I looked at him suspiciously. No Fae royal would randomly help a slave they didn’t know. Well—I supposed Calix was the exception, but still. There was something off about this whole thing.
“I swear. When I arrived in Day, she immediately took me in her service. I was so nervous, but she said she saw me with you and wanted to help. She said we needed to get you out of Dusk, and then, when we found out you’d been taken by Night—” Soren swallowed hard. “She was devastated. We tried and tried to find a way in to save you but—”
“I didn’t need saving in Night. I was happy there.” I told him firmly. I didn’t know what this queen was up to, but it couldn’t be good. Manipulating Soren into taking me—
“Happy?” He hissed, as his eyes widened incredulously. “They’re murderers!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Soren.” I argued, shaking my head. “They aren’t that at all.”
“Oh, I suppose you’re going to tell me I imagined the attacks they’ve been launching on other kingdoms?” He raised his brows expectantly.
I shook my head with a deep sigh. “For the greater good—freeing humans. That’s why they always disappear, they aren’t being slaughtered to pieces, they’re being freed. He saved me, Soren.”
My voice softened without my notice as I thought of Calix, my eyes unfocusing for a moment as I imagined him here in front of me. “Calix is a great man. He helps his people and treats everyone equally. He helps set humans up with new lives, and gives amazing support for those who’ve been badly traumatized—”
I trailed off, realizing I was babbling. I looked up at Soren and he was watching me with a strange look in his eyes, his brows furrowed together. He was slow to speak, and when he did,I finally recognized the emotion brimming in his eyes. Defeat. “You’re in love with him.”
“What?” I gasped, my mouth dropping in surprise. “Absolutely not! How could you even—” I paused, shaking my head, not wanting an answer to that. “No, I’m not in love withanyone.” I stressed, refusing to believe that the warmth that heated my blood and the thrill that made my heart pound waslove. “Now, I don’t know how much time we have, and I don’t know why your Queen wants me, but I’m going back to Night.”
“Asteria—” Soren whispered, looking pained as he reached out for me—just as we heard boots coming down the hall. We looked at one another, wide eyed. Soren grabbed me in a hug and not knowing what would happen, if I would ever see him again, I hugged him back hard.
“Be safe. Please. I’m not giving up on getting you out of here, no matter where you go after.” Soren promised, and his face was full of a mixture of resolve and longing as he disappeared into the wall and closed it behind him.
I let myself collapse against it, unsure what to make of what had just happened. Not that I had long to ruminate on what the Queen of Day wanted from me. I remembered her from Placement Day. She’dseemedkind, giving me a smile when I thought I would descend into a pit of rage and helplessness. But I’d since learned that seeming kind meant absolutely nothing. Emmie had seemed immeasurably kind and look how that had turned out.
Cyrus sauntered backinto the room, Zerlina storming after him. As much as I disliked her, I let out a small sigh of relief. If she was here, he would hopefully be too preoccupied to deal with me, in theory, anyway.
“You’re a damn fool, Cyrus! All this over a little slave girl? You’ve lost your damn mind.” Zerlina screamed behind him. “Think of what’s to come, I beg of you. We will be King and Queen, we’ll have a legacy that will last millennia, and you’re going to throw it all away over property that’ll be rotting in the ground getting picked apart by maggots in a blink of the eye!”
I blinked, not much appreciating that disgusting description, as true as it may be when comparing our lifespans. I jumped as a bolt of lightning flashed in the room. Oh, Nox, that wasn’t good. Zerlina even looked a bit scared now, backing away with wide eyes as Cyrus advanced on her, his eyes completely consumed by lightning.
“Zerlina.” Cyrus growled as he cornered her. “You will never understand what it takes to be Queen.” She flinched, earning a smirk from Cyrus. “Do you not understand this is about so much more now?”
“Like what?” She spat at him, though her voice had dropped to a whisper. I clung to the wall like I could disappear into the same spot Soren had appeared from.
Cyrus chuckled, something sinister in it chilling me to the bone. His fists landed on the wall on either side of Zerlina’s head, and her proud chin tilted upward to look him in the eye. I had to give her credit, that took guts.
“The fact you even have to ask, proves my point, my darling betrothed.” Cyrus chuckled harshly before his mouth dipped to hers, and I scrunched my nose in disgust watching the two of them. Desperate to disappear entirely and to tell them to shut up and go away—but self-preservation kept my mouth clamped shut.
Especially as Zerlina’s legs went around his waist, rucking her skirt up, and she ripped open his pants. She pulled out that dreaded cock and impaled herself on it. My lip curled, they had to know I wasrighthere.
Cyrus thrust into her hard and fast as Zerlina held onto the wall for dear life. I tried to find something else to look at as grunts and moans filled the room, along with Zerlina’s sniveling little comments about how much she hated him—but it was impossible. My eyes kept going right back to the disaster happening before me.
As they did now, when Zerlina let out a particularly high wail, and I flinched to see Cyrus already looking at me. His eyes roving over me as he fucked into his betrothed. I glared, but he just smirked, blue flashes of lightning in his irises letting me know his control was on the edge. I knew not to push him now, so I just looked away instead.
But feeling his eyes on me was unsettling. I looked back at him with narrowed eyes, but was unfortunately just in time to see them both cum.Gross. The way Cyrus watchedmeas he came wasn’t lost on any of us.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Zerlina shrieked, earning an eye roll from Cyrus, who clearly couldn’t care less about her complaints.
He just kept eyeing me, licking his lips as he stared at mine. I shivered—how close it came to him shoving his cock in my mouth against my will was chilling. I needed to find a way out of here.
Before it was too late.
Chapter 38
IexpectedSoren might come back, but two days later, I still hadn’t seen him. It was starting to make me anxious, jittery—which Cyrus was beginning to notice. That was the very last thing I needed when I couldn’t explain what was happening.
My inability to connect to the outside world was starting to truly get to me. Cyrus had blocked all the windows magically so I wouldn’t be able to find a way out through them. I needed to see the sun. Feel it’s heat on my face like the old friend it was. I’d taken to trying to take small naps during the day just to see Zhu and feel a bit of the sun in my dreams. Dreams had always been there when reality failed me.
