Page 72 of Fae Crown

Horst dipped his head, whether in deference, sympathy, or to avoid my stare, I couldn’t tell.

“Yes, midrake.”

“And where are theseadornmentsmeant to go?”

Horst flicked a glance up at me. “The, uh, rings are meant to pierce midrake’s”—he gulped so loudly I heard him swallow—“nipples,” he said in a soft whisper that was part whine, part grimace.

Certain I must have misheard him, and equally certain I hadn’t, I gaped at him for several moments.

“And the other?” I finally managed to grunt.

“Meant to, uh…”

My tattoos flared so suddenly I had to clenchmy eyes at first against their sudden brightness. “Don’t you dare tell me that’s meant to wrap around my cock.”

Horst exhaled so that his chest rose and fell markedly through his worn tunic. “Thank you, midrake. I did not wish to tell you that.”

“Is she serious?” I hissed.

His hands still raised toward me, Horst waited. Not only would the queen be serious, she’d punish meand himfor disobeying her orders.

Could I do it for him, a kind enough goblin who probably hadn’t had a will of his own a single day of his life? Could I do it for the safety of the entire kingdom, the thousands upon thousands of fae relying on me even if they didn’t realize I was fighting for them? To win the crown and bring light back into our world? To restore the Mirror World to the glory of Faerie?

Could I do it for Larissa, the sister I’d already sacrificed so much for? For Elowyn? My brothers? To make Ramana’s sacrifice matter all the more?

As it turned out,no … no I couldn’t.

This, apparently, was where I drew the line.

Tattoos still brighter than any of the lumoons in the room, I said, “Horst, inform Her Majesty that I won’t be able to join her in her bedchamber tonight after all.”

Horst sucked in a sharp inhale that sounded like a sneakle coughing up a furball. When he recovered, “Is midrake certain that’s what he’d like me to say?”

Never had I been more certain of anything. If piercing my nipples and dancing around for the queenand her ladies with half a dead trufy hanging from my cock was the price for freedom, it wasn’t worth it.

Not for me it wasn’t.

I will have already lost whatever’s left of my essence.

I could never look my family and friends in the face again. I could never look at my mate and expect her to be proud to be my partner.

I had to be the kind of man I could live with.

Fucking the queen and her ladiesoncewas more than this life should ever demand of me.

I was done.

Done.

Done.

Done.

Done.

Fuckingdone.

I was no one’s plaything, not even the queen’s.Especially not the queen’s.

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