Royal Glass Hearts: Immortal Secrets {A Reverse Harem Romance}

Two

Each day in the palace was like living under a blanket. Some days the blanket smothered, other days it was light and fluffy.

The next morning, birds flitted by the lake's edge, dipping their beaks into the water. They scattered when I jogged past, my feet hitting the dirt with heavy thuds. Sweat trickled down my neck and between my breasts. The Tioatian Lake sparkled, not because of the sun's reflection but because the basin was lined with gold.

Mother would be waiting for me. Our training sessions had been increasing in intensity. She would not go easy on me, and she would punish me for sneaking out the day before. I knew my mother loved me, though she never told me so. It was one of those implied things. She wanted the best for me. She pushed me hard so I'd be worthy to be named her heir.

My legs burned. I pushed them harder, forcing one in front of the other. When Prince Charming and Cinderella divorced, Mother found me crying in the wardrobe. She pulled me out and wiped my tears. She told me, "You didn't stop being mine the day your father and I divorced. It is more important now than ever that we show the seven kingdoms nothing but power." But what if I wasn't a siren? What if I was mortal like my father?

I shook my head, my heavy braid slapping my back. Surviving the academy until my siren awakened would be a challenge, and it was a challenge I was prepared for. I had to be. But first I needed to prove I was physically ready ... and receive my punishment.

The translucent walls of the Glass Palace loomed before me. Aidan nodded solemnly, then watched as I jogged through the open gate and paused in the courtyard to catch my breath. A pile of baby-blue clothing dropped from my mother's hand to the marble tiles.

"You're late." Dressed in a gown with side slits for her legs, Mother tapped a glass slipper and pursed her perfect bow lips. "Get changed and meet me in the arena."

Gathering up the clothes, I hurried inside. Diamonds were hand-sewn into the fabric of the top, and it had horrendous, fluffy shoulder pads. The silk shorts left my legs exposed to the cool spring air and I tucked my glass dagger back into the sheath at my thigh.

I entered the palace's training dungeon, a cavernous, mirrored room. We had no need for a real dungeon since the queen kept no prisoners. Cinderella was the judge and executioner. She nodded approvingly at my outfit, "You will wear that during your combat lessons at the academy."

I bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty." There was no way I was ever wearing this outfit again. I drew the line at ridiculous baby-blue shorts and puffy sleeves.

We took fighting stances.

"At the academy, you will no longer be treated as a princess but as just another student, striving for a powerful position in the seven kingdoms. You must prove yourself worthy to be my heir. Never let the other immortals perceive you as anything but strong," Cinderella commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

We sparred for an hour. I could tell Mother was going easy on me, which was never a good thing. The only time she went easy on me was when she was preparing to teach me a painful lesson.

Sirens were physically the weakest of all immortal creatures. Something Cinderella, the last siren, would never allow me to forget. Which was why she'd trained me since I was a child in physical combat.

"I raised you on bedtime stories of the brutalities perpetrated against our kind. Do you know why?" she asked, throwing a punch I barely dodged.

"To help me understand why I must become strong." My heart raced as I caught a punch in the palm of my hand and returned one of my own, catching her in the gut. She grimaced, pushing away from me, fire burning in her violet eyes.