Page 75 of Filthy Fae

The incubus paused. “It’s time for you to go. I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re responsible for everything, Oxonos.”

If only Oxonos knew the true extent of the demon’s words.

“Thank you,” Oxonos whispered, holding up his clutched hands. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll go. I’ll leave. Thank you for believing me and letting me help you stop them.” He backed away a few steps before his gaze flickered down to mine. He stumbled, his mouth falling open.

I widened my eyes at the fae, trying to communicate. You’re helping the incubus. He’s going to kill the queen and blame it on you.

Oxonos’ jaw snapped shut, and he spun away, stumbling across the forest floor and out of view.

The incubus held me away from him and studied me like an insect. His resemblance to Mack’s brother was flawless, and it made me wonder if maybe I was wrong. Could this actually be Mack’s sweet brother? Had the kindness he’d exhibited been an act? My questions were answered when a long red tongue snaked out of the Summer Prince’s mouth and immediately recoiled.

That’s right, fucker. Nancy gave me my own set of horseshoe earrings.

I called upon my wolf and immediately felt her filling me. We could break these bonds. I wriggled furiously, but the chains were so tight they cut through the silk gown and burned into my flesh. Pain seared into me in a hundred places. My wolf weakened by the moment, more sensitive to the silver than I was.

The demon watched me struggle, his face impassive.

I kept trying, only stoking the pain, hotter and hotter, until my energy drained to nothing.

Still studying me, the demon spoke in the same whispery voice he’d used the first time I met him. “No laws. No earthly masters.”

He’d said those exact words to me the first time we met, and in all the chaos, I’d completely forgotten.

No earthly masters?

Was he saying that he needed to escape his earthly masters? Was this the demon equivalent of asking for help?

Fuck that.

I wasn’t a big fan of this demon doing the bidding of someone who was trying to start a war, but I liked the idea of setting the incubus free even less. What I wanted was for Nancy to banish this demon back to hell.

The incubus dropped me to his side again and continued walking. My head spun. Nancy could be dead. Aaron, Lance, and Darrel could be dead. They’d all been there. What had happened after the incubus knocked me out?

My wolf retreated and collapsed, taking away her last dregs of energy and healing. Exhaustion washed over me as we continued forward, and I was barely aware that we’d entered through the giant redwood portal to the queen’s palace. The low-lit foyer flickered with candlelight.

The demon carried me up the stairs, walking past several guards who bowed low. We headed into a hallway toward an enormous door.

“What the fuck, Summer?”

The incubus spun, nearly banging me into the wall.

Autumn paced up the hallway, his expression full of confusion. “What the hell is going on? I thought Mack was bringing proof from the club. Is that Scarlet Riley?” Prince Autumn reached for me, but the incubus swung me out of the way. “Is that silver?” Autumn asked. “Are those silver chains?”

“You need to trust me, Autumn,” the demon whispered. “Don’t blow her cover. This is the only way we can get the proof to the queen. You need to shut Scarlet and me in with Titania.”

I tried to shake my head, to tell the Autumn prince that the incubus was spouting lies, but I was bound so tightly I could barely move, and the effort took every drop of energy I had left.

Autumn didn’t even notice. He’d already returned his gaze to the incubus.

“Of course, I trust you, brother,” Autumn said from what seemed like far in the distance. “I’ll give Naveen a head’s up.”

My eyes slipped closed. The next time I opened them, I was looking into Queen Titania’s beautiful features. I lay on the floor, and the Queen of Spring stared down at me. Her fair features were illuminated by a fire crackling in a wide brick hearth. She stood in a nightdress, her lustrous hair tousled.

“Oh, Marius,” she squealed, clapping her hands together. “You’ve made me so happy.”

The incubus slid his arms around the queen’s waist. “I want only to serve you, my queen. My beautiful one. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Her eyes widened, and she turned to look up at him in shock.