Page 25

Zoey

“All of us.” The king’s smile grows predatory, and he gestures toward the palace doors. “To the Crimson Tide.”

My stomach plummets with horror.

This is how they fill the moat with blood, isn’t it?

They’re going to take me out there, and they’re going to…

“No,” I say to Aerix, but if he hears me, he makes no sign of it.

The other royals rise, their movements graceful and deliberate as they follow the king’s lead.

I’m frozen in place, unable to move.

The king spins around and sneers, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight. “Is the human so stupid that she’s unable to walk?” he says, and a breeze stirs in the room, making the crystals in the chandelier clank together overhead.

I stare at him in shock.

When did it become “stupid” to fear a moat filled with blood?

“You either come with us, or you’re dead,” the king says, sounding bored. “Which will it be?”

I swallow, taking a second to think.

If I stay here, he’ll surely kill me. If I go with them, I might have a chance.

Play along, I remind myself of what I was telling myself earlier.

It might be my only way out of this living nightmare.

So, not wanting to make this worse than I have to be, I hurry behind them, following them out of the throne room, down the mirrored halls, and out a side door that leads us through the gardens to the moat.

The scent hits me first.

It’s metallic and thick, clawing its way into my throat and settling in my chest like a weight. I want to gag, but I force it down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as we move closer.

The others seem unfazed, their elegant strides unbroken. Even Aerix moves with his usual, infuriating calm, as if the blood-filled trench surrounding the palace is just another part of their nightly routine.

For them, maybe it is.

The moat is massive, and we stop at the edge, my boots skidding slightly on a particularly icy patch of ground.

The blood laps lazily against the banks, and I suspect the only thing maintaining its watery consistency is that it’s diluted with water.

Blood mixed with water—clearly representing both the vampire and the fae sides of the Night Court.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” The king steps closer, the hem of his dark coat brushing the stone. “We call it the Crimson Tide, but it’s more than just a moat. It’s a guardian. A collector. Every drop of blood spilled in our territory finds its way here, drawn by the magic that binds this court.”

I shudder, unable to hide my revulsion. “It’s alive.”

“Of course it’s alive,” he replies, as though I’ve just stated the obvious. “It feeds on fear and death. It ensures the strength of our court. It is our legacy.”

My body shakes. Not just from the cold—it’s from fear.

I glance around, contemplating making a run for it. But the closest bridges across the moat are far enough away that the fae will catch up with me before I reach them. And if I even do manage to cross one, I know what’s waiting for me on the other side in that town.

Night fae, leering at me, wanting a taste of me.

There’s no way out.

I’m trapped.

“To give you a fair chance,” the king says, unsheathing his sword, which glistens under the light of the crescent moon, “you’ll need to shed this beautiful garment. Which was a fine choice, if I may be honest.”

“You have to be honest,” I reply, venom in my tone. “You’re fae.”

His eyes narrow, sharper than his blade.

Then, in one fluid motion, he slices through the velvet fabric with terrifying precision.

It crumples to the ground around my feet, leaving me standing in nothing but my thin chemise, the cold air sinking into my skin.

I gasp, my arms instinctively crossing over my chest.

The chemise, despite being nearly sheer, would be a modest outfit to wear at home.

Here, I feel basically naked.

Aerix steps forward, his eyes fixated on my chest.

No—not on my chest.

At the amulet that’s now visible beneath the thin chemise.

“What’s this?” he asks, and with a sharp tug, he tears it away, studying it. “Humans have no rights to magical trinkets—unless they’re gifted to them by their owner. And, since you belong to me, I’ll be holding onto it.”

“She’s not yours yet,” the king reminds him.

Aerix’s jaw tenses, but he doesn’t fight his father on it.

Then, before I can process what’s happening, the king raises his hand and blasts a gust of wind at me, driving the air from my lungs.

I’m airborne.

My stomach flips, and I crash into the bloody water in the center of the moat.

Thick, metallic water floods my nose and throat, and I sputter, kicking out wildly.

No—not just water.

Blood.

I’m in a moat full of blood.

I can’t breathe. Can’t think. All I can feel is the suffocating pressure of the water closing in around me.

I kick harder now, trying to force my way back to the surface, but it’s no use. Not only do I not know how to move, but the cold is so numbing that I feel more sluggish by the second. Plus, there’s also the sinking horror of the fact that I’m in a moat full of blood.

I could just stop, a traitorous thought whispers in my mind. Let the water take me. Sink into its depths and escape whatever cruel fate the Night Court has planned for me. It would be better than becoming their plaything—their pet to torment, drink from, and do who knows what else to me at their will.

But no. I refuse to die like this.

So, I thrash harder, my arms and legs aching as I fight to break the surface. But it’s useless. Every kick feels futile, the water dragging me down like it has a will of its own.

Fight, I tell myself. Just keep fighting.

But my strength is failing. My chest is about to explode.

Just as my vision starts to fade, strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me upward with impossible speed.

My head breaks the surface.

I gasp, choking on air and water, and then I’m sprawled on the icy ground at the king’s feet, coughing and shaking, drenched and freezing.

The previously white chemise is now a nearly transparent red from the water, leaving nothing to the imagination as I lay exposed before the entire royal family, drenched and coughing up watery blood.

After there’s nothing possibly left in my stomach, Aerix crouches next to me, his midnight eyes locking onto mine. “You’re lucky,” he murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “I don’t like my toys broken before I’ve had a chance to play with them.”

“You,” I choke out, my throat burning, my eyes stinging. “You pulled me out of there. Again.”

“You’re no use to me dead,” he says, and he rises, facing his father, who’s looking down at me as if I’m vermin.

Shivering, I force myself up, trying to save what dignity I still have. “Congratulations. You win,” I say to him. “You’ve officially proven you’re stronger than a human who can’t swim.”

Malakai’s laughter cuts through the night. “She really doesn’t know when to shut up, does she?”

“No,” the king says. “She doesn’t.”

“Do you treat all your guests this way, or am I just lucky?” I snap, both at the king and Malakai.

“Enough,” the king commands, and suddenly, my tongue feels heavy in my mouth.

My racing heartbeat evens out, the anger rushing through my veins calming to practically nothing.

“That’s better.” He circles me, inspecting me like a broken vase. “You’re much more palatable like this. Quiet. Obedient.”

I want to scream, to curse him, but my mind feels like it’s swimming in molasses.

Or—more appropriately— blood.

Aerix removes the amulet of warmth from his pocket and examines it.

Could it have been doing more than just keeping me warm? Protecting me from night fae emotional manipulation?

If so, my being able to resist Aerix’s compulsion wasn’t because I’m special. A part of me hoped it was, but unsurprisingly, I’m just as human as ever.

And now here I am—sopping wet, having nearly drowned in a moat full of blood, my hair a wreak, and my body on display for all of them to see.

It takes every ounce of willpower to not collapse to the frost covered ground and cry.

“You’re just as stupid and helpless as my son claimed.” The king waves his hand dismissively, backs away from me, and looks at Aerix. “Take her. Perhaps you can mold her into something marginally useful.”

The queen glides to her husband’s side and places a hand on his arm, although her focus is also on Aerix. “If she proves too difficult to train, I’m certain the nobles would be delighted to have such a... spirited pet,” she says.

“No one will touch her.” Something sharp flashes in Aerix’s eyes, and his wings flare, their shadowy edges cutting through the mist like blades. “She’s mine. If anyone so much as looks at her the wrong way, they’ll answer to me.”

Malakai snickers. “Oh, look at him, getting all territorial over his little toy.”

“Laugh all you want. But you are no exception to my claim.”

“Relax, brother,” Malakai replies. “I have no interest in your scraps.”

Apparently bored with his brother’s antics, Aerix crouches beside me again, a breeze surrounding me as he does.

Then, without warning, he reaches forward and places his palm on my chest, right below my throat.

“Don’t touch me,” I snap at him, flinching back from his touch.

“We’re far past that stage of our relationship.” He grabs my wrist, and then he’s pulling away the icy wetness clinging to my skin, my clothes, and even my hair, leaving me dry but no less humiliated. “There. Better, isn’t it?”

My fingers clench into fists at my sides, the nails digging into my palms.

“You should be grateful,” he says. “After all, I’ve saved your life. Twice now. Technically four times, since I allowed you to live after both times you tried to stab me with that dagger.”

“Grateful?” I repeat, trembling. Not from the cold this time, but from fury. “To the man who dragged me to this nightmare and decided I’m his pet?”

“Yes. Because from now on, I’m the one taking care of you. Feeding you. Protecting you.” He leans in closer, his face inches from mine, and the air between us crackles with tension. “And I’ll be the one who determines your fate.”

He forces me up, and as he drags me away, I keep my head high, refusing to let him or anyone else in his monstrous family see the fear twisting in my gut.

But deep down, I know the truth.

I’m more powerless in this place than anywhere else I’ve been so far in this awful realm.

No one’s on my side. Not Sapphire, not Ghost, not even Riven.

Which leaves me at the complete mercy of whatever twisted plans this dark fae prince has in store.