The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (13 page)

When he went to bed, Summer had been on the edge of the bed, as far as she possibly could be from his side, almost like she was ready to run if he dared to touch her. She had been nearly covered from head to toe by the comforter. As Chase didn’t want to disturb her, he pulled out a different comforter from the linen closet before crawling into bed.

He wasn’t sure what time it was, but knew that it was much later than he normally woke up. But he was too comfortable to move. Or to move Summer. These moments were few and far between and he didn’t dare wake her up as she slept. Her body was soft against his as Summer was for once relaxed. He soaked up the feel of her there, knowing that once she woke up, she wouldn’t dare touch him on her own accord.

Chase dreamed about the future, and how they could live together in peace and happiness. He hoped that one day they could be like equals and share a bed like a normal married couple. But he knew it would take time. He wasn’t sure if time was on his side. He realized he cared more from this woman then he ever dreamed he could.

Summer awoke not long after Chase, but didn’t want to move. She was warm, safe, and comfortable. She could hear Chase’s heartbeat underneath her ear, his breathing even. The only indication that he was awake was the fingers that was running through her hair, keeping her calm. She didn't know why, but she enjoyed it and didn’t want to move. Maybe it was just the simple touch of him against her, or maybe deep down, Summer knew she was safe.

She couldn’t remember when she had decided to use him as a pillow; now she didn’t want to move if she didn’t have to. She was nervous about today. She wasn’t sure meeting everyone in a few hours for lunch was the best idea. What if they didn’t like her?

She knew she’d have to talk, there would be no getting out of it. She’d answer what she had to, but that would be it. She would only talk because Chase wanted her to do so. She didn’t fear him, exactly, but she wanted to please him. There was just something about him that demanded respect from her. Summer was sure that if she had a different life, she’d still give this man the respect he deserved.

After a few more minutes of lying there, staying relaxed as she didn’t want to face the day, Summer finally moved her head, rolling her body so she could see bright green eyes. Chase seemed relaxed, enjoying having her right where she was. He hoped, God he hoped, that he could wake up more often like this. His smile was wide, breathtaking, as he gazed at her, his hand still in her hair. His own hair was spread out around his head, creating a halo almost.

“Good morning, Princess,” Chase said, his voice still filled with sleep, even after being awake for more than half an hour.

“Mornin’,” she yawned, closing her eyes making her miss his wide smile, happy that she was willing to talk.

"Sleep well?" he asked once her light eyes met his again.

She nodded, her cheeks turning pink as she remembered how she was laying on him. She then began to move, sitting up and Chase’s hand slipped from her hair. Briefly, he was disappointed that she moved, but masked it before she could see. She padded to the en-suite, doing her business. After brushing her hair out, she turned to face the door, but yelped in fright, a hand quickly going over her beating heart.

Chase stood in the doorway, leaning against the door arch, scratching his stomach that had a nice six pack. He worked out at least a couple times a week, more if he was able to. He watched Summer’s eyes lingering on his chest and was glad he kept his body in shape
. Maybe he should have Summer and Clare join working out with him. Be good for both of them
, he thought, holding in a laugh before apologizing for scaring her.

Once her pounding heart was back to a more normal rhythm, she passed him with a small smile, letting him into the bathroom. She made her way downstairs, running into Clare who was coming up the stairs.

“Oh, hi, Summer,” Clare spoke, turning around to keep the older girl company. She was already dressed for the day, her hair pulled back in a crown like braid. “Breakfast is whatever you find to eat this morning. Chase said to not worry about it last night. And we have to leave here around noon for lunch at his parent’s house.”

“Oh, okay,” Summer said quietly. Clare tried to not make a huge deal about her sister talking, hoping that alone would encourage her to talk more.

“Can I do your hair after you take a shower?” Clare asked as she sat at the table, waiting for Summer to get a bowl of cereal after starting the coffee for Chase.

“If you want to,” Summer said with a shrug. Truthfully, she would love to have Clare do her hair, as Summer had no idea what to do with it. Her brown hair had a mind of its own and she never really cared how it looked.

But meeting with Chase’s family seemed important to him, and in turn Summer, so she did want to look her best.

Summer just finished her breakfast when Chase entered, his phone stuck to his ear. He smiled at the girls, before answering a question that was apparently asked. He still wore his pj’s – a black pair of cotton pants and no shirt, showcasing his family name tattoo under a black dragon. Summer tried to not listen, but it was kind of hard to do. Just as hard as it was to keep her eyes off of his bare skin.

Chase had gotten a call from Ryder, his cousin who is an agent for the FBI. Ryder usually always called after Chase gave a location to find someone. It helped to keep everyone on the same page.

“Those two guys yesterday had warrants out, of course. The warrants are for stealing cars from one of the ports by the ocean,” Ryder said, his voice thick with the accent he’d always had.  Although he was born in Michigan, his parents had strictly spoken Italian. So Ryder had a mix of southern Italian tang to his voice. “Also, they were wanted for questioning for a few robberies along with a few hit and runs.”

“So they will be held for a while?” Chase asked, entering the room.

“Yup. No doubt about it. They gave a few names, too, so that helps us out more than you could know,” Ryder laughed. “Now, I hear you are married. Do I get to meet your wife today at lunch?”

“Of course,” Chase said, giving said wife a soft look. “She has the same history, for the most part, as your wife.”

“Gotcha,” Ryder replied, understanding what Chase meant. “I’ll see you later, then.” With that, he hung up, knowing Chase didn’t much care for drawn out good-byes. Chase saw that it was past nine, the latest he had slept in for years. He really wasn’t hungry yet, so he took a seat at the table with just a mug of coffee.

"I ordered you both laptops, and they should be here Monday morning,” Chase stated between sips of coffee, that was made perfectly once again. Clare’s face broke out in a happy grin, while Summer’s stayed neutral. She was still stuck on the thought of waking up the way she did.

“Just remember, no social media sights at all. I will be looking to make sure, and no porn of course,” Chase went on. “If you have any questions on what you can’t look up, just ask me and I can probably get a more detailed list printed out for you if need be.”

Summer understood his reasoning once his words registered in her mind. She didn’t want her father finding her again so soon, making it miserable here. Chase was growing on her.

“Can we order stuff on shopping sites?” Clare asked excitedly.

“Yes, Clare,” Chase laughed, leaning back in his chair. “But you will have a limit on how much you can spend every month. You don’t need everything.” He wanted to teach Clare that she could have things, but also needed to budget on what she really wanted compared to things she needed. Of course, she would have everything she wanted in time, but Clare didn’t need to know that. Not yet.

Summer on the other hand, was his wife, his Princess. She would get everything she could possibly dream of, but Chase knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t order anything more than a book or two here and there, if he was lucky. Maybe she would feel comfortable enough to order any clothes she might need. And that was most likely pushing it.

Chase would be ordering her something every few days, showing just how much he cared for her, and hoped that he could, in time, earn her trust, and her full voice.

Chapter 12

Pulling up to a huge house, Clare, for once, was speechless. She sat in the back of Chase’s Audi RS 7 while Summer sat in the front. He took his time driving to his parent’s house, knowing that Summer needed a few extra minutes to get her thoughts and emotions under control.

She was filled with nerves, worried about things that were out of her control. She had dressed in the nicest pair of jeans and long sleeved shirt that she had, even with the temperatures warm once again. She felt like she needed to hide, not just herself, but her fading bruises too. She also hated the idea that this wealthy family would see who she truly was.

Clare had put Summer’s hair up in a similar fashion as hers before doing Summer’s make up. It wasn’t nearly as good as what Valerie could do, but at least it helped to hide most of the yellow blemishes on her face from the fading bruises.

Summer did switch the cross necklace with a blue jeweled necklace which had a heart. It was a gift from Chase this morning, hoping to ease her fears a little. It did help, but she was still nervous, playing with the jewel. Clare also got one, but with a red jewel instead, and it was currently around the younger girl's’ neck.

The outside of the house was outstanding. The dark red brick stood out against the white framed windows. There were at least three stories to the house, the oversized porch being held up by huge dark wooden posts. The garage doors were also wood and their color matched the posts with a small window to let natural light in.

“Wow!” Clare exclaimed as Chase helped Summer out of the car, holding her hand to keep her grounded. She was shaking and almost wished she had accepted that Zoloft before coming here.

Chase laughed at her reaction, not to make fun of her, but at her happiness. He was beginning to view her as another sister. Or maybe it was like a daughter. And that thought made him step back mentally. He didn’t want kids, but Clare was such a lightness to his dark life, and he was happy that at least one of them had made it out with few emotional scars.

He was surprised that neither of the girls had any lasting physical scars, even as they both began to heal after their ordeal. Chase had expected something, anything. But there was nothing but fading bruises. And he was filled with relief at that knowledge. Most slaves were covered in scars from different punishments, sometimes even marked by the handler that they belonged to, but not these two. He would have killed anyone that laid a hand on either girl if they did have any scars . One was already dead as it was.

“Come,” Chase said, leading the way up the stone steps and to the cherry oak double doors. Summer stayed behind him, trying to hide if it was possible. Clare on the other hand, was bouncing with energy. Chase smiled to himself thinking how well Clare and Zinna would get along; they were so much alike.

Entering into the house, they stepped into a huge entry way. The floor was dark, with light colored trim and light gray walls. A huge wide staircase was to the right of the door, leading up to the landing that looked down at the front door with a high window. A small gray bench with coat hooks sat on the left, filled with a shoes on the bottom underneath the seating area. Everything was clean, not crowded. It looked lived in, surprisingly with how much time both Kayla and Ivan were out of the house.

Chase led the girls further into the house, hearing voices in the kitchen. He had tried to be here before everyone else showed up, knowing that his father would not be thrilled when his eyes landed on his wife, and didn’t want a blow up in front of everyone, saving Summer from the words that would be sure to be spoken. But alas, he was later than he had planned.

Summer kept hidden behind Chase while Clare was step by step in line with him. Summer still wasn’t used to calling him her husband. Of course, Kayla was the first to notice, quickly walking around the huge island and giving Chase a hug, which he returned. Everyone seemed to stop talking then, too.

“Hello, Summer,” Kayla greeted her, peaking around her son at the frightened girl. She gave Summer a small encouraging smile before stepping back. “Hello Clare, dear.”

“Hi, Kayla,” Clare said, feeling shy all of a sudden. Too many eyes were on her, which she had not expected. She wanted to hide like her sister, but held strong.

In the kitchen stood Trent, Valerie, Kayla, and three other people she didn’t know and hadn’t met yet. She could guess who they were, but there was no guarantee.

“Clary!” Trent said, drawing attention to himself for a moment as he smiled widely at the small girl. He still couldn’t believe that Clare was seventeen, as she looked more like thirteen with her small frame. Trent was fond of the girl, even with only meeting her once. Chase felt Summer tense up behind him at Trent’s loud voice, so he squeezed her hand, as he hadn’t let go yet, and she didn’t pull away.

Kayla stepped back, giving her son a waiting look. She knew the girl was frightened, but Chase couldn’t let her hide forever. If the Prince expected his wife to stand by his side, he needed to stand up and get her used to the action and people now before things got hot, and not in a good way.

Chase, slowly, as to not startle Summer once more, moved his hand to wrap around her hip, bringing her flush against his side instead of behind him. She kept her eyes down, prolonging looking at everyone as long as she could. She wished at that moment that her hair would hide her face from view, but Clare had put most of it back. It didn’t stop the red blush that covered her cheeks.

“Everyone,” Chase said, mostly to the ones that had yet to meet his wife. “This is Summer. My wife.” He was tempted to add on that she was the Princess, but surely the room full of people already knew that little detail. His voice was filled with pride he felt for her. He didn’t care where she came from. All that mattered was that Summer was his.

Summer slowly looked up, leaning into Chase somewhat, and took in the group that stood before her.

Valerie kept her face calm and collected, giving her a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She hated being here, pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Trent was munching on some chips, but waved happily as his mouth was full. Kayla’s face was filled with happiness.

“You’ve met my mother, and this is Ivan, my father,” Chase said, not to just Summer, but to Clare too, who took hold of Summer’s other hand. “And then Ryder, and his wife, Zinna.” Chase glanced at his father trying to access his thoughts. His look was carefully concealed, so Chase had no luck guessing what his thoughts were.

“Hello,” Ryder said, ducking his head slightly. He had a soft understanding look upon his face. His short oval face was just a tad darker than Chase’s, and his brown eyes were filled with more knowledge than Summer would ever be able to grasp. He knew how awkward they must feel as his wife had once been in their shoes. He also hoped Zinna would possibly be a beacon for them, someone who would understand above everyone else what they had been through.

“Hi!” Zinna chirped, her white like hair styled in a strange updo with dark red tints to the end. Her dark hazel eyes had a knowing look as she bounced in place. She was anxious to get to know both the girls, as she knew what a bitch Valerie could be. Thank God for Kayla though, she had accepted Zinna into her family with open arms and she knew she would accept Clare and Summer with the same openness.

Zinna was only able to hold back from running to hug each girl because of her husband's arm that laid across her shoulders, keeping in her place. Mostly. She bounced with energy she was trying to suppress. It had taken her over a year to be so carefree with her feelings.

“Chase?” Ivan asked, cocking his head to the side, wondering why his son was with Jason Meads’ daughter. Not just one daughter, but
two
. Of course, only a handful of people knew their true blood linage, but it was enough for concern. “You do know who these two girls are, right?” His green eyes alight with knowledge. Ivan didn’t care that the two girls in question could hear him. He was wondering what his son had gotten himself into.

“Of course I do,” Chase said, expecting nothing less. “My Princess, and her sister.” He didn’t want to fight right now, not in front of Summer. She was frightened enough as it was. He made sure to keep his voice even, but strong to show it was not up to debate on at the current time. He and Ivan faced off for a couple of seconds, their eyes not blinking.

“Son, I don’t think,” Ivan began, but was interrupted by Trent. The older man’s voice was filled with disbelief and false calmness.

“Dad, he knows what he’s doing. Believe me, Summer’s a lot better off married to him than some sick dude. You know Jason had plans for Summer after she turned eighteen, and now that she’s a Princess, no one will touch her,” Trent stated. “Not if they want to live,” he muttered to himself, but knew Ivan had heard as he shot his nephew a look.

Summer was lost. What had her father really have planned for her? Was she really safer now, being Chase’s wife? Could she really trust that he only had good intentions for her? Her father never wanted anything to do with her, so what did it matter now that she was eighteen? She was so confused she didn't know head from tails anymore. Would she ever get any answers to make her understand what was going on? Did she really want answers?

“He will want her back once he knows where she is. It won’t matter to him who has her,” Ivan stated with a penetrating look. “I know him well enough to know he doesn’t let his off spring leave his watchful eye. Is it worth the price you will have to pay, Chase?” His dad just didn't get it, but Chase would protect her with his life if need be, though he didn't plan to let it come to that.

“If that was the case, then why was she in a holding cell?” Chase said angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand, while pulling Summer closer to him as she shook in fear. “If Meads wanted her, he should have kept her safe; treated her better. Not treated her like an animal. Summer wouldn’t have been kept in a cell like some rowdy lion in a zoo! She’s a person, dad, and my wife, and she
will
be shown respect!”

“Calm down, son,” Ivan stated. “I mean no harm to either of you, but you must be careful. That man won’t stop until he gets what he wants.” Ivan shook his head as he wondered just how deep Chase’s feelings were for this girl. He had known Chase was up to something, but this . . . this was something he never expected. He wasn’t sure how to tell his son that this decision could very well end up killing the entire family.

“I will kill him. You know as well as I. I
don’t
break my promises,” Chase said, then took a few deep, calming breaths. He had to calm down, as his girl was already on edge and his yelling wasn’t going to help. His arm around her tightened as he pressed his face to her hair inhaling more deep breaths.

He turned so he was facing Summer who had a teary disappointed look on her face. Cupping her face, he waited until her lighter eyes met his soft look. He chose his words carefully as he prepared to speak to her. He had to convince her he would protect her and her sister from that vile man.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Summer,” he promised before kissing her forehead tenderly. She tried to not melt into the kiss, but it was impossible.

“Nor you, Clare,” he said, turning his eyes to the other girl, seeing her looking at the floor.

Clare looked up at her name, giving Chase a look that spoke volumes. She knew how life worked, even if she didn’t know Jason. But Clare did know that when a man wanted something bad enough, that man would do just about anything to get it someway, somehow. And she knew he’d use any means necessary.

“It will all work out,” Zinna piped up, breaking the tension, her eyes knowing. “He’ll die when the time is right. And Summer won’t be subjected to his plans much longer.”

“Zinna, sweetie,” Ryder said, not sure what he was trying to say. He knew Zinna was right about her 'insights' more than not, but he didn't want her falling apart if she was wrong.

“It’s okay, Ryder. Thank you,” Chase said, giving her a smile and small nod of his head. Zinna was always a little strange. She had always said she just knew things; it was just who she was.

Chase pulled Summer to his side once more, until he saw the one person he wanted to surprise walk into the kitchen. Her smile was bright, her face beginning to line with age. Light blondish gray hair was pulled into a messy bun. She looked just like he remembered her, even after several months of not seeing her.