“I’ll let you complete the spell,” I said, and the demon’s eyes glittered with triumph. Then I added, “But only if Belanor supervises while it’s happening. I don’t want some amateur witch fucking with my body.”
The demon considered this. I held my breath. “I will need to consult with the Seelie King before I agree, of course,” it said after an agonizing pause.
“Fine,” I said curtly. I raised my gaze to the faerie standing across from me, her face sharp with suspicion. “Lyari, can you keep watch a little longer?”
She responded with a single nod. I inclined my head at Laurie, and he followed me back to the main floor. I expected him to launch into questions, but he must’ve seen through my act downstairs, just as Lyari had. He stayed silent as we moved away from the door.
“Is there really a witch outside?” I asked under my breath.
Laurie vanished, then reappeared less than three seconds later. “Yes.”
“I have another idea,” I told him.
“Is it a good idea?”
I swallowed. “It’s… an idea. A way to get an exorcism spell, free Finn and Belanor, and figure out who’s been pulling your brother’s strings all these years. Fair warning, this plan would mean getting Collith involved.”
Laurie raised his brows. “You’re embarrassing me. I’m supposed to be the one coming up with clever plans around here.”
“First,” I said, ignoring this, “I need to go for a walk. Care to join me? I’ll explain on the way.”
The Seelie Prince put his hand against his chest. “I’d follow you anywhere, Fortuna Sworn.”
I rolled my eyes, but a faint smile curved my lips. “Just put on one of your ridiculous coats so we can go, Princess Laurelis.”
“Excuse you.” Laurie sniffed as he opened the front door for me. Thankfully, I’d never taken off my coat, and I stepped through without stopping. Laurie followed me and continued, “Before the week is over, it shall be Queen Laurelis, and don’t you forget it.”
At the bottom of the porch steps, I looped my arm through his, and I couldn’t help noting how easy it was. Touching him, being with him. “I could never,” I said honestly.
I led the faerie prince back into the woods, silently gathering my courage.
I’d need it for what we were about to do next.
Nearly twenty-four hours later, I sat on the porch steps.
The goblin ring felt like a weight on my finger as we waited. My body screamed with exhaustion, even as adrenaline coursed through it—I’d barely slept in the past day, not to mention the three days before that.
As agreed upon, per the messages we’d passed back and forth through the demon, Belanor arrived at seven o’clock. He strolled out of the trees as if he were arriving at a tea party. He wore clothing that only a fae courtier would put on, his thin frame accented by a golden vest and black leggings, the ends of which vanished into a tall pair of riding boots. The scarred half of his face was hidden by glamour.
By all appearances, he’d come alone. But I knew Belanor wouldn’t be so foolish. There were probably guards hidden in the woods, and I wouldn’t be surprised if cherubim were nearby, as well.
The new king stopped in front of us. He looked at me first, resting one hand on the pommel of his sword. “And who might you be?”
“I am Lyari of the bloodline Paynore, Right Hand to Queen Fortuna,” I said without hesitation. This was the first gamble to my plan—if Belanor knew what Lyari looked like, we were in trouble. The goblin ring was bespelled to create a bland face, not a specific one. But it made sense Lyari would be here, since her connection to me was public knowledge. The real one was with my family, watching over them in case this confrontation went horribly wrong.
Making a thoughtful sound, Belanor’s eyes shifted to the figure next to me. I held my breath, worried he’d sense Collith’s power around her. It was the witch Belanor had sent to the house, but now she wore my face. My real face, which Belanor had seen during my time as a human. She sat very still, because Collith had made her believe she was surrounded by venomous snakes.
The Seelie King peered at her closely, his gaze lingering a beat too long. “Nothing to say, Miss Sworn? You’re so silent. Very unlike you,” he remarked.
A vibration went through the witch’s body, and I knew she was trying to speak past the gag we’d put on her. I spoke quickly, hoping to draw Belanor’s interest back to me. “She had an altercation with your demon. The creature bit out her tongue.”
“How tragic,” he commented, sounding anything but sympathetic. “Shall we begin, then?”
The faerie took a step closer, and I moved subtly, positioning myself in front of the fake Fortuna. “First, tell your demon to stop squatting in our werewolf,” I said.
Belanor considered this. His reply was slow and pensive. “I could do that. But how do I know you won’t go back on your word, once your friend is freed?”
“How do we know you won’t go back on yours?” I countered.
“Well, it seems we are at an impasse.” His gaze moved past me and studied the house, as if he could see through the walls. “Where is my dear brother, by the way? He must be here, of course. You keep him on such a tight leash.”
“Laurie is with the queen’s family,” I snapped, briefly losing my grip on the calm I’d wrapped around me. “She had them removed for their safety.”
Belanor listened for another beat. “Not all of them, apparently. I hear movement inside.”
Before I could respond, he blinked out of sight. I swore under my breath and abandoned the witch, rushing up the steps and through the front door. I stopped so suddenly that my boots screeched on the wooden floor.
Belanor stood in the living room with a knife’s edge held over Damon’s throat.
Seeing his hands on my brother had the effect of a flipped switch—a wave of fury crashed over me, so icy cold that I couldn’t breathe. “Let him go. Now,” I said. “I won’t tell you twice.”
“I’ll let him go once you’ve allowed my witch to complete the spell.” The king spoke so lightly, his tone like a spring breeze wafting past a merry picnic. “She should still be outside, yes?”
His response made it clear that he knew exactly who I was. We hadn’t fooled him. Not for a second.
I was reminded, once again, of my loathing for faekind, no matter how much had changed within the past few months. My heart pounded hard and fast against my chest. Belanor heard its wild beat, and his teeth gleamed white as he smiled. He thought the fear would break me. He thought it would cloud my mind. But despite his desperate desire for a Nightmare, he had no idea what we truly were.
We were creatures who walked hand-in-hand with the dark. Fear whispered secrets in our ears and we’d learned to listen rather than cower.
“Not until you free Finn,” I answered. There was no doubt in my voice, and I could tell Belanor heard this, too. Frustration flashed in his eyes, there and gone within an instant.
“Just remember,” he said, his voice pleasant, “you could have prevented this.”
Without another word, the Seelie King snapped my brother’s neck. The sound of bone breaking felt like a bad dream. I heard myself scream as Damon’s body fell to the floor in a graceless heap.