“Peace?” I cried out. “You talk to me of peace? The only ones at peace are those under Calista’s thumb, the privileged fae she deems more elite than others. Fae like you. But what about everyone else? What about the half fae, like me? What about the humans? The unseelie? Like those pixies. They aren’t savages. They deserve a free life, just like you. Would you take that away from them?”
Theron shook his head, baring his teeth in anger. “And you think throwing a fit will get you what you want? Riots and thievery aren’t doing your court any good, either.”
My head reared back. “Riots? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been wreaking havoc since you left Taerin, leaving carnage in your wake.”
“I havenot!” I was prepared to rip his throat out, then faltered. If he was saying these things, it meant he believed them to be true. He couldn’t lie. My anger ebbed slightly. “What has Calista been saying about me?”
His mouth opened and closed. My abrupt shift had no doubt disoriented him. “What?”
“She told you all that, did she? Or rather, she implied it.” I hissed out a breath and rubbed my forehead. Blood and ice, I should have guessed this would happen. Calista would never allow the court to think I was simply a poor, shunned princess. Of course not. She would vilify me, do all she could to paint a picture that I was the enemy she was protecting everyone from. “I’ve stolen, yes, but only from her coffers. Nowhere else. I…”
I deflated, my ire vanishing and leaving exhaustion and despair in its place. How was I supposed to win the court back when they believed I was a rogue, a criminal causing pain and suffering wherever I went?
“What did Calista say, exactly?” I asked in a tired voice.
“She said your latest exploits left the village of Raya burned to the ground.”
My blood chilled. “She—She burned Raya to the ground?” My voice was a hushed whisper.
Theron stared at me, his brows furrowing. “Eira, what are you saying? Are you telling me youdidn’tdo this?”
“Of course not!” Tears pricked my eyes, and I struggled to catch my next breath. “Raya… was where the human nobles and I last congregated. Calista’s men found us, and we fought our way out. But I swear to the gods, when we left, the village was still intact. Calista—she must’ve… Blood and ice.” A tear trickled down my cheek, and I impatiently wiped it away. A roar of rage built up in my throat, and I clenched my fingers into tight fists, my nails carving small crescents into my palms.
I needed to hit something or I would explode. I whirled on the hunter, who stared at me with a stricken expression.
He would make a nice target for my wrath.
“And who are you to fling accusations at me?” I snapped. “You’re Calista’s right-hand man! You do all her dirty work. Tell me, how many have you killed in her name? Does it bring you joy, to do such bloody work for a false queen?”
His fury returned, and he took a threatening step toward me. “You don’t know anything.”
“Neither do you, apparently, if you’re swallowing the lies she’s spewing about me.”
“You aren’t a fool, princess, so don’t pretend to be. What is your dear stepmother’s brand of magic?”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “What, are you quizzing me?”
“Answer the damn question.”
“Blood magic,” I growled.
“And how does she wield it?”
“All she needs is a person’s blood and she can control them.”
Theron lifted his eyebrows and fixed a flat stare at me.
Only then did the pieces click into place.
My heart dropped to my stomach. “She has your blood.”
He huffed a dry laugh. “No shit, princess.” He turned and draped his leather jacket over his arm. “Looks like we’re both victims of Calista’s scheming.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. It certainly didn’t make Theron innocent; he was still a cold-blooded killer.
But he was under her control. Were his actions, hiswords, even his own? Was he reporting everything back to her?
