Page 75 of Death Bringer

Ella scowled down at her boots. The apparent sincerity of the queen’s answer made her feel like a loser who had given up on her mate way too fast. But the Fae were tricky like that. She shouldered her backpack.

“Is there something I can help you with? Otherwise I’d quite like to get on.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find my face.”

The queen drew closer. “You have been bespelled? I did wonder.”

“Didn’t anyone tell you? Normally I’m blond and blue-eyed. An idiot called Adam stole my face as his third trophy.”

“But that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

She paused to study the queen’s delicate features. The female looked about the same age as Ella was, and that couldn’t be possible. It was also the second time someone had suggested Vadim had tried to protect her from Adam. “Whatwassupposed to happen?”

“Nothing.” The queen shivered. “Cygnet insisted that we stop Adam from taking your face.”

“Well, it didn’t work.”

“But why?”

“Perhaps you’d better ask your husband and mother about that.”

“We all agreed to it, as did the sect.”

“Then someone didn’t follow through, did they? You all wanted Morosov back here for your different reasons anyway. It’s hardly surprising that my face wasn’t enough to stop someone from getting what they wanted.”

“Soul Sucker?—”

Ella had to look away from the ethereal beauty of the queen, whose blue eyes were now swimming in tears.

“I understand that you are angry with us, but please consider what you intend to do.”

She stared hard at the fountain and realized the figure of the woman was modeled on the queen behind her.Awkward.“I have to go. I intend to find Adam and get my face back.”

“And what if he still has cygnet?”

“‘Cygnet’ is supposed to be the most powerful being in Otherworld. How could anyone ‘have’ him?” She glanced down at her hands. “I feel some of his power in me. Iknowhow strong he really is.”

“But what if his power is constrained?”

“By what?” Ella shook her head. “I’m so tired of everyone speaking around every subject. If he’s so easily contained, why are you all so scared of him?”

The queen drew herself up. “His apparent weakness might not be our doing.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”

“You are mated to him.”

“So what? It obviously means nothing to him. He walked out on me.”

“There are many ways a male can show his love for his female, Soul Sucker.”

“By buggering off to Otherworld to play at who’s the biggest idiot? That’s supposed to show that helovesme? I don’t think so.”

“Perhaps this time it is you who speak in riddles.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

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