Page 159 of Moonmarked

“Not yet, not yet. And don’t be so sour—you won, too, didn’t you? You wonher,and I bet you didn’t even try. It just comes naturally to you, doesn’t it? Everything just comes naturally to the bastard son of the cruelest fae king to have ever lived among us.” Another long sip of his wine, and he slammed the empty glass on the table.

My heart all but beat out of my chest, and a monster had risen inside me, threatening to explode, and tear me into a thousand pieces as it did.

“KindRune.NiceRune.LoyalRune—and you hope tofool everyone when they all know who you come from?!” Lyall laughed. “The best part? You don’t even knowwhatshe is!”

His finger pointed at me now.

I stopped breathing once more.

“And it only gets better because, my dearest mortal, neitherdo you.”

His voice was laced with venom. I tightened my grip on the knife so hard my fist hurt, but I didn’t mind. I welcomed the pain because I was about to do something stupid. I was about to fucking stab this asshole right in the eye, no matter who he was or how many of his people were around him.

Fuck him and the palace and the entire fucking court.

“You’re a lying piece of shit, aren’t you,” I spit. “You found something out.”

More laughter. I didn’t miss how Rune slowly let go of my hand, how he brought his over the table, how he waspreparingfor the fight that was inevitable, I thought.

Screw it. I didn’t even want to stop it at this point. I wanted this man’s blood on my hands, God help me.

“Of course, I did. And had you just made the right choice, had you decided to stay with me, you’d know all about it. You’d be up there with me, selfish mortal. Do you have any idea how many would kill for that chance?”

I jumped to my feet, shaking with rage, the ice rushing through my veins about to come right out of my mouth and nose and fucking eyes.

“You—” I shouted, and who cared who heard or who watched, but…

“Sit down.”

My mouth clamped shut.

My body moved before I’d given it a command, and Ifound myself sitting on the chair the next second, barely breathing.

What the fuck?!

“Lyall, what did you do?” Rune said through gritted teeth, shadows spilling out of his fingers as he looked at me, then at Lyall.

Rune lookedterrified.

“Oh, stop with that, will you?” he said, waving a hand at Rune’s shadows, and…

They did.

The shadows disappeared under his skin again as if they’d never been there to begin with.

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

“You see, I had plans. We would have all had a great and happy ending, had you only behaved. But you went and fell in love, and now I have to clean up after you.” Lyall crossed his arms in front of his chest,tsk-ing and shaking his head. “But I did save both your lives. And you are in debt to me still. Now, I am calling the both of you to fulfill that debt, right now—and after that, we’re square. How does that sound?”

Rune looked at me. His jaws were locked, his eyes dark.

“Lyall, don’t do this. I’ll warn you once,” he said, and Lyall flinched.

“You did it to yourself, ungrateful bastard,” he spit, and when Rune raised a hand, he said, “Don’t move until I say so.”

Rune stopped.

Just like I’d sat down without wanting to, he stopped moving. Looked at Lyall with his eyes wide.

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