A Dance with the Dark Fae: Action-Packed Thrilling Romantic Suspense (Cruel Intentions Book 2) Read online

  A Dance with the Dark Fae

  Cruel Intentions

  Valerie Harmon

  Lit Orange

  Copyright © 2020 Valerie Harmon

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Translated by Nevena Markovich

  Edited by Sanja Gajin

  Edited by Marina Zikic

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  EPILOGUE

  Cruel Intentions Book 2

  A Dance with the Dark Fae

  You can’t say “no” to the Dark Ones, for there may be serious consequences.

  The Dark Ones shouldn’t be contradicted. They don’t accept it, for they are never wrong.

  I knew these rules since childhood. I also knew that it was in my best interest not to get involved with them. But I did.

  And now I have to stay close to one of the Horos brothers, who belongs to the most powerful family of the Dark Ones in Grassor.

  There are two of them, and while the younger one is planning our wedding, the older one is doing everything in his power to prevent it from happening. And I’m trying very hard not to fall in love with him even more than I already have...

  First of all, because he’s a Dark One.

  And secondly, because I’m about to marry Xanor!

  CHAPTER 1

  Elenia

  “Elenia Lei, will you be my wife?”

  The first thought that popped into my champagne-filled head was: I’m sorry, what did you just say?

  I misheard; I was one hundred percent sure that I had misheard. There was no chance that the kneeling Xanor had just proposed to me (a Dark One proposing to a fairy!) in front of the entirety of high society. Maybe he meant to say Ollie but got overly excited and made a mistake. It could’ve happened...

  ...right?

  But Xanor didn’t look confused. Looking into his eyes and the priceless ring in his hand, it was clear that he had really just asked me to marry him. I heard the muffled sound of cameras clicking from somewhere in the back of the hall, and realized that I had nowhere to run. I was knee-deep in this (whatever this was). I had no right or choice to refuse him now, under the flashes of all these cameras as that could have serious consequences for me. I knew firsthand what a Dark One was capable of when his pride and sense of dignity were hurt.

  Maybe I could faint? Pretend that I was overwhelmed with emotions and just fall on the floor? But I wasn’t much of an actress, and if the press, like the bloodhounds they were, smelled a juicy story, they’d be quick to make a scandal out of it. I couldn’t have my name dragged through all the tabloids in the country!

  Xanor had driven me into a corner. I couldn’t afford to have such a powerful enemy. Not to mention that refusing him would violate the terms of my contract, which Garanor seemed to want to terminate. But that was before I refused to become his mistress. And his pride was also hurt now, which was also very, very bad for me, but at least no one knew about that conversation and...

  “Lenny,” Xanor quietly called, smiling and squinting at the same time. His smile seemed affectionate, but his gaze was seeing right through me. “I’ve never kneeled in front of anyone and I certainly didn’t expect that once I did, I’d do it for this long... You’re keeping me on the edge here...”

  Garanor would be furious, and all this would surely come back to haunt me, but... To hell with him! I wasn’t his toy, and I didn’t have to worry about his feelings.

  I smiled as happily as I could (after all, we were being filmed) and nodded.

  “Yes! Yes, Xanor, I’ll be your wife!”

  The silence grew even heavier, to the point where it became almost viscous and deafening. But then people began to applaud and even jump from their seats, and the mood in the hall brightened noticeably. Xanor put the ring on my finger and, rising, kissed me the way a groom would kiss his bride — deeply and passionately.

  “You’ve made my day, Elenia,” he whispered, pulling away, and added quietly, “and my whole life.”

  By the time he let me go, my head was spinning like a dervish. Oli hugged me and congratulated me, admiring the wedding ring, while Xanor was surrounded by some men, probably his acquaintances, who came to congratulate him.

  Many of the guests had left their tables and dispersed around the room. The band was playing in the corner, and the caterers would appear here and there, removing dirty plates from the tables to get them ready for the second course.

  Half of the evening had already passed, and I had the feeling that I had lived an entire life in the meantime. Was I really a future bride now? Was I really engaged to a Dark One?!

  I need a drink, asap.

  While I looked around in search of a glass, I was approached by people I had never seen before until tonight. They congratulated me as if we were old acquaintances. At some point, Felicia appeared to save me. With a radiant smile, she hugged me and pulled me aside. Probably to congratulate me, too.

  “Lenny, words can’t express how happy I am for you! I have to admit that this is very unexpected, but that’s Xanor for you! You didn’t know, did you?”

  “I... I had no idea... I never even imagined that he’d do something like this. It’s been only a month since we’ve met...”

  “He has changed a lot since then... And you seem to bloom next to him. You two make a wonderful couple!”

  I just nodded. What else could I’ve done? The web of lies kept on spreading... I was afraid that it’d turn from a snowball to an avalanche and bury me alive.

  “The ring is fabulous!” Felicia continued. “Good thing that it fits you. You know what? We should all have dinner tomorrow night!”

  “All of us?” I asked absentmindedly, looking for... my fiancé. And a glass of champagne. But as luck would have it, neither one was anywhere to be seen.

  “You, me, Xanor, and Garanor. Let’s get together and have a family dinner at their home. I’ll talk to Garanor and ask him to free up his schedule for tomorrow.”

  I was scared to imagine this family dinner, let alone be a part of it. But before I could protest, Felicia left and got lost in the crowd.

  What the hell’s going on here!? People, stop organizing things and telling me about it at the last moment! By the Gods!

  Realizing that I needed to talk to Xanor as soon as possible before I drank myself under the table to numb all these feelings, I started going around the hall, feeling curious glances on my skin. Having carefully examined every corner and every table, I went out into the hallway. I saw a waiter hurrying to the kitchen, two girls, in front of whom the butler ceremoniously opened the
door, an elderly man in a tuxedo talking on the phone, but still no trace of Xanor. In the next moment, I felt a strong grip on my elbow.

  “We need to talk.”

  Well, I found a Horos, just not the one I needed. Without another word, Garanor, as grim as a foggy night, tugged at my arm and pulled me up to the second floor with him.

  He walked confidently, not paying attention to the surprised look of the Sonor with the phone and the waitress who slowed down her pace to look at us. If there was a journalist hanging around, they’d certainly have a field day — one Horos proposed to a mysterious fairy, and the other seemed to be kidnapping her.

  I had a rough idea of what he was going to talk to me about. Judging by his expression, this wouldn’t end well for me.

  My heart beat faster with each step I took. I tried to distract myself by observing the statues and paintings hidden by the corridor’s twilight but couldn’t. Garanor was the only thing on my mind. All I could think about was the Dark One that had turned my life upside-down.

  He was the reason I became his brother’s fiancée!

  “Let me go, Garanor.”

  But he didn’t seem to hear me. He led me to the door at the end of the corridor, pushed it open with all his might, as if it was to blame for something, and only after he had dragged me inside did he let go of my arm. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and emptied it in one gulp.

  I absentmindedly noted that he brought me to an office, and no less absentmindedly concluded that the head of the Solt family loved antiques. Felicia probably inherited her love for old things from him. A massive table with a marble top, a leather armchair, heavy curtains that were now drawn tightly... Shelves with vintage-edition books lined the wall, and a handmade carpet stretched from the door to the fireplace.

  It was much more pleasant (and safer) to look at the furniture than at Garanor’s gloomy, if not angry face.

  Having put the glass down with such force that it cracked, he looked up at me and asked in a voice seething with rage:

  “What the fuck was that show about?!”

  I expected him to be mad, but I didn’t expect him to behave like it was me who proposed to Xanor.

  “What?” I asked, feeling like I was hallucinating.

  “You and my brother!” he hissed through clenched teeth. No, I had heard him correctly. “Why the hell did he propose to you and why the hell did you say yes?!”

  He was furious.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know that I had to ask you for permission first. I should’ve gotten up, told him to wait while I checked with his older brother and made sure that this wasn’t against the damn contract!”

  Practically oozing darkness from every pore on his body, Garanor walked over to me.

  “After the party, you’ll tell him that you were confused and nervous and that you answered without thinking. You’ll refuse his offer, Elenia,” he said, no, ordered, and grabbed me by the chin. Squeezing it, he forced me to lift my head and look him straight in the eyes.

  Which I did, without looking away. I, too, could feel rage. It was now clouding my mind. I rose to my tippy-toes, leaned toward him, and harshly and firmly, as if I was a Dark One myself, said:

  “No.”

  He didn’t move away, but he didn’t attack me either, just continued to stare into my eyes. With a cold grin, with some kind of dismissive condescension, he replied:

  “Very well.”

  He fell silent, not bothering to elaborate. Was our conversation over? Could I go?

  “Very well?” I asked, exhaling heavily. The silence was too much for me to bear.

  “All this time you’ve been playing not only with my brother but also with me. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it, Elenia? Or should I call you something else? An impostor and a swindler who has made it her goal to marry a Dark One. And not just any Dark One, but one of the richest bachelors of Grassor.”

  These words cut me like a knife. It was becoming very difficult for me to keep level-headed.

  “What do you mean?”

  Garanor stepped aside, and, turning away, reached for his glass to refill it.

  “Tell me, Elenia, is this your first hunt for money and status? Last time, something went wrong. Terribly wrong...” These words were followed by another grin, cynical and harsh. “Since you have a child with a Dark One, but no wedding ring. Oh, wait, now you do...”

  “Stop it.” I didn’t recognize my own voice. It sounded dull, low, and completely unfamiliar to me.

  Garanor turned around, took a sip, and continued.

  “Now I understand why you didn’t want to be a mistress. You decided to play big, didn’t you, Lenny? Maybe you used your gift on my brother? I should go check on him before he makes the biggest mistake of his life.”

  The biggest mistake...

  In a fit of rage, I ran toward him. I wanted to hit him but he grabbed me by the wrist before I could do so. He looked at me menacingly, but I didn’t give up. I wanted to spit at him even if that was the last thing I did!

  Alas, I didn’t have time.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Xanor said, standing by the door.

  Garanor’s gaze darkened. So much so that I wanted to back away from him and close my eyes in terror. This was exactly what Valar did at our last meeting when he swore by both the demons and Gods that he’d find me and finish what he had begun.

  “No, we’re done here.” He grimaced, but only for a moment, and his face assumed its statue-like appearance.

  I staggered back until my shoulders touched Xanor’s chest. He hugged my waist, pulled me closer, and looked over at his brother.

  “May I know what you were talking about with my fiancée?”

  “You still haven’t changed your mind about that?”

  “That’s not the answer to my question.”

  “I can say the same about yours.”

  I couldn’t see Xanor’s face, but I could clearly see Garanor’s. It was poisoned by the darkness seething from his eyes. He kept squeezing his glass so tightly that I expected it to shatter at any second. But I barely paid attention to it; rage, pain, and disappointment continued to swirl in my head.

  The biggest mistake...

  A fairy as a wife of a Dark One. A fairy as a mistress was perfectly acceptable, but a wife...

  “So what were you talking about?” Xanor asked again, voice calm and steady.

  At least he wanted it to appear that way. I could feel the tension in his arms.

  “That you and Elenia shouldn’t go that far.”

  “Gods, Garanor! That shit again?!” Xanor exclaimed and rolled his eyes.

  I was ready to slap Garanor. We shouldn’t go that far...? But he could cheat on his fiancée?!

  Oh, I wanted to hit him so badly!

  “You’ve known each other for only a month.”

  “So what? Does it really matter for how long I’ve known her if I love her?” Xanor leaned toward me and demonstratively pressed his lips to my temple.

  I didn’t want any of this.

  I didn’t want to be here and feel Garanor’s furious eyes on myself.

  If only he’d lose the elections...

  “You don’t love her,” Garanor stated confidently, as if he had gone through Xanor’s mind and figured out whatever was going on inside it.

  “Don’t confuse me with yourself, bro. Of the two of us, it’s you who doesn’t know how to love. I, as it turns out, very much do.”

  I wanted to hide behind Xanor’s back, cover my ears, and close my eyes. I was a weak fairy and I didn’t want to participate in the clash of two Dark Ones. Garanor looked as if he was about to punch Xanor, and the latter seemed more than willing to fight back.

  Things could get very messy!

  “How about we get out of here, sugar?”

  Xanor turned me around and kissed the very tip of my nose.

  “That’d be great,” I answered breathlessly.

  I left without looking back because I knew that if I
did, I’d be reduced to ash by the anger in Garanor’s gaze. Fortunately, he didn’t try to stop us and reason with his brother.

  We weren’t leaving as much as we were running away. First down the stairs, then along a narrow corridor through the service rooms, without slowing down, until we reached the aerocar. It wasn’t until I got comfortable inside it that I finally let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

  We flew in silence for a while. Xanor looked straight ahead, and I stared out the window, occasionally glancing at him and then again at the skyscrapers, the steel lances which cut the foggy veil that had fallen over the city.

  “Was the proposal too unexpected for you?” Xanor broke the silence.

  “Unexpected doesn’t even begin to describe it,” I answered honestly, trying to smile, but I wasn’t sure what I was doing.

  “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “And you did.”

  We fell silent again. Even the music that was quietly playing in the background wasn’t able to drive away the awkwardness. That went on for a while until Xanor started talking again.

  “I wanted to surprise you, but I don’t want to pressure you. We have no reason to rush. I’m not going to fight for the ‘throne’ and I don’t need to get a perfect wife to parade around before the elections and show everyone that I’m a wonderful family man. You can return the ring if you want. Although I’d rather you keep it, Lenny. It looks great on your hand.”

  Garanor obviously didn’t know his little brother, and I had been too biased toward the Dark Ones. I always thought that each and every one of them was a monster. But I couldn’t call Xanor a monster... nor could I return the ring.

  I wasn’t ready to give such pleasure to Garanor. And I wouldn’t act hastily. Since we didn’t need to rush, then... I could take some time to think about this whole situation. About myself and my future, and about the man with whom I felt good and safe.

  “It’s beautiful.” This time, I smiled sincerely. “I don’t want to part with it.”