She narrowed her eyes. “Good. I’m not here to make life easy on my sister’s captor.”
“You should not fear,” he said with a smile. “Your sister is alive and well and will remain so as long as Thane does as I request.”
“I see,” she said. “And I suppose you want him to hand over the crown to you.”
“No, indeed, I do not,” he said with an eerie chuckle. “It is far too much stress for such little payoff. Trust me, I know that better than anyone. He will, however, leave the crown in Aengus’s able hands.”
Reyna frowned. “You wantAengusto be king?”
“He already is, my dear. Thane has fled the court. In his absence, the Grand Alderman sits on the throne and rules the kingdom.”
Reyna’s heartbeat quickened, and all the blood drained from her face. She understood immediately what had happened. Thane, just as she had, discovered Eislyn had been taken. And he’d left his throne and his crown and his rule behind to come after her.
She wanted to believe his imminent arrival was a good thing, but surely it was not. Lord Bowen wanted him off the throne. If Thane arrived at this castle, his uncle would surely kill him.
“Aengus conspired to get the king off the throne. Your brother,” she said. “Why in the name of the Dagda would you want him to rule?”
Lord Bowen chuckled. He shook his head. And then his laughter boomed through the small tower room. “No, my dear. Aengus conspired to getmeoff the throne.”
All the blood drained from Reyna’s face as she stared at the male before her. Her heart thumped hard against her ribs. Nothing he said made sense, and yet that did not stop the terror from charging through her veins.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Lord Bowen—or Sloane—drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “It pleases me greatly to know that I tricked you all so well.”
Tears of hatred filled her eyes as she hissed, “Tell me what is going on.”
“I made a deal,” he said, closing his eyes. Shadows pulsed around his golden body. “I made a promise.”
The strange scent of burning flesh filled the room as a heavy mist enveloped the fae who sat before her. Reyna inched back, eyes wide, watching as the very skin on his bones seemed to quake. A moment later, Lord Bowen was gone. And Sloane Selkirk sat in his place.
He was younger than she had expected. Reyna Darragh had never met Sloane Selkirk. Or, she had, but he had not appeared as himself. Instead of the huddled old male she’d expected, Sloane was vibrant, tall, strong. His light brown hair hung to his shoulders, and his skin was clear of age.
Reyna didn’t understand. She’d heard he’d been years away from death.
“What kind of deal did you make?” she whispered.
“High King Bolg of the Wood Court learned the secrets of the Unseelie god long ago,” he said quietly. “Secrets that can create illusions. Secrets that can reverse age. It involves somewhat gruesome tasks. Drinking blood, eating flesh. He gave me those secrets, but they came with a price. This kingdom would become his.”
Reyna sat back on her heels, eyes wide as she stared at Thane’s father. “So, you...exchanged your kingdom for a longer life? And you’ve been killing low fae for this dark magic?”
Reyna remembered what Mariel had told her. Murder plagued the streets of Drunkard’s Pit. And now she knew why. Sloane had been killing them, and…drinking their blood. She shivered.
He nodded. “Wouldn’t you?”
“No,” she hissed, her blood beginning to boil in her veins. “I wouldn’t sacrifice my own people just for a few more years on this pile of dirt.”
He steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “You cannot judge me for something you have never had to face. You are young still. Death is not knocking on your door.”
“Where is Lord Bowen?” she asked in a low, dangerous voice.
Sloane sighed. “Lord Bowen, my poor brother, is dead. I had to kill him to create the glamor. He would have ruined it all regardless. He had every intention of backing Thane, who is very much misguided in his desire to continue his war with the Wood Court.”
“Your own brother? And your own son? You’re mad.” Reyna pushed up from the floor, rising before him. She heard the warriors shift closer as they guarded the door at her back, but she wouldn’t go after Sloane yet. Not like this.
“You know, it’s funny,” he said softly. “I once loved Thane. Truly, he was the only person in this lackluster world who I loved. Now, I couldn’t care less about my pitiful son. It seems these Unseelie powers do far more than I thought. They have freed me from the bonds of family.”
Reyna’s heart thumped. “How do you even use the magic? The Dagda took—”
