Chapter 148: Fae Interest
PRINCE ASH POV
My mother’s ice-cold hand slapped across my face so hard I tasted blood.
"You will not defy the Winter Court!" Queen Morrigan growled, her voice sharp enough to cut diamonds. "The Guardian belongs to us now!"
I touched my bleeding lip, feeling the familiar sting of her disapproval. Around us, the Fae Court watched with hungry eyes, waiting to see if I’d bow like a good prince or stand up for what was right.
"Lily is not property," I said, my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine. "She’s a person with her own choices."
My mother’s laugh was like breaking glass. "She ceased being merely human the moment she became a dimensional bridge. She is Fae now, whether she knows it or not."
"That’s not how it works," I argued.
"Isn’t it?" Queen Morrigan gestured, and the air shimmered. Suddenly we could see through dimensions, watching Lily in her basement prison at Silver Peak. Her body flickered between solid and transparent, exactly like a Fae caught between realms.
"Look at her," my mother commanded. "She exists in multiple dimensions at once. She can see across the barriers between worlds. She has power over reality itself. These are Fae gifts, Prince Ash. Gifts that mark her as one of us."
I watched Lily struggle to hold herself together, literally and figuratively. The pain on her face was clear even from here. She was fighting to stay human while cosmic forces tried to tear her apart.
"She’s suffering," I whispered.
"All young Fae suffer during their transformation," Queen Morrigan said dismissively. "It’s natural. Once we bring her to court, she’ll learn to control her new powers."