Freed (Imprisoned by the Fae 3)

Ah, shit. What now?

“What’s up?”

“Lolly just informed me that we have a visitor. Will you please come down to the sitting room with me?”

I’m not really used to Rys asking me to do anything. Not like I can refuse him, though, even if I really, really want to.

A visitor? Who can it be?

After I nod, he leads me down the spiral staircase, right into the fancy front room where he meets all of his guests. I guess it’s the sitting room. I never knew it had a name before, and, yeah, I’m totally distracting myself because I have the sudden urge to bolt back up the stairs when I see the commanding Seelie captain waiting for us.

Despite the name, Helix isn’t sitting. He’s standing in the middle of the space, his hands folded behind his back. His sword is sheathed as his hip, but I’m not fooled. With Helix, it’s never just a friendly visit.

What the hell is he doing here?

And how much trouble would I be in if I just ran away right now?

“Helix. I wasn’t expecting you.”

Looks like Rys is wondering the same exact thing, only he says it in that quaint fae way that he has. It still means what the hell are you doing here?

“Oberon received your message. Good work, soldier.”

Huh?

At my sudden and obvious confusion, Rys tells me, “I sent off Morgan’s missive while you were resting.” He turns to Helix. “I did what I had to prove myself to the king. The Winter Queen is open to peace. She isn’t anything like Melisandre was. She doesn’t want his crown.”

“She doesn’t even want her own,” I add.

Helix raises his eyebrows. I… don’t think he appreciated that.

Hey. It’s true, isn’t it?

Rys reaches around me, laying his hand on my hip. “Why have you come? Does Oberon want to see us? I told him I’d report in person as soon as I could bring Elle with me.”

For a moment, Helix’s dark gold eyes linger on the point where Rys’s palm rests at my side. He frowns, then clears his throat. “The Summer King has decided that you’ve done enough for now. He’s busy making arrangements to meet with the Winter Queen, but he expects you to come around to the palace when Morrigan finally arrives.“ He pauses for just a second, then nods at me. “The human, too. Understand?”

“Yes.”

So do I.

Oberon is the all-powerful king of the Seelie. Before we left for our mission in the Shadow Realm, he insisted that I had an important part to play. Didn’t matter that I was human. I had to go along.

Jim, too. Can’t forget that. Oberon told Rys that there was a reason why Jim had to join us. And he was right, wasn’t he?

So of course he’s going to want me around when Morgan finally leaves the sanctity of the Shadow Realm to meet with him. I’m probably the closest thing to a friend that she has, and Oberon would want to use that to his advantage.

Again.

But that’s something future Helen can worry about. Present Helen? She wants to know why Helix came all this way here to tell us that when he could’ve sent a message just like Rys did.

As if he can read my mind, Helix lifts his gaze, locking eyes with me.

I gulp.

17

There’s something about the Seelie captain. After everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve seen, he still scares the shit out of me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the cold way he ordered my imprisonment, or how he calmly led the chained prisoners to their execution. And let’s not forgot the fact that, the last time we met, he thre