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This highborn fae is the godsdamned general of the Summer Court army.

The human man keeps trying to stab the general with a small knife, but his efforts are futile. He can’t manage to penetrate the general’s clothing.

I cover a gasp and go still as I continue to observe the scene.

“Please!” the human man cries as he finally drops the knife. “Please let me go. I didn’t have anything to do with the attack on that nearby fae settlement, I swear it!”

General Dalgaard growls, and his visage fills with rage. “Doesn’t matter,” he says with another growl. “A contingent of soldiers from this pitiful human town killed twelve of my people in that unprovoked attack.You will pay. This whole town will pay.Blood for blood.” He lifts the human man up by his neck and displays a malicious grin.

Sickness curls in my stomach as I watch the human man while he thrashes around, kicking his legs as his face turns red and finally purple. Eventually, he stops moving and his head slumps to the side.

Dead. He’s dead.

The general’s black wings flare as he tosses the man aside, and it’s then that I notice his wings have sharp, pointed tips on the bottoms and tops. Gods. Not only is he the largest fae male I’ve ever seen, but he’s the most lethal looking.

Highborn fae can summon and vanish their wings at will, and though I’d known many of the fae occupying Sorsston could summon wings, I never saw them do it inside the walls of the castle. This is my first time glimpsing General Dalgaard’s impressive wings, and my mouth goes dry.

The general’s wings dip down, and he appears ready to bolt into the sky, but he pauses when a human man wearing armor runs out of the same building, holding a sword high as he charges toward General Dalgaard. Armor and a sword? Well, perhaps Glenville does have a militia. I can’t help but wonder if this brave yet utterly foolish human man was among those who attacked the nearby fae settlement in question.

I glance at the forest again. I should make a run for it right now. While the fearsome general is distracted by the charging human man.

Except… I can’t quite make my feet move.

I’m not proud to admit it, but I’m scared. I’m trembling and on the verge of shock. I’m terrified the general will chase me down and slaughter me next if he takes notice of me. Maybe I should wait until he vacates the area, then I can finally make a run for the forest.

General Dalgaard turns to face the charging human. Before the man can take another step, the general swoops his left wingoutward across his opponent’s throat. Blood spurts, and the man falls to the ground.

Oh gods. The general really is a brutal, deadly creature.

I gasp and I’m about to take a step back, only for the winged fae male to glance my way just as a harsh gust of wind blows my hat off. His eyes flare when he notices me. Cold fear grips my heart, and my legs go weak.

Run. I need to run.

Why won’t my legs work?

A whimper escapes me. This is it. I’m dead. In seconds, he’s going to kill me. He’ll probably slice my throat with his deadly wings, or maybe he’ll choke me to death. I don’t want to die, but if he’s going to kill me, I pray he makes it quick. I pray he doesn’t resort to torture.

General Dalgaard takes a step forward, and the interest lighting his eyes turns to… dark lust. I’ve been around enough fae to know that look when I see it, and it startles me to my core.

Somehow, I snap out of my fear-induced trance and force my legs to move.

I push off the building and run for the forest.

A deep, vicious growl sounds behind me.

CHAPTER 3

AMELIA

I’m almostat the tree line when I glance over my shoulder. I can’t help it. I have to look. I have to know whether he’s chasing me. General Dalgaard. Oh, gods. I can’t believe I’m running from the fucking general of the Summer Court army. I’m dead. So dead.

Sure enough, he’s giving chase. His huge black wings vanish in a flash of light, and I suppose that’s because the forest is too dense for him to easily navigate with a pair of massive wings. Ice fills my veins, and I turn around and run faster.

I enter the forest and hasten my pace even as branches and overgrown shrubbery hit my face and impact my arms. I wince as a sharp pain pierces my left arm, and I soon realize I must’ve brushed against a thorny bush. Despite the pain, I don’t slow my stride, not even when I brush against another bush and thorns dig into my right arm.

Why hasn’t the general caught me yet? Surely he’s faster than me. He’s a highborn fae.

I can’t resist another peek over my shoulder, and when I scan the forest for any sign of him, I spot him on the edge of the clearing. He’s locked in battle with four armored human soldiers. He summons his wings in a flash of brilliant light, then swipes a wing out and slices one man’s throat, felling him on the spot. Then he turns in a circle as he appears to size the other soldiers up.