CHAPTER 2
Bad Night
Ira's Pov
I wake up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. We were brought to rest in the servant quarters just like the proud official of the angel kings promised, but the place isn't bad at all, not for poor commoners like me at least. The beds are soft and the covers clean, too bad I cannot stop thinking about my missing father and actually fall asleep. I am not tired enough to overcome mt endless fears. So I step out of the bed.
Everyone around me is sound asleep. I quietly make my way towards one of the wide windows. I draw the blue curtain just a little to stare at the night sky. But something else catches my eye.
A stunning figure of a tall angel with long, braided hair and his massive, golden wings spread out, stands on one of the colourful flower gardens outside the main palace. What a sight to wake up to.
I marvel at his beautiful face while his eyes gaze up at the night sky. His body is muscular and his skin smooth as silk. His square jaws look like they were cut off a stone. A thin, shimmering crown rests on his head, adding to his already excessive beauty. Earlier I thought that their big castle was stunning, but the shirtless angel seems to be a dozen times a better treat to anyone's eyes.
I should take a closer look. It's not always that one gets to see one of the mighty angel kings shirtless in the middle of a night. I will make sure not to get too close though. He could notice me staring and have me punished.
I turn and head out of the room. After walking down the long hallway and a curving staircase that lead me to the ground floor, I walk across the wide parlor before finding myself outside. The palace grounds are surprisingly well lit with flaming torches. Even my human eyes can see several metres ahead.
I am however shocked to find the angel gone. Did I hallucinate his presence? He looked too good to have been a figment of my imagination. How can he be gone within the short time it took me to get out here?
I must be the most unlucky person. Nevertheless the palace gardens look better under the yellow light of the flaming torches. I can peacefully practice the song I will be singing tomorrow. There is no one to feel disturbed by the noise, so I sing loud.
"You were a lamp in our darkest nights,
But you faded away when we needed you the most,
And you took pieces of our hearts with you,
To a world beyond our reach,
Even now I cry over the life we could have had,
I worry that you're all alone in that graveyard,
Where father buried you and our happiness.
It's winter again and I worry that you're cold.
I would sell my life to go back to the day that you left,
I would fight every monster that stole your soul away."
I sing a piece of the song I recently wrote for my dead mother. My voice sounds soother than I imagined it could be. I take a deep breath before carrying on, but the air suddenly smells like a devine fragrance.
Flowers do not smell so good. And their scents has never made me feel nervous at the same time. There is some other lovely thing around.
I turn around in search of it. That's when I see the face of the angel king, only a step away from me, and stares at it for eternity. His green eyes are beyond exquisite. And those tender lips, they are more inviting than a delicious meal.
Oh no! I have discourteously stared at his beautiful face! It's the most stupid thing to die for. But who could have resisted looking when he is standing so close?
I lower my gaze. "My apologies, your majesty. I didn't realize who you were," I say in hope that he is a reasonable person.
I feel a strange pull towards him. Like we are more than strangers. His scent is too enchanting to be a fine fragrance.
"You better be a lost princess because if you're a witch I will relieve you of your head right here," he snarls in a furious tone.
So he is not just an unreasonable person but a crazy one as well. He could have been perfect without the ability to speak.
I would hate to be a stupid princess, and why would he think I am a witch?
"I am one of the singers that will be performing for you tomorrow, your majesty" I reply, still gazing at the ground.
But I look up immediately when a strong hand grasps my neck and lifts me off the ground. I gasp for breath but his fingers have squeezed my pipes shut.
"You have the scent of our mate. And you look nothing like the princess she should be. So what did you do to have it?" he hisses.
I am their mate? I would have screamed in shock if I were able to breathe. How can a commoner be mated to the mightiest of all kings? This will be at the top of the list of all dumbfounding things that has ever happened since the beginning of time.
But I will be dead if he doesn't let go. I can understand his anger. What angel would want a weak human as a mate, least of all one with no royal blood? But it's no reason to kill me.
Whoever's idea it was to create this mate bond they must have been seeking my death. Because what else was the point? There was a chance the angel kings would want me?
My limbs grow numb and I can no longer fight his grip. Luckily he lets go before my heart stops. I fall to the ground, gasping for breath.
"You better explain yourself first before I end your life. Why do you smell like our mate when you're a wretched human with no noble blood?!" he demands.
"I am not the creator of mate bonds, your majesty. I share your shock," I respond, pulling myself back to my feet.
This must be the worst thing that has ever happened to them. I can literally hear his heavy breathing as he seethes with rage.
"You should be on your knees!" he snarls.
I had forgotten that idiotic rule, that commoners who are not servants of the palace should kneel in presence of the angel kings unless directed otherwise. Should I bear the burden of affirming their inflated sense of self worth when I was here first? Clearly he is the one in my presence. I bend my knees nevertheless. The argument is not worth dying for.
"Tomorrow we will see if this mate bond is real or a forgery of dark magic. You better pray we do not find out what spells you used to create it because your witch's body will burn outside the gates of our palace," he states.
I have heard of forged mate bonds before, but they are a myth that the wealthy use to reject their mates from poor backgrounds. I have never imagined being the mate of a regular angel let alone of gorgeous and wealthy kings. How can a frog dream of becoming a queen?
"I am only a singer seeking money to keep searching for my sick father, your majesty. I wouldn't know of a spell that can forge a mate bond. If I did I would have forged diamonds instead," I say.
That makes him raise an eyebrow. Does he feel offended? Of course if I were capable of forging anything a mate bond with them would not have been my first choice. I would have preferred the money I need to keep searching for my father.
"We shall find out the truth tomorrow. No devine entity would have chosen you above all women to be our queen. You're more useless than dirt. I will make sure that you burn to ashes once our priest affirms that the bond is fake!" he replies.
I watch as he turns and heads back into their magnificent palace. I wait until he has disappeared inside the castle before rising to stand on my feet again. The shock of what just happened still has my heart racing.
I do not want such mates. They may have all the beauty and wealth, but their hearts are as dark as night. I pity the girl they will end up marrying. A lifetime with them would be like a curse.
My neck is sore from being squeezed by his fingers. I am not sure my voice won't be affected by the pain. I still need to appease them tomorrow to get money I need to continue looking for my father. That is if they do not order my execution with the pretense that I forged our mate bond.
I might end up dying for something I didn't do. The mate bond is unimportant to me as I wouldn't want their company regardless of what else they can offer. So I will offer them my rejection before they can think of convincing anyone that I am a witch that desperately wants to be their queen.
I make my way back to the servant quarters while trying to test if I still have a voice to perform. Will they even give me the chance to perform during their banquet after everything that has happened?