Page 41 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

“I apologize if you feel insulted. That wasn’t my intention. You are like family to me, and I care for you and the kingdom. That is all.” He bowed his head and strode away. His soft footfalls vanished around the corner. He was wise enough not to say anything else, but now I was truly alone.

I needed relief. Silus was right. I didn’t need to check on Briar, especially if I didn’t plan on seeing the others. Dragging a hand through my hair, I stalked to the back of the royal quarters and shoved into the private wine room. The walls were filled with cedar wine racks, each one holding a glistening bottle of vintage or specialty wine and marked with a parchment label and flowing script.

I grabbed a dark-violet bottle without looking at the name, ripped out the cork, and took a long swig straight from the bottle. The sweetness flooded my mouth, but it brought me no pleasure. Instead, I grabbed two more bottles, tucked them under my arm, and returned to the private dining room two doors away.

Three bottles total. I always grabbed three. One for me, one for Silus, one for Thalen. If Elara joined us, I shared with her. But now it was just me, and I wanted to drown in it all. I had to keep my thoughts at bay.

I gulped the wine down, pull after pull, barely stopping for breath. It took almost a whole bottle before my senses dulled. I ripped out the cork from the next and drank just as deeply.

Feck. It wasn’t helping. If only I’d managed to maintain the coldness I’d tried to project at the start. I didn't want to care. Silus was right. It would be easier that way. Why was it so hard now though? Maybe it was this infection—this illness. That had to be why I was so hung up on her, right? Something about Briar worsened my condition. She made my blood pulse faster and my body throb.

Groaning, I drove my fist against the table and took another long swig. I was losing my fecking mind!

All I wanted now was to forget. Just forget for a time. To not be the prince. To not be staring my father’s death in the eye and knowing that, at best, the transfer of power would come with his funeral to follow soon after, and a loveless marriage beyond that. And who knew how much time remained for Elara? I’d hoped that the power of my becoming the ruler of the Shadow Fae might strengthen the magic in such a way that she might be healed, but that was a smoke dream. I wanted it to be simpler. To just be…a fae with his healthy and whole friends and his family—who met a girl and fell in love and who could beat the shit out of any scaffing fool who looked at her the wrong way. Feck, I wanted to break Kaylen’s neck and feed her corpse to the shadow beasts.

Heavy footsteps echoed, sounding like hoofbeats on stone despite the rugs that ran the length of the chamber and hall beyond. I staggered to my feet and shoved back from the table.

A silver stag stood in the doorway, its body luminous against the dark chamber. I blinked, then drew in a sharp breath. It was still there, eyes black and fathomless as they fixed on mine. The edges of it glowed faintly, like mist. Was I dreaming?

It turned, long antlers shining, and resumed its slow march down the hall. My pulse quickened as I followed, each step pulling me deeper into the shadowy corridor toward the central family hall.

The stag paused before a painting—our family portrait. My father, mother, Elara, and I, arms wrapped around one another, smiles wide, peaceful, and happy. I hadn’t looked at that painting in years. I hadn’t wanted to. My throat tightened as the stag lowered its head and stabbed its antlers into the canvas. It ripped through my parents' images, and red blood spilled from the gashes and dripped down the walls. The fluid streamed onto the stag, but it didn’t stain the pale silver fur. My face in the painting tore away, clean and ragged. I watched, frozen, as the stag turned its antlers on the sculpture below the painting. A shadow beast, its mouth open in a silent howl. A symbol of our line, our power.

The sculpture shattered, shards splintering across the stone floor. The stag stepped forward, kicking pieces aside, then turned and looked at me again. The air shimmered, and my head spun. I leaned against the wall, my vision blurring. I closed my eyes, waiting for the room to steady.

When I opened them, the stag had vanished. The painting was whole again, the shadow beast restored.

Cold dread pooled in my stomach, and my head spun. Feck. Could the night get any worse?

I staggered down the hall, clumsy and uncoordinated. This was my fault. I’d failed somehow. Something was wrong with me.

A strong sensation tugged in my chest. Somehow I was now outside my observatory. My feet had brought me here without my knowing it.

I heard laughter.Herlaugh…and Thalen's.

ChapterFourteen

Briar

The shadowy wolf logo appeared underneath my feet as I clutched my outfit in my arms. Tears blurred my vision as Aelir’s smile for winning stuck in my mind.

How could Fate be so cruel to allow someone as kind-hearted as Aelir to die like that? Fate had to be bitch. I’d always thought Ember was being dramatic, but not anymore.

The cold floor of the Ascension Hall bit into the bottoms of my feet. The entire room spun like I’d been drugged, likely from the venom or shock. Probably both, but at least I knew without a doubt I was alive.

I took a shaky step forward as Myantha crouched beside me. “You should get dressed. You'll feel better and safer.”

Nodding, I held on to the shirt and handed the pants to her. At this point, I wasn’t sure I could balance, so I slowly pulled the shirt on.

Quen and Yuki stood a few paces in front of me, fire snapping from Quen’s hands. Yuki raised a barrier, her expression as hard as the stone she wielded.

Velessa and Thalira flanked us, their eyes on me and then on Kaylen and her group and up to the platform where the dark gray and light gray reapers continued to watch us.

I could feel their eyes on all of us. Damn perverts.

Still, my heart warmed as my friends clustered around me, close and protective. For the first time since getting here, I didn’t feel alone.

Myantha handed me the last piece of clothing, her fingers trembling and her expression still shell-shocked. “I can’t believe we’re back.”

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