Page 9 of Fae Unleashed
“Why did you bring him home with you? Do you really have such shit taste in men? Or is this an awful rebound now that Rhoan won’t respond to your advances?” Del’s voice was laced with vicious venom.
I stifled to urge to shove the nearby vase into her face and lifted my chin. Did we really have time to have this argument with Faust sittingright there?
“Oh no, go ahead. I have all the time in the world,” he said with ease.
The corners of the room darkened. A rotten taste filled the air and coated my tongue. I scowled at the man sitting nearby and used my arcana to summon some air-freshening plants. They quickly recycled the air and threw their heady scent out into the room, but it still wasn’t enough to get rid of Faust’s disgusting aura.
“He’s a nightmare king,” Del explained with her attention squarely on him.
Faust grinned. I caught a glimpse of a golden fang at the corner of his mouth. He was dressed like a mortal high-end executive. His suit was clean cut and precise, but there was an aura of danger about him that made one think of mob bosses.
The room continued to get darker and darker. Whispers called out from those dark blots. I could hear the stamp of horse hooves like a herd rushing toward me. Distant battle cries headed my way, making my skin shiver with untamed fear.
Del grabbed my arm so hard it bruised. “He’s doing this on purpose. The Sluagh is his to control. Don’t let him get in your head.”
“The sloo-ah?” I asked, like a fool.
Why couldn’t that question have waited? Because now Faust had a reason to interject, much to everyone’s dismay.
“The Sluagh is my army, dearest. It is those I have defeated, twisted and tormented until they have become monsters at my bidding, trapped in another realm so that they may fight for me.”
“Well,” I said, trying to hide my nerves. “When you put it that way…”
Del and I kept our eyes on the shadowy corners. Faust laughed and the shadows bulged like something was trying to push through from the other side.
“When I put it what way?” Faust shoved out of his seat and closed the distance between us. He tucked a bent knuckle under my cheek and tilted my head back to make me look up at him. A vicious smile curved his lips and revealed his silver-tipped canine. “When I offer you my army? When I promise to bend the knee to a new queen? All in exchange for one…simple…trade.”
My breath hitched. A fire started in my lungs. Almost immediately, I knew what Faust wanted. If he’d come to claim my life, he could have done it already. Even though I had my arcana at the ready, I could hold off one attacker at a time at best. This man had an army waiting at his beck and call. He could swarm us in no time.
He’d come to see if I would give him something else.
Rhoan.
Though I didn’t understand Faust’s fascination with Rhoan, the gleam in the assassin’s eyes told me that it was an all-consuming need. Faust couldn’t care less about the courts or thrones. He didn’t bow to Beryl. His desires kept him from pledging everything to her.
I shoved Faust’s hand away. The only way out of this would be to step in-between again. I had to make sure that Faust couldn’t follow this time. Leaving him in my apartment seemed like a bad idea, but I’d take my life over my apartment any day.
Already, my arcana flooded the wood flooring. New growth curled upwards in the form of small twigs and green leaves. All the sharp, new points turned towards Faust. I didn’t want his blood all over my apartment, but it didn’t seem like there were many other options.
Faust growled and pushed into my space. He gripped my chin with a crushing force. Del shouted a warning, but it was too late. She was too hesitant to follow through. Knowing Del’s dangerous efficiency, seeing her hesitate told me just how strong this man was. The fact that Rhoan and I had escaped him last time seemed like a miracle in retrospect.
“Give. Him. To. Me.” Faust’s fingers sharpened into claws that threatened to punch through my cheeks.
I didn’t flinch. While my insides trembled at the reminder of Alvin, I stayed cool on the outside. Deep in my gut, anger and bitterness gurgled like tar in a pit. The blight on my arcana flickered and spread.
My arcana wanted to lash out at Faust and dig claws into him, too. His grip reminded me of Alvin. Here was the vengeance I could never get. This man could suffer the way that I wanted Alvin to suffer.
“Do you think this scares me?” I asked.
The gleam in Faust’s eyes flickered, uncertain.
“A man has tried to rip my throat out. Another tried to use me as bait. I’ve been shot by an elven assassin and brewed my own poison antidote while slowly dying.” The feeling of sunlight beaming down upon my arcana garden returned and warmed my skin. I straightened my spine and held Faust’s gaze.
His lips parted, but he said nothing. The man studied my face. From his expression, it didn’t seem like he could find what he was looking for. That made me smile.
I was even happier when I saw a flash of black hair behind Faust. The air rippled with magic before a blade appeared through Faust’s chest.
Faust looked down with his lips curled in disgust. He touched the bloodied tip of the blade and peered at his fingers before shaking his head. A sigh left him.
