Page 47 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
Freya’s jaw hangs open. “It’s ludicrous—” She slaps her son’s free arm with her folded fan. “She must have used one of her disgusting love arrows on you.”
“I wasn’t hit by a love arrow, Mother. I went looking for Devi, and one thing led to another… We’re more alike than wefirst thought.” Seth glances amorously at me, his act perfectly balanced and sounding more genuine than I’d hoped. “She’s the most beautiful and dauntless woman I’ve ever met. A realqueen.”
My insides squeal in victory, and Percy applauds Seth for his jab. I’m so pleased I could kiss him again, but Freya lunges in my direction, then thrusts her arm forward.
Quick. Efficient. A bit desperate.
I catch a flash of light over metal and instinctively leap away from her incoming blade, but it’s not the shine of any dirk or knife. Not the tapered glint of steel or the regal lines of a wedding dagger, no.
The terrible, greenish glimmer of iron and silver alloy veined with rowan wood flips my stomach. The luster of certain death.
Seth grips his mother’s wrist, his nostrils flaring, his other hand flying to her shoulder to stop her momentum. Dark clouds swirl inside his eyes, deep enough to drown in. Lightning sparks along the grooves of his muscles as the edge of an end-all blade hovers inches from my side. Only Seth’s raw strength is keeping me from the grave, and he’s shaking.
So am I.
One scratch from that blade would’ve poisoned me to death.
Chapter 14
Family Tree
DEVI
The crowd gathers in a wide, careful circle around us, many Fae turning white at the sight of the weapon. Elio entombs the blade in ice, and Seth twists Freya’s arm, forcing her to relinquish the hilt.
The ceremonial blade drops to the ground, its frozen casing shattering on impact, freeing the deadly weapon once more. Elio bends to pick it up, his top lip curled in a snarl. “You brought an end-all blade to my court?”
Lori rushes to his side, her ballet flats soundless over the marble. She’s the only woman not wearing a dress, but her black pantsuit fits her like a very chic, very sexy glove, the path between her breasts deliberately bare. The way she moves reminds me of the Shadow King, her grace sharpened by stealth and flexibility.
I have no doubt she could win a fight against any man here.
“Easy,” she says, calm but firm. “There’s no reason to murder each other.”
Freya spits at my feet. “There’s every reason.”
“Every reason, indeed,” I shoot back, keeping my cool, my grin widening.
Elio rubs the arch of his brow. “Guards, please escort the Spring Queen to my private library. She needs to calm down.”
A few murmurs rise from her entourage, but none loud enough to matter.
“She’s the criminal, not me. I’m allowed to defend myself. Your father will back me up on this,” Freya argues.
“You brought a concealed end-all blade to my ballroom. You’ll be lucky to leave here alive,” he rasps, the cold power of a glacier icing his deep voice. “Take a moment to compose yourself. We’ll be joining you shortly, and we’ll see what the others think of your unprovokeddefense.”
The guards lead Freya off the dance floor under Elio’s watchful eye.
She messed up. Badly. She’ll be punished for bringing a blade like that into the Winter King’s castle, of all places. And as much as she might’ve liked to scratch me with it, she didn’t bring that dagger because of me. She had no idea I’d be here.
Who did she mean to kill?
I couldn’t have dreamed up a better opening chapter for my revenge. My blood thrums with adrenaline and the sweet burn of karma. Justice, at long last, is being served.
My body tingles with all flavors ofjust desserts, and I lean into Seth, my fingers digging into his coat. “You’re not the mama’s boy I thought you were,” I say quickly.
Whatever love exists between them, they have issues.
My savior combs a hand through his short, tempestuous black hair and shrugs off the violent interlude with a click of his fingers. A flying tray zips over to us, and he grabs two glasses of Feyfire wine, offering me one. “I’ll drink to that.”
