Page 24 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

I pulled my own shadows in tight around me, using them for cover and as a shield against the thorns from the queen’s favorite rose bushes.

“There you are,” came a male voice in the darkness. “What the fuck were you doing in there? Moving in?”

“I got caught up,” I said in a clipped tone that hopefully wouldn’t invite more questions.

Slade, my second, snorted as his shadow-wrapped form peeled away from moonflower bushes that stood taller than any I’d ever seen. He fell into step beside me as we made our way toward the eastern corner. Our footsteps made no sound on the soft grass, but even so, I pulled my shadows in more tightly around us. We were almost done; best not to get careless now.

“Well?” he prompted when I didn’t speak. “How’d it go?”

“She’s a piece of fucking work,” I said darkly.

“What the Hel does that mean?” Amusement laced his voice.

I shot him a glare, and his smile vanished. “If she’s the Chosen One, we’re all fucking doomed.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Pampered, entitled, naïve. Completely unaware of her destiny or the extent of her power?—”

“Well, did you tell her?”

“Tell her what?”

“About Heliconia’s plans to attack? Our scouts say they have less than two months?—”

“Our objective was recon,” I said. “Why would I tell her anything?”

A boom thundered across the sky. I whirled, drawing my sword as I looked for the source of the noise. Magic—dark and rotten—filled my nostrils, and I tensed as understanding dawned. I knew that scent. Heliconia. She’d come early.

“What was that?” Slade whispered.

“Magic.”

A beat of silence passed.

“I don’t see anything,” Slade finally hissed.

He’d drawn his own sword and looked ready to tear something to ribbons. But after a long moment of scanning the empty courtyard, I realized the threat wasn’t on the ground.

In the night sky, smoke roiled as three winged Aine tried and failed to penetrate a large shield that smelled of brimstone straight from Hel. And on the edge of the castle rooftop, among the lights and the fae and the princess’s party guests, stood the dark fae queen herself.

I tightened my grip on my sword, warring with myself.

Another figure shoved through the hedge line. Daegel, my third, was a broad-shouldered fae male with a thick beard and a softer heart than most realized. His eyes were wide as he stared up at Heliconia.

“Seven Hels,” he breathed. “I know I was supposed to wait for you, but…” He stared at the sight of the chaos above us.

People screamed and scattered as Heliconia shot a bolt of magic from her hands.

“We have to help them,” Daegel finished, taking a step forward.

“No,” I said grimly, hating myself more than I’d ever thought possible.

They both turned to look at me, fury and determination in their eyes. “Ryd—” Slade began, his stubbly jaw hardening.

“If she’s not enough to save herself, we need to stay hidden until we find the one who is,” I snapped.

“The prophecy named her,” Daegel argued. His cheeks had flushed red. He was angry at me. I didn’t blame him.

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