Page 103 of The Fallen Fae King

Suddenly, a memory rises in me — sorrowful songs sung by the bards and tears shed by Da under the Sacred Blossom Tree for his long-lost Omega brother, captured by the dragons.

I rise to my feet, stretching out my wings.

My magic is partially suppressed by the iron in the walls of the court. But my shadows still whip around me in fury and grief for my uncle, taken and turned into this bastard’s pet.

“Where is he now?” I demand.

“Have you forgotten your place already? See, I’ve learned from my mistake about treating fae well, as if they’re not whorish tricksters.” Wait, is Maximinus crying? “My sweet pet faked that he loved me for months. He played me. I asked him to bond with me, and on the night of our bonding, he tried to escape.”

“What did you do?” My throat is tight.

What happened to my uncle?

“I told you before.” Maximinus stalks toward me. I raise my wings threateningly to ward him off. I’m never going to let him touch me again. “I learned from my mistake: Love is a madness. It’s a delusion. I threw that bitch back into the dungeons. Then I made sure that my pet was of some use at least. He helped me to improve the iron poison that I was developing. In fact, his death was the first in your Winter Court. I made sure that he knew what I would do with the poison, before he drew his last breath. He died sobbing for his family, knowing that his Court would be destroyed because of him.”

I howl, launching myself at Maximinus. “May the ravens peck out your eyes…”

Lost in a sea of blurred gold and grief, however, my punches and kicks don’t connect.

Instead, chains snake around my wrists and ankles, dragging me back and slamming me against the wall.

I grunt in pain, as the wind is knocked out of me.

I struggle, arching my back. “Fucking bastard. You never loved him. You’re a war criminal.”

“You’re a killer.” Maximinus’ voice is too close to my ear.

I battle against his enchanted chains that only tighten hard enough to bruise. “I know. And the Shadow Devils will make sure that I atone eternally for my sins. But there is no spot hot enough in hell for you. Don’t pretend that you committed mass murder on the fae or torture pets because my brave uncle tried to escape your forced bond. You fucking murdered the person who you’re pretending to have loved. You don’t have a heart. You’re as dead as your creepy statues.”

“Oh, my statues aren’t dead. Where would the fun be if they were?”

I stop struggling in horror.

For the first time, I’m glad that I can’t see the study and the dragon statues.

I shake my head like that can stop Maximinus saying what I know he will next.

“If Aurelius disobeys me,” Maximinus continues, “then he knows that I will melt his golden core and add him to my collection.”

By the sacred ash, is this why Aurelius has always hidden behind his controlled, emotionless mask? Not only because of the conditioning from his academy and his inability to accept that Hadrian is part of him but because he has known that one wrong step, and his uncle can reduce him to a living statue?

I have a whole wingful of regrets in my life. Thinking that Aurelius simply had a stick up his arse is now one of them.

I better add saving the uptight dragon into my plot.

Unexpectedly, I hear a bottle being unstoppered, then being pressed to my lips.

I gag, as Maximinus pushes the stinking bottle more insistently against my lips, until I open my mouth.

“There, there, don’t fuss. You should be happy. This represents your freedom, since you completed your final mission.” Maximinus gently tilts up the bottle. I choke as I swallow the thick, revolting liquid of the antidote. “You’ll no longer need to work as my assassin or courtesan. After all, you’ve been humiliated enough before the Shadow Court. I’ve made an example out of you. Now, I have a better pet to take your place.”

He finally takes the bottle away, and I cough.

“Ouch, don’t hurt my feelings.” I lick the last of the foul liquid off my lips, as slowly, the pain from the iron poisoning recedes.

I am relieved that the study swims back into view. It is still blurred at the edges like it’s fraying.

I smile. I will be able to see Freya’s face one final time.