Page 163 of Court of the Fae Princes

But I can’t.

Because it’s not everything I want. These dreams, this connection, our bond defies any logic and reason, and it is stronger than anything she can try to tempt me with.

Fuck. I think I love them. Not the kind of love that develops slowly over time, but a different kind of love, one you feel in an instant. One that knocks you on the ground and makes you want nothing but them for the rest of our lives. I don’t know why I wasn’t aware of it before. Maybe fear clouded my judgment, but I know, with time, this will grow into something amazing.

For myself. For them. For our kingdom. I have to save them. Even if I’m taking a frightening risk.

“Cassia, I’m offering you everything…”

She’s not. “No.”

She arches her brow. “You don’t mean that, Cassia. Think about your father and grandmother. I’m powerful. I’ve already destroyed your princes. Just imagine what I can do to you. And I will do it. Daughter or not, I will not let you stand in the way of my throne. You refuse my deal and you will die right alongside your men, becoming mine to rule in death anyway.”

I raise my head, feeling the dead in the castle lift their heads to mimic me. Then there’s the rattle of bones as the ones around me do the same. “No.”

She glances from the dead to me, and something unexplainable changes in the air. “Which castle do you want? When I’m queen, I’ll give you whichever you choose.”

After all this time and all of my suffering, she thinks I can be bought. She thinks the feelings I have for these four princes can be set aside for a castle or some sense of security that she’d provide. Unfortunately for her, her offer isn’t even tempting. Just the thought of losing my men makes me feel like my heart is being slowly ripped out of my chest.

There’s no offer I’ll take that leaves my men and my people at her mercy. Because as rough as life has been for me, my people do live in this kingdom. My father and grandmother. My friends at the castle. None of them deserve to die because I had a chance to protect them and failed.

“No.”

She sits up taller in her throne, her eyes sparkling with rage. “If you don’t want what I’ve offered, what do you want?”

My hands curl into fists. I feel dozens of the undead mirror my movement. Connections to them like threads pull at me, whispering at me, asking what I want. I think she senses it. This change. There’s desperation beneath her rage. And fear. Otherwise, why would she even be offering me these deals? If I have no power here, why not just destroy me?

“Nothing but the princes.”

She slams her hand on the arm of her throne. “Impossible. I made a deal with your princes. They’re mine. A fae deal can’t be broken.”

A strange awareness crawls from the top of my head down my spine. No, a fae deal can’t be broken, but maybe I don’t need to break it to save them.

“My princes asked me a question, and I’m finally ready to answer.” Her lips part, but I press on before she can interrupt. “I love the princes. I want to marry them. My answer to their proposal is yes, and if I say yes, you have no power over them. Wasn’t that your deal?”

She rises from her throne and steps off of her dais. Instinctually, I take a step back. Behind me, I feel the dead try to do the same, but I stiffen, remaining in place. Her power is pulling against my own. Taking control over the undead once more.

The feeling is… unsettling. Like someone bigger and stronger grabbing your arm and pulling you along. You want to fight back, but they’re just so much larger.

“You don’t mean that. You don’t love these fools.”

I root my feet to the ground. “I do.”

Her lips curl. “You don’t. Stop fearing the changes my rule will bring and accept this new order.”

“Accept my answer. It frees them from your binds. You gave your word.”

She stops short, and then her expression gentles in a way that seems impossible. Her anger melts away and tension leaves her body. I feel some of her controlling over the undead slip, and the air in the room changes.

“Impressive. You actually outsmarted your mother. That intelligence, you got it from me.”

I eye her, not trusting her new mood. “Actually, I’m pretty damn sure I got it from my dad. He, after all, wasn’t stupid enough to throw away a child more powerful than you.”

Her jaw ticks. “You sure about that? You sure your power is stronger than mine?”

Feeling the dead around me, I test the strings that bind us. I feel her strings, thick, but not as thick as mine. They’re gray, while mine are gold. It’s like an athlete who has trained better and longer against someone with a natural ability. I decide to test which is more important.

I do a dance move that the humans love. A silly one where my arms go in the air and I spin around. Bones shift and skin flies as the dead dance around me. They continue mirroring my movements, a backup dance crew made of skin and bones. She lifts a hand and my hold on them fades. I watch the dead smash back against the walls.

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