Kissed by a Dark Prince (Volume 1) by Felicity Heaton Read Free Book Online

time. Her heart ached. She rubbed the spot on her chest and stifled the tears that threatened to come. “Are you unwell?”
    Olivia shook her head, touched by his concern and the gentle way he brushed his knuckles across her cheek.
    She sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders, shoving the pain away and locking it back within her heart.
    “What kind are you then? Just what species are you a prince of?” Would he finally give her the answer to the question that had plagued her from the moment she had set eyes on him? He owed her a little honesty since he had pulled her into a messed up war.
    “Elvenkind.”
    Olivia’s eyebrows shot up. “Elves? The elven species are supposed to be extinct... little more than myths... and you expect me to believe you are an elf?”
    He had pointed ears, sure, but he also had fangs and was darkness made flesh. She had always imagined elves would be fair-haired and nature friendly, not black-haired with a penchant for drinking people to death.
    He was beautiful though, and tall. She was overly aware of his stature as he closed the gap between them again and she had to tip her head back to keep her eyes on his.
    “We are not extinct. We merely left the mortal realm and for good reason. Mankind had become increasingly violent, waging war against demonkind and the fae.” His expression blackened, as if he were recalling the bloodshed he spoke of. “They hungered for violence, butchering our kind until many of the weaker harmless and defenceless species were extinct. We withdrew from the world, fearing the cruel acts would taint our souls.”
    And turn them wicked no doubt. Had the vampires stemmed from the elves who had remained behind, their souls blackened by the violent nature of mankind?
    “How long ago was that?” she said, her curiosity getting the better of her again.
    “Close to fifty centuries have passed since I lost my father and withdrew my people from the mortal realm. I have not set foot in that world since forty-two centuries ago, when I went to war with Vail.”
    Olivia couldn’t take that in. Almost five thousand years since he had moved his people and over four thousand two hundred years since he had been in her world. He was old. Very old. Damn ancient. Was Vail the name of his enemy?
    “Why were you here this time?” she said with a frown.
    “I did not consciously move from my realm to yours.” He averted his gaze and it picked up that conflicted edge it had whenever he was thinking about his enemy.
    The man had injured him, rendered him unconscious, and then dropped him into her world.
    Olivia paused. “Wait... what realm is this?”
    “It is not your world.” His smile was wicked.
    It did a funny thing to her insides that should have been illegal.
    Olivia’s gaze slid off to her left, towards the tall arched doors and the flowing curtains. Not her world. Her eyes slowly widened.
    The scientist in her found that fascinating.
    Beyond the walls of this building, there was another world, one filled with creatures she might never have heard of before.
    The woman in her was petrified.
    “I want to go home now.”
    “I cannot allow that.”
    Olivia snapped her attention back to him and fixed him with a scowl. “Why not?”
    “Because you are bound to me... my mate.”
    He didn’t have to say it like that, in a deep husky voice that sent another unwanted hot shiver dancing over her skin, making it ache for his touch. It didn’t matter what had happened. She was not staying here and she was not being his mate.
    “Why did he do this?” There had to be a reason. The prince had said his enemy had done it to make him suffer.
    “Vail sought to bond us to weaken me and make me vulnerable, and therefore grant him a shot at killing me.”
    That wasn’t right. His logic was screwy and he was hiding something.
    Olivia folded her arms across her chest. “Your enemy could have killed you rather than dump you at my door. I still don’t get why you haven’t