“There are times in my life that I look back, of course, and wonder. What did I miss? Could I have prevented this outcome? Surely, there were clues. What was it that blinded me so thoroughly?” ~Prince Thalion
“We’ve been waiting for days, Thalion,” Cyn said in her cool, detached tone. He hated when she used that tone with him. He wasn’t just another male to her; he was her future husband and she his bride. With him, there should be no barriers, no glass walls. She so frequently employed those blockades with the rest of the world. Shouldn’t he be different?
“He is the king” he began but she interrupted him.
“Forgive me, but he’s the king of what? For as long as I have known you, you have ruled over your people. I do not really understand why Ludcarab carries such power over you. You have a kingdom behind you. What does he have?” she challenged, still in that detached tone of voice.
Thalion’s stomach clenched and it felt as though a thousand rocks had been dropped into it. If his father truly was alive, he knew exactly what his father had behind him. He had thought his father had chosen an honorable death many years ago, unable to live with his treachery. The elvin king had been caught having an affair. Thalion’s mother had been heartbroken. She’d always been the model queen to their realm—noble, wise, diplomatic. She’d hung on her husband’s every word and pampered him ridiculously because she loved him and her realm. She adored him and thought he felt the same for her. She died shortly after Thalion’s father left in the middle of the night. He’d left a note saying he would give his own life in repentance for the disrespect he’d shown his wife, the queen, and his people. After all, if a king can’t even be faithful to his own wife, then how could they trust him to be faithful to the kingdom?
A few weeks before his father’s affair had been exposed, Thalion had overheard a conversation between his father and a vampire—a very old and very powerful vampire. The fact that he was even dealing with a vampire was horrific, but what in seven realms could he possibly be doing speaking with this vampire? Thalion had found out. His father had been recruited as a member of The Order of the Burning Claw.
Despite his best efforts, Thalion hadn’t been able to glean much information. Anyone he asked about the organization had no clue what he was talking about, or were too scared to reveal what they knew. But what little he could find out about the secret organization wasn’t good.
“I believed my father to be dead, Cyn. Finding out he isn’t, and finding out why, sort of trumps being bothered by a little waiting.” They were in the wilderness in the Elvin realm, far away from the kingdom. But the fact that his father wanted to meet him in the realm was a surprise. If, at any time during his exile, Thalion’s father had entered the realm, Thalion would have known instantly. Whatever the man had to say was serious.
“Do you have any idea what he wants with you?” she asked him.
“Maybe,” Thalion answered her instead of giving her the truth. He knew that if he told her what he knew, she’d insist they leave and go straight to the high fae, which they would eventually do. But first he needed to see his father. Cyn wouldn’t understand the bond between children and their parents. The fae aren’t the most nurturing of species, and Cyn had been taken from her family to train as a fae warrior at a very young age.
They stood in a small glade. On the other side of the pond was the Veil to the human realm. Did it mean that his father had come from the human realm? Was that where the Order was headquartered? Or was it a ploy to make him believe that? On the tail end of that thought, there was movement in the trees just past the Veil and then his father, Ludcarab, appeared. He looked exactly as Thalion had remembered him. Tall, slim, with long hair that was more platinum than blonde. His eyes were the same piercing green, and the hard gaze with which he fixed his son brought to Thalion many memories—few of them pleasant.
“Son,” he began as he started walking toward them.
In an instant, Cyn was in front of Thalion—her daggers drawn, knees bent, and body leaned slightly forward— poised to strike.
His father laughed. “When did we start hiring fae guard dogs?”
Thalion saw Cyn’s back tense and knew she was seconds away from attacking. His female was tough, and powerful. She’d kick his father’s ancient ass, of that Thalion had no doubt.
“She isn’t my guard, she is my mate, my bride to be,” he said proudly as he stepped closer to her and put a hand on her waist as a reminder that he was there; he was safe.
“The kingdom has fallen onto hard times indeed. I never imagined that you’d have to seek a mate among another species.” The condescending tone set Thalion’s teeth on edge.
“Why are you alive?” he asked without acknowledging the older king’s words.
“I’m alive because our people need a real leader, one with a vision—a vision of our people in the rightful place, not cowering in fear from the humans.” The conviction in his voice was surprising. He truly believed what he was saying.
But that wasn’t why Thalion had asked the question. “You know what I meant. You promised that you were going to punish yourself for the affair by giving your life as an offering? Did you miraculously return from the dead? Because surely you wouldn’t disrespect my mother, your wife and queen, and our entire realm, twice in one lifetime.”
His father took several steps forward but stopped when Cyn moved forward as well. “There is a greater purpose at work than just you or your mother. I am sorry that I hurt her, but I couldn’t die, there was just too much that I needed to do.”
Thalion was getting sick of his propaganda. “Why did you summon me, Father?”
The king stood up taller and set his shoulders back, holding his chin higher. He appeared regal and powerful. “I’ve come to take back my throne and my kingdom.”
Lilly sat at the entrance to the cave that led to the warlocks’ kingdom. She couldn’t sleep. It had been that way since Jacque had come back from wherever it was her spirit had gone. She’d been giving Fane and Jacque space to spend time with their child, though she was dying to hold him again. Cypher had offered to help in any way he could, but Vasile said that, for now, there was really nothing he could do. So they were on standby if the wolves needed them at any time. Meanwhile, Cypher was continually training his warriors, helping them relearn how to use the magic that had been slowly slipping away from them.
Lilly could feel the magic inside of her growing as well and she didn’t understand it. Her ability to sense things had grown into the ability to prophesy, but the gift simply didn’t manifest itself any time that she wanted. The visions that came to her seemingly had their own will. She couldn’t stop them and she couldn’t change them. There were even some that she couldn’t share with anyone else. Those sucked. It also sucked when a premonition told her only that some specific thing had to happen or someone would be in grave danger. No mention of what that danger might be, of course. When Lilly had told Jacque that she must go on the vampire hunt, even though she was pregnant, she had no idea why. She only knew that if her daughter hadn’t gone, something terrible would have happened—even worse than the horrible experience that actually took place.
“How did I know I would find you here?” Cypher’s deep voice came from behind her. If he didn’t see her every couple of hours, then he would come and seek her out. She liked that he wanted to see her, to be near her.
“It’s one of the few places where I can think clearly,” she told him, though he already knew it.
“Anything new?” he asked.
Lilly shook her head.
“Would you like to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you?”
