The Hexed & the Hunted by Melissa Marr

Author:Melissa Marr [Marr, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MelissaMarr

26

Allie

Allie walked through the palace with a purpose that twisted her belly, but what she needed to do wasn’t avoidable. Not now. She hated it, hated the King of Elphame a little for making this all happen. She’d simply say her piece and go home. It sucked, thinking that she met someone who respected her, saw her, cared for her—only to find out what he really was.

“Alice!” Marcus held out both hands as she approached. He had that same beautiful smile, the one that made it perfectly clear that her very presence brightened his day.

And damn him if he wasn’t every fine thing that a man could be. The fae were always beautiful. It was simply as much a truth as water being wet. He had the sort of eyes Allie thought she might fall into, and she knew from her prior visits here, that the arms that were open in invitation were as strong as steel. Muscles corded the fae king’s body, and she’d had a few damnable dreams about the body that stood before her now.

A part of her that was controlled by a more southerly set of impulses was ready to get closer. For all that he was a jerk, the king of Elphame was easy on the eyes, and being a widow—a high profile one—meant that Allie wasn’t a huge fan of casual sex. She was still on long-term contraception because she wasn’t a fool, but her options had been to either casually break her vow to too-recently departed beloved or jump into a relationship before she felt ready.

“You weasel-dicked, lying, deceitful . . . turnip head,” Allie muttered.

“Alice?” His invitation didn’t vanish, but he scowled now.

She stepped closer, swatted his hand away before he could touch her and slapped him hard across the face. “Do. Not. Touch. Me.”

Guards seemingly materialized out of thin air. Hell, maybe they did materialize. She wasn’t exactly well-versed in the nuances of all things fae. What she was far too well-versed in was lying men.

“I told you I wasn’t ready to even be thinking of dating anyone.” She poked a finger into his chest. Fine, against it. For a man several centuries older than her, Marcus was as fit as a construction worker in summer. “I said all I wanted was to be your friend. How dare you try to marry me? And ask my boss to hide it? What sort of deceitful--”

“Now, Alice—”

“Nuh-uh. You don’t talk to me like that.” She sniffled and then continued, “And then to say my boss is fine to let that Chester person just . . . murder her? What sort of person agrees to that? Certainly not one I’d ever call a friend. And poor Eli! Do you know what it would do to him to lose her?” Allie realized, awkwardly, that she was crying. Big tears were streaking down her face.

“There was a spell. If I severed their bond, he wouldn’t die,” Marcus explained.

“Die? When my husband died, I’d have rather been dead than suffer as I have.

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.