“So, if I am understanding what little you have told us—” Alistair drawled, reaching for a platter of berries in front of him. While most of the other rulers had attended to their significant other first, he did not. Vana sat in silence and did not move until Alistair had finished serving himself. If it were even possible, I hated the man more for how he treated his wife. It did not go unnoticed by the other monarchs, either.
Queen Nerin, who sat next to Vana, turned, interrupting Alistair’s train of thought. “Is there anything I can get for you?” she asked tenderly, her brown eyes shifting toward the demure woman.
Vana looked at Alistair out of the corner of her eye before shaking her head. “No, thank you,” she whispered. Her eyes closed as if anticipating her husband’s response.
“If mywifewanted anything,” he sneered at Nerin, “she would have gotten it herself.”
Kalen’s chair creaked, and I noticed the white-knuckled grip he had on it. It wouldn’t take much for the chair to break completely. Renai whispered something in his ear, but he brushed her off.
Nerin dismissed Alistair’s cutting glare, and regardless of what Vana said, piled her plate high. Eamon met the king’s gaze in what I knew was a silent declaration of death should he try to spew his insults her way. Much to the table’s collective relief, he said nothing and instead changed the topic back to the matter at hand.
“So Lachlan is alive and you do not know where he is?” He said, picking at his plate. “What the fuck are we supposed to do with that? That is no information to go off of. Nor do you have a plan for us to obtain this information—”
A resounding crack reverberated off of the walls as Kalen’s resolve broke, along with the arm of his chair. He looked up at the king and bared his teeth. “I wasn’t aware we were supposed to supply all the information for you to gawk at. No, this meeting was called for us to collectively prepare ourselves for the upcoming war.Youare the one who is supposed to offer something useful. Anything, really.” Kalen shook his head in disgust as he stared at the woman at Alistair’s side. “But we all know you will not because you would rather watch the world burn.”
Matthew tensed beside me, and I looked between the men in confusion. Kalen was not one to lose his temper, and that he had done so was shocking to me.
“Matthew?” I asked, lowering my head to whisper to my mate, but Matthew shook his head. His darkening eyes never left Kalen.
“My, my,” Alistair said, clapping his hands. The rest of the table looked uncomfortable at the display. “Look who came out to play! Tell me, boy, “ he said, leaning forward over the table with a mouthful of food. “Have you had enough of being your friend’sbitch?”
Each king seemed to move their bodies protectively around their queens, ready to pull them from the fray should the insults turn into an outright brawl. “Fuck you,” Kalen spat, jerking his head at the man. “You are not fit for the crown you wear, and you are a disgrace to your family.”
Renai reached for Kalen’s hand, but he shook it away. “Kalen, please,” she pleaded, but Kalen would not look at her. Matthew swore under his breath, rising to his feet. I felt the room grow colder as shadows danced around his fingertips. I glanced at Luka, who seemed as utterly lost as I was. But it was Alistair’s next words that chilled me to the very core.
“That’s a mighty accusation,son. But what runs in my veins also runs in yours. You’d do well to remember that.”
Chapter15
Kalen
“Son?” Eva echoed, staring at me as if she didn’t know who I was. I guessed she didn’t, in a way. But this truth was something only two people knew, and both of them were in this room.
Even though she hated me after this morning, Renai glanced over with understanding in her eyes. That was something I always admired about her—Renai was fiercely loyal, almost to a fault.
Guilt gnawed at my stomach. I’d been a dick earlier, pawning off my anger onto her. She didn’t deserve that shit, and I hated lying to her. I couldn’t tell her Arabella was back. That had to remain a secret for only Ciena and I.
I’d sought her out after I left the dungeons, pulling her aside to relay everything Arabella had told me. She knew her sister better than anyone, even if that hurt me to admit. Ciena said nothing. She only listened intently and nodded her head before walking away. I wanted to chase after her, but then I saw Renai and everything happened so fast.
She’d been so concerned for my well-being and overhearing her conversation with Luka unsettled me. It was the sheer panic in her voice, the kind that only a lover could properly understand. And when she’d rushed after me, I’d fought to curb my own panic, rising inside of me at what that tone might mean. So I’d told her she had no right to know my business and that she was becoming overbearing.
It was the wrong thing to say, for so many reasons.
But for a few hours, I’d forgotten about the fucking council meeting. Or that the man who sired me had been staying under the same roof as I was for almost a fortnight and still had made no attempt to speak with me. Or that I could tell my best friend was craving something from me that I could not give.
Not now, or ever.
As I stared at my father in front of me, it only reassured me that I had made the right decision by getting away from his malice, especially as I noted the way my mother was bundled up as if it was the dead of winter. I knew what lay underneath her clothes. How she attempted to hide the bruises he’d no doubt given her the night before. And yet, she still couldn’t find a way to leave.
But hearing the way he spoke to those around me, even those I was not acquainted with, was more than I could stand. I’d hardly been holding on as I walked through those doors. What little resolve I had left snapped inside of me, and I could no longer keep quiet.
I stared back at Eva, hating the confused look on her face. I hadn’t lied to her, or anybody really, but I had never disclosed my true heritage because I refused to be associated with my father. Matthew understood because he ran away to remove himself from his father’s grip, but I could never truly escape mine.
Alistair smiled cruelly as he examined the silent looks traded between Eva and I. “Ah, I love family gatherings. She did not know, did she? I would assume the same for every other person here.” He tilted his head to look behind me at Renai. “Except for her,” he said, pointing a bony finger in her direction. “I can smell your mixed scents from here. At least she is a step up from that lowborn whore you wed previously—”
Ciena stood, a snarl on her lips as she flew over to Alistair. People fled from their seats, leaping out of the way as Ciena descended upon her prey. In a hurry, my mother had been pushed out of the way. She collapsed to the floor, but thankfully, Queen Nerin reached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. I did not miss the way she winced at the contact, and neither did King Eamon. His golden eyes glowed as he stared at Alistair.
“What are you—” Alistair began, but Ciena’s hand snapped out and wrapped around his throat.
