Page 83 of Destined for the Fae King

Alex must realize that because she says, “Gifted daughters have one real use—breeding.” She all but spits the word. “Either you go to Faery and make a match with a powerful fae and bare his little magically gifted faelings, or you stay on Earth, make a good match with a gifted man, and bear his kids.”

Continue the line on Earth or become a tribute to the fae. It’s so old-fashioned, so… backward. But isn’t that what my family has done too? If I didn’t go to Faery, Selena might have been forced to. And doesn’t my uncle dislike my mom just because she’s not gifted? Because my father sullied our family line with her non-gifted blood?

“But isn’t marrying the king just following through on that?” I ask.

“Sort of,” Grace admits. “But the king doesn’t really favor humans. It’s why he’s put this off for so long. When he does take a human bride, I doubt he’ll be the picture of an attentive husband. He’s not…” Her breath catches. “Well, he did care for…” She breaks off with a sniffle.

For Bailey. I take her hand in mine. Alex drops onto the bed on her other side, wrapping an arm around her.

“Sorry,” Grace says after a moment.

“Don’t be,” I reply. I still feel like part of my chest has been ripped open. Talking about it, thinking about it, makes it much worse.

“We thought,” Alex continues for her, “that we’d have a better chance of being together here than on Earth, where our families forbid it. It was run away and try to start a new life with nothing or come here and hope for something better. Either one of us marriesthe king and uses our influence to keep the other around, meet the king’s needs when we have to, but otherwise be together. Or neither of us gets picked but we still earn enough of the king’s favor that he’ll let us stay and be together, despite what our families might demand after the competition.”

“Damn. That’s…” Even their most optimistic outcomes seem rough, and I hate it for them. Fighting for a man you don’t want just so you can stay with your lover? How awful that must be. “I’m sorry for all that you’ve had to go through. You should be able to be together because you love one another. That should be enough.”

“Maybe since you know about us,” Grace says, “you could help?”

“Yes. If I can, I will. But how can I?”

“If the king picks you, use your power as queen to make sure we can stay.” She glances over at Alex, her gaze full of love. “Together.”

How ironic that fate says I will be. I hate it. I dread it. But maybe I can make something good come from my fate. “I will. I promise. No marriage to some fae or anyone else required.”

Grace beams like all their problems have been solved.

“So damn optimistic,” Alex grumbles, but I catch the hint of adoration in her gaze as she stares at Grace.

For the first time in hours—days—the tightness around my chest loosens.

“So, you really don’t want to marry the king?” Grace asks.

Uh oh. Should have figured she’d remember that. “He’s…not my type?”

“Oh. You’re a lesbian too?” Alex peers over at me.

“Hey now,” Grace scolds her.

Alex ruffles her hair. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

Grace huffs but looks at me, waiting for an answer.

“No, sorry.” I don’t know why I’m apologizing. “More like I like someone else?”

The flush of embarrassment is back again, and I can’t seem to make anything come out a statement. In fact, I suddenly feel like I’ve fallen back in time to my preteen years when I had a sleepover at Selena’s house and was too embarrassed to say which member of the boy band I thought was the hottest.

“So, your family pushed you into the competition?” Grace asks. “I was wondering why we hadn’t met you before. He’s not gifted, I take it?”

This only makes my cheeks flame hotter. She’s way wrong, and I should let her run with those conclusions. It’d be smarter, safer, but for some reason I whisper, “The prince.”

“Harry?” Grace’s brows pinch.

I run my palms down my face. “Lysandir.”

Both of them stare at me wide-eyed.

“Well damn,” Alex remarks.

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