Chapter 17 – Ayer
AYER
I’m gonna kill him.
I’m gonna flay him alive and roast his body on a spit like a rotisserie goose.
The prince isn’t hard to find. He’s exactly where Wyatt said he’d be: lingering just outside the armoury tent, discussing something with Gem, our blacksmith.
Theo’s eyes lift, and the son of stones smiles knowingly at the sight of me storming his way. My fist tightens at my side. It’s work to resist pummeling that shit-eating grin off of his face.
But as I get closer, it’s easier to see past Theo’s thin mask of amusement.
Behind that all-too-familiar devilish smile and mischievous glint in his eyes, there’s an underlying weariness.
A tension running through him that’s nearly undetectable, except that I know Theo better than anyone.
And it’s for that reason, and that reason alone, I don’t throttle him where he stands.
“Did you get your present?” The prince smirks, blue eyes sparkling before they dart to Wyatt trailing me.
His words test my resolve not to throttle him, and my answering scowl elicits a chuckle.
“Explain!” I demand.
Still laughing, Theo dismisses Gem with a nod, starting back the way we came.
“Yeah, okay,” he muses, regaining his composure as we walk through the cluttered war camp to his tent.
“You know, most guys would have just said, ‘Thank you very much, Your Majesty,’ before disappearing into their tent for the next several hours.”
“We don’t take fae prisoners. I don’t take fae prisoners.” It’s a standing rule, as simple as that. I can’t imagine what Theo was thinking with this little stunt of his.
We reach Theo’s tent, but the prince doesn’t respond; he just surveys the surrounding area quickly before waving both Wyatt and me inside.
“She should have died when the wall fell,” I grumble, pacing the open space of Theo’s tent. It’s empty, save for the three of us.
“Yes, but you were the one who decided not to kill her. Not me. Remember?” Theo’s kind enough to remind me.
My fingers twitch at my sides. Given that she is a royal, it was not my call to make. I was sure he’d take care of it.
“And now, given the state of things, your little faerie is of much more use to both of us alive. Especially considering we’ve torn Rosecliff apart, and the better part of the Kovarian army—not to mention the two princes—are nowhere to be found.
” He runs a hand through his blonde hair, chewing his lip in frustration.
It doesn’t make sense. Theo confirmed the two princes’ presence in Rosecliff before his capture. And we had been watching the castle from the moment they took him.
Where in the stones did they go?
Sighing, Theo strides deeper into his tent, throwing himself upon the sofa and sinking into the plush cushions with a tired sigh.
The prince likely hasn’t slept since the day prior, and dark circles rim his eyes, betraying his exhaustion.
With everything going on, we haven’t talked about what Sitara did to him in that dungeon of theirs.
“You look like hell.”
Theo grunts, closing his eyes while resting the back of his head on the cushion, taking full advantage of this brief moment of quiet.
“What in the twelve hells, Theo?” I curse, losing patience with my friend. I take a seat across from him, before leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.
The prince runs a tired hand down his face, pushing himself up slowly to look at me, amusement fading away. “Has she said anything?”
“No.” Not that I’ve spent much time with her. “But she’s also gagged,” I admit.
Theo looks surprised. “What? I didn’t do that.” He first looks at me before his gaze goes to Wyatt, who’s found a seat at the table conveniently next to a full platter of fruit.
“Nash did that,” Wyatt supplies between bites, nibbling on a strawberry before snickering. “Right after she bit him.”
“She did what?” Theo nearly falls off the sofa in his shock of laughter.
My irritation with the situation is still too great to laugh at the scenario, but I can’t help the way the corner of my lip ticks up at the thought of the delicate little fae princess getting the jump on Nash of all people. He hates the fae. She’s lucky he didn’t end her right there.
“She’s fiery, that one, I’ll give her that,” Theo muses, winking at me.
Anger swirls at Theo’s cavalier attitude, and I make an attempt to set the conversation back on track.
“Listen, Theo, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, enslaving a fae royal, but I don’t have time for it.
You know I leave tomorrow for Firelle.” Our men spent most of the day combing through Rosecliff, but haven’t been able to locate the book we came for.
It should have been there. And perhaps it had been, but it disappeared alongside the rest of the godsdamned population, army, and princes.
I rise, anger getting the better of me as I pace the small space. I’m still trying to work out how, exactly, the entire population of Rosecliff just up and disappeared while we had the place surrounded.
“Yeah, so?”
“So…” I repeat, my temper heating further, “I can’t babysit a fae princess for you at the same time I’m busy trying to win you a war.”
Theo holds up a finger. “Win my father a war,” he corrects. “I’m not king yet.”
“Theo…” The bite in my tone holds a warning that would send most men crawling, but Theo ignores me, reaching for a cup half-full of some liquid he finds within reach, giving it a sniff.
“Relax, Ayer. Gods, we still have plan B, and you know you could use a little fun.”
“It’s not safe,” I argue, shaking my head. “There’s a reason we don’t keep fae alive.” The creatures are crafty devils, skilled in the art of deception and tricks. “Keeping the princess alive is an unnecessary risk.”
Theo levels me a look. “She’s like a hundred pounds soaking wet…”
I frown, rubbing my jawline. My opinion on this is unwavering: all fae are dangerous, even tiny, delicate, and spoiled ones. All fae are the same; they have no regard for human life, lack empathy, and would kill without a second thought.
“I don’t care how small she is. She’s still fae.”
The sigh that escapes Theo is one of complete exasperation.
His eyes flicker to Wyatt, who is far more interested with his plate of fruit than he is with us.
He leans forward, lowering his voice. “We might need her if we encounter Sitara’s forces again; it would be stupid to waste such an asset.
” He pauses, tension washing over his face.
“And after what Fel did, not to mention her father, her life belongs to you.”
I bristle at the faerie scum’s name but don’t respond.
“Do we have a location on the nobles or villagers?”
My mouth tightens. “No, it’s as if they disappeared into thin air. I wasn’t aware of the fae royals possessing powerful portal magic, but we may need to reassess the intel we have on them.” I’ve been over and over this in my mind. “That—or there's a secret way out of the city.”
Theo considers my words. “Take the girl with you to Firelle.”
“Fae,” I correct with a glare. “She’s no girl.” And Theo would do well to remember that.
The prince just huffs and rolls his eyes in annoyance. “Take the princess with you,” he amends, avoiding my second glare. “Maybe you can get some information out of her along the way. Or she can be of some… other use.” Theo winks, and I walk away before I hit him.
“There’s a reason we execute them as soon as we catch them,” I try again, hoping to make him see reason.
“We’ve never captured one of the royal fae before.
” Theo’s normally bright blue eyes turn icy.
“And I’m not my father. Perhaps it’s time we do things a little differently.
Our plan for taking Rosecliff didn’t exactly go as we had hoped, but I’m not dead, so I personally consider it a win. ” He winks.
I just shake my head.
Theo continues, “The fae are in the wind; we no longer have the element of surprise, and we didn’t find what we fucking needed to. It can’t hurt to have a little leverage on the King of Light.”
My jaw ticks at the mention: The King of Sitara.
“I want her alive,” Theo commands, his gaze hardening as it settles on me. “At least, for now.” His stare deepens. “You’re the only one I trust with that. The hatred for the fae runs deep in this camp. But if she belongs to you…” his gaze turns contemplative, “no one will dare touch her.”
I crack my knuckles.
“Take her with you, get your revenge on Fel, do whatever you want with her, but keep her alive.” His tone borders on joking, but the look he’s giving me is anything but. There’s an intensity in it, words left unsaid.
I let out a growl of both frustration and resignation.
“Fine,” I concede against my better judgment, shoving a finger at Theo. “But you owe me.”
A wide smile crosses Theo’s face, and he cocks his head in agreement.
“Fair enough.”