11. Tavish
11
TAVISH
I should’ve known that even a human version of Lira would be a pain in my ass. As a young girl, she’d loved to challenge her parents. She had been determined to find her own way and never molded to expectations. I’d always admired that about her, wishing I could be more like her … until now.
The group of men behind her charged forward, coming way too blasted close to knocking her and my guards over. Seeing the way her dress hung open in the front, almost displaying her breasts, with golden blood trickling down and staining the material, I burned to unleash the damn protective streak inside me and kill everyone who’d harmed her.
Staying away hadn’t lessened my emotions toward her; in fact, I feared my feelings for her might have intensified.
Alastor removed his sword from behind her, readying to lop off her head. The wildling enjoyed violence, and men like him had forced me to become the man I was now.
Unfortunately, I had no choice about what I had to do next. If I didn’t mitigate the desire for a revolt, civil war would break out.
I allowed frost magic to pulse from deep inside me. Unlike the darkness and the illusions I could manifest, this magic was light blue. I lifted my hand, allowing the frost to run down my arm and out of my palm, its rigidness turning my blood almost to ice, making me feel refreshed. However, I didn’t have time to enjoy the sensation. I froze Alastor with his knife inches from meeting the back of Lira’s neck.
My chest heaved as rage consumed me, and I clung to it. Not only was the sensation familiar, but it allowed me to amplify my magic. I needed my people to see what I could do if they chose to fight against me. The sky darkened as more magic hummed from me to the point that the moon disappeared and a haze hovered above our heads. Both my frost and darkness magic merged, which caused the snow to increase, allowing a coating to cling to our clothes.
With my magic on display, I bellowed, “None of you have the right or authority to make a decision that your king hasn’t blessed!” With each word, dread pooled heavier in my stomach … the sort of dread I hadn’t felt since the day I regained consciousness at fourteen, only to find my parents, who lay dead, feet away from me.
Not only was I on the brink of losing control of my people, but the one way to protect Lira was to set her up to face the most vicious of them all.
“You’re protecting a sunscorched at the cost of your people,” Sablean shouted, hatred lacing his words and his dark-green eyes turning sinister. He marched toward the front to take the place of his best friend, not wanting him to have died in vain. “We will not—”
I flipped my wrist, allowing the illusions I cast in nightmares to filter into his mind as I flew over Lira’s head and landed beside the man. The way my neck tingled with awareness, I knew Lira was watching over her shoulder, and the strange, pleasant sensation of having her attention soared through me even more. I placed the edge of my blade against his throat, and Sablean whimpered.
I had no intention of killing him—he hadn’t posed any direct harm to Lira or myself—but that didn’t mean I could tolerate his disobedience. I asked through gritted teeth, “Does anyone else want to challenge me?” I pressed deeper into Sablean’s neck, needing his blood to spill. However, I didn’t cut deep enough to end his life.
My stance had to be clear. Threatening or disobeying the king would result in death, but speaking one’s mind out of turn would be forgiven once. I had to maintain control.
If a war broke out among the Unseelie, none of us would survive here. Our ground barely grew enough food to feed us, and only because the Seelie fae had allowed a handful of their people with earth magic to provide enough nutrients for us to skimp by.
A war would require resources we didn’t have.
I made sure my gaze connected with each person who’d been protesting outside the castle, and I noted who had been at the doors, demanding I come out and explain myself to them.
Like I blasting needed to seek their approval when I’d been doing everything I could to take back what was rightfully ours … by readying myself to kill the one person who had made me feel something more than the anger I’d breathed for the past twelve years of my life.
It was all for them.
And this was how they responded.
I wanted to punish each and every one of them. And I would, but not here. Not now .
The Unseelie who weren’t outside were watching from their windows. If I injured anyone else, it would only fuel their hatred for Lira and encourage others to join the instigators opposing me.
Foolishly, I wished I could go back in time. I should never have brought her here.
Silence descended. The guards stood at my side, but they hesitated as if uncertain they wanted to protect me.
I’d allowed things with her to go too far. Eldrin had warned me, but not before the damage was done. I had to do right by my people … do what my father would’ve done for them. My obligation was to them more than anyone.
I cleared my throat. “Good, because from this point on, anyone who speaks out against me will die at my hand.” I paused, allowing my words to sink in. I’d already delivered on this promise once before, against one in my inner circle. “Now, I will say what needs to be said, and I won’t tolerate any interruptions.” I nodded to the frozen man I’d killed in front of them. “My plan was to take the princess alive and in good health to the Seelie kingdom’s veil and spill her blood in front of witnesses. However, that plan has changed.”
I had to be careful because I didn’t need them to realize the truth. “I gave the sunscorched more privileges than she deserved to serve our greater good … to have the most impact. But that wasn’t enough for her. Not only did she try to escape, but she attacked me, which I won’t tolerate.” If I allowed her to do it, my people would turn on me. “As such, my guards are to prepare for the second-ever gauntlet. The sunscorched princess will take part, and you will get to enjoy watching her fight for her life.”
The anger etched into every one of their faces turned to pure delight. I lowered my sword but continued to push my magic into Sablean and the world around us. Somehow, calling for the gauntlet made me feel more ill than the first time.
I clung to the lesson my father had beaten into me several times growing up. The best way to control your people is to lead with fear. Ruthlessness is essential if you don’t want someone to take the crown from you. We hadn’t been ruthless with the Seelie, trying to bridge peace at my mother’s request, and because of that, my parents had died at the Seelies’ hands.
“Take him to his home.” I gestured to Sablean, refusing to relinquish control of his mind until later. This would be a punishment for him, and all would see what sort of state he’d be in after I released my hold on him.
Not bothering to wipe off his blood, I sheathed my sword and turned to Lira.
I didn’t expect the way my heart skipped a beat when I saw her.
Her cheeks were golden from the cold, and her blonde hair was wild with snow in it. Her cobalt eyes looked hard as she stared at me with distrust and malice, and my heart stuttered. Her cleavage was on full display, her nipples taut, causing my dick to harden and my pants to get a little too tight at this very inopportune time. She was wild, feral … and downright gorgeous.
“I’ll take her back up,” Torcall said, readying to carry her.
My hand inched back toward my sword at the thought of her being close to him. Clenching my jaw, I forced my hand to relax. I couldn’t act irrationally.
I forced myself to nod at him, and as he took her away, I turned back to my people, knowing if I continued to watch him touch her, I’d lose my composure. Nothing had changed tonight between Lira and me. Her death had always been the goal. What I felt for her was irrelevant, and hopefully, when she died, the strange emotions would die with her.
Heart squeezing, I lifted my chin and slipped a neutral mask back into place. “Next time anything like this happens, you all will be placed in prison. I won’t tolerate this behavior ever again. Do you understand?” I allowed the edges of darkness to swirl around me as the snow picked up.
As the Unseelie king, I had the most power over darkness, illusions, frost, and dreams. No one could do as much damage as I could, and they needed to remember that. Not even Eldrin could blend completely into darkness; he cast mere shadows.
“Anyone who threatens me also threatens the survival of our people.” I spoke clearly, allowing the rocks to echo the message to the entire village. “And they shall be killed.”
Two men flanked Sablean and took his arms while the oldest resident of the village flew high from his spot next to the door. “Yes, King Tavish.” He bowed his head, his dark-blond hair gleaming faintly in the thick fog that hovered over us. “We won’t doubt you again.”
Some of the tension eased from my shoulders, though I kept my stance tight. “Good. Now hurry home and rest. It’s late. Tomorrow, you’ll need to double your workload since the gauntlet will start in two nights.” I glanced at the guards by my side and at Nightbane, who lay miserably on the ground, tormented by dreams. “And take the dog to his cell and punish him. Do whatever it takes for him not to do something like this again.”
The men who hadn’t seemed appeased relaxed. They’d probably suspected I wouldn’t set a date, which was exactly why I had. I had to give them every reason not to rise against me again.
Not wasting any more time, I expanded my massive wings and soared above them. I stared down at them until I blanketed myself in darkness and lifted into the fog. I wanted to hear what they had to say about their actions, but something yanked at me to go after Lira. I needed to reach her and check that she was all right, which was foolish. In two days, she’d likely be dead unless her memories came back, along with her wings and magic. There was no doubt the inmates would team up and work against her.
Acid inched upward in my throat, making me feel as if I would vomit.
I flew past my bedchamber and was heading to the holding cells when my attention landed on a window that had been lifted several feet high.
My mouth went dry. That was how Lira had escaped? Earth must have done a number on her, making her ignorant.
“Let me go,” Lira snapped from inside my room. “I’m back in place. And where is Nightbane?”
“If you think we’re going to leave you alone after that —” Finola started, only stopping when I flew through the window.
Lira stood in the middle of the room, her back to me, with her hands on her hips. I made sure to remain soundless, but I knew the moment she felt my presence.
Her body tensed, and she pivoted so she could see both me and the guards.
Excellent. She knew better than to keep her back turned to an enemy. Whether I wanted it to be that way or not, that’s what we were. Her parents had made sure of that, and there was no way back .
“Your Majesty, we weren’t sure where you wanted us to take her, so I brought her here.” Torcall folded his wings behind his back and averted his gaze. “If you want us to take her to the cell to prepare, we can do that.”
“Prepare for what ?” Lira huffed and winced, touching her chest where she’d been cut. “And where is Nightbane?”
Two of her toenails were cracked and bleeding from being barefoot outside, and her hands were tinged blue from the cold.
“Leave her here,” I rasped, a dangerous edge to my tone. “And go.”
Her head snapped up toward me, and she clenched her jaw.
My stomach suddenly felt funny, and it wasn’t from the bile anymore.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Torcall bowed his head. “We’ll stand guard since you’ll want to attend dinner.”
“I won’t be leaving tonight.” I hated the way those words settled over me. I struggled to leave her every day and lay awake at night, watching her sleep from my bed. “I can’t risk our little sprite sneaking out again. Between that and a brazen attacker in the castle, I need to ensure she remains well so everyone can see her in the gauntlet.”
She huffed and stomped her foot, then cringed.
Good. It served her right for being so reckless. She had caused a ton of issues by escaping and attacking my people. I’d underestimated her, and that alone infuriated me. I’d accounted for seduction, trying to find a way to kill me, and escaping down the castle hall. I’d never dreamed she’d climb out the window.
“Go,” I reiterated, my entire focus locked on her.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Finola replied, and the two guards left us alone .
When the door shut, I forced my feet to remain still. “What were you thinking, climbing out the window like that?”
She crossed her arms, blocking a portion of her chest. “Oh, I don’t know, nightmare . Maybe I don’t want to die. Maybe I want to get out of here so I can find a way back to my family and live out my life!” Her voice shook, but it wasn’t from fear. Her nostrils flared, conveying every ounce of anger she’d harnessed. “And is Nightbane okay?”
I couldn’t let her weaken me, but I still didn’t understand her connection with the cù-sìth. “Nightbane is being taken back to his bed so he can be taught a lesson. He wanted to aid you in your escape and attacked other Unseelie. That is unacceptable.”
“He was protecting me.” She tugged at the ends of her hair. “Punish me instead of him.”
“Oh, you’ll be punished soon enough.” I forced myself not to flinch, instead focusing on the goal I needed to accomplish. I pulled up the memory of my dead parents, blood soaking through their clothes and the Seelie guards hovering over them. My heart hardened, and some of the urge to comfort her slipped away. “And letting you go isn’t possible.” A lump formed in my throat, but I ignored it, making sure I enunciated every word. “You won’t get to live out your life in Gleann Solas or back on Earth, sprite.”
“And I don’t have the option of living here either.” Her bottom lip trembled faintly before she pressed her lips together firmly.
The one thing I wanted most in the realm could never happen—to close the distance and hold her in my arms. That would only further strain things between us. “No, you don’t.” There was no point in giving her false hope. “In fact, you’d better bathe and get some sleep so you can heal as much as possible for what lies ahead.”
“Are you going to tell me what the fuck the gauntlet is?” The snow had melted in her hair, and the few flakes still speckled on her chest had mixed with her drying blood. “Are you lining me up for lashes? Hanging me in front of the crowd?”
“If only it were that quick and painless.” That would be easier to witness than the hell she’d be experiencing. There was no doubt her death would be prolonged and painful. “Sprite, you have no idea what you got yourself into. You’ll wish I’d slit your throat.” I forced myself to smile, needing her to fear me and keep her distance.
Her jaw dropped, and her eyes narrowed.
I stepped toward her, though I hadn’t meant to, and ran a finger along her cheek. That damn jolt sprang between us, but I bared my teeth, leaning down toward her. Her chest heaved, and I wasn’t certain if it was from fear or attraction … maybe both. Either way, it invigorated me.
I moved my lips to her ear, ready to tell her what she desperately wanted to know.