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Chapter 44
Bree
“Lord Dagen,I have something to share with you.” Bree stood just inside his doorway, her entire body brimming with an undeniable anger. The Prince had finally pissed her off one too many times. Only this time, she had what she needed to put a stop to his reign once and forall.
Dagen put down a small dagger he’d been sharpening, and he stood from his desk. “Do come in. Guard, you can waitoutside.”
The guard shut the door quietly, leaving Bree standing alone in the room with Dagen. A part of her wasn’t certain she’d go through with this after all, but another part was determined to get Taveon back for everything he’d said anddone.
“What is it you wish to tell me, Bree?” heasked.
“I have the information you said you wanted. The information that will help you stop Taveon from becoming King. The information that will freeme.”
“Interesting.” He tapped his dagger against the table. “Do goon.”
“First, you need to swear that you will stay true to your word.” Bree sucked in a sharp breath, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “I’m only telling you this because you promised that I could go free if I found this information foryou.”
“It depends on the information,” Dagen said slowly. “If it is truly what you say it is, and it will stop the Prince, then I swear it to you. I will escort you to the Faerie Ring myself, and I will make sure no onefollows.”
Bree let out a heavy sigh, her entire body trembling from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had no loyalties to the Prince. She owed him nothing, and he deserved nothing. All he’d done was make her life a living hell. Just because she caught a few glimpses of humanity from him didn’t mean that there was anything more there than the corrupted soul ofhis.
There was nothing else for her to do now but tell Dagen the truth and return to the realm where she trulybelonged.
“That day Taveon brought me through the Faerie Realm and into Underworld, I attacked him.” Bree lifted her chin and met the fae’s eyes across the room. She’d been too scared to tell a soul before, but now she knew the real truth about why the prince had wanted her to keep silent. Not for her own good but for his. “Obviously, my attack didn’t kill him, but I had enough time to run away. He caught up with me though. By flying afterme.”
Dagen arched a brow and leaned forward. “His wings? Well, that is certainly something. Not a single soul has ever seen the Prince fly before now. He must have been very keen to have you comehere.”
“Yeah, well. Here’s the kicker. His wings weren’t red. Not like hisfather’s.”
Immediately, Dagen was on his feet, his eyes alight with a strange, twisted kind of hope that made a pit open wide inside of Bree’s stomach. Suddenly, she felt as though she’d made a terrible mistake, one she wished she could turn back time and takeback.
“They weren’t red? What color were they?” His eyes gleamed as they caught thefirelight.
Bree shifted on her feet and frowned. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to say the truth, even though she’d been the one to come here and tell Dagen in the first place. “They were black, I think. Just like all the other fae. All I really know is that they definitely weren’tred.”
“So, he is not Midas’s son.” Dagen practically fist-pumped the air. “Bree, you have no idea what you’ve done. This is incredible news. Taveon is not the King’s son. I should have known. He’s never been anything like hisfather.”
“What are you going to do with this information?” she asked in a small voice as she watched the Lord pace back and forth in his study excitedly. “You won’t have him harmed, willyou?”
Dagen stopped short. “Harmed? Of course not. This just means his claim is no greater than any other of Midas’s bastards. In fact, it’s less so. And there are many of them. It means we have a fighting chance to find the best ruler for this realm and get him on that throne. No one can stand in our way now, especially notTaveon.”
Bree still felt uneasy, and a strange lump had formed in her throat. “Don’t do anything to him. I think he means well, youknow.”
Dagen cocked his head, furrowing his eyebrows. “You believe this, even while you are giving me information that can prevent him from taking thecrown?”
“I guess. I mean, he’s still the same asshole he’s always been, but I don’t think it would be right to torture him over this.” Because even if the Prince could not be killed, he could certainly beharmed.
“Bree, you should not concern yourself with matters of the Court any longer. You have done your task for me. Go get anything from your quarters that you wish to take back with you. I shall return you to your realmtonight.”
* * *
Bree went backto Rafe’s room, but she didn’t pack a damn thing. For one, there was nothing she would want to take back to Otherworld, not from here. There were the dresses and the fighting leathers. The flowers on the nightstand. The soft pillows and sheets. All of that belonged here though. In Rafe’s room. Not back in Otherworld, in a stuffy castle not too unlike thisone.
She sat down hard on the bed and stared at the floor. What had she done? In her fury toward Prince Taveon, storming straight into Lord Dagen’s room and telling him everything had seemed like the only logical decision in theworld.
But now...now it felt like the worst thing she’d ever done. Yes, he had said terrible things to her, and she’d felt as though she needed to spill all his secrets as revenge. But it had not been sweet revenge at all. It had only beenbitter.
None of it made her feel better. In fact, she felt so muchworse.
