Just like the fae woman Jax had loved. The one who’d supposedly died on her father’s orders.
OnKeradoc’sorders.
7
HALEY
Iturned away from the fae guards and stared into the fireplace, schooling my reaction.
Oona. Ithadto be the same woman. Even if Oona was a common name among the fae, what were the chances that two of them had been in Keradoc’s close orbit? With violet eyes, besides?
No way. She was definitely his daughter.
So she wasn’t dead, then. Which meant Elian had lied to Jax. Why?
And what would Jax do when he found out?
A mix of emotions churned through my gut—worry and sympathy for Jax, rage at Elian’s capacity for treachery, and there, simmering beneath it all, a big helping of red-hot jealousy.
I shoved it all aside though, forcing myself to take in whatever information I could.
“Two warships bearing the standard of Darkwinter have been spotted near the harbor,” she reported. “None have disembarked—presumably on account of the Fog—but it’s only a matter of time. The Fog is already beginning to thin.”
Fog?Was she serious?
“Your enemies are afraid of a little fog,” I blurted out, turning to face Keradoc, “and you think you needmyhelp?”
“The Fog of a Thousand Knives, Miss Barnes,” he said. “So named for its ability to slice anyone it touches into ribbons so microscopic, whole bodies become liquified in seconds.”
Bile rose in my throat at the thought.
Keradoc must’ve seen the revulsion and fear on my face. His eyes softened, and he joined me by the fireplace, his voice low and soothing when he said, “Amaranth City is the safest place in the realm, and the castle is the safest place in the city. Neither the fog nor the enemy will reach us here.”
He touched my shoulder, his skin warm, his eyes gentle. For a moment, it felt like we were the only people in the room.
I wanted that momentary comfort… and I hated him for it.
For all of it—the cruelty, the imprisonment, the beheadings, the way he’d allowed his guards to treat Jax and Elian. But mostly, I hated the kindness in his eyes, the softness in his touch. It was all a lie, another fae manipulation designed to weaken my defenses.
“And which enemy are you referring to this time?” I asked. “From what I hear, you’ve got a whole list of monsters waiting in line for a chance to chop off your head and mount it on the wall like a trophy.”
All the kindness in his eyes drained away, leaving only the ice-cold warlord behind.
Good. I’d much rather face the ugly truth than a beautiful lie.
“Children playing war games do not concern me, Daughter of Darkwinter,” he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear now. “Your esteemed ancestors, however,doconcern me.”
Turning back to Oona, he said, “What else?”
“Dead Claw, sir. There’s another Darkwinter party on the eastern front moving north toward Stone City.”
The muscle in Keradoc’s jaw ticked. “Alert the squadron at the Stone City outpost they’ve got Darkwinter inbound, if they’re not already aware. I want those bastards stopped before they get anywhere near the wall.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
With a curt nod, he dismissed them, then joined me once more at the fireplace.
None of this made sense. If she was Keradoc’s daughter, why did she speak to him so formally? Was that just a military thing? And if he and his guards had ever truly threatened her relationship with Jax, why did she seem to respect the man so much? The way she looked at him went beyond a daughter’s love for a father or even a general’s respect for her commanding officer. It bordered on admiration.
