Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,42

we wouldn’t draw the attention of the cops when they arrived. I couldn’t put it off any longer.

When she stopped and turned back to face her brother, I could see tears glistening in her wide eyes. She was scared, but then, so was I. Three centuries ago, Trixie had left her home with the Summer Court and gone into hiding because the king was determined to take her as a second wife. She had changed her name, changed her appearance, and was in constant hiding as she turned her back on her people and her family. Sadly, her brother was a member of the royal guard, and had spent the past three centuries pursuing his sister in hopes of dragging her home against her wishes.

Grabbing Trixie’s hand, I pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her waist. I needed to hold her, to feel her against me. If Eldon had come to take her back to the Summer Court, I had to hold her one last time because I knew that I’d either have to kill him or Trixie was going to run out of my life forever in hopes of staying out of the king’s clutches.

“What’s the news?” My voice was rough as I struggled to push aside my growing panic.

“Rowena, I’m hoping that this break has given you the time to think about your situation,” Eldon began. I flinched at hearing Trixie’s real name, brutally reminded of the long life she had lived with her people before she had been forced to run to protect her freedom. “Come back to your people, where you belong.”

“No! She’s not returning so she can be a plaything for a selfish asshole!” I shouted.

“Selfish? The king is trying to protect our people by selflessly putting aside his desires so that he can ensure the continuation of our people.”

“Bullshit! He’s a pompous prick—”

I never saw Eldon’s fist, he moved so quickly. Pain exploded across my jaw, snapping my head around and knocking me off balance. I recovered quickly, swinging two fists at him. He dodged both, but the kick to the stomach caught him by surprise. I slammed my fist into his chin, knocking him to the ground.

The elf rolled back to his feet and started to charge when Trixie jumped between us.

“Enough! You’re acting like a pair of idiots.”

I stepped back, breathing heavily, my eyes locked on Eldon. If he touched Trixie, I was going to be all over him again. Trixie’s brother didn’t appear to be winded at all, but at least he was rubbing his jaw.

“You’re not the only one being hurt by your decision, Rowena,” Eldon said in a low voice. “What remains of your family is hurting. My daughter is hurting. Come back, and you can start to make it right for everyone.”

Pain slashed across Trixie’s face at his words and I growled, ready to jump over Trixie to get at him. “You know I never meant to hurt you or our family. But what he wants, what he’s doing, is wrong. Let me fix this, my way.”

Eldon took a stiff step backward, his face becoming a blank slate. I didn’t know what the elf thought. He was ready to hand his sister over to the king to be used as some kind of brood mare. Yes, I could understand trying to protect your people, but what about the happiness of your own flesh and blood?

“Do you have any news or are you here to harass Trixie?” I demanded, breaking the thickening silence.

Eldon glared at me for a second before he spoke. “The queen has agreed to meet with you. Tomorrow at noon at Mirror Lake.”

“Anything else?” I said when he started to walk away.

“Don’t be late.”

Trixie reached out, catching his shirt with two fingers, halting him when he would have turned his back on us. “Eldon.”

His shoulders slumped and he shook his head before looking at his sister. I wasn’t sure who was older. They both could have passed for midtwenties, even though I knew that Trixie was more than six hundred. They both had green eyes and blond hair, but Eldon’s features seemed hard and cold to me, where Trixie was soft.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” he said, breaking the silence. “After the king’s betrayal, I was lucky she didn’t have me killed for seeking an audience with her.”

Trixie gasped beside me, her fingers fisting around his shirt. I frowned. This wasn’t a good sign. “Do you think she’ll try to execute Trixie when we show