“Forgotten Fae?” Darian asked curiously.
At first, I thought the king would shut down at the question, but he simply waved his hand like the Forgotten Fae were common knowledge.
“They call themselves the ‘Forgotten Fae’. Their name is a statement. They say they fight for the fae who have been forgotten by the kingdom,” Prince Azaren explained grimly.
King Chalir’s face hardened. “They are a group of rebels who are determined to take over my kingdom and send us into darkness.”
“I don’t think—” Prince Azaren began.
“They came into my room while I was sleeping and attempted to assassinate me,” King Chalir spat, cutting off his son. “They will pay for their crimes.”
Prince Azaren looked like he wanted to say more, but he kept his lips sealed.
The king took a calming breath and pinned his son with his stare. “When I was unable to find you and that old scholar in the library finally divulged your plan to portal to Katakin and search for those useless ancient books, I had feared the monsters might have already captured or killed you. Then our soldiers would have had to go to war once again. Given recent events with the Forgotten Fae and your safe return home, it is a relief that was not the outcome.”
Prince Azaren continued to remain silent, and I found myself sympathizing with the prince. I still didn’t understand the importance of the books, but I did understand that the prince was unhappy with his life and he was hoping those books would change something.Was he secretly working with the Forgotten Fae?It didn’t make sense. If the Forgotten Fae were planning on assassinating the king, then they were clearly okay with violence and not friends of the monarchy, both things that would go against what I knew about Prince Azaren, but there was more going on here than I understood.
King Chalir stood and pushed back his chair. “I have discussed with my advisers, and there will be a grand party held tomorrow night in your honor. Times are fragile, and it will also be good to remind the fae that we are stronger than ever and they do not need to worry about the Forgotten Fae or the Katakin monsters. Servants will ensure you’re appropriately ready for the party. Over the following days, I will see to it that you’re set up with homes and given the resources for you to begin your lives. Now I must retire for the night, but I trust my son will stay with you for the remainder of the evening.” He paused to stare at Prince Azaren before continuing, “My chef has prepared more courses, and I imagine you are famished after your long journey. Again, I thank you for saving our crown prince and my only son. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
The two fae females turned to leave with the king and his horde of guards, but before they did, their gazes flicked from Prince Azaren to Darian, Locke, Kade, and Asher like they were sad to be leaving the dinner. No doubt they’d been hoping to get more gossip out of us all. Or maybe they weren’t as infatuated by the king as they made it seem. In any case, it wasn’t until the king and his escorts were out of the room that I felt as though I could breathe easily again. I just hoped the next course didn’t include toadstools.
CHAPTER 13
~ Raine ~
Athudsoundedsomewherein the darkness of my room, and my eyes snapped open. My heart raced as I twisted my body and slid my hand under my pillow, grabbing out the knife I’d stolen from my dinner plate hours earlier. It was a bread knife that wouldn’t do much as a weapon, but it felt good to have the cool sting of metal in my hand. I scanned the room, my gaze darting from the long drapes covering the window to the closed door that led to the washroom.
It was late when we’d left the dining hall, escorted by half a dozen guards. We’d stayed only as long as we had to until the chef finally stopped bringing out more plates of food. Alone in my room, I’d changed out of the dress and slipped on the nightgown that had been left on the bed for me. The material was loose and comfortable, but when I tried to sleep, the gnawing sense that something was missing made it impossible to drift off. I knew it wasn’t a “something” but a “someone.”Foursomeones, to be exact.
And now I was alone in my room and hearing strange noises.Great.More thuds sounded, but the noises were muffled like they were coming from the room next to me.The room Locke and the others are staying in.Slipping from my bed, I pressed my ear to the decorative wallpaper, listening intently.
This time, I could swear I heard grunting.What the—?I scowled.If I find out they’ve taken fae females back to their room, I am going to make them regret it.As if they’d heard me, the noises abruptly stopped, and silence filled the room. Grumbling under my breath, I pulled back from the wall and slowly climbed into bed, knowing full well that any chance I had of sleep had now been successfully obliterated. I had just slid beneath the covers again when a rattling sounded in my room. Not next door but somewhere close. Whipping my head to the side, I gaped as the window opposite the door creaked open, and a large form fell into the room, landing with a thud as it got tangled in the long drapes.
Ho-ly Goddess.I darted backward off the bed, clutching my knife and ready to stab someone.
“Well, that was fuckin’ graceful,” the lump groused, and the warm tones of the male’s voice had my stomach flipping.
Is that—?
“Get the fuck out of the way so the rest of us can get through,” growled another voice from outside the window. “There’s not much for us to hold on to out here.” Goddess, I knew those voices.Kade. Asher.
“If I had my powers, I could have simply entranced the guards outside our room,” Darian pointed out. “It’s like we’ve been turned into primitives.”
“If we had our abilities, I could tear them to shreds,” Kade added, and I could just imagine the dark smile on his face as he said it.
“Would you both shut up,” Asher grumbled, standing with the drapes still over him. He cursed, trying to yank them off him but somehow making them wind around him even more.
“You’re making enough noise to wake the entire castle, brother. I don’t think our silence will make a difference,” Darian responded.
There was a long-suffering sigh, and I rushed closer, barely containing my laughter as I helped detangle Asher. I half expected the guards outside my door to barge in, roused by the commotion he was making, but by some miracle, it was silent outside my room.Maybe the guards fell asleep?It was late, after all. In any case, I tried not to think about it and focused on freeing my monster.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Asher said with a lopsided grin and a flushed face when he finally managed to step away from the now-torn drapes and peered down at me.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders and stepped forward, brushing torn threads of fabric from his skin and the undershorts he wore. “You didn’t think we’d leave you unprotected all night, did you?”
Unprotected?I stared at him in disbelief. “You seem to forget not too long ago, I survived my entire life without you four.”
