They have molded into a mask.
Cold, silver, feathers.
I swallow.
I am uncomfortably reminded of my first date with both Freya and Aurelius at the Carnival of Shadows as equals, or at least, it felt like it.
Cadets and dragon riders.
Mates.
Aurelius and I had worn wooden masks of each other’s faces. And he had called me hisMasked Fae.
…You could stand strong at my side in court as a masked adviser. A Shadow King, like me but not me. A symbol of my power…
Had I been an idiot to believe Aurelius?
To swear that I wouldforever servehim?
Yet a fae never breaks a deal, and I have sworn toserveboth Auelius and Freya.
It was Lanlin who destroyed that vision of our future together by attacking the carnival. Now, I will become a Masked Fae but for an enemy king.
Didn’t Lanlin bring this on himself?
“I designed it as dove wings. The half-mask is beautiful,” Maximinus says like I should be thanking him. “Put it on.”
“Pass.”
“In case you missed it, sweet pet, that was an order. Once placed on, the mask can’t be removed until the night that the wolf marries and bonds with the fanged monster. You can convince him of some lie about your cruel dragon boss at court insisting on it. Everyone knows how much I hate fae pets. The Shadow Vampire King will probably be protective of you then. And on the night of the marriage, the mask will transform back into enchanted shackles. Get them on the vampire, and you will all be pulled back through a portal to Bael.”
“Easy as that, aye? Betray the Blood at the most special moment for any Alpha, break his heart, then somehow put shackles on him before he tears out my throat.”
“So, you can listen.”
Slowly, I shake my head. “Nay, I won’t do this to another king. You’ve bloody taken everything from me, and I thought that I could…but not like this. Go on, punish me. Poison me with iron. Make me scream. Send me to the whipping post.Fuck you.”
I stand panting.
By the Shadow Devils, it felt good to say that.
Unexpectedly, I hear a bottle being opened, then smell a foul, metallic stench.
The antidote.
I clench my jaw, closing my eyes.
By the Shadow Devils, I crave…am addicted…to that vile liquid, which can stop the pain and restore my sight for a little longer.
Drinking it would mean that I could protect Freya in Blood Kingdom.
“What a shame,” Maximinus drawls, wafting the bottle underneath my nose, “and I was about to dose you with enough to see you through the next few weeks at least.”
My tongue darts over my dry lips. “Aye, a shame.”
“Especially since this would be your last mission.”
My eyes snap open. “I don’t believe you.”
