Chapter 41

41

O n the fifth and final night of King's Fair, I am dressed to kill.

To destroy.

To demolish.

Tonight is a masked ball, and as the penultimate conclusion of the festival, it promises to be the most extravagant.

Igrid has outdone herself with the final look of her collection.

It consists of a cropped, onyx metal breastplate that fits me like a second skin, contouring my body into this hard, shiny thing. It gleams like molten obsidian under the light, coating my curves in cured lava. The black skirt is paneled—a strip in front and a strip in back—held together by black chains around my hips. Igrid styles my hair poker straight, reaching like a seamless sheet of silk to my hips. The black metal mask fits over the bridge of my nose and the contours of my cheeks tightly, held in place by silver chains.

"Look at you," Igrid breathes, grasping my shoulders and spinning me toward the mirror. "Now you look like a Dragon Rider."

I look fierce. Tough. Sexy.

I turn and wrap her in a tight embrace.

"What's that for, missy?" She pulls back, blue eyes wide.

"For being my first friend here. I'll never forget it. You were kind to me when I needed it most."

"It was easy to be kind to you." She squeezes me gently before retreating from the room.

Voices sound in the hall, drawing my attention. I gather the panels of my skirt in my hands and make my way to the door, reminding myself not to trip in my four-inch heels as I swing it open.

Jace and Zadyn stand outside my room, locked in some heated debate.

"—talk some sense into her for once. She won't listen to me," Jace says to Zadyn.

"I wonder why." Zadyn's tone is flat.

"I'm sorry, do you have something to say to me?" Jace challenges, taking an intimidating step toward Zadyn. "Because I think there's a lot to be had out between you and me."

"Oh, I could say plenty, but I won't do that because she—" Zadyn notices me shift inside the doorway and does a double take when he sees my getup. Jace follows his distracted gaze. I feel both sets of eyes travel up and down my body as they fall silent, argument temporarily paused.

"What are you two looking at?" I stand with my hands on my hips, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"You're going to let her do this looking like that ?" Jace gestures to my body.

"First off, she's free to do whatever she wants. And second, I don't see how what she looks like is any of your concern," Zadyn says smartly, breezing past me into the room to pour himself a drink from the diamond decanter. He leans against the table as he takes a sip, his black sleeveless shirt clinging to his muscled torso.

"What are you two going on about?" I cross over to Zadyn, holding out my hand for a sip.

"We're talking about you quite literally flirting with the enemy," Jace says, clutching his mask in his hand.

"It's not real. It's acting." I wave a dismissive hand. "Playing a part temporarily to find answers that might be useful to us."

I take a swig of the liquor and hand it back to Zadyn. The two of them track me as I move to the mirror and slip on a pair of dangling diamond earrings.

"While I can agree that Kylian is dangerous, Serena knows what she's doing," Zadyn says tightly. Jace huffs a humorless laugh.

"Of course, you agree with her. Why did I expect you to do anything but pacify her?"

"You know what? I really am not a fan of this overprotective bullshit. I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself." I shoot Jace a sharp look in the mirror.

"You're so damn stubborn." He runs his hand through his hair in frustration.

Good.

I hope I get under his skin half as deep as he gets under mine.

"Look, I'm not stupid enough to go anywhere alone with him. It's just a little harmless flirting to get him to open up, to trust me."

"He won't stop at flirting," Jace bites, his eyes bugging. "You give him a few coy smiles, some innocent touches, and he will take whatever he wants. Do not encourage him," he warns sternly .

I turn and stalk up to him, stopping an inch away from his face.

"Is this because you're actually worried for my safety or because you don't want me within ten feet of any other male?"

Furious, Jace growls in my face, his upper lip curling back slightly. But Zadyn is there, a buffer between us, preventing Jace from getting any closer.

I knew that would rile him. And that's exactly the reaction I had hoped for.

"We'll be close by. If he tries anything or so much as touches her without permission, he loses a hand," Zadyn says, his voice a calm threat.

I turn from both of them.

"Don't you two have girlfriends to worry about?" I lean a hip against the vanity, crossing my ankles, then toss a glance at Jace. "A fiancé in your case?"

"Cece is hardly my girlfriend," Zadyn huffs, turning red. But Jace goes still as death.

"It's beside the point," I say with dismissive finality. "I'm doing it. Now, can we go so I can make my grand entrance in this masterpiece and watch his jaw crack hitting the floor?"

I straighten, smoothing my skirt. When none of them answers, I glide forward, linking my arms through theirs, and tow them into the hall beside me.

"Would it be terribly cliché to tell you how devastating you look?"? *

Draped across the red velvet alcove with a considerable amount of leg on display, I glance up to see Kylian standing over me, bare-chested save the epaulet of raven feathers covering his broad shoulders. His thick-lashed siren eyes peer at me from behind a simple black mask.

I told the guys to make themselves scarce to give Kylian an opening. They're undoubtedly close by—hovering—even though I can't see them from my vantage point.

"Never cliché if it's true." I flash him a killer smile.

"Well, in that case, you're stunning. You're just missing one small thing."

I sit up as Kylian slides into the booth beside me and opens his fist. In his hand appears a velvet rectangular box, which he gently extends to me.

"Open it," he commands softly, his naked chest grazing my elbow. I give him a beguiling smile as I slowly pry open the box. I can't help the gasp that escapes me.

Rubies.

A three-inch wide choker of dazzling rubies.

My fingers ghost over the glittering scarlet gems as I clutch my chest in false sentiment. "I can't accept this," I breathe.

"Yes, you can. I had it made specifically for you." He pushes the necklace toward me gently and I give him a look. He had it made after knowing me for less than five days?

"Put it on me?" I will my voice to sound girlish and hopeful. His stunning eyes flash before he eases the choker around my neck and takes his time clasping it. His hands slide over my shoulders with the proprietary touch of a male who thinks he owns someone, body and soul.

Kylian leads me to the dance floor. With the eyes of a thousand on us, I play the part of enamored prospect. Standing in his arms, I realize he's one of those men who takes up all the space in the room. He sucks up the air, leaving none for the rest of us.

Everything about him is inviting. Alluring. Attractive .

I know it runs in his bloodline, this compelling siren magic. I can't trust anything I feel around him. I can't trust how my body reacts to his touch, how he draws me close and looks down at me with searing intensity.

I wonder what it would be like to be loved by him. To have him lay me down on a soft bed and ravish me. He would tear the clothes from my body using only his teeth. He would kiss every square inch?—

I cut the thoughts off abruptly, my eyes snapping up to his as the spell shatters.

Was he just in my head?

Those were not my own thoughts. Which is slightly terrifying. A slow, sensual smile spreads on his lips. A smile that tells me I'm right.

He pulls me into a dance before I can think of what to say.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he says, his voice lullaby soft.

Are you now.

"Thank you," I force myself to say.

"Were you close?"

"I didn't know her for long, but I liked her a lot," I admit truthfully.

"It's tragic, really, the loss of a life so young. The responsible party will be found and dealt with. I give you my word." His voice reeks of false promise. "I hope tonight can offer you a small diversion, if only temporary."

"It's off to a promising start." I flash him a million-dollar smile as Jace whirs past with Sorscha, neither of them looking too thrilled behind their masks. I can sense his watchful eyes on me.

"I was wondering if I may call on you tomorrow. Take you into the city for a bit of fun."

"Tomorrow? I'm booked," I say dramatically with a loud sigh .

"Is that right?" He pulls me tighter to him, a hound on the scent of challenge.

"It is," I purr.

"The day after then."

"I'll check my schedule."

He chuckles as the dance comes to an end and tips my chin up—something urgent bubbling beneath the soft touch.

"Busy female." He shakes his head, his eyes roaming over my face. "Let me spoil you."

"Sounds tempting."

"Oftentimes, just on the other side of temptation is pleasure. A painful sort of pleasure, but pleasure nonetheless."

"The King is a hedonist. How shocking."

"We all have vices." His cruel mouth twists into a devastating smile, and I truly have to struggle to keep my mind closed to him, to keep him from invading my thoughts and planting his own there.

"I'm afraid I'm about to add you to the list of mine." His voice is a caress against my cheek.

Jace, Zadyn, and Kai stand together, off to the side, their faces tight and stances tense. Kai's expression is a mixture of disgust and horror. Zadyn's fists are balled at his sides, and Jace's hand slides not so subtly to the hilt of his sword.

But I can't bring myself to care.

Not with Kylian standing so close and smelling so good. I subtly inhale his intoxicating scent and force myself to hold his gaze without blinking.

Those sea-blue eyes drift to my mouth, and a wild thrill shoots through me. A sense of power at the thought of him wanting me. He draws closer, slowly lowering his lips to mine as my eyes flutter shut.

I'm no longer playing a game .

I've become the game, and Kylian is winning—conquering—just a hair's breadth away from claiming his prize.

My fingers curl into the feathers of his shoulder piece, and I find my lips parting patiently for him.

The moment our lips touch, the screams erupt.

I jump, putting some distance between Kylian and me. My hand flies to my mouth as if it could erase the almost kiss.

But that's not the biggest problem.

Because the shouts surrounding us are growing louder and more urgent. I reel toward Jace and Zadyn, who are already cutting through the masked crowd to get to me.

That's when I see them. The beastly creatures from the maze are everywhere, clawing people down and feasting on their blood in horrifyingly gruesome displays. Their massive black forms transform the room into a nightmare instantaneously.

Kylian draws his sword and dives into action, cutting down any creature that gets within a foot of me. I snap myself out of my frozen horror, dashing for Jace and Zadyn, but I lose them in the frantic mob. My voice is swallowed by the surrounding chaos as I scream their names. I trip over dead bodies and bloody limbs, trying not to gag and praying that no one I know or love is amongst the fallen.

People push and pull in every direction, and the Stryga attack relentlessly. With the crowd this thick, using magic would do more harm than good. I won't get a clear shot at the beasts without someone else getting hurt or worse—killed.

If I can reach my friends, I can shadow us away.

But I can't find them. I can barely see over the swarm of frightened fae. I need to get to the dais—to a higher vantage point.

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake.

And the chandeliers begin to fall .

One after another, the ruby fixtures clatter to the floor, their magic tethers snapped. A new wave of screams breaks out as the massive chandeliers crush the beautiful fae beneath their weight.

I can't watch. I have to do something.

I reach for my dagger while summoning my magic, but something hard clamps down around my wrist, and I feel my magic sputter out and die. My knees buckle, but before I collapse onto the floor and am trampled, a set of arms breaks my fall.

I don't see who they belong to before I fade into darkness.

* ? Cue: Devil Like Me by Rainbow Kitten Surprise