I grabbed her wrists and gently removed her from my face, the touch too much to bear. “You speak of treason.”
“He is not the king of us.”
“But he is the king of the fae.”
“He has killed my daughters. I will not let him harm me or anybody else I care about.” She pressed a hand to her heart, squeezing her eyes shut. “This is all my fault. We should have fought back the day he killed King Axias, but by then I was so sure of his intentions . . . and his love.”
I reached over and picked up her crown, blowing off the dust, then gently rested the silver jeweled piece on top of her head. “He swore an oath to you. Dragons are not oath breakers.”
“You heard what the witches said. It all makes sense. There’s no other explanation.”
The lanterns danced shadows around her delicate face. Even in this state, with her face splotched red and her silvery-blue hair messy, she was the most exquisite fae I had ever seen, and she did not deserve to be sobbing on the dirty stone.
Though she was my queen, she had always been my friend first and I could not stomach the pain rippling through her.
Suddenly, she stood, clutching my hand trying to drag me up the stairs.
“Moira, wait!” I had said her name for a second time in a matter of moments. It was becoming too familiar. It had been difficult to switch to calling her by the proper terms when she became our ruler, but I’d worked hard to be respectful and ignore the memories where she was just Moira.
“Your majesty,” I corrected myself, causing her to narrow her thin brows. “We must think through this logically.”
“I am done with logic and reason. I want vengeance.”
Chapter Seven
Moira
Anna appeared in the secretpassageway, fluttering in a frenzy. “The king is coming for you.”
“What? I thought he was still out?” I said, wiping the dust off my dress then adjusting my crown.
“He’s returned and he’s not happy,” she replied, nudging me forward with her tiny hands.
“Tallis, stay in the passageway and when it’s safe, I’ll come see you. We’ll talk later,” I said to him as I followed Anna.
“Do not do anything rash,” he whispered before disappearing into the dark.
I quickly slipped out of the passageway and just as I put the book back in its hiding spot, my chamber doors opened. Kyros walked in wearing nothing but a pair of black trousers, his long dark hair slightly tousled and rage in his eyes.
He stomped forward, his bare feet making more noise than they should have as his claws were still retracting from his recent transformation. “Who gave you the authority to close the palace?”
Standing straight, I held my chin high. “You were gone, and I felt it was necessary in order for me to grieve.”
“Did you also think it necessary to send the triplets away?”
“Yes, I did.”
Anger and heartbreak beat against my chest.That is his first question upon returning?
“You don’t make those decisions. They are my guests.”
“You mean your whores.”
He slapped me across the face, and I fell back into the bed. Pain radiated through my jaw, sending my anger into an inferno.
If I had enough power, I would kill him right now.
“Do not speak to your king that way.” He moved closer and a spike of fear shot through me, but that quickly dissipated once I thought of my daughters.
