Frost Fae (Dark Fae Kings #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,39

me.”

My throat tightened with fear. The Winter King had taken away my dagger when he glamoured me into a Fae slut, and my magic had refused to come out.

How was I going to defend myself? I darted my eyes around to search for a weapon and settled my stare on the sheathed dagger strapped on the thigh of a Winter knight next to me. I inched toward him.

“Let’s pay no heed to the slaves,” King Rowan said. “I’d rather spend precious time with you. Tell me what and who frustrates you, Queen Brigantia. Perhaps I can fix it for you. I’ve heard interesting rumors of late, most of which concern you and a certain person of interest.” He cocked his head, frost dotting his eyelashes. “As you know, I don’t like to be kept in the dark.”

“What have you heard, King Rowan?” Brigantia asked.

“Why don’t we take this conversation somewhere else?” Rowan purred in seduction.

He might want to bring her to the library to screw her, just as he’d led me there to do the dirty deeds.

“That can be arranged at a later time since I plan to spend the night here,” the queen said slyly. “And since you’ve prepared a feast, we shouldn’t let it go to waste. Unless you prepared it for someone else, in which case I’d be interested in learning who has caught your fancy. I’ve also heard rumors.”

Rowan threw his silver head back and laughed. “The feast is entirely for you, Queen Brigantia. Two can play the game. I had a feeling you’d come, so I set it all up in advance. It delights me to surprise and please you. But do enlighten me—how did you know I was in the castle, which I haven’t graced for ages?”

My heart skipped a beat. Had one of his people been the queen’s spy? I hoped he tasted the betrayal bitterly. Let treachery fill his life and none of his women remain faithful to him.

“I have my ways,” Brigantia said as he held her hand and led her toward the golden table.

The servants jerked like they’d been kicked into motion again. They instantly pulled the two chairs at the table apart, one at the head of the table, maybe a Fae custom for a king and a queen to sit.

“Leave it,” the Winter King ordered them harshly. He flicked his wrist, and the two chairs moved next to each other. The Winter King gestured for the Dawn Queen to sit, and he sat close to her.

I rolled my eyes mentally. Why did the fucker even bother to have two chairs? He could just have her sit on his lap, like the two Fae concubines who had perched on his thighs before the vicious queen showed up.

As soon as they settled, the Winter King grasped the queen’s hand in his as if he held gold.

“Some little birds told me that you’ve been visiting my immortal enemy frequently,” Rowan said, bitterness ruining his velvety voice.

“My, my, Winter King, are you jealous?” Brigantia giggled, her eyes pits of coals and ashes. “You’ve never displayed that intriguing trait before. But as you know—as everyone knows—I’m the prophesied queen who shall bring all four courts together. For the prophecy to come to pass, the Night King must submit to me first and become my first consort. However, my spymaster suspects Rydstrom has been compromised. He set up an extension of his court in the mortal world to find the imposter—my rumored sister—and then use her to overthrow my rule.”

“But the princess heir died a stillborn,” Rowan whispered.

My drumming heart rammed into my ribcage, and my blood roared in my ears, drowning out the next sentence she uttered. She took a sip from the silver cup, and when she set it down, I could hear again.

“King Rowan,” Brigantia said in a deadly voice, her lips turning blood-red. “None of your servants can be allowed to live after hearing this information.”

Her long-nailed hand raised, ready for an execution. Before I could take cover and scream for my magic to defend me, Rowan grasped both her wrists and brought them to his lips.

“You’re tense, Queen Brigantia,” he purred, his sweetness toward her making my skin crawl. “Deciding the fate of my subjects is well within my jurisdiction. You may not kill my most useful servants. You know my reputation. I’m not being merciful, merely practical. And you should have faith in my shield magic. I’m the Winter King, after all. None of my subjects heard our