I chewed my bottom lip nervously. Where the hell was Ryder? He was a little late for scaling the damn walls. I turned and looked at my sister as she kept her eyes to the floor. She was afraid to look at me. I could sense it in her posture. “Caera, it was very nice to meet you.”
Well, that was about the lamest thing I could have said.
“I wish you well, I also wish you luck in what you are about to do, Sister,” she said, finally lifting her eyes to meet mine. Anger shone from her eyes. I smiled. Good, she hated this as much as I did.
“Don’t need luck, just need him to think he’s the better monster,” I replied with more bravado than I was really feeling.
The door behind us opened to reveal The Blood King. He smiled, but it failed to touch his eyes. Behind him were my brothers, and they were all dressed in suits. It still sort of freaked me out how human they looked, when dressed that way. “Ladies, we have to move to the hall where he will meet us.” My father and brothers were all stoic and resolute with what was about to happen. I could feel the undercurrent of anger and outrage with what they were being forced into. We walked slowly down the hall. No one spoke or made a sound. Not even the children as they clung to their mothers hands in fear of the arrival of the horrid Horde King.
I was supposed to kill the mythical Horde King, but the problem was, he would be on alert for treachery while here in the Blood realm. There was no chance in hell that I’d be able to take him out here, in front of his entire retinue of his people. I’d be slaughtered along with everyone else who stood inside the hall to bear witness to the gifting ceremony.
We rounded the corner together, and I stopped abruptly. There were hundreds of Fae in the throne room, all here to catch a glimpse of the elusive King. Just like I had witnessed at the other events, the Fae were turned out with a combination of contemporary formalwear, as well as the traditional robes or more medieval types of costumes. I turned and looked at the Blood King. He nodded, and together we walked the rest of the way to the back of the hall where the raised dais was for the Blood King’s throne. A thick carpet for me to kneel upon had replaced my father’s throne today.
I would be on my knees for him. Presented at his feet like some fucking animal. I stood in place as my family flanked my sides in a line of solidarity. I was pleasantly surprised and loving the looks of pride and anger that showed upon their faces. These people were doing what they had to because all other options had been taken away. But, it didn’t mean they would do it meekly. I looked at my father and saw why he was considered second only to the Horde King, when it came to being an alpha bad-ass. The man was, at this moment, absolutely courageous. He may have been dealt a really bad hand, but he was going to do what he had to with dignity. I felt a flash of pride for this man and the rest of my family.
It had been agreed that I would be presented to the people officially before the Horde King would claim me. I struggled to push down the butterflies of unease that were starting to kick into overdrive with what I had agreed to.
This was really happening to me. After everything I’d done to save people from the Fae, I was now to be gifted to the worst of them. It didn’t seem fair, or right, that this was happening to me, but it looked like I just might be the next one in a very long line of abused ‘gifts’. No one deserved this kind of medieval crap.
Trumpets sounded from what looked like a newly reopened entrance to the hall, and with the sound of the heralding trumpets came a short red headed male who was dressed in an awful color of green. He looked more like a Leprechaun, than he did Fae. He held a piece of paper in his hands as he read from it. “Yestereve, a blessed event took place. A knight of the royal Blood Fae returned something that was feared to be forever lost to us. Cailean, step forward,” he paused until the knight who had brought me here stepped forward. “What say you of this?” The short red-head asked.
“I returned Princess Sorcha to her home, to her parents,” Cailean answered. I could tell he was torn. He had saved me from Faolán, but turning me over to the Horde King wasn’t sitting well with him. He looked like he wanted to snatch me up and save me from this too.
“Does anyone argue this charge?” Shorty asked.
Silence greeted our ears as no one disagreed with them. I looked around and almost gasped when I spotted Adam beside his father across the room from us. His eyes were wide with alarm, and he was struggling against Kier and whatever he was telling him. I was relieved to see that they were both unharmed, and so happy to see Adam’s face.
I sent him reassurance through the bond. Or hoped I was doing it, since I wasn’t sure how to control the bond we shared yet. He must have felt it, because he stopped struggling and looked across the room at me. Anger and fear for me were clearly written on his face.