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“As a new slave, this creature does not understand her place in thiscastle.”
“Creature?” Bree asked, her eyebrows shooting to the top of herforehead.
Rafe winced, and the entire Court roared in response to her outburst. Their faces were twisted up in anger. Some even jumped from their chairs, pumping their fists in theair.
Taveon’s face went grave. “Ah, a perfect example of what I mean. She has a temper and a tendency for outbursts. She will be punished tonight, so that she must learn herplace.”
Bree’s heart pounded in her chest. She’d known that the Prince was an absolute monster, and his little speech only confirmed that fact. How dare he call her acreature?How dare he make her dance in front of all these chanting Dark Fae? Were they all monsters, like the Prince? Was Rafe the only decent fae in this Court? She was beginning to believeso.
The Prince turned to Bree then, his dark eyes glittering underneath the overhead chandelier—one that held dozens of tiny flaming candles. “Now,dance.”
She glared at him. Everything within her wanted to rebel against his command. Despite what he thought, she was nothisto order around. She was not some sort of creature to do with as hepleased.
“Go on, Bree,” Rafe said, whispering into her ear. He stood and moved away, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from the spectacle. Prince Taveon didn’t seem to care that his closest friend was helping his slave or that he didn’t appear to want to watch thepunishment.
But everyone else suredid.
Bree could feel every eye of the room on her, collective breath held. They probably wanted to see her bite back again. They probably hoped she’d give the Prince even more of a reason to punish her. She wouldn’t give them thesatisfaction.
Slowly, she walked forward on legs that trembled underneath her. The Prince nodded to the female fae who sat next to him, and she quickly moved over to a harp that stood taller than even Bree. When the female slid her fingers across the strings, a strange melodic tune filled theair.
And Bree’s body instinctively yearned to dance. It was a strange sensation, almost as though her mind and her body were at war. Her arms began to shift through the air, and her feet stomped in time with the music. Her body twirled around the platform, swaying from side to side as her mind drifted away with themusic.
She felt light and free and alive, and the entire world dropped away. The sound of the harp filled her mind, the colors of the hall blurring into nothing but vague shapes and dim lights. Her world became the music and the dance, her heart throbbing painfully in herchest.
And then her feet began to ache, her mind growing blurry. She could not stop, not even if she wanted to. She had to keep moving. On and on and on shewent.
How long had she been at it now? Some of the blurry lights had begun to dim, and that strange distant murmur of conversation grew quieter and quieter and quieter until Bree felt as though she were the only soul in the entireworld.
Her chest felt tight when she breathed in at the break of a song. She stumbled to a stop. It was so very quiet. Her soul ached for more of that music, of that blinding brilliant madness that yearned to take over her body onceagain.
“Bree.” It was a familiar voice, one she struggled to place. A soothing, deep melodic voice that made her yearn for sleep. Her feet pounded from the pain. How long had it been since she satdown?
She twisted toward the voice as he said her name again, and that was when her vision caught on a figure at the back of a hall now only filled with a handful offae.
A cloaked figure, one drenched in shadows. She squinted as she stared at him. She was certain it was a him. Probably. It was impossible to tell with all the buzzing in herhead.
“Look at that...” She raised an arm to point across the hallway at the cloaked figure that aimed a nocked arrow right in herdirection.
And then a whoosh went through the hushed hall. Bree’s eyes widened just a split second before the arrow hit its mark. The sharp tip sunk into her shoulder, and pain rocked through hercore.
Bree tipped back and fell onto the floor. Eyes wide, she stared up at the ceiling. Darkness crept into her vision, and she tried to blink it away. Didn’t the darkness know that she needed todance?
She needed todance.
Her feet needed tomove.
Rafe’s face appeared in her vision, and she cracked a strange smile. It felt like years since she’d seen his handsome face. “I need todance.”
“Taveon, snap her out of the spell.” Rafe’s voice was low and gravelly and far too angry. She reached up and touched his face, stillsmiling.
“The spell is done,” a distant voicesaid.
And then everything wentblack.
