Under Her Skin [+18]

There were too many clothes for her to fold and she was extremely bored of trying every gown on. The king and Queen had sent an announcement to all the princesses about a ball that would be held tomorrow evening in honour of them and the prince would choose his wife. She knew he would choose her because he had walked her to the room she had been given for the time being and kissed her on the cheek. I will choose you tomorrow but tonight I will be busy. If you need anything, call your maid.

She had lost every drop of hope in that moment that maybe the Prince would be a decent lover to another female. Instead she had walked into her room that was covered in bags from the stalls she had bought from. Katara had stripped out of the tunic, leaving her body bare in the warm room. There was no fire burning but the air was warm and it seemed to wrap around her body. Or maybe it was her magic that coursed through her blood, heating every inch of her skin.

Katara had spent a few hours unpacking and folding all the clothes she had. She finally walked to the door where Erix's clothes lay. The room was another identical to the one she had gotten dressed in the first time, but much bigger. The tunics were dyed in the colours of the night sky. She pushed them aside, lifting them up on the rows and putting them on a high shelf. She needed space for her nightgowns.

Katara walked out of the closet, lifted the folded nightgowns and walked back into the closet. She spent the next few minutes, walking in and out of the closet with all the tunics and pants she had bought folded. Then came the short dresses. Willa had frowned at her when she had wanted to buy the dresses then fell to her knees or her thighs, claiming a princess did not bare her legs out to other males. Delphine had smiled at Katara, told her maybe Wisteria would like the change and Delphine had bought a short dress as well. A black short dress that would look stunning with her silver hair.

She let out a sigh, knowing she needed to be clothed for the morning Cassia came again. Walking around naked wasn't an option it seemed to be. Katara picked up one of the silk nightgowns. The edges of the nightgown were covered in lace, falling down into a deep v-line that showed the curve of her breasts.

Katara pulled the nightgown on, feeling the cold silk sliding down her body and stopping against her thighs. She smiled down at herself. Her hair was still tied above her head. She needed to sleep now.

Katara walked out of the closet, a small smile on her face. The smile disappeared as she came to a staggering stop in the doorway. Erix stood near the front door. She hadn't even heard him walk inside. His golden eyes pinned her to her spot.

"No." She shook her head taking another step forward. "I'm not here so you can piss around the place with your co-" she gasped.

Within a blink of an eye, his hand was around her neck as he pushed her back against the black wall. His head was lowered, as a snarl escaped his lips, those golden eyes glaring down at her. She pushed herself on her toes, his chest touching his. He froze.

"Do you not have a mate? A wife? Someone you're in a relationship with who can snap you out of this territorial behaviour?" The words escaped her lips. Maybe it was fear or stupidity or both but she didn't raise either of her hands to pull his hand away from her neck. "Yesterday I assumed it was a one time thing but if you keep coming to this room, asking me to be submissive to you, it's going to get really difficult."

He snarled.

She knew the look that ran across his face. It was not fear or anger. He just didn't recognise her and since she stood in room, in his territory, she had to bow to him. To tilt her head to the side so he could sniff her neck, realise she was not the enemy and then walk away.

Fae were more like wolves than they realised.

Her Alpha had done it several times in her 19 years of life. The first time she had witnessed it, she was scared, terrified at the age of ten. But everyone had just stopped moving as the black wolf walked down every person. They got down on their knees, allowing the Wolf to sniff their necks before he licked their cheek, as if to say sorry and thank you in one. It only happened around the death anniversary of the Female Alpha.

Katara tilted her neck slowly. "Sniff me all you want." She murmured. "I'm not a threat."

Erix lowered his head, burying it into the side of her neck. The hand around her neck tightened a little, forcing her to stay on her toes. She felt him push the strap of the nightgown down her shoulder with his nose before breathing in her scent. "Not mine." He snarled, teeth scraping against her neck.

"I can see if they have a nightgown in your size…"

He snarled angrily or stupidly, she didn't know but the hand around her neck loosened slightly. There it was. The trust. She was not going to harm him. He didn't let her go and neither did she move with his face still buried in her neck. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach. "What do they do to you?" Her voice was a soft breath in the darkness they stood in.

Something must be done to him to break him apart like this every night. She didn't help by staying in his room, claiming his territory.

"I'm a monster." The words were low, another whisper into the darkness, as she felt his warm breath against her skin. He kissed her skin softly. She did not move.

"Aren't we all monsters?"

He did not answer her, not as he dragged his lips up the side of her neck, finding her beating vein. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. "You are afraid of me."

"No. I know how to calm down a male who doesn't realise where he is. Of course, I wouldn't touch you, because it gives you the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea?" He kissed her neck.

She tried to not arch her body into him, into his warmth. "I wouldn't want you to bite me."

He didn't answer as if he didn't care so she talked. "The Prince wants to be an emperor." It was the first thing she could say and knew it was the wrong words to say as his hands tightened around her neck again. "I'm going to lose my calmness now. You can stop kissing my neck."

Katara placed her hands on his chest, a part of her wishing he was as naked as she could have been, and pushed him. He barely moved, but a hand snaked around her waist, laying on her bare back. The nightgown had a very low back, just sitting above the curve of her ass.

He placed a kiss on her neck again, his teeth tugging on her skin. "Erix.." This was a bad idea but those words did not escape her lips. "Will you calm down please?"

She was waiting for her mate and having another male biting her was not the gift she wanted to give to her mate. Yes, she had slept around and had no care in the world, but biting, claiming, that was for her mate.

The door to her room opened. "I had a wonderful ni-" Prince Arran stopped in his spot, as Erix's spun around, covering Katara with his body and a snarl escaping his lips.

A stand off. This was exactly what Katara needed. Two males she didn't want to know, staring at her as if she was a prize to be won. The prince's hair was ruffled as if someone had run their hands through them and the strings of his tunic had been left open, showing her a peek of his pale chest. He did not move from his spot.

"What am I supposed to make of this?" His words were directed at Katara who tried to pull herself away from Erix but he barely moved.

Erix snarled at the Prince.

"Just bow down to him. Show him you're not a threat." Katara said to the Prince as she peeked over Erix's shoulder.

The Queen would bare her neck if the Alpha of the wolves lost all control. It was instinct, she had said the first time Katara had seen the queen on her knees. Child, we can not help who we are but we can help those around us. Why should I, being a queen, make those extra minutes hard for the Alpha when all I have to do is bare my neck? The same way the Wolf King does. We live in harmony with the wolves, why would I want them in any stress?

Prince Arran did not bow. He chuckled, making her frown. "I think you underestimate me, Katara. I will not bow to a guard." Erix snarled but the Prince spoke in a language that she was not familiar with.

The Language Of The Fae.

He spoke, as if ordering Erix to release her. Erix's arm around her body dropped, letting her move but she did not move out of her spot. His body was rigid and a part of her knew this was doing nothing to calm him. Nothing at all, except making it worse.

She had faced worse.

When a male had not submitted to the Alpha, the Alpha couldn't control what had happened to him. Within a second, the male had been dead.

"You're making it worse-" She couldn't finish off her sentence as Erix walked out of the room, past the Prince who smirked at her, as if proud of himself.

"I made it better, Katara. Apologies for all of this." The Prince waved his hand, towards Erix who had left the room. "I had no idea he was here and in this form."

Form.

I'm a monster.

"He came the first night I was in this room, with iron pieces stuck in his back. Why did your parents hurt him?" Her voice was accusing and maybe she shouldn't have crossed the line since speaking freely was not the same as Eridaya.

Arran kicked the door close before sighing and walked to the bed. He sat on it, patting the place beside him. "I want to help him."

Katara frowned but walked slowly towards the bed. She sat up, crossed her legs and pulled the blanket up to her body as shivers ran up her back. Prince Arran turned his body to look at her since she did not sit next to him. "Erix is not from our world."

That was an understatement. He looked nothing like any Fae male she had seen in Wisteria. The males here were not like him, giants with Godlike bodies. Neither did they possess the golden eyes. He was different.

"Which kingdom is he from?" Katara questioned as Arran ran a hand through his hair, as if struggling to communicate his words.

"He's from a different realm." She did not say another word as he continued. "It's why I want to open the gate to other realms. Erix is stuck here and my parents have bound him to me. He has to serve and listen to every word I say. It doesn't exactly make him a good friend." Arran chuckled a little to himself. "He's forced to walk around me and it's been nearly 500 years."

"500 years?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. Her heart seemed to ache for him, being trapped in a land he did not belong to.

"Erix talks about the other realms, about the world he barely remembers. He was only a child when he was left here in this world, in an invasion that barely anyone remembers. It's why I want the kingdoms to be reunited, to be one, just in case when I do open the gate for him, nothing else flies in."

Katara looked at the Prince who was willing to destroy his own world for the male who came from a different world to theirs. He didn't look like a male who sweet talked his way with females. She saw the king he would one day become and maybe just maybe he would be like the Royals in Eridaya who listened to every problem and tried to work something out for the person. Something was different about him tonight. Or maybe she was bad at judging people.

"How would you open the gate?" She questioned, having no idea about it. Maybe the gate was in Wisteria since the land was much bigger than Eridaya ever would be.

"South of here, is an abandoned land. Nobody has claimed it due to the fears of the beasts that roam through the woods. I've sent males and females over the last two hundred years to see if the gate is there. Only one survived long enough to tell me it was." She tried not to frown at his words. People had been sacrificed. "Erix will open the gate with his own blood. Your blood takes you to the realm you belong too. We all belong here," Arran looked at her. "Erix does not. When he opens it, I must close the door with the blood of every royal."

"The wedding is a pretendance. To bring every royal around the world to Wisteria, to take their blood?"

"To unite our kingdoms, Katara."

"And what if they don't want to rule under you? You said you would leave Eridaya alone. That could be seen as fear of another royal. The others will not stand by it as they give you their kingdoms but you let one rule by itself."

"I don't need the blood of the Vampire or Wolves. If I use their blood, they will be taken back to their own lands, I'm assuming that's not what you want?"

She knew the story of the Vampires and Wolves. Over a thousand years ago, the Vampire Queen had walked through the gate, her people following her because the land they had owned in a different realm was not big enough. They had landed on Eridaya where Wolves were only marking their territory. For a century, war between them had been disastrous, but the war had ended when the Wolf King and the Vampire Queen had become mates. The humans had always lived in the mortal lands. Every kingdom had humans.

"I don't want that." She spoke truthfully. "But you have to understand that every kingdom is facing their own worries. I very much doubt they would hand you their crowns."

"I can be very persuasive." He purred, his eyes darkening slightly as if just noticing she was wearing nothing but a silk nightdress. Arran turned his body and climbed further onto the bed. "I think the Royals will give me more than their crown."

Katara raised her hand, stopping him and shaking her head. She didn't feel anything towards him because a part of her was wary after he had spoken about uniting kingdoms. She knew it would be disastrous, not only for him but for Eridaya as well because no king or Queen would allow a kingdom to be left alone. They would attack Eridaya.

"I think I'll like to sleep. Tomorrow is the ball and I'd like to get as much sleep as I can."

"Will you save me a dance?" He smirked at her.

Not for his unfaithful ass, she knew that much, but Katara smiled, before shooing him away like a bug. "Sleep is calling." She faked a yawn.

The Prince chuckled before getting off the bed and walking out of the room, leaving her alone with her own thoughts. Katara sighed deeply before falling back onto the pillows. Maybe tomorrow she could leave.

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#unedited