The Fae Bound - Juliana Haygert Page 0,29

at my own feet when she said that. Not that I was shocked she did, but then because our mission here was done. All we had to do now was make his soldiers surrender so we could take over the Shade Fortress, and Kayden could claim it.

But as we made our way to the front of the fortress to join Luana’s and Keeran’s forces, the ground began shaking.

Suddenly, dark smoke rose from the ground near the fortress, black and thick.

Magical.

We ran faster, putting some distance between us and the fortress as the smoke rose up and up, covering the fortress in darkness.

We reached the front of the fortress, where the battle seemed to have paused as fae, werewolves, and warlocks gaped at the thick smoke rising to the sky.

The ground shook again, stronger this time.

In the middle of the fray, Luana shifted back into her human form and yelled. “Pull back!”

The Starlight werewolves and the warlocks didn’t waste time. They followed her orders. And it wasn’t a fucking minute late as the ground trembled again and broke, opening up between us and the fortress.

“Run!” Keeran shouted.

I held on to Farrah’s hand tighter and we ran with the others, away from the fortress and whatever was happening to it.

When I glanced over my shoulder, I didn’t see any shadow fae anymore. Had they been swallowed by the pit, or consumed by the smoke, or had they made it back inside?

After running for a few minutes, we stopped at the top of a hill, a safe distance from the fortress. Though it wasn’t a fortress anymore. The shadows slowly dissipated into the air and what appeared was a tall black castle, with long spires and thick stone walls.

And right on top of the wide balcony on the tallest middle tower, was a terrifying figure.

The Fae King.

He didn’t say a single word—not that we would be able to hear him from here, unless he used some kind of magic. No, he simply raised his hands and the world shuddered with an electric current.

The pit around the new castle filled with black water and from the castle emerged dark soldiers. They formed a circle around the new mote, their long spears at ready should we attack again.

“What do we do now?” Ariella asked from behind me.

Farrah’s shoulders sagged. “I know what he wants. He wants revenge for his son.” She turned wide, blue eyes at me. “He wants me.”

I shook my head. “What? And you’re thinking about going to him?”

“If it’s the only way to stop him …”

“Don’t be stupid.” That was Keeran. He stepped closer and Farrah stared in shock at him and Luana. “We won’t let you walk to your death.”

“Besides,” Luana started. “We know his type. Even if you sacrifice yourself, he won’t stop now. You know that.”

I squeezed Farrah’s hand. “Let’s just take a break, even a short one. We can come up with a plan to defeat him later.”

“Wyatt is right,” Luana said. “We can talk about this king after we are all rested and tended for.” She gestured to her people, to the frost fae, and to my friends. “Let’s go back to Starlight Vale.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and marched deeper into the woods. Keeran was right at her heels. The werewolves and the warlocks were next. Then the frost fae. Daleigh paused, but followed, along with Ariella and Kayden.

I tugged on Farrah’s hand. “Come on.”

She resisted for a second, but let me guide her to safety.

25

Farrah

On the way to Starlight Vale, I saw something no one else did: a magical image on the night sky of a bone and a crown. It wasn’t the symbol of the Bonecrown witches, but I understood the meaning.

Once we made it to the beautiful city, Romulos and Meira took us to the guests’ quarter, where accommodations had already been set up earlier. Apparently, after rescuing Daleigh and the frost fae, Wyatt, Ariella, and Kayden, the blaze fae, had come here asked for Keeran’s and Luana’s help.

“You have to tell her,” Ariella said, looking pointedly at Wyatt right at the door of Wyatt’s assigned bedroom. She briefly shifted her gaze to me, then disappeared into her own bedroom.

I frowned. “What was that about?”

Wyatt groaned. He opened the door and gestured for me to get in. Once we were inside, he closed the door and faced me. “I promised her I would tell you something after we rescued you.”

My frown deepened. “Tell me what?”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “You first. What