Page 15 of Queen of Ever

I crashed back through the portal, sprawling across the floor and kicking up a spray of dirt.Coughing dust out of my lungs, I blinked the dimly-lit cave back into focus until I could make out Ruisin still sitting in his chair, staring at me.

‘Not a graceful traveller, are you?’he said as I staggered to my feet.I didn’t respond to that.I was no longer in the mood to pander to dragons.

‘Thank you,’ was all I said as I made for the door.I wanted to hit something.My fingernails dug into my palms as I tried to fight the urge, tried to fight back the magic hankering to spill out of me.

‘Terrible manners for a prince.Appear out of the blue, invade my home, use my portal and then off you go again,’ Ruisin said, but I could feel him watching me closely as I braced myself against that narrow entrance to the cave, yanking my hand back a moment later as the stone began to crumble and erode where I’d touched it, eaten by the magic I couldn’t contain.Destruction.Always destruction.Everything I touched crumbled.Why had I ever thought it would be any different with her?

‘You’ll have your favour when you ask it,’ I replied.

‘Why the hurry to be off?See something you didn’t like?’Ruisin’s tone was sly.

I didn’t even look back at him, just pushed on through the entryway and climbed back up the cavern.

I was done talking.

I couldn’t fucking breathe down there.Not when my hands were still curling against an emptiness that grated against every truth I knew.I should have found a way to take her with me.I should havedraggedher back.

When I reached the surface, Melaie landed before me almost immediately, shaking her head and prancing uneasily, picking up on my mood.I didn’t have words of calm to spare her, just swung up onto her back and took off into the skies.

A thundering roar shook the world below us, and Melaie shrieked as she powered away from the threat, feathers bristling and legs drawn close against her body.I gripped her tightly as I glanced behind us to see the huge bulk of Ruisin beneath us, in rippling dragon form again, scales glinting dully in the low light.

Don’t forget your promise to me, prince.The words cut through my mind as we tore through the sky, higher and higher until we were soaring through the cloud cover and emerging into the clear, bright sunlight of the ether above.We circled for a few moments as I scanned the cloud below for a sign that the dragon was chasing us.I wouldn’t put it past him to have a change of heart and try to eat us, favour or no.But all was still and calm.

We turned for home, sinking back through the clouds when the cold and the thin air became too difficult to endure any longer, and as the land below came back into sight, I contemplated whether the price I’d paid had been worth it after all.What had I wanted to see, really?Had I wanted to see Imogen miserable?No.But maybe I hadn’t wanted her to look quite so shining and happy either.We werebonded.The whole point of my initial resistance to it was the irrefutability of that, the permeance.Was I the only one tormented by it?Was I the only one who spent my days and nights consumed by the sense that I was missing something?

And now that I knew she was alright, did I have an obligation to just endure all that and leave her alone?

I wasn’t sure I could do that.There was only so long I could fight my own nature.

Chapter 6

Imogen

Mariettahadn’tcomeinthat morning, which was strange, given she’d been there every morning since I’d arrived, acting like my very own lady’s maid.Perhaps she’d rightly deduced that I needed some space.Of course, that also meant I’d dressed myself, so my hair was braided simply and I’d spent more time going through the wardrobe trying to pick the plainest dress I could from amongst all that shimmer and lace and froth than I had on actually getting ready.

Sleep had somewhat dissolved my anger over the entire situation, though I was still a long way from forgiving Solas, even if he was acting for the greater good, as Marietta had suggested.However, logic had time to reassert itself and remind me I wasn’t exactly in a position to stamp my feet like a child and demand things from the Seelie King.He could revoke his protection at any time and then where would I be?Without his protection, I’d be vulnerable to the Unseelie, and even though I was—much to my chagrin—undoubtedly pining for Tarian, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be at the mercy of the Unseelie Prince and his mother.God knew what fate lay down that path, but it surely wasn’t a fate I wanted to find myself neck deep in.At least, that’s what I tried to remind myself.Even if I’d been secretly hoping he would come and find me, would at leasttry...

I shook myself internally, jumping from that dangerous train of thought.

The third option would be to go back home, but there was exactly no one in this place who would help me do that, except maybe Ethan, wherever he was.I hoped he was alright.I’d hoped he might appear out of the blue like he had when I’d been taken to Dreadhold, but so far he’d been as absent as Tarian.I didn’t even know where to begin trying to get news of him.I alternated between feeling anxious for his safety and disappointed that he seemed to have abandoned me.He’d said he would take me home.Home, where I’d be an oddity once again, even more so now that I’d seen what I’d seen and looked as I looked.And how long would it take for the fae to find me there?I really didn’t like the cards in my deck.

As I adjusted the tie on my braid, a confident knock sounded on my door that had me grinding my teeth.Just because I had limited options didn’t mean I didn’t want to punch Solas in his stupid face.I took a moment to breathe and let go of some of the anger simmering beneath my skin—though not enough to make my expression a pleasant one—before finally opening the door.

‘Solas, what an unexpected surprise,’ I said, my tone bland as I waited for whatever pretty words he was about to butter me up with.Or not.Perhaps as the king he wouldn’t feel the need to even attempt to apologise.

‘You’re still mad at me,’ he said, nodding as if this was to be expected.‘I regret the events of last night.I knew you would be safe, but I didn’t take your feelings into consideration.’

Understatement.But I let that thought slip by unvoiced.‘Did you at least get something useful out of theevents?’I said, using his word to describe my assassination attempt.It tasted bitter on my tongue as I spat it back at him.

He’d taken an extra measure in his appearance that morning, which was saying something, given that he always looked immaculate and regal, glittering with gold, making the sun appear to dance around him as if it was overjoyed at his existence.No doubt that was how he expected everyone to feel when he was in their presence.Tarian never cared much for what other people thought.

Except me.He seemed to care what I thought.A pang of longing hit my chest with an unexpected force.I missed him.I hated how much I missed him.

I hated he hadn’t shown up to save me when it mattered most.

Logically, I knew that was a stupid thing to think, and yet, the hurt remained, unwilling to remove itself from the burrow it had dug in my heart.I hadn’t realised it before, but a part of me had begun to expect that he would be there when I was in danger.Like he’d somehow feel it and appear out of nowhere to frown at me and tell me off for getting myself in trouble again.But he hadn’t bothered to come for me.I hadn’t heard a single peep out of him, not a letter, not a whisper that he had tried to storm the gate, or even tried to find out if I was alright.It was as if I had simply drifted into the shadows of his life, as if I didn’t matter to him at all.

‘But that’s not important right now,’ Solas said, and I realised he’d been speaking to me while I had been lost inside my own head.‘I’ve come to make it up to you.I promised you could see the city.’

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