The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,81

a promise that I made a lot. “Why are you up here? In my bedroom?”

Reaching down, the King scratched the cat’s head, earning himself a rather loud purr from the feline. “I wanted to see you.”

It took me a moment to get my tongue to work. “I think I made it pretty clear the other night that I have no interest in seeing you.”

“I know.” The King gave Dixon one more pat, and the cat scampered off down the hall. The fae rose to his full height, those tawny eyes meeting mine. “But we both know that’s not true.”

“I-I—” I sputtered in disbelief. “You’re out of your mind. Seriously.”

“I was never in it.” His gaze flickered over my face and then moved lower, lingering. “Definitely not now.”

My brows puckered as my gaze followed his to the deep vee in my sleep shirt. The pale pink top had slipped off my shoulder, and the material was thin enough to reveal that there was a chill in the room. That was the reason my nipples were hard. It had absolutely nothing to do with the King’s presence or the way he was staring at me.

Nope. Not at all.

I clenched the edges of the blanket. “You could’ve just waited until I got up.”

“I’m not very patient.” He strode forward, and I tensed, my eyes glued to him as he sat on the bed—my bed.

“I didn’t say you could sit down.”

“I know.”

I stared at him.

The King stared back, his infuriatingly sexy half-grin appearing. “I wanted to talk.”

“About?”

His gaze flicked from me to the wall. “About Aric.”

Every muscle locked up. That was unexpected. “And this couldn’t wait until later? Like when I’m not in bed?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’ve found catching you off guard makes conversation with you easier.”

My brows slammed down. “I don’t think that was a compliment.”

“It actually was,” he replied, his gaze tracking over my bedroom, lingering on the stacks of books and framed pictures of my parents and me. “He’s truly evil.”

I blinked, not following him.

“Aric. You wanted to know more about him. That’s what you need to know. He’s pure, unadulterated evil, and I do not make that statement lightly. Nor do I believe most have ever come across someone who is actually evil,” he said, and I could not stop the shiver of dread from curling down my spine. “He cut straight through me in battle, weakening me so I was susceptible to the Queen’s spell. But he wasn’t always my enemy. At least I had not known him to be. But you knew that already.”

I did.

“He wasn’t just one of my Knights, assigned to protect me. We grew up together, his family closely linked with mine. He was one of my closest confidants. My friend. And the whole time, he was plotting to betray my family and our Court.” The King looked away. “How does one look another in the eye, day after day, have supper with their families, and be privy to their secrets and desires, all the while hating them enough to destroy those closest to them?”

“I…” I swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“Neither do I.” He cleared his throat. “He drew our Court into war by killing many of our younglings before taking someone who meant a lot to my family…to me. He did not just kill his captive. No, that would’ve been too easy. He did things that no creature—human or fae or animal—should ever suffer through. And he did this, all the while pretending to help us find our loved one, eventually leading us right to the body of…” He shook his head. “It’s something I will never forget seeing. Even under the Queen’s spell, the images… They remained.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, reaching out without thinking and placing my hand on his arm. His skin was warm under my palm as I squeezed gently. “I really am.”

He looked down at where my hand touched him and, after a moment, he continued. “It wasn’t until we were in the middle of the battle that he revealed that he’d been behind it all. And he reveled in my shock, my despair. He got off knowing how deeply that cut because I looked upon him as a brother—not of my blood, but of my heart.”

Sickened, I had no idea what to say.

“And he made damn sure I knew what had been done to the one he took. To all of them. I saw the proof his words carried on the bodies of his victims,” he said. “I saw what he was capable