The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,101

out of Jabba the Hutt formed.

I could do that. In fact, the scene of me strangling Aric to death replaced the one from Return of the Jedi, and it filled me with a rather unhealthy amount of glee. Twisting the chain around my hands, I waited.

I didn’t have to wait long.

The sound of footfalls was like a breath of air along the back of my neck. Darting toward the slab, I shifted the chain behind my back and leaned against the stone, hiding the chain. Every muscle in my body tensed painfully.

A stuttered heartbeat later, the door creaked open, and fresh air rushed in—rose-scented air. I was either near a garden or, if I was underground, I couldn’t be that far. I filed that little piece of information away. Aric stood in the doorway, appearing alone. His broad shoulders nearly took up the entire width of the opening as he ducked and stepped through the door.

A whoosh went through the room, startling me. Fire sparked, and the remaining torches flared to life, nearly a dozen of them casting flickering light into the chamber.

I’d been right about the vines, but now I also saw that there were chains mixed among them.

“I thought you’d still be asleep,” Aric said, his deep voice tinged with amusement.

The links of the chain I held pressed into my palms. “Sorry to disappoint you. I’m wide-awake, asshole.”

He chuckled as he straightened. The door behind him swung shut, cutting off the flow of fresher, warmer air. “Don’t apologize, I am thrilled that you’re awake.”

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to breathe steady and sure. “Where am I?”

“Where I want you to be.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Aric smirked as he stopped just a few feet inside the chamber, out of my reach. “You’re right outside the city. I believe this used to be an old tomb that has partially sunken underground.”

Shock splashed through me.

“You seem surprised that I told you.” He inclined his head. “I’m not worried about you escaping. Not at all.”

Fury quickly replaced the surprise, prickling at my skin. “I wouldn’t be too confident about that.”

His gaze flickered over me. “Your courage is…admirable, but I have no reason not to be overconfident.”

I forced out a laugh even though my heart raced. “There’s a very fine line between confidence and arrogance.”

“True.” He smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on his white, linen shirt. “But there is a difference. Not that you’d know anything about confidence.”

“Really?” My spine stiffened. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know everything about you, Brighton Jussier,” he replied. “You’re thirty years old, never married, and childless. Once devoted to taking care of your poor, unstable mother, you’re now devoted to finding and killing me.”

My chest rose with a heavy breath. “Did you read my Facebook profile or something?”

He laughed. “You were born into the Order, but you’re not a true member. Other than hunting me, you do not hunt fae. How do you mortals put it? You were put out to pasture before you even grazed. They do not see you as remotely useful to their goals. You’re simply allowed to be because of who your parents were.”

I flinched as his words landed a blow on the still open wound left behind by Ivy and Ren, both who doubted my ability to do anything more than read a map. There was too much truth to what Aric said.

“The only reason you ever even came onto my radar was because you were seen aiding the wounded Summer Prince.”

He was talking about Fabian, and the night the Queen had been forced back into the Otherworld, when I’d helped transport the Prince back to Hotel Good Fae.

“Other than that, you’re fairly unremarkable. Well, with the exception of fucking the King,” he remarked, and my breath caught. “Then again, at one time, he was known for having very little taste when it came to his partners.”

That would’ve stung if I weren’t currently chained up in a tomb.

“So, do you still think I don’t know anything about you, little bird?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? Isn’t that what Caden calls you?”

The sound of his name was like a shock to the system, one I couldn’t afford to be distracted by. “No. He doesn’t call me that.”

“Hmm.” Aric folded his arms over the dark shirt he wore. “That’s what he called Siobhan. Do you know who that is?”

“No.” I kept my gaze glued to him, ordering myself to wait until the perfect moment to strike. “And in case you’re wondering, this is my I-don’t-care