Page 41 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
“No thanks.”
Lori waves goodbye before running toward the maze entrance, and I watch her turn the corner. How does Elio plan on saving her before it’s too late? Maybe he’s still cursed after all.
Extracting Iris’s soul from Lori will take more Light magic than Elio possesses. The King of Light would have the power, but Lori is better off as she is now than in Ethan Lightbringer’s company.
A little while later,I meet Seth back in the parlor, and he pats the empty seat next to him. “You and Lori apparently had a ton to discuss,” he says, his inquisitive eyes asking a million questions. “Anything interesting to share?”
I stop by the buffet and pour myself a fresh, hot coffee. “With you?” I taunt.
His plain shirt hugs his body in all the right places, the fabric stretching tight across his large shoulders. His dark skin is simply flawless. Compared to my scar-riddled shell, the smoothness of his is hypnotic. It makes me angry, envious, and horny all at once. I wish I could touch it. Cower into his heat after my long walk in the snowy gardens.
Spring Fae are meant to lure their prey in, but when two carnivorous plants meet each other, they know not to trust the beauty in front of them. It doesn’t make it less tempting.
His eyes darken in a way that sizzles through my belly. “Trust goes both ways, you know,” he warns.
“I asked her about Morrigan,” I explain, trying to appease his suspicions without revealing anything about Iris’s dark soul.
A muscle twitches at the corner of his jaw. “I’ll breathe easier when that witch is dead and buried.”
“I guess we’ll both have to get used to disappointment.” I size him up, wondering if his anger is genuine or just another move in the game.
“Weren’t you and Morrigan friends once? Before she stole your arrows to enchant Damian Sombra?” he asks.
My eyes fly to the sky, my temper rumbling inside my throat. “When will everyone stop rubbing that in my face? Rye used to be the life of the party, before we all realized she was insane.Everybodywas friends with her. But don’t fool yourself, pretty boy. What happened between Damian and Morrigan was just an excuse to steal my crown.”
Seth comes to sit next to me, dragging the chair closer so that his knees almost bump my left thigh. “How so?”
I didn’t plan on saying so much, but the words keep leaking out of me, stolen by his calmness or patience or beauty. “I was too popular, too powerful, and too free from politics and bribes. Plus, I was the only Spring Fae strong enough to craft a love arrow that could pierce a Fae’s heart. That made me a threat. Threats don’t get to keep their crowns, especially women. Gods forbid a woman, a Fae royal, be happy alone. Maybe if I had married some dumb prince from another realm back when I was queen, the others wouldn’t have been so quick to banish me.” I play with my fingers, keeping them firmly tucked in my lap.
Seth’s gaze drops down to the repetitive motion before he covers my hands with his, and all the stress coiled in my body evaporates. “When you put it like that, it sure hits differently,” he whispers.
Long lashes frame his purple irises, mesmerizing.Damn him and his beautiful skin.
“I’m just stating facts. But of course, banished royals don’t get to write the history books.”
I should hate myself for even considering marrying Seth, as if a man with a dubious title could be some magic fix-all card. Thestupid rules high society made up disgust me, but as Mabel says, we are all forced to live in the times we were born in.
Seth’s lips quirk in a sad smile. “It was very unjust, what happened to you. And I don’t need a revised history book to see that.”
I slip my hands out of his grasp to brush a rebellious strand of hair away from his forehead. It’s incredibly soft to the touch.
My gaze falls to his sculpted, masculine lips.
He’s the son of a queen. Looking like that, there must’ve been some girl he was supposed to marry. Some Spring High Fae ready to fawn over that eight-pack and his Royal Academy degree. I wonder what ghosts hide behind his compassionate expression.
I take a long swig of coffee, the hot liquid grounding me against the desire to erase the sadness on his face with a kiss. Two royal Fae single past fifty… maybe Seth and I aren’t so different after all. “Why did you never marry? You seem like the type.”
He blinks, caught off guard. “I’d never met anyone I wanted to marry. Before now.”
My chest tightens.Well, damn.I believe him—believe he’s not just playing with words to butter me up. Maybe I’m having a crisis of faith. Or maybe I’m just tired.
Either way, this is new.
I probably just need more coffee.
Byron flies in, interrupting our conversation. He doesn’t say anything but hovers in the back, and I know he’s really waiting for Percy to show up.
Lori comes back from her run and unhooks her earbuds. “Where’s Elio?” she asks.
