Page 50 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

“Release him,” Kaia commanded, and at this moment, she was far stronger than me.

My persuasion died quickly, leaving me light-headed and weak. My body shook. I tried to move away, but Vareck was faster.

“Forgive me,” he said softly, words only meant for the two of us. “This is temporary. I promise.”

I couldn’t bring myself to speak as he slipped the chain over my head. All at once, a barrier slammed down, sucking the magic from my pores. My legs gave out, knees hitting the floor as I succumbed to the loss.

Vareck knelt beside me. I suspected he was speaking,but I didn’t hear it. My mind existed in a bubble, one that was void of sound, my soul crushing as reality settled in.

I was magicless.

Defenseless.

And at the mercy of the fucking fae king.

Chapter 16

Vareck

Days had passed since Meera locked herself in the bedroom, refusing to speak to me.

She claimed to not be as hot-headed as her redcap family, but the broken furniture, dishes, and vases in my room said otherwise. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had some redcap in her. A part of me expected her to be covered in blood each night when I snuck in there to sleep. I came in late, long after she’d fallen asleep, and I’d leave early, not willing to risk her ire.

That first day, she had screamed that she wanted space; to be left alone. I said the words no man should ever say. I told her she needed to calm down. The moment it slipped out, I realized my mistake. The wild rage in her eyes turned into a fury I’d never seen in a woman. Then a plate went flying at my head. Since then, I’d gone stir crazy trying to keep my distance. I dreamed of her every night, like usual. Except now they blended into reality. The dreams were so lifelike that I had trouble recognizing that I was asleep until I woke up. It didn’t help that Meera knew my name now and would scream it every time she came in one of ourdreams. On the third night, it had morphed and intensified, and a new hunger gnawed at me anytime I was away from her—the primal urge to break down the door and take her. The ways I longed to touch her, to make her mine, concerned me.

My study was where I spent most of my hours. I tried to focus on my work, scribbling away at documents, reading progress reports of my soldiers following trails in the Arcane District in an attempt to find Damon. They were all dead ends. The leprechaun kept his word, providing intel, but I didn’t trust him. When I saw him with Kaia, I remembered exactly who he was. There was never proof he’d taken Amoret’s amulet, but my gut said he did it. I still believed that.

Until we could figure out how to break Meera’s contract and reveal who she worked for, all I had to go on was Lucian. Eleanor was breathing down my neck, and I wouldn’t reveal the truth of it. At this point, I was concerned about Damon’s wellbeing. He’d been gone almost a week, and there was no ransom. No message to get our attention.

My nephew was useless, a manchild with no sense of responsibility, but he was still my heir—not a great succession, but he was literally the only option. Basically I needed to not die.

I grunted as my quill snapped in my grip, ink blotting against the parchment. Damn it. Pushing away from my desk, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the restless energy that buzzed through me.

A weight landed on the corner of my desk, followed by a nudge against an open ink well. I barely caught the bottle before it tipped over.

“Must you?” I huffed, corking the ink and moving it out of Corvo’s reach.

The demon cat stretched lazily, his ass up in the air, flicking his tail. “I must. You’ve got that thousand-yard stare again, V. I know your mind’s running a million miles a minute—I can hear itall, you know.” He sighed dramatically. “And frankly, I’m getting tired of how much you think about wanting to fu?—”

I cut him off with a scratch beneath his chin. “You can also shut that connection off, furball. No need to listen.”

“And deny myself the opportunity to goad you with it? Never.”

“How in the world was I blessed with you as my demon guardian?” I muttered dryly.

Corvo purred, pleased with himself. “Hey, I do my best to keep things interesting.”

“Please don’t.”

“What ails you, oh great fae king?”

“Oh, I don’t know? I have a frigid, cursed kingdom. A smartass cat. Dead ends to a missing nephew.” I flung a paper off the desk, and it floated to the floor. “Oh, and the woman of my dreams despises me.”

“Boo-fucking-hoo. Whiny is not a good image for you. Where is the dark king? Ruthless lord of the land?”

“Make your point, Corvo.”

“Look, you’ve tried talking to her, but she isn’t going to listen. Maybe do the breaking down the door thing?” he suggested, settling into a loaf position. “Women like an alpha male, right? Like Drayden. Bang-bang on your chest and tell her she’s yours.”

---