Page 93 of Fated to the Wicked King

Then another surge of heated air caught beneath the canopy, lifting me just enough that I slammed hard onto the higher ledge as the fractured ground collapsed into the magma below.

“NO!” the General cried out in despair.

I didn’t need to turn back to see, to sense his wretched agony whilst all his work fell to ruins.

I staggered onto unsteady feet amid the trembling earth. Through a curtain of creeping fog, I spotted the massive ancient tree ahead, its hollow trunk pulsing with an eerie red glow beneath the dangling curtains of moss.

With the roar of molten earth rising ever louder behind me, and the rabbit clutched against my shoulder, I leaped into the hole hidden within the heart of the tree.

Twenty-Six

BECOME QUEEN

As soon as the tree hollow spewed me out the other side, the Hatter’s spell shattered apart in a violent burst, arcs of glowing magic snapping through the air as the rabbit’s small form blazed with a blinding white light.

In the next heartbeat, the king reappeared in a rush of crackling sparks and shadow, collapsing back into his human form. Fading ribbons of magic flickered across his skin, his solid weight landing right on top of me as we sprawled onto the rocky desert ground.

Then, as if on cue, it started to rain.

Still breathless, the king gazed down at me in awe as the rain started pouring down in sheets, water dripping from his face.

Blinking back the precipitation between gasping pants, I couldn’t help but laugh in intense relief as I looked up at him. “I told you it was going to work.”

An amused light glowed in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to kiss me right then and there.

My heart pounded in eager anticipation, but he looked up first. Our clock tower was right beside us. My loft, dry and sheltered from the rain, was some five hundred feet above. Was he concerned about climbing all the way up the stairs?

I thought he might need the reminder. “I fixed the elevator.”

He slid his arm around my waist. “We won’t need it.” He summoned his shadows with a blast. It seemed that with enough distance from the otherworldly energy, his powers had fully recovered. We shot straight up to the loft balcony, where another flick of his fingers blew the metal door open for us to swoop inside.

My arms were still around his neck as he set me on my feet. Despite the slight chill in the air and our damp clothes, his warmth wrapped around me. Tilting my head up toward his, I cracked an impish smile. “My hero.”

His gaze was soft, in awe. “I can’t even begin to—” He shook his head, the corner of his mouth tilting up. “I guess we’re not even again. You’ve saved my life one extra time.”

I dropped my arms, one shoulder lifting. “I’ll put it on your tab.”

The king cast a glance around the clock tower loft, his tone heavy with meaning. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

The faded velvet drapes, piles of books haphazardly strewn everywhere, scrolls and papers cluttering about surfaces, dusty shelves lined with bottles of ale. A wooden desk. A modest bed.

I pursed my lips.

Nothing. I had changed nothing.

While my laboratory downstairs was in constant churn, I had kept the loft exactly as it had looked the day I thought he’d abandoned me. It was the only way I could feel his presence during all those months when he was gone. The only thing I had left of him.

Almost embarrassed about the fact, I stepped away, but he caught my arm.

“Hey, look at me.” Tugging me closer once again, he brushed my hair back from my face. “So, your real name is Eleanor?”

I leaned closer to his touch, unable to help my eyebrows furrowing in remorse. “I think I prefer Allie.”

“What’s the matter?”

My chest tightening, I dropped my gaze to the floor where my dress was still dripping. “You heard what the General said. Apparently, this Eleanor sacrificed so many lives to further her career, all in the name of science.” My tone lowered in despondence. “He said I destroyed hundreds of worlds and billions of souls.” I let out a breath of revulsion. “If he’s right, then…I am a monster.”

Rabb took my face in his hands, his blue eyes fervently studying mine. His thumbs traced my cheeks. “You are not a monster, Allie. Take it from me.”