Page 36 of A Blaze of Fire
“Alec!” she said my name, stunned. “You’re not that cruel.”
I pulled her toward me. “Oh, yes I am,” I whispered. “Now do as I say.”
I hauled her out of the area, but I didn’t miss Kazimir’s assessing gaze tracking our every move.
16
VIOLET
Alec dragged me back into the Town Hall building where I’d just eaten lunch with Rook. He followed silently behind us, ever the dutiful bodyguard. Once the doors closed behind us, I ripped my arm out of Alec’s grip and put distance between us. Still fuming, I shouted, “I can’t believe you!”
“Ican’t believeyou!” he countered, matching the heat in my tone. “Are you absolutely insane? You must have seriously lost your marbles to do something so idiotic!”
“Idiotic?” I said, aghast. “They were whipping a man!”
“An Unseelie, not a man,” he corrected.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Man, fae, it’s all the same to me. What the hell did he do to deserve that?”
Alec’s mouth snapped shut and his jaw ticked as his hands fisted at his sides.
“Well?” I pressured.
“He didn’t pay his taxes to the King,” Alec gritted out.
I scoffed. “You’vegotto be kidding me. These people can barely feed themselves, much less give anything extra to a man – excuse me,an Unseelie– who doesn’t need it!”
“The King comes first,” Alec replied reluctantly.
I stood there, frozen in disbelief. “I cannot believe you just said that.”
“Believe it.”
“You’re not who I thought you were.” I looked away, trying to keep my emotions at bay.
Alec grunted, “I’m not who you thought I was? What? Because I’m not Ansel? Sorry to hurt your delicate sensibilities, Lady Violet, but I never was and never will be my darling brother. I think all those late-night visits to the village confused you as to who I really am.”
I turned the force of my glare at him, but I wasn’t the only one glaring. He had me pinned in place. “You’re an ass.”
He smirked. “And you’re entitled.”
“If this is how this whole trip is going to be, I don’t want any part of it.” I crossed my arms over my chest, full of righteous anger. I’d rather be locked in the castle than to partake in these barbaric actions.
“Too late, princess, you’re already in it.” Alec grinned wickedly. “You wanted to be here so bad? Well, here you are. There’s no turning back.” He prowled toward me until he stood a few inches away. “Suck. It. Up.”
“I hate you,” I growled. A burgeoning revulsion for him bubbled up to the surface and was ready to explode. How could I have ever thought he was decent? Honorable? Somewhat sane?
Alec chuckled. “Same.”
* * *
I hidout in the Town Hall building with Rook, unwilling to witness any more cruelty on behalf of the dreaded Unseelie King. The barbarism made me sick. When I felt like I could stomach it, I peered out the window and saw that the line had diminished substantially. They would be wrapping up shortly. Off to the side was the man who had been whipped earlier. He lay on the ground, on his stomach, and I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. It looked as if they’d tossed him there when they were done whipping him for being poor. The situation made me angry all over again.
“Rook, follow me,” I whispered to the bodyguard and went outside as quietly as possible, taking care not to be seen.
We crept over to the fae man who lay with his face in the dirt. I knelt and checked his pulse, relieved when I picked up a thready rhythm. I saw his back rise and fall. Deep welts were cut into the ragged skin of his back, the flesh oozing blood.
I looked up at Rook. “Help me pick him up.”
