Chapter 7 The Price Of Power - Sweeney

• THE PRICE OF POWER - SWEENEY
• PRINCE SWEENEY
• She told me to go back to sleep. As if it were that simple.
• I closed my eyes, feigning indifference, my breathing steady and calm, but tranquility was the last thing I felt. My mind was restless, my thoughts tangled. Meridian's voice lingered in the air, soft yet troubled, and the faint scent of her sweat mixed with her natural fragrance—wild and pure—invaded my senses. It was maddening. I had to fight the urge to lean closer, to inhale her deeply.
• Instead, I forced myself to remain still, muscles tense beneath the blanket. I could feel her beside me, just a breath away, her presence like a flame burning dangerously close to my skin. The darkness of the room offered no refuge. Her words echoed in my mind.
• **Wars, deaths, chaos, creatures...** she dreamed. Of chaos, of loss, of her forgotten past. She spoke of it so casually, but I could hear the weight in her voice, the fragility she tried to hide behind her stoic facade.
• Against my will, I opened my eyes, turning my head ever so slightly. She was sitting up, her back to me, the faint glow of moonlight outlining her silhouette. Her hair, damp from her dream, clung to her skin.
• I shut my eyes again, gripping the sheets between my fingers. Her scent still hung in the air, taunting me, testing my resolve.
• I waited for the shadows to engulf me, ignoring the unrest in my mind. It wasn’t unusual for a stray thought or two to creep in, planting seeds of doubt. But this time felt different.
• It’s not like I don’t know my own story—I know exactly what I was bred to be.
• My kingdom wasn’t built on peace, especially not after my father delved into dark magic, and we were exiled as demons.
• I remember when my mother died. I was only four years old. Our kingdom was small then, and my father always promised we’d have the world at our feet one day. The truth is, my father had a brother who controlled part of the kingdom. A territorial dispute began, and my father lost. We were cast out, and he swore vengeance and power.
• It’s a long story, but I remember the day darkness consumed us, transforming us into wielders of dark magic. Everything my father achieved came through cunning and the sacrifices of countless lost souls along the way. For a long time, my conscience bore the weight of it, but as the darkness took hold, I began to understand: this is the price of power, the price of conquest. We are seen as demons, wielders of forbidden magic, but even we have our limits, our rules.
• My role has always been to lead, to strategize, to be the prince. But my father, in secret, prepared me for a greater mission. That mission was lying right beside me. And the worst part? She was different. There was something about her that sharpened my senses... She dreamed! The last time I dreamed, I was ten years old.
• I dreamed of my mother. She told me to make the right choices and never let anyone dictate my destiny. That night, after those words, shadows appeared and took her. I heard her screams, the eerie laughter. From that moment, I understood—we were shadow mages, and my nights would be nothing but darkness from then on. It didn’t bother me, really; after all, I’m an Umbrano.
• But her... the fact that she dreamed intrigued me. Because even though I knew who she was, she’d been here long enough to become one of us. Yet, the absence of shadows in her dreams showed me she hadn’t lost her essence. And that meant double the work for me.
• Let’s not pretend she isn’t stunning. Her body, always clad in leather armor, catches my attention. The way she moves, her sharp wit and focus—they excite me. And that will make this all the easier. Yes, I want to f*** her, and it’s not hard to imagine it. The challenge will be making her break her oath for me.
• I admit it’s a thrill. I’m not sentimental—my emotions were exiled the day I stopped dreaming. This mission has been mine since I was fifteen, and I’m ready for it. I’ve been trained to handle her. I just don’t know if she’s been trained to handle me.
• Will she break her vow of honor to sleep with the prince? We’ll see.