Page 2 of The Crowned Fae Queen
Because her lashes flutter open.
1
Hunting Her
Syren
Isqueeze my eyes shut to keep out the guilty wave of thoughts. The sun hides lazily behind foggy, gray clouds still half hidden by the horizon. Morning is coming whether or not I ask for it.
Every decision I’ve ever made led me to this path. Seeking the truth, only to be lied to. I can’t spend a moment patting myself on the back for being right about the goddessdamned curse, not when I was also so wrong about who was behind it all.
So much has crumbled and broken to bits in my life. The one good thing is, the tiny death scare I had seemed to be enough to cause them to cancel the royal wedding. Not that we aren’t technically already married by our own right…
But I can’t handle any headdresses, gowns, and flowers while one single person is all that’s on my mind.
Below me, the tree limb bows and threatens to break as I lean forward, straining my ears to listen to the night. My lungs burn from the way my breaths fall so frantically. The wind plays dirty tricks on me when it blows snow from the jagged limbs of the towering trees. Sometimes it sounds like the rustle of Aisha’s dress as she climbs out the window, and sometimes it sounds like her sprinting feet.
She betrayed me. She betrayed the entirety of the Northern Kingdom. She deserves to be strung up by her toes and hung until beetles feast upon her rotting flesh.
An awful, yet satisfying, image.
Sour and tart, the smell of winterberries growing under the frosted leaves of the brush makes my stomach growl. I will have to eat sooner rather than later. Which ruins my plans for hunting down that wicked, lying wench early this morning.
Winter claims Nalerpera with its harsh storms and coats of fine, icy snow. Fat and lazy snowflakes float down leisurely, hiding any tracks made. Strands of my blue hair, crystalized into long dreadlocks, lash across my face as I thrash toward the noise of fluttering wings. A bird taking flight.
Past the sound of flapping wings is the drum of boots across the uneven terrain. Snow crunches, and my heart beats louder. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as the steps near. Every sound, every animal, every distant roar or muted cry of some winged beast is, in my head, Aisha. No stone will remain unturned while she runs free, and the good people of Nalerpera continue to suffer.
As the steps pass under me, I swing myself down from the branch, legs stretching out to wrap around the throat of the passerby. Impact is like hitting an old, very solid, brick wall. Air rushes out of my lungs, but I push to swing myself around until the two of us fall into the dusty white.
Instantly, I recognize the chestnut-brown hair fanning over my stomach, and the scent of falling, burning stars before Bear rolls over and pulls himself over me.
Snow sizzles and hisses as it melts away under his palms resting on either side of my head. “You have to stop this. My men will find her.”
You’ve been at this for days, my Queen.He speaks into my mind.
I turn away, watching the glitter of ice along the leaves glisten in the breeze, trying and failing to focus on the lacework of crystals so I can avoid the searing gaze of my mate. Worry seeps through our bond. Bear’s worry for me. I do not need to see the longing, pleading look in his yellow eyes.
Bear stands and dusts off his brown trousers before offering me his hand. The neatly ironed, white, buttoned shirt is untucked from his pants and bunches along his lean waist, a sight that catches my eyes.
You’re so wound up, you can hardly hear my calls. Your mind is distant. This isn’t good for you.
Or me.His thoughts echo.
Gritting my teeth together, I take his hand, finally making eye contact. His harsh, narrow gaze stirs up guilt, leaving my chest feeling tight with regret. It isn’t right for me to shut out my husband like this. I know this. Yet with Aisha still out there and people still dying, how can I stop? We will have more days to love each other, to explore each other, and to open up. Many more days than the people in Nalerpera.
Bear opens his mind so I can feel the aching pain of the hollow place in his soul that remains when I pull away. His steady hands cup my cheeks, holding me in place as he sends warmth traveling through the veins of my body. A string of heat curls through my abdomen, tightening and twisting in a lustful way that makes my cheeks flush.
I know better ways you could be spending your time.His voice is a husky whisper, seductive and pleading.
My lips twitch into a sly smile only briefly before I right myself. Nuzzling my face into his grasp, I close my eyes.
“I can’t let her get away, Bear. I won’t let this injustice continue.” My breath clouds between us, taking the words away with them.
“Syren, what good is this? Do you think Aisha, of all people, would be trotting about the woods? If it wasn’t me, you would likely have caught a hunter or a traveler.” He blinks slowly, his thoughts churning. “And I’m not about to let some other man get caught between your thighs like that.”
Both of his large hands slide down my cheeks, traveling down my shoulders, waist, and hips until he reaches around to cup my backside before scooping my legs up. I welcome every inch of his heat, warming my cold and tired bones as he pulls me tight against him.
“These are my thighs. My mate.” He snaps his canines once before kissing down my jaw and brushing them near the soft spot of gills along my neck.
