Page 42 of Treasured By the Fae Royal
“Who was your father?” I ask.
Bartonnus blinks fast and continues rubbing his arms, but the blue light keeps flashing over him. He winces, making me suspect it’s causing him pain. I don’t feel sorry for him, however, because he kidnapped me. Somehow, he brought me from the inn to this dark but ussha glowing forest.
“My father was the greatest, most powerful mage in the history of the realm.”
Ice fills my veins. The mage. The mage who wielded dark magic. The very same mage who cursed Lucas and his brothers so they would never have fated mates.
“But… how?” I ask. “You’re part-fae. At least I think you are. The mage you’re speaking about was a human, and?—”
“He tricked my fae mother into sleeping with him. Using dark magic, of course, he tricked my fae mother into bed, and after she gave birth to me, he stole me away and raised me all by himself. I adored my father, and he was taken from me too soon.”
I gape at the deranged male. “Your father was killed a few thousand years ago.” How long does a part-fae, part-human who’s also a mage normally live? My head spins as I think about it, and my fear also deepens. Because Bartonnus is hurting and grieving, and he also holds a lot of hate in his heart. Hate for King Haratt.
“Yes, yes, he was killed a few thousand years ago, yet it still fucking feels like yesterday.” He draws in a huge breath, and when he next speaks, his voice takes on a raspy tone, and his red eyes glow brighter. “He died before he could teach me all he knows and now look at me. I’m shriveled and slowly dying. The human half of me, anyway. I can’t penetrate the Summer Court to reach the king, but I can kill his sons when they venture into the human and orcs lands. And so I will.”
Keep him talking, I remind myself.Keep the fucker talking.I take a careful step back and say, “The magic you used to bring me to this forest must be powerful. Why, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He snorts. “Of course it’s powerful. It’s magic my father taught me, though it’s a pity it won’t work on highborn fae. Still, it might be better this way. The first blood warning I left at the tower didn’t kill Prince Lucas as I’d hoped, but perhaps the second one will.” His eyes glimmer with sheer evil. “He’s in love with you, and I imagine your death will bring him to his knees.”
My heart nearly stops. I stare at Bartonnus, unsure of what to say. Is the prince truly in love with me, and if so, how does this horrible male know? Grief swells in my chest. What if I never see Lucas again? What if this is the end? I’ve been in this strange forest for a while now and I’ve glimpsed no sign of him. I have no idea how far Giarrla is from this place.
“Ah, you didn’t know, then?” Bartonnus clasps his hands and grins. “I watched your wedding ceremony from afar, and it was obvious to me by the way he looked at you. I suspect it was obvious to everyone in attendance. In any case, it’s time for me to create the blood warning. He’ll probably be here soon, and I must be ready.” He lunges for me.
I spin and bolt through the trees. “Lucas!” I scream into the night. “Lucas, I’m here!”
CHAPTER26
LUCAS
Worry and feartighten in my gut, and my blood boils with rage. Someone took Yvette. A terrible creature. Someone not quite human or fae. Someone who emanates darkness and evil. I caught a glimpse of the dark-haired, wrinkled being just before Yvette disappeared in a black cloud.
I circle over the forest, following my senses. Thankfully, the high concentrations of ussha are making everything sharper. My hearing, my smell, and even my intuition.
A noise below catches my attention, and I swoop down. Yvette’s voice reaches my ears, and I fly faster. The moment I spot her on the ground, my fear for her heightens.
Gods, no. Please, no.
A huge, wrinkled male is holding her by the throat, and they’re standing in a pool of water. It’s the precursor to a blood warning. He’s about to slit her throat and make her the blood sacrifice. I don’t have time to consider who this male is or why he’s doing this. I don’t think, I simply act.
Though it’s difficult to disappear and reappear in a flash while flying, I put all my magic into the act as I continue soaring downward. It works, and I appear directly behind the male in the pool of water.
He’s dead before he even knows it’s coming.
That’s how fast I kill him.
I crush his throat at the same moment I snatch the knife from his hand. Yvette cries out and starts to fall into the water, but I catch her and shoot into the sky, leaving the dead male below.
I pause above the trees and tread air as I hold her close and look her over. A few tiny scratches mar her face and arms, but I glimpse no cuts or bruises. She trembles in my arms and stares at me with wide eyes.
“Sweetling.” I blink fast, overcome by emotion. Relief fills me to bursting. She’s alive. She’s whole. Thank the gods.
“Lucas. How-how did you find me? Where are we?”
“We’re still in the same orc territory. Only a few miles from Giarrla.” I resume flying, and I evoke the warmth of summer in hopes that it will stop her shaking and help dry her clothing. “I’m taking you back to the inn. Just in case that male, whoever he was, has friends lying in wait. My soldiers are out searching for you in the forest. If the male had friends working with him, they’ll be discovered soon enough.”
“He was working alone,” she says. “Well, he didn’t specifically say so, but I got a very good sense that he was alone. Don’t you realize who that male was, Lucas? Lucas, stop flying so fast, and let me explain.”
I cast a wary glance around and head for a wide branch in a towering tree, promising myself we’ll leave at the first sign of danger. I sit on the branch and lean against the tree as I cradle Yvette in my arms. I summon healing light and move my hands over her scratches.
