Read Online Challenged by Darkness (An Urban Fantasy Novel) (Befallen Tides series Book 2) by Anna Sanders - Free Book Online
Authors: Anna Sanders
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sipped at its contents without looking at him. “We could both be alphas,” she mused.
Winx didn’t like the snow at all, so when she walked out of the house, she remained on the porch. The best place to keep away from stares was facing the backyard. There were some bandits milling about, but it wasn’t as bad as it was in the front. She curled into a cushioned chaise and tore into her sandwich.
Keaton was around his kind again even if it wasn’t his original pack, and they were equipped to console someone like him, someone who had lost almost everything. But the fact that Winx herself was also alone didn’t seem to register with any of them. She was the outsider here. And why should she have expected any different?
She finished her food quickly, threw the plastic wrap onto the ground, and leaned back to stare at the blank white sky. Washington was starting to look a whole lot better.
CHAPTER 7
The tower was a stunning pearl marble. Tall columns stretched before skylights that poured in arresting amounts of sunlight. Rushes with tiny, perfectly bloomed flowers decorated the walls along with vases made of blown glass. It was a palace in every sense of the word.
The princess’s room was just as immaculate. A bed with a lavender canopy dominated a large portion of the space, and a bubbling hot spring in a polished square smack in the middle took up much of the rest. Cozy chairs, a table, an entire entertainment center: it was everything a princess could possibly request.
But Genevieve was not impressed. Or distracted.
It probably went without saying that the lixyn hadn’t been happy about London and Roy compromising her breakfast or taking away her duties. She didn’t care for their myriad explanations, either. No, she would enact some sort of retribution when the opportunity arose.
“I apologize, Your Highness,” London said for maybe the hundredth time. “But your uncle, the High Chancellor himself, demanded that we bring you to a safe l holding by any means necessary. He has been worried sick about you, and he’s terribly angry with me for allowing you to assist with our operations.” He gave her a small frown. “Which you assured me he knew about.”
She did not feel any remorse for her fib. “I have an obligation to my people. All of my people. I’m not about to expect them to follow me blindly after all of these attacks.”
“Your people, Princess, don’t expect you to put your own life on the line for their safety. No ruler ever does such a thing. You’re doing exactly what you should by employing the proper authorities to handle this situation, and by staying alive. That is your duty.”
“I do not want to hear it!” Genevieve’s normally too-cute face was skewed with open outrage. “You drugged me and took me here against my will. My uncle could not have ordered that.”
“Actually, he did,” London corrected her. “He knew you wouldn’t come without a lot of difficulty. We were at a loss as to how to convince you to come.”
“And you actually went through with it? What’s wrong with you ?”
“I’m not defending my methods. I’m simply saying we were after your best interests.”
“Then you must be psychotic. Both of you, out of my room.”
They each bowed before they left. Genevieve watched them go with a narrowed stare.
Really. It was one thing to request her presence to meet with her uncle. It was quite another to force her into it. What had gotten into them? Nobody would deny that these were desperate times. But to poison her body would not gain her compliance. They had to know that.
She stayed in the room those first couple of days, uninterested in exploring the rest of the palace. Food was brought to her four times a day, finery befitting only the highest of royalty. When the savory platters were first introduced, she was more than distrustful about the fare. But that didn’t last long. Soon, she sated her appetite without fear. They wouldn’t
Winx didn’t like the snow at all, so when she walked out of the house, she remained on the porch. The best place to keep away from stares was facing the backyard. There were some bandits milling about, but it wasn’t as bad as it was in the front. She curled into a cushioned chaise and tore into her sandwich.
Keaton was around his kind again even if it wasn’t his original pack, and they were equipped to console someone like him, someone who had lost almost everything. But the fact that Winx herself was also alone didn’t seem to register with any of them. She was the outsider here. And why should she have expected any different?
She finished her food quickly, threw the plastic wrap onto the ground, and leaned back to stare at the blank white sky. Washington was starting to look a whole lot better.
CHAPTER 7
The tower was a stunning pearl marble. Tall columns stretched before skylights that poured in arresting amounts of sunlight. Rushes with tiny, perfectly bloomed flowers decorated the walls along with vases made of blown glass. It was a palace in every sense of the word.
The princess’s room was just as immaculate. A bed with a lavender canopy dominated a large portion of the space, and a bubbling hot spring in a polished square smack in the middle took up much of the rest. Cozy chairs, a table, an entire entertainment center: it was everything a princess could possibly request.
But Genevieve was not impressed. Or distracted.
It probably went without saying that the lixyn hadn’t been happy about London and Roy compromising her breakfast or taking away her duties. She didn’t care for their myriad explanations, either. No, she would enact some sort of retribution when the opportunity arose.
“I apologize, Your Highness,” London said for maybe the hundredth time. “But your uncle, the High Chancellor himself, demanded that we bring you to a safe l holding by any means necessary. He has been worried sick about you, and he’s terribly angry with me for allowing you to assist with our operations.” He gave her a small frown. “Which you assured me he knew about.”
She did not feel any remorse for her fib. “I have an obligation to my people. All of my people. I’m not about to expect them to follow me blindly after all of these attacks.”
“Your people, Princess, don’t expect you to put your own life on the line for their safety. No ruler ever does such a thing. You’re doing exactly what you should by employing the proper authorities to handle this situation, and by staying alive. That is your duty.”
“I do not want to hear it!” Genevieve’s normally too-cute face was skewed with open outrage. “You drugged me and took me here against my will. My uncle could not have ordered that.”
“Actually, he did,” London corrected her. “He knew you wouldn’t come without a lot of difficulty. We were at a loss as to how to convince you to come.”
“And you actually went through with it? What’s wrong with you ?”
“I’m not defending my methods. I’m simply saying we were after your best interests.”
“Then you must be psychotic. Both of you, out of my room.”
They each bowed before they left. Genevieve watched them go with a narrowed stare.
Really. It was one thing to request her presence to meet with her uncle. It was quite another to force her into it. What had gotten into them? Nobody would deny that these were desperate times. But to poison her body would not gain her compliance. They had to know that.
She stayed in the room those first couple of days, uninterested in exploring the rest of the palace. Food was brought to her four times a day, finery befitting only the highest of royalty. When the savory platters were first introduced, she was more than distrustful about the fare. But that didn’t last long. Soon, she sated her appetite without fear. They wouldn’t
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