Page 134 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

I spin around with the rest of the crowd, looking toward the stage where the Elders line up. Only now do I notice the musicians have fallen silent.

“Welcome to the Late King’s Festival, honoring our beloved king, Korrin Ravenspire.”

Cheers rise like a tide, crashing over smiling faces and sloshing tankards of alcohol.

Whitestone drones on, rattling off accolades and hollow pleasantries of the last human king to sit on the throne. The one the Fae king defeated with relative ease.

My thoughts drift. I lift a hand to smother a yawn. A wisp of shadow curls around my wrist and tugs.

My shoulder brushes Rian’s chest as he lowers his head, his breath ghosting the shell of my ear.

“I must go.”

Please don’t.

I bite my lip, swallowing the words before they escape. “Going to make a grand entrance?”

His mouth curves faintly. “No. I accomplished what I came for.”

I tilt my head back, meeting the weight of his gaze. My heart skips. “Oh? And what was that?”

A dark tendril coils up my arm to my throat, stroking the base of my neck. I suppress a shiver.

“Stay safe tonight. Don’t go near the forest.”

He moves to withdraw, but I catch his hand. Heat spreads through my palm, warmth without pain.

“Wait.”

His eyes flash, shadows tightening. “Yes?”

My throat goes dry under the heat of his stare. But I force the words out. “Tell me what’s happening with the monsters in the forest.”

A frown etches his features. “What makes you think something is happening?”

“Because I’m not a fool.” I hold his gaze, willing him to be honest. To trust me.

The way he wants me to trust him.

A heavy beat passes between us.

Then he dips his chin. “Very well. But not here.”

Disappointment pricks sharply in my chest, only to fade as his fingers lace through mine once more.

“Come with me.” His voice is commanding, threaded with shadows that lick at my skin.

Common sense screams I should resist.

But the desire for knowledge, for answers, is too hard to pass up.

Gods watch over me.

I pick up my skirt and let the Shadow Fae lead me into the dark.

27

Rian’s shadows coil tighter as we slip through the streets, pulling me with him, moving farther and farther from the celebration in the square. Away from lantern light, away from the safety of the crowd.