The one who can meld into any Seelie court without having his parentage questioned. Sometimes it feels like this is the real me, the one who smiles at the world with his handsome face. It’s as simple as taking a step sideways, into the ever-present glamor I first conjured when I was a boy. I vanish the wings, the claws, the blackness in my eyes. It wants to consume him.īut destroying my father means confronting him, and for the first time the creature within me knows fear. I can feel him somewhere far to the north of me, in Unseelie, where the wild fae live.įor the first time the hunger relents. Keeping the Darkness contained within me is a daily battle, and I’d like to say the pressure of the current situation-a friend currently held hostage by my enemy-is the reason I can’t quite look myself in the eyes right now, but there’s another truth beckoning. I am Thiago of Evernight, ruling prince of a kingdom that hates me, spawn of a creature so vile I can’t even name it, and a bastard usurper who hides behind his illusions. No, you’re not, I whisper to my reflection as I dry my hands and wrists with the towel and toss it on the vanity. It doesn’t mean I can’t feel my own roaring hunger threatening to consume me. And even though the shadow daemons I’ve consumed writhe across my skin, my wards flare gold like a net draped over me.īut that doesn’t mean I can’t feel them gnawing at me. Dark claws are sharpened to points on my fingertips. Black wings spread wide, glossy with feathers. They’re black right now as I strip the glamor from my skin, revealing the creature inside. I stare into the mirror in my tent, trying to see if there’s a little bit more of it showing in my eyes.

I’ve chained it deep within me, binding it with magic and wards, tattooing them into my very skin to keep it locked away, but I can feel it straining against the edges of those wards. It takes little nibbles of my soul, day by day, even as I fight against it. It curls inside me, hungry and devouring.

Seduced in the dark