Page 10 of Fae Unleashed
“Did you think you could harm me, Rhoan?” Faust asked as he glanced back over his shoulder.
I wanted to be done with this creep once and for all. The shadows burst open right as I pulled my arcana up through the floor panels. The branches twisted and darted towards Faust. Shadowed creatures descended upon our heads.
Del blocked an ethereal blade aimed at my head. She shoved the ghostly warrior away and muttered her irritation under her breath. The ghosts of long dead fae moaned and howled. Their battle cries shook the glass that I’d just had replaced. More and more flooded from the shadow portals in the corner and descended upon us.
When I turned back to Faust, a broad grin spread across his face as he pushed himself off Rhoan’s blade. The tilt of Faust’s head seemed inhuman. His joints popped apart like a marionette’s. Eyes wide, Faust cackled with mad glee…right before vanishing.
In the blink of an eye, the shadowed warriors filling the living room blinked out of existence. The adrenaline flooding my veins faded and dropped me to my knees. I stared up in awe at the now-empty air.
Faust couldn’t corner me now that Rhoan had returned. While the two of them could have duked it out, Faust no longer had the advantage that he wanted, and so he left. I dropped to my knees and let out the breath I’d been holding. My confidence washed out of me and left me feeling more like a husk than anything else.
I’d been brave in the face of Faust’s demented bullying, but I was grateful that Rhoan had reappeared when he did.
Rhoan
Furious,I wiped Faust’s blood from my blade. I couldn’t bring myself to look in Cerri’s direction just yet. While I didn’t want to blame her, I knew this wouldn’t have happened had she not left my side. I’d promised to protect her, but I couldn’t do that if she kept running.
The woman ran from everything. The truth was hot on her heels, but she wouldn’t turn and look it in the eye. I couldn’t force her to do it, either, as much as it vexed me.
She knelt on the living room floor. Her jaw hung open. When she shook her head and gathered herself, she buried her face in her hands. It was only when she hung her head that I noticed the white streak in her hair had grown wider.
From here, I could see the swirling black tattoo beneath her white shirt, too. The inky curse kept spreading. If we weren’t careful, it would consume her. She would become like me, and I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want Cerri to suffer and struggle the way that I had to.
I stared down at the blood on the fabric after wiping my blade. Faust had gotten away again. He’d sent one of his Sluagh, glamoured to look like himself, after me. I hadn’t expected him to go after my princess. The man wanted me.
What was he doing hunting Cerri down?
Del sidled up beside me. Under her breath, she hissed, “What is going on here? Why is Faust trying to strike deals with your Seelie cow?”
My beast reacted before I could. I spun and shoved Del against the wall with my forearm. My growl vibrated my entire chest when I leaned into her face. She remained unflinching. Cerri was the only one to seem alarmed.
Before my princess could race to tear me away from Del, I whispered, “Call her that again, and I’ll make sure you have no home in any realm. No place will be safe for you.”
Del’s eyes narrowed in warning. I couldn’t tell her that the damage was already done. What was I supposed to do? Take back my feelings? The best I could do was shove them back and hold them at bay.
“Rhoan Glenwood!” Cerri grabbed at my arm and yanked me back.
I let Cerri pull me away from Del. The elven assassin’s feet hit the floor with a near-silent thump. Del straightened her sweatshirt and promptly turned away from me like I wasn’t worth her time.
Del had my best interests in mind, but she was shit at helping me. Calling my princess a Seelie cow wasn’t going to push me away from her. It wasn’t going to change the way I thought about anyone other than Del.
Today had gone to shit, and I was tired of it. My princess made my job difficult with her tantrums. Faust could have killed her today. The only thing that saved her was the beast in me that Faust wanted to add to his army of Sluagh. Had I not been there, then who knows what would have happened?
When I looked up again, Del had disappeared. The woman made a silent exit, and I couldn’t have cared less. I was glad to see her gone. She was here for the money. I couldn’t trust Cerri’s safety in her hands.
A part of me had hoped that Del would come to our side. I could have offered her a home in our court. Ever since her own exile from her elven kingdom, she’d been on the run. That’s what happened when your kingdom thought you killed your very important elven husband.
Had she done it? I had no idea. Asking never seemed like a good idea.
Cerri cut into my thoughts when she approached. Immediately, I looked her up and down for any signs of wounds. Without thinking, I reached for her. My hand hung in the air between us, her eyes on it, before I let it fall back down at my side.
My beast snarled at me. It wanted to comfort her, to make sure that she was unharmed, and to show her all the ways I loved her. I sucked in a breath and held it while I fought back my rising feelings. They needed to stay tamped down.
I couldn’t serve her like this. I had to be cold and detached, for her sake.
Cerri’s nose wrinkled when my hand dropped. She spun and stalked away. Once more, she threw herself on the floor, this time on the big carpet that sprawled across the living room floor. Face down, she stayed there. I thought she would have another tantrum, but she made no sound. Not even a strangled sob left her.
“Did he hurt you?” I asked, only after finally locking my emotions in a box.
