Page 109 of Fate of the Sun King

I taper my gaze, hoping I’m accurately conveying the message that I’ll carve out his heart and eat it raw if he so much as thinks of trying to stop me.

But he just gives me a smug smile, making me glare harder.

I love you.

His words filter into my head, making my breath catch and my cheeks flush. This is all going to take some getting used to.

After a moment, I reply with I love you too.

His smile struggles to remain casual, and I sense the turbulence of his swirling emotions.

My gaze tears away as we maneuver through the congested city. Nadir gestures for us to follow, and we all turn down a street, hoping to circumvent the chaos. We end up on the northern perimeter of The Umbra, where signs and posters, all depicting Atlas’s face, are plastered everywhere.

I approach one and study it. The word “tyrant” is written in big, bold letters at the top, under which his image is rendered, along with a list of the low fae’s grievances. Many of the posters have been defaced—some are more humorous, like a thin mustache or a pig’s snout or horns sprouting from his head, while others are more sinister, with slashes scribbled across the parchment along with violent red splashes I assume are meant to portray his blood.

The four of us exchange a glance. I’m wary of our presence in the middle of all of this. While the bonding is a useful distraction to access the Mirror, we didn’t account for this potential snag in our plans. I wish there was more we could do to help the low fae without drawing attention to ourselves.

“Come on,” Nadir says, turning into a plaza. “We shouldn’t linger out here.”

We cross quickly, sensing the growing agitation of our surroundings. It isn’t the same as the crowds arriving for the bonding; this has the echo of wildness and danger.

“What do you think is going on?” Mael asks, clearly noticing it too.

“I don’t know,” Nadir replies. “Keep moving. I don’t like this.”

We follow him across the square, but a moment later, I’m thrown off my feet to the sound of an explosion.

A shriek tears from my throat as I crash into the ground, my hands scraping against the cobbles. Through the ringing in my ears, I hear a cacophony of screams and shouts. The sounds of people yelling and wailing. The rumble of stone and mortar cracking.

After several deep breaths, I attempt to stir my limbs into action. Slowly, I roll over, my joints protesting in pain. Sitting up, I’m stunned by the sight that surrounds me.

An entire section of the city has been blown away, leaving a black spot of scorched rubble. Thankfully, we were at the edge of the blast and appear to have escaped the worst of it.

Frantically, I search for Nadir and my brother. When I spot Nadir, I scramble to him on my hands and knees.

“Nadir!” I call. He’s lying on his side, and I tip him onto his back, struggling to heft his large body. He groans as I place my ear to his chest, a sob cracking out of me when I hear his heart beating. His eyes peel open slowly, and he blinks up at the sky once and then twice.

“Are you okay?” I ask, leaning over as I press a kiss to his lips.

He nods. “Yeah, I think so. What was that?”

“Someone must have set off a bomb or something.”

Nadir groans, and I notice the trickle of blood near his temple.

“You’re hurt,” I say, digging a cloth out of my pocket and dabbing the wound at his hairline gently. He winces.

“Ow,” he groans.

“Don’t tell me the big bad Fae warrior has a boo-boo,” I joke, trying to stem a flow of tears. He grabs my wrist, yanking me towards him. I yelp as he pulls me on top of him and crushes me into a tight hug, his hand cupping the back of my head.

“You’re okay?” he breathes into my hair, and I nod against him.

“I’m fine.”

“Thank fuck.”

“Nadir!”