Page 132 of Chosen By the Fae King

“Pardon?”

“No high heels. Anything else, but not the heels. I have to draw the line somewhere.”

Nox sighed dramatically but his hand swatted my behind playfully. “Even if I begged?”

My head slanted, imagining it. “I'll consider it.”

We were both still laughing when he decided to take me against the shower wall.

Later, much later, as we embraced the night, I couldn't help but believe that this was only the beginning of something wonderful.

Epilogue

Nox

The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over Snowfall Manor. The aftermath of recent events lingered in the air, leaving a palpable sense of apprehension.

We hadn't found much in our search of the grounds. The property was empty of inhabitants, though Raina told me Snowfall had been fully staffed when she'd been selected for the trials. Even the animals were missing.

It was quiet. Eerie. My intuition hinted at a thought I was reluctant to entertain.

Catching my brother’s eye, I saw the same suspicion reflecting back. “Lorne, find out what happened to the fae who were employed here.”

“Should I also—"

A shout rang out from behind the stables. Lorne tensed. “Stay here with your mate,” he grumbled and spirited away.

I looked upon Aeryn, the female who had captured not only my heart but also the fate of our realm. She smiled grimly.

Lorne had been gone for mere seconds when he reappeared. “We found the manor’s staff.”

His pointed look and flexing jaw made my hackles rise. Aeryn's small hand discreetly slid into mine.

“It's not good, is it?” she asked.

Lorne looked back at the stable, scoffing in disgust. “I need to go to Greenhollow.”

“Now?” Aeryn inquired, her interest obvious.

Sofiya was in Greenhollow and Aeryn had been trying for two days to get Lorne to open up. She didn't listen to me when I'd told her the male was a vault.

“I need to know how many were employed,” he said. “Liam's counting the number of skulls in the burn pit as we speak.”

A squeak escaped Aeryn's mouth and I put my arm around her waist. “It's late,” I countered. “Send someone at first light.”

“It's not that late, brother. The sooner we have the answer the sooner we can get out of here.”

He was always so stubborn with security. “Fine. Straight to Raina and back. No detours.”

Lorne huffed and shadow-walked away. Silence hung heavy in his wake and, as the next minute ticked by, the boulder in my gut grew heavier.

“Maybe we should come back and search when the sun is up,” Aeryn suggested, eyes darting around the landscape.

“We are not doing anything in the daylight here. I don't know enough about what's happened yet. In fact, I should take you back.”

My mate opened her mouth to argue when something plopped with a sickening thud to the ground behind me. She screamed and I spun to shield her.

“Lorne!” I hissed in shock.

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