Page 165 of Kingdoms of Night

A woman. A fae woman from the looks of her, with her delicate arched eyebrows and pointed ears.

Even after having worn a helmet for what had likely been hours, she was fresh and vivid, so stunningly beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. Her smooth skin was pale and unblemished, her brilliant blue eyes rimmed in a cinnamon brown hue, eyelids dusted in gold, and lips painted a vivid wine red.

Not that she needed enhancement. Her features were delicate, perfectly symmetrical within her slender oval-shaped face. Tattoos of red-brown eagles adorned her neck, the wingtips reaching toward her ears. When she turned her head, they caught the light and shimmered like gold. The edges of the wings seemed to pulse for the briefest of moments.

A demure smile reached her full red lips as she looked at Feron.

She was the one. The woman Oberon and Puck had been discussing. The woman who wanted Feron.

The woman’s gaze fell on Idalno, and her expression darkened. “Who is this woman?” she demanded.

Feron continued to shield her with his body, muscles taut. “She is Idalno,mon amoureuse et mon coeur.My beloved.”

His lover and his heart. His beloved. Her stomach fluttered.

The woman’s cinnamon-lined eyes narrowed. Hints of red blossomed in her cheeks, though the rest of her face grew paler and the eagle wings over her neck spread wider. “Your beloved?”

“Ill met by moonlight yet far worse by the daylight. You know the rules, Titania.” Oberon’s voice came from the staircase as he descended. When he reached the circle of riders, they parted to let him through. “Regardless of what sway you may hold or the fact that we are outside, this is still my court. And you may not shed the blood of my guests.”

“Guest?” Titania chuckled loftily. “Why didn’t you say so? I thought she was an intruder.”

“Do as you must in the wilds and beyond,” Oberon said firmly. “But do not violate our agreement.”

“Or what?” Titania raised an eyebrow, her eyes blazing. “Will you actually do something?”

His expression darkened. A low vibration rumbled throughout the courtyard, shaking the stones and statues. Clouds billowed overhead, darkening. The horses whinnied, tossing their heads. “Test me, then.”

She hissed through her teeth, then tossed her shining hair to look back in Feron’s direction. “I am Titania, Queen of Faerie and leader of the Wild Hunt,” she declared, his voice smooth and alluring even as she peered at him imperiously.

“I don’t care who you are,” he snarled. “Touch Idalno, and you’ll be a carcass.”

“My, what big teeth you have, Feron.” Titania laughed, her eyes glimmering. “The girl is irrelevant to me. You, Feron, are a mighty warrior. You were brought here with great purpose and to fulfill the most noble of destinies. Come with me and fulfill your calling.”

“My calling?” Feron scowled. “What do you mean? I’m here because—”

“I am the one who summoned you.”

“No. That was Puck,” Feron started. “And my calling is right here,” he said, his eyes meeting Idalno’s with a fleeting but warm smile.

Idalno nodded. They were a perfect match.

Titania rolled her eyes. “No, it wasn’t Puck,” she spat. “That girl behind you is his doing. But you aren’t.” She lifted her chin as she looked him up and down. “I sought you out, Feron. I felt your strength, your power. And you heard me. Deep down you know this. Every time you have heard the call of the Hunt, your heart and mind have been drawn to it. To me.”

This woman wanted to part them? Rider, queen, fae—it didn’t matter who she was. Idalno placed a hand on Feron’s shoulder, glaring at her. Titania didn’t know his heart.

Feron shook his head. “I still don’t understand.”

“The Wild Hunt is many things,” Titania said loftily, reining her horse to pace before them. “But simplest of all, we protect this realm. Protect it and nurture it and keep it from perishing.”

Oberon scoffed loudly as he drank from his wine.

Titania shot him a vicious glare before favoring Feron with a smile once more. Her gaze traveled up and down his body.

Idalno clenched her hands into fists, resisting the urge to lash out.

Titania’s gaze finally traveled back up to his face. Slowly. “To join the Wild Hunt is to join a noble cause and use your power for the greater good while also multiplying it.”

Feron continued to scowl. “Forgive me, if I have misunderstood. But you seem to be...interested in me.”

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