Page 114 of Taken By the Fae King

As soon as Kyven leaves, I move to the cleansing room. I bathe and dress quickly and then open the door into the hallway. Talyn turns to me. “My queen?”

“Take me to Kyven,” I tell him. “I want to see what is happening along the Wall.”

Instead of hesitating like I thought, he dips his chin, and we start down the hallway.

As we make our way to the throne room, I’m surprised by how eerily empty the fortress feels. Most of our warriors are concentrating their efforts into guarding the Wall against the Wraith.

Movement off to the side catches my eye, and I turn toward it, but a hand clamps over my mouth, jerking me back.

Talyn spins, his eyes wide.

“Do. Not. Move,” a voice hisses in my ear. “One wrong move and the queen is dead.”

Dread twists deep in my gut as I recognize the voice.

Lord Torien.

“Release the queen at once,” Talyn snarls. “Or I’ll—”

“Take me to the king,” Torien snaps. “Now.”

I shake my head, but Torien clamps down even harder. “I thought I told you not to move,” he says darkly. “I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth, and if you scream, more people will die. Do you understand?”

I nod.

“Good.”

His hand lifts away from my mouth, and he grips my arm firmly. “Let’s go.”

His fingers dig into my flesh as he practically drags me down the hallway to the throne room.

Talyn spins to attack, but Torien sends an arc of magic flying toward him, hitting him square in the chest.

“No!” I watch in horror as my guard crumples to the ground. “You—”

“Silence!” he snaps, pulling me down the hallway.

When we reach the throne room, the two guards at the door charge toward him, but he stops them short with a knife at my throat. “Attack me, and I’ll—”

The door bursts open, and Kyven stops abruptly in his tracks at the sight of me in Torien’s grasp.

The cold steel of the knife presses against my throat, just hard enough to remind me of my fragile mortality. Torien stands behind me, his breath hot on the nape of my neck. The room is silent as Kyven watches, anger burning in his eyes.

“Let her go, Torien,” Kyven commands, his voice low and dangerous, “or I’ll end you.”

My brothers Raiden and Edmynd step forward, their fists clenched. “You’re a dead man,” Raiden growls.

Torien remains unflinching, his deadly intent unwavering. “The amplifier necklace,” he demands, his voice cold and emotionless. “Give it to me.”

I’ve only seen pictures of this necklace from the book of Queen Ilyra’s story, and it is just as beautiful as portrayed. The clear, sparkling pendant gemstone on a silver chain glows a soft light blue as magic swirls within the stone.

Kyven hesitates, but knowing that my life hangs in the balance, he reluctantly hands it to Torien.

As the necklace is transferred from my husband to my captor, I glance back at Torien. A wave of magic moves across his face, and my jaw drops as his glamour falls away, revealing a long, jagged scar running down the right side of his face.

A jolt of recognition runs through me. This is the Fae who attacked and murdered my mother years ago and nearly killed me as well.

“You,” I whisper, my voice trembling. My brothers stare in shock, understanding dawning in their eyes.

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