Thank you for your honesty.”“You’re welcome. What were you doing when you weren’t sleeping?”Watching over the halls and the rooms. Making sure Yu didn’t leave. Longing for a witch, who had probably slept so well and didn’t spare a thought in his direction. It was laughable how he only thought of her, and even the idea of stroking himself to images of their interaction in that alcove felt hollow compared to what could have been. Jealousy had been a nasty bastard keeping him aching as he remembered—and envisioned—over and over again how she looked on that ship deck while her pirate fucked her thoroughly. The ache had become unbearable when he recalled his trysts, too, and all he could see was her, with her head thrown back and her voice calling his name.You promised her. Keep your promise.“Just reexploring the court. It doesn’t matter. There’s no event today and I can catch up on my sleep.” But the way Alan reacted had him frowning. “Unless there’s an event today that I forgot about
The words faded, but they were locked in his heart. None of them answered his question directly, and even if there was a hidden message there, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was. Brian sighed.“You guys have always been cryptic. I guess that doesn’t change even when you’re dead and truly cold.”The next bout of silence was the strongest, the energy retreating and no longer interacting with either of them. Yu continued lounging in his spot.“What about you, Yu? What do you think of my sister?”“Pretty. More than you.”Brian scoffed but couldn’t fault the honesty. When the pixie dozed off into slumber, Brian knelt very low until his mouth was whispering on the ground.“Please keep my friend safe here. Please let him sleep in peace and without disturbance.”His father might choose to ignore the request, but he was confident that his mother’s energy would respond to it. Yu continued sleeping as Brian trudged away, his doubts already tucked in. He scanned his mind, then
“Who is the magic user and who is my enemy?”The answer didn’t come as widen Emma lips closed down and his eyes teared up. Brian tried again until it dawned that he could sense a different kind of energy in the room, restricted and subtle. Queen Emma couldn’t mention names, even when the interrogation glow was pressuring him.“Are the magic user and my enemy the same people?” Brian tried again.There was no response. Queen Emma expression crumbled in pain and Brian felt his chest tighten.“Are the magic user and my enemy involved in the other deaths in our court?”“Yes.”“Were they murdered?”“Yes.”“Are you involved in those deaths?”“No.”Queen Emma agony was so raw that Brian couldn’t take it anymore. Reluctantly, he turned off the device but didn’t remove the binds. Widen Emma entire body slumped, exhausted, and sweating profusely.“Admitting knowledge to the murder of our Fae folks is a crime, especially because you didn’t tell anyone. Being an accomplice to a royal member’s murd
On cue, magenta eyes flicked toward her, unreadable. Perhaps there was some sort of relief there, but it was gone in an instant.“You requested my presence?” she asked.Lavender eyes flew toward her too. “That was me. My brother thinks I tried to kill him. I figured a torture machine shouldn’t be the only thing questioning me.”Uncertainty simmered within her and Brian’s silence was dreadful. But the small, subtle nod from him had her feet moving closer toward them until she was standing beside Alicia.“I will ask her the same questions. Over and over,” he said. “Do what you must.”There were no further instructions, and instinct rioted at releasing her magic when the court hadn’t been the most welcoming of it. But she nodded, too, and knelt, easing energy into her fingers. They glowed, dimmer than the device’s glow. She bit her tongue when the larger energy in the room sensed hers and crowded around her, a crawling sensation that pushed her back.Mabel directed more into her feet unt
“He is.”“You don’t look fine,” she repeated.He said nothing.“You haven’t slept…was that you? I felt someone puttering about outside at dawn.” She didn’t mention that she had heard Alicia outside, too, just hours before that, not wanting to add salt to the wound. “You haven’t slept at all. You were busy guarding me and Yu.”“Maybe I was just waiting for you to invite me in.”The words had heat simmering in her belly, a gentle nudge that threatened to flourish. She noted the teasing in his tone, one that didn’t align with what had transpired earlier.“You always joke around when you feel vulnerable. But you can’t fool me, Brian.”The teasing faded and he frowned down at her. A hand went up, fingering her hair and parting it so he could see her face more clearly.“Can you read me now,Mabel? Do you know what I’m thinking about?”Her cheeks flushed. Like a switch flicked again, the heat spread until she was throbbing from it, intensified when he leaned in to sniff her hair. When he back
“Lavender and magenta are the court’s official colors, other than the icy blue we often show to the public,” the woman explained. “This is a shade in between and would show respect to our future ruler, whichever of the two takes the crown in the end.”“It’s too short.”A cool sensation touched her knees. Mabel watched as the hem lengthened, fluttering around her skin and draping to the ground.“Too long,” Mabel said, biting back a grin at Emma’s eyeroll.“You’re lucky I like you,” the woman declared before shortening the dress until it was just below her knees. Mabel twirled again, the layers of sheer material moving with her.“Even if I’m not a magic?”“You know what to say and when to show your emotions. You know when to push your agenda and when to back off, and you can hold your own against our more malicious peers. You can be vicious, too, when it calls for it. You’re already acting like a magic.”“Oh,” she said, unsure how to react. It never sank into her mind that the qualities
“I do,” she agreed. “But you weren’t acting like this until I mentioned going home.”“I was helping you out of your dress as a friend would. I was keeping a respectful distance as a friend would. I was keeping to my promise. Isn’t that what you want?”“I…” She hesitated. “Yes. Brian—”“You don’t belong here,Mabel. That’s clear to both of us.”The argument died a swift death inside her, leaving her numb.“Yes,” she found herself saying. “I don’t belong here.”His mouth tightened and his shoulders tensed, but they were gone and he was giving her an apologetic look.“I’m—”“Don’t apologize,” she cut in. “I’m the one being a pain in the ass tonight.”“You’re not a pain,” was all he said. “Are we good?”“Yeah.”“Good. Goodnight.”“Goodnight, Brian.”He was unaffected, perhaps even relieved that no arguing ensued and they could leave the topic alone. He sounded like her staying or leaving didn’t matter to him at all, not in the least, and the hurt that bloomed in her chest had no right bein
No.”“Brian—”“Not now. I’m so close and your mouth is top-tier fantasy. I want you to come first.”She blinked when she was flipped, then frowned when her legs were nudged apart. She opened her mouth to protest and melted into a puddle of blankness when a head moved in, then a tongue, licking her from end to end before diving in. Then there was more licking, lapping, and even a few fingers thrusting before he sucked. Her feet pressed against his back when he encouraged them to rest there, opening her further until he was feasting on her with his mouth, tongue, and fingers. She writhed from the pleasure, then stilled when his hand pressed against her stomach to lock her in place. His fingers curled and his lips latched on to her clit, sucking even harder—The orgasm took her apart, rocking her world with stars and a spasm of pleasure after pleasure. When she came down from her high, their positions were different again and Mabel was kissing her, smug and pleased with himself. But the