Page 14 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

The table had to be at least thirty feet long, and it was covered with more food than I’d seen in my life. All sorts of colors blurred together, and a rich, sweet smell exploded in my nose. There were candied berries, exotic pastries, and fluffy cakes piled high on gleaming silver trays. The savory aroma of roasted meats mingled with unfamiliar spices. My mouth watered as I took it all in, becoming hungry once more.

Everything was plush and fancy. Deep purple chairs matched the velvet drapes. Dark stone walls that felt even colder than they looked. Shadows clung to the edges of the room, and gold veins ran through the walls like cracks, but they weren’t the kind you could use to escape.

No sign of a way to get home.

This place was killing me. I hated it and wanted it all at once.

I could see another name card to the left of Aelir:Rhielle.

Ceana flicked me a bright-pink glare, then tilted her head toward a woman with honey-blonde hair across the table. “Deallan. How…nice to see you.”

More laughter from the women, and Deallan said, “At least these two won’t last long.”

"I’ll see to that," Ceana replied, staring at me like I was a squashed bug, and she hadn’t yet decided whether to scrape me off the bottom of her shoe or crush me further.

Thankfully, Kaylen was a few seats away, though still close enough to taunt me. She and her neighbors started murmuring and giggling as I tried to get comfortable.

I didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were saying.

I sat stiffly, unsure if I was more likely to be attacked by food, magic, Vad, or the girls on either side of me. This place and these people were foreign to me, and I didn’t know what to expect.

The room fell into silence as the women focused on the meal, trying to out-queen each other with every dainty bite. Tension lingered in the air, and I wasn’t sure I could do this.

I picked at the end of a pastry, something that looked like a fancy chocolate croissant with fresh berries baked in. Was it better to go out early or to survive? Maybe I should just take a bite and see if it was poisoned. Ember would’ve loved this.

I had to get through it.

To the left was some sort of sparkling blue beverage. I took a sip, hoping it was safe and not magic in a bottle. It tasted like honeyed peaches.

Everything was a damn contradiction, even the drinks.

A voice from farther down the table drifted toward me. "Think of the honor," a woman with pale-blue hair said to another. "I would love to be the one by his side.”

I put down the glass and focused on her conversation.

"Enjoy it while you can," another said, her gaze fixed on me.

Even as I took another sip of the peach-honey drink, it didn’t help to numb the anxiety tensing my entire body.

Aelir’s fragile features contorted, and my chest tightened as her pale shoulders began to shake.

Instinct took over, and I touched her back, steadying her. “Are you okay?” With how suddenly her reaction had taken over, I had to have missed something.

She shook her head, and the glimmer of a tear escaped her lashes. She drew a sharp breath. “Please don’t touch me. You’re making it worse.”

Recoiling, I bent my fingers into my palm and placed my hand in my lap. I had to remember the rules were different here.

“I just can’t do this.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and her cheeks flushed.

“If it helps, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the first target.” I tried to force a smile though I suspected I looked more constipated than reassuring. “We just have to make it through.”

“I’m scared,” she admitted. Her hands trembled in her lap, and she stared at her plate like it held all the answers.

Out of all these people, Aelir seemed to actually have something in her heart besides hate and violence. I was sorry that she was stuck here like me, and I wanted to fix it, to protect her the way Ember had tried to protect me. “You’re braver than you realize.” My jaw tightened, and I glanced around the room. “Why can’t you refuse to participate?”

"You know why.” Her nose wrinkled, and she glanced at me with hurt in her eyes. “No one can refuse a summons from Fate. It’s the law, and punishable by death. But if you don’t die, you’ll be rewarded even if you aren’t selected as queen.”

"Is the little airhead afraid?" Ceana taunted. "She must be speaking with that weird human girl."

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