Mated To The Cruel Prince novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182: Love Me Like Valerie

Islinda woke up to glowing blue eyes in the dark and let out a startled gasp until she recognized the familiar outline.

"Seriously, Aldric," She groaned out loud, falling right back on her bed and wiping her palm down her face.

Islinda attempted to catch her breath, her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest. These Faeries were going to be the death of her. She would surely die from a heart attack, Islinda was sure of it.

Satisfied with nearly scaring the life out of her, Aldric finally turned on the light and she was able to make out his features. Of course, the dark prince was his usual cheerful self and it crossed her mind that she had never seen him sad aside from the occasional times she saw the pained grief in his eyes but he blinked it away before she could dwell on it.

"You are finally back to the living, sleeping beauty. I heard someone had a dramatic reaction to Maxi’s revelation of being a dark Fae horse shifter," Aldric boldly announced with that usual goofy grin on his face that she had been tempted so many times to slap off.

"Let me be, Aldric," Islinda said to him wearily while stretching out her body. She was really not in the mood to banter with him. She added, "You dark Fae’s are all the same."

Aldric’s expression shifted at that response, his darkened gaze boring into hers, "So you’re trying to say you won’t befriend Maxi because she’s a dark Fae," He sounded a bit disappointed.

Islinda paused in the middle of her stretching and stared at him, "I did not say that. However, it would have been better if she had been honest with me from the start so I know what I was getting into. Although now that I think about it..." She scratched the back of her head, "there had been no time for her to tell me the truth since we had been having fun all night."

"Moreover...." Islinda was a bit shy as she admitted, "I think I like her. She’s straightforward, assertive, protective, and kind."

Aldric’s mouth twitched at the declaration that his horse shifter was kind when she was the opposite of it. Just how had Maxi fooled poor Islinda into thinking that way? Aldric fought hard to keep the laughter in because, by the gods, this was the most hilarious description of Maxi he has ever heard. Even Issac was not fooled by her.

"Also, I don’t think it’s right to judge someone without getting to know them personally all because of the stereotype placed on them or their origin."

Aldric knew she was hinting at his dark Fae heritage and was interested in the conversation.

"Really?" He said intrigued, leaning closer even though he was seated on the edge of her bed.

"Exactly," Aldric agreed, his eyes alive with a fierce glint that stole the breath from her lungs. The menacing aura around him made Islinda gulp and she realized that the side of Aldric that scared her was back - the predator side.

"Aldric...." She said nervously, trying not to be scared, having an inkling this was his usual game. Aldric was not going to hurt her, at least not physically. Although he knew many ways he could break her.

However, her words fell on deaf ears because the dark prince got on the bed and crawled towards her. He hovered over her while Islinda lay in between his propped arms. She wanted to shrink into the bed but there was no way to go and was completely at Aldric’s mercy.

Aldric glanced down at her with his deep eyes that seemed to convey so many conflicting emotions that she couldn’t grasp on, not to think of understanding. He then pulled himself down over her, and tugged her hair away from her face, saying in a low, sensuous voice,

"You said you don’t judge, Islinda, but I find that hard to believe which is why I’m curious. It had me thinking If Valerie was not in the picture ...." His dark searching eyes bored into hers, "If I was the one you had first encountered in the human realm, would you have loved me the same way you loved Valerie?"

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