Page 74 of The Iron Fae
"Mark my words, I'll tear you limb from limb when I'm free."
Bellion’s nose brushes against Lincoln's. He gives him a dry laugh, and begins peeling his fingers from his clothes. Splotches of mud and blood cling to the white button up and he tries to wipe it clean from him.
"Ah, I see ourguestsare being treated well." Cordelia's shrill voice coos from the other side of the room.
I blink open my eyes. Fae step back, creating a walkway for the queen. She's changed from her glittering red gown and replaced it with a sparkling white dress not entirely different from mine. As the crowd moves with the swiftness of the sea calling its tide away from the shore, she locks eyes with me.
My expression doesn't change. I don't give her the satisfaction of acknowledging her. So she flickers her gaze to Lincoln. Cordelia's hand snakes down her body, traveling over the curve of her breasts, the flat valley of her stomach, and down to cup her own sex.
"I'd like to thank you for pleasing me so, Lincoln." She gives him a small wink. "At least we know that these half-breeds can still do one thing."
Cordelia holds her slender hands up, tilting back with a cackle. The crowd laughs with her. Some more willingly than others. Air wheezes from Lincoln's lungs and he freezes in his crouched position.
"Silence." The queen demands. Her heels tap against the shining tiled floor as she crosses her legs with an exaggerated sway of her hips. The dress gleams with the sparkling innocence of a freshly fallen and undisturbed snow.
This is no innocent queen.
The chandeliers cast their light down, creating a spot light between our prisons. She comes to a stop, gripping the bars. With every sway the crowd murmurs amongst themselves.
"I'm so happy you both could join us for this wonderful celebration." Her voice is poisoned with false sincerity.
All talking comes to a full stop. A hush falls over the crowd, their attention pulled to the arching entrance of the room. The thrum of power travels through the ground. It rises, sparking at the bottom of our cages, crackling like small bolts of lightning.
I inhale sharply. Empty eyes framed in tan skin and dark silky hair. A familiar tan tunic is wrapped around her slender body, outlined in a similar stormy energy. Maybe the volcano top wasn't stormy because that's just how the atmosphere is, maybe it's stormy because Zeve is the storm.
Don't say a word. Don't acknowledge her.Lincoln begs inside my mind.
I won't. I would never. I'm as strong as I am now because of this woman, and I can't imagine what my human body would be like after the day I'm having.
"You've finally made it!" Cordelia says pleasantly, letting our cages go as a spark snaps at her fingertips. "It took you far too long." She deadpans.
"I was... busy." Zeve responds. She watches the crowd with little amusement. Her eyes searching for something, forsomeone, I quickly realize as she skims past Lincoln and I.
"Come now, enjoy a drink. Have a snack."
"I'd rather get this over with. As you know, I'm highly sought after and my work has little end." Zeve steps forward, still barefoot, to lift up the sheer scarf of a man who stands tensely to the side. She fiddles with the fabric for only a breath before she drops it and strolls forward toward us.
"Very well." Cordelia snaps her fingers. "Guards."
Men, previously under Lincoln's command, bustle forward pushing through anyone in their way. They jostle the cages with little concern for the blisters that bubble on my skin with every single tilting movement. Large hands reach in, tugging me out.
It's almost a relief as the cold air hits my burning skin before the scraps of my dress fall back over my legs. My ankles cock at an odd angle as I'm pulled forward with my heels dragging against the ground.
Lincoln restrains himself as the men tug him forward. He is assured in every graceful movement, strong in the chording muscles of his jaw, fierce with the stern stare of his eyes.
I catch myself much quicker than my old body would have and lift my chin in defiance. I give the crowd my attention and watch the idea of having a new queen play out in their thoughts.
"You know the deal," Cordelia starts. "It's very clear that the girl is now very much...Shadow Fae, but I need to know from whom she was born. The specifics. I want to end this once and for all."
"What about him?" Zeve focuses on Lincoln. "He obviously isn't this Mortal Queen you're so fearful of.
"I'm not scared of the Mortal Queen." Cordelia takes a step closer to Zeve, who only gives her an amused grin before she herself takes another step closer to the queen. "She's a nuisance that needs to be dealt with. And as for the half-breed, he's a traitor. I'll end his life after he gets to watch his bitch die."
I know Cordelia means for her words to be cutting, or heartfelt in any way, but all I can think about is the fact thatI'm Lincoln's bitch. Like damn, we're finally an item and Cordelia's about to slit my throat. So, it isn't so much an insult as it is exciting.
I toss Lincoln a soft smile. From my view inside his head, I know that he knows how I'm looking at him but he remains focused on Zeve.
"Shall I begin?" Zeve sighs.
