I believed it, too, though I was never one to follow politics. I only followed orders. Nothing more. The bitterness of my situation swept through me, and I felt myself scowling.
But now was not the time to grumble about my circumstances. I had work to do.
Ethan drew nearer, his steps slow and careful. He glancedover his shoulder as if nervous he would be spied upon. I smirked. Little did he know…
My blood chilled as a second figure appeared—a woman.
Oh, shit.
“I told you we had to stop meeting like this,” the woman whispered. She had long, curly brown hair that fell to her waist and doe-like caramel eyes that gazed pleadingly at Ethan.
But my attention was fixed on her ears. They were curved, not pointed.
She was human.
Well, son of a bitch,I thought. Not only was Ethan cavorting with a woman in secret, but ahumanwoman, no less. The one thing most courts agreed on was that humans were the lesser species. Though fae allegedly lived peacefully with humans, there was still a clear division between the two, especially in the Winter Court.
I didn’t know much about it. Aside from my isolated cottage in the woods, my dealings were only with courtiers and those who worked within the palace—all fae. I’d only encountered humans in my travels.
“This is the only spot where Uncle Moorland won’t find me,” Ethan murmured, clutching the woman’s hands in his own and pressing soft kisses to her knuckles.
“These woods frighten me,” the woman whimpered. “What if a fae beast comes along?”
Ethan laughed. “Don’t believe all the stories they tell you about fae creatures.”
My eyebrows lifted. What a fool. The girlshouldbelieve in the stories, and fear them, too. I’d encountered my fair share of fae beasts, and they were just as horrifying as the storiesmade them seem. They had Demon Fae blood, which meant they were wild, feral, and unpredictable.
“Besides,” the woman said, lifting her chin, “I thought you said you would announce our engagement to your uncle this week.”
“Ah. Right.” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, looking chagrined. “Uncle is overwhelmed with court dealings this week. It’s too chaotic. I would rather approach him with this when his mind isn’t as preoccupied.”
The woman frowned, now resembling a pouting toddler. “Ethan…”
“I swear, I will do it soon. I love you, Ryla.”
Ryla’s expression softened as Ethan leaned in to brush her lips with his.
I raised my crossbow. Now would be the perfect time to strike.
But the woman wrapped her arms fully around him, drawing him closer so their bodies pressed together.
I hesitated. Ryla wasn’t my target. If I shot now, I would risk hitting her instead. Not only would that alert Ethan to the threat, but it would leave her blood on my hands as well.
Not that they weren’t bloody enough already.
But I tried my damnedest to only kill my assignments. I was still a cold-blooded killer, but at least that much decency I could manage. Even if the woman was a lowly human, I still didn’t want to kill her if I could help it.
“Ethan,” Ryla moaned as his mouth trailed down her throat.
Shivering bones, if I didn’t make my move soon, I would have to witness their lovemaking. Gritting my teeth, I took aim just as Ryla wrapped her legs around him. Ethan turnedto grasp her ass more fully, and I had a perfect shot between his shoulder blades.
I would have to be quick. No time to ensure I hit my mark, because Ryla’s scream would no doubt alert anyone nearby of the murder.
But no matter. I never missed.
This time was no exception.
The bolt struck true, straight between his shoulder blades. Ethan stiffened as blood bubbled from the wound. For a moment, Ryla didn’t notice, still writhing against him and moaning with pleasure.
