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Payback, for eighteen years of humiliation and terror.
I wanted to tear this collar off my neck and turn this vile creature to ash. I wanted to make her blood boil in her veins and her heart explode. For every indignity she’d made us endure, for every cruelty she’d inflicted, I wanted her to suffer.
“Not only that, but if you touch my friend again, I will mention to the king how disappointed I am that you cannot seem to muster the self-control to keep your hands off us. I will make it a point to put on full display every bruise and scratch you’ve caused and make sure he knows you lack the basic discipline to keep your handsto your fucking self.”
It was glorious, how her body stiffened with rage.
“You little whore.” She hissed, the blood draining from her face. “You’re nothing but asacracivose,and your days are numbered.” I blinked, making a mental note to find out what that meant.
“I should thank you, I suppose.” I murmured, running my finger along the cold iron collar. “You tried so hard to break me. If it wasn’t for you, I would never be as strong as I am today.”
I smiled wider, putting every ounce of my rage into it. “Make no mistake, I will not wear this collar forever. And when this comes off, you will be the first person I hunt down.” I shrugged.
“And I will use this strength to break you. In the meantime, leave my friend alone. Or I will tear this collar from my throat andwatch you burn.”
By the time I was finished with Ember, she was ethereal, the dark red velvet bringing out the silver in her eyes, the red highlights in her curls. I wound a long string of gold through her high ponytail, until it glinted with the same rubies that adorned her dress.
When I stepped back, my heart burst.
“You’re the real princess, Em.” I circled behind her, tucked a stray curl into the long ponytail. “You were always more beautiful.Andthe better person. I would have been dead a hundred times over without you constantly saving me.”
It was true. She was not only the prettiest, Ember had a kindness about her that drew you in, she looked out for everyone, not just me. I didn’t know what this realm offered, but somehow, I’d make sure Ember would be safe.
“We’re ready.” I informed the Mistress, trying not to gloat over the high spots of color staining her cheeks, her pinched-tight mouth. “Lead the way.”
By now, I knew the way to the throne room by heart, and took the opportunity to note how every eye turned away as we passed, people disappeared through doorways, or just froze in place, if they had nowhere else to go. I would chalk their odd behavior up to us being strangers, but there was something more going on.
It was almost as if they were…enchanted, somehow, not to acknowledge us.
The Fae King lounged gracefully on his throne; a trio of royal guards gathered in front of him. Above us, the entire court stood silent, waiting like vultures. When the king flicked a gloved hand at us, the soldiers turned as a unit.
The tallest of the three had an unmistakable air of command about him, a blue cape accentuating his wide shoulders, his handsome, chiseled face unreadable as he glided forward on silent feet, much like the mercenaries had moved in the forest that night.
I lost my breath, my heart racing as he drew closer, until he towered over me, instinct telling me he was a born predator…and I was his prey.
His dark stare felt dangerous, somehow, and the panic that shivered down my spine somehow found its way into my core, piercing me straight through, breath guttering in my lungs as I fought not to show an ounce of fear.
Gods, how could someone steal all the air out of the room with just a glance?
“Anaria.” I shuddered at the Fae King’s dark tone. Despite my straight posture, I was boneless with fright, because even with the fancy dress, I knew what I was.
A slave beholden to a king who could end my miserable existence at any moment.
Which might be right now.
“Meet Tavion Montgomery, Commander of my High Guard. He has been tasked with…keeping you out of trouble.” That sentence ended on a sneer, and I wondered if the king knew about the probably-dead guards.
Commander Montgomery did, as he caught me in his dark, judgmental gaze, his lips tightening in disapproval. I braced myself to be dragged outside and ran through with that gigantic sword of his.
“I appreciate your protection, your majesty. I am in your debt.” I murmured, dipping into a deep curtsy. Defiance only got me so far and the king was an enemy I could not best.
The king glanced away, his cruel smile edged with distain, but Commander Montgomery didn’t take his eyes off me and for a long moment, I remained crushed beneath that weighty stare, something unspoken crackling between us.
Then the king motioned the other two guards closer, while I tried to pinpoint where I’d seen the commander before. He towered a head over the other two, his body taut, giving off the sense he was ready to launch into action at the slightest provocation.
Like mine, his hair was pure white, his eyes almost black, like the kings, but there was something about the lines of his handsome face, the curve of his nose…
“Anaria.” Ember hissed.
