The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) Read Online Free

had won out over common sense and he’d learned to cross over to the mortal world—a potentially deadly game that he began to crave as much as the danger of being a spy.
    In the beginning, he’d only watched from afar. His brother, Lord William Richmond, was easy to recognize—their physical build was similar, as were their features. But soon, watching wasn’t enough. He needed to know more—for the first time in his life he had a family—he had to know his brother.
    He’d approached William while glamoured as Sean ó’Broin—tall, thin, with raven black hair and deep scars on his face—so there would be no way the young man could draw a connection between them. William’s reaction had been wary until Dain had mentioned Larkin and had told him of her escape. In return, William had revealed a sordid tale of Larkin’s manipulations in an attempt to wrest an unnamed prize from him and his friend, Tiki. From that point on, Sean and William had begun a semblance of a friendship.
    When he’d first become aware of Tiki’s existence, he’d had no idea she was part of his world, let alone a true-born queen. He’d simply known her as an acquaintance of the brother he’d only just discovered.
    Dain let out a slow breath, savoring the memory of seeing her for the first time—playing in the park with a little girl, a young boy and another girl about her own age. She was beautiful, without a doubt, long dark hair swept behind her head and brilliant green eyes, but it was her kindness and the obvious love she had for the others, that had touched him most.
    He’d watched as she’d laid out a picnic lunch and read to them from a book as they sat around her, enraptured. Though he hadn’t thought he’d been visible to the mortal eye, the youngest girl had shot a curious glance his direction more than once. That day he’d heard that the boy, whose name was Thomas but they called Toots for some reason, wanted to learn to ride. It was then the crazy idea had taken root and he’d begun to visit the children as Dain, unbeknownst to Tiki or William.
    For the first time in his life, he’d allowed himself to care about someone other than Kieran. He’d allowed himself to be vulnerable, knowing he could lose them, just as he’d lost the old faerie. Yet, the desire to be part of their lives was greater than his fear. Through Clara and Toots he’d learned more of Tiki and his curiosity grew. When he’d saved Tiki from Donegal’s wrath in the Palace of Mirrors recently and they’d traveled through the Wychwood Forest together, he’d experienced emotions he’d never felt before—that he was afraid to admit to himself—respect, desire and something that felt like…
    A shout echoed through the hall forcing Dain back to the present. The Court Jester, dressed in a gaudy array of colorful clothes, stood before the throne and juggled three balls of black flame. One by one, he threw the balls into the air, where they transformed into black birds with flame-colored beaks and eyes. The birds swooped in ever-widening circles above the crowd, growing in size with each sweep of their dark wings. Cries of delight and alarm rose from the crowd, who craned their necks to watch.
    When the birds turned and headed toward the throne in a menacing dive, the guards let loose three arrows, which sizzled through the air to land in each black breast. As the birds plummeted toward the floor, they dissolved into balls of black flame and disappeared, leaving only the charred wooden arrows to clatter on the marble floor.
    Dain watched the Jester as he pranced to the king’s side, clearly pleased with himself. It was quite a feat of magic to produce birds from fire and he wondered again at the Jester’s abilities, as well as his intent.
    Donegal stood and clapped enthusiastically along with the crowd.
    “Well done!” he cried. “Perhaps, Fool, you will create the fire-birds for the Seelie queen and her guards will not be smart enough to shoot