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It swings open, revealing the room beyond, which is also lit by torchlight.

It’s the item in the middle of the room that captures my attention.

A huge metal cage stands in front of me. Its bars are silver. The air around it vibrates with magic. It’s so powerful, it snatches the air from my lungs.

“No!” I roar and try to pull back on the guards.

Cirrus Planetree, the head of the King’s Guard, steps forward. I hadn’t noticed him until now. I guess he didn’twant to get caught up in whatever mayhem I might cause with my magic.

“This will be your forever home, Ruarok,” he tells me. “In this cage, you will be in a kind of stasis. You won’t age, you won’t need to eat or drink, your bodily functions will be halted. You will, however, be perfectly aware of the passing of time. You will experience the drag of every single moment. An endless nothing. No distraction from your suffering.”

The blood freezes in my veins. “You can’t do this to me.”

“Of course we can.”

One of the guards moves forward and opens the cage door with a pair of gloved hands. He seems afraid, and I realize that’s because he is. He’s frightened he will be the one to accidentally be pulled inside the cage. He’s the one who will spend eternity suffering.

Panic gives me one final burst of energy. I dig deep for my charm magic, but it’s not there. Not that it would be much use to me anyway. There are too many guards. I do try to fight, though, throwing myself backward, using my feet to kick and shoulders to shove. My hands are still cuffed behind my back, or I’d punch as well.

“Stop this nonsense, Ruarok,” Cirrus exclaims. “Accept your fate. There is nothing you can do now.”

I run out of steam. I want to drop to my knees and sob, but pride prevents me from doing so. I go limp in their grip.

Two of the guards take advantage of my weakness and rush me forward, throwing me into the cage. I fall to my knees, my hands still bound.

“Wait, please. At least take off the cuffs.”

With my hands cuffed behind my back, I won’t even have the distraction of masturbation to carry me through the years. What is an Incubi who can get no sexual satisfaction? I’ll become a madman. A shell of myself.

Cirrus ignores my plea. “You brought this upon yourself, Ruarok.”

The cage door slams shut behind me and instantly seals.

The guards back out of the room and pull the door closed behind them. I hear the click as the lock is turned.

Fury rises inside me at the thought of the queen and of Princess Taelyn. A hatred like nothing I’ve ever experienced before burns bright inside me.

And I have all of eternity to nurture it.

9

TAELYN

PART TWO

A cracklike the earth is splitting in two sends me rocketing from my bed.

The stone walls of my chambers shudder around me. Mortar crumbles and falls like rain. Everything seems to be moving, and the noise sounds as though the world is ending.

I spin on my bare feet, my silky nightgown flaring around my legs. My wings vibrate in the air behind me and lift me from the floor for the briefest of moments.

“Skylar!” I shout, my gaze darting around the room.

I’m trying to find the source of the chaos I’ve woken to, but it’s not something that’s occurring inside. It’s coming from outside, shaking the castle right down to its foundations.

The candelabra swings wildly above me, the metals chains shaking like an angry ghost in the dungeons. Only one of the four candles that had been lit when I’d gone to sleep is still alight, and the flame flickers and dances as though caught in a storm.

The door bursts inward, and Skylar, my lady’s maid and best friend, rushes into the room.