Page 27 of Riot of Autumn

“As much as I’d like to stuff that sassy mouth to shut you up, I think we should go see the Duke.” Colton’s tone stays flippant, but from the sneer on his face, I’d say Ruby’s sharp tongue is more than he expected.

“Stuff. You wish. Hardly a mouthful, I’d bet.” Ruby scoffs, and I chuckle.

Fuck, we’re going to die tonight.

“Yes, well, this has been highly entertaining,” Seraphina sighs, her icy blond hair practically glowing under the porch lights. “But I don’t want to stand out here all night. It’s hot and the bugs are…a nuisance.”

Seraphina waves the other Fae toward me and Ruby. I shove Ruby behind my back, ready to fight our way free, when six more men emerge from the shadows behind Colton and Seraphina.

“Okay, then. Let’s go see what the Duke wants.” Ruby tugs on my arm.

I don’t know if she wants to avoid a fight or if she’s just too damn curious for her own good and wants to see what the Duke has to say. Knowing her, it’s the latter. I’m not really one to talk though, because I kind of want to see for myself.

“Lead the way, then.” I gesture to one of the pretty Fae men who has curly red hair that falls nearly to his waist.

Colton hops up onto the porch and tries to thread his arm through Ruby’s.

“Touch me and I will kick your testicles so hard you’ll be coughing up pieces of them for weeks.”

Colton slowly pulls his arm back, an actual glint of fear edging out the lust in his eyes. I’m going to cut those eyes out if he doesn’t stop looking at Ruby like that.

“Testicles are excellent animal treats. How about we just cut them off instead, and we can feed them to Axil?”

“As if I’d ever poison my beautiful baby with something as foul as his balls.”

“Fine, we’ll just leave them in the woods for the wild animals to nibble on.” Are we absolutely nuts for keeping up this chatter when these Fae want to do us harm? There’s a good chance, but I know Ruby. This will help keep her calm. Besides, we keep hearing how the Fae need us all alive to form the Axis. Still, there are a lot of things that can be done to a person before killing them.

Seraphina sweeps past us with an exasperated huff, shoving one of the bulkier Fae men forward to get us moving. We follow, my anxiety ratcheting up with each step. Every instinct is telling me to grab Ruby and get the fuck out of here, but that’s not what we do. Nope. We walk down the hallway, back toward the orgy room like we’re preparing to go meet the Queen of fucking England.

“Word of advice,”—Seraphina smirks as she looks over her shoulder at us—“The Duke isn’t as forgiving as some when humans mouth off to him.”

“Wait. What’s this?” Ruby stops just before we enter the room, moving her hand down to her skirt like she’s searching in a pocket. Only that skirt doesn’t have any pockets. I tip my head back and try not to groan, biting my lip to keep the sound in, because I know what’s coming.

“Oh, that’s right. It’s me, with zero fucks to give.” Ruby pretends to turn out her empty pocket. The Fae with the long hair raises his arm so quickly I barely see him move. He swings his fist, about to connect with Ruby’s face, when I jerk forward, catching his fist in my hand with a loud slap of skin.

“You touch her. You die.”

The Fae’s jaw ticks as he stares at me with complete hatred.

“Enough. The Duke is waiting,” Seraphina snaps, while Colton and the other Fae surrounding us glare at me and Ruby with complete hatred and a fair amount of lust. Seriously, is the Duke pumping pheromones into the air? I’m not turned on anymore, but they all seem to be getting off on this hostage/captor scenario.

I squeeze the Fae’s hand until I hear bones creek to emphasize my warning before letting go. He takes a few steps back, cradling his hand while warily keeping his eyes on me. Ruby and I follow Seraphina into the game room like we’re guests of honor, instead of unwilling captives. If anything, the sex has ramped up since we left this room earlier. There is a whole human centipede situation going on in the corner that I will never be able to unsee. The Duke presides over it all, still sitting on his throne.

The Duke looks like a dick. There’s no other word for it. His hair is pale blond like Seraphina’s, and he has a pointed little chin. He’s still lounging on his throne, one leg thrown over the arm of the ridiculous chair. His apathetic blue eyes inspect me and Ruby as if we’re insects that need to be crushed under his boot. Anthony is still standing by his side, looking slightly less bored, but more annoyed than he did earlier.

The Duke flicks his hand and the Fae surrounding us back off. All except for Colton and Seraphina. They stay close, looking a little too excited by what they think is about to come.

“I’m displeased to hear you’ve been sneaking around my house.”

“I thought this was Colton’s house?” Ruby says without missing a beat.

The Duke narrows his eyes as his gaze turns back to her. “As the highest-ranking Fae here, everything belongs to me.”

There’s a tick in Anthony’s cheek at the Duke’s words. That’s interesting. Looks like someone doesn’t like playing second fiddle.

I wobble my head from side to side. “Well, not everything. Just places your little minions have snatched from unsuspecting townsfolk. Are you using compulsion? Is that how you got your hands on this house?”

“I don’t recall humans talking this much.” The Duke’s cheeks are sucked in and his lips pursed.

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