The King

by Jennifer Armentrout

  “Yeah,” I said, curling my fingers around the sash of my robe. “I am glad…I killed him.”

  Did that sound as dumb as it did to me?

  “Aric has haunted the King for far too long,” Tatiana added, surprising me. “What he did to the King’s fiancée all those years ago was an act of pure evil.”

  “You…you know about that?”

  “Everyone knows what Aric did.” Her head cocked to the side as a frown pinched her brow. “Well, the Summer fae know.”

  I stiffened. There was a good chance I was just being sensitive, but that sounded an awful lot like a jab.

  “What he did to you was also horrific,” she continued, and I realized that the posture was perfect. She inhaled deeply, appearing to brace herself. “The King was beside himself with worry for you.”

  There was a part of me that wanted to pretend like I didn’t know where this conversation was headed, but that would not only be pointless, it would also be cowardly. And I had faced much, much worse.

  “Not to sound rude or impatient, but I imagine you’re here to talk about Caden,” I said. Her pale blue eyes widened ever so slightly. “He told me he broke off the engagement.”

  Her chin lifted. “Yes, I am here to talk about him.”

  “I don’t know what there is to say.” I twisted my fingers around the sash. “I had…I had no idea he ended the engagement until this morning, and I…well, this is super awkward.”

  “That it is.” Another small smile appeared. “The entire Court was in the midst of preparing for our mating, and they have no idea it has ended.”

  “You haven’t told them?” Admittedly, I didn’t like that. If Caden were so sure about how he felt about me and ending the engagement, why not tell his Court?

  “He wanted to wait until I returned home,” she explained. “So that I could avoid any possible embarrassment. While I appreciate the attempt, his refusal will follow me no matter where I go.”

  I opened my mouth to apologize but stopped myself. Some innate knowledge told me that she wouldn’t appreciate that. I wouldn’t either. In a way, I was… God, I was the other woman. Unknowingly, but still.

  Damn it.

  Now I was pissed at Caden all over again.

  “But what the King intends has a far greater impact than causing me embarrassment,” she continued. “That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I doubt you fully understand what it means for him to refuse a Queen of his own kind—and I mean no insult by that. You are most likely not aware of our most intimate and political customs.”

  “I’m not,” I admitted as a tiny ball of unease formed in my stomach.

  “Once a Prince ascends to the throne, they have certain responsibilities that they must complete within a year of doing so. They must assign a council and choose the best warriors of their Court to become their personal Knights.” Tatiana’s gaze skittered to the curtained window. “A King must also choose a Queen, one of their kind deemed worthy enough to bear the next generation.”

  “And what if they don’t want to be with the opposite sex?” I thought of Fabian, and suddenly I remembered what Tink had said about how Fabian could not be King or did not want to become King.

  “Our kind do not limit…sexuality to one sex.” Her nose wrinkled. “That is an entirely human concept, but a King would still be required to marry a female. He may choose to keep a lover.”

  I guessed being forced to marry and sleep with someone he was not attracted to wasn’t—understandably—high on Fabian’s to-do list.

  I shook my head. “And what if the King chooses not to marry a female fae?”

  “What if Caden chooses you, you mean?” Her gaze met mine then. There was no malice in her stare. Nothing but…sorrow. And that made me even more uncomfortable. “He has already chosen you, but you cannot become his Queen.”

  “I don’t want to be his Queen.”

  Her dark brows lifted. “You do not want him?”

  “That’s not what I said,” I replied before I realized what I was saying. “I…I love him. I was in love with him before he became King.” Swallowing, I shook my head. “I didn’t think he loved me, and I didn’t even know…well, none of that matters right now. I do want him.”

  And that was true.

  I wanted him, even with his mistakes and flaws and stupid decisions. And he wanted me, even with my scars and bitchiness and even though I wasn’t ready.

  “Then I am sorry,” Tatiana said.

  I jolted. “What for?”

  “My Court. You have no idea what will happen if Caden gives up his throne to be with you. And that is what he will have to do to have you,” Tatiana said. “He knows that. I do not believe you know that.”

  “No,” I whispered, clearing my throat. “I didn’t. Why must he give up his throne?”

  “Because he would not fulfill his duty by taking a Queen.”

  “That…that is incredibly stupid.” Letting go of the robe sash, I pushed damp strands of hair back from my face. “Why does having a Queen have anything to do with his ability to rule?”

  “Because a King does not rule alone,” she stated.

  I stared at her, really having no words. That didn’t sound like a reason. Not a real one, anyway. “The Queen rules, doesn’t she? Morgana? She doesn’t have a King.”

  Tatiana paled at the mention of the Queen’s name. “She rules through dark magic, and she had a King when she came into power. One that she slaughtered as he slept. And because she has not remarried, her powers are limited. If she ever does marry again, she will be unstoppable.”

  Uh.

  Good to know.

  “You don’t understand.” Tatiana leaned toward me. “This is not just some silly rule we follow out of tradition. The entire future of the Court depends on Caden keeping his throne. The responsibility can no longer be given to his brother, not after Caden ascended. Prince Fabian could only take Caden’s place if the King were to die.”

  My unease grew. “What do you mean the future of the Court depends on him?”

  “I am glad you asked. Without a King, we would be powerless as we were before he ascended. Our Knights would be weakened, and we would have to return to hiding. The Winter Court could overtake us, and you know what they’re capable of,” she said, lips trembling. “Not only that, but Caden would be weakened. He would no longer be King, ostracized from the Court, and unprotected. Although he would no longer be King, he would still carry royal blood—blood that the Winter Court could use for unfathomable reasons. The entire Court would be vulnerable.”

  “How is that even possible?” I exclaimed. “You had no King for how many years?”

  “And as I said, we had to hide during that time. We were weak and could do very little to stop the Winter Court from hunting and hurting humans, from plotting to release the Queen,” she returned. “But not only that, we were not…fruitful.”

  “Fruitful?” I repeated.

  The centers of her cheeks flushed. “Our Court has not been as plentiful as it once was when we had a King and a Queen. Our…fertility is tied to theirs.”

  Oh.

  My.

  God.

  Did these people not believe in science?

  Did science not exist for them?

  “I can tell you do not believe me.” Tatiana shook her head sadly. “But we are not governed by the biology humans share. There is a…an essence to us that connects us to the King and Queen. When we had a King before, families had six or eight children over the course of their lifespans.”

  Good God.

  “Now, we are lucky if we have two or three, but that has already begun to change. Without a King or Queen, our race will die out.”

  I lifted a hand and then dropped it back to my lap as I refocused on Tatiana.

  “I came here to implore you to do what the King cannot. Not because I love him. I don’t. I do not know him well enough to feel that. But because I love my Court. He could still keep you. If that is what you both wish,�
�� she continued. I jerked. “Or he could choose a fae other than me, as long as he chooses one of us. He needs a Queen.”

  Unease had rapidly spread like a weed, tangling with every part of me. I had no idea what to say. Caden knew this, knew what a risk it would be to choose me, and he still did.

  That was…flattering, and also batshit insane.

  “I hope that because you are a member of the Order, you will understand the danger Caden will place us in, the risk he will place all of mankind under.” Her eyes glimmered with tears. “If we fall to the Winter Court, mankind will fall next. You know that to be true. Is love really worth that?”

  Looking away, I took a breath, but it seemed to go nowhere as the implication of what Tatiana claimed settled over me. Was love really worth that? Yes, screamed a selfish, not-so-tiny voice inside of me.

  But the potential downfall of the entire Summer Court? And mankind?

  I closed my eyes.

  “I wish I was here to wish you well, but…nothing good will come to my people or to the King if he gives up his throne,” she said quietly. “So, I ask a better question. Do you love him enough to save him?”

  The breath expelled out of me in a harsh cry. How could I answer that? How could I be with him if it would weaken him and put him at risk?

  I already knew the answer to that.

  I just couldn’t speak it aloud.

  I really didn’t even want to think it.

  How could I go from feeling hope to crushing dread in the matter of an hour? To having something ripped away before I even had a chance to hold it?

  Because that was how it felt. Knowing what I did now, there was no way I could allow Caden to do this.

  “I think…I think I need to be alone,” I said, my voice hoarse as I opened my eyes.

  “I understand.” Tatiana rose. “I am sorry.”

  My gaze cut to her. She turned, walking toward the door, her steps light. I started to look away as she pulled on the handle, but her startled gasp stopped me.

  “Oh. Sorry!” Luce exclaimed. “I was just about to knock. Would’ve been your face had I done it a second earlier.”

  “I am glad you didn’t.” Tatiana glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “I was just leaving.”

  Luce glanced over at me, her brow knitted. She waited until the female had left. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes. Are you here to check on me?”

  “I am. Kind of.” Luce closed the door behind her. “I need to talk with you.”

  I wanted to throw myself on the floor and scream, so the last thing I wanted to do was talk to Luce or be checked out.

  “I feel fine. A thousand times better than yesterday,” I told her as she came around the couch. “I think—” I squared my shoulders. “I think I can go home.”

  Her forehead wrinkled as she took the seat Tatiana had just vacated, much to my dismay. “We’ll talk about that later. There’s something more important to discuss.”

  A laugh burst out of me. Something more important than learning that the man I loved could end up risking not only his life but also the lives of his entire Court and mankind by being with me? Unless I chose to be his…his side piece while he married a fae and fathered a whole litter of children.

  Luce frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay, Brighton?”

  “I am.” I stopped the next laugh from bubbling up. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  She looked down and then up. “Remember when I said that I was waiting on some blood work to come back? I wanted a full workup to make sure there were no hidden infections.”

  I nodded. “I’m guessing it came back?”

  “It did, and there was something noted that required further testing to confirm.”

  “What? I have sepsis of the heart or something?”

  Luce’s brows crinkled once more. “I do not think that is a thing, but I will have to check—”

  “I was kidding,” I said. “What did you find?”

  “The blood test picked up an abnormality in a hormone, an increase in HCG.” Her eyes searched mine. “After seeing that, I ran a quantitative blood test just to confirm the levels that were present and what it meant.”

  “Can you just give me antibiotics for it?”

  Her frown increased. “You cannot take antibiotics for this.”

  “Okay.” I stared back at her. “Then what do I do?”

  “Well, there’s a lot to do, actually. Another test just to be sure, and then—wait.” She drew back. “You don’t know what HCG means, do you?”

  “No. I mean, maybe I did, and I’ve just forgotten it.”

  Her shoulders tightened. “HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that is produced when someone is pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” I repeated.

  Luce nodded. “You’re pregnant, Brighton. And based on the levels, you’re at about eight weeks. Maybe a little more, but you’re definitely pregnant.”

  My brain stopped working.

  “That means you conceived before you were taken. And, somehow, by some miracle, you’re still pregnant,” Luce continued. “I would like to do some more testing. Your body has been through a lot, so there are a lot of risks that this…this fetus will not hold or may be...”

  It was like an out-of-body experience.

  I was sitting, but I felt like I was floating, and I knew Luce was still talking, but I couldn’t hear a word she said.

  I was… I was pregnant?

  Possibly eight weeks or more pregnant?

  That was….

  “… I have to ask you this because it could change everything—the tests I need to do, what you can expect,” Luce was saying as I refocused on her. “Is it possible that the…?” She paled, much like Tatiana had earlier when I’d spoken Queen Morgana’s name. “Is it possible that the King is the father?”

  Possible?

  It was the only likelihood.

  I was pregnant with Caden’s child.

  * * * *

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Jennifer L. Armentrout, discover The Queen, The Prince and Dream of You.

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  The King must have his Queen....

  Bestowed the forbidden Summer’s Kiss by the King of the Summer fae, Brighton Jussier is no longer just human. What she is, what she will become, no one knows for sure, but that isn’t her biggest concern at the moment. Now Caden, the King, refuses to let her go, even at the cost of his Court. When the doorway to the Otherworld is breached, both Brighton and Caden must do the unthinkable—not just to survive themselves, but also to save mankind from the evil that threatens the world.

  * * * *

  The Prince: A Wicked Novella

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  She’s everything he wants….

  Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

  She’s everything he can’t have…

  Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.