Escaping Destiny (The Fae Chronicles, #3)

It was odd. I felt like I could breathe better now that I knew he was the reason I’d been through hell. If he was what this had all been for, I was willing to make it work between us. I needed to find a foothold, and figure out how to break through his hard exterior. I just had to find a crack in it, and force my way through. It wasn’t like I could walk away now. I was in too deep and pregnant with his child. No, leaving wasn’t an option right now, even though I missed being in the human world.

I missed home and Alden. I missed the cemetery and the midnight dances inside of it. I missed Adam and Larissa.

I had been through so much in such a short time, and was learning who I was and what I was. I knew my feelings for him, but even with knowing, it still baffled me how I’d come to love him in so little time. I loved him, even after everything he’d done. But life was funny. I’d figured out what I wanted. Go figure, I wanted the one man who drove me batshit crazy and over the edge in one single word.

Man, I was emotionally screwed. I was crazy to think I could stay here with him and his harem of women that he’d already said he wouldn’t give up. And then there was Claire, who obviously hated my guts; not that I blamed her, since I’d be pissed if someone took Ryder away from me, too.

I had a choice to make, and it couldn’t be made inside this room. I sat up and looked at the door to where one hot Demon stood smiling with a gorgeous red cocktail dress held up to his frame. “I’d go with blue. It would make your hair stand out and show off the highlights,” I said smiling.

“Ahh, what if I like red?” He grinned.

Go figure, my one friend in this place was the Demon I’d planned to hate. There it was again, another thing I’d failed to do. I’d planned on hating Ryder, yet every time he touched me, I caved like some weak-knee school girl.

I was weak around him, and I needed to be strong right now. My entire life was depending on it—and I was immortal! Well, almost immortal, but close enough.

I started to get up, but Ristan held up his hand to stop me. “Let me get your handmaidens; you now have five. Zara will be joining the ones you already met. Ryder left specific orders of what was to be done today. You will be presented to the Horde, and blessed for the child you carry. It was a custom Alazander abandoned, not sure why, but it used to be that all of the kings wives or concubines were blessed this way during their pregnancies to ensure the health of the child and prosperity for the Horde. Ryder is hoping to pick up most of the things our people lost because of him. Prepared to be pampered, my blossoming Flower.”

Pampered?

Pampered.

And by pampered, he’d meant I was being given a spa day. I had Keely the Brownie working my hair, tying it up for the bath, while Faelyn the Pixie fought me for the sweetly scented soap. I won, of course, and eventually she stood back and allowed me to wash myself. Cherry blossom petals filled the wide tub, and were beautiful, but considering I had five girls falling over me while trying to help me, I couldn’t enjoy them.

After the debacle of the bath, I was pulled from the water and stood naked in front of a mirror. I growled at this, and shook my head. I was shoved into a chair someone had brought out, or maybe glamoured (I was too busy watching them hustle and fuss over my appearance to pay attention), and my hair was braided after it had been slicked in some kind of cherry scented gel by Faelyn, and styled into a beautiful updo. Meriel busied herself on my hands with a manicure while Keeley was working pedicure magic. Now, more than ever, I was missing my OPI collection.

Make-up was applied by Darynda, who winked at me mischievously as she told me this was her magical talent. She was the equivalent to a make-up artist. When she was done, I had black kohl on my eyes, which made the blue and purple of them pop brightly. She’d applied a light blue shadow, and a touch of violet to my eyes which was subtle and yet beautiful.

The women all ignored my continual silence or lack of opinion and continued prepping me; Meriel smiled and wrinkled her nose as she glamoured on a light blue top that left my sides exposed. Darynda glamoured on a skirt that closely matched the top, but covered me to my ankles, minus the slits down the side.

“Jewelry; she’s going to need armbands,” said the Pixie, who looked like she couldn’t be more than sixteen. I watched as they all chatted happily and argued like old friends over which arm pieces would suit me better.

The necklace that Ryder had my mother put on me when I was presented to him wasn’t coming off anytime soon, and I now knew that it bore a medallion that was the same as Ristan’s. To compliment it, the necklace they chose was simple and slipped under the other like an extension; the metal of the chain was old and looked almost vintage, or antique. Diamonds the size of almonds hung at the tip, which accentuated my breasts.

Platinum bands were slipped onto my biceps that held the head of a dragon with rubies for the eye. I watched as yet another cuff was placed above it, these ones were gold and the dragon’s eye was a brilliant diamond.

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