Chapter 54

Avery glared at me with the two daggers in her hands like I was worse than the wraith behind her. I hadn’t wanted it to be like this. This girl, this woman, was nothing like I had imagined. She intrigued me and after conversing with her, I no longer wished her death.

I had intended to release Simeon and stay in my territory, relinquish any claim to the Seelie court’s throne, for her. The wraith cackled a laugh, but Avery didn’t take her gaze off me. Foolish woman.

I dove forward, shadow stepping to fade out in the physical realm and brush past her attack to the wraith.

But Avery spun faster than I anticipated, and her iron blade grazed my forearm.

A hiss escaped me from the burning cut. I had to get rid of this wraith before it killed us both. “Save that for the creature, not me.”

“Y-You lied to me,” she spat. “How long have you been using Simeon with me?”

“Now isn’t the time.” Wishing with all of my being that I could fix this…reverse time and have it where she would listen to me rather than assume that I was the demon she thought.

The wraith swung at me and I dodged its clawed hand and darted backward. Simeon’s sword pierced the edge of its cloak and I cursed. If I had my blade, the creature would have been dispatched already.

“Who are you? What did you do to Simeon?” She jabbed the silver blade toward my chest, but I danced back.

“Either help me slay this wraith or move out of the way.”

“You’re a dark Fae, why don’t you banish it or send it back where it came from.”

I shook my head, daring not to take my attention off either of my opponents. The wraith watched us wearily, but I kept in-between it and Avery. Still, the creature was too close to her for my liking, but I couldn’t turn away from her. I’d learned enough about Avery to know she’d stab me in the back if she thought it would save Simeon and the rest of the Seelie court.

Her loyalty and determination had drawn me to her when I hadn’t wanted to even like her. Now both of her traits would get me killed if I wasn’t careful.

“I vow I will tell you everything I know if you don’t stab me.” Which with any luck, she’d take me up on my offer. Though I didn’t blame her for hating me for my deceit and not wanting to listen to anything I had to say. I hadn’t wanted to hurt her but had ended up doing so just the same. My heart twisted in my chest. I wanted to remember her with love in her gaze and on her lips, not distrust and hatred. I wanted her to see me, not Simeon like when I was pretending to be him. And selfishly, I had wanted her to think of me—the real me, fondly— even if she were never to discover the truth about me and how I’d possessed and used Simeon all this time. So as prince of this realm and Unseelies, I did something I had never done before, I asked, “Please.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she tilted her head to the side as though considering.

But the bloody wraith slashed at Avery.

I rushed forward, tackling the creature before it could touch her. The impact of us crashing to the ground knocked my sword out of my hand. It laughed a bone-grinding chuckle and clamped its skeletal hands on my throat, choking me.

I slammed my fist into its gaunt face. But it didn’t budge.

“Once I’ve killed you, the Fae woman is next. I will drain her magic and soul.”

Images of Avery hurt and dying by this fiend’s hand sent anger snapping through my veins. I called up my magic that prickled from my chest and down my arms. I shoved my hands into the wraith’s eye sockets.

Power surged through me into the creature. It screamed, but I held on. One thing worse than a wraith was a pissed-off one.

Avery jammed both her silver and iron daggers into the back of its head.

It crumpled to ash and dust.

Before I could move, Avery straddled me, both blades crossed at the base of my throat. Her brow pinched.

“Heal Simeon first. And then you’re going to tell me who the fuck you are and what the hell is going on.” She pressed both edges of the daggers deeper into my skin. “Or I will slice you to pieces.”

The metal seared my skin, and I welcomed the pain. Didn’t even scratch the surface of the anguish coiling in my chest. Of how I craved her loyalty and love for me and not just the three Seelie princes. “If I wanted to harm you or Simeon, I could’ve done it before now.”

“That doesn’t make me want to trust you.” She gritted her teeth, but I saw the worry etched in the blue flecks of her gray eyes.

“I promise I will heal Simeon if you let me up and I’ve already told you that I’d explain everything.” Whether or not she believed me or didn’t run a blade through my heart after she found out everything was another matter.

She bit back a curse, but leapt off me, keeping her weapons drawn and pointed straight at me. All of our training flashed back through my mind. Seeing her sweat and work hard to beat me. How once she got me to lower my guard by kissing me. That had been our first kiss and it had blown me away.

Rubbing my neck from both the wraith’s attack and hers, I stood and walked the few feet to Simeon’s body. I placed my hands over his wound and let my magic flow into him. Healing his injury but added a deep sleep because I didn’t need the bastard awake right now. Keeping Avery from stabbing me was enough excitement for now. I had used his body these weeks to get close to Avery and brought him here to wipe his memory of my presence. Last thing I needed was a vengeful prince after me for screwing their queen.

My magic was stronger here in my realm. I could have wiped his memory of my presence and sent him back to her in one piece. Lived my life knowing her touch, her love and it would’ve been enough. More than I deserved.

I rose, brushing back my dark hair.

Avery jerked the iron dagger at me. “Why isn’t he waking up? What did you do?”

Damn, the woman was too smart for her own good. “He’s healing. He needs rest.”

Her chin jutted out. “Y-you planted the poisoned arrows, didn’t you?”

“One.” I bowed my head, ashamed to admit the truth, but I wouldn’t lie to her. I was done with being deceitful. She deserved the truth no matter what the outcome. No matter if she hated me forever. “I planted the one in the weapon’s chamber when I first entered the Seelie castle with the Gwyllion. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it until Darrius brought it to us at dinner that night.”

“No, no.” She shook her head. “You planned all of this, didn’t you? Sent the creatures after me and then put another arrow in the safe and Darrius—” Her face twisted, and she pressed an arm to her stomach.

“What about Darrius?” I took a step closer to her. “There were four arrows I brought with me, one for each of you. But I swear to you that I buried three after that night. That’s what I was doing when you were attacked the first time.”

She swallowed, but her mouth twisted into a sneer. “How can I trust you? I don’t even know you.”

Her words cut me to the bone. Did she not understand how she burrowed into my heart, despite me and my people wanting her dead? How she made me love her without even trying. And how the sympathy for the Unseelie and her foster mom had shaken my preconceived beliefs about her and other Seelie. “Aye, you do, Avery. I’ve been with you since you first met Simeon.”

She blanched. “You’re a fucking bastard.”

“Some would say yes.” I held out my hands, wishing she would give me a chance. Though knowing I had done nothing to prove myself to her in her mind.

She took a step away from me, her weapons drawn between us. I wanted more than anything to take her in my arms. Kiss her until she felt how much I cared about her, but she’d fight me. Hate me. And I couldn’t bear the thought of that.

“You’re freezing. Let’s go to my castle and get warm. I’ll explain everything.” Like how I took over Simeon to reclaim the Fae throne and my destiny but couldn’t lift a finger against her. Not once had I discovered what kind of Fae she was and by then I’d fallen for her. She’d pierced my ice-cold heart with love, and I would be empty without her. All I wanted was to see her happy, even at my own expense.

“Yeah, right. What kind of an idiot do you think I am?”

“Then think of Simeon.” I waved a hand in his direction, desperate for more time with her. “He’s going to freeze in the snow despite my healing.”

“Stop it, stop trying to placate me.” She pointed her daggers at me. “You tried to assassinate me. Sent your pets after me. And Darrius,” she took a shuddering breath, “if he dies, I’m going to end you slowly. You planned this from the beginning.”

“Listen, Avery.” I held up my hands. “It’s true. I took over Simeon when I was with the Gwyllion in order to assassinate you and your three princes.”

Her chin trembled, but she looked ready to hurl the daggers at me.

“I wanted to claim the throne, my right, and I thought you were a fake. The Gwyllion told me you were half-human and pretending to be the queen’s lost heir.”

“Claim your throne? But you’re Unseelie.” Her brow furrowed. “You can’t claim the Seelie throne. They’d never allow a—”

“A monster like me?” I finished for her. That’s how all the Seelie saw me and my kind. That she felt the same when she looked at me ripped through me worse than any weapon.

She bristled, squaring her shoulders. “There would be a war, no one would side with you. I had started to think the Seelie were wrong about the dark Fae.” She glanced over at Simeon. “But now I’m beginning to see more and more they were right. You’re insane if you think you can take the Seelie throne without bloodshed. Without them and me blocking you.”

“Did the Seelie tell you about the dark Fae? My kind?” I watched the wheels in her mind spin and loved how she thought and pieced things together. “Why are the shadow kin on the other side of my border? Why would we have them here and not spread across Seelie land?”

“Short leashes?” she asked in a sweetly-sarcastic tone.

“No.” I shook my head. “We didn’t create the shadow kin, Seelies did.”

“You’re lying.” She clutched her daggers tighter. “That’s impossible. They would never do that.”

“I think it’s time I told you the truth about your mother.”

“The queen?” She balked, scrunching up her nose. “I’ve already learned about her from the history books and the princes’ stories.”

“Don’t you realize stories always have at least two sides? You’ve read theirs, why not listen to mine?”

“Because I don’t trust you.” She pressed her lips together in a thin line.

My gut wrenched that she disliked me so much. Why couldn’t she be this stubborn about us? About trying to work this out? I’d fooled myself into thinking if she knew the truth, she’d realize she loved me too. I’d been living a dream these last weeks. But I couldn’t give up. Not without trying to make her understand.

“You must have read how Seelie and Unseelie were all one Fae nation centuries ago. And how the Seelie drove us out because they feared our magic and power.” I raked a hand through my hair wishing she trusted me enough to get out of the cold. She was shivering where she stood. Casually, I sent a spark of magic over her and Simeon to warm them a bit. Not enough for her to freak out about me using my power, but enough to keep them both from becoming frostbitten.

She bit her lip, shaking her head.

“But no, not the Seelie Queen.” I had no idea if Avery would believe a word of the truth, but I had to try. Had to give her everything no matter how painful it might be for both of us. “Your foster mother and why she protected and raised you instead of killing you.”