Like he expected the question, Warrick reached into the pocket of his cloak and threw something onto the table. The small medallion gleamed in the dim light, the silver metal and intricate patterns etched into the armored cuff distinctly fae.
More whispers erupted, and Perene stared in horror at the cuff which proved a fae scout had indeed been in Katakin. Straightening, she regained her composure. “But why would the fae choose to attack now? My love, is it possible the soldier acted on his own?”
So, Warrick didn’t tell her about the fae prince.I wasn’t surprised to hear she knew little of what had happened over the past weeks.Warrick would only tell her and all the council the information he wanted them to know. Admitting that he had captured a fae and had been running experiments on them without the council knowing wasn’t something he was likely to divulge.
Warrick cocked his head. “That soldier was following a direct order from his king. As you all know, I have long since believed that if we don’t eradicate the fae first they will one day try to take over our world. We’ve all heard the rumors about my son and his…friendsgoing to the fae realm. I think it’s safe to assume that the fae were somehow reminded that we are still a threat.”
I clenched my fists at my sides, though I shouldn’t have expected anything different from the vampire. Blaming me and my brothers for the war was easy for him.
“What an ass,” Raine hissed under her breath, and just her voice eased the red that had begun to creep over my vision.
“Has our Locke returned?” Perene asked, looking stricken, but I wasn’t delusional enough to think she was truly worried about my well-being.
Warrick peered back at her with black eyes. “Quite so, my dear.” I wondered then whether my dear old mother knew that Warrick had tried to end me when his outliers had us cornered in the ballroom. Then again, she’d never cared much when Warrick had harmed me in the past.
Warrick stared at the members around the table again. “After interrogating the fae scout, I discovered that King Chalir of the fae has declared war on Katakin following the attempted assassination of his son, the crown prince. It seems Locke and his friends were quite busy while they were away.” His dark smile grew wider like he was proud of me for being the one to reignite the war.
Perene gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth, and there were shocked expressions around the room.
“If the fae attack in full force while our kind is divided, it may not end well,” said a minotaur from the other end of the table, the monster clearly unable to keep silent in light of the news. Morlos was one of the oldest members of the council having already been in his seventies when the curse claimed us all. “Years ago, we defeated them in battle because we were able to unite our power against a common foe. Last I heard, the majority of the high houses have sided against you and remain in hiding.”
Warrick cut his gaze to the minotaur, his black brows drawing down. He lifted his left hand, and the outlier to the left of his chair began growling, the beast’s attention fixed on the council member like it was preparing to attack.
“N-not to offend,” Morlos stammered as if he’d just remembered who he was speaking to.
Warrick smiled and lowered his hand, and the beast ceased growling.
“It doesn’t matter whether there are some who cannot see my vision,” Warrick said calmly, though from the tick in his jaw I was sure it was irritating him that not all of the monsters had fallen to their knees before him. “As you know, I have been preparing us for when we must fight against the fae. My army is now thousands strong and growing every night.” I didn’t think it could be possible, but the faces around the room paled even further.
“Thousands?” Darian muttered in disbelief.
Warrick continued, “It is of no consequence if the monsters of Katakin are united, as my army will sweep through, ridding us of the fae…” He paused before adding, “and those who wish to see this city fall.”
“He’s fuckin’ talkin’ about us and the other rebels,” Asher growled, looking like he was ready to smash through the wall and take Warrick down.
“Indeed,” Darian agreed with a tense expression.
I moved closer to Raine, unable to help myself now that Warrick had spoken his threat so plainly. Not that it was news. He’d already tried to kill her once, and I would make him pay with his life if the opportunity arose. We needed to keep him in one piece so we could gift him to the fae, but if the fae rejected our offering, I planned to take Warrick out myself.
“Surely, they can still be persuaded,” Perene reasoned, giving him a weak smile, but Warrick ignored her.
“The House of Saceris, House of Nesarin, and the House of Faren are with us along with a portion of the lower houses. Our enemies will stand no chance against a force so great.” Everyone continued to remain silent, clearly understanding that this was never meant to be a discussion but merely a transfer of information from their new ruler. “Go and prepare yourselves. The scout indicated that the fae army has already mobilized and will likely be here within days. I will call for you when it is time for battle.”
“But my love,” Perene spluttered, looking as perplexed as many of the members around the table. “You can’t expectusto fight as well? Isn’t this why you created your… your… animals?“ she asked indignantly.
Warrick turned to her, his expression dismissive. “We must all fight or we must all die. For too long, this council has merely used its voice to carry out petty punishments in the name of maintaining order. This is our chance to show our power and be at the forefront of our enemies’ minds.”
More of the council members looked like they wanted to argue, but no one dared to speak as Warrick stared at them all again and lifted to his feet, gliding from the room.
“We need to reach Warrick before he gets to the city,” I said quietly. He only appeared to have two outliers with him, and our best chance of capturing him would be before we were anywhere close to his other beasts.
“This has to work, Locke,” Kade growled, and from his tense expression I wasn’t entirely sure if he was referring to the fact that Raine couldn’t be taken again, or the fact that we needed Warrick now more than ever to barter for peace.
A vial of powder was already in my hand, and I rubbed my thumb over the smooth glass until I could feel the cork stopper at the top. “It’ll work.”
I wasn’t surprised my father only had two outliers with him. The council members had all clearly been successfully terrified into submission, and Warrick would have wanted to show that he didn’t need a large portion of his outliers around him at all times.
None of the council members looked like they were too eager to leave the room, and I could only guess they were purposely biding their time to make sure Warrick and his outliers were long gone before they started their own journeys back to their houses. Which suited us perfectly.
