Her ice-blond hair had been made up in a braided crown today with the ends hanging down to her shoulders. Piercing blue eyes that others found attractive stared at me with disdain. I hated her more than anyone I’d ever known. That didn’t matter, though. Not when it had to do with a Queen. Especially the Queen.
As a Prince of the Dark Court, I was bound by law to do as she commanded. The Fae were not like humans. Our laws were unbreakable with no need for trials. One of the most important being that the Queen of your court could not be refused anything she demanded. At least not without risking unpleasant things such as banishment or execution.
And this Queen happened to enjoy seeing me do one of the things that I hated more than anything else. Kill half-bloods. Especially since I was mixed blood myself, something she never overlooked.
I stood next to Nyx, the leader of the Assassin’s Guild. My mentor. He wore the same black cloak that I wore when I was hunting, but he had earned his. When Catarina, the last Dark Queen, had ruled, he’d worked his way through the ranks of the Assassin’s Guild.
I glanced at him, remembering what he looked like under the cloak. Black and red skin covered in thin scales. A throwback to his heritage that was covered in thin, overlapping scars. Trophies of battles won.
“Prince,” Seraphina said to me with a sneer. “I have a contract for you.” Her eyes never fell on Nyx as she spoke.
“Why not have the Assassin’s Guild take care of it? That’s their role in the courts after all.”
She ignored my question, handing a rolled-up parchment to Nyx as well, still not looking at him. “The contract is for a girl with human parents. Last night, she drew a massive amount of power from the Immortal Realm, and without training, she is likely to draw attention to herself and our world.”
“I am giving the contract to you, Prince, but if you do not complete it in three days, Nyx will take care of it.”
“Why contract me to do it first?” I stared into her icy eyes, but I didn’t waver. The power inside her was immense, and she knew it. It was why she was Queen after everything she’d done.
She ignored me and finally turned to Nyx. “If you find that the Prince is disobeying my orders, your contract will extend to the Prince. I am done hearing whispers of a lack of order from the Dark Court. The Prince will either do as he’s told and become a model subject, or he will become the perfect example for what happens when someone disobeys me.”
Nyx didn’t respond for several seconds before a rumbled, “Yes, Lady,” came from under his hood. His voice sounded like gravel rolling over pebbles, crushing and scratching away at them.
As he turned, I saw under his hood. Dark red eyes that I knew well shined through the cloth that covered them, shielding him from the brightness of the Court of Light. The curse to his gift of being able to see in almost absolute darkness. Every gift has its price.
Nyx turned and left the room carrying the contract. I glared at the Queen, and she sneered back at me. I didn’t respond to Seraphina. My obedience was required, but my politeness was not. I was of the Dark Court, after all, and we were not known for our manners. Instead, I turned and followed Nyx out of the palace.
The very city shined as I followed Nyx through the streets. This was the only place in either world that there was no night. The sun fell behind the horizon, and the moons rose, but the city was never dark. The buildings radiated their own light, pulling their power from the golden throne that Seraphina sat upon.
Even the nobility of the Court of Light glowed. Not bright enough to hurt the eyes, but enough that they could never hide in the darkness.
As we walked through the streets, Nyx in his cloak, and I in a simple silk shirt and leather trousers, people turned to stare. They knew us by scent. Both of us unique. I, a creature of dreams, and he, a creature of fire and ash, were the only ones of our kinds in either Court and possibly in the entire world.
I could feel each and every one of the people that we passed, their emotions flowing to me unbidden. Lust, fear, distrust. It was one of the curses of being a half-incubus.
We passed the beautiful people that inhabited the city of the Court of Light. A dryad sold the apples from a tree that he protected, his skin a glowing gold. He looked like a beautiful youth except that his skin had a faint bark pattern to it.
A nymph flitted through the market, her transparent robes showing the beautiful body underneath. Long, sky-blue hair fell all the way down her back. She clung to one of the white poles holding up a market stand and talked to an elf who sold shoes. The elf’s eyes wandered over her body as he talked to her, and she gave no thought to it.
Nyx, raised his hand, trying to shield his eyes from the light of the city. “Let us run, Prince,” he said softly in that gravelly voice.
I nodded, and he began to sprint. I followed, keeping pace with him. This was not our home. These were not our people. We should not be here, but a Queen’s demand was not something that we could ignore.
How could Seraphina expect me to kill a half-breed who could draw power from the Immortal Realm? She should have been brought to the Dark Court and trained to use her powers rather than murdered in cold blood because she
