Thorns the devious fae, p.17
Thorns: The Devious Fae,
p.17
“Your… daughter? You mean Kady? Shit! I can say her name?”
“Yes, yes,” the Duchess said, dismissively waving her hand. “I’m sure it’s quite miraculous. Your poor human mind must be on the brink of exploding after all it has been through.”
“Okay, there’s no need for that.”
“Indeed, there is a need. There are a great, many needs. My daughter has seen to that.”
“I don’t understand. How did you know—?”
“—that you aren’t my daughter?” Invidia scoffed. “Even on her worst days, you couldn’t be a fraction of the woman she is.”
“Wow.”
“Your posture is all wrong, you have no idea how to wear that dress, you left your room without donning any jewelry except for that blasted pendant she refused to take off, and you speak like a commoner.”
“Anything else that’s wrong with me?”
“Would you like me to continue?” she asked, with a spark of genuine glee in her eyes.
“Obviously, no.”
“Are you sure? Because I could.”
“I get it. I’m human, and that’s why I’m inferior.”
“Oh, dear, no. Humans aren’t all useless animals. Shakespeare, Van Gogh, Genghis Khan, Stevie Nicks, there have been many noteworthy humans who have created some wonderful pieces of art.”
“That’s quite the list. I’m pretty sure one of them is a ruthless warlord who butchered thousands, though; not an artist.”
“Genghis Khan killed millions, in fact. And no, he wasn’t an artist, but he had conviction, and discipline. That’s something the majority of your people lack, and it’s why you’ll fail as a race in the end.”
“Nice to know where I stand.”
“I don’t mean to insult you, girl. But you don’t know where you stand. Not anymore.”
“I don’t?”
Invidia eyed me up and down again. “I am able to undo the magic keeping you from revealing the truth about who you are, but the rest… the rest is beyond even my skill, and Kadeera knew that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Of course, I’m speaking to a human,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “The magic she used to make you look like her,” she said, speaking a little more slowly. “It’s usually a simple matter to unbind it, but she must have used blood to seal it. I can’t undo it.”
“But you know someone who can?”
“I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that. It will take time, at the very least.”
“Time? How much time?”
Invidia’s eyebrow arched. “As long as it takes. Until then, you’ll have to do.”
“Do… what?”
The Duchess circled around me again, examined me again. “My daughter has outsmarted me,” she said, “She knew I would see right through the ruse, but she also knew I would be powerless to do anything about it. Now she’s escaped into the human world again, with the Favoring mere weeks away. I will send people to look for her, of course, but the likelihood that I will find her in time are slim, so she’s left me with no choice.”
“There’s a lot of that going around lately.”
She came around in front of me again, loomed over me. “You understand I am the only person who can send you back home, yes?”
I swallowed hard. “I think so.”
“Then even your human mind can surely understand the predicament you’re in. Why don’t you tell me what you think is about to happen?”
I frowned at her. “I’m not stupid,” I said, “I know what Kady has done. All she’s done is bitch about this stupid favoring, and now she’s made me look like her. Given that you people are all about appearances, you can’t just lock me away—someone will see me, and questions will come up, so I have to pretend to be Kady.”
“Kadeera, and it goes further than that.”
“What?”
“The Favoring is upon us, and as much as you aren’t, right now, you are Kadeera Nightbloom. You will have to be trained and prepared as much as we can prepare you, and of course the truth about your situation will need to be contained… but my daughter has made sure my hands are tied in this matter, as are yours.”
“Hold on, you want me to what?”
“You are not Fae, you have no magic to speak of, and you have grown up in filth, but you are my only hope at saving face. The Favoring is lost, but Emerald Hall need not become an absolute laughing-stock so long as your performance is… adequate. You will take part in the Favoring.”
“What the hell? You can’t just decide that.”
“I didn’t. Kadeera did. In any case, I am the Duchess of this house, and my word is not only binding, it is final. You will enter the Favoring and you do whatever it takes to ensure this house’s reputation remains strong. Do this, and I will grant you passage back to Earth once we have found Kadeera and undone this spell.”
Pausing for a moment, I stared at her. “This is a trick,” I said, remembering what the Viscount had told me about the Fae and the value of their word. Kady had already duped me once. Invidia was just as capable of doing the same.
“It could be,” she said, “But there are no alternatives. Your Rites of Protection and Hospitality apply only so long as I say they do, and once they are void, your fate is mine to decide. I can choose to send you home… or I can choose to turn you into fertilizer for our flowers.”
She’d said that last part with such subtle intensity, with such hidden malice, it sent a shiver all the way up my spine. I didn’t have to try to figure out whether this woman was bluffing or not. She was serious. Deathly serious. I meant nothing to her if I refused to do what she asked. But if I played along, I had a chance of getting back home.
A chance, at least.
“I hate this place,” I said, shaking my head and shutting my eyes.
“And I hate having you here,” she said, “But we put on a smile, a red lip, a smoky eye, and we try our best because Arcadia is watching, and that cruel bitch feeds on the weak.”
Ominous.
“Alright,” I said, sighing deeply. “But if I’m going to be Kadeera, I have some requests.”
“Requests?” Invidia asked, eyebrow cocked.
“Demands.”
“That’s better. Name them.”
“I don’t want to go back to Kady’s room. Someone died in there. I’d like another one.”
“Done.”
“I also want new clothes… I’m sick of dresses, and I’m sick of green. And my hair; I don’t want to be a blond. I want red hair.”
“We can work with that. Kadeera did enjoy changing her hair colors, so that isn’t out of the ordinary. But when you’re out in public, you’ll need to wear clothes fit for the Lady of Emerald Hall, agreed?”
“Okay, fine. I also want Rell.”
“What’s a Rell?”
“That lizard thing you have chained up in the foyer. He’s my friend, he helped me when I was attacked, and I want him close just in case someone decides to attack him, too.”
The Duchess scanned my eyes, then nodded. “Is there anything else her highness desires?”
I stared at her, eyes narrow. “Yeah, one more thing. I want Thea.”
“Thea…”
“The mermaid Vito turned into a statue. I want her taken down, and I want her to be put under my care.”
Invidia watched me closely, a hint of a grin forming on her lips. “Consider it done.”
My heart finally started to settle, as did my breathing. There was something about this woman that set off every single one of my fight or flight responses; mostly the flight ones. She was scary, intimidating, powerful, and I knew I was pushing, and if I was going to survive here, I was going to have to try to be like her.
Demand, don’t ask.
Assert, don’t plead.
I was in a dangerous land, far away from home, surrounded by monsters—and now killers, too—and I had no way back home. I hadn’t signed up for this, but in the words of the immortal Kurt Cobain: the sun is gone, but I have a light.
It was time to write some new music.
**TO BE CONTINUED
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Afterword
If you’re reading this, THANK YOU. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your patience. And thank you for your support.
2021 has been one of the hardest years of my life—it’s probably been for a lot of people—but I’ve made it through, and what you’ve just read is the fruit of the hard work I put into getting back on that horse after life tried to throw me off it.
I really hope you liked it. It’s come a little later than I had wanted it to, but the important thing is that it’s in your hands, and I can’t thank you enough for giving me your time.
Please let me know what you thought! I can’t wait to hear from you! Don’t forget to grab the bonus scene from the Viscount’s POV right here!
BONUS SCENE
By now you’ve probably noticed that ROSES, Book 2 in the series, is already up for pre-order. Feel free to go and grab that, and continue Avery’s adventure into Arcadia!
Katerina
Xoxo
Also by Katerina Martinez
THE DEVIOUS FAE
Thorns, Book 1
Roses, Book 2
TBD, Book 3
THE COLDEST FAE
Taken, Book 1
Stolen, Book 2
Marked, Book 3
Fated, Book 4
THE OBSIDIAN ORDER
Wings of Light, Book 1
Wings of Night, Book 2
Wings of Shadow, Book 3
Wings of Fire, Book 4
THE WARDBREAKER
Heart of the Thief, Book 1
Soul of the Storm, Book 2
Crown of the Queen, Book 3
Heir to the Throne, Book 4
THE DEVIL OF HARROWGATE
Night Hunter, Book 1
Dusk Stalker, Book 2
Dawn Strider, Book 3
THERE ARE MORE BOOKS, CHECK ME OUT ON AMAZON!
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About the Author
Katerina Martinez is an emerging author of fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Follow her wherever you like to interact!
Copyright © 2021 by Katerina Martinez & LJ Sampere
All rights reserved.
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Katerina Martinez, Thorns: The Devious Fae
