Page 38 of His Dark Delights
His words washed over me as cold as a winter downpour. The heart of my thoughts remained anchored to the memory of Lilly coming on my lap, my fingers, at diner, but my friend’s words breached through like the clap of distant thunder.
“The spies I sent scouting heard a rumor from locals that there might be an entrance into the Fae Wild in the valley beneath the Angferns. But we need more than rumors and local legends to go on, Ren.”
I absently nodded, recalling Lilly’s hips in that dress. She looked like a real noble lady. The natural elegance and grace she had exuded on the farm translated perfectly into palace life. And her presence at dinner had been a balm on my frustrations of the day. She sat so pretty and perfect, like a doll for me to use and teaseand please.
“Soren, are you even listening to me?”
Jerked from my musing, I cleared my throat and blinked at my closest friend. “Of course. And you’re right. We need more than whispers to find their nest of debauchery. Strike the heart of the fae, kill their leader, and the hive will fall apart.”
“You said that about Oberyn,” he teased.
“Well, how was I supposed to know their bloody queen would take up his mantle in his place? The prince, now that I expected. But this nymph queen is clever. Better with strategy than Oberyn ever was.”
Rhydan chuckled, a conspiratorial sound as he glanced around the empty hall. “You know, I’ve heard that nymphs have otherworldly beauty—”
I scoffed. “That’s part of their allure to lull you into a sense of complacency. Enhanced beauty meant to manipulate poor fools.”
“Oh, don’t apply tactics and morality to sex, my friend.” Rhydan slapped me on the shoulder, and I rolled my eyes. “Nymphs have indomitably strong sexualities. More than any other type of fae. Their hyper sexuality is the stuff of legends.”
I chuckled, the sound almost hollow. “Do you want to fuck the fairy queen? I’d consider it treason.”
“Gods, no, could you imagine?” Rhydan swallowed, gaze darting back to the marble beneath our feet as we descended the stairs to the lower levels. “Anyway, I heard that flower nymphs’ bodily fluids had aphrodisiac effects.”
“Is that so?” An interesting concept. Though I cringed to think of how many mortal men fell for that biological trick over the centuries.
“Creatures of pure seductive magnetism, my friend.” Then his voice became carefully neutral. “Speaking of seduction—” I groaned, “—I saw what you did to the girl. Not exactly a gentleman’s finest.”
“I won’t explain myself to you,” I gritted out. “I need her, and she needs me. She’s mine.”
He held up his hands. “Alright, Ren. I’m not going to take her from you. Gods. All I’m saying is that she’s frightened here. Understandably so. You remember your first days in the palace weren’t exactly pleasant. And if you care for her, as much as you say you do, then show her that. Don’t scare her off.”
“I don’t need advice from you. You’re a rake and a bastard as much as any other.”
He shrugged it off. “Fair enough.”
The castle halls grew darker, narrowing as we sunk into the underbelly of the palace. Flickering torchlight cast warped shadows on the stone walls that appeared more black than blue the deeper we went. My fury returned and my resolve hardened as we approached the entrance to the dungeon.
“I still can’t believe you let him hurt her,” I said, half-accusing.
Rhydan bristled. “I didn’t let him do anything. As I told you earlier, he rode up to her first. He was the closest and snatched at her before I could stop him. I took responsibility for her when she fell.”
“It shouldn’t have happened at all!”
“Tell him that.” He nodded at the heavyset door. “I’ll stand by you, Soren. You know that.” Rhydan was a comfort in the labyrinth of shadows. My childhood friend, a brother in all but blood, and the only soul within those treacherous walls I implicitly trusted.Though his expression was grim, he set his expression with the same determination that burned within me, a shared resolve to see justice done.
With a last glance at the dim lights of the hall behind us, I pushed open the dungeon door. Each step was a thunderclap in the silence, reverberating through the narrow passageway as though the very walls bore witness to the dark purpose of my visit. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and despair, a miasma that clung to the skin and seeped into the soul.
My rage intensified as we sent the guards away, summoned by the memory of Lilly’s injury and what was done to her. Guilt accompanied that anger, fueling the fires within me. If I had been there, it wouldn’t have happened at all.
“Gerald is one dumb horse faced ass. We’ve dealt with worse than him before,” Rhydan said. “And he should have known better than to lay a hand on a woman.”
My stomach dropped and my teeth ground together as the image of Lilly’s bruised chin flashed behind my eyes. A storm of fury and regret morphed into a raging inferno within me. My summons, my desperation, had put her in the hand of harm I sought to protect her from. I had failed her.
“Gerald will pay for what he’s done.” And perhaps I’d find absolution by the end of the night.
The dungeon loomed ahead, a fortress of iron bars and cold stone that seemed to pulse with malevolent intent. Darkness was absolute, a suffocating void broken only by the dim glow of torches lining the walls. The air was frigid; the chill seeping into my bones as I stepped into the heart of the prison, a place wherehope came to die. Gerald awaited us there, shackled and alone, his arrogance stripped away by the chains that bound him.
He looked up as we entered, his eyes narrowing with a mix of defiance and fear. “Your Majesty,” he sneered, though the bravado in his voice was hollow. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
