I glance down at the strange weapon, my chest tightening. “Is it what?”
He rolls his eyes, exasperated. “Is that the dagger from the goddess?”
I nod, trying to decide if saying more will help or hurt me. “Yes. Varua made it from her… spine. In front of me.”
He looks surprised. “It’s powerful. One of a kind,” he says, his voice reverent.
I hesitate, the tingling sensation from the dagger growing stronger as if it’s reacting to his words.I don’t like this. Any of it. The powerful blade or the powerful fae king.
“Can I see it?” he asks, his curiosity now laced with something darker.
A tremble rolls through me. I don’t want to be in this room with this fae king. I don’t want to be close to him; he’s dangerous. But I’d be a fool to not do as he says. Slowly, I remove the dagger from my belt and hold it out to him, my palms sweaty.
His eyes light up as he reaches for it. But the moment his fingers close around the hilt, he recoils with a hiss of pain, a sharp sound that reverberates through the room. The dagger clatters to the floor, the sound ringing in the silence like a death knell.
“So it’s true…” He stares at his hand, then at the dagger, his expression a mix of shock and confusion. “How can you touch it, but I can’t? How is it thatyoucan touch it and the Great King Oberon of the Fire Fae cannot?"
I kneel to pick it up, half expecting it to burn me as well, but the moment my fingers wrap around the hilt, it feels... normal.Strange, but not painful. I shrug, uncertainty swirling within me. “I don’t know.”
And I don’t. None of this makes sense to me. I’ve only seen a fae once before, and it ended in blood and death. To me, they’ve always been ghostly creatures lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike if given the opportunity. But since meeting King Sylvian, I don’t know what to think, other than that these fae are keeping me alive because of their misbelief that I’m something special. Someone capable of helping all fae kind.
I wonder what will happen when they realize they’re wrong.
He scowls, his handsome face darkening. “This is unacceptable. You’re just a human.”
“I’m aware,” springs from my lips.
He straightens, his expression hardening into something colder, more calculating. “You will be the tool I use to rule the fae. You will do as I say, nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?”
“I–”
The massive man leans over me, those startlingly blue eyes pinning me in place. “You, Alette, are mine.”
I swallow.I’m his? What does that mean?
Before I can respond, he holds out his arm, the gesture both commanding and oddly intimate. “Come. It’s time for dinner.”
I hesitate, glancing down at the dagger in my hand, its power thrumming beneath my fingers. If I have to hurt this frightening king to escape, I will. Not that I think even this dagger will keep me alive if I have to fight this massive fae king.
Right? It can’t possibly change me into a worthy opponent for this man…
The power it holds hums faintly, but it doesn’t feel threatening. It doesn’t feel like enough, even though I saw the goddess herself create it. Still, it’s the only weapon I’ve got.
He snatches my wrist, and my head jerks up. “Don’t even think about it.”
My voice trembles. “Think about what?”
We stare at each other, and I wonder if he can read my mind. If he knows that I would kill him right now if I had to in order to escape. Not that I think I could.
Reluctantly, I slip the dagger back into its sheath and place my hand on his offered arm. The moment our skin touches, my heartbeat picks up, a wild rhythm pounding against my ribcage, but I force myself to stay calm as he leads me out of the room. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that whatever world I’ve been dragged into, I’ll need to tread carefully.
7
Alette
Just keep breathing.
Just keep breathing.
