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“No, they chose to go with her,” I said.
10
Rai, Blaze, and Iokul had left with Tianna without a backward glance at me,as if I was nothing to them.
I had no tears to spare, except for the one drop of blood that rolled down my cheek.
Zembyr’s eyes burned with rage, but he didn’t say anything. He’d seen enough betrayal in his lifetime. Quietly, he, Rosalinda, and another warrior lifted Elvey from the ground.
We carried Elvey to my suite in the vacant east wing of the palace.
According to the rules of Challenge, I’d have to live in the palace and attend court for the duration of the game.
Half of the Fae warriors settled in the east wing with me; the other half of the army would camp outside, so we wouldn’t be trapped in one place if any conflict broke out.
Ginger, the healer we brought with the army, tended to Elvey and mended his bones, and Rosalinda assisted her. She had some healing magic. I was useless. I could contribute nothing other than wiping the sweat off Elvey’s forehead.
“The bitch must have hexed your consort kings,” Rosalinda said, clenching her fists. “We’ll help you get them back. They’re dragons. They might not be able to resist her Fae glamour. The only one who can resist her is Elvey, so she broke his bones.” She gave me a look of sorrow and pride. “You can oppose her as well, my true queen. You broke down her ward.”
I’d done that, but I couldn’t protect my mates from her.
“My mates didn’t know her true face,” I said numbly.
I couldn’t tell anyone the truth of the Challenge. I couldn’t tell her that the moment my consorts truly betrayed me, the curse would return to me and render me to the Fury beasts again and forever.
“They should have known Tianna is the ultimate evil that needs to be purged from this planet,” Zembyr said, his voice hard and unforgiving.
“Tianna can glamour and manipulate minds,” Rosalinda said. “She’s also a seductress and deceiver. She ensnares men’s bodies, hearts, and souls all the time. Elvey was her first failure, but then she blood bonded him.”
The unspoken words were clear. My court was worried that my dragon consorts wouldn’t be able to resist Tianna.
I swallowed the bile on my tongue. “They think she could lift their final curse,” I said dully, “and they’d no longer have to wear their masks by the end of the Challenge. I’m not giving them up. I’ll help them see who she really is. Afterwards, they can choose whom they really want.”
If they still wanted her—
I wouldn’t go there. I’d melt down if I went there. I’d figure this out later.
“Your Majesty,” Ginger raised her gaze from Elvey after hours working on him. “Tianna didn’t just break Lord Elvey’s bones. She cast a spell that prohibits him from healing. I can’t counter her spell. I could only straighten his bones. Lord Elvey will have to heal on his own.”
Rosalinda looked both worried and outraged. “In the past, it usually took a month for him to heal. Once his strength half-returned, he could eventually counter her spell.”
I shut my eyes for a second. He’d endured this kind of torture for centuries. I couldn’t accept that he would be bedridden for a month. Elvey had once mentioned that I would bring my White Light to the world and it would trump the darkness and set free all who were in bondage and slavery.
It hadn’t trumped the darkness. I hadn’t vanquished the evil queen. All I’d managed to do was lose three of my mates to her.
No, not yet. There’s still hope, a voice insisted in my mind.You haven’t lost them yet.
Elvey stirred, and my attention snapped back to him. I watched his long, lush eyelashes flutter, casting shadows under the hollow of his eyes. My mate was beautiful and in great pain, and he was struggling to regain consciousness.
“Elvey!” my companions called his name to guide him back to us. “Lord Elvey!”
I was not a healer, but if it was the spell that bound him, I would free him from it. I wouldn’t let anything of the evil bitch stay in him.
My probing magic rolled off me and sank into Elvey. Instantly, I saw a fog of darkness hover over his broken bones like vultures. That was Tianna’s spell.
My rage howled, and I poured my White Light into Elvey. He was my fated mate, so my magic—all I had—would never hurt him.
But I forgot to warn the others.
