Before Kael can respond, the door swings open and Varek enters. He looks like hell. His clothing is rumpled, his usually immaculate hair a little dishevelled, and his expression is a thundercloud. Shanae follows him, offering me a quick nod of acknowledgment, her sharp eyes flicking between Iris and the prince.
Varek’s luminous gaze meets Kael’s. “How bad?”
Kael steps back from the prince’s bed. “Worse than before.”
Iris answers with a clipped nod, “He needs intervention. Something bigger than anything we have here.”
Varek runs a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. “There was a flare-up overnight. Rumblings of revolt. The usual suspects.” His gaze flicks to me, then to Kael. “But this? This is bad.”
“What’s the plan?” I ask, pulse still racing. “We can’t keep him like this.”We can’tlet him die.
“There are two options,” Varek says. “Neither of them good.”
Shanae steps forwards. “The first—taking them both to the palace.”
Kael’s head jerks towards her. “You can’t be serious.”
“It might be the only chance we have,” she says. “The Glowranth palace has technology. Resources. Archives. If there’s anything—anything at all—that could help, it would be there.”
“They’d kill him on sight for desertion,” Kael growls. “And they wouldn’t spare Dawson either. They’d use this as justification for a purge.” He glances at me, and I know he’s thinking about me, about us. Our own bond and the threat we pose.
“Not if we go with him,” Varek says.
“You mean… escort them?” I ask, trying to keep up. “Like a diplomatic mission?”
“Something like that. If we show up on their doorstep with a Riftborn envoy and the royal guard—Kael—they might pause long enough to listen.”
“Or they’ll see it as a direct attack,” Iris mutters, “and we’ll all be dead before we hit the front steps.” She huffs out a breath, and her mate’s mist pulses around her.
So, she’d plan to go too? I suppose someone would need to check on Dawson. But still… this all seems crazy and is getting out of hand. Right?
Shanae shakes her head and faces Varek. “Do you honestly think leaving Dathanor right now is wise?”
The room falls into a heavy silence, and I wonder just how bad things are getting with Zeyv. To be honest, the dickwad has just been looking for an excuse. I hate to think it, let alone say it, but maybe Varek needs to go all Nyxerian on his arse. While I don’t know a lot about Varek’s species, I know enough to understand he’s deadly and not to be challenged unless you generally are all that.
“What’s the other option?” I ask finally.
“There’s a library?” Kael questions.
Varek bobs his head while I just glance between them in confusion.
“There’s a library that predates the queen’s reign. It’s hidden, only known to a few. I’ve only heard rumours, but if it exists and tells us more about fated mates….”
“It could hold what we need,” Varek finishes.
“But we’d have to find it first,” Shanae adds. “And time’s not exactly our friend.”
I look at the prince—at his still, quiet form. Then at Dawson, equally still on the neighbouring bed. My gaze meets Kael’s. “We can’t lose them.”
His hand finds mine. “We won’t.”
Varek nods. “We’ll split our forces. I’ll keep order here. Iris, you’ll stay with both patients. Shanae, prepare the diplomatic documentation just in case. Kael, Sonny—you’ll find that library.”
My heart jumps. “Us?”
“You’re bonded,” Varek says. “Glowranth and human. If the old stories are true, you might be the key to opening its gates.”
What fucking gates? What old stories? Does he mean how Glowranth used to have fated mates, but their ability stopped centuries or however long ago? And what happened to simply going to the queen for help? Not that I necessarily think that’s an awesome idea, but still….
