Page 66 of Wrath of the Fae

Silence falls, and I slowly open my eyes.

The edge of the blade is at my neck, and the blood from his previous kills drips onto my skin.

He stares at me.

‘What… what did you say?’ he whispers.

I remove my damper ring.

‘Moonlight,’ I repeat.

His eyes widen when he feels my magic.

‘P-princess?’

I slam my foot between his legs with all my strength. As he falls to his knees, I get to my feet, pulling out my dagger and resting the tip of it at his throat.

‘My dagger…’

‘Mydagger,’ I correct, wiping blood from my face.

‘Am I dead?’ he asks. ‘I can’t be dead. Or I would be in hell. And you wouldn’t be here.’

‘Lucca. He got me out. You left me there andhegot me out.’

‘Out? Out from… what do you mean out?’ He narrows his eyes. ‘Princess… where were-’

‘Queen,’ I correct, digging the dagger deeper into his throat and spreading my wings. ‘I’m your Queen. Not your Princess.’

His arms fall to his sides as he looks up at me with such sadness and yet… wonder. Slowly, he shakes his head.

‘You’re my everything.’ He tilts back his head, showing me more of his neck. Offering it to me freely. ‘Take my life. It’s yours. It always has been.’

My hand shakes as I look at him kneeling before me. He’s ready. There’s no lie in his words. He’s ready to die.

Desperate to.

I ran through so many scenarios in my head of when I would see them both again. I imagined indifference. Disgust. Hatred or shame.

But not this. Never this.

To see Cyrus so ready to die. So at peace with it. I don’t understand!

I don’t fucking understand!

A sob explodes from my lips, and my hand trembles harder. How can I want him to engulf me in his arms, yet yearn to slit his throat and be rid of him for good?

He steadies my hand, never once looking away as he helps me hold the blade over his throat.

‘I won’t fight you,’ he promises. ‘It’s okay. Do what you need to do.’

‘You destroyed the arch. Why?’

‘They were trying to get it started. Bring Ivan back over. Use your stolen magic to slaughter-’

‘You killed the soldiers. Your soldiers. Your men.’

‘I’ve killed countless, Princess. Any I can whilst not getting caught.’ His eyes narrow. ‘Why do you look so confused? Why wouldn’t I kill them?’

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