Page 57 of Their Queen

Anger flashed across her face as she failed to gain the response from me that she wanted. She motioned with a hand, indicating that her consorts should pull my father and Callum into view, giving me my first glimpse of them after they’d been captured. I fought the urge to react the way I wanted to. Both of them were cut and bruised, having been battered during their time with her.

My father was hunched over, his hair hiding his face, but Callum held his head high, refusing to bow to her. She walked up next to him, running a hand down one cheek, under his jaw, and then down to his chest, where her fingers lingered. “Ah, this one has always been so much fun to toy with. So proud. So strong.” She faced me over her shoulder. “You know, he never once broke. Not even when I took everything from him. So delicious. His pain was exquisite because he refused to bow to me. I wonder what he’d do now. Would it be even better knowing he wanted you? That you had failed to protect him?” She turned back to face him, her hand continuing its trajectory down his chest until she reached his pants. She palmed him in her hand, squeezing roughly as he hissed.

I clenched my hands onto the arms of the throne, refusing to give in to her need for my reaction. She was only doing this to get a rise out of me. Once she failed to get what she wanted, she’d abort that tactic. I chanted this over and over in my mind as I kept a placid and bored expression on my face, my whitened knuckles the only indication that her strategy was working. “I’m sure it’s worse for you,” I spoke up, drawing her attention back to me. “To know that he bowed for me. That he gave me the one thing he denied you for years,” I taunted her, smirking as her anger flashed.

She abandoned her exploration of Callum’s body to face me again. “What is it that you want?” she hissed at me.

I laughed. “It’s not about what I want but about what you’d be willing to give me in exchange for this.” I reached down and picked up the stone tablet to hold it out for her perusal.

Immediately, the dark thoughts and whispers assaulted me, taunting me and cajoling me to use it to end her. To give into the blood lust that it could give me, the power that we could use together to conquer her and this land. I slammed the walls down in my mind and forced the thoughts out, a small pant of breath leaving my lips at the effort.

When Titania didn’t immediately respond, I opened the book, paging through it. “I wonder what I could accomplish with this. What power it might give me?” It didn’t escape my notice that my words now mimicked the promises of the book, a part of me wanting to succumb to those desires. “Or I could just drop it here, destroy it for all of eternity. Neither of us would be able to use it.” I held the book above my head in threat.

She hissed, stepping closer. “You wouldn’t!”

“Wouldn’t I?” I asked, tilting my head like an innocent child. “What would you give me in exchange for this? After all, I have no use for what’s inside. I can’t even read the words written in it,” I admitted, reeling her in. She needed to think she had the upper hand, that she was getting more from this bargain than I would be.

“Don’t be foolish, child,” she snapped, glaring at me.

“Well, what will you give me in return for it?” I challenged her. She hesitated too long. She was calling my bluff. I released the book, letting it drop a few inches before catching it. “Oops! It seems it’s too heavy for me to keep holding it like this.”

My words had the expected outcome, my needling forcing her into action. “Stop. Just lower the book.” I did as she asked, placing the book back into my lap. She closed her eyes and ground her teeth together. “I will give you your father and consort in exchange for the book.”

“I want your word. Swear it. I want to feel the magic lock into place before I agree to this. We’ll meet on neutral ground for the exchange,” I said, trying to keep the urgency from my voice. I was so close to getting exactly what I wanted.

“Fine. I swear on my magic that your consort and your father will be returned to you in exchange for the book,” she swore, but when I opened my mouth to add to her promise, she sighed. “Without any further damage than they have already received. Happy now? Do we have a deal?” she snapped impatiently.

“We have a deal.” At my words of agreement, the magic snapped into place, both of us now bound. “Where and when do we want to do the exchange?” I asked, letting her think she still had the upper hand.

She smiled now that she was so close to getting everything she had ever wanted. “We’ll meet on the fields of Tamaris. There’s a temple there. We’ll be waiting for you there in thirty-six hours. If you’re late, our deal is off, and I will kill them both before coming for the book.”

“If you kill them, I will destroy the book, and then I will destroy you,” I vowed, my eyes narrowing to show her I meant every word.

The crystal went dark, my only answer to that lingering threat. I smiled maniacally again. I had her just where I wanted her.

Chapter Forty: Rhowyn

With the deal made, I sat there on my throne for a minute, leaning forward as I let my emotions out. It had been torture to watch her touch Callum in such a way, and yet, I knew she had done so much worse to him over the years. Closing my eyes, I reminded myself that I had won this round, and she hadn’t even realized it. That I would have Callum and my father back soon without them suffering any more physical harm while we waited for the exchange.

Large and gentle hands ran along my shoulders, one sliding to my back to soothe me and the other reaching for the book still resting in my lap. I had completely forgotten about it and the urges it had been whispering into my mind the whole time that I’d been in contact with it. It was wrong on so many levels, and I had to fight back a shiver.

Standing, I met Arryn’s eyes with a smile full of false bravado. This task had gone according to plan, but there was so much more that needed to be done. So many places that the rest could go wrong, and despite the effort of trying to push it deep down inside, I couldn’t fully rid myself of the anxiety that threatened to cripple me if I dared examine it too closely.

As if sensing my need to keep moving forward, he spoke. “I’ll go put this away with the orb until we’re ready to use it. Baer’s going to inspect the soldiers we’re planning to take with us while Lennox helps organize the supplies we’ll need. We’ll need to leave soon if we’re to make it to the meeting point in time. It’s a long march, which I’m sure was her intention. She’s hoping we won’t have time to take an army with us.”

“Okay, I’ll meet with Aurelia and give her an update on the agreement. I know she’s just as nervous about this as we all are, and any comfort I can give her, the better,” I told him, needing to stay busy. It would also give me a chance to get a report on how our new guests were settling in.

“It seems that with all the newly arrived fae, who continue to trickle in, we’ve got another three hundred soldiers to add to our ranks. It’s still not much, but if we go about this right, it should be enough to make a difference,” Arryn said as we began walking to the doors leading out of the throne room. Nodding, I was honestly glad to hear it. I’d known all along that we’d be the underdog, but this didn’t put us so far behind. “I’m still hoping my contacts will also join us. I’ve sent Cyerra to deliver the messages to a few key leaders to have them round up our network and meet us at the site.”

“That’s good. When she gets back, I would like to speak to her,” I told him. Brannoc came up beside me, eyeing me, tension and anxiety leaking from him. Despite the fact that he had been supportive and an integral part of our team for a while, many of the high fae still didn’t trust him. They watched his every move as if waiting for him to murder them all in a fit of rage. It kept him on edge, always monitored. He was meant for the shadows, and this was a new feeling for him.

I leaned up onto my tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth, and he smiled at me. Arryn’s hand squeezed mine as he left without another word. My face turned to watch him walk away, admiring his beauty and strength. He walked with confidence and purpose, respect following him everywhere he turned, a direct contrast to how they treated Brannoc. “How are you holding up?” I asked him, needing to know the truth.

He sighed, leaning in to claim a kiss from my lips before leaning his forehead on mine. “I’m doing my best to ignore the stares, but it’s difficult to shake decades of training.” He pulled back from me, holding my eyes with his dark ones, flecks of light shining through from the reflections of the sconces scattered throughout the room.

I cupped his cheek in support. “It will get better. I promise.”

He sighed, leaning into my caress. “I hope so.”

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