Page 48 of Moonmarked

Right now, I felt great. Rested, fed, and if I could just find a bottle of water somewhere, I’d be good to go for another full day, I thought.

So, I walked out into the foyer, illuminated by silver lights trapped into glass spheres hanging on the walls—raw fae magic. The entrance door was a bit open, so I went for it with my head up, my mind elsewhere (on Rune, of course).

But the moment I stepped onto the threshold, my body stopped moving all on its own.

The moment I stepped onto the threshold, something deep inside me stirred, and it wasn’t warmth, but it wascold.It was like I was suddenly standing in front of a strong wind that I could only feel on my insides—-and then all my attention switched to my ears.

Footsteps.

Heavy breathing that I heard as if people were standing right behind me.

Yes, people—plural.

For a moment, I was certain that it was Rune. I was certain that he’d somehow found me. He was already here, and everything was over, but…

The scent. Rune smelled of smoke and leather andsomething entirelyhim,and the people who were near me now, just at the corner of Raja’s house, smelled like dirt. It was strong enough that I had no trouble picking it up.

As if hypnotized, I stepped outside, looked ahead at the surface of the lake that glowed with the silver moonlight at the edge of the mountaintops on the other side. The sky was a deep dark blue, gorgeous, with so many stars winking at me from outer space. Witnessing me stepping farther and farther away from the house, until I could see the side of it.

Until I could see Raja standing tall with her hands folded in front of her, and twenty Seelie soldiers at her back.

I thought the plate might slip from my hands, but my fingers had a good grip on it. My heartbeat didn’t speed up. My body didn’t shake. I wasn’t even breathing faster than usual.

Twenty soldiers.

They all wore the armor of the Seelie Court, helmets and golden swords and all. I could tell because ten of them had theirs unsheathed and ready to attack. The warmth and this strange cold sensation inside me clashed, and my heart did skip a beat when I met Raja’s eyes and saw how she wasn’tsorryor even a littleconcernedat the very least. Feeling any kind of discomfort.

Instead, she held her head up and her brows raised, as if to say,what did you expect, mortal? That I would actuallyhelpyou?

So fucking funny.

Really—hilarious.

I looked up at the sky.This all you got, oh mighty stars of past and future? Really? Isthisall you got?!

“Nilah Dune, your presence is required in the SeelieCourt by the queen. If you do not come willingly, we will apprehend you.”

This from a soldier who had stepped forward, helmet on, golden eyes perfectly visible.

For a second there I hoped it was that guy—Delias, Rune’s friend who’d opened the gates of the court for us, but no. I hadn’t seen any of these people before.

And I knew for a fact that light or no light, I couldn’t beat them all. I could not win any kind of fight against twenty fae soldiers.

Yet my eyes still locked on Raja’s. I was still stupid enough to feel betrayed by her.

Bitch, I thought, but did it even matter now?

Not if she hadn’t sent word to Rune, it didn’t.

“Step forward with your hands raised,” the soldier said and came closer still, his golden sword raised, ready, his other hand free, fingers open, as if he was preparing himself to use magic if he needed it.

I was tempted to surrender—I really was. It would be easier, wouldn’t it?

Except these voices inside me were certain that I could still run. It didn’t matter who I was or what these guys were—the light in my hands wasn’t going to be enough against all of them. So, the plan was simple:run—and if they caught me, I could push them back with the magic just like I had done to Maera’s pack mates.

If it worked, great. If it didn’t, I would at least know I tried.

The fae opened his mouth to say something else.

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