Page 13 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

The black currant wine was an excellent vintage, tart, dry, and earthy. I savored each sip. And the food was good enough it occupied Thalen’s and Silus’s focus. Perhaps the rest of the evening could pass without—

A knock sounded on the observatory door, and it pressed open at once. Elara poked her head in. “Vad, I’m sorry. Some of the fae are threatening Briar—”

I jumped to my feet and marched out the door.

ChapterFive

Briar

My hands were still shaking from my encounter with Vad, but I pressed them hard against my sides so no one would notice.

In less than ten minutes, my entire world had changed both literally and figuratively. I loved a good fantasy story, but that didn’t mean I wanted to actuallyliveone.

Elara led us out of the massive room through some gigantic dark wooden doors. Airwhooshedpast us as they opened despite her not touching them. Heels clicked over the marble floor, and I waited to follow at the rear of the group, where I was less likely to get stabbed in the back.

I wouldn’t put it past these fae versions of mean girls.

Kaylen smirked as Elara walked past her, and a short wispy-haired blonde woman whimpered. A bloodthirsty grin spread across Kaylen's face, and the blue-haired woman and three others followed suit. The mean girl club whispered that she’d be one of the first to die, and of course, they cut their eyes to me like they’d marked the two first deaths, making it hard to swallow.

My stomach twisted in knots as I looked at the mark on my hand. I could still feel the butterfly moving under my skin. Had Fate brought me here to die after everything my pack and I had gone through on Earth? Was she showing me that Vad was my only chance at survival?

As if landing in a place I never wanted or intended to visit wasn’t enough, I now had warring emotions brewing inside me, and Ihatedit. One part of me wanted to get the hell out of here and go back home to my sister and pack, while the other part wanted to fight for Vaddy’s affection, becausesomethinginside me wanted him.

I forced myself to follow, surveying my surroundings as we went. Kaylen and her squad glided across the floor, their feet not making a sound as their wings fluttered. A few others also flew toward the front of the line on colorful wings.

Some of them caught my eye and then exchanged looks of amused disbelief with each other. One laughed as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

It was like watching a pack of wild dogs turn on each other in the middle of a hunt. Only I was the prey, and they weren’t fighting…yet. My wolf snarled. I was a fucking wolf shifter. I wasnotsupposed to be prey.

"You sure you’re in the right place?” The tall fae with the wavy midnight-blue hair paused and waited for me. She stared me down, her deep-pink eyes narrowed in a mix of curiosity and disgust. She had a similar smugness to the men who’d brought me here, but it was meaner and less polished. She might be the fae equivalent of a hitman. "Or did you piss off Fate?”

If I acted scared, they’d only escalate. I tried to stand tall, though my shoulders tried to sag. “Most likely the latter.” Not wanting to look at her, I took in the gigantic dark walls and the massive hallway that seemed to go on for miles. My wolf eyes adjusted, and I could see all the way to the other end of the hallway, dimly lit by lanterns. Ornate gold-and-black stained glass towered over a double door. Even without a ton of light glowing through the glass, it was still gorgeous.

No one said anything as we soaked in the view. When this was all over, one of these women would be able to call it home.

My heart squeezed uncomfortably, knowing that it wouldn’t be me standing next to Vad at the end.

“To the left here,” Elara paused at an intersecting hallway, “is where you’ll take your rest. You each have your own room, and your name is on the door.” She then pointed to the right. “And this will lead you to the dining room.”

She then turned to the right, leading us to what had to be supper.

The farther I went into the palace, the more my skin crawled. I’d never been in a place like this; even the royal wolf shifter palace back home was nowhere close to this enormous, and I hadn’t ever made it through the entire place.

My wolf shrank back inside me, uncomfortable. The magic here felt different, like a faint burn, and she wasn’t happy.

Tall, dark doors opened before Elara reached them, and two guards wearing the same armor as my kidnappers stepped to the sides to usher us through. A chill ran down my spine as I hurried past them into another stunning room, this one with three huge chandeliers lit by candles.

"Where are we supposed to sit?” the short blonde woman whispered to a woman with white hair that had a soft iridescent sheen.

The white-haired woman pointed to a small note that lay on top of a plate. “They have cards with our names on them. Here’s yours.” The nameAelirwas written in shadowy letters.

“Oh.” Aelir placed a hand on her chest. “Of course they’d do that.”

The pink-eyed fae who had taunted me laughed and bumped into Aelir as she said, “Enjoy your evening, since you’re still alive.” She moved two seats down in front of the nameCeana.

I wanted to say something but bit my tongue. I was already enough of a target, and I didn’t have a death wish.

Everyone began searching for their names, and I found mine against the left wall between Aelir and Ceana. I took my seat as the other women clattered around.

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