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Back For Ever Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Map of the Willowhaven
  4. Map of Rosehill City
  5. Foreword
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. Epilogue
  62. Map of Rosehill City
  63. Also by Jenny Hickman

The king crumples to the ground, clawing at his throat, his face the shade of a ripe blueberry. Foam bubbles from his white lips as his eyes turn hazy.

The queen kneels beside her husband, taking his hands away from his throat. I expect tears or words of sadness, but she does not cry. She leans close and whispers, “You unfaithful wretch. Of course I knew. You built her a fucking bridge.” She lets his hand drop to the dais. On his wrist he bears two crescent scars.

Unseelie mating bonds.

The queen removes his crown and stands. “King Bandon Reve is dead. Long live King Ronan.”

Ronan inclines his head so the queen can replace his crown with the king’s.

The handful of people still in the square sob and wail as they slowly bow for their new king, none the wiser to the treachery that has taken place.

Ronan smiles at me, his too-white teeth gleaming in the waning sun. “I always get what I want.”

53

Everett

“Strength lies on the path to forgiveness.”

Author Unknown

No…

NO!

No matter how I fight, Maddox and Gryffin refuse to ease their grips on my arms, dragging me farther and farther from Kerris as the crackle of flames feasting on our bridge roars in my ears.

“Let me go, dammit!” When our boots meet solid ground, I finally wrench free. They block the path back to her, an impenetrable wall of muscle and flame as the rest of the Unseelie stumble for safety.

“What were you thinking? I could have saved her.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Gryffin waves his arms over his head, his jaw set. “We were outnumbered ten to one. You are no good to Kerris Dawn if you are dead.”

That may be true but, in this moment, I am no good to her alive, either. Not with flames engulfing the bridge, burning away the only way to reach the woman I love.

“They arrested her!” I can hardly bear to think about the consequences of her actions. How she defied the prince. There had been murder in his eyes, and without me there to suffer his wrath, he will turn that rage on her.

“Better her than you,” says Maddox, withdrawing something from his pocket. A key. Where did he get it?

“Kerris Dawn is Seelie,” he goes on. “Whatever crime they charge her with will be a slap on the wrist. She will be back at her house by nightfall.” He motions for me to hold out my bound hands and unlocks the manacles at my wrists.

I hope he is right. Please, let him be right.

“If they would have taken you, you would not have even seen a fucking trial,” Gryff adds, watching the flames with the rest of our people, each one wearing the same grim expression.