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Fallen. I hadn’t had to use that term in ages. Every species—faeries, werewolves, shapeshifters, nymphs—were descended from angels. No one knew whether it was mutation or evolution that had separated us.
It was well-known that the muscles of a werewolf gave you unparalleled strength. The hands of a faerie lent you their magic. The lungs of a nymph brought the ability to breathe underwater. The heart of my kind would eliminate all the eater’s fears.
Fortuna, never make a promise that you can’t keep. Nightmares may be lies, but we don’t have to be liars.
My freedom, my brother. I’d fought and regained one. Would I sacrifice everything for the other, as well?
“Haven’t you heard?” Jassin leaned close. He smelled like everything tempting and addictive. Like chocolate. Like sex. “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”
“They will write songs about you, Fortuna Sworn. Oh, how they’ll laugh and sing. You’ll be a legend. The female who married the King of the Unseelie Court and didn’t even know it.”
With every lash, I lost more than skin and blood. I lost the potential to someday love my mate.
“There was one among them named Olorel. He had the ability to create openings to dimensions alongside this one. When he realized their survival was unlikely, he gave his life to create a place his companions would be safe.
“I’m not wearing that,” I said flatly. The words belied the way my heart still raced. Casually, I lowered my hand. Laurie didn’t seem to notice the small movement. He rolled his eyes. “That’s what you said last time. Can we skip the part where I point out all the reasons you should wear it and you realize I’m right?” “Can we skip the part where I trust anything that comes out of a faerie’s mouth?” I retorted.
If Collith was a star-filled sky, Laurie was the breeze whispering past as you gazed upward.
“I’ll admit that I haven’t known you very long, Lady Sworn. Even so, you strike me as the kind who doesn’t like others getting the last word.”
“Aren’t you coming?” I asked, frowning. The faerie shook his bright head. “No, but I’ll be nearby. If you’d like, we can come up with a signal. I’ll see it and assist in whatever way I can.” “Oh, yeah? Like what?” He grinned, revealing perfect teeth. “You could pick your nose. Or start shrieking.” “We might need something more subtle,” I replied dryly. Laurie chuckled and melted into the darkness.
“You did well during the tribunal,” he commented. My lip curled. “How so? By not dying?” “You did not allow us to break you. We do so love our broken things.”
I would never love the Unseelie King. But maybe I didn’t have to hate him, either.
My best friend tilted his head. The light touched his eyes again, even more intensely than before. “If you died, Fortuna, I’d follow you into whatever afterlife there is. The rest doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“It’s simple, really. Close your eyes. Picture the worst possible outcome. Be cruel to yourself. Spare no pain. Do this again, and again, and again. Until one day, you find yourself immune to it, and the fear no longer controls you.”
“The Queen of the Unseelie Court must possess extraordinary strength, for the crown is heavy. She must be as cunning as the Dark Prince, for she will defend our doors. She must be devoted to the people, for not all have power or wisdom to do so themselves.
I glared at Collith and wondered if God had created his angels beautiful for practical reasons, rather than aesthetic ones. A beautiful thing was much harder to destroy than an ugly thing.
“Nothing ends, Fortuna Sworn,” he responded airily. He kept his gaze on the humans making their harried arrangements. “There are only continuations and beginnings.”
“Why does it matter so much what I’m wearing?” I asked, touching it. “The more they care about your dress and how low your neckline is, the less they’re going to care about what you’re actually doing in it.”
My biggest regrets over the centuries were not borne from ‘consequences’; they were because I let pesky fears get in the way.
“One would think you’re having regrets, Your Majesty,” I retorted, tucking what just happened away for later contemplation. “About you? Never.”
Laurie moved into my line of vision. He was dressed in a royal blue tunic with gold trimming. Combined with his silver hair, he was devastating. Who the hell was this faerie? “I just wanted to say that you’re the bravest creature I’ve ever met,” he told me with undeniable sincerity. “Should’ve mentioned it earlier. You distracted me.”
“Don’t you know what strengthens a Nightmare’s power?” Laurie crooked his finger and leaned over the fire. His breath―which somehow smelled of wildflowers and green things―warmed my neck. “Unleashed fury. Pain. The things bad dreams are made of.”
