Page 78 of Destined for the Fae King

He takes my hand, and we’re moving again.

Chapter 30

In moments, the hallwaywe appear in is full of activity, and we’re being shown into the queen’s private rooms. They’re as grand and lavish as one might expect but not in the ostentatious and cold way that my aunt and uncle’s home is. Her quarters exude warmth and comfort, with plush seating, blankets aplenty, and many woven tapestries hanging from the walls. Shelves filled with all sorts of knickknacks take up the remaining space, and a hint of something earthy clings to the air, just like it did in my abuela’s home before she passed.

We need all of that comfort right now.

“A few of you go back and make sure all of the women are brought to me immediately,” the queen orders. “And find out what’s happened!”

The guards rush to obey, their movement a sharp contrast to the rest of us, who stand like frozen pillars near the entrance. I quickly take stock of the women around me. Zoe, Katherine, Adeline, Grace, Cora. Gabriella is here now too. But where are Alex and Bailey?

“Grace!” comes a cry from the hallway. And then Alex is there, wide-eyed and breathing heavy.

“I’m here!” Grace rushes to her friend. “The king,” she starts. “What happened?”

Alex clings to the doorframe, as disheveled and panicked as I’ve ever seen her. All her focus is on Grace, as if she almost can’t believe she’s there.

“Come in, child.” Elaine hobbles forward with her cane, waving off the guards, who always seem to try to help her only to get refused. “Sit. You’re safe here.”

Alex blinks and nods, but it’s clear she’s only half here. Her attention darts from one of us to the next as she makes her way to the nearest chair and all but falls into it.

The air in the room is full of tension and unspoken questions. I come and take a seat near her, waiting for the answers I can sense before they’re spoken. Alex is never rattled, but whatever happened has knocked her for a doozy.

“I was with the king,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. She glances at the dowager. “Everything was fine. We thought we might have the beast’s trail. But all of the sudden, he went eerily still. And then his wrist, the bond mark”—she holds up her own for emphasis—“it started to smoke.”

The dowager’s eyes close and don’t reopen. Some of the strength seems to go out of her, and she doesn’t rebuff the guard who eases her toward a chair.

Alex turns toward the rest of us. “He cried out like he was in pain. Then vanished without a word. We heard another cry then saw fire. He didn’t return.” She hangs her head, shakes it, then look up at Grace. “I worried— I thought maybe…”

Cora rises to her feet. “Where’s Bailey?” Unexpected brittleness clings to the name.

Dawning horror seeps through my veins like molasses.

“Where is she?” Cora asks again, her voice rising in a panic.

“Dead.”

The single word knocks the breath from me like a punch to the chest. Even more so because of the male who delivered it. Lysandir stands in the doorway, something protruding from his closed fist. Tharin stands just behind him.

His statement was for the whole room, but he stares only at me, a hollow emptiness in his eyes like it’s my death he pronounced.

“No,” Adeline gasps. Grace lets out a whimper. Even Cora collapses on a sofa and covers her face. Tears come from nowhere to leak down my face.

Lysandir grimaces and cuts his gaze toward the floor.

Dead.

Bailey, who was kind to everyone. Who had a million brothers and sisters back home that she loved and cared for. Bailey, who might be the only one of us who truly cared for the king. And who he may have cared for in return.

No. Did care for.

It was anguish I heard in his cry. Utter devastation. The pillar of fire… It was his rage. Heartbreak.

My nails carve little grooves in my palms. He loved her, damn it! She was his pick. His choice.

“It’s not possible,” Zoe implores. “It can’t be. We’re safe here. She—” She claps a hand over her mouth, tears leaking down her face.

“We believed so as well.” Lysandir enters the room and comes to kneel before his mother, who has finally opened her eyes. For the first time since I’ve seen her, she looks her age. Worse, she looks defeated.

---