Page 31 of The Crowned Queen

Jaxon sat her down on something soft and padded, his fingers working the knot at the back of her head free.

She blinked in the dim aetherlight, waiting for her eyes to adjust. The front of the cell was barred, staring out at a featureless stone wall. The corridor stretched on in both directions, but she didn’t hear the sound of any other prisoners.

Jaxon dropped to his knees, ripping open a medical kit. “You can speak now,” he said, his warm hands cradling her injured foot. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Not physically.” Araya resisted the urge to jerk her foot out of his grip. “Where are we?”

“I told you—” Jaxon carefully wiped the wound clean, ignoring her hiss of pain. “It’s a black site. Not much to look at, I know. But it’s secure. We won’t be here long. A couple of days, probably.”

“It’s far nicer than anything you ever gave Loren,” Araya said coldly.

Jaxon’s hand paused, pressing a piece of gauze against the bottom of her foot. “You’ve had a trying night,” he said. “So I’m going to forgive that.”

He wrapped her foot carefully, tying off the bandage. But he didn’t stand right away, cupping her calves with warm hands.

“I’ve always admired your realism, Araya,” he said softly. “Don’t start making your life harder than it has to be now.”

Araya shivered, clutching Kai’s coat tighter around her shoulders. “You don’t have to do this, Jaxon,” she whispered. “If you let me go⁠—”

“That won’t be happening.” Jaxon stood, tugging Kai’s coat from her grasp. “I’ve enjoyed you, Starling. But I would never betray my father for you. You just need to trust me when I tell you that you’ll be far happier if you simply accept your place in this world.”

“At your feet?” Araya asked, her lips twisting into a bitter smile.

“And in my bed.” Jaxon leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her chilled cheek. “You won’t be a queen, but there are privileges that come with belonging to me, Starling. You enjoyed them, at one point in your life. Didn’t you?”

Araya’s stomach turned.

Jaxon stepped back. “There are dry clothes and a blanket for you,” he said, nodding to the folded bundle at the foot of the cot. “I’ll be back when I can. Get some rest, Starling.”

Chapter

Eleven

It didn’t take more than a few moments to explore the confines of her cell. True to Jaxon’s word, a thin blanket and new shift were folded at the foot of the cot. Araya shed the wet slip, pulling the plain, woolen shift over her head with cold, clumsy fingers. The rough material scratched against the raw skin on her chest, but she felt more dressed than she had in weeks.

The only other fixture in the small cell was the earthenware basin bolted to its wooden stand. A battered but clean chamber pot was tucked under the cot. When had this cell last held a fae prisoner? Araya craned her neck, pressing as close to the iron bars as she could without burning herself. But the corridor beyond her cell was dark, and no matter how she strained her ears there was no sound from any other prisoners or even the guards that surely must be here.

She was completely alone.

Araya sank down on the edge of the cot, wrapping the thin blanket around her shoulders. She pressed her hand flat against her chest, stretching her mind out toward the bond. Magic prickled under her skin like a warning, but she persisted, pushing until her whole body was shaking and cold sweat soaked the neckline of her shift.

With a gasp that was almost a sob, Araya dropped her hand, sinking back against the wall. At least the bond was still there, even if it did remain frustratingly out of reach. Araya closed her eyes, trying to take comfort in that.

“Miss Starwind?”

Araya blinked, startled to find herself lying down. She could have sworn she just closed her eyes for a moment, but her mouth was dry and her eyes blurry as she blinked up at the other fae female.

“Belanis,” she said, her voice raspy with sleep. “What’s going on? Do you know what happened?”

“No, Miss.” Belanis glanced pointedly at the barred opening, her face carefully blank. “All I know is that Master Shaw wants you made presentable.”

Araya sat up, wincing as her neck twinged from the thin pillow. “You have to know something,” she argued. “You’re not in a cell.”

“I don’t know anything!” Belanis took a step back, her eyes wide. “I can’t lie. The same as you. And we shouldn’t be talking about this⁠—”

“I don’t care,” Araya hissed.

She lurched to her feet, grabbing the other female’s wrist hard enough to make Belanis gasp.