A Deal with the Dark Fae: Enemies-to-Lovers Standalone (Cruel Intentions Book 1) Read online

  Jamie frowned.

  “I thought they weren’t interested... Judging by how you looked when you returned to the office.”

  “They changed their minds.” I finished my glass of wine in the hope that I could relax a little. “Felicia, Garanor’s fiancée, is interested in me.”

  Or rather, Horos himself. But Jamie doesn’t need to know about that.

  Wine on an empty stomach quickly hit my head, and I dropped wearily onto the high chair in front of the bar. I pulled up my plate and began gobbling up the rolls.

  All this stress had made me so hungry.

  “Why did she change her mind?”

  “Who can understand the rich...?” I shrugged and asked him to give me more food.

  “And Garanor decided to tell you that she changed her mind in person?”

  “As I’ve said, who can understand the bourgeoisie?”

  “Lenny...”

  “What?!” I asked again with my mouth full. “Don’t look for bad things where there are none, be happy for me.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about. After this wedding, I can open a wedding agency of my own.”

  “Yes, you’ll definitely be very popular.” Jamie relaxed a little and raised his glass. “I suggest we drink to that. To Lenny and her successful career.”

  “To us.” Already a little tipsy, I smiled when the glasses clinked.

  “If any difficulties come up, call me. You know I’ll always help.”

  Now wasn’t the best time to tell him that I wouldn’t be able to call him if Garanor, out of sheer impudence, really added this stupid clause about friends to the contract. Jamie had just calmed down, and the evening was finally improving. I didn’t want any more bad things happening, there were enough unpleasant experiences for today.

  I shuddered, remembering Garanor’s touch, and again, I felt his fingers sliding along my back, circling the burn, lingering on my skin, either warming it or burning it.

  I wanted to chase away this memory and I looked up at Jamie.

  “So, what are we gonna watch tonight?”

  Chapter 6

  Elenia

  In the morning, as usual, Lita woke me up. She stood in her crib, reaching out for me.

  I picked her up and put her next to me, wishing that I was free to spend this entire day with her.

  I’d definitely have even less free time in the future. Instead of one job, now I had two — the wedding and the younger Horos. I couldn’t even imagine which of them would turn out to be more complicated and time-consuming.

  Something told me that it would be the latter.

  Lita wasn’t interested in laying around. She immediately tried to crawl away from me to the edge of the bed in order to reach for her toy.

  “Water!” Her voice was a loud whisper.

  “Then take your doll and let’s go to the kitchen.”

  Lita grabbed her plush toy, and I picked up my phone off the nightstand, shoved it under my armpit and, spreading my wings (it felt like bliss not to hide them under my clothes for a while!), and left the bedroom carrying my darling. I poured water into a plastic glass (she was already refusing to drink from the bottle, she was apparently too big for this now) and, while holding it for Lita, I stared at the transparent screen. Not a single message during the night. I didn’t know whether to be happy or nervous.

  He didn’t say what time I should be at Alvita. Lunch was a loose concept, and I had to wait for Dina and... I shuddered when I heard a quiet bleep and saw the screen of my phone brighten.

  It was the message that I had been waiting for. But I still wasn’t ready for it.

  For a few seconds, as if in a trance, I watched the light on the screen, and when I came to my senses again, I quickly put Lita in the playpen.

  “Mom is going to make breakfast now.” I tried to keep calm.

  “Lunch is at one o’clock. Before that, read the contract and sign it. If you have any questions, I expect to hear from you by eleven. After eleven, all I want to see is a signature.”

  Lita was a blessing. She was almost never fussy and she didn’t need me to constantly carry her around, like some kids her age did. While she played with the colorful hologram cubes, I cooked porridge, made coffee and toast, read the contract, and quickly remembered why I was so angry with Garanor yesterday.

  A real asshole! And a monster and... Ugh, I hate him!

  Of course, he hadn’t forgotten the part about friends. As well as many other completely absurd things!

  For example:

  For the duration of Sonorina Elenia Lei’s contract, she is obliged to obey all employer requirements unconditionally.

  What if he ordered me to jump off the roof of a skyscraper?

  Sonorina Elenia Lei has no right to have a personal relationship with anyone other than Sonor Xanor Horos.

  Here I just gritted my teeth in anger.

  Sonorina Elenia Lei must be ready to provide her services to Sonor Garanor Horos and Sonor Xanor Horos at any time of day or night.

  And it was worded so badly! Providing services... It felt like he was hiring an escort for himself and Xanor, and not a wedding planner.

  The list of requirements and responsibilities was impressive. By the time I got to the section about my payment, I almost went mad. I had no complaints about that bit, however. Both the wedding fee and the obligation to cover all costs associated with Sonorina Marisel Lei’s operation were clearly spelled out.

  But I didn’t like anything else and I wanted to find something wrong in almost every word.

  And the postscript at the very end of the contract, which was typed in the smallest possible font, finished me off.

  In the event of failure to comply with any of the above-written clauses of the contract, especially the clause on confidentiality, Sonorina Elenia Lei will be obliged to pay a penalty in the amount specified by the employer, in cash or any other equivalent at his request.

  What did that mean? What could I give him except money? Something from his sick fantasies maybe?

  “I’m supposed to work for you, not become your slave!”

  Having sent the message, I threw my phone on the table. It was time for me to have breakfast and spend some time with my baby.

  The porridge was ready, the toast was a little burnt, but it wasn’t a big deal. However, I was still so nervous that I almost spilled hot coffee all over myself. I put Lita at the table when the phone beeped again.

  That was fast.

  “Could you be more specific about what doesn’t suit you, Sonorina Lei?”

  I wanted to say “everything”, but I calmed down.

  “There’s too much. You’ll get tired of reading.”

  I scooped up a spoonful of the porridge and shuddered when my phone bleeped again.

  “I’m touched by your concern, Sonorina Lei. But I still expect a complete list of what doesn’t work for you.”

  With a silent chuckle, I answered.

  “A little bit later. I’m busy right now.”

  I put my phone aside, returned to Lita and the porridge, although my traitorous eyes, instead of focusing on my daughter, wandered to the screen. It started to flicker and light up again.

  “Are you making a plan to seduce my brother?”

  “No, I’m brushing my teeth. And you?”

  Why did I even ask? He might think I was actually interested.

  The answer came literally a second later.

  “I’m in a meeting.”

  To be honest, I had nothing more to add. Maybe these meetings were so boring that he was ready to talk to me just to make it go by faster.

  But another message followed.

  “I propose we discuss all the points of the agreement tonight. I’ll pick you up from your new apartment.”

  My new what?

  I almost choked on the coffee when I read the message.

  After hesitating for a second, I asked: “I already have a new apart
ment?”

  Another quick answer.

  “You do. Tell the nanny that you’re moving today”.

  But what about the time to get ready?

  Seeing that I wasn’t paying attention to her, Lita began to whimper, and I put the phone away to focus entirely on her.

  After breakfast I played with Lita, thinking only about getting ready, but, frankly speaking, I didn’t even know where to start. With myself or our stuff? Over a year and a half, we have accumulated a lot of things and it’d take at least a couple of days to prepare for the move.

  And I had lunch scheduled. And dinner, too, apparently. I had gotten myself into a real mess...

  Around eleven, Dina came running from her class, and after kissing Lita goodbye, I rushed to the bedroom to get ready for the lunch. There was no time left to start packing things.

  ***

  What to wear, what to wear...?

  I was nervously sorting through the few hangers in the closet. I had several business suits — trousers, formal skirts, tight jackets, and blouses that were all pretty similar to each other. Only one outfit stood out from the black and white ones — a party dress which I had never actually worn. I didn’t know why I even bought it. Like I was actually going out or going on dates... as if I had time...

  What if Xanor didn’t pay attention to me? I had no idea why Garanor was so sure he’d be interested in me. And what should I do in that case? Would the deal be over? Would Garanor leave me alone, or would he send me straight to the police station? Or maybe he’d just let me go, and I’d be able to focus on finding a normal job, for which I wouldn’t have to provide my services to the Dark Ones around the clock?

  But then there would be no surgery for Lita. I had to make this right. After all, was I a fairy or what? It shouldn’t be difficult for someone like me to seduce a man. Even Xanor Horos, who never lacked female attention or company.

  All fairies were attractive and kept their youthful appearance for many years. Our men didn’t have wings, but they had the same magical abilities. Of course, not everyone had the same talent for them.

  However, that didn’t matter. No matter what continent one lived on, the law was the same everywhere — magic was sealed inside of us in early childhood. The exception were those, mostly men, who worked for the government.

  If the Dark Ones couldn’t benefit from our abilities, they blocked them. That was the standard procedure. Blockers were implanted into our bodies. I didn’t even remember when exactly I got mine — I was too small then. When Lita’s wings begin to grow and the first signs of strength appear, her magic would be blocked too.

  In the past, this was done to us because the Dark Ones were afraid. Now, it was because they were so used to it, or maybe that was how they liked it. They wanted all the power for themselves. And there wasn’t enough of us to stand up against them.

  And we weren’t made to fight.

  When people learned about the existence of fairies three centuries ago, they came to our lands with weapons and a desire to destroy those who they didn’t understand, and therefore considered dangerous. We were forced to defend ourselves, we had to kill. We had magic, they had guns. We almost won.

  Until one day, when the fairies were betrayed by their own brethren. Some of the Light Ones, seduced by the honeyed promises, helped the enemies create a new kind of people. Fairy magic, multiplied by human experiments, gave birth to completely new creatures. Strong, powerful, and practically invincible.

  The winners nearly wiped out all the fairies — those who fought against them as well as those who helped them.

  So, one might say that the light gave life to the dark. For which my kind paid dearly. And even though now we lived with them in peace, we couldn’t possibly forget the past.

  Where was I? Pants? Skirt? No, I need something better. Back to the date dress.

  It was just above the knees, and with an intriguing bust. It fit perfectly, complimenting my body and extenuating all of its best features. A light jacket ewould add a bit of class to this slightly frivolous look.

  I quickly did my hair and applied light makeup. Satisfied with the result, I smiled at my reflection and quietly hyped myself.

  Now, Xanor Horos, you will definitely have no choice but to notice me.

  ***

  This was my second autumn in Grassor, and I was still amazed by the weather here. For the last few days it had been scorching hot (at the beginning of October!), and today, a piercing cold wind had almost blown me away. It ruffled my hair, and my jacket wasn’t very helpful, so I stood with my arms around my shoulders, shivering. Aeroexpress, as luck would have it, was late, which meant that I’d probably be late for the meeting too. That would be bad, very bad. I was usually the embodiment of punctuality, never ever had I been late for work. But not today. Things were going awry today. Just like yesterday.

  I told Dina that we might move to a new apartment, which surprised her a lot. I myself was still just as surprised, to be honest, and didn’t fully believe in everything that was happening.

  Finally, the aeroexpress door opened before me. I quickly went inside and was very glad to see that it was practically empty. During the ride, I tried to fix my hair and I kept looking at the phone screen, counting the minutes until my meeting with Felicia... and my second official meeting with Garanor.

  I didn’t know what I was more worried about, the upcoming acquaintance with Xanor, or about meeting Garanor and seeing his dark eyes again.

  I wondered what color were the younger brother’s eyes. They seemed to have different mothers. I decided to google him. I should have done this yesterday and researched as much as possible. But yesterday was apparently my last evening in the company of a friend — unless I managed to bargain for more favorable terms in the contract.

  What I saw in the photos was a really handsome man. A womanizer. Sharp but attractive facial features. Dark hair (darker than his brother’s), high forehead, and well-defined cheekbones. In all the photos he had that three-day-old beard, which suited him perfectly. It made him look sexier, kind of fun and dangerous.

  Their eyes were the same. So was their gaze. Hard, tenacious, sharp as a blade. They were real Dark Ones, real monsters.

  I was in a hurry to turn off my phone. I’d see him at the restaurant. Now I needed to collect my thoughts and figure out how to build a rapport with Felicia. I had to make sure she was happy with me too. I’d have to do a tremendous job and organize a celebration for several hundred guests all on my own. But, baby steps — I first needed to find out what the bride wanted.

  Fortunately, I arrived at the restaurant on time. I almost ran into the spacious hall, divided into several sections by wide columns, and, exhaling softly, I addressed the head waiter who approached me.

  “My name is Elenia Lei. I’m having lunch here with Sonorina Solt.”

  “Please follow me, Sonorina Lei. Sonorina Solt will be here soon.”

  So I came first. That was good.

  Sitting down at the table, covered with blue and snow-white tablecloths, I put my purse in my lap and cast cautious glances around. Our table was located in the very center of a huge room, which made me fidget nervously. I felt like all eyes were on me, even though everyone seemed to be minding their own business.

  “Elenia, I’m glad we meet again.” Felicia’s melodious voice came from somewhere close.

  I glanced up and got up to greet her. Today she seemed even more charming, bright, and at the same time exquisitely elegant in her crimson designer dress and a scarf casually draped over her shoulders. I felt an unpleasant prick in my heart, but I didn’t have time to think about what caused it.

  Felicia continued.

  “Garanor and I consulted and we’ve decided that you’re the most suitable for the role of our wedding planner.”

  I shook her hand, slightly squeezing her well-manicured fingers, and smiled back.

  “I’m very glad to hear that, Sonorina Solt. I promise I won’t let you down and tha
t I will put a hundred and ten percent of myself into preparing this wedding. As if it were my own.”

  It sounded silly. There was nothing more absurd than the thought of a fairy marrying a Dark One.

  “If that’s true, then I’m in good hands.” Felicia nodded, and we stayed silent for a while, going through the menu.

  She ordered a vegetable and seafood salad. I followed her example, but I refused white wine and asked the waiter to pour water into my glass.

  After that, I got down to work. I started asking about her preferences, wishes, and requirements. Felicia, visibly livened up, said she’d like a wedding with a slight touch of retro, but at the same time luxurious and elegant, worthy of her position in society, and most importantly, the position of her husband.

  I nodded, taking notes on my phone, simultaneously adding ideas that came up during the conversation to the file. Fifteen minutes later, our order arrived, but I didn’t have time to enjoy the food. I almost spit the salad out when two imposing male figures suddenly appeared in front of us.

  “Feli, Feli, who have you been hiding from us?” Without waiting for an invitation, Xanor sat down at our table, focused his eyes on me, and, with a mischievous smile, asked: “Will you introduce me to your friend?”

  Chapter 7

  A few hours before the meeting

  Garanor

  “According to the results of the latest polls, you’re undoubtedly in the lead,” one of the specialists from the public relations department reported. He was an awkward guy of about twenty-five, whose hands for some reason trembled all the time and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously when I glanced at him.

  However, my gaze was firmly glued to my phone. I was waiting for an answer from the fairy, although I didn’t understand why I was doing this.

  Why was I waiting?

  Why was I thinking about her?

  “A little bit later. I’m busy right now.” The message arrived several minutes later.

  The fairy had an attitude, although she didn’t understand when she could freely do that, and when it had consequences.

  I’d have to explain it to her. Once, but so that she would never forget it. Tonight. When we meet to revise the clauses of the agreement that didn’t suit this princess.