Do you really want to leave him here?" General Marcellus asked the prince.

"Do I have a choice?" he answered with a question.

"I'm sure General Adrien will be happy to get rid of him," Marcellus said. "We can blame it on him."

"Amaya's not stupid," Ciaran said. "She would have known it was me or at least accused me of idly watching."

"What do you want to do then? You can't leave him here with her. Did you notice how she was hung up on him the whole time?" said Marcellus.

"And you didn't see her jump at him when she saw him," Ciaran said annoyed. "I haven't seen her this happy since we brought her here. Not even when I let her play with the movement of the troops on the battle line."

"What do you really think of him?" Marcellus asked him. "You think she's not lying about his betrayal?"

"I don't know, but there will definitely be problems with him," replied Ciaran.

⸸

Prince Ciaran invited Amaya and Mathias to dinner. Servants ransacked the long carved wood table in the dining room. They hadn't used that room during her entire stay in his palace in Hiraeth. They always ate in the privacy of their rooms. There were tall candlesticks on the table, illuminating the dining room with a weak light. They cast flickering shadows on the walls. Outside the windows, the night was making its way to power.

From the moment they entered the room, a strange, tense atmosphere hung in the air. Prince Ciaran sat at the high table, slowly sipping red wine in a crystal goblet. He fixed his bewitching gaze on Amaya. This made Amaya uncomfortable. She had no idea what Ciaran was up to. It was driving her crazy that she never knew. She couldn't read him like the others. He was a mystery to her. Mathias was simple. Always happy. He was enjoying the delicious food served to them by the servants and didn't even notice what was floating in the air.

"How did you two meet?" Prince Ciaran cut through the heavy silence.

"We basically grew up together," Mathias replied.

"I got mixed up among the soldiers. I stole their swords and played with them," said Amaya. "The commander noticed me and took care of me. Whenever I was in the Golden Palace, I was under his care."

"We were like brother and sister," said Mathias.

"You were definitely something more," said Ciaran. "I'm observant and I see how you treat each other."

"Ciaran!" Amaya warned him. In her voice sounded anger.

"What, Amaya? I'm just interested in the past of my wife soon-to-be," said Ciaran.

Mathias' eyes widened in shock. Those words surprised him. He was unpleasantly surprised. He came to save her from one groom, and he found another here.

"If you want a list of the names of all the men I've ever slept with, it's going to be a long list, Ciaran." Amaya gave him a murderous look. "I told you I'm no saint."

"I never expected a saint," said Ciaran.

"Can we go back to the fact that you two are engaged?" said a stunned Mathias.

"Apparently, Amaya forgot to mention." a fleeting smile with a hint of mischief graced Ciaran's lips.

"It's not voluntary," Amaya said. "King Mael decreed this as his punishment for disobedience. He was strictly forbidden to go to Amorite and kidnap me. But His Highness did it anyway."

"I think it's more of a punishment for you than for him," Mathias commented quietly.

"It's a reward for Amaya," said Ciaran. "She won't end up burned as a witch."

"Don't act like a fool, Ciaran," Amaya chided him.

"You yourself said there is darkness inside me," said Ciaran.

"Darkness and evil are two different things, Ciaran. You can be the worst person on earth and not have an iota of darkness in you and vice versa," said Amaya.

"If he's that bad, I don't see how you can willingly stay with him," said Mathias.

"It's involuntary," Amaya said in a cold voice.

"You're hurting my feelings, little goddess." Ciaran clutched his heart and closed his eyes in mock hurt.

"I hope that the next time you dig into his head, it will really hurt. He's quite an idiot for a prince," said Mathias.

The two of them will probably never be friends. The hatred between them was obvious and they didn't even try to hide it.

"She's never been in my head, so I don't know what it's like to have her in my head." Ciaran grinned.

"Amaya?" Mathias looked at her asking for an explanation.

Amaya said nothing. She was silent. She moved away from the table and left. She left uneaten food on the plate. Mathias and Ciaran watched her leave without saying a word. They sat there for a moment, looking at the empty space she had left behind.

Mathias went into Amaya's chambers. He found her there playing with fishes in the pond. She disturbed the surface of the water with her palm.

"I don't find your fiancé very likable." Mathias broke the tense silence.

"Don't provoke too, Mathias," Amaya retorted.

"I thought you didn't trust anyone, that's why you're messing with everyone's head," said Mathias.

"Do you have a problem with me deciding to change my habits?"

"No," he replied. "But does that mean you trust him?"

"Absolutely not. I don't trust anyone," she said.

"Then why are you staying here?" Mathias asked her.

"It's complicated," Amaya replied. "Circumstances."

⸸

When Mathias fell asleep, Amaya snuck out of her chambers to see Ciaran. She did not find him in his chambers. She finally found him in the library. He was sitting in a massive leather armchair in front of the fireplace. The crackling flames illuminated the room with flickering light. Ciaran stared into their glow. He was drinking.

Amaya sneaked up behind him. She brought the blade of her dagger to his neck.

"I already thought you weren't coming," Ciaran spoke, his voice clearly full of drink.

"Is that what you wanted? To provoke me?" Amaya asked him a question.

She snatched the glass from his hand and threw it into the fireplace. The glass shattered. The fire raged. Tongues of fire were reaching out from the fireplace, wanting to claim the entire library. Just as quickly as they became agitated, they calmed down again. Not one of them flinched.

Ciaran, as if he didn't even notice that he had a dagger at his neck. He grabbed Amaya's free hand and sat her on his lap.

"I thought you liked the darkness," he said.

"That doesn't give you the right to act like a fool," Amaya shot back.

"Why do you say you're not here of your own free will?" Ciaran asked her. "You decided to stay yourself. You decided to betray your kingdom."

"Circumstances have forced me to do terrible things in life," Amaya said.

"Am I one of them?"

Ciaran ran his fingertips gently over her thigh. He wondered what it would be like if he would take her right now. Would she let him? He wondered what the anger in her eyes must taste like. He wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. He fixed his bewitching gaze on her. Amaya was lost in his dark eyes. She was lost in the energy that radiated from him. So charming and alluring.

Amaya pressed the blade to his neck, forcing the thoughts of his lips out of her head. The blade dug into his skin but did not cut it.

"That remains to be seen," she said and quickly slipped away from him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.