by Linsey Hall
Terror exploded within me. When the king brought the knife down, I tried to roll out of the way.
I was too slow. Too weak.
My greatest fear was coming true. That I wouldn’t be able to do what was required of me.
The blade pierced my flesh, sending pain blasting through my body.
I cried out, magic bursting from my form as the silver sank deep.
I was dragged from the dream by a familiar voice echoing in my mind. Hey, wake up!
I jerked, my eyes flaring open and my mind racing.
Icy stone walls met my vision.
I wasn’t in the dream, pinned to the icy slab by a dagger wielded by my mate.
I was here, in the dungeon at the base of his castle, awaiting that fate.
A tiny white fox sat at my feet, blending fairly well with the icy gray of the floor. Are you okay? You seemed like you were having a nightmare.
His voice echoed in my head, just like the voice of the orange fox I’d met earlier.
“Yeah, I was.” I rubbed a hand over my eyes and then dragged it through my hair. “Who are you?”
Puka. We met before.
“I met an orange fox before.”
Did you, though?
He asked it in a mysterious voice, but I wasn’t having any of it. “Yeah, I did.”
Fine. You did. It was me. I have camoufox.
“Camoufox?”
He nodded. Like camouflage, but for foxes.
“Sure, why not.” My day had been crazy enough. I was down for some camoufox help. “But how did you get in here?”
He looked up at the little window. Through there. My other ride is an owl.
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Now what’s your plan for escape?
“My magic doesn’t work.” I eyed the metal lock on the door. “My pack was taken from me. Can you get it?”
Too big.
“I have lock-picking tools in the pack. Those are small. Can you get those at least?”
I can try. Give me a bit. The little fox looked up at the window. Can you put me up there?
I stood and picked him up. He was lighter than I’d expected, and it was easy to lift him up to the windowsill. He perched on the stone between the bars for half a second, then leapt out the window.
“What a weirdo.” I didn’t have a huge amount of faith that he could retrieve my tools, but maybe I’d get lucky.
I turned back to the door just as the handle twisted.
I braced myself, ready to lunge at whoever entered—the king, hopefully. I’d steal his dagger and end him here and now.
But it was just the guard. He held a cloak in his hands, a silver blue thing that looked warm and cozy.
He bowed and held it out. “The king commanded that I deliver this to you, Your Majesty.”
Hesitatingly, I took the cloak. “He doesn’t want me to be cold before he sacrifices me?”
“He would never want you to be cold, Your Majesty.”
He didn’t acknowledge the killing bit, I couldn’t help but notice. “You keep calling me Your Majesty.” I eyed the door behind him, hoping I could distract him enough to get out.
“You will save us, Your Majesty. Of course I know who you are.”
“Save you with my eventual death?”
He shrugged.
This was some seriously weird shit, that was for sure. And I was definitely not interested in playing my role. It was going to take some quick thinking to get out of it, though.
But first things first. “Where’s my brother?”
“Somewhere safe.” His tone and eyes gave nothing away.
He moved toward the door.
Damn it, this was my last chance. I charged him.
His eyes widened, and he threw out his hand. His magic flared briefly, then stopped. As if he were about to throw something dangerous at me, but thought better of it.
Of course he wouldn’t kill me. I needed to be sacrificed to save their people.
I plowed into his middle, driving him back against the wall. He shouted before I could knock him in the face with a punch. My fist collided with his jaw, and his head snapped back, crashing against the wood.
He slumped, unconscious, and I lunged for the door. Three slender Fae appeared in the doorway, each dressed in the uniform of the palace guard. One raised his hand and threw a blast of magic at me.
I dropped low, narrowly avoiding the sparkling magic. It crashed against the wall and dissipated. I scrambled upright, but the guards were quicker. They grabbed the unconscious body of the one I’d attacked and dragged him from the room.
I raced for the door, but it slammed in my face right as I reached it.
“Damn it!” I staggered backward, panting.
This would not do. No way I was waiting around here to play some weird sacrifice role.
I found the cloak on the ground and swung it over my shoulders for warmth. Fates, it was cold in here. The cloak was large, but well-made and warm.
I moved around the room, inspecting each of the frozen walls. The ice was thicker in some places, but there was no secret exit or weakness I could see.
My mind raced with ideas, but none of them worked.
Still trapped?
The voice sounded from above, and I looked up to see the white fox sitting on the windowsill.
“Puka! You came back!”
The fox arched a brow. Of course I did. You have the beef in your bag. I like you.
“I will buy your love with beef jerky every time, my friend.” I held up my hand so it was right below his feet.
He dropped the little leather pouch into it, then leapt onto my head and onto the ground.
I flinched. “Did you just use me as stairs?”
Maybe. I ate all your beef.
“Consider it yours.” I emptied the little pins in the bag into my hand and knelt at the door.
It only took a few seconds of wiggling them in the lock to get it to open. Slowly, I moved the latch and looked down at Puka. “If you can fight, I’d appreciate the backup.”
Puka’s eyes gleamed. Love a good fight.
“Good.” I opened the door and peeked out.
Right into the eyes of a guard.
I launched myself at him, darting out of the room and smashing my fist into his jaw. He moved at the last second, and my blow glanced off of him, slowing him but not taking him out.
I kneed him in the stomach and grabbed the knife from his belt, flipping it around and slamming the hilt into his skull.
He collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
Next to me, Puka leapt onto the chest of another Fae guard, avoiding the blast of water that the guard tried to shoot at him. The fox went for the throat, tearing viciously.
“Try not to kill, Puka!”
For one, I felt guilty killing when I didn’t have to. And from a more practical standpoint, if I were caught, I didn’t want to be in even more trouble than I was.
Killjoy. Puka leapt off the man’s chest and let him fall.
I spun around, searching for other guards. There was one at the end of the hall, the indecision on his face making it clear that he wasn’t sure if he should attack or run for help.
He spun to face the other direction.
A runner.
I gripped the blade I was holding by the point and hurled it at him, aiming for the leg. The blade sank into his thigh, and he shouted, going down.
I sprinted for him, using my unnatural speed, and leapt on his back. I yanked the blade from the back of his thigh and slammed the hilt into the back of his head. He slumped, unconscious.
I turned back to Puka, who had become my sidekick whether he wanted to claim the title or not. “Tear off their belts.”
Ew.
“Just do it.”
He moved to the waist of one of the fallen guards while I yanked the belt off of the one I’d just taken out. Quickly, I bound his hands and feet as I had t
he other guard, then tore a strip off his uniform to gag him. For good measure, I shoved him in a cell and shut the door.
Puka had pulled the belts off the other two, and I quickly bound them and stashed the bodies.
I looked at the little white fox who was red around the muzzle. His black eyes were bright with the thrill of the hunt.
“Do you know where my brother is?”
How do I know a person is your brother?
“He’s a tall, dark-haired man. Nice guy. He’ll give you food if you help me save him.”
If Puka had eyebrows, they would have raised in interest. I think there’s a man down the hall a bit.
“Let’s go.”
I’ve got places to be. But good luck. He turned and trotted off down the hall.
“Thanks, then,” I said to his retreating back.
He ignored me and turned at the hall.
I hurried down the passage, moving past closed cell doors that appeared to be empty. I could feel Connor’s presence as soon as I neared him—a brother-sister thing, maybe. Or perhaps just wishful thinking.
But a moment later, his pale face appeared at the small window in the door. He looked pissed. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Saving your ass.”
“You’re supposed to save your own ass, remember? The Court depends on you.”
“Screw the Court. You’re my brother.”
“The Court is a lot of people.”
Guilt tugged at me as I dropped to my knees. He was right. But I couldn’t risk either of them. “I can save both.”
“Well, hurry up, then.”
“I am, damn it.” I couldn’t believe we were bickering even now. But I shouldn’t be surprised. I twisted the little pins a few more times, and the lock on the door broke open. I stood. “Come on.”
Connor stepped out, looking thinner and cold.
“He didn’t give you a jacket?” I scowled.
“No, bastard.”
“Bastard is right. Come on, we’ve got to find our way out of here. Do you have any ideas?”
“I heard them talking about the guards’ kitchen where they eat. There’s an exit through there.”
“Which way?”
He pointed down the hall in the direction that the guard had been trying to flee . “That way, I think.”
“Let’s go.” My magic was still repressed in this part of the castle, and I was desperate to get out of it. We hurried down the corridor and stopped at the door at the end to peer out.
It was another empty hallway, and I whispered, “Coast is clear.”
We slipped through the hall and stuck by the wall, trying to slink through shadows that were too small to really conceal us. This part of the castle was built of rough stone walls and floor, a distinctly un-Fae aesthetic.
Voices sounded from up ahead.
“We’re close,” Connor whispered.
We ducked into a dark, quiet antechamber that adjoined the kitchen. I could spot about a dozen guards through the crack in the door, all sitting around a table and quickly polishing off bowls of stew.
That was also strange Fae fare, but since their whole castle was coated in ice, I couldn’t really blame them for going for something hearty.
I leaned back toward Connor and whispered, “They look like they are finishing up. But there’s eleven of them.”
“Too many.”
“Maybe not.”
“Too much of a risk, then. Let’s wait it out.”
We tucked ourselves back into the corner of the antechamber, in a little nook in the wall that would hopefully conceal us well enough while we waited.
I leaned against the wall, straining my ears to hear whatever the guards were saying.
Voices filtered through.
“At least he’s found her,” grumbled one.
“About damned time. We’re at the end of the line here.” The voice reeked with desperation. “My wife’s already frozen.”
“My daughter is,” added another.
Frozen? Their families were freezing.
I shuddered.
This was so bad.
“It’ll be fine,” rumbled a third voice. “The solstice is in two days, and the king will complete the sacrifice ceremony. We’ll be fine.”
“I wish he could just get it over with,” said a fifth voice.
“Can’t,” said another. “Have to wait until the solstice or it won’t work.”
There was a grumble of disapproval, and the conversation turned to a low hum, as if people were talking in smaller groups.
I leaned back against the wall and processed what I’d heard. “They’re desperate to escape their fate.”
Connor nodded and whispered, “The whole castle stinks with it.”
“So the ice has been traveling fast, covering more and more?”
“From what I’ve heard guards saying, it’s picking up speed.”
“The stories are true that they were originally Sea Fae, but now the ice is taking their kingdom.”
“Soon their whole world will be covered in ice,” Connor said. “And they change as well, losing their Fae nature.”
“What do you mean?”
“The ice freezes their soul, and they turn into monsters. That’s what the guard meant by his wife freezing. I’ve seen one of them who’s already changed. They become gray and cold and slender, losing their wings and pointed ears. Their necks become longer and their eyes weird.”
“Oh.” Understanding hit me. “I saw one of them.”
“They’re miserable in that form.”
“No kidding.” I missed my wings like there was a physical ache where they were meant to be. “But how does it happen, exactly?”
“I don’t know, but it seems like things are really picking up pace, from the way the guards have been talking.”
“A curse, perhaps.”
“That’s the running theory that I heard.”
“Who would have cursed them?” I asked.
“No idea. But the king will do anything to break the curse.”
Including killing me in two days.
Connor met my gaze in the shadows, and it was clear he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“It won’t happen,” he said.
“I’m not going to let it.” I tilted my head, listening for the guards. “I think they’re almost done.”
I moved away from the nook and toward the door.
A flash of movement caught my eye, and the door swung open. A massive figure appeared, tall and strong, his broad shoulders cutting out most of the light from the room beyond.
The scent of an ocean storm rolled over me, followed by crashing waves.
The king.
I lunged backward, but not fast enough. He grabbed me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Run!”
Connor lunged for the king, ready to attack. He was a strong guy, but nothing compared to the size of the man holding me. I thrashed, trying to stomp on the king’s foot or otherwise break his hold.
Another guard surged into the room from the other entrance and grabbed Connor’s shoulder. Two more guards joined him, jumping on my brother.
“Don’t hurt him!” I screamed.
They wrestled Connor to the ground.
I elbowed the king in the stomach as tears popped to my eyes. “Don’t hurt him!”
I sounded insane, frantic with fear.
And I was.
“Stop.” The king’s voice was rough with sharp command.
The guards stood, letting my brother rise to his feet. They surrounded him so he couldn’t move or make a run for it.
“You’re cleverer than I expected,” the king said.
“I’m a lot of things you would never expect.”
“I can see that.” The king turned to the guards. “Take him back to his cell.”
The guards grabbed Connor’s arms and turned.
Quickly, I reached for the comms charm that was around my neck and yanke
d it off, hoping no one noticed.
“Wait!” I shouted, shoving the comms charm into the pocket of the cloak that the Fae guard had given me. I took the cloak off and handed it to my brother, then shot the king a scathing look. “You didn’t even give him something warm to wear.”
The king’s expression was inscrutable. He looked at the guards. “Take him to the cell she used to be in.”
My brows rose. He was upgrading Connor’s accommodation. But still, he was locking him up. I wanted to go for his throat right now, but I needed to bide my time.
I shared one last look with Connor before he was dragged off.
The king’s blue gaze met mine. “Come with me.”
6
The king gripped my arm tightly and dragged me down the wide hallway. A tingle traveled up my arm, and I hated the physical response to him.
Would I have felt this way if he weren’t my fated mate?
No.
An irritating part of me called out that it was a lie, but I ignored it. I wasn’t some idiot with a death wish. This dude was planning to sacrifice me, and fates knew I wanted no part of that.
I hated even more that being close to him ignited my ability to read into his soul. He was good person. One who was hounded by guilt and regret.
Yet he would still kill me. So in the end, what did it really matter?
I’d still be dead.
He raised his other wrist to his lips and spoke quietly into his own comms charm. I got snippets of the words, like cloak and food. He lowered his hand a moment later.
We passed through an enormous antechamber, and the king’s footsteps faltered. I followed his gaze, spotting a woman standing dead still against the wall, her eyes vacant and her skin faintly blue.
“Fates,” the king cursed softly under his breath.
My gaze darted to his face, catching the twist of pain on his lips and the regret in his eyes.
“She’s frozen?” I phrased it like a question, though I knew the answer.
He jerked his head in a nod, glancing down at me. The hurt in his eyes vanished as they met mine, replaced by cold determination. It chilled me to the bone.
He really cared about his people. He was gruff and mean—to me, at least, given the whole sacrifice thing—but he really, really cared.
And they were definitely in trouble.
The air was so cold that I could see my breath. And that same magic was randomly freezing his people.
