Page 51 of Queen of Thorns
Caelynn
“You’re certain thisis safe, Emberly?” Hushed voices rouse me from a deep slumber.
“We’ve heard many stories about the curse of the royal family.”
My heavy body resists as I try to force myself up. My head throbs as I open my eyes but my body remains limp on the soft surface.
“As safe as it will ever be.”
Gentle fingers slide down my cheek, and I turn to find Rev looking down at me with a soft smile. I blink, and realize my head is in his lap. “Morning, Angel.”
My heart flutters. I try again to sit up but pain shoots through every muscle. Rev’s steady arms guide me up, and the voices quiet. My vision flickers, but then it finally clears and I am able to take in my surroundings.
We’re in a small room, dark and cold, with several strangers. One is the Queen of the Whisperwood, but there are two young males and three older fae, all watching me like a damn science experiment.
“Caelynn,” the queen says softly, “this is your existing council. There should be more but—well, that’s a problem for another time.”
“She woke quickly,” an older male says, his back straight, eyes unkind.
“Sheis right here,” I say, voice groggy. My head still throbs.
“You extended quite a lot of energy today,” the elder male turns his sharp gaze to me. “To the point of collapse. But you woke in only an hour.”
“And how long was I supposed to remain unconscious by your calculations?” I regard him with hooded eyes. His hair is dark, his features severe. Not unlike the portrait of Darren Shadowspell, if I’m honest.
The male doesn’t answer.
“She had some help,” the queen says simply. “And that is really not the point, Luscious.”
“Luscious?” I repeat.
“Something wrong with my name, child?”
I shake my head; they won’t understandHarry Potterreferences, so there’s really no point.
“That is your queen you are speaking to,” the Whisperwood Queen says, rising to her feet. I blink. The female I know as the Whisperwood Queen— calledmethe queen.
Images flash through my mind of her taking off her crown and handing it to me.
