Page 37 of Black Hearted (Cursed Fae #4)
Queen Liliana
The mirror world was a fascinating place. I might have actually enjoyed exploring it if I weren’t so focused on saving my people.
I created a shield around myself as I snuck past the guard at the castle’s back gate.
Lorelei’s powers had turned out to be far greater than I could have ever imagined.
When mixed with mine, they created a different kind of magic I was still discovering—this cloaking magic being one of my new abilities.
I moved slowly and purposefully, my gaze fixed on the guard in front of me. While my cloaking magic rendered me invisible to his eyes, he could still hear me if I wasn’t careful.
From the locals, I’d learned that all the Ethereum lords were in this city.
I had thought it was a stroke of luck to find Aribella in the market earlier, imagining we could team up to save our world.
But when I asked for her help in procuring a black heart and showed her Lorelei’s dagger, she tried to take it from me.
I escaped before she could use her power on me, but not before we exchanged blows. The encounter confirmed what I’d already begun to suspect: those delusional, weak princesses I’d sent to this world were incapable of getting the job done. My people were fortunate that I’d come to intervene.
I slipped past the guard and crept around the side of the castle, peeking into windows as I searched for my targets—the Ethereum lords.
I didn’t know what they looked like, but I assumed they’d be dressed like royalty and possibly accompanied by Aribella.
The very thought of her living here with one of them, like a rat scurrying about, disgusted me.
When I glanced into the next window, my breath caught, and the world seemed to tilt.
Dawn.
I’d known there was a chance we might cross paths, so seeing her wasn’t entirely unexpected.
But what shocked me was her appearance—her slightly deflated belly, evidence of a recent pregnancy, and the tiny babies in the bassinets in front of her.
There were four of them, encased in shimmering bubbles, their small size making it a miracle they were alive at all.
Four.
The room was filled with people, seemingly enjoying lunch in a dining room, but my focus remained on Dawn.
My gaze shifted to the dark-haired fae standing next to her, his hand resting possessively on her lower back.
He looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and my stomach churned with revulsion.
Her mate. An Ethereum lord.
I glanced at the babies again and felt a wave of sickness.
No. How could she?
Looking back at the lord beside my daughter, a deep well of hatred bubbled up inside me. I wanted to storm into that room and carve his heart from his chest, but there were too many of them. Aribella and Isolde were there, too. I was strong, but I wasn’t sure I could take them all on.
Their voices were muffled through the glass, but I saw Dawn’s expression change. She looked distressed, then suddenly she stumbled, collapsing into the lord’s arms.
I gripped the windowsill, barely restraining myself from smashing through it to rip the villain’s hands off my daughter.
I knew what I had to do. Get the heart and bring my daughter back to Faerie.
My gaze flicked to the babies in their bassinets.
If they weren’t tainted by their vile father’s evil blood, I’d take them, too.
But I’d check first. And if they did have black blood …
well, then they’d have to be dealt with.
Even if Dawn never forgave me, I couldn’t allow their evil to spread to our lands.
As the lord carried Dawn out of the room and Isolde wheeled the babies behind them, I followed, peering into windows until I discovered which one room belonged to her.
None of them had been strong enough to do what needed to be done, but I was.
I didn’t relish this task, and I knew Dawn would hate me for it.
But I clenched the dagger in my hand, determination solidifying my resolve, and slipped into the castle through an unlocked side door.
A guard was distracted, deep in an animated conversation with a pretty nursemaid.
It was time to end this once and for all.