I pushed him from my mind and swallowed hard. Takinga deep breath, I tried to prepare myself for my turn to face the queen.
When the floor was spotless once more, Calista’s dark eyes fixed on me. “Come, Theron.”
I obediently strode forward until I stood where Hector had been moments before. I could still smell his blood and sweat in the air.
“Report,” she commanded.
I briefly went over the details of my mission, explaining how I killed Sir Ethan Bloodwright without being spotted or suspected.
“I’m impressed, Theron,” Calista said, her thin eyebrows lifted and her blood-red lips curling into the cruel smile I knew so well. “You’ve never completed an assignment this quickly before. You must be anxious to take your leave.”
Queen Calista often teased me, trying to get under my skin, but I never acquiesced. Years of hunting and killing had taught me how to brush off the pointed barbs of an opponent.
“But I must admit,” she went on when I made no response, “I’m a bit disappointed. You did not bring me the man’s heart, as I requested.”
“He was not alone, my queen. To stay and carve out his heart would have exposed me to witnesses and jeopardized the mission.”
Calista’s lips grew even thinner until they practically disappeared into her face. Her sharp, angular cheekbones gave her quite a skeletal look as she surveyed me. She almost resembled a terrifying fae beast. But the pointed ears that supported her glistening silver crown marked her as a full-blooded seelie fae.
“I understand the risk,” she said coldly as she rose fromher throne, her midnight blue skirts swishing behind her. Along the walls, several of her most trusted guards straightened as if sensing the lethal edge to her voice.
I sensed it, too. I went perfectly still, treating the queen as the predator she was.
“If there were witnesses, they might have marked you as a member of my court,” Calista went on, drawing closer to me. I stood more than a head taller than her, but her powerful presence still made my skin quiver. “And we can’t have that. However…” Her sharp eyes drilled into me. “There is another solution that I’m shocked you didn’t consider.”
“You mean killing the witness,” I said impassively.
She smirked again. “Yes. You are, after all, a killer. And a good one at that. It’s why I have you in my employ.”
If she only knew the witness had been a human. Humans were lesser than dirt, especially in the queen’s eyes. She would have been outraged to know I had let one live. “The witness was not my target,” I said. “If you wanted me to kill Sir Ethan and any surrounding civilians, you should have specified.”
The queen went rigid, her eyes flaring with rage.
Shit. Too late, I realized my mistake. I bowed my head in subservience, sinking to my knees before her.
But the damage had been done. Even the soldiers lining the walls shifted their weight in discomfort.
“Give me your hand, Theron,” the queen whispered, her voice soft and dangerous.
I extended my wrist obediently, my body stiff with apprehension. I clenched my teeth hard as one of her long fingernails struck the back of my hand, drawing blood. Pain burst within my skin as my blood boiled from the contact. My magic swelled, rising to my defense, but I pushed it down.
This was a fight I would not win.
Calista lifted her hand, surveying the drop of my blood coating her nail. “Such a small drop yields so much power,” she mused, bringing her finger to her mouth and sucking the droplet. She smacked her lips and shot me a feral grin.
Agony exploded within me, coursing mercilessly through my veins. I cried out, my limbs going stiff, my back bowing under the intensity of her power. Darkness filled my vision, and I groaned, my arms shaking. Her magic sliced into my bones, my organs, my very soul…
“I own you, Theron,” the queen hissed. “Your blood belongs to me. Never forget that.”
With a wave of her hand, she released her hold on me, and I crumpled to the marble floor, panting and covered in sweat. I struggled to catch my breath as she resumed her perch on her throne.
“I apologize, my queen,” I rasped, slowly rising to my feet, my chest heaving. “I am at your complete disposal.”
“That’s right,” she said smugly. “For your insolence, I require one last assignment from you.”
My nostrils flared. She wouldn’t—shecouldn’t?—
“Ah, I see the look of defiance on that handsome face,” she crooned, the delight in her eyes revealing just how much she enjoyed my torment. “You think I mean to break my bargain with you. But I believe the official wording of our deal was, ‘If you bring me Sir Ethan’s heart, then you will be free to take your leave for the season.’ So, our bargain is not fulfilled, as you refused to bring me his heart.”
