The Revered and the Pariah (Fae of Alastríona Book 2)

by J.E. Reed

Saoirse gave him a sad smile. “When are you going to start valuing yourself?” Himself? Probably never.

She was leaving home. Again. In just a few moments she was expected to parade before the citizens of Levea as a happy queen who was ready to sacrifice her freedom for the continent. Only she wasn’t. Arianna wasn’t the ruler they needed. She wasn’t some great war hero full of brave tales that bards could spin into legends. She was just an eighteen-year-old female who wanted to read her books, sip hot cocoa, and curl up in a quiet part of the world with the male she loved.

Pure white gloves to hide the calluses and scars. Neatly pressed clothes to display her unearned status. Perfectly clean blades that concealed the secrets of her stained hands. Her body shook and suddenly the scent of rotting flesh and unwashed bodies consumed her, throwing her back into irons and torn ragged clothes. She sloshed through mud instead of pacing clean plush rugs and tasted moldy cheese in place of the chocolates she’d consumed earlier.

Her scent hit him like an electrical current and Rion whirled. His heart skipped a beat as he watched the most beautiful creature alive dance through her opponents. Her cerulean eyes burned with icy rage and Rion felt something in his core unwind at the sight of her.

“What is a false emotion but an illusion? What is a lie except an illusion? What is a false reality but an illusion? I’ve had a lot of time to hone my strength. More time than most.”

“Now that you know why, perhaps you’ll be a little more compliant.”

“At least I hope you are, for your companion’s sake.” He pressed his thumb to her head and a buzzing filled her ears before she was cast into shadow. Her stomach dropped and the world spun out of control.