Page 92 of What did you do?

PRESENT DAY

Caly

“We need to speak with my mother before this gets out of hand.”

Eli had been pacing continuously ever since we had arrived in the queen’s chambers. Walter, ever the shifter, had returned to his rat form and escaped the guards, continuing his quest for my heart.

“I would definitely say this is already pretty out of hand,” I mumbled, still feeling the aftereffects of embarrassment at what had happened in the smoke room.

The Seelie guards at the back of the brightly lit room stood as still as statues. Every time I took a step near Eli, they swayed, ready to pounce.

When the guards had swarmed into the smoking room, I had been prepared to be killed on sight. I had been too afraid to look at Eli after what had just happened, assuming he wouldprobably welcome my death by then. In his eyes, it would likely be preferable to being tied to me.

Instead, Eli had run in front of me protectively and, to my amazement, spread his wings to hide my naked body from the guards, allowing me to keep my dignity somewhat while he unbuttoned his mead-splattered shirt and tossed it over his shoulder to me.

Even when the guards had demanded they take me, Eli had taken my hand and walked with me to the queen’s chambers.

I couldn’t help but think everything could have been so much easier had I not made out with the enemy in front of the guards. Though it wouldn’t have changed the fact that they knew I’d not killed Mendax.

“You should leave. If you stay, your mother will think you are a part of this,” I whispered.

“There is nothing to be a part of. You tried to kill the Unseelie prince as ordered and failed. We have been trying to kill him for ages and have all failed. It was foolish of her to think you could kill him without powers anyway. If anyone is to blame, it is her for giving you such an outlandish test of loyalty,” Eli grumbled as he paced in front of a large mahogany desk.

“I don’t think that’s what’s going to be the problem,” I mumbled.

Eli plopped down to his knees in front of my chair, grabbing the armrests and making me jump.

“I’ll kill them—the guards that saw you with him. No one will ever know.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “You and I both know you aren’t going to murder an entire army of innocent Seelie,” I said.

He deflated slightly. “You know, I’m not as heroic as you apparently think. Which is really a shame, ’cause I quite like the thought of being the one who gets to save you,” he said with a small grin.

“I-I’m sorry about what Mendax did to you in there, and I’m sorry you had to see some of that…but I’m not sorry it happened. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear. Do you promise you’re not hurt?” I questioned.

Eli paused a moment before standing. “Not where you can see it.”

With a bang, the double doors slammed open, causing everyone in the room, including the guards, to jump and straighten.

The blond queen strode in with her large monarch wings billowing behind her, more beautiful than any faerie-tale painting I had ever seen.

My heart rate began to rise as it always did when I saw her, while I struggled to swallow the new lump in my throat. I’d only ever seen her wings spread a few times, and none of them were pleasant.

No matter what, I needed to convince her to let me stay until I was a Seelie royal. I had to.

“Your Majesty, I—” I began.

“Is it true?” Queen Saracen slammed her fist into the front of a glass display cabinet behind her desk, shattering the center shelves. The pieces fell to the white marble floor like crushed ice. “Is Tenebris’s son,the Unseelie prince, still alive? And on my side of the veil?” she shouted.

“She didn’t know he was alive. He followed her here—she told me, but I didn’t believe her. It’s my fault—” Eli took a step toward his mother.

“Leave,” Saracen bit out while she stared him down.

“I’d like to stay with Calypso. He tricked and manipulated her. It wasn’t her fault!” Eli tried again.

“Guards,” she called, keeping her scowl on Eli. “Take my son away from thetraitorbefore she poisons his mind more than she already has.”

Eli turned toward the guards as they timidly approached him. His wings snapped out as he took a challenging step toward them. The way he towered over them in height and muscle was almost laughable, especially with the power he exuded with his beautiful wings spread.

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