Page 143 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

I nod. “He said the Fae queen laid a curse on all those who fought against her. That she’s the reason Fae can wield shadows.”

His expression darkens. “That is a very surface-level explanation, but I suppose it is fundamentally true.”

“He also implied it can’t be lifted,” I say, crossing my arms. “Since there are no Light Fae left…”

Rian’s gaze snaps to mine, razor-sharp.

Invisible power pulses through the air.

“What are you trying to ask, Elara?”

My fingers curl, nails biting into my biceps.

“Could I do it?” My voice wavers despite my effort to steady it. “Could I lift your curse?”

The silence that follows is suffocating.

My own breathing roars in my ears, but Rian doesn’t seem to breathe at all.

“Why,” he finally speaks, his voice low and lethal, “would I ever want that?”

A warning shivers down my spine. “I-I don’t know. I just thought⁠—”

“You thought?” Smoke bleeds into his eyes before he blinks and the smog clears. “Despite what you believe, you know nothing of me, Elara Stonebloom. Nothing of the Shadow Fae.”

He steps closer. The movement is threatening. Dangerous.

“And you know nothing of the Shadowbound Curse the shortsighted queen laid upon us.”

I retreat on instinct. Adrenaline pours into my veins.

Rian reminds me of the beasts in the Forbidden Forest, though the knowledge of his power and abilities elicits more terror than those treacherous monsters ever did.

Rian tracks me. His eyes flash.

“You are here to cure Darius. That is all that matters. Fulfill our bargain so we can sever the tie binding us, and then we will go our separate ways.”

His gaze dips to my mouth, and his lips curl into a sneer. “Don’t mistake my moment of weakness for something more.”

I suck in a ragged breath, cursing the burn gathering in my eyes.

The words should not hurt. They are exactly what I want to happen.

But the contempt in his expression, the way his voice labels me as nothing more than a tool, a means to an end…

It cuts deep.

A flicker of something—regret, maybe—ghosts across Rian’s harsh features. His lips part.

I spin on my sandaled heels and flee the room before he can speak. Flee him.

His door remains open as I race across the corridor and crash into mine. My hands shake, and I fumble to find the handle.

With a twist, I dive inside and slam the door shut, sinking back against the solid wood with a sob.

Tears spill from my eyes. Try as I might, I cannot stop them.

I am unmoored.