I gave Stone’s hand a squeeze. “Come. We need to find your sister and rescue that High Lady.”
“We’ll come with you,” one of the Unseelies said, looking directly at Ventry as if expecting a fight.
“No,” Ventry answered, no compromise in his tone, his stare enough to wither the strongest of warriors. “I do not know you. I do not trust you. You are in my territory without my permission, which is an act of war. Therefore you will stay here and wait for my return. My brother and my men will ensure your safety.”
The Unseelie’s face hardened. “That creature took my sister, I will not wait here…”
“You will,” interrupted Ventry. “But you have my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure her safety and to bring her back to you unharmed.”
“You are the Seelie heir. Why would we trust our sister to you?” another said from behind the first.
“Quiet,” the first one said, raising his hand. Apparently, he was the one with the most power. He studied Ventry quietly for a few seconds, but it was obvious that if the Prince Regent of the Seelie Fae wanted them to stay, they had no choice if they wanted to remain alive.
“I have seen that male in our territory before. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to come here. I wanted to find out what he was doing playing on both sides of the border. If he takes her back to Unseelie lands, you won’t be able to catch them unless I’m with you. As you said, we are at war, and if they catch you, you will be imprisoned at best or, at worst, used as an example of what the Unseelie do to those who cross them.”
Ventry tilted his head, a muscle twitching in his jaw, but he nodded. “Fine, you alone may accompany us. The rest stay here.”
The Unseelie nodded. “I have no choice but to agree. I hope you are a male of your word, Seelie Prince, because my father will gather every Unseelie High Fae and monster in Orth and destroy every life between here and the Winter palace if his sons and daughter are harmed. The skirmishes we have fought these past centuries will be seen as mild in comparison.”
Ventry couldn’t hide his surprise at that. “He allowed all of his children to come into enemy territory? Together? He may try to invade my lands if I harm you, but that’s a…bold move.” His face gave nothing away, but there was no missing that he meant “read that as stupid”.
The male’s lips flattened, and he glared at his brothers. They shuffled uncomfortably and glared back. “Indeed,” he said. They had evidently come without permission and were in deep shit with their big brother.
Ventry relaxed a little at his expression and released a wry chuckle. “Well, we all have siblings that can be…a little challenging.”
There was a huff from the blue haired warrior, who’d completed his gruesome task of beheading the vampires.
The Unseelie prince dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “We do. My name is Ronan. We were told by Lord Vilderon that you are aware of this deal and had granted favour to it. We were even sent a document with your seal to check and sign. My father allowed this match to ensure peace between our kingdoms. He wishes for the fighting to stop.”
Ventry’s brows twitched at that. “When your sister is safe, I wish to see that document. And we can discuss the matter of war later. This war started because the Unseelie chose to ignore the Seelie borders. For the fighting to stop, borders must be honoured.”
“When my sister is safe, I will gladly cooperate with the document. Perhaps another marriage deal can be brokered. After all, it is in both our interests to ensure discussions of a peace treaty continue.”
Ventry nodded but remained quiet, his face giving nothing away. At a guess, he had not commenced any such treaty and was wary of offering any deal, especially for a marriage bond, but he was an astute ruler. He would listen to the informationand their peace proposal and decide based on that. Without marriage, it may not result in a lasting end to the disputes, but he would do what he believed to be best for his people.
Ventry didn’t look away from Ronan. “Arrochar.”
The warrior with deep blue hair and blue-green eyes stepped close. “Guard them with your life, brother, but do not let them leave.”
Arrochar nodded and stood with his back to the wall, his hand loosely holding a weapon. The other clearly experienced warriors guarded the exits, their focus sharp. There was no escape for the Unseelie. Similarly, there was no way anyone would get in.
As interesting as the politics of this little group were, I wanted to find Airling. She deserved a sword in her own damned neck for trying to kill my mate. Without another word to anyone I shifted. The shirt Stone had given me ripped into shreds, and I shook off the tatters. Only Connor and his brothers could disassemble their clothes and pull the molecules back together. But with Stone standing by my side and glaring challengingly at the others in the room, I didn’t want to antagonise him further by getting naked first. I nudged his hand before taking off through the door to the dungeons. Vaguely, I heard Connor bark some orders, but I was already running. Once I was down in the depths of the underground tunnels, I inhaled deeply, managing to pick up my faint scent.
I followed it, winding through the dark and narrow corridors, until I found another open door that led down at least three floors to where the air became stale. It was no surprise when my scent was drowned out by the sharp odour of death and blood. Stone’s massive wolf rumbled, pushing his bulk protectively into my fur. My wolf turned and licked the corner of his mouth, trying to reassure him. He snorted air, his purple eyes luminous in the dark. I nudged him away with my head and followedthe scent of that destruction. The others, who had also shifted, stayed behind me as I led them to the room where I’d been held.
Two guards lay sprawled on the ground next to the closed door. I’d dug my way underneath it to escape, and it was clear they hadn’t even had a chance to find out I wasn’t in there. There was no need to stop and look or check them for signs of life. Nothing in that room would help us, and nothing would help them. Ignoring their glassy, dead eyes, I tried to remember the path I’d taken in the pitch black, but it had been disorientating, feeling my way along the walls in the dark. It didn’t help that the musty smell of dry rot had swamped my scent.
I shifted, not complaining when Stone was suddenly upright, clothed, and blocking me from view. He faced the others with a low grumble vibrating from his chest. It had never felt weird to be naked with others nearby in the past, but it did now. I pushed back my disappointment that I’d not found the room with the device in it and peered around Stone, who was glaring at the others. Even in the dark, our eyes could make each other out, and with Ember using fire to light our way, they wouldn’t miss the challenge in his burning irises. They didn’t comment, merely stepped back. Even Connor didn’t react to his challenging stare.
It was hard to resist pushing up against Stone as I looked at them from behind his outstretched arm. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell whether I went left or right here. I’ve lost the scent.”
“You did well to find your way this far,” said Ventry, before peering at the darkness beyond. He looked at Connor. “We should split up. Call on your comms if you find anything.”
“We’ll take straight on,” said Ember, walking away with Connor and Lionel, fire wreathing her body and lighting their way.
“Ronan, you’re with us,” Ventry instructed. “We’ll take the right tunnel.”
Owen turned his big head, rumbled in his throat and followed the fae prince. Only then did I realise that Kawan and D must have stayed behind.
