His smile was sweet and intimate. He winked at her, making the princess wait.
The princess didn’t take it well.
The hiss reverberated throughout the corridor and off the ceiling. Needles dug into Daisy’s flesh, and slick fingers pried at her head, burrowing deep into her mind.
Daisy winced and pulled herself in tight, hiding her thoughts from everyone in case the princess was stronger than Daisy’s diamond dust or her amateur mental shield. She thought about nulling the onslaught, but if the royals were readying to get rid of Tarian, they might have more knowledge than he suspected. One hint and she might run the risk of revealing herself as the true chalice.
A surge of magic welled up. Daisy felt the tingle of Tarian grabbing some of the power she’d accrued, and then itwas whisked away, his training ten times smoother with that contraption than hers had ever been. He clearly had plenty of experience.
Black magic sparkling with gold sliced through the air. It danced and played around Daisy, burning away whatever the princess had done. She took a deep inhale as the pain cleared.
“As I was saying before the princess rudely interrupted us,” Tarian said to Daisy, not having looked away, “we must look at the princess when she is greeting us, little toy.”
When he finally turned to the princess, her eyes had grown wide with disbelief and worry. She wasn’t used to his having that much power.
“You must excuse her,” he told her lightly. “Such stupid creatures, these humans, but so incredibly pleasing. I never thought I’d desire anyone again, let alone be pleasured. It seems I just needed someone outside of this court, especially after you and your minions tried, and failed, to produce those results, hmm?”
The princess lifted her chin defiantly, but it was clear he’d shaken her. “Why did you bring it here? We have no need for thosethingsin my court.”
He tsked at her. “But it isn’tyourcourt. It is your father’s court, and he has no desire to pass it to you. As to why I brought her here—didn’t you hear? This is my champion. Isn’t she the most delightful little human you’ve ever seen? I found her on my travels and, after charming her as only our kind can, brought her back for sport. I figure by the time I tire of her, one of the other champions will have killed her.”
He draped his arm around Daisy’s shoulders, and she practically purred as she nestled into his side, playing along. She angled up her face and pouted when he didn’t give her a kiss.
“Now, now.” He booped her on the nose. “This isn’t the time, remember? Not until I give you the command to pleasure me.”He looked back at the princess, and his voice dropped an octave in warning. “If you handle my toy again, either with magic or physical touch, I will mutilate one ofyourfavorite toys. I cannot kill you, but I can kill everyone you hold dear. Remember that.”
A moment later, the princess subtly jerked, as though another message had been delivered privately.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and she stepped to the side like she didn’t have a choice. Tarian straightened his broad shoulders, his arm still looped around Daisy, and walked forward. It looked like he owned this court and everyone in it. The Celestial prince had come out to play.
Siphon magic whenever you can,he told her as they walked through the double doors and into a huge and lavish room.Keep yourself full of it. There’s no telling when I or theFallenwill need it. Hide your thoughts whenever you are outside of my chambers without me. Do not go near the shadows—any shadows—and do not go anywhere alone. The predators are salivating, snapping their jaws at our necks. There’s no telling what is in store for us.
Time passed incredibly quickly.After they sat down, nobles started pouring into the space. It was clear the princess had been waiting to make a display with her trophy. When it didn’t go as planned, she’d probably retired to lick her wounds and plot how to kill Tarian and torture Daisy.
The dimly lit area had a dark, gothic-looking interior that would normally greatly appeal to her. It had vaulted ceilings with various arches along the sides, decorated with ornately carved stonework housing seats and couches within. A large, circular window existed at the back above an empty stone dais shimmering with blue-silver light. A grand chandelier hung as a centerpiece above the open area in the very middle, where courtmembers walked in twos and threes, each holding a crystal glass of liquid.
Unfortunately, all the beauty and finery were ruined by the unsettling feeling that slithered in the atmosphere. Reddish light mingled with the blue in the rest of the room, and deep black shadows crouched in the corners, occasionally rippling as something within shifted position. Fae or beast, she couldn’t tell.
Suddenly, voices hushed. Fans started waving quickly, covering excited or expectant faces. The lighting on the large stone dais changed color, turning blood red. A shock of acidic magic curled throughout the room, and a large throne appeared in the center.
Daisy leaned forward from her place beside Tarian on the couch in his appointed location. From there, she could see the whole of the dais and most of the high-profile gentry beside it.
A dramatic and striking array of obsidian crystals jutted from what looked like sculpted obsidian. The crystals differed in size, looking like a crown but creating the back of the throne. The base seemed to be one piece, a wide chair supporting finely carved obsidian arms on either side. Beside it, a gray fog lightly curled into the air.
He moves it from the throne room to here and back again,Tarian murmured. As well he should. That thing was a work of art, perfectly setting the tone of power and authority. A king needed his symbols.
What about the queen?she asked as a blue spotlight shone down from a spot ten feet above. There didn’t appear to be a source from which the lighting originated.
She mated into royalty; she wasn’t born to it. She’s a figurehead, mostly.
A fae walked onto the dais from the side, cloaked in shadow. The court reduced to a few whispers, and then nothing at allexcept for the rustling of fabric. As the figure entered the circle of the spotlight, the shadow fell away to reveal the creature within.
Daisy’s breath hitched, and she froze. Her instinct was to lean back, but her logic told her that movement caught the eye of predators. She did not want that…thingnoticing her.
The king’s face was a mess of wrinkles in what appeared to be leathery skin, but on closer inspection, it was covered in the toxic magical rot plaguing this kingdom. His lips looked like they were made from a prune, and his eyes were completely blood red except for the ring of black, no white to be found. A gorgeous crown sat atop his grotesque head, with an elegant, open framework of obsidian that arched to a central point. Jewels lined the base intricately, giving it a majestic appearance.
He ruffled his robes of black lined with sparkling silver accents, fairly plain compared to the princess’s. His hands looked like they had been dipped in liquid obsidian, no gray to be found. He looked out over the court, and Daisy itched to lean back, hunting for shadows within which to hide herself. But this creature would find her there, she knew. He’d probably feel her drifting in and amongst them.
The creature’s head turned slowly. Deliberately. He scanned the crowd until his gaze stopped on her.
