My chest tightened, a hole forming in my heart as I stared up at my childhood friend, the Prince of Evermore, Henry. I pulled my hand from his grip, feeling his burning touch bruise my skin. “You what?” I gasp out, my eyes frantically scanning his tan freckled face, checking for a lie in those gold eyes. “I love you, Edith.” He smiled wickedly at me, stepping closer with a light tap of his dress shoes. I’d never felt this way in his presence, so unsafe in the- his royal library we stood in. His power was suffocating as he loomed over me, the muscles in his shoulders contracting under his jacket as if he was moments from snatching me. My gaze scanned the room, marking four exits. The door, the window, the stairs, and the book that sat on the old wicker table that stood beside us. If I used the door, there may be a guard posted and there was no way in hell he’d let me leave if the prince ordered him to block the front door of the castle. The window was impossible, it would take too much time to unhook the latches. The stairs would lead me to the library and I had no idea if there was an exit there. Now, the book….it would teleport me out. But, I may be teleported to a different town, city, or…even, kingdom. I had no idea where it would take me…but it would be a perfect escape from this painful situation.

“You’d make a wonderful Queen, a wonderful mother to the next heir,” He purred, brushing a finger against my cheek. I winced, it felt like a burn. Prince Henry scowled at my response and leaned in close to my face. “It is an honor, Edith. Accept it. Accept the proposal.”

“Never….” I whispered hoarsely, my voice wavering as I stared up at him through tear filled eyes. Blindly, I reached for the book, my fingertips pressing into the leather. “I will never marry you, Henry.”

Before he could speak, I felt the dark power of the book surge through my flesh. It felt as if the air from my lungs was ripped from me. A dark matter surrounded me, my gaze still on Henry’s angry, yet heartbroken eyes. It felt like a century looking at him. My childhood friend, my safety net…I could almost hear us laughing as children as I stared at him.

A breath later, I was swallowed up into darkness