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Chapter23
Colors meant a lot to the fae. I was very familiar now that every Unseelie would adorn themselves with silver: jewelry, artwork, dishware, embroidery.
So looking up and seeing the large tapestry hanging on the wall in front of me that was embroidered with golden swirls was very telling.
I was in the Seelie Court.
Considering the last time I saw Seran I was shoving a bomb into his chest, I wasn’t excited about that reunion.
I started to roll over, but a kick to my ribs put a halt to that. And not just any kick. It was a fae-powered kick that slammed me across the room. My back probably hurt on impact, but all I could feel was the fire in my ribs.
There had to be something broken.
“Not so fast,Queen.”
The word was spat out as an insult. I wanted to give some witty comeback, but as he approached me, all I could do was fold in on myself, taking the fetal position to protect myself as much as possible.
Not that it did me any good.
The man turned me over until I was on my back. I slapped at him, but he simply waved off my hands, straddling me, resting his full weight on my stomach and knocking the air out of me.
“You think you can come here and take over?”
Huh? Take over? What the hell was wrong with this guy?Now that he was on top of me, I was finally able to get a good look at him. His long, dark hair was pulled into a tight, low knot, with strands hanging loose around his face, making his crazy eyes look even crazier.
Like all fae, he was handsome and strong, but it was hard to see that handsomeness past the angry scowl he wore.
And he wasn’t alone.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see other fae surrounding us, but I refused to take my attention away from the threat literally on top of me.
“What do you want?”
My blood raced through my veins, my heart beating like a jackhammer.Fight. I should fight. Scream.
But all I could bring myself to do was bargain. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll talk to Jaiden. I promise.” Shame burned through me, but what was I supposed to do? What good was dignity if I was dead?
And it was true. Jaiden would do whatever he needed to do in order to get me back alive. It was what he hated about the mate bond. I was his weakness.
But even my bragging wasn’t helping. He laughed in my face, mouth twisting into a mean smirk. “What could a human ever give me?” He reached out, wrapping a hand around my throat. And the bastard squeezed. Hard.
I thought he was going to threaten me like Seran would, with his hand on my neck.
But this was a whole different beast than Seran. Even Seran had treated me with more deference. He hadn’t taken joy in hurting me. He hadn’t toyed with me like a psychopath.
And this guy’s attack didn’t let up. My body strained for air of any sort, overriding the pain from the cuts, from my ribs, and even from the bruises that were undoubtedly forming under his punishing grip.
I panicked, thrashing and bucking, trying to get even a few molecules of oxygen, but there was no use fighting against a fae.
It was only a matter of time before darkness took over.
One moment I was flailing like a dying fish, and the next I was in the misty woods. I took in deep breaths of air, but there was no sweet relief to my burning lungs. Because this air wasn’t real. I was back in the dream forest.
I looked around, holding my arms around myself. I was no longer in the fae gown. I was back in my Earth outfit of pencil skirt, tank top, and pink cardigan. It was pristine and clean, as though nothing with Jaiden or Seran or Grant had ever happened.
I pivoted in a circle, looking through the giant trees and thick fog. By the time I made it back to where I’d started, the witch was there.
Sorceress. Fae. Whatever Melusine was. The dream moonlight cast an ethereal glow on her face, and a soft breeze I couldn’t feel brushed her hair back like her own personal fan.
