Brutally Yours (Fae Kings of Eden #4)

Prologue

Bianca sat with her two dearest friends in the Human Queen’s palace, whispering so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“I don’t understand,” Charlotte, the Human Queen, said. “You’re pregnant with twins? How is that possible? Fae royals can only have one child.”

It was true. While normal fae could have as many children as they wanted, the royal fae of the four fae kingdoms could only have one child, no matter how hard they tried.

“Twins,” Alice, Bianca’s friend, confirmed. “I heard both heartbeats with my own ears when we first suspected she was expecting.”

Alice was a highborn daughter from the Desert Kingdom, now in her late twenties, who’d been gravely injured as a teenager, leaving a long scar across the left side of her face. Bianca thought she was still beautiful with her ash brown hair, light beige skin, and big amber eyes.

Unfortunately, men of their social standing considered Alice damaged goods, but because of her family name, she garnered sympathy from other highborns. No one wanted to marry her, though they were quick to pity her.

Since she was considered unfit for marriage yet too noble to be cast aside, Alice became Bianca’s official companion when Bianca married Phillip and became the Desert Queen five years ago at age twenty-two.

Charlotte blinked, her dark brown eyes widening as the color drained from her ebony cheeks. “Is Phillip the father?”

“Charlotte,” Bianca admonished. “Of course he is.”

The Human Queen held up her hands. “You can’t blame me for asking.”

She understood her friend’s disbelief. When Phillip had told Biance the well-guarded secret regarding the Desert royals, she’d thought he was kidding.

Taking a deep breath, she started from the beginning. “All Desert Kingdom heirs have been male since the beginning of time, but according to Phillip, a few Desert Queens had twins. It’s only happened a few times over thousands of years, but it has happened.”

“How has no other kingdom found this out?” Charlotte seethed. “There are unchecked royal fae running around with ungodsly amount of power and they kept that from us.”

Bianca had thought the same thing at first. Humans didn’t have magic, but fae did. Non-royal fae were faster and stronger than humans, and they possessed glamour—a magic that allowed them to make humans and animals see whatever they wanted to see—but their glamour didn’t work on other fae.

Royal fae had the same abilities as regular fae—only amplified. They were impossibly fast and strong, and their glamour worked on everyone except other royals. And while most fae could only glamour a few feet around them, royals could glamour an entire kingdom once their magic fully manifested.

“From what I understand, only one of the twins lives,” Bianca whispered, unable to speak of the horror that might await one of her babies.

Charlotte’s face fell, the anger melting away. “We have some of the best healers,” she assured her. “Our knowledge of childbirth has come a long way.”

Alice shook her head sadly.

Charlotte looked between the two other women. “I don’t understand.”

“Each set of twins has always been a boy and a girl,” Bianca began, “but as you know, there has never been a female heir in the Desert Kingdom.”

“They wouldn’t,” Charlotte gasped, horror lacing every syllable. “Please don’t tell me they’re killing the girls.”

A knot the size of her fist lodged in Bianca’s throat.

“Traditionally, yes.” She blew out a long breath.

“Phillip had a twin sister. He had no idea until she showed up not long after he’d taken the throne and demanded he abdicate to her, the rightful heir.

He hadn’t believed her at first, but once he realized she spoke the truth, they fought, and he killed her. ”

One of the babies kicked her rib, and Bianca laid a soothing hand on the spot. Could they feel her unease? She closed her eyes and fought to calm herself, but it was difficult. The more she thought about what she would have to do if she indeed had a girl, the more distressed she became.

“Are you afraid Phillip will kill your little girl?” Charlotte asked. “Surely not.”

Bianca laughed bitterly. “Phillip hadn’t told me about his sister until about seven months ago.”

He’d kept the secret from Bianca for nearly two years.

Apparently, Phillip’s sister had snuck into the palace using her glamour and confronted him during a council meeting.

The members of his council were his closest confidants, and they’d all been sworn to secrecy.

He only informed Bianca because she’d told him her suspicions that she might be pregnant.

“My husband informed me that he would not risk anyone trying to steal the throne from our son, and that if I had twins, our daughter would be put down.” She laughed bitterly. “Like a fucking animal.” If she thought she could kill Phillip and get away with it, he would’ve been dead seven months ago.

Charlotte sneered. “That bastard.”

“When Alice heard two heartbeats, I begged her not to say anything.” She looked gratefully at her friend.

Alice had studied midwifery before her father informed her she would be the Queen’s Companion, whether she wanted to or not.

Bianca didn’t want Alice to completely give up her dream, and had promised her she could be the Queen’s Midwife too.

Thank the gods. Anyone else would have run straight to the king in hopes of gaining his favor.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Charlotte’s mouth turned down. “I could have had a plan in place long ago.”

“I haven’t had time to travel,” Bianca explained, “and I couldn’t chance someone intercepting a letter.”

“We already have a plan,” Alice added, “but we need your help.”

Charlotte straightened, looking every bit the queen she was. “Anything.”

TWO WEEKS LATER

Bianca stood in the middle of her bedchamber at the Human Palace, staring at the puddle of water between her feet. Her heart beat in a frantic rhythm in her chest as her panic climbed.

It’s time. I’m going to meet my babies after pushing them out of my vagina. How will they fit? What was it Alice said? It stretches? Gods, I should have listened better instead of blocking out the unpleasant images.

“Alice,” she called out. “I think the babies are coming!”

Something clattered to the ground seconds before Alice appeared in the doorway between the bedchamber and sitting room. “Are you sure?” She hurried across the room and glanced at the wet rug. “Right. Into the bed. I’ll call for Charlotte and supplies.”

She disappeared through the doorway, leaving Bianca alone with her spiraling thoughts.

She no longer feared for her daughter’s life—their plan was solid—but she feared for her own.

Too many women died each year in childbirth because men didn’t care enough to put resources toward preventing their deaths.

They had more than enough fuck holes to breed, why would they care if some of them died?

Bianca took a step toward the bed and cringed when her wet underwear rubbed against her skin. She crossed to the wardrobe on the far wall, threw open the doors, and stared at her dresses.

“Am I supposed to wear clothes?” She looked down at herself and back at the bed. “Of course not.” Alice had been over this with her a thousand times. Her nerves were making her scatterbrained.

She tried to wiggle her dress over her shoulders, but the fitted arms mixed with her panic made it difficult.

“Oh my,” Charlotte’s amused voice carried across the room.

Bianca stopped and turned toward her friend’s voice. “Don’t laugh or I might cry.”

“Good gods,” Alice muttered, her footsteps growing closer. “How did you get stuck?” She grabbed the fabric of Bianca’s dress and tugged it free.

Before she could defend herself, a wave of pain tightened across her back and she cried out. “I think that was a contraction.” Her panic intensified. “Do you have the tonic?”

Alice guided her toward the bed. “I’ll grab it from the trunk. Charlotte, layer the bed to prevent the fluids from seeping through to the mattress.”

“Fluids?” Bianca watched as Charlotte layered coverings over the bed. “Gods, I hope the tonic works.”

“It will work,” Charlotte tried to soothe her. “Phillip will never know.”

Being fated mates, Phillip and Bianca could feel each other’s strongest emotions through their bond.

Pain didn’t come through as strong since it wasn’t technically an emotion, but it still filtered through enough to understand what went on.

The only way to keep him from realizing she was in labor, was to be unconscious.

It made the delivery riskier, but for their plan to work, he couldn’t know the real delivery date.

Alice shooed Bianca toward the bed. “Climb in.”

Now or never. Bianca situated herself in the bed and took a pre-measured bottle from Alice, tossing back the contents in one gulp. Eck. She shuddered. Handing the bottle back, she gave her friends a watery smile. “I love you both. If something happens to me, protect my babies from their father.”

And then everything faded away.

FOUR WEEKS LATER

A sob ripped from Bianca’s chest as she gazed at the baby girl in her arms. I can’t leave her, she selfishly thought with desperation. If not for the bond, she would fake hers and the twins’ deaths.

Baby Amelia batted her wide eyes at Bianca and squirmed. It’d only been a month, but Bianca knew her daughter’s tells like the back of her hand. Any moment now, she’d need to feed.

It would be the last time Bianca would feed her, and the realization made her cry harder.

“We’ll protect her,” Charlotte swore. “Nothing will happen to her.”

Any response caught in Bianca’s throat. She trusted her friend, knew she’d keep her safe, but not being able to hold her child again carved a chasm into her chest.

She and Alice had stayed another month in the Human Kingdom, writing Phillip with a weak excuse he wouldn’t care enough to question. Bianca had needed time with Amelia before she was forced to give her up forever.

Her fingers trailed over the baby’s nearly healed ears, missing their points. Fae had pointed ears, unlike the humans, and to protect Amelia’s identity, they’d had to cut her ears and stitch them so they’d heal round. It was cruel but necessary.

Amos, never one to be ignored, let out a sharp squawk from his bassinet.

Bianca’s heart hurt for herself and for her daughter, but most of all, it hurt for her son who would bear the responsibility of saving their kingdom.

She prayed daily that she and Alice could shield him from his father’s cruelty and mold him into something good.

After feeding Amelia, she placed one last kiss to the baby’s smooth head. Bianca handed her over to Charlotte and gathered Amos into her arms, crying the entire way to the carriage.