Chapter 30 Bylur
The guard change was loud enough that it gave me something new to focus on.
They laughed over how two fae remained on the ground after they’d been beaten and complained about how the queen had insisted they leave me alone.
I suppressed a groan. I never accepted volunteers to work in my dungeons because I did not want to give unsupervised power to violent fae.
These soldiers were more abusive than law-promoting.
They wanted excuses to hurt, not room to protect.
I imagined the lecture I’d give if I discovered them among my guards. The way I would let my shadows strike terror into their blood—
“Why thank you, Oprun.” A high-pitched, false voice cut through the dungeon corridors. “I do appreciate your help with that.” Moments later, Queen Daneira stood in front of my door. “Bylur, you look completely out of place here.”
She pointed her chin at the door and a soldier opened it for her. She wrinkled her nose and waved a hand in front of her face. “This place is absolutely disgusting, Bylur. Are you ready to leave yet?”
I met her dark eyes. “I am ready to leave at any point if you release me.”
She stepped all the way into the cell and settled her hand against my cheek. “That was a poor joke, Bylur, but I’ll excuse it just this once, since you are clearly suffering from standing here all day.”
I turned my cheek away from her. “It was no joke.”
“Oh, Bylur.” Her fake sweet voice made my stomach turn.
She dropped her hands to the cuff around my right wrist and lifted it slightly, stroking the back of my hand. “I’ll bring you out of these chains the moment you agree to marry me.”
I jerked my hand away from hers, making the chains rattle against each other, and
narrowed my eyes. “I would rather die.”
She slapped my cheek, and the sound echoed off the stone walls. I ground my teeth together. I would not respond to her attempts to provoke me this time. “That can be arranged,” she hissed. Then she put on a sickly sweet smile. “In two more days.”
She grabbed my hand again, but this time her grip was full of anger. She squeezed my fingers, and a layer of ice coated them. “A little something to remember me by.” Her voice shifted to sing-song tones. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
I waited for her and the soldier she’d brought to leave my corridor before I slammed my hand against the stone wall. The ice shattered and fell to the floor, leaving my fingers cold and sore.
I was a winter fae—the cold should not have been a problem—but it seemed that her magic-blocking cuffs had blocked that part of me as well. I slid my hands under my tunic and pressed my chilled, bruised fingers against my side.
This was going to be a very long night.
Oh, for a dose of Auria’s nightmare prevention tactics. Or her sweet, sincere chaos. I’d have taken a thousand complaints of missing jewels and bread if it would have meant another chance to hold her.