Guilt (Becoming the Fae Queen Book 1) by Charlene Hartnady & BE Brouillard

Author:Charlene Hartnady & BE Brouillard [Hartnady, Charlene & Brouillard, BE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

14

Nightfall

I’m in trouble.

That thought echoes in my mind as I stand before my court, the elders of my kingdom. Their faces are etched with concern and disappointment. They mutter quietly to themselves, apparently unconcerned that I can hear them.

The normally lighthearted Lady Aurora glares at me with disapproval. Who can blame her? I’ve fucked things up completely.

“What went wrong, King Nightfall?” she demands, her voice laced with a mix of anger and concern.

I can feel the tension in the air as I stand before them; they’re waiting for an answer. But what is there to say? I’ve failed in my mission to convince the Lumina to marry me.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s to come. “She refused to be my mate,” I say, my voice even and controlled. “She saw through my intentions and rejected my proposal.”

“What, my Lord?” Aurora looks surprised. “Why would she do that?”

“She didn’t want me,” I say simply. It’s true, but it’s not going to be enough to satisfy them.

The room erupts in a flurry of whispers and murmurs. I can feel their eyes on me, judging me for my failure. They’re not wrong to do so. Our one chance of salvation from The Hunger is gone. I had her in my clutches, and I let her escape.

She didn’t escape, she was taken.

Not that it makes much of a difference. She was horrified at the thought of being my queen. She refused me, and now here I stand, empty-handed.

But as the commotion dies down, Lord Calloran speaks up. “Is there really no other way to stop The Hunger?” he asks, his voice steady and calm. “We’ve raised this before, but surely we have to have some sort of backup?”

I shake my head, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. “We’ve tried everything, Lord Calloran. Nothing has worked so far,” I remind him.

“Well, we may have to give some thought to it, Sire.” He raises an eyebrow. “Because without the Lumina, we’re pretty much screwed if she’s our only option.”

I pause, taking a moment to think. Then I finally have an idea. “What if we could find someone else for me to marry? Someone with significant power who would be more willing than the Lumina? The Lumina was the first prize, but…” I shrug.

The elders look at me skeptically, but I can tell they’re listening. I take a deep breath and continue.

“Maybe we could find a way to convince another kingdom to join with us? They might be more open to the idea of marriage, and it would benefit both sides in the long run.” I’m grasping at straws, and I know it. We’ve formed many alliances over time, but so far, nothing has shown itself to have much strength against The Hunger.

The room falls into silence as everyone considers my suggestion. For a moment, no one speaks, and then Aurora meets my eye.

“Within the Four Rivers realm, we’ve all pooled our resources…and nothing,” she says, echoing my thoughts. “Are you

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.