Page 25 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses (Cursed Fae Courts #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rydian

T he quiet just before dawn was a different kind of silence. The kind that didn’t settle but prowled. The kind that made you feel like the world held its breath, waiting for something to break or bleed.

I’d done both for this wretched place, and I’d do both again before it was done. But for now, I’d earned a reprieve. Just as soon as I delivered this particular report to the asshole who’d sired me.

He wasn’t going to be happy, but then I didn’t much fucking care what made the bastard happy. No, that was a lie. I cared very much about making sure he never got his hands on the things that made him happy ever again.

Unbidden, thoughts of my mother sprang to mind. I shoved them back, reminding myself she was safe. And as long as I played my part, she would remain that way.

A life for a life.

Wasn’t that what the old man had demanded? Until either his or mine ended, I was bound by blood to the monster on this throne. My only hope for a future for the people of Autumn was my half-brother, and I’d grown weary of such hope over these last years.

Today, I was in no mood to deal with the bratty heir.

I might’ve put off coming at all if Duron had been content to wait. But I already knew the bastard would summon me—probably the moment my head hit the pillow. Best to get it over with and be done with him. With any luck, he’d send me on a mission that would take me far away from this place again soon. Hopefully, not before I got some decent sleep, though. After saving Callan’s reckless neck on the journey here then doubling back, I was exhausted.

We all were.

I’d left Slade and Daegel at the house and come alone to give my report. Now, I moved through the castle grounds unseen, shadows shifting in my wake. Some of them were my own. Some belonged to other creatures Duron employed here.

They would alert him to my arrival soon enough. And then he’d let me wait until after he’d eaten his breakfast before summoning me to him.

The sound of steel rang out in the stable yard, yanking me from my dark musings. I tensed, changing course to follow it. Beside me stood a small barracks area that was mostly used for the duty watch. The training arena on the far side was rarely occupied at this time of morning since most of the guards were still on duty or hadn’t arrived yet.

Whoever was in that ring wasn’t supposed to be there.

On full alert, I clung to the shadows as I made my way toward the sound of a sword striking its target.

When I spotted the lone figure, I stopped and stared.

She stood in the center of the arena, bathed in the gray glow of pre-dawn, her sword slicing through the air in practiced arcs. The light caught on her hair, a waterfall of gold spilling over her shoulders. Her movements were sharp, precise—but not flawless. There was frustration in the way she swung, as though the blade in her hand was an argument she intended to win.

Aurelia.

I should’ve left her alone. She wasn’t my concern. For better or worse, her destiny was her own. But my gaze stayed locked on her, drawn to the determination in her expression, the tension coiled in her slender frame. She didn’t belong here, not in the politics and brutality of Grey Oak. Not in the gilded cage of royal life. But she would bind herself to it anyway, as if duty could smother the fire I saw in her now.

That sacrifice alone proved how much she’d changed since we’d first met. And I found myself hating the gods for requiring it of her.

A misstep. Her sword caught awkwardly, and she cursed under her breath.

“You’re lunging too soon.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

She spun, her blade raised, those pale blue eyes finding me in an instant. For a moment, she froze, recognition flaring then narrowing into something harder. Suspicion.

“You,” she said, the word an accusation. She lowered her sword only slightly, as if she thought I might attack at any moment. “Where have you been?”

I lifted myself over the railing and into the arena. “Out.”

“Out?” Her tone cut like steel. “Is that what you call running off to do Callan’s bidding?”

I smirked, though the expression felt like a mask I didn’t care to wear. “Did you miss me, Furious?”

She stiffened. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? It fits perfectly. Every time I see you, you look absolutely irate.”

Her jaw tightened, the faintest flush rising in her cheeks. Good. She was easier to deal with when she was angry.

“You didn’t come back just to criticize my technique,” she said, her voice cold now.

I let my eyes flick to the sword in her hand then back to her face. “No. But it needs work.”

Her grip tightened on the hilt, the faint tremor betraying the effort it took to keep herself from aiming the blade at me. I bit back a grin.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Checking on the crown’s jewel. Making sure you’re settling into royal life once again.”

She flinched, just barely, but her glare could’ve set fire to the air between us. “Is that what this is? A welfare check?”

I stepped closer, watching as her stance stiffened in response. “Call it… curiosity.”

“As you can see, royal life leaves me a bit bored,” she said, gesturing to the sword in her hand.

I didn’t tell her the sword suited her better than a crown anyway. Nor did I let myself think of her at that party so long ago. The way she’d looked in that dress…I’d hated her then. For so many reasons that no longer mattered or were even remotely true.

I hated her now—or I was desperately trying to.

“It’s also made you soft,” I said because it would infuriate her. Her eyes flashed as I’d known they would. I couldn’t help enjoying her temper and the way it always seemed to light her up so completely. But I also knew she’d need the power that came with it.

Her lips parted in a snarl as she started to reply, but I cut her off. “Tell me, Furious, what kind of protection are you using to guard your lands now?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I hope it’s stronger than whatever you had before. Given what’s coming.”

The fire in her eyes banked to a deadly glow. Good. She understood the weight of my words after all. “And what do you know about what’s coming?”

More than I should, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. Instead, I asked, “How is that alliance coming along? Has Callan proven to be the key to Heliconia’s demise yet?”

Her chin lifted. “My relationship with Callan is none of your concern.”

Rage streaked through me. “Is that what this is? You and he are in a relationship now?”

Her smugness slipped as she asked, “Would you care if we were?”

I frowned, refusing to admit that I cared a Hel of a lot more than I had a right to. “I care about stopping the dark queen.” I made myself shrug. “If a relationship with my brother helps make that happen, so be it.”

She dropped her eyes but not before I saw the disappointment that flashed.

Fuck.

“Autumn’s army is the only one large enough to stand a chance,” she said.

“An army won’t break that curse.”

“What do you know about breaking curses?” she shot back.

“I know the only way to fight fire is with fire.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know what you?—”

“Where did you get that mark?”

Her hand shot to her throat, covering the ink I’d just seen as she’d angled herself away from me. Even with her hand covering it, I couldn’t help but stare. Knowing she’d survived that death blow seven years ago was one thing. And I’d seen enough proof since then to stop doubting what she was. But the sight of that mark left me shaken.

How had I missed it before?

“It’s a private joke,” she said, adjusting her hair to cover the tattoo. “Between me and my teacher.” Her lie wasn’t even remotely believable.

“It’s a rune.”

Her eyes met mine, the pale blue blazing with curiosity. “What kind of rune?”

“Vorinthian.”

Something flared in her. Acknowledgment. She knew something about that damned mark. But she said only, “Vorinthia hasn’t existed for a thousand years.”

I hesitated, knowing if I pushed her now, it could backfire. But if she bore that mark, she deserved to know where it came from. “What do you know about the Midnight Court?”

Her laugh was bitter, humorless. “For one thing, they’re cowards.”

My hands clenched at my sides, anger curling in my chest. “Why would you say that?”

She made a sound of disgust. “When Heliconia invaded Concordia, they refused to help. Entire mountain villages—women, children, elderly—all slaughtered because the midnight fae couldn’t be bothered to care about anything beyond their own borders.”

Anger coiled tighter, but I forced it down, shoving it beneath the mask. “You know nothing about the people of that court or their reasons, and yet you judge them so absolutely.”

“What reason could possibly be good enough to do nothing while innocents are killed on your own doorstep?”

I shrugged. “What reason do you have to sell your soul to Duron?”

Her breath caught before she spat, “Go to Hel.”

The corner of my mouth tugged into a dark grin. I stepped closer still, closing the space between us until the faintest scent of roses reached me. It made my voice low, rough. “Sweetheart, I’m already there. ”

She didn’t move, didn’t blink. Just stared at me with those blazing eyes, daring me to say more. I had the distinct impression that, if I tried, she’d run me through with her blade and smile while doing it.

But then she turned, her sword flashing as she resumed her training, each swing more precise, more determined than before.

I stayed a moment longer, watching her, then slipped back into the shadows where I belonged.