Page 17 of What did you do?

It was beautiful. A hint of briny sea was on the breeze. Perhaps the water was nearby? Hundreds of vibrant monarch butterflies fluttered around. Several had been with us since the human realm and were now dancing atop the swaying flowers. Birds chirped happily, swooping merrily across the bright-blue sky. A fluffy bluebird with a teal crest fluttered in front of my face before landing on a nearby oak branch to watch us with a joyous expression, and I swear to god, I think a squirrel smiled at me.

My wide eyes turned to look at Eli.

“What?” he said with a shrug. “You’re in Seelie now.”

I turned back to the flowers in a riot of colors assaulting my eyes. Don’t get me wrong. It was beautiful—it just felt like someone else’s beautiful.

I shook my head, not sure of what to say that wouldn’t hurt his feelings, unsure of why it rubbed me the wrong way.

What, it’stoohappy? Everybody wants to be happy.

This was whatIwanted. I was being too harsh, too jaded.

The hair on the back of my neck tingled like I was being watched, and the training that had been drilled into me took over, and my palms began to sweat. Eli seemed oblivious as I whipped around and peered back into the far-off edge of forest. Had the guard followed us?

There was nothing.

But I could feel it—that sense of panic animals got when the predator marks them.

As if sensing my thoughts, Eli broke the silence, letting out a soft chuckle. “This isn’t like the dark and monster-ridden Unseelie realm,” he said with a smile. The sunny prince waved me onward, to the last stretch of narrow path between us and the castle’s main entrance. “This is the good side, Caly.” He tucked a daisy behind my ear.

And just like that, I was reminded of which parts of me to hide.

6

PRESENT DAY

Mendax

Caly had told me I was a villain.

She must have learned what bad guys are from someone meaning her harm because she has no fucking idea what a villain really is.

She thought I was awful when I hated her. She’s about to learn just how horrible I am in love with her.

My skin itches in anticipation.

I lower my chin and reach for my powers. Like a crack of lightning, the ghost of smoke appears over my skin, eagerly whispering sweet, masochistic nothings to my black soul as I shadow through the portal.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a guard at the entrance. With everything taking place with the Fallen fae, of coursethey would have guards at the royal portals. The Fallen were the same ones who had been attempting to take over my castle.

The guard couldn’t see me—not that a small Seelie guard would stop me anyway. The Fates themselves couldn’t stop mefrom getting to that woman, and anyone that got in my way would sorely regret doing so.

I reach for her tooth dangling on a cord around my neck and rub the smooth, white edge methodically against my bottom lip, mindlessly aching to feel her closer and remembering the fire in her eyes when she spat the molar at me in the Unseelie dungeon.

Would she fight me when I got to her? Probably. It didn’t matter. She was as deeply in love as I was. She just might not know it yet.

I would make sure she knew.

I walked past the guard unseen, his beady Seelie eyes flickering in my direction. He could sense something awful was near him, the feeling when your primal body recognizes that you are in danger. That’s all he would notice though.

I meant to let him live. I had intended to slide by unseen before making my way to the Seelie castle and retrieving my things—but I couldn’t.

My black blood prickled under my flesh, overcome with the need to rattle his Seelie bones.

I squinted, standing in front of the guard. It was bright as could be in this star-forsaken land. In my shadow form, I was completely invisible to the naked eye. I preferred blending into the darkness and night, but I could conceal myself enough in broad daylight for short periods. It was one of the reasons Smoke Slayers were considered some of the most powerful fae.

It was incredibly easy to kill when others couldn’t see you.

---