Heir of Broken Fate (HOBF Book 1)

Last night wasn’t my proudest moment.

I sulked like a child, yet I couldn’t stop the irritation that sparked in me every time I tried to get out of bed. Knox pushing me yesterday opened a part of me I’ve been shoving so deeply inside of myself that once it came to the surface, it exploded.

I told Hazel I wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest. Being the amazing woman that she is, she brought a plate of food for me upstairs. I thanked her profusely and when I started devouring my food, I think she understood that my refusal to leave my room had more to do with the dark broody Fae downstairs than an upset stomach.

I don’t like being pushed, regardless of if I needed it or not. I don’t like the feeling of my inner boundaries being crossed. I was so violated growing up, having every single one of my physical and emotional boundaries destroyed by my father that my inner walls became a sanctuary to protect me and Knox just demolished one yesterday, making me withdraw while I rebuilt it brick for brick.

Groaning, I throw my arm over my eyes and roll over. My knee collides with something on my bed. I jolt up, rubbing my eyes as I stare at the black box wrapped with a white ribbon. I frown as I pull the box toward me. I didn’t hear anyone come into my room.

Unwrapping the white ribbon, my mouth drops open as I lift the lid.

It’s a box full of doughnuts, filled to the brim with various flavors and colors. The smell alone makes my mouth water.

Tears line my eyes. He remembered.

The only two people who ever brought me doughnuts were Annie and Easton.

Easton would have done the exact same thing as Knox last night. The thought makes me pause. Am I being too hard on him? Now that I’ve calmed down, I can acknowledge that his rage wasn’t directed at me; it was toward what happened to me.

Regardless, he pushed me too hard yesterday.

I sigh, taking an iced pink doughnut and flop back, nestling myself into the silk pillows. I moan as the flavor erupts in my mouth, my eyes rolling into the back of my head. The doughnuts I ate as a human don’t compare to how delicious they taste now. I’m shoving another in my mouth when there’s a light tap on the door.

“Come in,” I mumble around a mouthful of glazed goodness.

I freeze when Knox strolls in. I thought it would be Hazel coming to check on me for the hundredth time.

Knox sucks in a breath as heat flashes in his eyes. He clears his throat, ripping his gaze away, looking anywhere but at me.

I frown as I look down at myself. Confusion swirling before clarity strikes and I gasp. In my doughnut haze I forgot that the only thing I’m wearing is a thin white satin shirt—which is transparent. My nipples are poking through, saluting Knox.

I snatch the sheet, covering myself as Knox clears his throat again. “I thought you were Hazel,” I murmur.

He looks back, the heat that was there moments before gone entirely. “I see you found the doughnuts,” he says smoothly, leaning against the door frame.

I take a deep breath as he crosses his arms over his chest, his muscles flexing as he does. My heart begins to race as my cheeks heat. “They’re delicious…Thank you.”

Knox dips his chin before closing the door and taking a seat on the white-cushioned futon at the end of my bed. He scans me from head to toe—for what, I have no clue.

“My court will be arriving soon. I was wondering what parts you want me to reveal to them.”

I blink. That’s…awfully considerate of him.

“I don’t think you’re able to explain what we need to without the full story,” I say slowly.

“There’s ways around that if there’s something you’re not comfortable with them knowing.”

I’m utterly shocked that someone of his power and status is asking me what I’m comfortable with. It’s completely unnatural to me.

I swallow past my dry throat. “You can tell them that I was human and how the pendant gave me access to this land. They might know why I turned into a Fae.”

“If that’s what you want.”

I stare into his warm eyes, my mouth moving before I can stop it. “I don’t want them to know about my life as a human princess,” I blurt.

Dealing with one grumpy Fae is enough. I don’t need anyone else knowing about my horrible life. I don’t need the pity or the embarrassment.

Knox’s features slacken, his face draining of all color. I cock my head, confused by his reaction before it finally dawns on me.

He didn’t see in my memories why I lived in the palace. Knox had no idea who has been sleeping in his guest room. That realization—that I’m the heir to the human lands, that the one who beat me was not only my father but the King of Aloriah—lights in his eyes.

Knox snaps upright as he clenches his fists. “The king is your father,” he growls.

My breathing quickens, coming out in shallow pants.

At my erratic breathing, he turns away and takes a deep breath. “My anger isn’t toward you, Delilah,” he says gutturally.

“I know that, but my body doesn’t,” I whisper.

When he faces me, his body is more relaxed. I can feel the tension surrounding him but he’s putting it at bay, for me.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks softly.

“Absolutely not,” I snap.

Rearranging myself so I’m cocooned by pillows, my breathing starts to slow, returning to normal as I look into Knox’s calm eyes. “How did you not see that he was my father?” I ask. Knox read my mind that first day we met. He saw that I was human.

Knox clicks his tongue. “There seems to be a part of your memory that’s locked.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“This changes nothing,” I breathe.

“It changes everything, Angel.”

I narrow my eyes. “How?”

He leans back on his forearms, his large frame and presence filling the room. He looks like an absolute god.

Screw him for being so attractive.

“For starters, I can’t kill him without starting a war,” he drawls calmly.

His knowing smirk at catching me ogling him doesn’t deter me from his words.

“You will do no such thing,” I demand.

He rolls his eyes, as if this is a mundane conversation. “Fine, you can kill him.”

“No one is killing him.”

Knox looks at me so intently it makes me feel as if he can see right through me and my fear. Despite his teasing tone, I know he isn’t joking. The murderous rage he had in his eyes yesterday told me that if my father turned up on his doorstep, he would kill him in a heartbeat for what he did to me.

I would hate to be around him if he found out the true extent of my father’s harm.

“Does this change our deal?” I ask.

He cocks his head to the side. “Not at all.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Working to free the Fae is what’s been keeping me going. If I had to leave and go back home, without having helped anyone and without resources for my own people, I think I would completely break.

Knox stands. “I like your company too much,” he murmurs over his shoulder as he walks out.

I snap my head toward the closed door, his admission stunning me. He likes my company? I thought he only tolerated me for my magic…

An involuntary smile creeps over my lips.