Page 106 of Wrath of the Fae

‘Eight… Nine…’

Hotter. Hotter.

The flames go blue.

‘Ten… Eleven…’

The flames go black, and I scream.

‘Twelve.’

Reid pushes my hand from the fire and turns away without a word before striding from the room, grabbing El as he passes and taking her with him.

The King closes his fist, and the flames die.

‘That was fun.’

He gestures to the musicians, and the room fills with music once more before he flashes me a wink and wanders off into the crowd.

Cyrus shrugs off the soldiers holding him and storms to my side. He takes my burnt arm in his hand.

‘I told you to stay the fuck away from here!’

twenty

Cyrus’shandisinmine as he pulls me back through the palace, along the halls and winding flights of stairs. Past soldiers and servants and Lords who sneer and scoff at us as we pass.

He’s furious and dragging me roughly behind him as I clutch my burnt arm to my chest.

We arrive at the room he shares with my sister and he shoves me through the door.

He slams it shut and sighs.

‘I cannot believe you would be this fucking stupid.’ He faces me.

I have my dagger at his throat.

He watches it closely.

‘What the fuck are you doing?’ he asks. ‘You know what seeing you with a deadly weapon does to me.’ He looks from the dagger to me, and a dark smile pulls at his mouth. ‘Is this why you snuck in here?’ he asked. ‘To kill us?’

‘I came for my sister. Or should I say your wife?’

‘Either is fine, I guess, as both are true. Where is she?’ he asks, his eyes flicking around the room.

‘She’s safe.’ I return his focus to me with a nudge from my weapon. ‘Something you were unable to achieve, it seems.’

I do my best to ignore the agony of the burn on my arm, grateful it marks me and not Rhea.

Cyrus’s eyes lock with mine and he waits.

‘Why are there humans here?’ I ask.

‘They’re slaves. Prisoners. Gifts. Depends on who you ask and what they enjoy doing with them.’

‘Did you bring them over? Through the portals? You know, the ones you turned me into? Through the portals you killed me to create?’

He flinches at my words.

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