CHAPTER SEVEN
It felt like being trapped between a rock and a hard place—the King’s cold power being the rock, and Isaac’s laser gaze being the hard place. Between the two, Roxie felt the latter more efficiently as anger radiated off Isaac in waves, ready to slice through her if she wasn’t careful.
The guilt increased, but she tried to ignore it. She also tried to ignore his look and turned her back on him, facing the King instead. Asha was an old fairy who’d managed to maintain his beautiful façade for so long, with his long white-blond hair and those dark blue eyes. Obviously, powerful magic came with it, because no one had contested his position for many years. He was perhaps the oldest of the rulers in the four fairy courts, and the calmest.
He was also the most dangerous.
Roxie remembered her mother warning her of the Winter King’s thirst for more power and how he usurped the old Spring Queen before the Spring Court took their throne back and a new queen was established. She shuddered to think what would happen to her warm court should Asha choose to touch it.
This was why her mother needed to get home immediately before the King took an interest. So far, all he’d done was kidnap Pine after learning Pine had access to non-fairy creatures. Sometimes, her mother really needed to know when to stop bragging.
Roxie attempted another smile. She tried to think happy thoughts to make the smile seem natural. “Will your promise hold, Asha? My mother will be released in exchange for this shifter’s imprisonment in Winter Court for three months.”
Asha nodded, making her inwardly sigh in relief. Fairies kept their promises—those that were full fairy, anyway. The guilt lessened as she got the assurance that Isaac would be released after three months, and his death wouldn’t be on her conscience.
Now all she needed to do was convince her mother to completely remove Isaac’s curse in exchange for her freedom. But Roxie could do that later.
“Roxie?”
Roxie blinked. Then she turned to smile at the King again, realizing he’d been speaking and she’d been lost in her thoughts. “Yes?”
“I would like for you to attend the party tonight. I will release your mother tomorrow as a gesture of my good intentions.”
She eyed him curiously, wondering if he meant it—the good intention, at least. She hesitated as another question came to mind. “Thank you. What are you planning to do with the shifter, anyway?”
Asha smiled, and the gleam in his eyes held the first emotion she’d seen since she got here: eagerness.
“You’ll see tonight.”
*****
Ten minutes into the party, Roxie realized what a grand mistake she had made.
The castle’s grand court was filled with all kinds of guests, and not just from the Winter Court. She could see guests flying, sprinting and creating all kinds of mischievous magic that made her nervous, and she wondered how she was going to bow out from this early.
No one here knew her secret, and she didn’t think they would take it kindly once they did know. The best way to keep it secret was to keep to herself in the background because they were bound to find out that she just wasn’t as powerful as she should be, and everything about her was a dimmed version of a fairy’s full potential.
Soon the King made a speech, and an area was cleared in the middle of the hall. It was enough to get Roxie curious enough to extend her stay.
And then Isaac came out in icicle chains, and the curiosity was replaced by horror as her blood ran cold. He was taken to the middle, and he might’ve growled once—but it died quickly as the chains sparked, indicating he was being subdued.
Asha spoke again. “This is a shifter. A non-fairy from the other world, more intellectual and powerful than those they call humans. This is my gift to you all. Feel free to test him out for the next three months, as he is mine.”
A sound strangled in her throat, and she tried to swallow it down as the King glanced at her. Telling herself to stay calm, she asked softly, “I thought he would be free after three months…”
“Of course,” he assured her. “He will be.”
The fairies began to flock around Isaac, curious at first. He tried to break free, he really did—but the chains were too strong, and even his shifter strength couldn’t help him. She watched, helpless, as the guests began to touch him at first. Then touching turned to cutting, where they ooh’d and aah’d over his spilled blood. They pleaded the King to release him from his chains enough to move, and the King happily obliged.
Then they all began to battle with him.
There were playful battles. There were serious ones. Isaac fended them all off and steadily lost his strength, and Roxie felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of a proud man becoming steadily defenseless. This wasn’t what she wanted, and this wasn’t right.
Nor was what you did to get him here.
The guilt was back, mixing with the horror and threatening to make her throw up. She ruthlessly held it in and slid her fingers down her palms, trying to keep them from shaking as she tried to maintain a cool expression through it all. Watching was impossible, especially when she saw flickers of pain start to appear in his earlier calm expression. She wanted to turn away, but that was impossible, too.
The guests eventually grew bored of him and finally left him alone. The King ordered for him to be taken to a cell, to be removed again for his next party. It was sick, and in that moment, there was nothing Roxie wanted to do more than hurt Asha.
In the middle of watching Isaac crawl on the ground with his own blood surrounding him, Roxie felt the King take her hand. She looked up and found him watching her.
“Are you having fun at my party?”
She looked down at their joined hands, then at him. An eerie feeling settled in her stomach. “Of course.”
“Then I hope you don’t mind staying for a few more days. I’d like to show you the Winter Court in its full glory.”
Roxie swallowed. “My mother—”
He squeezed her hand. “As I promised, Pine will be released tomorrow. I’m sure your court doesn’t need you to be there so soon with her back to fulfill her duties. Surely you have time to spend with me?”
It wasn’t a request.
There was no proper way to get out of this right now, even while her mind screamed at her that promising him she would stay would only cause more harm than good because she had no intention of keeping said promise. Again, her promises didn’t mean as much as full fairies, but he absolutely couldn’t know that.
So, she settled for a safe answer.
“Yes, I have time,” she said with a bright smile, squeezing his hand back. Curiosity got the better of her. “Why?”
“Because you feel different. I see something in you that I don’t see in anyone else here, and I’d like to see more of it.”
Her blood stilled.
Of course, he felt she was different, because she was.
The King let go and went on to watch his guests mingling, finally leaving her alone with her thoughts. She watched as servants with wings wiped the blood from the icy floor, and the image of Isaac defeated for the day had her heart hammering and her nerves increasing.
Isaac wasn’t her friend, but he wasn’t her enemy, either. He was an asshole, but she’d seen the way he treated those teenagers and knew he didn’t have it in him to kill without reason, unlike Asha.
As for her? She needed to get away—fast. There was a reason she didn’t go out much from Autumn Court, and if the Winter King found out…
A plan formed in her mind. Tonight, she’d try to check on Isaac and see if she could make a gamble with him one more time. Hopefully, his hate wouldn’t have him killing her on the spot.
Tomorrow, once her mother was free and absolved of any blame, Roxie would make her escape.