Page 14 of Fae Games

My nipples tightened. My wings flapped extra hard. I couldn’t tell if they were trying to help me escape or signify that I was ready to mate. Prince August continued staring at me with eyes that grew darker with each passing second.

Oh, right. He’d just asked me a question. “Um… What do you think?”

“Whoever is controlling you is the one who leached Helen’s magic.”

My eyes bulged. “What?”

He moved even closer. “They wish to pass you off as a fated mate to taint the throne. And last night, when you were in peril and at risk of ruining their plans, they created a diversion—the theft of the Duchess of Nevermore’s magical core.”

My jaw dropped, and a huff of air escaped my throat. “If you believe all that, why haven’t you told anyone?”

“I’m waiting for your master to show his hand.”

“There is no—”

A gear turned in my mind. Actually, there was a master. The dead faerie. The dead, dark faerie who had likely returned to our realm after Lady Gala and her cohort had opened a portal to the Otherworld and offered them Helen’s magic in exchange for this fated mates bullshit.

“You’ve thought of something.” Prince August grabbed my arm, jerking me forward. “What?”

My mouth clicked shut. There was no way I could tell him about the dark faerie’s dying curse. He would have me killed for sure.

“Let go.” I tried yanking my arm out of his grip, but he held on too tight. “I’m not working for any dark master.”

“You were just about to confess,” he snarled.

“Just about to confess that you’re making a lot of false assumptions to protect a bunch of girls who stole Helen’s magic and threw her into the Dark Fae Prison.” My knee shot out to knee him in the crown jewels.

His hips jerked back, and anger flashed across his eyes like a lightning storm. “How dare you—”

“Are you going to blame me for Helen’s imprisonment, too?” I shoved him hard on the chest, but all that did was give me a nice grope of his hard pecs.

My nostrils flared. It was time for a bit of reverse psychology I’d once seen practiced on a DVD of Super Nanny. “If you wanted an excuse to get a blow job, just ask. It’s how I managed to suck off your brothers.”

Prince August snatched his hand away with such force that I stumbled back several steps. The savage roar of a kelpie filled my ears, adding to the tense situation, and the sun hid behind a cloud that seemed to have come from nowhere.

His golden skin turned purple. “You are a disgusting, loathsome creature.” His words were slow and deliberate, as though he’d practiced them in front of the mirror. “And you should know I have protected myself from dark spells. If you ensnare my brothers with your dark arts, I will rescue them and have you personally executed.”

“Go to Dubnos!”

I turned on my heel and ran across the courtyard to the remedial building and didn’t stop until I’d flung the door open and stepped into its cool, stone entrance hall.

“Shit.” I stared down at my hands, which wouldn’t stop shaking. “Fuck!”

Prince August was right. I might not have a dark master, but someone evil was responsible for my situation. What if his intentions had been more than to curse me to suffer? What if it was like Prince August had said and the dead faerie wanted me to infiltrate the throne and ruin the monarchy from the inside?

I ran a shaky hand down my face. What the hell should I do now? The day after the curse, I told those two officers everything, and they had dismissed it as fake memories and called Gladiolus. If Prince August spoke to them… Leaning against the cool, stone wall, I squeezed my eyes shut and gulped down lungfuls of air.

The door opened, and I lurched forward, my movements bolstered by panic. “Who’s that?”

“Only us.” Flora stepped in with a bunch of other students from the remedial class. “Breakfast is over.”

“Right.” I followed them into the classroom, where the tables still stood in the U-shape around the teacher’s desk and took the seat next to Helen’s empty chair.

“Why are you sitting there?” Flora placed her hands on her hips. “She isn’t coming back.”

I shook my head, too shaken to form a reply. The other students piled into the room, chatting loudly about the king and queen’s speeches. I got the impression that they didn’t often visit the academy, and their presence here for the trial was a huge deal.

Flora huffed and walked around the tables to take her regular seat.