Hey everybody! How are you today?

I'm literally crying tears of joy.

I have over 4.5K followers, (what happened?!?), and not only that but this book has reached 173K+ reads! That is more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you guys so much for all the support and love you've given this book, it's been greatly appreciated.

I've entered this book in The Wattys 2017 so please please remember to vote, comment, and share! (My birthday is tomorrow - July 4th - so think of it as a birthday present XP) 

I'm thinking about doing a Q&A so that all of you readers can learn a little bit more about me. You can ask any questions about me that you would like, (preferably in this chapter) and I will post the answers in a future chapter!

Along with a possible Q&A, I want you guys to know that you can totally draw what you think the characters look like, or make banners and covers for this book. The pictures I receive will be posted in future chapters with a possible dedication to you. Thank you all so so so so much!

A big thanks too @Heyden2Rosenow for this beautiful cover! (Sorry it took so long, I kept forgetting!) 

Remember to be good to each other!

Byeee

~Belle

WARNING: MATURE SCENES AT BEGINNING OF CHAPTER, ALL INNOCENT PEOPLE, ASEXUAL PEOPLE, AND OTHERS BEWARE (btw it just strings on from last chapter so if you've forgotten go read Chapter Fourteen again) 

Word Count: 2339

Chapter Fifteen: 

Prince Adrian's hooded eyes loomed over mine, the beautiful green rimmed with the dark color of his lashes. Who would have thought Adam and Eve could have created such a beautiful man? Better yet, who would have thought Fate would mate him to me? 

Adrian was determined to stake his claim over me, to make me the princess that I did not wish to be. He was ready to make me his, and I don't think anything would have stopped him. But, he enjoyed the chase, and I enjoyed the game, so we kept playing, like a fox and a rabbit.  

"Forever is such a long time though," I moved my head so my lips were directly below his adams-apple,  "I don't think you'll ever get me to be yours." I kissed his neck lightly, biting at the delicate skin until I heard him groan in satisfaction. His grip tightened around my wrists, threatening me to go further.

"But darling, I've already got you." Adrian's voice was low and rough, he was catching on to my tease, and he was ready to tease me back. My stomach was filled with the fluttering sensation of butterflies, as the words came from his mouth. Did he already have me? No. I was still an open claim, as was he. 

It was idiotic of me to start playing his game, his game without his rules, without any rules really, if we kept challenging each other in such a way, dominant against dominant, there would be no end...and yet, the thought seemed to excite me more. 

I hadn't noticed that I wasn't in control of the conversation, or our actions, until it was too late. Adrian's neck was pulled away from my lips, and his eyes were met with mine, his pupils dilating as he stared down at me. They were swirling with emotions, lust clouding all other judgment. 

My hands were still held above my head in a manner of dominance and as much as I wanted to pull away from Adrian's imprisoning gaze, I couldn't. His other hand trailed the curve of my waist leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. I shivered at his touch as a chuckle came from his mouth. 

"I know you want me." His voice was a husky whisper, his green eyes, a void of secrecy and intelligence, scanned over me, his pupils dilating more. "I know you want me more than you've ever wanted anyone before." Adrian's words were like a whisper of smoke in a fire, filling my ears like the smoke fills the lungs. Skillfully, he would lean in towards my lips, and as they were about to touch, he would pull away. A tease. 

Adrian stopped for a moment, both of us just watching each other, our hearts pounding in a synchronized rhythm, our breaths mingled together dancing up to the high canopy of the bed. Adrian's hand let go of my wrists so that he could slowly trail it down my waist, stopping at the curve of my hip for a few seconds and then trailing back upwards. 

White hair fell into his face and his eyes, only giving me slight slivers of his green eyes. 

"Can we start the mati-" His question was interrupted by the door slamming open making us both jump into an upright position on the bed. An out of breath, red in the face guard stood in front of us, gasping for air. Unaware of what he had interrupted. 

"My Prince," The Royal Guard bowed abruptly before looking at us with a side glance, "Queen Ivy requests your  presence in the Royal Study," he panted, still catching his breath. 

Had he just dropped everything and ran here?

"It is urgent." 

The Royal Guard uniform he wore was disheveled and dusty, from wherever his original post had been, and his shoes were covered in a dried dark brown mud, a signature of the wildlife in Drendann. 

"Alright," Adrian said, standing from our semi-intimate position on the bed and brushing his platinum hair back with his fingers. I noticed then that he was wearing his royal suit, the one he wore only a few days prior. His entire body looked sleek and fit in it, like the suit had been sculpted by an amazing artist, the cloth woven around him. "What does she want me for?" Adrian's voice was still rugged, his lips slightly swollen. 

The guard shook his head, stepping towards Adrian quickly, "I do not know, but-"

"But what Zeke? What else is so important that you decided knocking wasn't necessary?" Adrian became his original, egotistical self, his voice rising along with his temper. 

Thank Fate that guard walked in on us, or else who would know what I would've let that man do to me.

 "Sir," The guard, Zeke, lowered his eyes to the ground, "Prince Felix has fallen ill. The Queen believes it to be poison." With a nervousness to his stature, Zeke stood up straighter looking back up at the prince. 

"I see," Tensing, Adrian made for the doorway, "Zeke, take Jade to the castle gardens. I will retrieve her later." 

I was shocked and slightly pissed by what I had just heard. Firstly, who the fudge would poison the adorable, self-confident boy who seemed to be very kind and light-hearted? Secondly, Adrian said he would retrieve me. I am not a dog, and I will not be treated like so. Perhaps I should escape this castle? Runaway to the warm sun of Belecand, or take refuge in some snowstorm towards the middle of Aldmist, but then again why should I keep running?

Why should I dash off another time instead of facing my fears? I shouldn't...but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be an annoying badass bitch while I'm at it.

So quietly, I stood from the bed and walked across the room towards Zeke, the guard. Adrian had already whisked himself away to where his mother needed him to be, so Zeke and I made our way out of the room. 

The hallway was more extravagantly lit than anything inside of Adrian's bedroom. Every five feet, there was another light hanging from the ceiling, making sure that every inch of the space was visible. Gold adorned the red and blue wall, with paintings like "The Sunlit Day" By Wincent Van Nose, and the "Nota Misa" by Peonardo Si Tinci.

"Why does everything in this castle have to be so breathtaking!" I said exasperatedly, drinking in every part of my surroundings. The walls, the lights, the ceilings, the stairs, the floors, the carpets, everything was made like it was supposed to be there. Like these artists had made these things specifically for decorating the castle. 

Zeke let out a nervous chuckle from behind me as he led me down a periwinkle colored-wall staircase. "The Aldmistian Royal family has been around for generations, since the deaths of Adam and Eve, there have been many astonishing and priceless gifts given to them over the years. The castle deserves to be decorated so wonderfully, for the Royal Family simply deserves it as well." Zeke shrugged glancing back at me. 

"Hmph. Alright Zekey Deeky," I smirked at his new nickname, watching him scowl in distaste, "Where are these Castle Gardens I have heard such raves about?"

---

"Mother," The Crowned Prince slammed opened the doors of the royal study, confidence rolling off of him like smoke, "What has happened?" He briskly walked towards his mother, Queen Ivy III, embracing her in a hug. 

The Queen's face held a look of grave fear, her mouth contorted into a frown. "Felix has fallen ill, poison the doctor thinks. He hasn't awoken from his slumber since he fell asleep last night. He's running a hot fever, he's shaking, shivering, and crying in his sleep." The Queen let out a mournful sob for her youngest son, taking Adrian's hand and leading him towards the back of the study where a hidden hospital for the Royal Family was kept. 

In 1776, when King George - the most insane and power hungry king - ruled over Aldmist, he would harm and torture his own family, which led them to create a hidden hospital to protect the harmed and scared Royal Family. 

Queen Ivy reached for a book in a bookcase titled The Secret of the Hospital, and pulled it back allowing a passageway to open which led to squeaky clean blue and white tiled floors, white walls, and yellow PED lights. Stepping inside, the passageway closed behind them, the eerily silent sound of it shutting let chills rise on their backs. 

"What poison does the doctor believe it to be?" Prince Adrian asked softly, the aura of the hospital giving him enough sense to be quiet, at least, quieter than usual. It was a terrifying thought for him, to think he could potentially lose his youngest brother.

The Three Royal Princes had been inseparable since each of them were born. They were best friends, and each of them had an attribute that helped make the others whole. Adrian was the intelligent, strong-willed brother, Sebastian was the quiet, think-over-every-decision-twice kind of brother, and Felix was the naive, silly, prankster of the three. Each of them balanced the others out, and without one, what would happen to the others? 

"Oleander," Queen Ivy said in a ghostlike whisper, "If they don't figure out an antidote soon, he will die. Felix will die." 

With fear striking both of their hearts, they both stepped into the hospital room where Prince Felix lay. 

---

Three hours had gone by, three excruciatingly long hours had passed by me. 

I mean sure, the Castle Gardens were absolutely beautiful, different flowers and plants growing and hanging from everywhere in sight. Not a single wedge untamed, nor color unused. But it was getting boring, wandering around a garden by myself, merely looking at flowers. 

Three hours prior, Zeke had told me Adrian would fetch me as soon as possible, and I take it, "as soon as possible" wasn't soon enough. In a rush, the shy Royal Guard had left me unattended in the Palace Gardens, not necessarily fearing the idea that I could escape more easily than cow trying to jump over barbed wire, which, trust me, is difficult for them to do.  

For the past thirty minutes, I had been in my own little world, longing for Angelica and missing my mother, while staring at a white rose, - My mothers favorite. I imagined how angry my father would be when I arrived home after being missing for more than a week, how his eyes would bulge and the veins in his neck would pop out as his face turned red. I imagined how delighted my mother would be, to finally see me home with her, how she'd cry and hug me close. I imagined how my brother, Edward, would ruffle my hair and pretend I had been there all along along. I imagined Angelica and Jackson would be there and laugh and joke with me. 

Jackson. Jackson. 

He had betrayed me, without me even knowing about it. He knew the prince was unmarked, he knew I was unmarked. How could he have told someone a secret so precious, a secret that hung over my head, a secret that determined my life. What made me worry more was how could he have found out? Had I somehow messed up and let it slip without realizing? 

Right then, I decided that the next time I saw Jackson he was going to be slapped hard, in the face, with a brick. 

A rustle sounded in a bush nearby breaking me out of my thoughts, "Who's there?" I shouted, turning to the bush that had made the noise. For a short, silent moment, there was nothing. Complete silence. It felt wrong and disturbing.

 Then, a voice spoke. "That depends who's asking?" 

I tensed. I knew that voice. I had heard it thousands of times before on TV, seen the face on millions of magazines. Slowly, I turned to face it. 

The King. 

I bowed quickly, "I'm sorry, My Lord, I didn't know who was there." I glanced up to see the king staring at me with dark muddy brown eyes, his features set like stone. Underneath his crown, was a headful of graying black hair, one of the only signs that the king was in his early sixties. 

The kings eyes were cold, like ice, frozen in a storm of anger and anguish, ready to pray on those who did not follow his command. 

"Hello, Jade." King Favian said, disregarding my apology. "I hear you have been mated to my son, Adrian." The King spoke as if I were a child, he stared down at me, a sort of disapproving gaze painting his features. 

"Yes, Sir." I nodded quickly. It felt weird to finally agree in saying Adrian was my mate, but I could not disagree with a king. The King. My king.  

"Let's see this Mate-Tattoo of yours then, so I may authenticate it." 

I tensed, the king wants to see my Mate-Tattoo...which I don't have. Fear struck in my heart. 

Trying to play dumb, I frowned, "Sorry, Sir? Does Adrian disapprove me as his mate and needs someone to authenticate it to make sure it is real?" I glanced up at the King and made eye contact before quickly looking down. 

The King shook his head, "No. Now let me see it!" King Favian grabbed my right arm quickly, and yanked it up, causing me to let out a quiet cry of pain. 

"My Lord, what are you doing?" I questioned furrowing my eyebrows as the king ripped up the cloth of the sweater I wore to reveal my bare forearm. 

My heart was beating a mile a minute, anxiety nearly choking me. 

"No mark, eh?" The King narrowed his eyes at me as I shook my head. He smirked, before shouting as loud as possible, 

"Guards!"