Page 73 of Chosen By the Fae King

“Is this little test over?” I asked, voice shaky, eyes on his sternum.

“Yes.”

“Was it the same for each contestant?”

“Do you mean did they all see what you saw?”

I nodded sharply.

“No. I wasn't in anyone else's projection.”

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. “Did I pass because I didn't interrupt your ... activities?”

If this was a test to see if I was capable of turning a blind eye to the ultimate betrayal it would change everything. I'd never let him touch me again.

I wanted to scrub my eyeballs with wire bristles and wash away the vision forever. I hated that the burning behind them only got worse and they began to fill.

I was humiliated though I had no true reason for it. Nox wasn't actually mine and the entire event wasn't real.

“Aeryn, look at me,” he coaxed.

I didn't want to but I did. The sudden intensity of his gaze felt like a physical blow. His eyes burned with a deep, almost overpowering emotion that seemed to ricochet inside of me.

“Tell me about what you saw,” he said.

A tear escaped before I was able to answer. I sniffed. “I would prefer not to relive it.”

Nox made to touch my face and I took a step back. His brow lowered. “Are you upset because you thought I might actually be harmed?”

The most unladylike angry snort came out of me. Cathartic and emboldening, I let the indignation focus my words.

“No, asshole. I'm upset because I had to stand here and watch you fuck some faceless stranger. I know I kept quiet but if you thought I wouldn't be affected by it then you don't know a damn thing about me!”

His eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“That!” I pointed to where the bed had been. “Could you not see? Were you not watching yourself do those–those things?!”

“Oh, I definitely watched it, little menace. In fact I was so hard I nearly cleared the room to demand you actually do something about it.”

I saw red, vibrating with madness. I bared my teeth, snapping at him like some rabid wolf.

Nox growled, deep and low, grabbing me by my shoulders and backing me into the wall. I held still, spying the beast glowering back.

“That wasn't some faceless stranger, Aeryn. So please explain to me what the fuck you're talking about.”

My mind stuttered as my stomach dropped. “Who was it?” I rasped.

“You couldn't tell?”

My tongue felt thick, like I was going to be sick.

Nox bent his head back and looked to the ceiling. “Gods grant me strength. I beg it.”

“Tell me who it was.”

He lowered his face to mine. The force of his feelings evident in the ferocity with which he stared at me. His intensity shook me to my core.

“You, you bedeviling female. It was you. How could it have possibly been anyone else?”

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