“Prince Fergus says—”
I nodded. I’d heard. I wasn’t leaving yet. And I certainly wasn’t leaving because of Piper. “Immunity,” I whispered.
TEN
I lay on my bed, turning the black glass over in my fingers. I didn’t remember returning to my room, but I remembered Willow. She’d healed me, though it had seemed like she was doing so by peeling back my skin. Then she’d helped me change into clean clothing and demanded I rest while she assisted the other injured competitors.
I thought she’d promised to come back soon. But she’d spoken through my fog of pain, and I wasn’t certain that I hadn’t hallucinated it.
I didn’t even remember picking up the black glass, and I was trying to convince myself not to use it. Part of me argued that I might see someone trying to hurt Fergus again, and I already knew it was that part I was going to listen to. Even though, if I were honest, I just wanted to look at his face. Actually, what I wanted was to sit down and talk to him as Bria. As his friend. To work with him, to find whoever was trying to hurt him. But that would never happen. So watching him was the next best thing.
I stared at the glass, waiting longer, it seemed, than I had before for the picture to appear. I hoped the slow speed didn’t mean the glass was losing its magic.
When the image finally came into view, I wished I hadn’t looked. Fergus was on a date. Not just any date, but our date. Or should I say, the first and most special thing he’d ever done with me.
I couldn’t see who he was with, but Fergus had taken her up into the clouds. He held one hand out, asking her to dance.
He might as well have ripped my heart from my body. That date had been special. I’d told him so, and thought he’d felt the same way. Clearly not, since it seemed he’d take anyone on it.
My door clicked open, but I couldn’t keep from watching the scene in front of me.
“Bria, are you all right?”
The voice made me look up with a start. “Selina? What are you doing here?” I got up off the bed and ran across the room, meeting her halfway and hugging her tight. “You don’t know how much I needed to see you today.”
She gave me a squeeze. “I watched the fight. Believe me, I know.” Before I could ask her how she knew what the challenge would be today, she answered my unasked question. “Jax warned me about today. Thought you might need some support. Especially since he begged you to stay here, then made you fight.”
The door clicked open and then closed. Willow walked across the room to join us. “And with no magic. That was cruel.”
“He expected you to use your immunity sooner.” Selina let me go and stepped back. Her eyes fell to my hand, still holding the piece of glass, and her eyebrows rose in question. “Is that why you were looking so down when I came in?”
I couldn’t even deny it. “He’s on a date right now. Dancing in the clouds.” My voice was a whisper. How was it I was so affected by such a small thing?
“Oh, Bria. I’m sorry.” Selina’s eyes filled with sympathy.
“Do you wish you didn’t leave him?” Willow’s voice was as low as my own.
I straightened my back, grateful for the reminder. I did not wish that. “I wish your brother to remain alive.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not what I asked.”
It wasn’t. But it was the only answer I was willing to give. “It doesn’t matter. Our bond is gone, and he is free of me.” I glanced at Selina, eager to change the subject. “What is happening in the Spring Court? I assume you have everything under control?”
She smiled. “Well, Everleigh’s worried you might not forgive her for trying to set you up with Fergus again.”
I pressed my lips tight, trying not to smile. The only reason I was here was because Everleigh had magicked up an invitation to the Declaration rather than to the ball. It had worked out for the best, even if it hadn’t worked out the way I believed she wanted it to. “Tell her I can’t imagine I’ll ever stop being angry at her for this.” I tried to stay serious, but a smile crept onto my face. “What else?”
“I need some direction on how to deal with the Spring Court while you’re here. Lord Whitesky’s son has returned. He is demanding to speak with you in private. Says he needs to discuss his father’s behavior with you. And he is very persistent.”
“He’s just a child.” It wasn’t my job to sort out family disagreements.
Selina tilted her head. “He’s not much younger than you.”
That was true. I should at least listen to what he had to say. “Did you tell him I have been called away? And that I will speak with him on my return?”
Selina nodded. “I did. But he refuses to leave. I’m hoping Jax will allow you to come back to Seelie for a few hours.”
Willow shook her head. “It’s not possible. But if—”
The door to my room slammed open, so hard it hit against the wall with a crack and bounced back to thud on the booted foot that stood on my threshold.
The booted foot belonging to Fergus Blackwood.
For a brief moment, our eyes met, and everything was as it used to be. Before I was queen, before he was almost-king, before our bond was decimated.
Then he stepped inside and slammed the door shut.
And I realized he was looking at me like he recognized me. Which meant…
Stars. I wasn’t wearing my pin! I must have left it attached to my dirty clothing in my injury induced haze as I changed.
I rushed to the laundry pile.
“Stop.”
Fergus’ command made me do exactly that.
“I can see who you are. And even if you’d been wearing that ridiculous disguise just now, you had already given yourself up.” His voice brimmed with disgust.
I turned slowly to face him, hoping he’d understand the reasons I was here. Hoping he’d let me explain. “You have to appreciate—”
“I don’t have to appreciate anything,” he barked, his gaze sliding to his sister, disgust growing. “I can’t believe you’ve gone along with this trickery.”
“Ferg. It’s not—”
“Quiet!”
I jumped. I’d never seen Fergus like this. This was the way his father dealt with people. Not him.
His voice dropped to a hiss, and he continued to glare at Willow. “I will not discuss this here where everyone is listening. Bring her to my office. Immediately.” He turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I stared after him as Willow and Selina jumped into action.
“He was always going to be mad if he found out you were here.” Selina rushed over to my dirty laundry, sifting through it until she found my pin.
Willow shook her head. “He’s being a baby about this. Once he hears why you’re here, he’ll calm down.” She hooked her arm through mine and rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll tell him. Make sure he understands.”
I extracted myself from her grip and attached the pin to the bodice of my dress. “I think I should talk to him on my own.”
“But he said I should bring you. He’ll want me there as well.”
I shook my head, a spark of anger igniting at the way Fergus had just treated me. Treated us. If he could speak to me like we’d had nothing but a professional working relationship, then I would do the same. “Despite appearances these past days, I am still the ruler of Seelie, am I not?” Willow and Selina nodded. My voice took on a dismissive note. “And as such, your prince will speak to me alone, should I wish it. Not at the same time as every other person he summons. He can speak with you later.”
I didn’t miss the gaping mouths on Willow and Selina before they nodded, and a pang of guilt shot through me. They weren’t responsible for my anger, and I shouldn’t be taking it out on them, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I glanced in the mirror to check the pin was in place and I was Amber again—there was no chance I was stepping out of my room looking
like Briony Ridgewing—and walked out my door.
I knocked on the door to Fergus’ office.
His response was almost instant. “Come.”
I eased the door open with a racing heart. Despite what I’d said to Willow and Selina, I still felt like I was playing a role as the Queen of Seelie. If there was anyone that could see straight through it, it was the person whose office I’d just stepped into.
The room was large, with books shelved around the walls and an oversized desk at the far end from where I entered. Large windows looked out over the gardens, which were currently empty of contestants. Fergus sat behind his desk with Jax peering over his shoulder and pointing to some paperwork.
Jax met my eyes with sympathy and stepped out from behind the desk. “I will leave the two of you to it.”
“You’ll do no such thing. I’m not stupid enough to believe that you do not know who this is.” Fergus glared my way and balled his fists.
Jax’s shoulders slumped, his voice growing soft as he spoke. “I know who she is.”
“Nor am I stupid enough to believe that you have only just this minute realized the Seelie Queen has graced us with her presence.” Danger edged Fergus’ voice.
Jax glanced at the floor. I guessed he’d heard the warning in Fergus’ tone. It was difficult to miss.
I unhooked the pin from my top and slipped it into my pocket. Fergus met my eyes, and his entire body stilled. Like he couldn’t force himself to move.
Then he stood and turned away, drew in a deep breath and turned back. “You all knew, and none of you bothered to tell me?” His eyes swirled with a mix of hurt and anger. “You talked to me as if we’d never met. More than once! Do you have any idea how stupid you’ve all been?”
“Ferg—” Jax didn’t even get two words out before Fergus cut him off.
Moving out from behind the desk, Fergus said, “Do you imagine you’re smarter than me? Do you think you can fool me into falling for her again?” He turned his glare on me, his voice becoming mocking. “Did you realize you’d made a mistake leaving me?”
My mouth fell open. “You think I’m here to compete for your hand in marriage?”
He shrugged. “That’s how it appears.” A smirk replaced the anger on his face. “Of course, who could blame you?”
His tone made my back straighten. I’d never known him to be like this, but we’d get one thing straight right from the start. “Don’t worry yourself, Fergus. I don’t want to be anywhere near you. Especially when you’re acting like this.”
He blew out an angry laugh. “Is there another way I should act when I discover the people closest to me have been working for the ruler of another kingdom? When that ruler comes into my kingdom, my home, in secret and doesn’t consider such a thing problematic?”
Jax sighed. “Fergus. That’s not what’s happening here, and you know it.”
Fergus rounded on him, his finger pointing at Jax’s chest. “And what exactly is happening, Jax? Because I don’t have a clue.” He suddenly twisted to look at me, then took a stumbling step back, that finger pointing my way. “You’re working with her.” He shook his head, his voice like steel. “Get out. You have no right to be in Unseelie.”
I glanced at Jax, but his frown said he was just as confused as I was. For the past year, it had never been an issue who traveled between the kingdoms, so long as we did so in the open. “Fergus—”
“Do not speak to me!”
“Just hear her out, Ferg. It’s not … whatever you think it is.” Jax glanced between the two of us, probably wishing he were anywhere but here.
I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing. “What is wrong with you? Has the power of being leader of your kingdom gone to your head? Or is it the power of having so many women falling at your feet? You never used to speak to anyone this way!”
“I never used to have to worry my friends and family were uniting against me, either!”
“Oh, Fergus!” I sighed. “You don’t believe that. You know Jax and Willow would do anything for you. They’ve proved it many times in the past.”
“And yet.” He shook his head, his lip curling with disgust.
“And yet, you’re making things up in your head. I’m here because I saw one of the contestants try to poison you. I wanted—”
“Saw?
I licked my lips. This was the part that was likely to enrage him. It violated his privacy to look at him when he thought no one was watching. “The night before the competition started, I watched you through the black glass and—”
“You spied on me?” His voice was even, and not as upset as I’d expected.
I couldn’t justify what I’d done, so I nodded. “And I saw—”
“How many times had you done such a thing?” Genuine interest seemed to appear in his voice.
“Just the once.” At that time. Since that night, many times. But that wasn’t what he’d asked, so I didn’t clarify, instead hurrying on. I would have to confess to watching him since that night at some point, but right now, I needed him to know why I was here. Hopefully, it would make those future conversations easier. “I saw someone poison you. She put something in your drinking glass, and after that, your magic grew weaker. I came here thinking I could recognize her and report her to Jax.”
His eyebrows rose, and he stepped out from behind his desk. “But you didn’t.”
I shook my head, glad we were, for now, no longer discussing me spying on him. “I didn’t realize that Everleigh had given me an invitation to take part in the Declaration, rather than to attend the ball. After I arrived, thinking I was a guest, I was shown up to the waiting room. I didn’t know the rules, and I didn’t get out soon enough and had to compete. You were supposed to send me home, but you kept me here.”
Fergus shook his head, putting his hands up in surrender. “Don’t you blame me. If I’d known Amber was you, I’d have sent you home long ago.”
Ouch. That hurt. Even though I wasn’t surprised by it. I lifted my chin. “Fine. Send me home now.”
His chin rose in exactly the same manner. “I plan to.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort.” Jax stepped between us, his gaze on Fergus. “Someone is trying to end your life, Fergus. And Bria is the only one that is close to any of those girls. She is working to help us find the culprit.”
“Or perhaps she’s working with the culprit.”
Jax snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I already know someone wants me dead. I even know who that person is. It seems very convenient that she would turn up right now.” He looked at me as he said she.
I glanced at Jax for clarification. Jax gave a small shrug. “You think I’m working with someone who wants you dead?” I shook my head. “I don’t even know you anymore.”
“No, actually, Bria. It’s me who does not know you.” His voice was so cold and venomous that I had to step back.
I shook my head. “I haven’t changed.”
“Is that so? How many times did you say you’d spied on me with your little piece of black glass? Once, was it? Funny, because I counted at least three other times.”
I gritted my teeth. “You asked how many times up to that point had I done such a thing. That was the first time I’d used the glass to look at you. But, yes, you are right. I have watched you since that night.”
“See anything interesting?” he sneered.
Stars, who was this person? I narrowed my eyes, recalling the time I’d spent with him and how he’d done exactly the same things with other nameless girls. “Just you rolling out the same dates you’d already taken me on. Top marks for originality.” I couldn’t keep the bite from my voice.
He shrugged like he didn’t care. “The girls didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I’m pretty certain they felt special.”
I turned away because that comment hurt so much it brought tears to my eyes. Why hadn’t the bond taken away all these feeling
s for me, the way it seemed to have with Fergus? “Glad to see I’ve been so easily replaced.”
There was a long pause before Fergus replied, his voice softer than it had been. “Just remember you wanted it this way, Bria. You chose this.”
I whirled to face him. “There was no choice! Not if I wanted you to live.”
“And yet, here we are. Someone attempting to take my life, anyway.”
“Enough!” Jax stepped between us again, his glare fixed on Fergus. “I know you’re hurting, but it is not Bria’s fault. You would have done the same in her position, if it meant keeping her safe. You don’t get to make her feel bad about it!”
“Don’t I? She’s made every decision when it comes to us. Surely if I think one of them was wrong, I get to say so.” Fergus glared at Jax.
Jax shook his head. “Of course you do. But the chance to do that was a year ago. Before you agreed to your bond being removed. It’s not now. It’s probably not ever, anymore. Especially not when she is only here to help you.”
Fergus walked over to the window, leaning heavily on the sill and looking down at the gardens. He drew in a few deep breaths. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things. But, I also needed to be sure she was who she appears to be and that she’s still on our side, because I have some things to share with you both.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Did I convince you I’m the person you thought I was?”
He turned, his eyes softening for a brief second until I was looking into the eyes of the Fergus I used to know. The one who looked at me with love rather than hatred. “You did. But you might wish you’d never heard what I’m about to say.” His gaze hardened, and he lowered his voice. “Rhiannon’s alive. I’m almost certain she is the one attempting to take my life.”
I shook my head. That was not possible. “She’s dead, Fergus. We killed her.”
“I wish I could agree with you. But it seems she wasn’t as dead as we hoped. After we injured her, in all the drama of being reunited with Mother, and of having our bond removed, I didn’t go out and watch her body burn. I left guards at the pyre in my place. But it seems they celebrated her death with too much wine, and she escaped when they weren’t watching.
Kingdom of Future's Hope (Royals of Faery Book 4) Page 14