Page 36 of Tale of the Heart Queen

When she’s gone, I wait for several seconds. Then I slip out of bed and tug on the pants. They’re loose and light and made of the softest material I’ve ever felt. The shirt drapes over me, hanging low in the front, exposing my chest.

I figure I have a few minutes before she starts to wonder where I am, so I explore the room. What I see outside the windows troubles me in more ways than I can count. There’s nothing but a blank expanse of swirling mist interspersed with the occasional cloud spreading in every direction. We’re not in any sort of building that I can discern.

I’m in the fucking Evanescence, and whatever doubts I have about that are erased in this moment. This is impossible. What am I doing here?

I rub my chest as a dull ache flares under my ribs. As I move about the room, my limbs and joints creak with the stiffness of disuse. What happened to me after we were taken from Aphelion?

I open the drawers and closets but find little but clothing and a few books.

I stare at the door Zerra vacated. My intuition suggests she wants something from me. Obviously sex from the way she is behaving, but what did she mean about being hers? A demigod. What does that mean?

I have to find Lor. What happened to her?

But I appear to be stuck here and realize the only answers I’ll get are from the goddess herself. I run a hand down my face and take a deep breath before I open the door. I’m met with nothing in front of me. Just the same empty sky. Peering down, there’s more nothing. What would happen if I stepped off this edge?

“Hello?” I call, and immediately, a High Fae female appears so suddenly, I jump. She’s wearing a long purple dress, and her thick red braid hangs over her shoulder while gentle curls frame her face.

“Are you ready for dinner?” she asks, staring at me with a blank expression. Not really, but I nod.

“Very well. Then follow me.”

She turns, and as she walks away, a shimmering pathway forms beneath her feet—transparent like glass. When I don’t immediately follow, she stops and peers over a slender shoulder.

“Come. I assure you that it’s perfectly safe.” Her voice is devoid of emotion, spoken with an airiness that suggests she’s not all here.

Then she continues walking, and I have no choice but to follow. Carefully, I step out onto the pathway. I’m not afraid of heights—I can fly, after all—but the uncertainty of my surroundings is throwing me off balance.

Just in case, I spin up my magic to generate my wings, but nothing happens. My magic is blocked. Is Zerra doing that? I try not to worry about the fact she holds that sort of control over me.

Placing one foot in front of the other, I follow the woman down the path until another building materializes before us. Made of creamy stone, it hovers in the air like my room, with windows on all sides.

We arrive at a set of double doors, and my escort flings them open.

“Her Majesty awaits you.” She clasps her hands in front of her and bows her head.

“Majesty? Is she a queen?”

“Of this place, yes.”

I peer at the doorway before I brace myself and enter another oval room rendered in hues of creamy white. In the center sits a large dining table groaning with food including colorful desserts and drinks as elaborate as art.

Zerra waits at the end, still wearing her sheer robe, hanging open to show off her . . . assets. My lip curls with distaste.

This is vile. And quite frankly, freaking me the fuck out.

“Feel free to tie that up,” I say, gesturing to her body. “I’m not interested in whatever you’re offering.”

Her smile is sly as she sits back and crosses one smooth leg over the other, picking up her wine and taking a long sip. She eyes me up and down, her gaze lingering around my hips, sending a frosty chill trickling down my back.

“Where’s Lor?” I demand. “Why am I here?”

“Lor?” Zerra says with a breathy laugh. “That silly girl?” The way she says it makes me want to commit an act of violence. Maybe upend this whole table, food and dishes and all. Except that seems too mild a reaction.

I want to splatter blood on these walls.

She stands up and slowly prowls towards me. Still, I keep my gaze on her face. I don’t know what game she’s playing, but I have no interest in it. Even if I weren’t already in love with Lor, this woman reminds me far too much of a snake slithering through oily grass.

Zerra stops in front of me, and the triumphant look on her face suggests she’s about to deliver a crushing blow.