Page 48 of A Fate of Wings

Groaning, I touched a hand on my head. My ears rang and pounding echoed inside my skull. I pried open my eyes and squinted at the gloomy blue-gray sky. Clouds trundled in the soft breeze forming shapes that were there one minute and disintegrated the next. I rolled to my side. Tall trees formed a forest. Should I go that way? Did I come from there? Where was I? The pounding and ringing eased, so I rolled to the other side. Green fields stretched across the hills. In the distance, a figure rushed across the lush grass. A woman. She ran across the land to my side. Did I come from her direction? Why couldn’t I remember?

“Lady, are you all right?” she asked, kneeling at my side.

“I… I think so.” I sat up and patted my body, testing my limbs. A few jerked in pain, but how did I hurt myself?

“You have cuts all over you.” She tutted.

I glanced around. Did I fall? Trip? What happened?

“Where am I?” I asked.

“Ireland. I’m Cara. A fae. Who are you?”

“I’m…”

Who was I?

My head ached again. I brushed a hand over my temple and flinched at the tenderness.

“I’m…”

What was I?I knew there were different beings, but when I tried to recall what I was, my head pounded with pain.

“You must have bumped your head, love. Come, I’ll take you home and take care of these bruises until you figure things out.”

I clasped her hand. “Cara, what if I never do?”

Chapter twenty-two

Rozronuuk

The Autumn Court

After bathing and dressing,I’d walked up to Thea’s bedchambers, but her personal bodyguards wouldn’t let me in saying the queen would take a lot longer to prepare for the ceremony, so I’d wandered the grounds. The castle had become unusually quiet considering they were preparing for a claiming and coronation ceremony. I’d watched a couple of giggling sirens run flowers into the courtyard. Nothing sinister emanated from those two. I’d moved on to the guards. Their tight lips were impossible to pry open either with my charm, threats, or posturing. They were loyal to Thea. This was a good sign as far as things were progressing in the Autumn Court, but one couldn’t be too sure.

I’d ended up in the castle’s heart. The kitchen. There the cook had taken me under her wing and fed me thanks to myshameless flattery of her cooking. As soon as I’d mentioned Thea’s father, she’d clammed up and shooed me out of her kitchen, claiming she had a feast to cook for tonight’s celebrations.

I was always hungry, so I’d eat again later even if the gleaming gold tunic highlighted with silver stitching along the trim clung to my massive chest. The matching pants were as equally tight. The clothes were a tighter fit than the other outfit made for me here.

Was it deliberate or an oversight of the seamstress?

It was a tad thrilling to think Thea asked for this outfit to show my strength, but also so she could gaze at me in admiration. And she would. She already had many times. The stubborn woman hadn’t admitted it yet, but she was just as obsessed with me as I was with her. Perhaps she’d be even more enamored after multiple orgasms tonight.

I stepped around a corner. Arine and Raefa stood at ease in the hallway as though they were waiting for me.

“This way, Beast.” Arine nodded.

“I need an armed guard escort to my claiming ceremony?” I cocked an eyebrow.

“No, sir.” Raefa smiled. “We’re happy for Queen Thea since she picked us out of the ranks to be her personal bodyguards. We have a higher status amongst the sirens, which is always helpful.”

“If you’re her personal bodyguards, shouldn’t you be with her?” I scowled.

“She sent us to you.”

“I know the way to the courtyard. You should check on her.” My senses were tingling.

“No, sir. We won’t go against our queen’s orders.”