Page 31 of Golden Star

My pulse quickens.

It was supposed to be so easy—get the bracelet, then go back home before anyone knew we were here. But I should have known better. I never should have come back here. And I especially shouldn’t have brought Zoey with me.

This was all a giant mistake.

And now I’m living in a nightmare.

“Remove their blindfolds,” the king commands, and the knight beside me yanks the cloth from my eyes.

Blinking against the sudden brightness, my vision clears, and I find myself standing in the grandest room I’ve ever seen.

Towering walls of ice shimmer with magic. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and massive, silver pillars frame the frozen throne where the king of the Winter Court sits.

He’s more imposing than I imagined—tall and broad, with dark black hair framing his sharp, aristocratic features. His cloak of white leopard fur drapes over his shoulders, and his eyes fall on me first, then flicker to Zoey.

His eyes are silver, like Riven’s. But the similarity ends there. Because the king’s eyes are wild, feral, and cruel in a way that makes me feel he’s an animal ready to hunt.

And the people he’s ready to hunt areus.

Sapphire

“How did you find them?”the king asks Riven.

“A Wendigo attacked. It smelled the human—her.” He jerks his chin in Zoey’s direction, not sparing a glance my way. “We killed it, then brought them here.”

I guess that’s what that terrifying monster is called—a Wendigo.

“And the other one?” The king gestures at me with a flick of his fingers, his gaze sharp and calculating. “The summer fae.”

“I’m not a member of the Summer Court,” I say quickly. “I didn’t even know what I was until today.”

Riven glares at me, his message clear.

Donotaddress the king.

The king’s eyes gleam with suspicion, and I can all but see the wheels turning in his mind. “You expect me to believe that a fae—one with a strong command overwater magic, from what I heard—grew up ignorant of what she is?”

“I grew up human,” I insist, relying on the fact that fae can’t lie to make him believe me. Even though Zoey’s been making fun of me for not being able to lie, there’s actually a lot of power in the limitation. “I didn’t know about magic, or even about this world, until today. I didn’t even know I was fae.”

I hold my breath after speaking.

Hopefully that’s enough.

Riven still won’t look at me.

But why should I expect help from him? He’s the one who brought us here. He’s not an ally of mine, no matter how much I might want him to be.

The king leans back, and I hold my gaze with his. I will not show weakness. He knows as well as I do that what I’m saying has to be true.

At the same time, something tells me not to underestimate the cruelty of the fae. Especially the ones of the Winter Court.

After what feels like an eternity, the king shifts his attention to Zoey.

“And this one?” he asks. “The human?”

“She’s innocent,” I say before Zoey can even open her mouth. “She’s just my friend. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Innocent,” the king muses, adjusting the whiteleopard fur draped over his shoulders. “Perhaps. But I can’t take risks when it comes to spies and trespassers.”

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