Page 25 of Fae Crown

Elowyn canted her head as she hesitated. “I … can?”

“Yes. You can go and never come back.”

Ivar was suddenly beside his queen when he’d been several body lengths away.

What the dragon balls was going on here?

His glower pinned on Elowyn, he whispered, “My queen, you may want to recall what happened in the great salon. You may end up getting hurt yourself—if you don’t proceed with caution.”

The queen scowled and propped her hands akimbo, as if she stood in front of her throne instead of in a boudoir. “Well, we can’t have that.”

Were they suggesting that the … the magic of the Fae Heir Trials could actually hurt the queen, who couldn’t be wounded by any other means?

She stalked back toward the bed, turning around to face Elowyn once she reached it. “You may leave and no harm will befall you. You’re protected by the magic of the Fae Heir Trials, so go and leave us to enjoy our evening without your constant interruptions.We’re excited to get on with it, aren’t we, ladies?”

For several dangerous beats, none of them dared say anything, not even to agree. But then, Natania offered a meek, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

When the queen beamed with approval, a few of the others echoed the sentiment.

“Ivar, escort her to the rooms.”

“No,” Elowyn said.

As one, every single other person in the room, including me, whipped our attention on her.

“Excuse me?” said the queen.

“No thank you, Your Majesty,” Elowyn adjusted, her voice unexpectedly shaky. “If the … festivities will continue, then I shall remain.”

“If you remain, it shall be at my pleasure,” the queen said with an edge I’d heard hundreds of times before. Heads rolled almost every time after.

“Of course, my queen,” Braque chimed in from his seat against the wall, not one to be left out of the ass-kissing for long.

“I’d…” Elowyn sucked in a deep breath before straightening her shoulders. “I’d like to remain. Please.”

The queen stared at her for a long moment before her lips split into a delighted grin. “Why yes, of course you may.”

What the dragonfire was going on? First Elowyn complained, then she wanted to stay. The queen wanted to murder her, now she was smiling at her like they were fast friends.

“We’ve delayed too long as it is,” the queen said. “Rush.”

My head was slow to turn her way. “Yes?”

The queentskedimpatiently. “It’s time. You will finish undressing. And then you will undress me.”

All eyes, including Elowyn’s, trained on me.

I gulped. There’d be no chance for the second vial now. And screw my sluggishness, now I wanted nothing more than to be as foggy as possible for what awaited me.

“Well?” the queen snapped. “Hurry up about it. I don’t like being made to wait.”

Somehow, I got my fingers back to the top button on my pants to unclasp it. To reach for the next. Open that one. The next.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” the queen barked. “Natania. Come. Do the job for him.”

A pained cry slipped out that I immediately regretted. I couldn’t let on how much the thought hurt me. How much I’d suffer at their touch.

And then it came again. Only this time, it wasn’t me. It hadn’t been me before, I realized.

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