Page 75 of Queen of Thorns
The group slams their hands on the tables three times.They agree?
“We will not forgive their crimes without payment!”
“We will make them suffer as we have suffered!”
My heart sinks.Oh, hell no.
“What of our spies in the Whirling Court?” the female asks, hands on her hips.
“Our allies have been quiet since the Crystal attack. They did mention a parade in the Luminescent Court that would be a tempting target.”
The fae murmur in agreement. Excited chatter expands through the room.
My stomach sinks, anxiety rising. These are certainly the people who celebrated the death of the last High Prince. The people who called me a hero for that terrible act.
My magic reacts to the anger building in my chest. The ground beneath my feet trembles, and the chattering settles into silence.
I take in a long breath and settle my anger, keeping my magic tight. My shadows curl tightly around my body, ready to spring into action. A snake coiled and ready to strike.
Luscious frowns, but when the shaking ends, he ignores it. “For now, we go along with her plans, and I will test her. See where her loyalties truly lie. A queen with control of the High King would be quite an asset.”
“And if she is loyal to him?”
“Then, we will kill him.”
My magic strikes without thought. Shadows streak from around my body and snatch Luscious by the throat. I stand and let my shielding magic fall. The small crowd scrambles away from me as I march toward a wide-eyed Luscious being strangled by my magic.
“Threaten him again,” I say. Luscious gurgles in response as my shadows constrict. “And you will see exactly how powerful I am.” I clench my jaw. I desire his death. To show them who I can be—
The male that would dare conspire to control me and kill my mate?I want him dead.
I curl my lip, and I let him see the hatred in my eyes before I finally have my shadows release him. His body falls into a heap on the ground.I control you, I tell my magic.
“No one will touch Reveln.” I turn to face the group. “No one, will touch another High Court ruler withoutmypermission.”
“We do not bow to you!” a male calls from the back of the room, even as he cowers behind three others.
“I am your queen,” I say firmly. Luscious squirms at my feet. He pushes away, holding his neck and sucking in gasping breaths. “You will bow or you desert your court.”
“She is a spy!”
“She’s loyal to the High Court!”
I hold my chin up. “You know nothing about me.”
The standing female takes a step closer to me into the light. She has thin brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and her clothes are near rags. Her shoulders are back, and her eyes are dim, with remnants of fear, but she feigns her confidence which takes bravery enough. “We know that you attacked your countrymen in defense of a ruler from another court.” She nods to Luscious still cowering at my feet. “A court that has taunted and shamed us. A court that has stolen our women and what little pride we have left.”
“He’s still alive,” I comment casually, shifting my boot so that it nudges Luscious’s leg. He scoots ever farther from me. “He is lucky I let him live.”
“You’d kill your own people to defend a prince from another court?” she asks, like it only proves her point. I pull in a long breath, wondering if debating or negotiating with these people will even do any good. Perhaps I should have them all arrested. Or kill them here and now.
My magic purrs.
I understand their rage, though. The pain and fear in their eyes. They are seeking some way to take control over their circumstances. Some outlet for their anger. So, maybe it’s pointless, but I will try anyway.
“Do you truly believe in such generalizations? That anyone from the Shadow Court must be innocent and anyone from the Luminescent Court must be guilty? I do not. I believe in individuals. I believe in actions deciding guilt, not blood. I understand your anger more than you know. I understand your thirst for vengeance. I remember feeling those exact things as an adolescent. I wanted the ruling courts to fear me. I wanted them to see how strong we can be.”
“But that has changed?” the female asks, eyebrow quirking.
