I’m going to make it to town in half the time.
“Hang on, Tulip,” I say. “I’ve got this.”
Chapter 3
Edward
“The demon problem is getting out of control,” I say to my advisor. Wyatt slinks lower in his chair, frowning unhappily. The blonde-haired fae isn’t used to being called out, but I don’t really care. “You promised me you had it in the bag, Wyatt. Those were your exact words.”
“Well, I don’t think those were my exact words.”
I shoot him a look that tells him to shut the fuck up and he smartly does.
“What are you going to do to fix this?” I tell him. “Seventeen fairies have died this week. Seventeen. That’s just within the city limits. Who knows how many died in the other towns this week?”
Dark Falls is the largest city, but there are at least five tiny towns surrounding it directly, followed by the Dark Forest. I don’t really know how many cities are beyond the forest. The townspeople all call it the forbidden forest, but I have no idea why. They’re perfectly allowed to travel wherever they like. There’s not much I stop my kingdom from doing.
As long as they don’t get fucking eaten by demons, I don’t care.
There are other kingdoms in the nearby vicinity, kingdoms of vampires and humans and other types of creatures, but they stay away from us and we stay away from them. Except for demons, it seems. Apparently, demons feel like Dark Falls is a playground. Just my luck.
“Well, the reports say-”
“I don’t give a fuck what the reports say,” I slam my hand down on my desk. Wyatt actually shivers. Good. He’s scared of me? He should be. I’m the damn King of the Fairies. I’m not exactly happy to hear that my own citizens have been dying and that no one seems to know how to stop them. Why did the demons start surrounding Dark Falls, anyway? It’s a very new problem we’ve been having. Until a few months ago, there had never even been demons in this area.
Now they’re fucking everywhere.
From what I’ve heard, the Dark Forest is full of them.
Why have they been leaving their own kingdoms?
Why are the monsters coming here?
I’m perfectly happy having my kingdom at peace. If there are demons coming, we need to stop them now. If we don’t, war will be inevitable, and I do not want a war. Nobody wants that. There’s no doubt in my mind that the dark fairies of my city would win any battle, any fight, any war. That doesn’t mean I want to take the risk. I have no interest in wagering the lives of my citizens because the demons don’t have the self-control to stay away.
Wyatt just stares at me and shrugs.
“Not good enough,” I say. “Leave. Make a plan. Bring it to me. You have twelve hours.”
Wyatt glowers, but scurries out of the room. As soon as the door is closed, I pick up my wine glass, chug it, and throw it at the door. The glass shatters into pieces and they all fall to the floor like pretty little diamonds.
It’s a pity.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have broken it.
But I’m a loss as to what to do. My father would have known. Had he still been here to guide me, he would have known. Dropping my head into my hands, I growl. My wings come out: glittering and bright. I can’t even stop them from appearing. My shirt rips as they tear free from the fabric covering my body, but I don’t fight it.
Today, I just accept it.
The reality is that my people are being systematically hunted and I don’t know why. I don’t know what’s bringing the demons to Dark Falls or what made them think that the fairies deserved to be hunted. I don’t know why there seems to be such a shortage of the antidote to fairy bites.
I don’t know anything except the right now, I am totally, completely lost.
I sit for what feels like an eternity and finally, I get up and leave the office. My wings are still out, which is usually a pretty good indicator that I’m either really pissed off or I’m going to battle. Today I might be doing both. Who knows? It’s barely even noon and already, I’m in a sour mood.
The workers who make the castle the incredible entity that it is scurry out of my way. One brave fairy asks if she can get me anything. She winks, and I know what she means, but I ignore her and keep walking. I don’t sleep with fairies who work for me. Hell, lately, I don’t sleep with anyone.
Not since my wife died.