Hey everybody! How are you today? 

I'm literally crying tears of joy. 

I have over 1.4K followers, (when about this time last week I had 1.1K followers), and not only that but this book has reached 53K+ 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. 

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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! 

Remember to be good to each other! 

Byeee

~Belle

Unedited 

Word Count: 1815

Chapter Twelve:

It had been two days since the attack, and believe me, I was bored as Fate must have been when his three sisters did all the work. The nurses would not let me out of the cramped, disinfectant smelling room, with terrible hospital-like food, and to make matters worse, no one had come to see me. I knew I was still at the castle because the guards posted outside of my door were royal, the Aldmistian crest evident on their suits of armor.

While in my solitude, I realized how alone I had been for the past four days that I had been at the castle. I didn't have Edward, my brother hear to mess with and tickle, I didn't have Angelica, who would watch movies and bake with me, I didn't have Jackson, the only person who felt as close to a sibling as it could get. I didn't have anybody, honestly. I was too focused trying to escape Mr. Asshole and his brothers,  the lonely feeling in my chest wasn't there. But now that I was alone, I realized how much I felt it. It was gnawing from the inside of me, tearing me apart quietly. 

All I did was sit on the bed and do nothing. Well... I didn't do nothing exactly. My hands twitched to use different skills that I hadn't used in awhile, ones that no one should know I possessed. After hours of firing ice and fire at the wall and messing with the air, I would fall asleep exhausted on the most uncomfortable bed I had ever slept on. Every time my eyes closed all I could think about was Adrian, and how his lips felt on mine.

As I was staring out of a heavily locked, and guarded window - I checked to see if I could escape - a light knock echoed through the room.

"Yes?" I asked meekly, my voice slightly hoarse from not using it to do anything but say 'please' and 'thank you' to the nurses. No one had ever knocked before, it was surprising to find that my privacy had been appreciated in this single instance.

Slowly, the door opened, the quiet creak echoing loudly across the linoleum floors. Turning my gaze to the door, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Queen I-Ivy," I stuttered, and bowed politely.

There, standing in the middle of the room was the woman who ruled over my entire life, everyone's entire life. She had chestnut brown ringlets of hair cascading from her scalp, with matching, concerned brown eyes. She looked nothing like her sons, except for her beautiful pink lips, which were full and soft-looking. Crows feet and laugh lines decorated her skin, which gave her a beauty the photo shopped images of her in magazines didn't do justice to.

 Aside from the wrinkles, The Queen didn't look a day over thirty, and her posture didn't show it either.

"You are just as beautiful as he said you'd be..." The Queen stepped forward, a gentle smile on her lips. "Perhaps even more than that." Queen Ivy stared at me in wonder, her eyes never leaving my face, as she examined every single inch of it. 

"Sorry?" I frowned in response confused as to who she could be talking about, I know I'm pretty, but any person describing me like I'm the Eve to their Adam is having some mental problems.

The Queen chuckled, rolling her eyes, a smile graced her lips as sat down on my bed, acting as if she wasn't the queen of anything. "Adrian dear, he's awake now." The queens voice was soft, gentle, it was almost too perfect. I felt like I was being tricked by the entire scenario. Sighing in relief, I took a tiny step closer, fearful of her being a look-alike or something and planning to kill me. 

"Why were we attacked?" They must've been going after Adrian, he was their future king and all, but why him? He was going to be an excellent king. He would stand for justice, and everything else right in this world. So why were they planning to kill him? 

The Queen shook her head, a subtle frown on her face, "We aren't sure at the moment. But we think they may have been targeting you as well." My eyes widened and my mouth fell open as I stared at the queen. Me? Um hell no. No one knows about my abilities except for my family, and the fact that I'm unmarked is only know by me, Angelica, Jackson, my family, and Prince Felix. 

"Close your mouth, dear girl, you might catch flies." The queen chuckled at me as she watched me quickly shut my mouth closed looking at the ground embarrassed. 

"Why would they target me? What have I done?" I asked, staring at her expectantly. Does she know about my mark? Or lack thereof? 

The room was freezing cold, and I had originally gotten used to it, but as I looked at the queen I noticed she was shivering. I tried to ignore it, but when she started shaking more, I forced my body to heat up so that the room would warm up. 

There was a long pause after my question, the Queen was thinking over her answer carefully. 

"Perhaps, it may be because they've caught onto the fact that you and my son are mates, and they are trying to kill you or rid him of a chance at being king. The true king must have a true mate." I was going to interrupt her to inform her that Prince Adrian and I were definitely not mates, when the door opened and a nurse walked in. 

"Queen Ivy," the nurse curtsied quickly, "The King requests your presence in the court." 

The Queen let out an annoyed audible sigh, and stood from her position on my bed. "Alright," she said authoritatively, before walking towards the door. "And Jade, have the nurse take you to see Adrian, he wants to see you."  With that, Queen Ivy swooped out of the room, her long dress swiftly moving behind her. 

The nurse nodded at me primitively, before grabbing my wrist - as if I were a child - and leading me out the door, down a long wide hallway. The hallway was decorated in expensive looking art pieces, and gold trimmed frames, with a light paint color and more gold. 

The nurse led me to a door at the far end of the hall, and let go of my wrist. "He's sleeping," she said softly before opening the door. "I will be back to fetch you in thirty minutes." With that she left, almost disappearing entirely as I stepped into the room. 

The room looked like a traditional hospital room, except for one major difference, in the middle of the space, with eyes closed, skin pale, and red lips opened slightly, was the Crowned Prince of Aldmist, looking more beautiful than I had ever seen him be. He was at peace in his sleeping state, but as I walked closer to him, I noticed the frown at the corners of his lips, and the furrowed brow on his forehead.

Standing at the edge of the bed, I couldn't resist gently reaching out to touch the side of his cheek. Tingles erupted from the skin to skin contact, and I retracted my hand quickly with a loud gasp. Had he felt those too? 

Reaching out to touch him again, I gently brushed away the hair from his forehead, tingles following in a trail from where I had touched him.

Prince Adrian mumbled something softly in his sleep, before stirring slightly. Suddenly, his hands wrapped around my wrists and with all of his strength he dragged me onto his lap. My knees were on either side of his waist. I was straddling him. 

I let out a loud squeak of surprise as I watched Adrian's eyes open ever so slowly, a smirk across his lips. He chuckled lightly before whispering, "Be quiet dear, or the guards will come in." Keeping one of his hands on my wrist, the other reached up to push a strand of hair from my face, leaving tingles in its wake.

"A-Adrian," I stuttered, "What are you doing?" Our faces were very close together, and every few seconds his eyes would linger on my lips. 

"Fate, you are beautiful." He whispered gently, staring me down with an intense gaze. 

Before I could opened my mouth to reply, he planted his lips on mine, and this time - I didn't want to stop. 

A new feeling rushed over me, one I couldn't identify, as he kissed me and I kissed back. My free hand was entangled in his thick, white hair and his hand was squeezing my waist lightly. Tingles spread out across my face and lips, leaving an overwhelming need in my chest. It was a need for Adrian, and that frightened me. What were all of these emotions I was feeling. 

I was no longer in control of my actions. I felt like somebody new in this one instance. Adrian's lips pulled away from mine, which made me whimper softly, causing him to chuckle. His lips found their way to my neck where he gently was kissing down it. I gasped when he started sucking my sweet spot, and then moaned when he bit at it lightly. 

What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I letting him do this? 

"A-Adrian..." I stammered, gasping again. His right arm reached up to quiet me, but I pulled away just as it reached my face. 

His right arm, was completely bare. There wasn't the moon mark that I had been faking. In replace for the mark, was a pink painful looking scar. It looked like it had been deep, and hurt like hell. But his mark wasn't there. Panic set in my chest. 

"Whats wro-" I interrupted him, "Where's your mark?!" 

Adrian's eyes darkened, a frown replacing the dazed look on his face. "Adrian... Where's your mark?" 

Adrian shook his head, looking suddenly angry. Mad wasn't a word to describe the way he looked. He looked livid. 

"Guards!" He shouted. 

I was too stunned to care. Why didn't Adrian have a mark on his arm? If it wasn't there...where was it? Did he even have one? Why was there a scar there? What was he hiding. 

So many questions floated around my head, I didn't even notice when two burly looking guards wrapped their thick arms around mine. 

"Take her back to her bedroom and do not let her escape. If she does, both of you will be tortured and executed." My eyes widened as they started dragging me away. 

But in that moment I didn't care, I was only focused on one thing. 

Adrian doesn't have a mark.