Page 91 of Crown of Slumber

The man cocked his head at her, assessing. “No. That was just a happy accident. I had been waiting for the king to put himself in a compromising position, and, thanks to you, he did.”

Anger boiled within me. “Do youwantthe courts to be at war? Is that what your queen wants? Because thanks to you, Autumn and the Star Court will be enemies, and the alliance between Summer and Autumn has been shattered.”

“It wasalreadyshattered,” the man snapped. “The Autumn Courtdissolved their alliance with my kingdom as well. They’ve aligned themselves with the Dream Mage instead.”

My blood ran cold, and Aurelia sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you know of the Dream Mage?” she asked. The force in her voice made it sound more like a demand, and I inwardly winced. The last thing we wanted to do was anger the assassin.

“I have never met her,” the hunter said evenly. “But my queen fears her. The Dream Mage has already taken the Lunar Court. It’s only a matter of time before she reaches Winter and Star.”

The more Ilearned about the Dream Mage, the more terrifying she seemed. Was she a dark sorceress? A necromancer? A witch? Whatever magic she possessed was incredible and deadly, and I’d never heard of a fae powerful enough to conquer kingdoms on her own.

How the hell were we supposed to stop her? We could use stardust to break the curse, yes, but what would keep her from attacking again? She wanted my court. She likely wanted my dragons. And nothing would stop her. Certainly not us, a broken princess and a wicked prince who couldn’t even trust each other.

“Swear to me you will not utter a word of this conversation to another soul,” the hunter said, jolting me from my thoughts, “and I will leave you.”

“I swear it,” Fenn said at once.

“I swear it, too,” I echoed. My blood heated from the power of my words, sealing our bargain.

The hunter nodded once and then withdrew. The mist swallowed him up, obscuring him from view. Fenn and I held perfectly still, listening to the water sloshing as the assassin made his way back across the stream. Then, silence fell.

For a long, tense moment, we said nothing. My heart raced, beating uncontrollably in my chest. My thoughts spun in a chaotic whirlwind of terror and uncertainty.

We couldn’t do this.

We would fail.

The Dream Mage would conquer our kingdoms, just like she’d conquered the Lunar Court.

We were doomed.

My people would die.

My family would die.

Iwould die.

I couldn’t—I couldn’t—I couldn’t?—

“Aurelia.”

Only then did I realize that my breaths had become sharp, ragged wheezes. I was hunched over, my vision spotty, my head spinning. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. This damn mist… This whole place was affecting me.

Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe.

“Aurelia!”

Fenn’s warm hands were cupping my face, and the softness of his fingers momentarily jolted me from my panic. I blinked, finding my vision blurry with tears. Gradually, Fenn’s concerned face came into focus.

“That’s it,” he said. “Look at me. Focus only on me.”

My pulse pounded, the rhythm roaring in my ears. I struggled to breathe, but I could only choke.

“Feel me.” Fenn grasped my hand and placed it against his chest. “Feel my breaths.”

I couldn’t focus. All I could hear was my raging pulse, my heart thumping louder and louder.

“Up and down,” Fenn said, his voice low and soothing. “You feel that?”

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