Page 56 of Fae Crown

“We’ve been searching for you for days,” West said. “You were well hidden.”

By magic, I guessed. Probably Braque’s. Anything for his precious queen, the asshole.

Hiro’s brows lowered. “How’ve you been holding up?”

Though my reply caught in my throat, I got it out. “It’s been fine. Nothing for you guys to worry about.”

My tattoos flared. The telltale cool breeze sensation that marked their progress told me they’d swept across my chest and shoulders to creep up my neck and across my cheekbones—so there was no chance my friends would miss them, dammit.

And they surely didn’t. Their lips pursed in identical disapproval. Not at my lie, but the reason they surmised for it.

“Seriously, nothing for you to worry about,” I insisted, though it only led to the tattoos spreading across my forehead as well.

“Tell us,” West ordered around gritted teeth.

I hesitated, debating another lie until West added, “We don’t have much time. And there’s at least a chance we might be able to help, even if we have to find someone else to work with.”

Reluctant, I nodded then exhaled an, “I’ve been the nightly … entertainment forherand her ladies.”

Ry and West grew louder than they should have with their expletives. Storm clouds settled across Hiro’s usually placid face.

“Entertainment,” Hiro repeated, his lips puckered as if the word itself were as foul as what it represented.

I swallowed thickly. “Yeah.” The one word came out as a croak.

West was shaking his head and muttering, “I’m gonna ki?—”

Ry slapped a hand to his mouth that no doubt he’d pay for later. But West quieted. Us talking at all was a risk—one I was considering necessary, if for nothing else than my sanity; I truly had never felt so … desolate. But threatening the queen when she might be listening was an unnecessary risk. She needed no additional reason to punish any of us.

Cheeks an angry pink, West bit out, “What did Elowyn do? She must’ve done something.”

“Definitely,” Ry added.

“It would have been as awful for her as it was for you,” Hiro said gently as if cradling my pain in the cupped palms of his hands.

I felt my own brow furrow even as my heartbeat sped up, a sign that more than I’d realized was off kilter.

“What’s…?”My violationwas the only term that came to mind, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “What’s any of it have to do with Lady Elowyn?” I rubbed my chin, listening to the scratch of the stubble there. “She was the only one who didn’t seem into it, which was a crazy relief, actually, but why would it hurt her?”

A shudder that inexplicably felt like a distant echo slid across my skin. Whatever it was I was missing, it was achingly close. Nearly within my grasp.

“Whaddya mean, man?” West muttered even as Ryand Hiro exchanged a look I’d seen hundreds of times over our years together. It said shit was way worse than I thought.

“Did the…?” West cut himself off with another shake of his head. “Did you have to—?” He stopped to clear his throat despite our supposed hurry. “Did you have sex withher?” he finally asked in a low, rough grumble.

There was no doubt he meant the queen, not Elowyn. If I’d had any doubt, the dread tugging at his features would have cleared it up.

After a steeling inhale that did nothing to erase the memories of what I’d been forced to do, I nodded, unable to bring myself to utter the affirmative aloud.

West and Ry spat out another round of curses fit for a whole crew of sailors while Hiro simply stared at me with compassion welling in his gentle eyes.

Hurriedly, I glanced away.

But the sight of my brothers was so necessary, I quickly looked back at them.

“So what did Elowyn do?” West grit out like the words cost him in gemstones.

Again, confusion pinched my face. “She was pretty much the only one not to do anything.”

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