Foxy Tales

“You have to trust me,” I said softly, realising what a reach that would be for her.
Roxy cleared her throat, contempt lining the sound and letting me know in no uncertain terms that she didn’t see that happening.
I opened my eyes while she concentrated on it, watching her while she kept her lids closed, a small frown pinching her brow as she tried to do as I’d said.
I stole the chance to look at her unobserved, and that pull I’d felt on the very first day I’d set my eyes on her seemed to tug in my chest, drawing my gaze to the curve of her lips and making my throat thicken. I really never had seen a girl as beautiful as her. Even her sister didn’t seem to compare for some reason, which made no sense as they were identical, and yet I had never once confused them for one another. Roxy was just…different.
I didn’t even know what it was that drew me in so much. If it had simply been her looks then I could have put it down to wanting to fuck her and nothing more, but it wasn’t only that. It was the way she looked at me and seemed to see something more than others ever did. The way she refused to let my position govern the way she treated me or felt about me, and how endlessly fierce she was, no matter how hard I pushed her. Yes,
it was infuriating, but it only deepened my obsession every time I was in her presence, no matter what outcome came of it.

Because my mind kept wandering back to the room somewhere below my feet where a girl with a smart mouth and furious temper sat in her room with a smug look on her face, knowing she’d forced me to give her what she wanted. And the worst thing of all about that, was that a part of me was actually looking forward to tutoring her with her fire magic, because I really wanted to find out what she was capable of, and I even found myself wanting to hear her insulting me and calling me out again. I just couldn’t figure out why.

She was standing her ground and holding her own because that was what she was, who she was. Roxanya Vega, heir to the throne of Solaria and one of the two most powerful Elementals born to our generation and beyond. She wasn’t a fool; she was simply Fae. And beyond that, even deeper than the beauty of her features or the strength of her character, I could feel the ancient hum of the truth of her because she really was a princess, the very last of the royal line, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was starting to realise that for herself.
Something intangible passed between us in that moment, and I couldn’t help but think that we were truly looking at one another at last, seeing beyond the problems of our own circumstances and facing the reality of our rivalry and the tension forced between us. But there was more to us than just that. We were both playing the same game, even if we were on opposing sides, so maybe we could learn how to play it together.
“How about a trade then?” I suggested, lowering my voice and leaning closer to her as if I couldn’t help myself, wondering if we might just be able to come to an agreement over this without it having to resort to war. “I’ll tutor you like I said, if you and your sister come to this party willingly, make nice with my father, wear a pretty dress, and make some attempt to behave like you’re civilised.”