Liri’s sisters followed behind him and their aunt, with Ryo trudging in from the rear. Ryo had dressed all in black, as though attending his own funeral rather than an engagement party. His glower made him look like a raven-haired devil.
Beside me, Hensley gave a slight tremble. Before Mel showed up, she was the closest thing I’d had to a sister in Faerie.
“Stay strong,” I told her. “And remember you’re just as beautiful as any of the females here tonight. They just don’t want to admit it since you’re not Fae.”
Liri looked around the ballroom until his steely eyes found mine. A cold smile climbed up his pale cheeks. He snapped his fingers. Ryo scowled before joining Liri at his side. Liri said something that I couldn’t read on his lips. As soon as the words were out, he and Ryo walked over to Hensley and me.
“Congratulations, Miss Allen,” Liri said to Hensley. “Soon you will have the honor of calling a king your brother-in-law.”
“Th-th-thank you, my king,” Hensley stuttered. “You are most generous.”
“Yes,” Liri drawled. “If only your family could see you now. I still remember when Cirrus found you in the streets, looking like a malnourished, flea-ridden stray.”
Ryo’s upper lip curled in distaste.
My heart hammered inside my chest. I looked at Hensley, but she was staring at Liri. A mixture of hurt and anger filled her eyes as Liri continued.
“Cirrus was always better at seeing the potential in the downtrodden. Just look at sweet Aerith here. You would have hardly recognized her before she came to Faerie.”
I folded my arms beneath my chest. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked icily.
Liri turned his smile to me. “I wish only to reassure your friend. Perhaps my brother will do a better job of waxing poetic to his bride-to-be. He can start by asking her to dance.”
Ryo glared at Liri, but the king ignored him as though he were beneath his notice.
“The king wants us to dance,” Ryo said to Hensley, not masking the irritation in his voice.
“Uh.” Hensley glanced uncertainly from Ryo to Liri then to me.
“Go ahead,” I told her.
“Take Miss Allen’s glass,” Liri snapped at the nearest attendant. A servant in green coattails plucked the flute from Hensley’s fingers and sped away. Mouth ajar, Hensley stared after him as though she was trapped in the desert and he’d just confiscated her last drops of water.
Ryo huffed and stormed ahead of her toward the center of the ballroom where Fae couples danced closely. Poor Hensley had little choice but to trail after Ryo.
I sighed, watching the swish of her yellow ruffles. She looked like the sun chasing the night.
“I know you feel a need to toy with Ryo, but did you have to involve Hensley?” I asked the question without looking at Liri.
He moved closer to my side, the metallic of his tunic looking as cold as a winter moon. “She was the only acceptable human mate for Ryo. She’s served the family loyally for five years. Plus, her looks are tolerable—pretty even.”
“Charming,” I said sarcastically.
I watched as Hensley caught up to Ryo. He put his arms on her shoulders and held her as far away from his body as he could while they swayed side to side.
“They look ridiculous,” I said.
Liri smirked. “Shall we join them?”
“I’d rather not,” I said curtly.
Liri managed to look smug even after I’d turned him down, surveying his family and guests—his subjects. He stood tall and proud by my side. Anytime I tried to edge away, he moved fluidly with me as though we were, in fact, dancing. Spectacularly dressed guests stole glances at us, eyes quickly darting away as though Liri might punish them for staring too long. I didn’t like the way we appeared to be together. I had no desire to be Liri’s favorite.
“What a pleasing surprise it must have been to have your sister join you in Faerie,” Liri said.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I’d rather she and her friend be returned to Pinemist as soon as possible.”
Liri stepped in front of me, blocking the view of Hensley and Ryo, his eyebrows slanted. “And why would you wish to send her away so soon?” he asked suspiciously.
“Because she’s young and rebellious,” I answered truthfully. “Mel’s always had a mind of her own and a propensity for trouble. I can’t relax with her here. I’m worried she’ll offend the wrong Fae and suffer the consequences. It was hard enough keeping an eye out for her in the elven realm.” I looked Liri in the eyes and shook my head. “As much as I love and miss her, nothing good can come from her being here.”
Liri pursed his lips and studied my face. He gave a slight nod and gracefully veered to my side. “I know how taxing younger siblings can be.” He stared pointedly at Ryo. “You bring up a good point. Your sister shouldn’t be a royal guard; she should be a guest.”
My eyes widened. “That’s not what I—”
“She should have been here tonight celebrating with us,” Liri interrupted. “She’s the sister of a royal princess—family. And you know I like to keep my family close.” His teeth gleamed white.
No! This wasn’t how I wanted things to go.
“Inviting her to more functions would only cause more problems,” I tried to reason. Dread gripped my throat as I recognized the determination in Liri’s steely eyes.
“I would think you would want to keep your sister around since this is to be your home.”
Anger replaced dread, burning up the icy feeling. It hissed and smoked with my rage. “Dahlquist is not my home. It’s my prison,” I snarled between clenched teeth.
“It’s what you make of it, sweet Aerith. Excuse me.” The bastard strode off, making his way to Jastra, who smiled smugly from her curtain of curly teal hair.
I wanted to scream, to throttle the monstrous king, but I had more pressing matters to plot—like how to get inside his room and slit his throat without condemning my sister in the process.
I had to take down the king before he captured us all.
As I fumed silently, Queen Naesala approached me, filling my vision with her snug red dress. A long, narrow V cut nearly to her navel, showing off skin slightly more tanned than her nieces and nephews. If it weren’t for the golden chains linking the two sides of the dress, it would have surely popped open and exposed the other halves of her partially covered breasts.
“What an unpleasant surprise to see you back in Dahlquist,” Queen Naesala purred beside me.
Well, I could cross the queen off my list of potential allies. Shocker.
I folded my arms, sick to death of all the Elmrays and their relatives. “I have as little desire to be here as you do to see me,” I informed her.
Queen Naesala grinned. “Yes, Liri does as he pleases. Such a shame you were incapable of stopping him from killing your mate. Cirrus would have made a spectacular king. And you could have been his queen.” She tsked and gave her head a slight shake. “Well, there is nothing to be done now. Though, it has made me consider my lack of husband or heir. It had been my intention that Cirrus would inherit my kingdom. Since things have changed, I must reconsider.” Her gaze sharpened. “Liri will not have Ravensburg.” The queen pushed a smile to her lips. “Ryo is not the only one engaged. I have followed lovely Cirrus’s example and selected an elven mate for myself. You might even know him. He comes from your old village of Pinemist.”
The music faded away, sucked into a silent abyss, as a feeling of foreboding churned inside my gut. Queen Naesala lifted one slender arm and flicked her wrist. Horror crashed over me as a tall dark-haired male strode over dressed in a tan embroidered waistcoat and red breeches that matched the queen’s dress, ending just below the knees where white stockings tucked into buckled shoes.
The queen’s smile widened maliciously. “Aerith, allow me to introduce you to my fiancé, Jhaeros Keasandoral.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Aerith
Ever
y last spark of hope drained from my body, leaving me swaying in my slippers as Jhaeros stepped beside Queen Naesala and wrapped an arm around her middle.
I stared at his arm in utter confusion, unable to grasp that any of this could possibly be real.
Jhaeros squeezed the queen against his side and gently kissed her temple.
Queen Naesala’s eyes lit up in delight, but I could tell it was my distress that made her glow, as though she was sucking my soul out of my body.
“Jhaeros, darling, you are acquainted with my late nephew’s widow, Aerith, are you not?”
Jhaeros’s eyes flicked briefly in my direction, nose giving the slightest wrinkle. He refused to meet my horror-stricken gaze, as though I was a sight unfit for his sensitive brown eyes.
“I was present during the tournament in which Miss Heiris, as she was then known, competed for your nephew’s favor.” His voice sounded as indifferent as he’d appeared that cursed afternoon when he’d stood beneath the trees fawning over Shalendra.
Old, ugly feelings rekindled themselves inside my twisting stomach. I felt myself growing smaller by the second, my heart shriveling into a dried-out pit at his cold indifference. It was as though we were strangers. Something horrible had happened. Jhaeros would never treat me this way. His memories had to have been altered or an enchantment had been placed over him. Either way, I’d lost him, and it was taking everything inside me not to break down into a weeping puddle.
No one here would help me. No one would care. Quite the contrary. Every last one of the Elmrays would delight in my misery. It was the one thing they could all agree on. I didn’t want to kill only Liri. I longed to end them all.
“You were sweet on her sister for a time, weren’t you?” Queen Naesala asked.
“If I’d known you, I never would have considered someone of such inferior looks or charm,” Jhaeros said, staring intently at Queen Naesala—the same way he used to gaze upon Shalendra. The same way he used to look at me. “You are my sun. My moon. My star in the sky.”
“Oh, Jhaeros.” Queen Naesala giggled, which sounded as unnatural on her lips as a hyena chirping a tune. “You flatter me.”
My fingers curled. I wanted to rip the white lace cravat from his neck. It reminded me too much of a collar, like the diamond choker Liri’s goons had forced around my throat.
“There are no words in existence eloquent enough to flatter you, my love,” Jhaeros gushed, turning his back to me as if he was shielding Queen Naesala from yet another inferior ex-lover. “Would you do me the honor of a dance? Or perhaps you would prefer refreshment?”
“I believe Aerith is the one in need of a drink,” Queen Naesala said with a cruel laugh. “Bring us three flutes of bubbling wine, my dear, so that Aerith may properly toast and congratulate us.”
“I will be right back,” Jhaeros said, giving the queen’s temple another kiss before strutting away in his square-heeled shoes.
The Jhaeros I knew would have sooner gone barefoot than be caught wearing such ridiculous footwear.
Queen Naesala grinned triumphantly as soon as Jhaeros’s back was turned.
“What have you done to him?” I demanded.
“Not I, but one of your dear, sweet sisters-in-law.”
“Who?” I asked between gritted teeth.
My mind raced backward, coming to a tumbling halt when I remembered that day in the throne room when Teryani had asked to attend a tournament—no doubt the one that had brought my sister and Devdan to Dahlquist. But how had she found out about Jhaeros?
I needed to speak to Mel. Shake her from sleep if I had to in case she knew anything about this, this, this . . . travesty!
The queen smirked, then her eyes narrowed. “You should have kept Cirrus safe. Now I will take away someone you love.”
Terror twisted around my ribs, squeezing them together too tight like a corset—one meant to kill me where I stood.
I couldn’t speak. I certainly couldn’t remain obediently in place before Jhaeros returned with the sparkling wine—not when bile bubbled up my throat. Drinking a toast to the queen's captive would rip the last of my fragmented heart down to its final slivers.
“This is not over,” I snarled at her, pivoting and rushing for the ballroom doors as though rabid wolves were chomping at my heels.
If I weren’t around to torment, Queen Naesala might lessen her grip on Jhaeros. She wouldn’t let him go, but there’d be no reason to play with him like a malicious cat in front of a caged dog. If I did stay, his kisses might reach her mouth. I might then break my flute and use the glass shard to slit the bitch’s throat. After which, Liri would inherit the kingdom of Ravensburg and see to it that Jhaeros was never seen or heard from again. At least with Queen Naesala he was alive.
I nearly tripped in my hurry to leave the ballroom.
I couldn’t live in any world without Jhaeros.
It wasn’t until I’d reached the empty open hall of the north wing that I remembered my unwelcome guardian.
Devdan cleared his throat. “That was the elf Jhaeros back in the ballroom, wasn’t it?”
I spun around, grabbed Devdan by the shoulders, and shook him. “How do you know Jhaeros?” I asked in a high-pitched, panicked voice.
Devdan wore the same uneasy expression that had fallen over his face like a mask since arriving in Faerie. Frown lines were already appearing around his chin. “He rode up on his horse right as we were leaving Pinemist for Dahlquist.”
My heart gave a lurch, as though I could reach back in time and stop them all from coming here.
“Melarue tried to convince Folas and Teryani that Jhaeros was engaged to your sister, Shalendra, and that he’d been sent by your father to summon you for the wedding.” When I scowled, Devdan shrugged, the first hint of a smile flickering over his lips. “It was fast thinking on Mel’s part. Your lover wasn’t as quick. Too bad he didn’t take a moment to assess the situation.”
My nails dug into Devdan’s shoulders. He hissed in pain, but I didn’t let up. “It’s called honor,” I spit out before releasing Devdan, huffing with disgust.
Devdan rubbed one shoulder and glared at me. I glared back.
“Have your hardships taught you nothing?” Devdan demanded. “Honor is as useful as a brick is to fire.”
I wanted to argue with him, to rage. The heat of my anger was so intense it shocked me when I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. From the wide-eyed look on Devdan’s face, it shocked him too. He winced, as though in pain, and took my arm, leading me down the hall. “Let’s get you to your rooms,” he said in a soothing voice I barely recognized from the typically smug elf.
He entered the chamber with me, steering me to the edge of my bed where he had me sit before fetching a washcloth. Devdan was surprisingly gentle as he dabbed my cheeks with the cloth. He stepped back, a grim line over his lips and his head slightly bowed. “I did not mean to upset you,” he said solemnly.
“It’s not you,” I said.
“I know, but I could have been more comforting.”
I stood and lifted my chin high. “I do not want comfort. You were right. Honor won’t win our freedom. To beat them, we’ll have to be just as cunning and ruthless. I want to end these bastards.” My fingers balled into fists. I couldn’t decide who I wanted to strangle first—Queen Naesala or Teryani. The only reason the queen had a new toy was because he’d been delivered by the white witch. I’d thought Teryani above such games, but it appeared she was as vile as Jastra and Sarfina.
Devdan soon left me alone in my rooms. I had no plan to discuss, only intentions. In Faerie, I had to seize the moment when it came.
Too bad I didn’t have Mel’s fire magic—or elemental magic of any kind. Never mind, I had a dagger. That was something. A very sharp, pointy something. A bow and arrow would be nice too. I could bring Queen Naesala and Teryani down from across the room. Hopefully their hold over Jhaeros would end with their lives.
I lit a lantern and took it to my wardrobe where I rumma
ged through a drawer of scarves, selecting a thick white one. I brought it back to my bedchamber, pulled my dagger out from beneath my bed, and tied the weapon against my leg, shifting its placement, until I’d found a sturdy place on top of my right thigh that still allowed me to sit. The skirt of the gown hid the blade beautifully. I’d need to make sure to wear a similar style frock the next day and the next, until I found the ideal opportunity to dispatch the queen. I’d try to get her when no one was looking so it wouldn’t blow back on me. Everyone would probably suspect Liri, and he might not care enough to investigate—not when it meant expanding his empire. He and his aunt had never been close.
Aside from Teryani, I doubted anyone would look in my direction. She was next on my list, anyway.
I untied the dagger and hid it beneath my bed again before folding up the scarf and setting it on a table beside a tall glass vase filled with sunflowers.
After changing into a night slip, I tossed and turned beneath my covers, wishing I could visit Jhaeros in a dreamscape the way Liri had invaded my dreams.
My greatest strength was with a bow. I’d shot down that cursed ogre to save Cirrus, not knowing it was a test. It had been instinct. I hadn’t cared about the golden-haired Fae or his kingdom.
As far as I was concerned, Queen Naesala, Teryani, and Liri were worse than ogres. While Jhaeros was the love of my life.
There was no question in my mind that I would do whatever necessary to protect what was mine at any cost.
On that thought, I fell asleep feeling more determined than ever. No one visited me in my dreams, though someone knocked at the door. The pounding came again. At least they weren’t barging into my dreams. Still, I wanted to ignore whoever it was before they ended all chances of drifting back into a cloudless oblivion.
Pound. Pound. Pound.
The noise was ceaseless. Loud and intrusive.
“Pitberries,” I cried out. “I’m coming.” With a loud groan, I threw the covers back and weaved my way to the door as though drunk. “Who’s there?” I demanded, not masking my aggravation.
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