Sinister stands vacantly with the other three men, and he…mimics them. I try to focus on the droning voice of Ellise, but my attention keeps drifting toward the demon with the halo device on his head. He doesn’t meet my gaze; he stands with his hands held behind his back, his attention emptily staring off like the wall on the far side of the room is the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen.
“Arlow, this is important.” Ellise exhales a heavy sigh, her fingers picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her flawless blue gown. “You wanted your mates, and I brought them for you. Try to seem appreciative and try to act like you’re the mage I’ve sacrificed everything for just to get you into the power I always knew you were capable of.” Her cutting gaze narrows on me, lips set in a line so thin they’re nearly nonexistent.
It’s hard for me not to laugh in her face at every word she just said. As if my mates being here isn’t going to benefit her. As if everything she put me through, isn’t for her. She’s a bigger liar than I am.
But I do manage not to laugh.
I even have the control to appear chastised.
“I am incredibly appreciative. Thank you, my queen.”
Maybe it’s a tie on who is the better liar.
Or maybe Sin beats us both. Because for the past hour, he’s been in total mind-control mode. I chance another peek over at the demon. He passes me a look and at the last minute he winks at me before letting the vacant gaze fall back in place over is beautiful crimson eyes.
“I want to send our men into Minden.” That statement demands all of my attention.
“You want to sendmymen into Minden?”
I feel her picking apart my every move while she lets a beat of silence drift dramatically through the room before replying.
“Just a couple of them. No need to show all of our cards at once.”
I clench my jaw painfully and force a serene, intrigued tone into my voice. “What will they do there?”
“Attack, of course. We need to send a message. Barron told me he would put our pasts aside. He said we could be two rulers of two kingdoms who will never have to think of the other ever again.” The smile that slices over her face tells me that is not the plan at all. “He hasn’t thought of me for decades. I think it’s time he starts thinking of me. I think it’s time he understands that there may be two kingdoms but there is only one true ruler.”
She’s so fucking crazy that she’s surpassing crazy ex-girlfriend status. She’s entering crazy murdering ex-wife territory.
“Don’t you want to really catch him by surprise, though?” Like after I’ve gotten a message to Aggie maybe? “If you do something today, it’ll ruin our plans for tomorrow.”
She seems to consider this advice. For three seconds. “No, I think I want him afraid. I want him to live his final days in slow, torturous fear.”
Yep, definitely murdering wife territory.
“What if they capture my—ourmen?”
“I know you’re worried about them, but there’s nothing to worry about. The beasts will never touch down. There are a lot of forgotten oil paintings of a very beautiful queen in the attic of the Minden castle.” Wow, the modesty on this woman is inspiring. “All Kain has to do is light a quick fire there in the dead of night while the staff and His Highness sleeps, and the whole place will come blazing down in a matter of an hour. No magic needed.”
My mother’s in Minden.
What if the fire spreads? What about Linden? What about that sweet maid in the castle? What about all the innocent people who Ellise is just throwing away without a thought?
“I thought you said you needed two of them?”
“The demon will go in case anything happens. The king has demons; we need our own as well. I could send one of my own that I’ve collected but I thought your dragons might take better to someone they trust.”
Kain and Sinister are going to invade Minden, and I’m just sitting here with a stupid fucking smile on my face.
“It won’t take long, darling. They’ll be in and out. They’ll be back within a day. It’s not a long flight.” She comforts me with these fucking words for less than a second and then turns her attention to the men near the door. “Sinister, come here.” She takes a small bite of her eggs and a sip of water before facing the demon who came so obediently. “Sinister, lead Kain into Minden, do you understand?” Her fingers rake down his arm, trailing over the inking lines there like he’s her favorite pet that she loves to use. “Take care of him and protect each other. Okay?”
He doesn’t nod or shake his head, and it only makes her eyes narrow on him.
His jaw spasms just briefly, and when her fingers move to trail back up his forearm, I snatch her wrist in one quick movement. Her head jars toward me with a look of shock in her big green eyes.
“Sinister.” I pull his hand until he’s facing only me, and a faint, cocky smile pulls at the corner of his lips, but it vanishes in the blink of an eye. “Go to Minden for me. Bring Kain back safely for me.” I stand, and his fingers tighten around mine like he wants to say a million things, but he forces himself not to make a sound. “Will you do that for me?” Before he can reply, I press my lips to his.
And he reacts.
