Page 36 of Blackwarden

“Of course, your Majesty,” I said with as much sweetness as I could muster as she swept from the harem.

I was yanked from my suite at some awful hour of the night.

At first, I thought it was one of the miniscule Fae who helped us in the harem, but when I realized it was a guard, terror made it hard to breathe.

Where was a guard taking me in the middle of the night?

I’d tried to wriggle free from his grip, but he only tightened his hand on my wrist.

His orangish red flesh peeked from beneath black armor, and I had a momentary flash of desire to see what his face actually looked like. My curiosity was washed away almost immediately as he roughly directed me out into the hall.

“Come on, her majesty isn’t exactly patient.”

And he wasn’t exactly patient either. I stumbled and lost my footing multiple times as he dragged me up a flight of stairs, my heart racing faster and faster, fear gripping my insides the closer I came to finding out exactly what Bevgyah meant by “entertainment.” I was yanked to my feet with a frustrated grumble.

Clearly, the guard wasn’t interested in whether I met with the queen in one piece, only that I made it there.

I was ushered into what looked like a lavish sitting room with settees and futons spread out, framed by rugs woven in brilliant shades of blues and lavenders.

The room was garishly decorated with silver trimming and gems on almost every surface.

The ceiling was encrusted with thousands of massive crystals that made it appear as though it was encased entirely in ice.

The walls were covered with an iridescent material that glittered in the brazier light and cast eerie rainbows over everything.

A chill of warning writhed up my spine. On a settee near a massive faceted window sat Bevgyah, her Blackwarden nowhere in sight.

“Ah, Tesanna.” The Hag Queen’s voice was sing-songy, with a sweetness that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Tell me, what do you think of my palace?” she asked, lifting her arms to gesture to the room around her.

I was so confused. Why would she yank me from sleep to ask me this?

For a moment I wanted to tell her exactly what I thought.

This place was cold and creepy and nothing made sense.

The last thing I wanted to do was be forced to spend my days in a room with a bunch of gossipy girls while we waited for the next party.

I didn’t like the way she treated her Blackwarden, and I wanted to go home, even though I had no idea if home was any better.

“It’s beautiful,” I lied and hoped this would be enough because I wasn’t sure I could force myself to elaborate further .

“Come now. I am beautiful. My Blackwarden is beautiful. What do you truly think of your new home?”

She wasn’t wrong. She and her Blackwarden were indeed beautiful. I took a deep breath, trying to think of something else I could say that wouldn’t upset her.

“I’m still getting used to things, I guess, your Majesty.” I tried to stall further, but her expression was growing impatient. “I don’t like the revels.”

She threw her head back, laughing with her whole chest. The crystals she wore on chains around her neck chimed like a creepy song.

“But they are so much fun,” she said, a seductive lilt to her words. “I had hoped to have another when my Blackwarden returns.”

“He’s left?” I shouldn’t have shown so much interest. I could see the flash of anger in her eyes at how quickly I’d asked about him when it had taken her so long to draw any other words from me.

“I needed him to take one of my dignitaries through the portal,” she said with boredom.

She couldn’t lie.

I swallowed my fear and smiled sweetly, trying to hide any concerns I might have had for him. “Will I ever be able to go back to the human world?” I finally asked, hoping that her frustration with this would overshadow that I’d asked about her Blackwarden.

Bevgyah leaned closer, the weight of her presence made the air suddenly very thin. She tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, her finger lingering on my cheek as her eyes raked over my face to my chest.

“No, my lovely Tesanna. You are one of my precious pets. A cherished addition to my harem.”

Cherished addition. The words rang through my head, echoing against the walls of my mind. Another half memory I frantically collected to keep until I’d recovered them all. It had been a familiar male’s voice that had said these words before .

She lifted my chin with her index finger before dragging it down my throat and between my breasts to my navel. Heat radiated through me at her touch that I both craved and hated. Something so sexual in the way her eyes devoured me. I didn’t dare move or react for fear she would touch me again.

“I can see the appeal.”

“Appeal, your Majesty?” I asked, trying to ignore the way she looked at me, the way the air seemed to grow colder around me.

She didn’t answer, instead she stood, hovering over me as she ran her fingers through my loose hair. She leaned down, putting her cheek against mine.

“My Blackwarden likes you, little Tesanna,” she whispered in my ear, and instead of leaning away she licked down my neck to the hollow at the base of my throat.

I stiffened, trying not to pull away, trying to slow my heart that seemed to crash into my rib cage. Something told me that she wasn’t the type of person who would accept rejection. That she might make things so much worse for me if I did. I swallowed my fear.

“He wants you and who he wants, I want .”