Page 25 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
“Seth’s hot, but I’m not about to fawn over Freya’s son. We’ll use him as long as he serves us and discard him when the time comes. Besides, the crowns will never give their assent for us to marry.”
“And what if they do?”
“They won’t.”
“Stranger things have happened…”
Again, the possibility of being linked for life to Freya’s son sets my teeth on edge. But a new, insidious scenario pops into my brain. If the seven crowns somehow gave permission for us to wed, I’d be free to shut this gorgeous Fae’s mouth with a kiss and ride his cock to my broken heart’s content…
“Be good,” Percy says quickly, like he followed my thoughts down the gutter.
I change from the skimpy dress, opting for a form-fitting burgundy turtleneck and black jeans, and meet Seth downstairs.
The dark Fae is inspecting the saggy tea leaves at the bottom of the teapot as though he’s hoping to read his future in them. His gaze darts up from the pot, and he raises a skeptical brow at the ruby-incrusted mask covering my face. “Didn’t they confiscate your Shadow mask when you were banished?”
“Of course they did.” The weight of the mask over the bridge of my nose sparks excitement in my blood. “This is a new one.”
Seth studies me. The moonlight streaming through the bay windows of the shop deepens the purple flecks of his irises, and I swallow hard.
“You used to fuck him, no? The Shadow King,” he asks.
“That’s old news.”
“And Elio?”
I roll my eyes, suppressing a disgusted grimace. “Are you slut-shaming me right now? I thought you were a modern, enlightened man, not one of those silly Storm Fae traditionalists?—”
“I’m not judging you,” he says quickly, tipping his chin. “Just wondering how any of them could let you slip through their fingers. You’re a catch, witch. Makes me wonder what’s wrong with them.”
“Who says I wanted to marry?”
He shrugs. “Every Fae wants to marry. It’s a double-your-power-for-free card, and very few resist the appeal for long.”
He’s not wrong. When a king dies, the magic they inherited from the realm’s Hawthorn leaves their significant other forever, but the magic they were born with stays with their spouse for life. That’s how Freya inherited my grandsire’s god-given power and became strong enough to compete with me.
It’s hard to refuse the hand of an old king when you know you’ll get to keep his magic forever, when every dead husband means accumulating power. I’ve always judged Freya for the way she rose to power and held myself to higher standards, but old, serial widows are not regarded with the same distrust as single, independent women. What a world.
I slip into my rain coat and pull the hood over my head, tying the sash at my waist.
“There’s no mirror here, I gather. Not even a warded one,” Seth muses.
I let out an amused huff. “Who do you think I am? I’m not stupid enough to keep a mirror in my home.”
He tugs on one end of the loose knot in the sash of my raincoat. “Don’t bother with that, I can get rid of this weather?—”
“No,” I answer too quickly. The heavy storm will make it harder for the cupids to track me. “Leave it be.”
I keep the breast pocket open for Percy, who flies into it with a resentful pout. “We love the rain,” he adds for Seth’s benefit. Faeling can lie, a fact that is not well-known amongst the Fae.
Seth observes us with a trace of wonder and curiosity. “As you wish.”
Heavy rain glides down the waterproof fabric as we make our way down the street. The dim glow of the street lamps casts menacing shadows across the cobblestones, each of them surrounded by a halo, and I glimpse at the red clouds overhead.
The distant hum of wings on the wind rakes through my core. Seth’s expression darkens, and the energy shifts around him. His fingers twitch, barely a movement, but enough for me to know he picked up on it.
We finally reach the laundrette, and Percy flies out of my pocket to make the window panes permeable, allowing us to slip inside unnoticed. The scents of old detergent and bleach assault me.
Four rows of washers and driers are separated by two alleys, and a huge mirror gleams against the far wall.
