The bastard hadn’t expected me to brandish them as weapons. His mistake. They were marvelous weapons that operated with the same dexterity and precision as me. His gaze hardened and narrowed on the tips of my wings, which had become razor-sharp barbs. Then, his profile changed and returned to a calm facade as if he was finished.
“What the fuck do you want from us?” I demanded in an acerbic tone. “Why don’t you cut the shit and just tell me what your master plan is? Is it that you want war? Have you ever even tasted war? It’s fucking disgustingly brutal,” I offered, planting a hand on my hip while offering him a bored, irritated glower. “Oh, come on. Don’t keep a woman waiting. We tend to get murderous when men do that to us.”
“I’ve tasted war many times. I could tell you what I have planned, but what would be the fun in that? The surprise is what makes it so . . . exhilarating. Not knowing what is coming for you keeps you on your toes.”
I felt his magic probing me just as Zahruk had, seeking a weakness to exploit.
“I’m not really a fan of mysteries or horror stories.”
“You think this is a joke?” he asked in a deadened tone.
“Isn’t it? I just thought that since you were playing games instead of telling me what you wanted, I didn’t have to take you seriously. I, for one, would rather cut to the chase and be told why I’m here.” I spoke in a firm, calloused manner that had his eyes hardening to angry slits of glittering fury.
“You’re here to make a choice,” he informed harshly, forcing me to suck in a deep breath as he sent a wave of power rustling the air in the cave. “And to decide on how we proceed from here.” He flicked his attention to the side before rolling his focus back on me. “Knowing your enemies can help you make informed choices in the end. Don’t you agree?”
“I do. In case you aren’t aware, there are also these amazing things called words. We use them to inform others of our wants, needs, or ideas. They’re rather handy when one needs to convey questions or answers as well. So, if you are as fluent with them as you are at bluster and pomp, then please explain to me why I’m here and what you want. I tire of repeating myself.”
His power turned horrifyingly intense. I blinked as the wind bit at my flesh and caused my eyes to water. The candles flickered but remained lit, bathing the space in dreary lighting. Aerokinesis was rare, but not unheard of. The fear that was sinking into my mind, making my adrenaline spike, wasn’t my own, but I was struggling to remember that. However, I believed I’d just found the sources of the storm enshrouding Faery.
He tilted his dark head, once more aiming his soft curious gaze on my wings. I shimmered, and they vanished without difficulty.
“How is it you and your insufferable king both have wings, but your dainty little daughter doesn’t?” he inquired with humor dancing in his silvery stare.
“She’s not a goddess, fuck-head,” I explained, circling him as he did the same, examining me with intrigue burning in his bottomless depths. We continued moving, both of us continuing in a wide circle while keeping the other in sight. He lurched, and I sidestepped him before kicking his knee hard enough to send him sprawling forward. As he dropped, I sent an elbow into the back of his head.
“You forced me to come here? For what exactly? To watch your tongue wagging aimlessly with your pathetic threats? Or so you could insult me? I don’t play nicely with jackasses and I don’t have time to coddle fools who think they’re something special. If that is why you forced me here, we’re finished.”
“You’re finished when I decide you are,” he laughed coldly as he straightened and moved to lean back against the wall. It was as if every shift, step, or adjustment was part of a performance that was precise and plotted.
He safeguarded himself against attack, shielding his blind spots without boxing himself into a corner. The wings that stretched from his spine were dangerous, with barb-like talons that were comparable to Ryder’s. The power transmitting through the air around us was extraordinary and would’ve caused anybody else to pause before pissing the prick off.
“If you think to keep me here, think again. I escaped the prison once before, and I’ll do so again. You think to scare me, but I’ve been through hell at the hands of my enemies, and you? You’re just another name, one I’ll be adding to the pile of assholes who pissed me off and ended up spineless after I’d ripped it out through their mouth.” I responded, settling back against the opposite wall so I could keep him and his companions in view. “I’m waiting,” I hissed, recognizing that my sass was drawing his boiling temper to the surface. “Stage fright? It happens to the best of us, and I won’t judge you too harshly for it, promise.”
His eyes changed from a silverish-blue, to the violet color of lightning. He dropped his stare, lifting it back immediately to reveal the chrome coloring that reflected my profile in their mercurial depths.
“You’re pretty mouthy for something so fragile,” he mused in a scratchy tone, deliberately running his mercurial gaze over my face.
Laughter enveloped me, and his lips trembled before twisting into a devilish grin that caused my hackles to go up. Instead of proceeding toward me, he shifted, which blanketed his face in the shadows. The markings on his wrists and throat pulsed hypnotically. His weren’t like the fae’s, which moved in silence. His markings produced a strange humming sound while they moved in an intricate dance that slithered up his arms and then back down to where they started.
“If I told you to choose between the lives of the children in that office and the life of the child growing in your womb, or Kahleena’s life, which one would you choose to end?”
“None of them, asshole,” I hissed viciously, glaring with hostility even as fear blasted through me.
“If you refuse to choose, I’ll decide for you and murder all of them.” He smirked cruelly and righted his head so I could see his expression. “Don’t look at me like I’m the villain here. Your mother forced us to this spot, and you murdered her before I could return the pain she inflicted on me. Now, you and your people will pay for what she did to us. Then I intend to end the fae and remove their influence from what King Oberon and Queen Titania—the true architects of what you call Faery—built and formally identified as the Etherlands.”
My eyes widened a fraction before I could mask the shock, and I expelled a harsh puff of air from my lungs. I hated being right when the result of it ended with evil pricks presenting lousy choices. I had no doubt that he would end the lives of the children and not think twice about doing so. My gut plunged, and I closed my eyes, drawing courage to mutter the decision he was ordering me to make.
“I wish to see her,” I requested sharply, opening my eyes and slicing a withering look toward him.
“That isn’t how this works—”
“Listen, I’m not stupid. You’re attempting to force me to choose which one to give up, thinking I’ll choose her. I bet you even have her tucked away somewhere close so she hears whatever answer you assume I’ll give. Only, I won’t choose shit without verifying that you actually have her in your possession. I sure as shit won’t do so merely because you’re some dick-swinging Neanderthal who’s beating his chest to make sure the little women in his presence cower.” I smirked as his mouth slashed into a hard, angry line.