As though to confirm that statement, one of the trees went up in flames, shooting smoke and embers several stories into the air.
That explains the bare branches, I thought, gaping at the giant black trunk.
“Burning thwomp,” the Warden murmured. ‘“In case you were looking for a name.” He tugged on the leash, dragging me down a cobblestone path rimmed by the shadowy landscape. “This whole paradigm was created by a Midnight Fae for Midnight Fae, hence the obvious influences.”
He gave my makeshift collar a little tug when I started to bend and examine the reflective blades of grass. They appeared to be made of metal, and they moved as we walked.
“Did you miss the part where I said the courtyard is designed to kill you?” he drawled, yanking me to his side with another rope of magic around my middle. “Don’t. Touch.”
My jaw ticked. “Says the male wrapping me up in fiery ropes of Midnight Fae magic.”
“To keep you alive.”
I batted my eyes at him. “Oh, is that why you left me outside the gates? Was that just for me to work on my tan on my path to survival?”
He grinned. “You were looking a bit pale.”
“Says the wannabe vampire,” I returned.
His dark brow arched into his hairline. “Do you need proof of my bite, sweetheart? Would that make me more vampiric in your eyes?”
I scoffed at that. “Not really in the market for a mate, but thanks anyway.”
“Ah,” he hummed, approval radiating in his expression. “Someone has studied fae kind.”
“Someone didn’t have a choice,” I retorted, thinking of all the random literature my father had given me over the years. He might have been mostly absent during my upbringing, but when he had shown up, it had always been related to some sort of supernatural training.
“And what do you know about Midnight Fae?”
“That males dictate the mating bond through biting. A bit sexist, if you ask me,” I added conversationally as I tried to unfasten the collar at my throat. The embers sizzled along my fingertips, eliciting a hiss from my lips. “Which explains your penchant for leashing me. I’m probably just some glorified pet to you, right? A female Halfling with a human mother. Just another exhibit for yourbride trials.”
His blue-black irises ran over me, his amusement seeming to bleed into a contemplative expression. “Definitely not a pet I want to keep,” he finally said after a minute. The leash sizzled to ash. “Follow me like a good girl, and I’ll leave your neck alone. Disobey me, and I’ll teach you the meaning of the wordpetby making you crawl.”
My teeth ground together as my skin shivered in relief to be free from his spell.
Fucking wizard, I thought, glaring at the wand he kept in his hand. It served as a warning and a taunt all wrapped up in one obsidian stick. I could try to grab it, but from what I knew about Midnight Fae, they didn’t require the magical conduit to access their dark source—it merely helped them control their power.
And yeah, that would probably make things worse, not better. Plus, I’d already underestimated him at our first encounter. I would bide my time and find his weakness, then I would strike.
Because I knew a few spells, too.
Spells my Hell Fae father had taught me that were meant for situations like this.
And I didn’t need a wand to use them. Just a lot of energy, which I was running low on at present.
However, this Midnight Fae would underestimate me if I played along—another benefit that would give me a chance to reevaluate the situation and replenish my energy.
So I trailed behind him and surveyed my surroundings instead, being a “good girl,” for now.
All I need is a portal.
My father had taught me how to use them as a kid, and he’d made me memorize, like, fifty different codes. One of them would work. He just hadn’t taught me how tocreateone, which would have been really fucking helpful right now.
But if I could just locate—
A swarm of crows took off across the field, causing the Warden to grab me and pull me behind him as he created a shield of purple smoke magic. “Stop thinking about escaping,” he snapped at me. “Those things are programmed to keep you here by any means necessary, and they’ve already killed three girls this week.”
My eyes widened. “How?” I wondered, staring at their beaks.
