Page 39 of Fae Champion

“Maybe,” West said. “But don’t waste your time going for the dragonling and shifter. They’re goners.”

My heart stuttered. “What?”

“Smooth, man, real smooth,” Ryder scolded as Rush ran a hand through his hair before frowning sorrowfully.

“Oh no,” I breathed. “Tell me they’re not dead.”

The others looked to Rush, who exhaled loudly. “If they’re not, there’s nothing left of them worth saving.”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, El, but yes.”

“But … how? Why?” Questions I knew already didn’t much matter when dealing with someone as heartless as the queen.

“I told you, I thought you were in the fae dungeon. I went looking for you there.”

When he didn’t immediately continue, I prompted, “And?”

Another sad exhale. “There weren’t many I couldn’t identify. Of those I couldn’t, one was a man who’d been flayed alive.”

“Flayed,” I parroted numbly.

He met my eyes, but I barely registered the sympathy brewing in his, hardly saw anything at all. “I couldn’t be certain at that point, but I think it was Xeno. He had short brown hair?”

I nodded, my throat thick with regret, lament … and somuch rage. “And what of Saffron? The dragonling?” My hope was no more than a croak.

“I found pieces of a dragon, and from the parts I saw, he was small.”

I yanked my gaze away from his to stare at the empty space behind him. “Saffron’s scales are yellow, like gold.”

“The scales were already fading, but they could have been that color.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from … I didn’t know what, screaming my righteous fury at the queen? Hurtling her way every curse and death threat I could conjure?

None of it would make a lick of difference. Xeno and Saffron were dead.

Because of me.

No, because of the nasty, evil, horribly despicable, dark motherfuckingcuntof a queen.

I’d already been wondering if I could maybe climb out one of the many windows lining Saturn’s chambers. Unlike in my own rooms, it was unlikely Braque had spelled them to prevent my exit.

But now I looked at each of the men, scanning the hard lines of their youthful faces, how much sorrow their eyes contained, how heavy the burdens they carried were, and declared, “I’m not going anywhere, not till the queen pays.”

12.WATCH YOURSELF OR I’M GONNA MAKE YOU, PLUS I GET FIRST DIBS

Reacting to my declaration of vengeance, Rush and West spoke over each other.

“No,” Rush said at once, but West was already telling me, “Probably best that you stay now anyway.”

While Ryder and Hiroshi watched on, Rush spun on his friend. “You can’t be serious.”

West’s stare was steady and unapologetic. “If she doesn’t escape, then you won’t get in any more trouble with the queen, and our plan for you to become the next heir continues.”

Rush glared at West. “You agreed to help her get out of here, and now you’re saying this?”

“Yes, I am. I’m allowed to have my own mind, aren’t I?” West snapped. “Things have changed. This isn’t what I agreed to. The queen wasn’t supposed to know Elowyn’s out of the dungeon until I got in there to fix things for us. Ivar definitely wasn’t supposed to get there first. It’ll only be a matter of time before shefigures out who helped Elowyn. If Ivar’s not looking for them, Finnian might slide without her knowing, maybe even Reed, but you?” West shook his head hard enough to make his silky hair bounce. “She’ll definitely figure it out fast, and then all our planning will be for shit.”

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