Page 37 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
The corners of my mouth twitch. “I wouldn’t know.”
Devi clearly isn’t used to being vulnerable. As one of the most powerful beings in the new world, I bet she’s forgotten what it’s like to be on equal footing with anyone.
“Where’s Percy?” I ask.
She plays with the silverware, the knife in her hand casting glints of light on the walls. “Sleeping in. He’s exhausted.”
If only she’d meet my gaze, I know I could thaw that icy exterior, the way I did yesterday.
Elio clears his throat, cutting through my botched flirting attempt. He stands, tossing his napkin over his plate. “Seth. A word.”
He steps through the passage leading to the courtyard, and I follow him outside. The day is pleasantly warm, the bright sunshine keeping the cold at bay.
The sun hits his face, and his eyes flutter shut. “I asked you to get her here in one piece. Not try to seduce her.”
I shrug off his concerns. “She’s Devi Eros. I’m smitten.”
More like besotted. Delirious. Obsessed.
“Ugh.” Elio pinches the bridge of his nose.
I tuck my hands in my pockets, stealing a glimpse of Devi and Lori through the windows. My abs clench.
Her dark skin glows with an inner light, every inch of her crafted to enthral and provoke. There’s perfection in the way she exists. I’ve spent most of my life trying to emulate such effortless confidence, but looking at her, I know I’ve always fallen short.
The stories warned me about her charisma, her power of fascination, luring hundreds of men in just so they could kneel at her feet. I thought I was above such manipulation, but in the brief time we’ve been acquainted, I’ve come to realize resistance is futile.
Iwillfall in love with Devi Eros. It’s just a matter of when. And how much of my soul will be lost to her forever.
The window frosts over, cutting my line of sight, and my gaze flies to Elio.
“She’s not like other women. She won’t be impressed by your seductive smiles and vapid jokes, so behave,” he says sternly.
A frown overpowers my face. His attitude reeks of disapproval, reminiscent of the blatant animosity that used to exist between us. I thought we’d moved past our mutual dislike.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous.”
He sucks in air. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Yet there’s something here, isn’t there? What is Devi to you? An old flame?”
“Mind your own business.”
“You’re being uncharacteristically touchy about this, which says a lot given your baseline grumpiness. Devi’s a grown woman. She can make up her own mind about me.”
“I’m not—” He rubs his face and finally shakes his head. “Just stay away from her, Seth.”
Well, well. The plot thickens.
I watch him return to his wife’s side with a dubious smile and head off into the Winter gardens.
The soft ground shifts beneath my boots on my way to visit Iris, but I can’t help but be in awe of how the space has been transformed since I was last here. Even the sky is lighter, as though the weight of years of sorrows has been lifted from the land.
I thread to the statue watching over Iris’s grave. Elio’s first queen is entombed in her glass coffin, her hands folded over her stomach, her painted red lips disgustingly vibrant compared toher chalky skin. The world around her may be waking up, but she remains frozen in the shade of the Hawthorn, untouched by the sun. A knot tightens in my chest as I read the bronze plaque underneath.
True love transcends crowns, blood, and flesh. It doesn’t care for common sense and doesn’t play by the rules. Love has no masters, only slaves.
- Elio Hades Lightbringer
