A Promise of Lies (Shadows of the Tenebris Court #3)

by Clare Sager

Gods, grant me sharp fae teeth so I can bite off his fucking thumb.

I was not a pawn on the board for him to sacrifice. No, I was going to take this fucking king down.

Something tugged me back to the butterflies, though. That lingering sadness, perhaps. When I stood over the frame, I realised… their wings were moving. Slowly, they folded open and closed, showing off the beautiful faceted colours. Their legs extended and bent as though they tried to walk, despite the pins impaling them. My stomach turned at the thought of living in a glass cage, pinned in place, yet somehow still alive.

But I’d had enough of being threatened by men who were twice my size and thought their strength meant they could do and take whatever they wanted.

I’d once read an old story that included a curse I hadn’t understood in childhood. May you live in interesting times. Now I understood it all too well.

Sometimes a piece had to be sacrificed to take down a king.

“You buried me. But do you know what seeds do when they’re buried?” I wheezed out. “They grow.” He frowned and shrank back as though my strength frightened him. Just you wait, dear uncle. “I was in the dark for a long time. I almost rotted there. But not anymore.”

Please, gods. I know I’ve said a lot of shit about you, but please.

“May you always have the justice you deserve.”

“And you know your feelings aren’t silly, right?” I frowned. “Aren’t they? I’m finally home and the first thing I do is cry.” “Is that a reaction to being home? Or is it the response to everything you’ve had to do and live through in the past month?” Eyes burning all over again, I looked up at him. “It’s just… now I’m safe to finally show that response.”

The easiness of being nothing had been peaceful. As lulling and alluring as the escape of drink. And yet… I didn’t want to walk into the night. I wanted to watch another dawn, another dusk. I wanted to breed more roses and see if I could achieve that rich purple I’d dreamed of. I wanted to lie in the sun sated with cake and sex. I wanted to live. And I wanted to do that with Bastian. I wanted to win another smile from him, another laugh—hells, a hundred more. I wanted to hear him say my name a thousand times. I wanted the touch of his skin on mine, the little gestures that said he was there and he wanted to touch me just because—just because it was pleasing, just because that warmth was a reminder, just because he loved me. The next place might be safe, but it didn’t have any of those things. And I wouldn’t settle for that. I’d settled for too long. I would live. And this time, I’d do it properly.