“Ifeltit,” I said.
“So did I,” Murungaru said, dark eyesserious as the team gathered around. My father’s nephew, despite his witch blood he shouldn’t have noticed the magical signature of a psychic Fae attack.
Now I understood the grim faces. Ahumanhad feltthe silent blast. If I had doubts before, I had none now. “Haveany injuries been reported?”
Juliette shook her head. I turned east in the direction of the palace, coincidentally builtitin the same direction as the prayer. “Ithadto be him.”
Only one male Fae commandedthe power toset off every empathic sense bred into my bones, and to have picked me up and thrown me across a graveyard.
Fae didn'thavetrue deities. Wehadour Old Ones, so old andpowerfulthatin order to retain the shreds of their sanity they mentally retreated from life, maintaining their brain activity by drifting on several planes of consciousness.
“Ifhe's waking now,it'sbecause he'sfinallyaware of what Aerinne did,” Édouard, the commander of House Faronne’s warriors said. He entered the room with his mate Tereille at his side, who immediately began to quietly greet each person, his easy smile and affection decreasing the tension several notches.
Ash blond hair felllooselyover Édouard’s shoulders, but the romantic waves did nothing to soften the harsh angles of his face and his perpetual scowl, or the agate hardness of his black eyes.
Even as an older cousin, hetechnically didn't outrank my status as presumptive Heir. We existed in a ferally polite truce. He directed intelligence and strategy, and I shouldered the burden of executing our strikes. Whichhadbecome less about the ever-looping cycle of revenge and more about keeping High Lord Baroun Montague’s foot off our neck. He should be thanking me, really. My crime against Embry Gauthier had elevated Baroun from a mere Lord to High Lord and Regent of his House.
Several piecing gazes turned on me.
Juliette exploded first. “Whatdid you say?” A naked threat in her voice.
I'dtold Juliette and NumairI'dkilled Embry duringthatskirmish, but no one other than Darkanknewithadn’t been an accident—a damaging enough version of events. Embry's death crossed a linewe'dagreed to stay behind.
Old anger and annoyance edged Édouard's flinty gaze as he stared at Juliette.
“Youheardme.Butsince I doubt your ability to comprehend simple sentence structure, I'm happy to repeat myself if you asknicely.”
I curled my hand into a fist but remained silent. I couldn't fight with my own commander and expect cohesion in the ranks. He never argued for its own sake, only to inflict the most pain possible in the fewest number of words while driving home his point.
Juliette bared her teeth. “Maybehe's waking because you're an ass, and your attitude stinks all the way to the palace.”
“OrI'm right, and her childish temper put our entire House in jeopardy. Whatwasthe one rule? Don't wake the fucking Prince. What did she do? The one action,thatabove all others, was guaranteed to wake the fucking Prince.”
Tereille slipped an arm around Édouard’s stiff shoulders, whispering in the commander’s ear. Probably trying to calm him down.
Piercing gazes sharpened to points. No one herewasstupid,unfortunatelyfor me.
Juliette unsheathed a blade and turned on them. “Any of you speak of this, and I will slit your throats and make broth with your blood to serve to your children.”
None of themhadchildren, but point taken.
Numair touched her shoulder, his hazel eyes hard as he added silent support to her statement. “We remain loyal.IfHigh Lord Danon finds we ill-treated his sister once he returns, he'll be pissed.”
“You think he's still alive after ten years rotting in the palace dungeon?” Édouard sneered, voice flat.
Juliette lunged for him, and Numair grabbed her arm. Technically Édouard could reprimand her for this display since she was a knight under his command. . .but she’d get him back for it later.
Tereille shifted in front of his mate, calm and smiling, but his expression a bit harder around the edges. “Ard,” he said, a rebuke in his tone. “That’s not helpful. We know Dan is still alive. We’re sorry, Rinne.” He cast me an apologetic smile. “Everyone is under stress right now.”
The words daggered my heart. Other than my father, Danonwasthe only living relative of my direct Line, at least on this side of the realm gate. I couldn't lose him.
. . .perhapsI shouldhavethought ofthatbefore I murdered Embry.
“Wehavework to do,” Tereille said. “Can we fight on our down time?” He gave the others his disappointed puppy look.
After a moment, Édouard flicked his gaze at the team and narrowed his eyes.
They nodded. My cousins would hold their tongues. For now.
