Page 113 of Fae Champion

He pursed his lips, eyelids drooping in either disappointment, resignation, or disgust, I couldn’t decide which.

“I’ve had enough of this,” he said, “and I’m going to lie down.”

“Of course you are. That’s what weak men do. They take lie-downs.”

Dashiell opened his mouth, no doubt to defend his liege, but the king hurried to speak first.

Interesting. My father was more protective of his attendant than he was of his daughter.

The king added, “That’s what men of all sorts do when they’ve beenpoisonedand very nearly die because of it. I trust that Elowyn will be safe now that you know her true pedigree.”

He turned to leave, proving to me with finality that he had about as much common sense as a rabbit trying to make friends with a wolf.

“You can do whatever you want, but I’ve already decided Elowyn’s fate. Your lies have only cemented the need for her to go.”

The king whirled toward her, eyes finally bulging with his anger. “Lies? Don’t be a fool, Talisa. You know Odelia loved me too. Not everything was as it seemed with her before her … demise. If you kill Elowyn, you’ll kill the one last descendant of your bloodline. Now that Saturn’s gone, you can’t?—”

“I told you never to speak his name again,” she growled. “And you’re in no position to tell me what I can and cannot do. I shall do as I wish.” Seemingly as an afterthought, she amended, “As I must for the wellbeing of this kingdom.”

The king cleared his throat. “Talisa?—”

She hissed.

He cleared his throat another time. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me. I loved Odelia with everything in me, but when she died I performed myduty and married whom I had to in order for Embermere to thrive. Your father—my king—asked me to be your partner in ruling this land, and I agreed, because itissuch an important task. I’ve sacrificed everything I am to do what I must. You can’t do this to me now. You can’t kill my daughter.” After a pause: “You can’t kill your sister’s daughter.”

How had the man not yet learned not to tell the queen she couldn’t do something? Even Rush fidgeted down the line from me as if it pained him to witness his king’s idiocy.

Predictably, the queen whipped toward him. “If what you say is true and Odelia is the girl’s mother, then I have even more reason to kill her and wipe out any chance of my sister’s disease from tainting the bloodline.”

“What bloodline? There will be no more of your bloodline if you die without an heir.”

She smiled devilishly. “Well, who’s to say I won’t bear another child? Perhaps my only problem has beenyourlack of manhood. I may begin taking to my bed the many virile men who’d be honored to give me pleasure.”

She shifted to take in Rush, and my heart skipped a beat. “I think I’ll start with Rush. There’s never been a more … striking, alluring, sensual, delicious fae, don’t you think?”

I had no idea whom Crazy was asking this of, but a snarl erupted from me before I could stop myself. “Don’t you dare lay a fingeron him.”

She chuckled. “Haven’t you learned already? I’ll do as I wish, and I’ll take what I want. Isn’t that right, Rush?”

She stared at me while I looked to the man whom, I realized starkly as my heart thundered, wasn’t my enemy after all. How could he be, so long as my entire being yearned to touch him, to be near him—to protect him from this hideous ho-bag in a crown?

Was this what the mate bond was about, then? Was it why I couldn’t stomach the mere thought of the queen so much as touching him? Why my thoughts raced furiously, making it difficult to entertain reason?

Rush studied me, his eyes and tattoos bright as if all he saw in this entire fucked-up mirror world was me. As if all he wanted was me.

“Isn’t that right, Rush?” the queen pressed, and I experienced her insistence like a vise around my throat, my ribs.

He held my gaze, and I watched something inside him shatter as he answered, “Yes, Your Majesty. If you’ll hold to every term of our agreement, then I’ll do as you ask.”

“No,” I breathed so softly no one heard me. More loudly, “Rush, no!”

His responding smile was so broken, so filled with grief, that I felt something fracture inside me.

“You can’t really mean to kill Elowyn,” the king said to Rush, who waited a few moments, but eventually interrupted our stare to look at my father.

“I’ll do what I must.”

“You swore an oath to me to protect her!” the king bit out.

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