Page 47

His eyes widen in surprise for a fraction of a second before he composes himself again. Then he flicks a dismissive hand. “The Seelie Court isn’t yours to give.”

“Ah.” She lets out a mocking chuckle and shakes her head at him. “You truly haven’t figured it out yet, have you?”

“Figured what out?”

“Who I really am.”

Confusion pulses inside me as I stare at her. Orion watches her in silence as well, his eyes slightly narrowed. Then sudden realization seems to flicker in his eyes for a moment before he manages to hide it.

“The Seelie Queen was publicly executed by the Icehearts at the end of the war,” Orion says. “And both of her daughters had died fighting in the battles before that.”

“But…?” Isera prompts.

My heart starts pounding in my chest. She can’t possibly mean…?

“But,” Orion begins slowly. “There were always rumors that the Seelie Queen’s second daughter survived, because her body was never recovered.”

“The rumors were true.”

Shock and disbelief thrum inside my chest like a violent storm. It’s not possible. It can’t be. Is she actually?—

“I am a descendant of the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.

” A knowing smile curls Isera’s lips. “And because of the selective breeding system of only one child that was imposed on our court, I am the only currently living descendant.” She lets out another slightly mocking chuckle and raises her eyebrows at Orion.

“Which means that the Seelie Court is in fact mine to give.”

I gape at her. Or I would, if my mouth wasn’t already full of ice. My mind spins and my heart slams against my ribs as I stare at Isera.

But it makes sense.

The names of the Seelie Queen and her family have been erased from our history books by the Icehearts, so it’s impossible to tell by her last name. And even if the names hadn’t been erased, the daughter who survived would no doubt have changed her name to escape notice. But it’s more than that.

The Seelie Queen’s second daughter was said to have an incredibly rare type of magic that made the Icehearts hunt her relentlessly.

Isera has ice magic, for Mabona’s sake! It’s one of the rarest types of magic there is.

And it’s also their element. Bane and Jessina’s clan magic.

I still remember the fury on their faces when Isera shot that block of ice that slid onto their platform during that very first power demonstration during the Atonement Trials.

If there was ever any kind of magic that would make them hunt the fae wielding it to the ends of the world, it’s ice magic.

My head rings as I stare at Isera with wide eyes.

She is a descendant of the Seelie Queen. All this time, the bloodline has remained intact. Our royal family lives.

“It might be yours by blood,” Orion says, now watching Isera with new eyes.

“But you do not rule it. Your promise of surrendering the Seelie Court to me will only be possible if you actually manage to take down the Iceheart Dynasty. And that promise only comes into effect if you lose the bargain, which means that you won’t have my help to do it.

I might not even allow you to leave if you lose. ”

“And if that happens, you will have lost nothing,” Isera presses. “If we can’t take down the Icehearts on our own, you lose nothing. But if we can…”

She starts towards him. He watches her intently but remains standing there with his chin tilted in a slightly cocky manner.

I yank against the ice again, but it keeps me mercilessly trapped.

Outside the thick drapes, the murmur of the crowd has started to become restless as they wait for the victory presentation that still hasn’t begun.

Surprise pulses across Orion’s features as Isera drops to her knees right in front of him. Her face is only inches away from his crotch as she tilts her head back and looks up at him. A jolt shoots through him as she slides her hands up his thighs before gripping his hips.

Her eyes sear into his as she at last finishes with, “Then you get to have me on my knees, sucking your cock, while you rule my court for all eternity.”

Desire flares up in his eyes like flames. It’s a deep insatiable hunger that threatens to set the whole room aflame. He wants this. He wants her . And the Seelie Court. Badly.

I try to scream, but only a garbled mumbling makes it through the ice.

This is insane. He can’t be considering this.

Please Mabona, he can’t agree to this. We need to leave.

We need to get the hell out of this court while we have the chance and try to find the dryads instead.

Because based on how Orion manipulated this last game, there is no way in hell we’re going to be able to win another one.

That terrible craving burns in Orion’s eyes as he slides his hand over Isera’s neck, wrapping it around her throat. “Oh there is almost nothing I wouldn’t do in order to have you submit to me utterly and completely, little viper.”

My heart pounds against my ribs and I struggle hard against the ice.

Tension crackles between the pale stone walls as the two of them hold each other’s gaze.

Then, Orion lets his hand drop from her throat. “But unfortunately, risking my court is one of them.” He straightens and takes a step back. “The answer is no.”

Isera, still on her knees, clenches her jaw and flexes her hand in frustration. But she says nothing as she gets to her feet.

“Let’s get this victory presentation over with,” Orion declares. With a glance at Isera, he nods in my direction. “You might want to ungag your friend for this part.”

Without even looking at me, she flicks her wrist again.

The ice evaporates.

I suck in a deep breath as the thick ice finally disappears from my mouth.

Running my tongue along my teeth, I work my jaw to ease the strain in the muscles.

Then I shift my gaze to Isera, glaring daggers at her.

In fact, I have to suppress a sudden urge to stab her.

When we get back to the faction house, she and I are going to have words about this.

Warm sunlight hits my face as Isera and I follow Orion out onto the platform.

The crowd cheers when we become visible, but it turns into a slightly confused murmur when they notice that the rest of our team is missing.

The heat inside the arena, with the bright blue sky and high sun above and the thousands of people packed into the stands around us, is so intense after the long minutes in the shade inside that I have to take a moment to steady myself again.

Isera, however, doesn’t appear to need it. Instead, she strides right up to the edge of the platform where the Unseelie King is about to start speaking. I hurry after her.

“Good news, ladies and gentlemen!” Isera calls across the sea of waiting spectators before Orion can get so much as a word out. “Instead of a boring victory presentation, your generous king has decided to give you what you truly want. Another game with us against your two favorite factions!”

Orion and I whip around to stare at her.

The crowd goes wild.

Because they fucking love Isera. After the insane displays of power and skill and utter ruthlessness she has given them during these last two games, she has shot to the top of their favorite players.

Deafening screams of excitement explode across the whole arena as the audience surges up from their seats to leap up and down and pump their fists in the air at this unexpected news.

I just stare at them in stunned surprise, feeling my heart sink in my chest.

Next to me, Isera smirks and gives Orion a smug sideways glance. “Good luck trying to take that back without starting a civil war.”

Fury flashes like lightning strikes in Orion’s eyes. Gritting his teeth, he clenches his jaw and forces out a breath through his nose. Then he flicks a glance out at the crowd.

Black, white, and red banners are waving in the air, filling the arena with snapping fabric. People are cheering and jumping and screaming in excitement.

It seems to dawn on Orion at the same time as it dawns on me.

Isera has fully and completely outmaneuvered him.

His entire court is so restless that they’re crawling up the walls, and the only thing stopping them from turning on Orion in sheer frustration is the distraction that these games give them.

The crowd loves Isera. They crave watching her fight again.

So now, if Orion tries to refute what Isera just said and deny his people another game, it will surely spark violent riots.

Turning his head slowly, Orion locks eyes with Isera. He is furious. But also impressed . It’s etched into every line of his face as he stares at her.

To be honest, if I wasn’t so angry, I would be too.

Because I realize that this has been Isera’s plan all along.

This is why she entertained the crowd so much during the games.

Why she threw the ice spear at Orion. Why she blew him a kiss.

Why she gave the crowd exactly what they wanted.

She has been planning this move from the very beginning.

Back-up plans behind back-up plans to make sure that she got what she wanted.

Isera has managed to beat the Unseelie King at his own game.

And he knows it.

Dragging in a long breath between his teeth, he holds her smug stare in silence.

“So, about that bargain, then,” Isera prompts, a wicked smirk sliding home on her lips. “Do we have a deal?”

And it seems to be dragged kicking and screaming from the very depths of the Unseelie King’s dark soul as he grinds out one single word.

“Yes.”