Page 95 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
So much for patience. Is he such a glutton for punishment that he couldn’t wait for me to act before he picked a fight with her? What is he trying to do?
“Now, brother. The lady said no,” Nathan says, but the admonishment sounds like a taunt.
Tatiana grabs a fist of her dress, standing taller, her eyes narrowed. “If I have any say in it, Nathan will be warden of this province, not you.”
Alaric grips her elbow to keep her from retreating. “Believe me Tatia,Iwill lead this province. Wouldn’t you prefer to wed me? To stay close to your beloved raven?”
Tatiana struggles, wriggling in his hold but failing to break free. “You’re a monster, Alaric. I’d never lay with you—not even if you were the last man in Faerie.”
Everyone stops dancing and drinking, and Lord Grimmage hurries to his daughter’s side.
Fuck. Where did he put the wine?
Luckily, both flutes—his and Tatiana’s—are still tight in his grip, and he slams them on Brel’s empty tray before taking his daughter’s hand. “Alaric Rayne. My daughter is engaged to our new king?—”
Alaric’s voice crashes through the ballroom in a thunderous boom. “And where is he, eh? Your supposed king? It’s not like Maddox Storm hasn’t broken an engagement before. Who’s to say he’s our new king at all?”
Tatiana’s brows furrow. “Maddox is the Jackal’s son. He’ll be king.”
“Gods are powerful,” Alaric replies, “but their affections are fickle at best.” He finishes his wine and discards his cup. “Be careful, Lord Grimmage. Or your daughter will end up bouncing on my cock as one of my brother’s whores, not as a wife. And certainly not as aqueen.”
Lord Grimmage swings at him.
Alaric shoves him aside, sending the man straight into Brel. The flying sprite, Lord Grimmage, the tray—including the two wine flutes—stumble, fall, and clatter to the floor.
Burgundy wine splashes across the marble, staining it deep red. Gossip thrums through the air, the guests absorbing the scene.
Alaric has gone nuclear, electricity sparking off him in all directions. A thunderstorm obscures the glass ceiling from the inside of the ballroom, the somber specter gathered right above his head. His power crackles at the heart of the storm, putting the subterfuge to bed.
Now, there’s no doubt who wears the crown.
Every hair on my body lifts in warning, and my nipples chafe against the cold metal of my dress.
Lord Grimmage crawls to his feet, his sneer melting into a horrified grimace. “You…”
Alaric doesn’t look angry. In fact, he’s smiling. “That’s right, I am now King of Storm’s End. And you’re all expected here for my wedding tomorrow. Especially you, Tatiana.”
With that, Alaric vanishes in a flash. His electricity merges with the clouds overhead, and chunks of hail hit the ground. Guests cry out in surprise, raising their arms to shield themselves, helpless against the incoming storm.
Nathaniel shrugs off his coat and uses it to shield Tatiana’s head. “We should leave. Now.”
“Poor boy,” Lord Grimmage says darkly. “There’s nowhere to run where he can’t find you.”
Tatiana clutches Nathaniel’s chest. “Did you know?”
“No. If I had known, I would have warned you, somehow.”
I turn away from the distraught couple. A strange tickling spreads across my shoulder blades, chest, and neck. The metal pieces of my dress begin to vibrate, warming against my skin, and I realize I’ve been spared the worst of the blizzard. The lyranthium shields me from the storm, but Alaric is calling me to him.
And I must obey.
Chapter 29
Heartbreaker
DEVI
Cold air slips between my legs and numbs my fingers while the body of the dress hums with energy. Alaric’s power coils around me like a leash of wind and static, guiding me through the thunderous halls of his citadel. I thread deeper and deeper into the dark until I pass under a wide stone arch and emerge into an ancient arena.
