The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (32 page)

Unconditional Love

       Inside the house, Elizabeth sat quietly on a chair while Ben sat on a large cushion on the floor in front of her, painting her nails. Carlos and Lela were comfortably sprawled on pillows in front of the TV, and Chad, who had just come in, plopped onto the chair next to hers. Her mom walked into the living room minutes later with car keys in hand, saying she needed to pick up more drinks at the depot.

Elizabeth watched her go into the night as her thoughts drifted to what had happened in school. The pressure was simply unbearable and this was triggered by their first appearance together! What more in the coming days?

Clearly, she must refrain from seeing Prince William. It would be best not just for her, but also for him. From the beginning, she knew it was impossible anyway. A Prince falling for her was nothing but a dream, and she needed to pinch herself and wake up fast, before everything became a nightmare.  

“Are you okay?” Ben looked up from his task.

She heaved a long sigh and feigned a bland smile. “I'll be fine.”

“I know how you feel about being hated—, I've been there.” Ben dipped his brush in the nail polish bo
ttle and skillfully applied the pink lacquer on her ring fingernail. “When my dad learned I was gay, he couldn’t figure out what I am. He was a Deimon and there were none like me in his race. He thought I was
abnormal—,
like I had some weird disease
.
Dad blamed Mom’s human genes and
left us soon after. Mom said it was my fault so she sent me away to live with my Grandma. Her goodbye to me was:
“Get out of my house. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

“Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry.” Elizabeth touched his shoulder.

“It’s okay.” Ben shrugged, moving on to paint her pinky finger. “That was a long time ago. I’m over it. If there’s anything I learned, it’s that words hurt more than actions. But don't let the bad things people say, change who you are. I never did. And I've been proudly gay and fabulous since third grade, no matter what Bart and the third-sex offenders of the world, say.”

Elizabeth kept the pleasant e
xpression plastered on her face even as the bleakness of it all threatened to bring her to tears. Perhaps she could be strong like Ben and defy the ridicule, but would she survive the despair that would follow if William tired of her and left her? How could she live without him?

From the moment, she first saw him. Her thoughts had been filled with no one but him. She missed him when he wasn't around an
d in spite of their differences, nothing had diminished her affection for him.

It would be hard, living without those silver eyes teasing her, or that lovely voice with a distinct accent, which could be sweet and sexy, curt and commanding, depending on his mood. She would miss everything about him—, even his arrogance, annoying boss
iness, and outbursts of impatience.

But she must let him go before it was too late. B
efore she lost herself and loved him too much to have the courage to walk away. And God, she loved him so much. She physically ached just thinking about losing him.

The sound of swift, heavy footsteps on the front porch followed by loud, urgent knocking on the door startled not just her, but everyone in the room.

Chad placed a hand on her arm and stood up. “I'll go get it.”

He opened the door and Prince Wi
lliam stepped in with nary a glance at him or the others, directly riveting stormy silver eyes beneath dark furrowed eyebrows to where she was sitting.

“Why the hell didn't you wait for me?” he asked angrily.

“I-I'm sorry—”

“Sorry?” he interjected. “I searched the entire school for you! I was so worried—, I thought something terrible had happened to you!”

“No, I—,” she gestured towards her friends who hurriedly stood up and curtsied, except for Chad who was watching with a stoic expression, “we decided to cut classes and hang out.”

“You decided to what?” he exclaimed with an i
ncredulous glance at her friends, then, at her.

“We cut—”

He raised his hand and didn't let her finish. “You decided to ditch school and simply forgot that I was going to pick you up? Do you realize that I had to cram my schedule and cancel conferences just to get you in time? How could you be so irresponsible and thoughtless?”

She stared at him and saw the hurt and disappoin
tment in his beautiful face. Her resolve weakened. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and tell him the truth, but the words stuck in her throat.

“If I may say something, Your Highness,” Chad i
nterrupted in a crisp, clear voice, inclining his head in deference, though his eyes had narrowed a fraction.

The Prince darted him a dark look. “Are you i
nstrumental to this careless behavior?” he asked roughly.

“Not in the context of what you're implying, Your Highness,” Chad replied, seeming unfazed by the repr
imand. “We took the liberty of taking Elizabeth home because she had been badly harassed in school.”

“They were calling her all sorts of bad names, Your
Highness,” Ben added.

“Chad got into a fight because Bart Hammerstein called her a—ouch!” Carlos floundered, as Lela kicked him on the shin.

“Is this true?” The Prince turned to Chad.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Chad replied grimly. “When you left, she was defenseless against the uproar from angry citizens. I came just in time to protect her and pr
eserve order in the most effective way I saw fit, which was a severe warning by force of violence.”

“And it worked,” Lela added, “but it started again, though subtly, in class.”

The Prince fell silent for a moment. Finally, he swept his gaze around the room. “Leave us,” he ordered in a voice laced with unquestionable authority.

Elizabeth managed a weak smile as her friends brushed past them, peering at her with concern.

“Hang in there,” Chad, the last one to leave, whispered. “We'll see you tomorrow.”

Prince William closed the door behind him and pulled her into his arms. “I'm sorry, love.” He kissed her for
ehead and tilted her chin. “I shouldn't have left you there by yourself. It's my fault. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“No, I'm the one to blame. I should've known that it's not allowed. You and I, we can't—”

“Don't worry about a thing.” His arms tightened about her. “I'll have some of my men escort you in school. You should be safe enough with them and your friends around you. I'll have a word with Sir Henry and Mr. Stapleton to enforce severe consequences to anyone who—” 

“William.” She shook her head. “This is ridiculous. We can't—, I can't—,” her voice broke. “I-I can't see you anymore. Please understand. I'm sorry.”

Prince William couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she breaking up with him? “What do you mean you can't see me anymore?” he demanded, curbing a sudden burst of temper as he held her by the upper arms and pushed her slightly away from him so he could look at her.

His gaze was met with red-rimmed eyes brimming with tears. “There's no point in us being together,” she cried. “Can't you see? It's not meant to be!” A tear fell and she shivered violently with a sob. “I ca
n't live like this. I just—.” Her tears flowed in streams, choking the rest of what she had to say. Hastily, she swiped them with the back of a shaky hand.

Prince William felt an unfamiliar surge of panic. He'd forgotten how fragile and innocent she was. Unlike him who grew up under public scrutiny, Elizabeth was vulnerable, unaccustomed to open criticism. No—, he couldn’t allow society's censure to separate them! He couldn't lose her this way.

“Don't listen to what they say.” He cupped her cheek and brushed the wet streaks with his thumb. “I promise you, it will die down within a couple weeks once they get used to seeing us together.”

“That's not the point.” She pulled away from his touch.

“What is it, then?” He frowned.

She drew a heavy sigh. “When a road leads to n
owhere, we call it a dead end.”

“And you think that's where we're heading?” he bit out sharply. “Damn it, Elizabeth! Did you think I was playing you?”

Elizabeth winced at his cutting retort though it was exactly what she had insinuated. Even if she truly couldn't bring herself to believe what she was accusing him of, it would be best to end it now and deal with reality.

“Weren't you?” She raised her chin defiantly. “You knew you shouldn't be involved with anyone beneath your rank, but I didn't. I was unaware and I paid for that ignorance in school today. We should have never been t
ogether in the first place. You should be dating some Princess, not preying on some naïve Tainted like me who's stupid enough not to know the rules!”  

“Preying on you?” He muttered a slew of curses under his breath and grabbed her by the wrists, shaking her. “Rule number one: don't you ever insult me with false accusations—, do you understand me? Did you think I needed to do that to get a girl? I can have any female I want, Royalty or otherwise! I don't need to lift a fi
nger, much less prey on anyone. Who do you think you are, to assume I am that desperate to have you as my plaything? You forget who I am, Elizabeth!”

She felt the swell of anger in her chest at his beli
ttling affront. He had put her down and flicked her with a forefinger as if she was worth nothing more than a speck of lint on his fine coat. With a strong jerk, she freed one hand from his hold, swiftly propelling it downwards to strike him. He caught her wrist before her palm landed on his cheek.

“Rule number two—,” He hauled her against him, pinning her wrists behind his back, the way he did when he stole that first kiss in school. “Don't you ever dare raise your hand at me, again. Is that clear?”

Elizabeth shuddered at the fury she had ignited in him. His eyes glowed wildly and his teeth were bared. She could feel the taut tension that raged in every muscle of his body she was in contact with.

Good.
This was exactly what she wanted, wasn't it?
“Let me go!” She suppressed the trepidation rising in her chest. “Find someone else to amuse you!”

“I don't need anyone to amuse me, nor do I want anyone else,” he replied in a surprisingly even tone d
espite his anger.

“Then, that's your problem!” she retorted with f
erocity. “Why can't you just leave me alone and play by the rules?”

“I did. Several times.”

“Well—then what are you doing with someone like me?” she exclaimed, annoyed by his composure even under stress. She wanted him to rage at her, fight with her, and be furious enough to leave her! At least then, she could fault herself for losing him.

He quirked a dark eyebrow. “Why, what about you?”

“Are you blind? I'm a mixed breed!” She pushed her argument to further provoke him. “I insult you and hit you. I even stomped on your foot not too long ago. Every time we see each other, we're either fighting or I end up bawling. We can't get along! How could you not see that I'm the wrong girl for you?” She broke off, breathing heavily from her tirade, hoping she had done it this time. But he only stared at her with knitted brows. A muscle twitching on his cheek, unmistakable hurt shadowing his beautiful eyes.

Coldness rushed through her, as if she'd been doused with a bucket of freezing water.
God, how she loved him and hated doing this!
She suddenly felt ashamed and realized how childish it all seemed. Why was she acting like a lunatic, insisting he accept her grounds on why he shouldn't be with her, when in all probability, he might just have his own reasons for wanting to be with her? Reasons she badly wanted to hear, desperately wanted to know, so she could finally get out of this limbo of not knowing where they stood!

True, it could only go one way—, with them parting in the end, but at least, she would know why out of all the choices he had, he'd chosen her. He could tell her the limitations of their relationship, how far they could go, and how soon it could end, so that when that time came, she would be be
tter prepared.

And so, ignoring the fear and an
xiety that began to slowly oppress her, she braced herself and asked, “Tell me the truth. Why me, William? What do you want from me?”

He regarded her for what seemed like eternity until gradually, she saw his expression change and felt his a
nger melt away. A low chuckle rumbled deep in his throat and he shook his head, drawing a resigned sigh that he blew out in a long breath.

“You silly, impossible girl,” he drawled at last, r
eleasing her wrists and cupping her face in his hands. “What do I have to do, to show you that I'm in love with you?” He lowered his head until their foreheads touched.

Elizabeth's heart lurched, and then stopped alt
ogether. When it started to beat again, she felt like a thousand horses were pounding in her chest. Every shred of resentment, every morsel of doubt she had, evaporated into thin air. Even the mighty obstacles she had ranted about just a moment ago, crumbled like sandcastles to the ground. Nothing could have prepared her for this.