Page 102 of Crown of Briars
Neither of us moved.
Sybelle wet her lips, her breath shuddering. “Varius?—”
“It’s a simple question. Are you fae? Yes, or no?”
Her eyes closed. “You have to let me explain.”
“Yes or no?” I bellowed.
“Yes!” she squeaked. “Yes, I am fae.Halffae. But?—”
I slid her off me, depositing her on the stone floor while I lunged to my feet. An anguished sound built in my throat. I spread my arms wide, my wings flaring out, and unleashed a roar of fury. Shadows burst around me like puffs of ash, clouding the air and thickening until I could see nothing but darkness.
Sybelle was fae. My supposedhuman bridewas fae.
She was a liar. Her entire family, they were liars.
I had been deceived.
And the curse… Mother of Shade, thecurse?—
I whirled to find her cowering on the floor, her small frame trembling. She stared at me with horror and dread, her eyes wide as saucers.
Thiswas how she should have seen me from the beginning. When I had first shown myself to her, it had been this very emotion I had expected.
She was afraid for her life. She thought I would kill her.
I wanted to. I wanted to wrap my hands around her throat and choke the life out of her. My entire kingdom was at stake. Tens of thousands of fae were endangered by the Necro Shadows every day. And Sybelle and her family thought this was all a joke. They thought they could simply substitute a fae for a human and no one would notice.
I was a bloodyfool. How had I not seen it? I knew what fae creatures were like. The way they talked, to avoid uttering untruths… Sybelle spoke this way, too. I should haveknown.
“Varius,” Sybelle said in a broken voice.
“Don’t talk to me,” I growled. If she exacerbated my anger, I didn’t know what my shadows would do. It was a miracle they hadn’t suffocated her already. “I don’t want to hear another word out of that lying mouth of yours.”
“I didn’t lie!” She climbed to her feet. “Ican’tlie. My fae blood prohibits it.”
My lip curled with my sneer. “You preached to me abouttwisting my words. That’s exactly what you’ve done this whole time, isn’t it?”
“No!” she cried. “I was born with fae blood, but I was raised by humans. Every part of my life has been human. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
I shook my head, baring my fangs at her. I couldn’t believe anything she said. How was I to know if half fae could lie or not? Perhaps they could, and this was another deception.
“Get out,” I snarled, jerking my finger toward the door.
“No.” She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing. “Not until you let me explain.”
“Get out of my damn room!”
“No!”
I turned away from her, my fingers flexing as I let out another terrible roar. The walls shook, and the window pane rattled. When I turned to glare at her, she was staring at me, unflinching. Her fear had vanished.
Only stubborn determination remained.
I was tempted to throw her over my shoulder and toss her from the room. But I was afraid if I touched her, my claws would cut her to ribbons. I had very little control over myself and my body right now.
“Talk,” I seethed.
