Chapter Three
Joy
The Unseelie warriors, or whatever they were, were terrifying. They stood motionless as marble statues, yet menace radiated from them like heat from a forge. The twin suns caught their swords and armor, sending a blinding flash of light that made me squint. But it was their eyes—god, their eyes—that made me break out in gooseflesh.
Their irises shifted and swirled like liquid mercury, cycling through shades I’d never seen in eyes before: silver to violet to deep forest green, then back again in hypnotic patterns that made my head spin. There was no humanity there, no warmth—just ancient, Unseelie intelligence that seemed to strip me bare and catalog every weakness I possessed.
My skin prickled under their collective stare. They weren’t just soldiers—they were apex predators, and I was nothing more than prey stumbling into their territory.
No mercy. There would be no mercy here.
Ari straightened beside me and his posture shifted into something more respectful, clearly rehearsed. He swept into aprecise bow that looked practiced, almost ritualistic, and placed his hand over his black heart. “Greetings, my liege. I’m here to speak with Her Majesty, Queen Alanna.”
The lead soldier’s grip tightened on his sword hilt as those otherworldly eyes fixed on Ari with laser intensity. “What do you want with the queen?”
“I have a way to open the portal.”
The portal.My stomach lurched as I remembered what I’d already done—what I’d been forced to do.
The soldier’s sword point wavered, dipping toward the checkered tiles beneath my feet. Something flickered in those shifting eyes—hope, maybe, or hunger. “How?”
Ari’s smile held no warmth—cold, calculating, the expression of someone who held all the cards and enjoyed the power. “I will only tell the queen.”
The soldier’s beautiful, inhuman face darkened like storm clouds gathering. “If this is a trick?—”
“I know. I know.” Ari flicked his hand as if he were bored. “We’ll both die a horrible death.”
The guard's weapon lowered another inch, but his stance remained coiled, ready to strike at the first sign of deception. A flicker of relief coursed through me—small, tentative, but there.
Until he spoke.
"Yes. By beheading."
The casual way he said it—like reading from a menu—sent ice water flooding through my veins. I pressed closer to Ari, hating myself for seeking comfort from my captor but terrified of what these creatures might do if left to their own devices.
And once again, my chest ached with a longing wish that Enzo was here. His steady presence, his protective strength—god, what I wouldn't give to feel his hand in mine right now.
"Shackle them," the soldier commanded.
Heavy footsteps thundered across the checkered tiles behind me, each boot fall making my heart skip faster. Rough hands seized my arms from behind, fingers digging into my flesh with bruising force. I jerked forward, trying to twist away, but their grip was unrelenting.
Cold metal kissed my wrists before snapping shut with a sound like breaking bones. The shackles bit into my skin immediately—not just metal, but something that hummed with malevolent energy, making my shadows recoil deep within my chest like frightened animals.
I thought about calling on them—letting them surge out and unlock the manacles—but would they even work here? These were Unseelie—my supposed kin—and the shadows that obeyed me may fail in comparison to whatever powers they possessed. I had to escape, but not here, not now. I needed to be alone, away from these guards, somewhere I could try using my shadows to open a portal. Attempting it while surrounded by armed Unseelie would be suicide.
Fear nearly choked me, and I trembled so hard my bones rattled.
Beside me, Ari released a long, theatrical sigh, as if he were standing in a grocery store checkout line instead of being bound by otherworldly warriors who could kill us with Unseelie magic. His carefree attitude only heightened my fear. How could he be so calm when I could barely keep from hyperventilating?
“We go to the palace and let the queen decide their fate,” the soldier said. “If they try to escape or to harm any of you, kill them.”
As we began moving, I caught my first real glimpse of our destination. Through the gaps in the trees ahead, a massive palace rose against the lavender sky, its white towers spiraling upward like frozen flames. The structure seemed to glow withthe same inner light as the homes around us, but brighter, more commanding—a beacon that both drew and repelled me.
I shivered as I broke into a cold sweat.
The soldiers moved around us in practiced formation, their armor clanking with each synchronized step that sounded like a death march. I forced my trembling legs forward, my knees threatening to buckle with every stride. The checkered path was uneven beneath my sandals, and I stumbled more than once, earning sharp prods from the sword points that followed my every movement.
Poke.The blade tip bit through my shirt, just piercing the skin between my shoulder blades. I winced and quickened my pace, my heartbeat spiking higher and higher with every step.
