Page 114 of The Fallen Fae King

Everything that has happened feels too raw.

Daire has simply been avoiding our dragon. Instead, he has snuggled happily reunited with Five on my bed.

Aurelius has barely stopped working. He stays up all night, as if he is a vampire. I have sneaked out of my bedroom to place a blanket over his shoulders, as he’s slumped over his piles of papers on his desk.

Some nights, he’s been missing from the royal nest altogether.

What the fuck is he doing?

It has been difficult not being able to cuddle in bed with him.

Plus, my pain for Lanlin is too great. I can sense his through the bond. Daire and I have comforted him as much as we can. But it’s not enough.

Missing Lanlin and knowing that he is suffering, while I can’t do anything to stop it, has been agony.

I can’t lose any of my Alphas. But how do I protect them in this pitiless court of enemies?

Daire molds the mess of honeyed dates between his fingers. “I’m trying to recreate our wedding breakfast for Bat-face. He needs something special, aye?”

“I wish that we’d been able to see him sooner.”

Daire drops the sticky mess, which if I squint looks like a honey and date bat cake, onto the wooden tray next to my other stolen treats of olives, grapes, figs, and a round loaf. I am also proud of the full jug of goat’s milk that I stole from behind the cook’s back.

I also added a red rose, which I took from the vase next to my bed to mirror the lotus that Lanlin gave to us.

Aurelius is still adding a fresh bouquet of roses to the vase next to my bed, which he is stealthily leaving in my room each night.

Daire licks his fingers. “This isn’t the same as when I was locked in Aurelius’ dungeons, and our daft dragon made it part of your duties to bring me food. He’s soft like that. You do realize that he was making sure that we saw each other, knowing that we were soulmates, even though I was being punished for…?”

“Attempting to assassinate him with a butter knife.”

“Or with an overripe peach.”

I burst out laughing. “Wasn’t your seventh attempt with a ribbon?”

“Oi, it was a good garrote…until it snapped.” He bounces to his feet, grabbing me by the arms.

He is laughing now too.

“How did it take Aurelius so long to realize that you were only playing with him?” I giggle, as Daire spins me around the tray like we’re dancing. I should have known that talking about his assassinations would be a turn on for my fae. He’s buzzing. “Aurelius truly believed that he was defeating you each time.”

“Never underestimate a dragon’s ego. The only time that he has won against me was in Rune Forest, and he needed an entire army behind him and a sneaky ambush to do it. Although, when he started to rate my assassination attempts out of ten, I did think that maybe he’d guessed I wasn’t serious.”

“Have you forgiven him yet?”

Daire’s expression becomes grim.

He pulls back from me. “Sin hasn’t forgiven me, has he? It’s not as easy as saying a few words. It’s all in the actions, and I understand that. Let’s just wait and see what Aurelius bloody does.”

My throat is tight.

“Fair.”

Daire glances up and down the corridor. “Why don’t you let me take this risk?”

“Because you’re more recognizable than I am, and it’s not as easy to steal a uniform that hides your wings.”

“But I thought that we’d planned to keep our heads down until⁠—”