“Fenn!” Serenna hissed, interrupting his heedless recounting.
Vesryn’s eyes blazed with a murderous challenge. A strangled sound came from Jassyn—almost a laugh—the corners of his mouth twitching briefly before falling slack again.
Fenn seemed blissfully unaware of the tension polluting the air—or more likely, he couldn’t read it. Serenna flinched as shadows coiled around the prince, dark tendrils unfurling as living extensions of his fury, each one thirsting for retribution.
Before he could erupt, the female wraith approached with silent, gliding steps. “Vesryn?” she whispered, hovering close. Her ruby eyes flicked to Thalaesyn beside her before blinking away a glint of fresh tears.
Through the bond, Serenna sensed a shift within the prince, an emotional wall she’d thought unbreakable beginning to crumble. The malice hardening his expression disintegrated, replaced by a painful recognition that contorted his face.
Vesryn staggered to his feet, his legs unsteady. He stumbled forward, collapsing into the female’s embrace, his arms locking around her with fierce desperation.
A tidal wave of grief surged from the prince, its intensity nearly fracturing Serenna’s own composure as it echoed back through the bond.
Vesryn buried his face in the female’s shoulder, his breaths coming in broken gasps as her claws smoothed over his silvery hair with gentle strokes. She murmured to him, her words lost to Serenna over the distance.
Even though she was beginning to suspect the answer, Serenna turned to Fenn for an explanation. Clogged with emotion, her voice fell hoarse. “Who is she?”
“Mara,” he replied quietly, his gaze skirting away from hers. “Queen Maraelyn. The former queen.”
Fenn’s words doused Serenna in a wave of icy disbelief, chilling her to the bone. Knowing Queen Maraelyn was alivewouldn’t have changed her captivity, but perhaps she could have appealed to the prince’s mother weeks ago.
“You told me everything else about the wraith,” Serenna said, an unexpected pang lancing through her, “but you didn’t mention that thequeenhas been here this entire time?”
Fenn glanced away, remorse pulsing through the bond. “Lykor ordered me not to,” he mumbled, fidgeting with the end of one of his braids.
Serenna’s own guilt simmered, her traitorous gaze drifting to Vesryn, weeping in his mother’s embrace. She couldn’t fault Fenn for obeying Lykor, not when she’d concealed her bond with the prince.
But as she tried to share her secret with Fenn again—she’d been about to before the reavers attacked—a warrior with an eye patch strode into the courtyard, long hair trailing to his waist. He sauntered to them, crouching beside Fenn.
Serenna hadn’t formally met Fenn’s partner, but she recognized Koln from glimpsing him at the Lagoon. Where Fenn’s face was all sharp angles and high cheekbones, Koln’s features carried a rugged strength—a square jaw, a heavier brow, and a nose bearing a slight crook, likely broken in a brawl. From what she’d learned of their shared past, Serenna’s guess was that Fenn had thrown the punch himself.
“I heard you had a brush with death,” Koln said, briefly sparing her and Jassyn a glance before his gaze settled on Fenn. His piercings clicked together as he raised his brows, appraising the dried blood staining Fenn’s chest.
“Thanks to Jassyn,” Fenn replied, making introductions, “I’m granted the light of another dawn.”
Koln grinned, red eyes igniting. “I’d have been sorely disappointed if a spineless reaver slayed you.” His smile turned sharper. “Don’t forget—I already claimed the right to kill you.”
Fascinated by their dynamic, Serenna could only blink as Koln reached out, twisting one of Fenn’s nipple rings. Fenn snarled, fangs snapping in Koln’s face as he swiped his talons away.
Koln only chuckled, tipping his chin toward Serenna. “This must be your she-elf?”
The question caught her off guard, a flush rising to her cheeks. She hadn’t considered that Fenn might’ve mentioned her to his partner.
Fenn slipped an arm around her shoulder, a gesture that felt more supportive than possessive. His eyes danced with a fire of their own as he looked at her. “If she’ll have me.”
Serenna’s heart fluttered at the sincerity in his words, feeling like they were meant for her alone. For weeks, she’d spun plans to return to where she belonged—to the prince—but now with that path opening up, she found a strange hesitation. After the chaos of the last few hours and nearly losing Fenn, leaving sat heavy in her heart, a decision too difficult to bear.
Before Serenna could finish sorting through those feelings, Koln muttered, “Thought you’d sworn off females, considering you have a knack for driving every last one you touch straight into the ranks of the reavers.”
“That had nothing to do with me,” Fenn growled. “Pure coincidence.”
But Koln’s focus had already shifted to Jassyn, leaning closer to trail a talon over the edge of his boot. “And have you claimed this pretty elf too?”
Jassyn’s eyes widened, but Fenn swooped in and swatted Koln away. “Remove your greedy claws. Where are your manners?”
Undeterred, Koln smirked, tapping Jassyn’s leg. “If you’re willing to share, bring him to the Lagoon next time.”
“Your single-mindedness is truly a marvel,” Fenn shot back. Serenna stifled a snort. Fenn had little room to talk. Fishing the Heart of Stars from his pocket, he shoved the relic at Koln. “Do something useful and deliver this to my father.”
