Twenty

EVE

"Ah, I see the clothing fits."

I blinked and glanced up from where I sat on the chaise lounge next to Shyllon, my fingers clenched around one of the many silk pillows surrounding us.

The party was in full swing, but I barely noticed the dozens of fae and humans alike who clustered here every night to party, drink, and fuck. And they seemed to lose interest in me after a few nights of me doing absolutely nothing but sitting by Shyllon's side, a dull statue who had nothing interesting to say or do.

"Yes, thank you," I murmured back, fingering the edge of the fur trim on my long dress made of thick, warm wool.

The amount of clothing Calten and I had returned with seemed laughable, but after a few days here, I understood why: the mornings and nights were bitterly cold, but midday to dusk could get unbearably hot. The disparate temperatures were difficult to adjust to, and they didn't seem to affect the fae as much as they did the humans. The cold had barely impacted the prisoner fae who'd competed in the games.

Alihandro hadn't been back here since that first night. I felt oddly abandoned, even though logically I knew that no one here owed me anything. And yet … It still hurt.

"It's so good to see a new crop of humans. It always freshens things up," said a fae who was talking to Shyllon as I sat dully at his side. Clearly, he was talking about me.

"Yes, quite," Shyllon responded, shooting me a concerned look. "Eve?"

I jerked, and obediently flashed a smile. The fae grinned back, showing his fangs and patting me on the head like a clever pet. The moment he turned his back, my smile died.

Every night Shyllon held these parties that demanded my attendance, but I wasn't required to do anything. Fae nobles came and partied, had sex, ate and drank. Every night.

What was the point?

"They will leave soon. It's an early night," Shyllon continued.

I perked up, but he only sighed at me.

"What?" I asked, wary.

"The king is coming. He said he had a surprise for you," Shyllon said, sitting up and resting his hands on his knees, fingers kneading into his muscles. I frowned, realizing he was dressed much more formally than his normal pristine tunic and breeches. A purple sash across his chest was pinned with a diamond brooch. His shined boots reflected the candlelight back at me. Why had it taken me so long to notice?

"Not a nice surprise then," I surmised.

Shyllon huffed. "Your intelligence makes this easier for me, but it won't make what's coming better for you."

"And that is—"

"And remember—"

"Don't eat the food," I answered tiredly.

Shyllon frowned at my dull expression. "Right. I don't want anyone poisoning my favored princess. Behave yourself."

It was on the tip of my tongue to respond, but that would prove I wasn't behaving myself, so I kept silent, wrapping my fur-lined cloak around my body. I could never seem to shake the constant chill that filtered into the open windows at night.

The night dwindled, and sure enough, the partygoers left much earlier than usual. That didn't bode well. Wouldn't they want to be around to see their king? Unless they didn't know, and Fennis was coming just to see me.

Oh, goody.

"Come. It's time."

Wordlessly, I followed Shyllon out of the party room and down the hall. I had to take the grand staircase two steps at a time to keep up with him. He turned and went down the back hallway, disappearing into two large double doors on the left.

My skirts swished around the corner as I turned after him, my lips parting in shock at the massive audience chamber before me. I kept forgetting just how enormous this manor was.

The king was already there, sitting primed and ready atop a small throne, hands steepled together as his eyes went straight to me, one dark eyebrow raised. I was prepared for all of that.

Guards surrounded him, and that wasn't unexpected either.

What I hadn't thought I'd see was the figure on his knees at Fennis's feet like an obedient dog.

"Ellis," I croaked out.

On the one hand, I was ecstatic to see him alive and well. On the other hand … I hoped he hadn't made a deal with the devil on my behalf. That would be such an Ellis thing to do … hopefully not to our overall detriment.

Worry burrowed a hole in my gut, chewing away at my insides.

The king grinned nastily.

Focus on what truly mattered: Ellis looked well—better than well, actually. His thin frame looked less so, his skin not nearly as translucent as it had been during the Royal Hunt. Pink flushed his cheeks as I walked in, but he kept his head resolutely down, staring at the floor and not at me. He was dressed like the other fae in a fine silk tunic and breeches with black leather boots.

But how was he? I had to find out. I couldn't tell anything from how he stared blankly at the ground, not acknowledging me when I entered the room.

"Ellis!" I rushed forward, but Shyllon caught me around my waist with one arm and held me back.

The king smirked. "Ah, ah. Don't touch. He's become my daughter's favorite new plaything."

Ellis jerked, but didn't move otherwise. My jaw dropped, but I quickly closed it. If the king wanted to drive a wedge between us using that, I wouldn't let him. I'd been getting my kicks with a certain male fae as well.

The king leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I know he's a half-breed, but perhaps the human side is stronger and more corrupted. Tell me, is it a human affectation? You all do seem so terribly lusty."

Coming from the king with a thousand kids with mixed heritage, that was the pot calling the kettle black for sure.

Shyllon's hold on me tightened, but I knew better than to let the king's taunts get to me.

The king laughed at Shyllon's protection. "Didn't take long to fuck the first fae to flutter his eyes at you, did it?"

"You forced us into this," Ellis grit out.

The guards snickered as the king snorted greedily soaked up the attention of the sycophants around him.

"That's up for debate," Fennis argued. "Too bad my progeny swooped in and claimed her before the real fun could get started," he drawled, "when my son finally fucked her, it was her choice, and she wasn't forced. Right, Alihandro?"

My heart clenched as Alihandro stepped out from behind the line of guards, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

Shyllon's grip was steel around my waist, but the pain of his nails digging into my gut grounded me.

"What were the exact words you used to describe her consent?" the king asked Alihandro, twisting around in his seat with glee.

" ‘Please. Yes. I want you.' " Alihandro repeated dutifully and with no inflection.

Nausea churned in my stomach as Ellis's face paled. I wanted to blurt out that it wasn't what he was thinking, but that wasn't a conversation I could have in front of everyone! And it … It was so much more complicated than that.

"You're lying," Ellis snarled at the king and Alihandro. "She was coerced. She had no choice. She—"

"Was inconsolable when she learned of my brother's preferences," Alihandro cut in smoothly. "I did my duty to console her as best I could." He smirked, his face a picture of cold indifference that made him unrecognizable to me.

I tried to take a physical step back, but Shyllon's broad chest was there, stopping me.

Always stopping me.

"Pity you didn't know all this before you made your little deal, eh?" the king taunted Ellis. He was so giddy I was surprised he wasn't clapping his hands together like a little kid.

"What deal?" I choked out, trying to focus on this new information.

The king stood, twirling his fingers around in the air. This must have been a known gesture, because the guards moved in around Shyllon and me.

"The deal was that in exchange for you, he'd become my personal little informant, and help me with some other projects. I didn't anticipate Fallon taking such a … liking to him, but it's only fair. My favored sons have their dalliances; she may have hers."

I wasn't sure how I felt learning that Ellis was getting his on just as much as I was. Relieved of guilt? Angry? Had he done this to better his own situation or help me? Or both?

Fennis's fangs flashed. "It's high time we finally raze your world completely and rebuild it." He paused. "Of course, this will mean taking anyone of suitable breeding stock beforehand, since everyone and everything else will die, but that's the sacrifice that must be made. Magick will reinvigorate the land, and it should be ready for you in a few hundred years. Perhaps we'll turn it into a vacation home? Or maybe a permanent prison? Ours are getting so crowded."

Peri's devastated, tortured face rose in my mind and I snapped. I moved so fast Shyllon wasn't prepared as I broke his grip and shot forward at the king. I made it within a foot of him before the guards caught me, their superior speed winning out in the end. My fist shot up and skimmed the edge of his nose before a hand shot out around my neck and yanked me back, slamming me into the ground as though I weighed no more than a teddy bear.

Pain exploded in my chest and back. The candles in the ceiling danced overhead, moving on their own accord.

"You swore you wouldn't hurt her! Part of the deal is keeping her safe!" Ellis's voice sliced through the air above me, enraged.

The king's laugh cut through my temples like a knife. "Teaching the girl her proper place is keeping her safe. Besides, the deal was I can't hurt her." He eyed Ellis like a particularly juicy cut of meat. "And she's not the only one who apparently needs to be reminded of status."

A cold wind sliced through the room. Icy tendrils sliced underneath my warm clothes and gripped my spine, goosebumps erupting across my flesh.

Magick.

A slow grin stretched across Fennis's face. Whatever he had just come up with, I was going to hate it.

"To remind you to keep your place, I'm sending both of you to one of the prison camps. You've been taking my hospitality for granted. At least the princess knows to make good of what opportunities I give to her." The king leered at me, his dark hair hanging down toward me.

Shyllon stiffened against me, but Alihandro simply moved back into his spot, face expressionless.

Despair and rage flooded through me at his betrayal. Stupid fae, I'd trusted him! Shyllon meant well, but he'd probably turn on me, too, the first moment he could. I couldn't rely on anyone but Ellis, and I'd already committed a betrayal in his mind.

Who did that leave me with?

The king made a dismissive motion with his hand, and the guards grabbed me, yanking me away from Shyllon.

"Father, are you sure—" Shyllon began.

"She'll only be minorly damaged, not killed. It'll build character. During the Royal Hunt, you saw how well she fought. She'll be fine," the king interrupted, batting away my only protector's concerns. "Anything damage she sustains won't be on our heads."

"Wait." The guards paused as Alihandro's voice rang out. The king raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Alihandro stopped before us, a small smirk at the corner of his mouth. "I wish to say goodbye properly."

Before I could react, he seized my mouth in a brutal kiss, full of stinging pain and fangs. Ellis roared from somewhere in front of me, but the sound was quickly cut off. Alihandro let me go, then a sharp pain distracted me on the side of my neck, but quickly Alihandro pulled away.

My fingers went to my mouth and neck, coming away bloody. I flinched as Alihandro grabbed the bleeding part on my throat and covered it with his palm; the guards were chortling as they kept a firm hold on me, so I stayed still. His fangs grazed my ear. "Be a good girl, Princess."

Shyllon pulled a small, sticky scrap of fabric out of his pocket and gently smoothed it on my neck. "Now I'm glad my sister insisted I keep a few of these on hand. You humans do injure yourselves frequently."

"Enough. Fuss over your toy when she returns," the king commanded.

The guards stepped forward and dragged Ellis and I away, the three fae royals watching with three different expressions of disdain, fear, and hope.