Page 21 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
“Percy,” Devi cuts in.
“And way above your league,” the Faeling corrects himself, but I take note of the strange exchange.
“And who are you?” I ask, half-amused, half-terrified.
“I’m Percival Batten.”
I incline my head in greeting, the proper and polite way to address him, as so many other Fae treat them like annoying little pests. “Nice to meet you, Faeling. I’m Seth Devine.”
“I know who you are and what you’re after, prince of nowhere at all.”
“Be good, Percy,” Devi scolds him. “Seth’s harmless.”
The corners of my mouth fall.Harmless? Ouch!
“Are you serious?” The Faeling waves a dismissive hand up and down me, with the snobbery of a royal stylist. “Him?”
Devi shrugs, her gaze softer than before. “Why not?”
“You’ve lost your mind.” The little ball of disapproval flies off in a huff, and I follow his blurry shape until he disappearsinto an alpine weather house, where both the blonde girl holding an umbrella and the sunny gentleman take refuge inside the bauble.
“Percy is very protective of me,” Devi explains.
I give her an understanding nod. “As any Faeling should be. He’s not wrong that his mistress inspired legends.”
Her smile vanishes in a flash. “You know the thing about legends? They’re all set in the past. I’m ready to live in the present again and return home.”
“I’m your ticket back to Faerie, if you’re smart enough to take me up on it.”
She gives me that look again, the one that sends a shiver down my spine. “It appears you are.”
“Let’s do this again. Properly. To appease your loyal servant.” I kneel in front of her, and as soon as my knee touches the ground, her eyes dance with greed—and something else. More serious than amusement, but more subtle than surprise. Something that makes my gut squeeze under her scrutiny, her beauty even more obvious from this angle, as if her face was chiseled to be idolized from just this view.
“Devi Eros, Queen of Hearts, devil of Spring, and most illustrious magic wielder. Will you marry me?”
A quiet, offended sigh tears out of the alpine weather house. “That was onlyslightlybetter,” Percy whines.
Devi bites her bottom lip, and I’m almost sure I’m about to lose her, so I pivot. “We don’t have to get married right away,” I say quickly.
She stands on her tip toes to open the highest cupboard, and the movement calls attention to her perfect waist. The angle allows me a particularly scandalous view of her smooth thighs, all the way up to the curve of her bare ass. “Hold on. If we’re truly about to discuss a scheme of this magnitude, I’m going to need a stronger drink.”
A giddy smile threatens to break across my face, but I rein it in, unwilling to betray my emotions. I think I’ve just convinced the most beautiful, powerful, and criminal Fae to be my fiancée. It’s not every day you get engaged to a living legend, let alone one you’ve fantasized about since puberty.
I've always been a scoundrel, but this might be my best con yet.
Chapter 8
Twister
DEVI
My heart pounds in my ears as I pour two glasses of Nether cider. “Careful, pretty boy. You might just fall for me for real.”
“Not a chance,” he says warmly. “But, was that a yes?”
“First, we need ground rules.”
“I agree.” He staggers back to his feet, his brows pulled together at the effort. I bet he thought it would be easy to stand after kneeling in front ofme.
