Page 67 of His Dark Delights
“Something’s happened.” It wasn’t a question.
Lunaric dipped his head. “Yes. A week ago, the Fairy Butcher returned to battle. He’s crossed further into the Mistwood than ever before. It’s kept the Queen away.”
A white-hot knife gutted me, and bile rose in the back of my throat. If my stomach wasn’t so empty, I might have spilled the contents. My knees weakened, and the world swayed around me.
He caught my arm. Only his gentle, reaffirming grip on my elbow kept me upright. “I… I am sorry, brave girl. Perhaps it would have been better to forget some things.”
“No. We should never forget the things that make us feel—good or bad.” I groaned against a wave of nausea.
“I suppose you’re right. Let’s get you into the palace for some food and a proper drink. You need water, andlots of it.”
After helping me back into the forest palace, Lunaric had a plate of food and water summoned. I changed into another air-light dress and joined him for a meal. He offered me a seat at the high table in the grand hall. I was too busy filling my empty stomach to pay attention to the natural opulence or the noise outside.
Halfway through my third flagon of water, a sudden clamor echoed outside. Magic flickering lights on the silver hued wooden walls raged higher and brighter. The wisteria chandeliers bloomed, releasing a stronger floral scent into the hall. The two doors burst open, banging against the walls so hard I thought they’d shatter. Lunaric dropped his chunk of bread before shooting to his feet.
An indomitable, striking figure garbed in an armor of crimson rose petals sauntered into the room. Ruby droplets dripped onto the ground with each assertive step she took—blood. And more of it drenched the ends of her vibrant pink-red hair and the crown of roses on her head.
Her features were poised, sharp, and stunning. A beacon of power for the fae and a testament to nymph greatness. The smile on her full lips was assertive, wild, yet glamorous. She carried the air of victory and fury—life, death… and flowers.
“Mother,” Lunaric crossed the corner of the table, drawing the Queen of Fairy’s attention.
The Fairy Queen’s eyes landed on her son, and they lit up from within with a silver light. Her lips parted in a smile, and I noted the slight gap between her front teeth that mirrored mine.
“Lune,” she said to him with a voice like the wind, like honey, like the chime of bells. A voice that I knew deep in my heart—a voice that I’d heard whispered from the flowers all my life. A voice that had reaffirmed how much she cherished me from the expanse of a never-wilting meadow.
My shaking legs lifted me from the chair, leaning over the table as if drawn to her. A sharp breath passed my lips and goosebumps flared over my limbs.
Her wonderfully long, pointed ears heard that soft gasp. And her head tipped as she looked past her son.
The entire world tipped on its axis and a crackle of wild, chaotic magic pulsed around the chamber. Even the air thinned as I floated on a cloud of brittle suspense.
“Lilliana?” The Fairy Queen spoke my name, voice cracked and distraught. She spoke it with reverence, like it was a name she’d whispered to herself for years in the long nights.
If not for the table braced under my hands, I would have crumbled to the floor.
Lunaric glanced between his mother and me before arching his brow. “Oh, I think I’m missing something here. Something very important.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lilly
The air wavered with ancient magic, a palpable force that thrummed through the chamber like a living thing. My insides trembled at the truth unfolding before me. The palace breathed, humming with power, each note resonating through her and into my bones. A symphony of the unknown and the familiar, a song that both frightened and called to me.
The Queen swallowed, taking another step into the hall. Her chest heaved with each breath she took, and her features twisted with distress. She licked her lips once, blinking as if she didn’t believe her own eyes. To Lunaric, she said. “My daughter… she’s my daughter and your sister.”
He laughed incredulously, gaping at her. “What? You’ve no other children but me. You were wed to myfather.”
She tore her eyes from me then, smoothing her features. “I had her before you were born, Lune. Before I wed your father.”
I watched them interact, frozen and stunned into silence. My skin went taut, and my stomach dipped. If not for the biological recognition in my veins, singing that she was my mother, I wouldn’t have believed it. How could that powerful, commanding woman be my mother? How could the Queen of Fae be the same woman who birthed me, then left me with my father?
“I’ve had a sister my entire life, and you never told me?” he returned. Then he vented a laugh. “Oh, the gods have fun with fate, don’t they?”
“You knew how your father was, Lune. I was young back then. When we were betrothed, I couldn’t let him know.” She turned her glistening silver eyes on me. “I left you with your father to keep you safe.”
“My father’s dead,” I blurted, some petty part of me wanting to hurt her as much as I’d hurt.
Her brow twitched, and her unreadable expression wavered. She choked back agony and grief so quickly I almost missed it crashing through her. “I’m sorry, Lilliana. I’m so sorry.”
