Page 41 of Ruthless Fae King

She laughed. The sound was awful, scraping against my skin, and I recoiled despite myself. I hadn’t wanted her to know how revolted I was by her—a poker face had always been my best defense—but it was impossible to hide my disdain.

She laughed again, amused by my reaction, and it only pissed me off that much more.

“You’re more than powerful enough to fill both roles,” she said. “Why do you think I wanted you all to myself?”

I bristled but didn’t answer. My anger grew the longer she talked, and with it, my magic rose to the surface. I wasn’t going to be able to fight her. She was the source of my dark power, after all.

My magic grew thicker and thicker anyway, and I relished in the feel of having so much power at my fingertips. The sensation wasn’t voluntary, but I couldn’t deny it. Being this powerful was incredible.

The room around me started to tremble. The curtains blew inward as if the windows were wide open, which they weren’t. My power sounded like thunder from above, rumbling and roaring.

Cyrene laughed, a deep laugh all the way from her belly. She loved my power as much as I did. The sound of my magic was so overpowering, it almost drowned her out.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she said, her voice in my head now so I could hear her over the magic that had taken control of me. “All of this is possible because of me.”

“I don’t want it!” I shouted, although deep down, a part of me knew that wasn’t completely true. I wanted the power.

“You’re nothing without me, Erol,” Cyrene snapped, her voice suddenly cold, the humor gone out of it. “If you turn away from me, you know what will happen to your family, but not only that—you’ll be nothing more than a weak, pathetic Fae who can’t fend for himself, much less anyone else. It’s your choice, in the end, but you should strongly consider what you stand to lose.”

Just like that, she was gone as if she’d never been. I stared into the darkness, blinking my eyes, looking for the ethereal shimmer that showed me where she was. I strained my ears for her voice.

It was nowhere to be found. She was gone. She’d finally left me alone.

I sagged in relief, the tension finally leaving my body. She was a pain in the ass, and no matter what I did, I would never be able to escape her. Not if I wanted my mom and sister to live.

I wanted to get out of these nightmares, to leave the darkness behind and finally walk in the light again. I hadn’t wanted it as badly before as I did now. Being with Hazel, feeling the power she possessed, seeing how she transformed the world around her, made me realize how much I wanted to be a part of that.

I would never want it enough to sacrifice my family. I just wished there was another way to gain the kingdom, to become king and rule the people, lead them in the way they needed it.

Cyrene’s words echoed in my mind.

You’re nothing without me.

The dark magic I possessed, the power I could use as I pleased, had come from her. What if, by giving it up, I wouldn’t be powerful enough to rule Palgia? What if, after I’d fought Cyrene and somehow saved my family—already an impossible feat—I just wasn’t enough to lead my people?

Rainier was powerful. He wasn’t just a good king, he had the power to back him, and it was why he stayed on the throne. It was how he and Ellie had defeated Falx and Lavinia in the first place. Without magic, neither of them would have succeeded.

I needed magic to keep my position. I needed to be powerful so I could look after myself, my family, my subjects.

If I wasn’t powerful enough to do that, what was the purpose of it all? After so many years of power—albeit dark magic that was cruel and merciless—did I have what it took to be nothing?

The thoughts were troubling, and I tossed and turned for a long time before exhaustion dragged me under and I finally fell asleep again.

Thankfully, the slumber was dreamless for a change. Not that it mattered all that much—a dreamless sleep wasn’t a lot of help when being awake was becoming a nightmare, too.

15

HAZEL

Ilooked at myself in the mirror. I’d put on a gown that I’d brought along in case I needed to dress up a little. I didn’t expect to have any balls or banquets. Erol didn’t seem like the social kind, and as regent, he didn’t have the same responsibilities to be social as Ren and Ellie did.

Still, I was glad I’d brought something.

Tonight, I would eat with Erol, alone. It was like a date, but he hadn’t labeled it as one. My stomach erupted in butterflies when I thought about it, anyway, and I touched my fingers to my lips, remembering the feel of his mouth against mine.

My hair hung loose over my shoulders, and the dress was a light blue that brought out my eyes. It was made from a shimmering silk and hugged my waist before flaring out a little from my hips, with a slit to my thigh on the right. I’d paired it with ballet flats—I’d never been a fan of heels, and it would be far too formal for just the two of us.

I checked my makeup and reapplied the nude lipstick I’d chosen. With magic, I tried to change my appearance—I put on more makeup, made my lips bright red, did up my hair, made my skin shimmer. I took it all away again, going back to my nude lips and understated makeup. I didn’t want to look like I’d tried too hard, but I wanted to look pretty for him.

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