Page 53 of The King of Frost and Shadows

I flew down and landed beside her then yanked her away from the man. She stumbled backward but tried to go to him again. Her hands were covered in blood.

“She’s hurting him,” the guard who hadn’t blown the horn cried. “She must die.”

Lira shook her head. “I’m not. He’s hurt, and I’m trying to stop the bleeding. He took an arrow that was meant for me. I need to help him.”

I grabbed her by the waist, yanking her against my chest. The jolt that I felt every time we touched warmed that dark place inside me and made me feel like the boy Iused to be … the one I couldn’t be anymore, not after what the Seelie took from me and my people. “Sprite, you need to stop.”

“Someone needs to help him,” she said, trying to lunge from my arms.

I tightened my grip to contain her, and my people stood in silence. A Seelie was trying to save an Unseelie—something none of us had imagined we’d see—but here Lira was, doing just that after all these contestants had wanted to kill her.

How could she be so stupid? The people would use that weakness to exploit her.

None of this would’ve happened if the guard had blown the horn as required. My glare landed on the guard, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

He knew he’d made a grave mistake, and he’d pay for it.

The wildling would die. Tonight. Fortunately, I could hide the real reason for doing it.

He’d put Lira in harm’s way and, worse, knowingly. He couldn’t come back from that, not with me.

“Get someone to help Lorne and make sure that Rona sleeps in solitude tonight.” I had to get Lira out of here before she made things worse for herself. There was only so much I could do to save her.

I should’ve never taken her from Earth.

I stiffened, the errant thought catching me off guard. Of course I should have. I had to save my people, or more would die. There hadn’t been a choice!

Ten guards flew down, ready to take the contestants back. One of them came to me, waiting for me to release Lira. My arms tightened around her like there was no chance I’d let her go.

Her body shook, so I leaned in and whispered, “Don’tcry. You’re safe for now.” I forced myself to release her so she could follow the rest of the prisoners inside. “Don’t harm any prisoners. They need time to rest and heal before the next game … everyone but Rona, for not abiding by the rules of the game.”

Rona tensed, but the guards shoved and pushed the prisoners out.

Lira’s body shook as she gave the arena one final glance.

Death was everywhere, and some who had drowned in the gritty quicksand could be seen, their skin shredded and bloody. Even I had a hard time stomaching this amount of death, but this was the price of not abiding by the rules. Everyone here was guilty of treason. Well, everyone but Lira. She’d just abandoned me when her parents turned against the Unseelie.

As the prisoners were hurried off, I didn’t hesitate. I looked at the guard with the horn, who moved back a few feet at my gaze. His cowardliness caused my blood to boil, making it warmer than I was comfortable feeling. I removed my sword, and a few spectators gasped.

I needed to make a point to each and every one of them.

I twisted my hand, allowing frost to trickle from it, and froze the guard’s wings. His face turned purple as he strained to move them. Eventually, he dropped the twenty-ish feet to the arena floor, surrounded by five prisoners killed by the exploding lava rocks retrieved from the nearest volcano. He toppled onto his back, unable to stand.

When he didn’t explode, I let out a relieved sigh. He needed to die by my hands for his crime against Lira. That hadn’t been his decision to make, and everyone needed to know they weren’t above the laws of their king.

I held out my sword and flew toward him.

“My king, the sunscorched was about todie.” The guard’s lips trembled as he turned his head toward me. “We all deserve to see her blood spill for everything her people have done to us. I never dreamed—”

“What are the two things I hold sacred under my reign?” This wasn’t a trick question. When I took over at the tender age of fourteen, needing to learn how to put grown men in their place to secure my crown, I had made two important rules to ensure we never became likethem—the Seelie.

The guard swallowed. “We obey the king’s command or suffer death, and we don’t harm innocents.”

“Two simple rules.” With my left hand, I lifted two fingers. “If someone does you wrong, you’re allowed to be as vicious as you want as long as it doesn’t go against something I specifically commanded. I established the rules of the gauntlet, and you ignored them because you decided you’d rather see something that wasn’t yours to allow.”

I stood over him and lifted my sword so he and all the other Unseelie could see. When I was young and had to discipline or execute someone, I’d been composed, but afterward, I would hurry to my room to fall apart. Then, I’d hardened my heart and learned to soak in the fear of people who knew their time would come to an end at my hand. Now, under Lira’s influence, I merely wanted to kill him so this lesson could end. He’d sealed his own fate.

“My King, I’m—” he started.

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