With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and stepped into the crowd. The reveling fae parted for me, edging aside, though several horned figures leaned in to sniff at my hair. I forced myself to keep my gaze forward.
Not a single one touched me. Thank the light for that. But they peered into my face. A nearby female with curling red hair wagged her tongue at my eye. Another cackled ominously. The trio from the floor got up and followed. The male tried to catch my eye, even with his cock still buried between the other fae’s thighs.
Chest burning, I put one foot in front of the other, as the sudden realization struck me. Home was only a short walk away. Beyond the city walls, down the winding hill, and there it was. So close I could see it from my window.
But I was in a different world now. I was so achingly far from home.
The dais rose up before me. Two steps up, and I was there, in front of the king. He flicked his fingers at his side, and I moved to his left. Not a single word spoken. He went back to watching his court.
I picked a spot on the far wall to focus on. Between two crimson-and-orange banners, the servants had missed a little smudge of dirt. Lifting my chin, I stared at it. I knew what this party was. It was just as much about introducing me to the court as it was about intimidating me. If I didn’t look at the faces of the fae, I wouldn’t have to see their sneers, their sharp and twisted horns, their wagging tongues, their rage-filled eyes.
So, the wall it was. I could deal with that.
An hour passed before my feet began to ache. I wasn’t unaccustomed to spending most of my day on the move, but these pinching shoes barely fit. My toes were smushed together, and the heels rubbed even when I didn’t move.
“Ah, there she is,” the king murmured, the first words he’d spoken to me so far.
I swallowed hard. He likely meant the current queen. Would she take up the empty spot on his other side? Thankfully, she wouldn’t be allowed to speak, either. I had no desire to spend the rest of the night hearing her hateful voice.
The king chuckled. “I can see why you dubbed her Raven. Such a beautiful bird and a beautiful girl. A shame such beauty is wasted on a mortal.”
Fear spiked through my heart. I sucked in a breath and shifted my eyes away from the wall. The fae below whirled through the hall, stomping their feet in time with the frantic music. They looped hands through arms, swinging round and round, wine staining their lips and their teeth.
Several naked fae were in the center of the dance floor, two males circling a female. She dropped to her knees as they crowded in around her.
And I understood at once what was about to happen.
Horror slammed into me, causing me to stumble back.
Her ginger hair cascaded around her bare shoulders, and her trembling hands palmed her thighs. Tears burned my eyes.
Another fae pulled off his clothes. “I have no heirs. She should be mine.”
A fourth edged in. “No, the king said I could have her.”
Raven sobbed.
King Oberon laughed.
The whole world seemed to slow in that moment. My dagger weighed against my ankle, as heavy as a stone. Breath hissing out between my teeth, I threw all caution aside. King Oberon had tossed Raven to the wolves, and I knew why.
It was because of me. Because I’d had the audacity to call her by a name.
I knelt, placing one hand against the cool stone floor and the other on my ankle, still hidden beneath my gown.
“What are you doing?” Oberon demanded. “Stand and watch what happens when you do not follow my rules.”
“Fuck your rules,” I hissed, shoving up from the floor as I whipped my dagger out of its sheath.
With a roar, I swung my arm, wooden blade pointed right at King Oberon’s heart. I threw all my weight behind the blow, and the dagger sank into his chest. Not deep enough! Surprise flickered in his eyes as he grabbed my wrist.
The dagger had plunged only an inch into his chest. Blood drenched the wood. His fingers tightened painfully around my bones, nearly shattering them. I let out a strangled cry. He yanked out the dagger, shoving aside my trembling hand.
It clattered to the floor, the only sound in the sudden silence. The music had stopped. The fae were no longer dancing. Every single one of them stared right at me.
I breathed out.
King Oberon rose like a behemoth out of the sea. He jerked my arm behind my back, grabbed my other hand, and twisted it to meet the first.