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A flash of bright-white light flooded my vision, and a rope of bright light curled around my neck and gave a squeeze. I choked out a gasp, glaring at Haelo, but the magic was already letting up. The white glow faded away into nothing, leaving behind a dull warmth.
“Do that again, and I'll remove your head from your shoulders, prince,” a low, male voice rumbled out. A heavy flap of wings sounded behind me, and the scent of moss and the rainy night sky surrounded me.
Vazden… He’d left his throne, shooting up into the air before landing behind me. Hands caressed my shoulders from behind, careful to avoid my wings, even though I wouldn't have minded in the slightest. In fact, I welcomed it. Feeling his massive body behind me had me breathing easier, my shoulders sagging as I gently leaned into him.
Haelo chuckled darkly, raising a brow at the drach. “You’re no fun, Vaz. I wouldn’t really hurt her, you know that. I wouldn’t dare mar that soft, supple skin.” His eyes ran over the column of my bare throat, an obvious heat flaring in them. That same heat pooled in my belly. He clicked his tongue. “Tonight’s a night for celebration, and the two of you are dampening my good mood. Why don’t you procure yourself a glass of something sweet and join us for once. I really don’t mind sharing.”
"It's okay," I said to Vazden, turning in place to face him. I reached up, placing a hand on his cheek. "Tonight let's forget that I'm a prisoner. That I’ll probably be one for the rest of my life. I don't want to think about anything other than my next cup of wine while that’s still an option for me. Besides, Haelo won't risk damaging his prize before I make it worth his efforts." I heard a chuckle behind me, but couldn’t tell if it was Riven or Haelo.
Vazden’s yellow eyes dipped, finally meeting mine. "Do you actually want to be here or are they forcing you? You have no collar keeping you in place."
"Nobody is forcing me to do anything tonight. I asked Cadoc to show me what it’s really like to live like a faerie. They're right about one thing—I’ve lived so long with humans that I’ve started to think like them. But I’mnothuman.I’ma faerie, too, and I need to know what that means. I'm tired of trying to fight this. I want to experience one damn night where I don't feel like I'm lost." My words were slightly slurred, and my head began to swim with wine. "So, let me have this, Vaz. Please…before they hand me over to the next monster who wants to use me."
The Sluagh queen might be my mother, but that didn’t mean much in a place like this. Royals were fickle, I knew that firsthand. Queen Kirsi wasn’t even alive, technically, but living a halflife. You didn’t join the ranks of the Sluagh without some kind of stain on your soul.
"I'd hardly call it handing you over," said Riven. "I'd call it more of an…exchange. The Sluagh has what we desire, and we now have the one thing that might just sway them into helping us. Despite what you might believe, Kyre, I don't particularly want to be rid of you just yet. We haven't even had our fun." I could imagine the kind of fun he was imagining—the kind that made my toes curl and my mouth dry up.
Vazden’s entire body went taut against me. I turned in his arms and faced the golden-eyed prince. "And how exactly do you think my…the Sluagh, can lift your curse? What makes you think she won't whisk me away regardless of what she promises you”
There was a long moment of silence in which all of the princes glanced at one another. I could see the exchange of thoughts between them in their eyes and knew they were communicating. They seemed to come to some kind of decision, because they all faced me at once, expressions unnervingly solemn.
"Faeries are nothing if not Keepers of their word. Even the Sluagh live by their promises," Cadoc said. His dark eyes were narrowed, and his claws dug into the arms of his throne. Gone was the teasing, wine-drinking prince of moments ago. In his place, was an ancient warrior who craved violence "The Sluagh, alone, holds the power to kill the witch who placed this curse on us. Once we’re free of it, we’ll take back what rightfully belongs to us."
Silence fell as heavy as his words as I held his dark stare. Of all the things I imagined they would say…this was not one of them.
"You're going to kill your father?" My eyes were wide, and my heart raced. These were not idle threats. This was a calculated plan hatched over decades. You didn’t just remove a faerie king without knowing every angle of your approach. They were going to murder a king—a powerful, faerie king who had been reigning for a thousand years.
Riven stood from his throne and stalked toward me, his tattoos flaring bright, magic lighting up his eyes. "We don’t have to kill Osiris to break the curse. His life means nothing. It’s the witch’s life that needs to be snuffed out. The moment she dies, every curse she’d ever laid will be undone. Your blood just happened to be the key to all of it."
My blood… The blood they could sense the moment I sliced my palm that day a year ago. My blood that summoned the Wild Hunt, a feat that hadn’t been successfully achieved in centuries. It was all a part of their grand plan to break their curse, to free themselves of this endless nightmare.
Something inside me clicked into place at his words. A resolve. I knew at that moment, looking into his eyes, that I wanted to meet this Sluagh-queen commander. I wanted to come face-to-face with the mother I never knew. I needed to know what my fate would be now that I knew the truth. And I would help the Wild Hunt. I would go willingly if it meant freeing them from their eternal punishment. Maybe then I could find a way to bargain for my own freedom. Maybe then, I could go home…
Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the look in my eyes, but something snapped in Riven, and his lips captured mine the moment my decision was made. My eyes fell closed as a warm magic flowed through me. Vazden’s entire body tensed even more, and his claws dug further into my hips, pulling me against him. Riven groaned into my mouth, tasting like that delicious wine.
I kissed him back with a surprising willingness and none of the hesitation I’d expected. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to devour this prince, this powerful creature who made my blood catch fire. I wanted to know what it was to live as a faerie, to know pleasure in its truest form. I wanted to live with abandon, without regard for what came for me tomorrow.
He kissed me deeper, his fingers sliding into my hair, gripping me tight. I could feel the kiss in every part of me, my head swimming with the warm tingle of his magic. It leached into my skin, making me groan in pleasure.
I could feel the eyes of the others on us and was tempted to look, but I couldn’t bring myself to abandon Riven’s lips. I dragged my hands down his bare chest, feeling along the deep ridges as his muscles flexed. His heart thumped steadily under my touch, but his breath caught as my fingers traveled lower and lower lower.
Something that sounded like a groan slipped from him as I hooked my fingers into the band of his pants. His hips thrust toward me, while Vazden’s breath became labored near my ear. He still held me in place, the tightening of his clawed fingers more pleasurable than painful. My fingers ghosted along the hardness between us, Riven’s cock twitching under the thick leather. My belly was in knots and my heart was in my throat as I took a chance and applied pressure, squeezing him until he moaned.
I felt the presence of the other princes coming closer and I didn't have to turn and look to know that they were closing in on us. A thrill ran through me, along with a small, ever-present sliver of fear. The fear would probably always be there. Fear was good. Fear is what kept me alive.
Around us, I could still hear the melodious lute and the giggling pixies, but I didn’t care if they were watching. Riven slid his tongue across my bottom lip, and my eyes fluttered open. He pulled back, studying me. “I've dreamt of your taste, little faerie. I knew it would be as sweet as honey.” His eyes dipped back to my lips hungrily. “I wonder what other things might be even sweeter…”
My entire body was on fire. I wanted him to explore it and find out. I wanted all five of these princes to know exactly what and who they were giving up. What they were sacrificing before I disappeared forever.
Then the haunting sound of a wailing horn flooded through the Void Wood, everyone and everything falling silent and still.
No…
No, no, no…
Dread poured over me in wave after wave, gripping my heart in its icy tendrils. And I saw it reflected in Riven’s eyes. He didn’t try to hide it from me as we stared at one another in horror. I wasn’t ready…just one more night was all I needed.
Vazden growled low, his whole body vibrating with the force of it as his taloned fingers wrapped around my arms. His wings rustled, and for a moment, I wondered if he was contemplating flying off with me. Haelo stood on one side of me, with Erix and Cadoc on the other, effectively surrounding me. I looked into Cadoc’s black eyes, mine wide with terror. His mouth flattened into a grimace, his wide, speckled wings flaring out behind him. I nearly begged him to wrap his arms around me again and fly me far away from here.
