Page 16 of A Kingdom of Destruction

She was in a prison cell with no sunlight. The tears in her eyes burned, and she swiped them away with the back of her hand, her mind slowly returning to her.

She ran her tongue along her teeth, but the acrid taste of vomit wasn’t going anywhere soon. Drawing her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them, staring at the cells of the door.

The worst possible outcome had come to pass.

Everything she’d always feared—not only defeat but a crushing one, and her own enslavement. Try as hard as she might, her wits refused to return in any way that might helpher get out of this. Aven took another deep, burning breath and surveyed the small room.

A few minutes passed as she explored the space, a small wooden slab meant to be used as a cot against one wall and the bucket … a toilet.

She ground her teeth together and held her legs tightly to keep from falling apart.

“Hello?”

There had to be others down here with her, maybe someone who had been kept in the dungeon long enough to know the comings and goings of the guards. If she had a better idea of their movements or the time of day?—

Rather than an answer, someone screamed. The howl of despair was followed by another, and another, until she slapped her hands against her ears to try and block out the sounds of pain. Bile rose in her again, and she swallowed to force it down.

Wait.They didn’t check for weapons.

Gasping, Aven scrambled for her thigh holster, landing on the familiar length of her wand.Holy hell, she had her wand.

She had no chance to test its magic against the bars before a silken, smooth voice spoke to her from the other side.

“You’ve been left alone for ten minutes, Princess, and you have already made a mess of yourself and the cell.” He clucked his tongue in disappointment. A male, she recognized immediately, and Aven straightened her spine.

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. “If you want to taunt me, then come closer where I can see you rather than hiding in the shadows.” If the guards were back, then what did she have to lose? They were going to do what they would do to her and use their magic to keep her constrained. “I want to know who I’m dealing with.”

She used the wall to haul herself to her feet. She’d much rather be standing for any sort of interrogation. Or worse.

“Is that what youreallywant? To see my pretty face? That will make me an enemy to actually confront rather than a faceless one from your nightmares. Would you hate for it to be my face you see when you start screaming at night?” the man tossed back at her.

“It depends on how ugly you are.”

A moment of pause, and then the speaker stepped up to the cells, smirking at her.

Her chest tightened at the sight of him. The fae male wore no armor and didn’t appear to need any as his gaze scoured her from head to toe. The disdain clearly written on his handsome features said his assessment found her wanting.

He sniffed, and his nose wrinkled. “Most people manage at least a day before they hurl their guts up. Fear, you know, is a powerful motivator. Especially the fear of the unknown.”

Under different circumstances, she might have liked speaking to the man, who looked around her age. The low syllables and the deep cadence made for easy listening. Until she met his gaze and realized a beast lurked inside of him.

Fear?This man wanted to know about fear? What about the terror of knowing your family needed you and getting back only to find you were too late? She wanted to ask him, and the words caught in her throat. Panic lifted in her and would not stop.

Her eyes were heavy, and yet she forced them to open wider and hold his stare. Her chin jutted out.

“Do you see something you like?” she asked, heat blooming on her cheeks. “You keep staring at me like you’ve never seen a woman before.” She puffed out her chest in a clear challenge.

“Oh, trust me, sweetheart, I’ve seen a woman before, and bedded more of them than you’ve ever had in your acquaintance. Look at you.” The man sniffed. “You’re not exactly the type of Princess who has friends, do you? Allow me to guess. Youprobably counted your grunts as your friends even though they had no choice but to obey your every spoiled order.”

His silvery hair was the color of moonlight, and peeking out through the strands were the pointed tips of his ears. Eyes of a glowing sapphire met hers in challenge. Not a hair out of place, Aven saw, and every stitch on his waistcoat was tiny and perfect. A jewel rested at the base of his neck and drew the sides of his high collar together.

The designs on the lapels of his waistcoat were stitched in strands of real silver, it looked to her.

Like most of the fae, this one was breathtakingly handsome, with the chilling cold of something deadly and untouchable.

“Clean yourself up. You’re disgusting.” This man clearly wasn’t one of the grunts ordered to bring her down to this place. He dressed too sharply to be one of them. A nobleman, perhaps? He tossed a rag through the bars at her.

Aven let it drop. “I know the best place for you to stick the towel, but I’ll give you two options.” Like the Fae King had given her. “Down your throat or up your backside. Take your pick.”

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