Page 27 of Dark Fae's Secrets
“Leave the violence and punishment to me,” I state suddenly, unable to keep that thought to myself.
“Of course,” she says. “You are the Head of my Guard.”
She smiles prettily at me, but as she does, I see her eyes change. The gorgeous violet irises now have flecks of silver in them.
I bend down to kiss her, glad that she kisses me back. Too bad it was the wrong moment at the wrong time.
“Get your filthy hands off the Queen,” Harris, my second-in-command, says. “She is to be married, you bastard!”
I look up as Savvie raises her eyebrow at Harris, but it’s too late.
My feet are kicked out from under me with the combined magick of my own damn army, and I’m swarmed, the air knocked clean out of me as I hit the ground. The dirt of the training grounds, a place that once sang with echoes of our camaraderie, now fills my mouth and nostrils.
“Bind him!” one of the guards shouts, a man I once fought beside. Rough hands, hands that have shared meals at my side, now grip me with a purpose that chills my blood.
Harris stands over me, his eyes a storm of disappointment and duty. “Fucking scum,” he says, though his voice quivers with a note of uncertainty.
I struggle against the iron grip of the men I trained, feeling the bitter sting of betrayal. “You think binding me will change anything?” I spit out the words, tasting earth and rebellion.
Looking for Savvie, I see her fighting a few of the guards a few feet away, trying not to hurt them but she is about to pull her wand out and then we are all doomed.
“Take him to the dungeons,” Harris commands, his voice steadier than before.
I am hauled to my feet, my arms wrenched behind me as magick-infused shackles are clamped around my wrists. The cold bite of the metal, a stark contrast to the warmth of Savvie’s touch, is now a memory that aches in my chest.
As they drag me away, I twist violently, trying to break free, to reach for Savvie, but the guards are relentless. They outnumber me, their determination ruled by a sense of duty that has been poisoned against me.
We pass through the ranks of the guard, and I see it in their eyes — some with doubt, others with disgust. They see me as a threat to the Queen, to the stability of the realm. But they know I’m her protector, her lover, her equal where it matters.
With Savvie screaming behind me, the corridors that lead to the dungeons are cold and unforgiving, the torches casting long shadows that seem to mock my plight. My mind races with plans of escape, with ways to explain, to make them see that love should not be the enemy. But I have to let Savvie deal with this. It’s the only way out for me now.
As the heavy door of the dungeon closes behind me, the sound of the locking mechanism is like the final word in a sentence I never wished to hear. I am left in the darkness, a prisoner of my own men, captured and helpless, the taste of betrayal more bitter than blood in my mouth.
“Don’t let them stop you, Princess,” I mutter, the feeling of dread I had about Savvie, shifting and turning course.
Something isn’t right here, but damned if I know what the fuck just happened.
Chapter 14
Savannah
“Release him at once!” I shriek at Harris, but he gives me a grim look back.
“Can’t do that, Your Majesty. A report has been filed against him, and we need to protect you from the likes of him.”
I pause and narrow my eyes at him. “A report from whom?”
He gives me a surprised look that I didn’t ask aboutwhatinstead. “Uhm, one of the maids, Ma’am,” he stammers, suddenly unsure of himself as I give him a death stare.
Now Iknowthat this ex of Jerrick’s is behind it. She must’ve figured out that coming to me with lies would do no good, so she went to the Guard instead.
Little bitch.
I’ll flay her alive.
“Name?” I clip out.
“Letisha, Ma’am.”
