Page 46 of How to Keep a Fae

I intend to do so with a sweet fae feeder and a human warrior at my side.

Chapter Fifteen

August

The portal room is quiet and empty. I feel like there should be a fanfare of trumpets… or something to at least mark our return.

Two guards stand at the closed door that leads out. They don’t so much as blink, remaining stoic in their duty.

“You want to see her, I presume,” my father says. He dismounts his horse, pulling it around as I likewise dismount.

We are both boxed inside the horses. I frown.

“Yes.”

He nods.

I see no more than a blur of movement between us before a low grunt escapes me.

My hand lowers to the point of pain in my right abdomen and comes away covered in blood.

“Did you just stab me?” There is an incredulous note to my voice.

He smiles and places his hand on my shoulder. “Yes.”

Well, then.

He turns and leads his horse over to the guards and orders, “Open the door.”

They do.

I follow after him.

He fucking stabbed me… “You fucking stabbed me,” I mutter the moment we pass the guards.

He arches a brow. “It is not life-threatening. You have a reason to see her now. Report to Cecil. It will look better if he is the one who takes you to her.”

I have been away for months without receiving a single scratch. Only this morning, I fought raiders and walked away with no more than the odd bruise. My father’s methods of helping me are questionable, to say the least.

A chuckle bubbles up that quickly shifts to a grunt—he got me good. I don’t even care as long as it gets me time with Adaline.

We hand over our horses to the stable master.

Outside the corridor leads two directions, one down to the warriors hall, one up to the where the highest ranking imperials and the king reside.

The words are burning on my tongue. He’s about to walk away.

“How do you force a heat?”

He pauses, fixes me with a look, and leans in to whisper in my ear.

My eyes widen.

Then, without so much as a goodbye, my father walks away.

I watch him go, shoving his words down, burying them. This isn’t the time.

I’m bleeding. I’m back—the solid stones of Sanctum above and below.

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