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The swell of conversation grew to a dull roar as people turned away from the bodies. No one cared. No one cried or mourned these people. No one dared. Because if they had Ace had no doubt they'd end up with rope around their necks too.

She didn't turn away. She wasn't even sure if she was blinking. Or breathing. Gods she had forgotten to breathe! A shaky inhale made its way down her raw throat.

"That's only a fraction of her cruelty," Shelby said.

Ace didn't answer. This scene that played out before her was sowrong. She knew it, felt it like a sixth sense. Perhaps the gods had spent too much time in her head and it had rubbed off because other kings could be just as cruel. The Fae king that ruled all of Pasia before the queens hadn't exactly been a merciful being.

If she'd been given the choice, which she hadn't and she knew the gods would have forbidden it, she would have switched places with any of the three prisoners. Particularly the child. Then she could have saved someone and gotten back to the one place where she didn't have to feel anything other than serenity.

Pressure curled around Ace's biceps. Her body pulled to face the throne. Men were already lining up for the queen, a circle of five of them already at her feet. A finger tipped her chin.

Seconds ticked by where Ace lost herself in hazel eyes just as she'd lost herself to the want of death and her regret of life. She swam in the depths of mixing greens and browns. Her head jostled on her neck.

"Gods! What is wrong with you?" Shelby shook her. It was Shelby's hands on her arms. It was his hazel eyes.

Blinking, Ace pulled herself from her thoughts. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been allowed to get lost in her own head instead of getting sidetracked by the gods’ arguments.

"I'm sorry."

"Have you never seen someone die before?" he whispered it but his tone was anything but kind.

Her lips pulled down into an ugly frown. "I've seen lots of death." She glanced at the queen who'd made it out on the dance floor now. "More than you could even imagine."

"I bet I could."

"You're a smartass." Ace pointed a finger up at him, glaring with all her might. She didn't curse often but this was the only word that felt fitting. For someone with his status, he sure assumed a lot. He didn’t know the first thing about Ace or what she’d seen.

"Don't you point"—Shelby smacked her hand out of his face—"that finger at m…"

The rest of his sentence was lost. His jaw dropped. A gasp parted Ace's lips and static chased across her skin as the paper that held the spell flew from her sleeve, rolled across the floor, and stopped at the guard’s feet.

Ace

"HEY!"One shout rattled the room. One roaring word shattered the fragile reality the spell had wrapped her in. The paper was already dissolving into ash on the floor.

Pinpricks chased over her skin until she recognized herself again. She looked up with panic in her gaze and met Shelby's eyes with the holy fire that lived in hers. Unbridled fear shone in that gaze.

From every direction, heat seared her skin as people began to turn. Faces looked to her and Shelby and if they paid attention, they'd see why Ace didn't belong.Were they paying attention?

She couldn't think about it. There wasn't time—she was already running, only pausing to dodge Shelby as he turned into a woman and her glass of wine. Red seeped into his shirt but he gained ground quickly with his long legs. He parted the crowd with a sweep of his arm, tossing a frantic look at Ace behind him.

Crystal from the fallen cup crunched under the guards that chased them. All of the noise drew more people to watch.

"Unsanctioned magic!" one guard shouted as his foot caught under him as he followed behind.

She heard the words, knew she was moving as fast as she could, but her body was numb. She couldn't feel her racing pulse or the way her nails dug into her fists. All she could concentrate on was getting away. If she didn't…

The way shewantedto get caught startled her into running faster.

Shelby was already at the servants’ door, flinging it open wide, beckoning her with an outstretched arm from the hallway beyond it. She just needed to make it to him.

How close were the guards? Was death nipping at her heels again? Would it hurt as much this time? Would it embrace her like a long lost lover?

Ace looked back to count the men that followed now. Three guards and more on their way as they shouted to one another. The crowd shifted. The queen peered their way. Their eyes met.

Holy fire burned through Ace's veins. An angry scream, too reminiscent of that night, built in the back of her throat.

She swallowed it down. She turned. She ran. Feet pounding into the polished floors. Servants gasped at the man and the woman that ran by in a blur. Trays were knocked from their hands. Guards tearing after them.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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