Page 19 of Deliverance

I breathe in deeply, trying to calm myself so I can reply rationally. He needs to understand why I feel the way I do, but in a way that is not going to throw us into a full-blown argument.

“I may be just a mere human to you, but I have feelings and rights.” Levelling him with a look, I keep my voice steady despite the frustration and fear coursing through me. “You may think our rules do not apply to you and that you are above us, but you have no right to expect me to just accept that.”

Wow. I’m proud of how in control I sounded. Here I am, standing off against a fae prince while sounding perfectlyreasonable. Internally, I’m freaking out. This is afae, one of the creatures who have tormented humans for centuries, and I’m lecturing him about equality.

His jaw tenses, and I like to think it is because he realises I am right. He has no control over how I feel about his actions, and he needs to accept that and move on. He glances at his companion who simply shrugs, amusement shining in his eyes.

With a gruff noise, he scrubs his hands over his face and then huffs out a breath. His gaze returns to me, sharp and shrewd, and he gestures to his horse. “Are you going to ride with me, or do I have to restrain you?”

Restrain me? Why does that make me flush, and why does it fill me with a warmth that makes me want to clench my legs together? Feeling flustered all of a sudden, I push any images of myself tied up and thrown across the prince’s lap to the back of my mind.

“I will ride with Blaise.” My reply is breathy, and I am sure it gives away my flustered state.

The dark-haired fae looks pained and shoots a pleading look at his friend, but the prince is already snorting with amusement as he gestures for me to go to Blaise.

“By all means.”

Taking a deep breath, I keep my head high and walk over to Blaise. He sits atop his horse, looking down at me in exasperation. I take his offered hand and with more effort than I expected, I mount the horse. In reality, it was less of me climbing up into the saddle and more of Blaise dragging me up. With all the grace of a stampeding bull, I get settled, ignoring Blaise’s curses as he attempts to keep us both from toppling over.

“Can we continue with our journey now?” Alaric’s tart voice makes my spine stiffen.

Turning to look at him, I narrow my eyes. “Yes, thank you for asking.”

There is no point in me fighting this. I would never be able to find my way home, and I am clearly in danger in Brine. The prince also made it pretty clear that he is not going to let me go. Besides, if I look past his dubious methods of getting me away, then I can feel my instincts urging me to trust them.

“Well, I would not want to upset your delicate sensibilities.”

Biting my tongue, I hold back my retort. Something about arguing with them has lessened my sense of fear around them. Most likely it is my anger that is riding at the front of my brain and taking the lead.

As we ride, I think over everything Alaric said, and in a distant way, I can understand where he is coming from. He hardly knows me, and I am just one person. Although his methods were heavy-handed, he was putting the well-being of his people above all else. It is something admirable, yet at the same time, I am still angry. My comments still stand—I deserve an explanation and a choice, and I hope that going forward, that is something he thinks on.

The sky is now starting to lighten, the pitch-black night becoming a deep blue as the sun replaces its lunar brother. Riding with Blaise is about as comfortable as sitting on a stiff-backed chair, the fae completely rigid behind me. I am almost to the point of pleading to a higher power that we will get to the city soon. It has been several hours since I was released from the magic sleep Alaric had me under, and I still have so many questions lingering in my mind.

“Why are we going to Clifftop City anyway?”

I see Alaric startle and glance back at me, only to realise that I am asking his companion behind me. It takes a lot for me not to feel smug at the look on his face.

Blaise sighs, clearly preferring silence and noticing his friend’s reaction. “We need to inform the human king of the changes to the plan,” he replies, tired of my questions already.“He is going to be pissed that we left his ministers behind.” He raises his voice, so I know he’s aiming this one at Alaric, bringing him into the conversation so he doesn’t have to carry the burden of talking to me alone.

“They would have slowed us down,” the prince says by way of explanation. His gaze slides to me. “We need to get you to safety.”

I wondered why it was just the three of us on this journey when they arrived at my village with a whole entourage. Travelling in a larger group would make it a slower journey, as would having a confused human woman who was reluctant to leave.

Alaric returns to watching the road ahead of us, and we all fall into silence. At least, that is what they think, as my mind is already forming my next question.

“What is the king like?”

Blaise groans loudly this time, but the prince and I ignore him. Alaric tilts his head slightly, a sure sign he is listening, but he does not turn to look at me. Instead, he raises his hand and gestures towards the lightening skyline where a dark shape is beginning to make itself clear.

“You can find out for yourself,” he calls over his shoulder, grim determination in his voice. “We are here.”

Chapter Ten

The king is not at all what I expected.

I was expecting a middle-aged scholarly type, thanks to his reputation of rewriting parts of the past to ensure a better life for his citizens, but he is actually the complete opposite.

He must stand around six foot high, which is tall for a male in our lands, but nothing compared to the fae. Muscular and broad, he moves with a grace I had not thought possible for a man so large. What surprises me the most, however, is that he is a hunter, and a good one at that. The wall behind him is covered in his trophies from his hunts—not just any hunter, though, but a fae hunter.

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