Page 72 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

Conor glanced back to the lower entrance he guarded then turned toward us.His eyes found mine, steady as an oak in frost, and in them, I saw the quiet truth.He’d known all along that we would come to bleed for this end.“Your mother has made changes since the last time you were here.She knew if any life lingered within you that you’d come.”His eyes shifted from me to Darius.“You, however, will be unexpected.

“When you knock me out, can you try not to make it hurt?”

Darius stepped around me, clasping his large hand around the forearm of the guard in greeting.“It’s been a long time, Conor, and I am happy to oblige,” he said, his other hand pressing softly into Conor’s temple.A soft thud echoed as Darius released his unseelie magic, jolting Conor forward.Darius caught the guard before he fell, lowering him carefully to the stone.

“Nice,” I muttered, stepping over Conor’s unconscious form and turning toward the dungeons.

Darius trailed a short distance behind me.“You were going to kill him, were you not?”

I shrugged.“Maybe.I guess now we’ll never know.”

“We trained with him as children, Elias.These are still our people, and most of them are innocent.”

Briar walked beside my brother, staying out of our brotherly spat.Still, I noticed their exchanged glances; her silent agreement was evident in the way her fingers brushed his arm, her subtle nod, and her almost-smile when he spoke.Trying to ignore them, I led the way, letting them fall into step behind me.

I snuck a peek around the wall before pulling back out of sight.Two guards stood stoically on either side of the dungeon’s entrance, alert with their hand on the hilts of their swords.They were young and likely new to their posting.A third guard headed their way, holding a small tray with nothing but a tiny cup sitting upon its surface.Water sloshed over the rim of the cup and dripped over the edges of the tray.

“It’s been four days already?”the guard with the tray questioned.

“Five, actually.Half of this will be gone before I even make it all the way down there.”He chuckled darkly.“There won’t be but a sip left.”

I lurched forward, but Darius’s fingers closed around my wrist, yanking me back into place.

The third guard spoke.“I hope the queen gives us a go at the seelie bitch just like she did with the last one they found.They aren’t good for much else if you ask me.”

The other guard in position nodded.“Yeah.That’s why I accepted this job.If we’re getting in line again, I’d be first rather than the hundredth.This one is a princess, isn’t that true, Jae?”

The guard with the tray paused at the steps.“It’s true.She is the long-lost seelie princess, and boys!”He paused, looking both of them square in the eye before continuing.“I will be taking first turn with her.It won’t be long now, and then she will do practically anything for a scrap of moldy bread.”His laughter followed him as he disappeared down the stairs.

I silently counted to ten, waiting for the guard to be out of earshot even as I erected a cushion of silence around myself.Rage coursed through me, my jaw set tight.As I reached ten, I shook off Darius’s grip, a cold smirk playing on my lips as I stepped into the corridor's light.I could dispatch these soldiers in an instant, but I wanted them to see my face, the last thing they'd see before moving on to the next realm.

One of them lifted an arm.“Hold right there,” he demanded, the sound of him pulling his sword reverberating through the tight space.

I cocked my head sideways, my fingers splayed against my chest.“Do you not know who I am?”My voice held the frost of a cold winter’s day as I advanced closer.I hadn’t yet reached for my blades, but within a blink, they’d be within my hands if needed.

The guards’ eyes shifted over my shoulder, and I knew Darius and Briar had joined me.I didn’t even cast a glance backward as an idea sprang to mind.I twisted on my heel, my hands tightening around Briar’s forearms as I yanked her forward.

She jerked her arm, but I held on.

She growled.“Get off me!”

Darius flinched, but I positioned my back to the guards long enough to shoot him a quick glance.A look I could only hope conveyed the need for his trust.I wanted these guards dead, but more than that.I wanted them to suffer for what they had done to Rosemary, and for all that they wanted to do to her.We couldn’t draw out that much pain now, so we needed a new plan.

My fingers dug into the flesh of Briar’s arm, but I used my free hand to pull the dark hair that fell over my brow and ears backward, letting the guards see the jagged tips of my unseelie ears.

“What have you there?”the guard questioned, his hold still wrapped tightly around his drawn sword.

“We found a seelie whore on our land,” I sneered, snapping my teeth at Briar’s jaw.“So, we decided to bring her here, where she belongs.”

Yanking Briar forward, she stumbled, her gaze flicking between the unseelie surrounding her.She whimpered, her teeth worrying her lower lip as she stared back to where Darius stood.Her clear blue eyes widened as I trailed the tips of my fingers along her jaw, pulling the length of her blond hair away from her ears.They could see Briar’s rounder tips, the clear sign of her seelie heritage.

“Oh, she’s a pretty one,” the farthest guard said, his tongue wetting his lips as he eyed her up and down.He put away his sword.“Have you already sampled her?”

With a grin, I coldly replied, “I have a special desire to take her properly, which means deep below her beloved natural world.Best if we show them where they truly belong, do you not agree?”

The farthest guard adjusted himself, fisting the bulge forming at the front of his pants.“You wouldn’t mind if I watched, would you?”He leaned forward, sniffing the air around Briar’s hair.“She really is a beauty.”

I made a show of pondering this, my fingers stroking the stubble along my jaw.“I do enjoy an audience…”