Dark Promise (Between Worlds #1)

  *

  There was a knock at the door. I knew it was Lena. Her knocks were short, and she always paused before opening the door. “Morning,” she said, sticking her head in. “Varwik said I could let you out a little early today, if you were up to it, and let you walk around before breakfast.”

  “Oh, lucky me. Breakfast and a walk. How nice of him to allow these things. I feel like a pampered pet,” I said sarcastically. I’d been lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My book was finished on the nightstand, and I was going stir-crazy.

  Lena flipped her hair back. “I guess he wants you to spend more time with Kallan. Take advantage of it.”

  As if two daily meals and a dream weren’t enough?

  “I’ll go get ready.” As much as I hated doing anything Varwik said, I had to get out of the room. I was starting to feel like a caged animal.

  I showered and dressed quickly.

  Lena met me outside my door with a smile. “You look beautiful. Where do you want to go?”

  “Thanks. As far away as we can go would be nice.”

  “Very well.” She began walking, and I followed, taking in parts of the house I hadn’t seen before. Varwik really did have impeccable taste. I ran my hand across a long wooden desk in the library, then paused to admire a beautiful stained-glass lamp that sat on it.

  When I looked up again, Lena was waiting at the door, tapping her foot. I hurried to catch up to her. She pushed the door open, and we walked outside. I was greeted with the bright sun and the tropical scent of flowers. I was beginning to get used to being barefoot outside, which scared me. I didn’t want to get used to anything here, because as far as I was concerned, it was still a temporary situation. But the feeling of the soft grass felt comforting, and even when I was walking on the rocky path, it didn’t seem to bother me. I felt like I was one with nature.

  I walked to a large, open area in the courtyard with all different kinds of flowers, most of which I had never seen before. I smiled and sat down in the middle of the field. I leaned back on my hands and closed my eyes, letting the sun shine down on my face. Out of nowhere, I began to sing my solo. I don’t know what prompted me to do so, it just came out.

  The notes came easily. I let the song surround me and comfort me. It was a piece of home in a strange and horrible place. It helped me forget that my life was in danger, that if I couldn’t find a way out, I’d be forced to marry someone I didn’t love.

  Someone who wasn’t Adam.

  “Wow.”

  I snapped my head around to find Kallan staring down at me. He stood a few feet behind me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his dark pants. I suddenly felt very self-conscious. Blood rushed to my face.

  “Your voice is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so hauntingly beautiful before.” The awe in his voice made my heart beat faster.

  From my periphery, I noticed Lena standing up, and I glanced at her as she walked away. She didn’t say a word as she headed up the same path we came, disappearing towards the castle.

  After she was gone, I caught Kallan’s contemplative stare and flushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sing. It just came out.” I stood up and brushed the grass off my dress. I felt very awkward and unsure of what to do with my hands, so I clasped them in front of me to keep from fidgeting. I really didn’t like the effect he had on me.

  Kallan took a step closer, and my wings fluttered. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

  I looked down at the ground. “Guess I don’t know what will get me in trouble and what won’t.”

  “Singing won’t get you in trouble…especially with that voice. I know you said you were in choir, but I guess I didn’t realize how good you were.”

  “I have a solo coming up in a concert soon…or at least I did.” I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to keep the tears from coming.

  “Come with me. I want to show you something.” He reached out, his hand dangling in the air between us.

  I hesitated. If I took his hand, what then? I couldn’t accept my fate being stuck here as his bride. But…there was something in Kallan that was so much better than the boy who had been shaped by an evil father.

  I took his hand. It was large and cool in mine. Just his touch caused my breathing to quicken, but I hoped he didn’t notice.

  He pulled me along a winding, cobblestone path. Though I was dying to know where he was taking me, I didn’t voice my questions. I already felt too…close. To him.

  The path grew narrow and less traveled. The trees became thick, and the forest dark. If it weren’t for Kallan beside me, I would have been scared. It was wild and untamed in this part of the forest. No sounds from the castle—like the steady clang of swordsmen at training or the whirring of the water turbine that powered the electricity.

  We turned a sharp corner, and up ahead, I saw a small stone cottage. It was beautiful—the stones were pale gray and decorated in dark ivy. The windows were like gaping eyes, each flanked by bright yellow shutters. The cerulean front door looked like a smile.

  His paced increased, and I practically had to jog to keep up.

  In front of the cottage, he stopped and took me by the shoulders. “I’ve never shown anyone this, but I had a sudden urge to show you.” He pushed open the door, and I stepped inside.

  I covered my mouth in surprise.

  The cottage walls were lined with canvases. Some blank, but most of them beautiful pieces of art. Paintings of the forest, waterfalls, and flowers brightened the room.

  “Kallan, did you draw these?” I asked as I walked forward. Carefully, I touched a beautiful charcoal drawing of the forest. The details were insane. Possibly even better than Sierra, and that was saying something.

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’ve always loved to draw. Since I was little. It’s the only thing I have left of my mother. She was an artist.” It was the first time he had mentioned her.

  I turned to face him. “What happened to your mom?”

  “She was killed when I was five.” He touched the circlet of dark stones at his neck. “She gave me this. She taught me how to paint and would bring me here so we could paint together. That’s really all I remember about her.”

  “Kallan, I don’t know what to say. That’s horrible.” I wanted to offer a hug, but I didn’t feel comfortable.

  He shuffled through some images in a large file folder and pulled one out. It was a picture of a dark faery running through a field. Her wings were the exact color as Kallan’s. Her face was blurred.

  “Your mother?” I asked softly.

  “Yeah, I can’t remember what she looked like, so I did the best I could.” He put the image back behind some of the others and put his hands in his pockets. I had a sudden urge to brush the hair out of his face.

  I forced myself to look away. I wandered around the cottage, looking at all of his artwork. He worked in several mediums, but the charcoals were my favorite—they were so real. In the corner near the window, an easel sat with a cover over it. I walked towards it, but Kallan grabbed my arm and spun me around.

  “That’s private.” He dropped his hand.

  “Oh, sorry.” I glanced back over at the easel and wondered what was under it. Probably a painting of the girl he liked. I was surprised to feel jealous at the notion.

  “We should head back,” Kallan said quietly. “I don’t want to get you in trouble with my father for venturing so far from the castle without his permission.”

  “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that,” I said wryly.

  I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face. It came and went, quickly replaced with his stony mask again.

  As we headed for the door, I said, “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

  “Not sure why I did. I guess hearing you sing… I don’t know.”

  “Whatever the reason,” I continued, “thank you. Life has gotten so boring. I feel like all I do is eat, sleep, and walk.”

  Kallan laughed, his hand re
sting on the doorknob. “What else would you be doing in the human world? Isn’t it more of the same?”

  “Well, for starters, I wouldn’t be locked in a tiny room all day,” I told him, my lips pursed. “I’d spend time with my friends.”

  “You don’t enjoy my company?” he teased.

  This side of him made me blush. “You can be…”

  “Yeah,” Kallan said when I didn’t finish my sentence. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.”

  We walked the path in silence until I could see the castle looming in the distance. It was black against the pale blue sky, the top craggy and mean. It was nothing like the romantic castles always pictured in the human world. I really didn’t want to go back.

  Kallan’s steps faltered, and he fell behind me.

  I turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

  He shook his head, his face half in shadow. The sun was sinking fast, already invisible from the forest floor.

  “The way I feel when I’m with you.” He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  My heart pounded. I took a couple of steps forward and touched his arm. “What do you mean?”

  Faster than I could respond, he had me pushed up against a tree. His long, lean body was pressed against mine, his hands trailing down my arms.

  I should have been scared, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to reach up and run my hands through his hair. I yearned for his red lips to touch mine. Something deep and primal inside me wanted him.

  “Why are you so frustrating?” he breathed in my ear.

  I trembled, his whisper sending chills through my body. Did he feel the same thing I did?

  Adam.

  The thought hit me like a wrecking ball, and my world crumbled. Adam was back home, waiting for me, probably frantic to find me. I had to stop this thing with Kallan before it had any chance to begin.

  I placed my hands on Kallan’s chest and pushed him away from me. “Stop. Take me back.”

  His gaze held mine for a long time before he finally dropped his arms and stepped away. Without another word, he walked briskly towards the castle.

  I lingered behind, trying to compose myself. My hands still trembled, and my body ached for his touch.

  I hated myself.