Page 31 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Now

H is dark hair was tousled, edged in silver from the moonlight. Though he’d been startled awake, his eyes were already sharp and alert, taking me in as he threw back the bedcovers.

Despite my fear, embarrassment sent warmth through me when Kaede rose and revealed he was shirtless, his muscled form highlighted by the glow from the window.

“Come to murder me again?” His eyes were dark, his brows drawn.

I struggled to catch my breath, ears still straining to listen for the creature out in the hall.

Before I could say a word, Kaede’s hands moved and a gust of wind shoved me—hard.

One instant I was standing near the door, and the next I was weightless, stomach in my throat as Kaede’s magic sent me soaring through the air and dropped me onto his bed.

I lay sprawled on my back, my dress tangled around my legs and my breath trapped somewhere in my lungs as the prince launched forward, pressing his hands into the mattress on either side of my head, his piercing eyes burrowing into mine.

I tried to move and found that I couldn’t.

Kaede’s air magic rested heavily around my wrists, ankles, and even my neck, holding me in place as surely as any chains or rope could have.

It felt heavy yet warm, almost as if Kaede himself held me in each of those places, his fingers firm but still gentle.

Wind whispered through the room, rifling through the loose strands of my hair, a chill kiss against my skin that contrasted with the air holding me in place.

I was trapped without Kaede laying a finger on me.

“It is you, isn’t it?” Kaede’s sharp jaw was tight, a muscle jumping in it as his eyes traced my face, as if memorizing every feature.

Taking in the true appearance of the woman he’d fallen for and been betrayed by.

“Aurelia Sinclair, the assassin who pretended to be Princess Briar Emberglade, who pretended to be merciful and kind. Who seduced me as cleverly as any smooth-talking charmer, all through your quiet gentleness, your seeming innocence.” He spat the words, and my cheeks burned with shame, even if gaining his affection had never been my intention.

“Who convinced me to lower my defenses and then murdered me.”

“I—” I was faint, at a loss for words, full of guilt and fear. Was it better to confess and beg forgiveness that I did not deserve, or to remain silent? “I’m so sorry. King Wystan would have killed my family.” My eyes burned with unshed tears.

Kaede closed the difference between us until I was caged between his arms. His breath caressed my cheek.

“You could have told me. You could have stopped lying. Why didn’t you trust me enough to confide in me, princess ?

” This time, he said the title with a hint of mockery in his tone.

“Why didn’t you care for me enough to reveal who you truly were? Or was everything pretend—a lie?”

“No,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “It wasn’t a lie. I—I cared for you. It was just that...my maids were his spies, waiting to send word to King Wystan. Hoping I would fail so they could delight in the face that he’d order my family to be murdered.”

“And I would have protected you and your family against them all. Did you honestly doubt that?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head.

I had no response. “I’d just met you. It was you or my family.

How could I risk it? How could I be sure you’d care for me if I’d revealed that I was a human who’d lied to you all along?

” Do you know how I’ve hated myself? I thought, but I didn’t say it aloud.

There was no excuse, no apology that would ever be sufficient for what I’d done.

“And so, you doubted me. You were persuaded by my enemy to let fear win. To let him win.” When I forced my eyes open, Kaede’s gaze was unrelenting.

It raked over me, making me feel more vulnerable than I ever had in my life.

“ Your choice made me into this. I’m not the same—I’m a monster.

Ever since I returned from the land of the dead, my magic has been all wrong.

I’ve become the prince with the magic that kills .

The one whose nightmares enter the world and drain the life from innocents.

You are the one who started a war that killed my men and women.

My friends. My people.” His voice shook with emotion.

“You are the one I trusted, the one who let yourself be persuaded to act out of fear rather than use the rational mind you pride yourself in.”

“Are you to have your revenge now?” I whispered. He was so close, his magic still holding me in place.

Despite his anger, I knew in my bones that the merciful man I’d fallen for was still there somewhere. If it hadn’t been, he would have killed me already. His magic could have ripped the air from my lungs, crushed my windpipe, dashed me against the wall, or dropped me from a deadly height.

Kaede’s breathing turned ragged. “I can’t interfere with the competition, and hurting a competitor would break that vow.

” His face dipped closer until our foreheads nearly touched.

For a wild moment, his eyes dipped to my mouth before snapping back to mine.

“Tell me, my lying bride, did you come here to finish the job and kill me for good this time?”

My heart fluttered. “No. This I promise you: I would rather plunge a blade through my own heart than ever hurt you again.”

A long moment passed, like the prince was drinking in my words, weighing their sincerity. Whatever he saw in my expression, he didn’t question it, but the coldness in his eyes didn’t vanish either.

He pulled away abruptly, his magic releasing me as swiftly as it had taken hold of me. I sat up, hurriedly tugging down the hem of my dress.

“What happened to you?” Kaede asked brusquely, his gaze darting to my scratched arm, dripping blood onto his bedclothes.

I shook my head to clear it. “A creature attacked me—and it killed Verity. I think it may have killed some of your guards too. Is it part of the next challenge?”

Something passed across his face, there and gone in an instant. “The next challenge has not yet begun.” His eyes flicked again toward my arm. “You were attacked by a vampire?”

“Is that what they’re called? Creatures with poor sight yet keen hearing, who tear open the flesh and drink the blood of their victims?” My voice shook on the words, the memory of the gruesome way Verity had died filling my mind. “If it’s not part of the competition, then why is it here?”

His voice dipped lower, his expression unreadable.

“My nightmares. A ruination of my magic. Something that happened when I died and my power connected to healing was polluted. Ever since I wandered the world as a spirit...it is as if I’ve brought something back with me.

Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say I continue to bring many somethings.

I don’t know if they are other restless spirits, summoned by my magic and corrupted by whatever is wrong with me, or if they’re something else, such as creatures from the underworld. But they are hungry for more death.”

My throat tightened, but before either of us could say another word, Kaede straightened. “I have to stop it.”

As he strode for the door, he didn’t seem to notice or care what I did, so I trailed him into the hall. Without his nearness or the warmth of his magic caressing my skin, the manor felt cold. Everything was eerily quiet, but I knew better than to think the vampire had miraculously vanished.

As if he knew exactly where the vampire was located—and perhaps he did, considering he’d somehow summoned it or magicked it into being—Kaede walked toward the stairs, following them into shadow. Warily, I crept after him, not wanting to be left behind in this strange manor.

Scratch. The familiar sound on the steps above made my skin crawl. A murky shape stood hunched on a landing, turning at the sound of Kaede’s approach. Hateful red eyes glared in our direction.

Then I took my next step, and the stair creaked under my foot. I cringed as the creature tilted its head and then lurched forward.

Kaede threw his arm between the advancing vampire and myself. A gust of wind slammed into it, throwing it into the wall. A twist of Kaede’s wrist left it choking, clawing at its own throat.

My mouth dried when I considered that it could have been me in the vampire’s place, facing Kaede’s wrath. When the creature finally stilled, the prince whirled on me. “You said it attacked others?”

The memory replayed in my mind on an endless cycle, squeezing the air from my lungs. “V-Verity,” I choked out. “It killed her. And your guards tried to stop it, but I heard screams and then it was chasing me again, so...” I drew in a shaking breath. “I do not know how many survived.”

Cursing under his breath, Kaede shook his head. “I’ll have some servants retrieve Verity’s body and ensure she’s sent home to her family for a proper burial. You must go directly back to my rooms and wait there. I have to check on the guards.”

My chest ached, the fresh horror of what had happened washing over me at the same time I experienced a strange sense of relief to hear Kaede’s kindness in action once more. He wasn’t lost, not as he seemed to believe he was. There was goodness in him yet.

“What about my sister?” I asked, pausing Kaede in his tracks. “She wasn’t in our rooms when I returned, so I thought she was still with you.” My throat was dry as I imagined her facing the same fate as Verity.

Kaede turned, brow furrowed. “Bentley and Florian joined us at the end, keeping Callista and Laura entertained when I felt the need to retire early. I returned to my room to sleep while they chose to stay up and play a card game.” Noting the flash of fear on my face, he added, “She’s safe.

No other vampires are roaming the manor. I can sense them.”

I let my shoulders dropped, the relief washing over me all at once making me conscious of how exhausted I was.