Prince by Blood and Bone: A Fantasy Romance of the Black Court (Tales of the Black Court) by Jessica Aspen Read Free Book Online

you seem confused. You act as if there is only one Queen of the Fae, but there are several. Each with their own court and demesne. We’re actually on the outskirts of the demesne of the White Queen. Is she the one who troubles you?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “She’s a bitch, but she usually stays to her own neck of the woods, as long as the locals bring her a young man every so often.”
    “They bring her one of their own? Why would they do that?”
    “They have peace and security for a hundred years. It’s a fair trade.”
    His matter of fact attitude about people paying tribute in their own flesh and blood chilled her. “That’s horrible.”
    “Perhaps, but young men are prone to accidents anyway, and I hear she’s very generous to those that please her.”
    “Do they get to come home afterward?”
    He laughed. “Now Bryanna, what kind of a sacrifice would that be?”
    Her food twisted in her stomach. She was unsure of her ground in this conversation. He knew so much more about Underhill than she did. If there was more than one queen, maybe everything she thought she knew about this place was wrong.
    “Well, since you’re unfamiliar with the White Queen, maybe you could tell me your troubles and we can identify the perpetrator.”
    “I don’t trust you.”
    “I need you, Bryanna.” He leaned forward, and a waft of his warm, gingery scent came across the room. She inhaled. It was like dessert after dinner and it warmed her inside. “I’ve been trapped here fifteen of your human years and while I’ll live centuries longer than you it is grinding on my bones.” His smooth, accent slid out and caressed her worries, easing her closer to trust.
    “If I tell you, you must promise never to use any of it against me.”
    “You would bargain with me?”
    “You’re the one who can help me leave this place and find my family.”
    The candle light gleamed off the silver serving dishes as he leaned back. She could feel him contemplating her from under his hood. Bryanna folded her slick hands together under the table. She was lost, and alone, and desperate. And he held all the game pieces.
    “I’ll give you a gift, something for free, my witch.” He leaned back in his chair. “The fae cannot lie. We can mistake, mislead, and misguide, but we cannot tell an outright lie. So, if I give you my word I will not use your story against you, you’ll know my word is true.”
    Bryanna blew out a breath. She didn’t trust him, but she had to take the risk or she might never win free of this place. “My name is Bryanna MacElvy.”
    He stilled. Even the candle flames stopped their flickering.
    The unfamiliar food in Bryanna’s stomach grew heavy. “You know my last name?”
    “I know of the MacElvys.” His voice was quiet and she had to strain to hear him speak. She wished for the ticking of a clock, or the whir of air conditioning, anything to make this unbearable silence go away. But there was nothing but the overloud sound of her own breath as she inhaled and took the leap forward into the gap.
    “Then you must know that the Faery Queen is systematically killing our tribe. My mother, my sister, and I are the only ones left.”
    She left out Trina. If her cousin could have come home, she would have. Trina was dead. Or good as dead. Bryanna swallowed past the lump of grief in her throat. Her cousin might be lost, but her mother and sister were out there somewhere. And they needed her to be strong.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, sounding genuinely contrite. “I’m afraid I had no idea that things had progressed that far. The queen is indeed on a vendetta.”
    “You know which queen now?”
    “Oh yes. I know which queen.” The candles flickered and danced between them as Bryanna waited for his answer.
    “Well, which one? White? Black? Turquoise?”
    “It is no joke, Bryanna. You have the misfortune of being at the mercy of the Black Queen.”
    “The same one who cursed you.”
    “Yes.” The animosity in that