“He is a king consort now.”
“It’s so fancy.”
Ben elbowed him in the side. He’d seen the castle from a distance at Cosmo’s wedding. Most of the weekend had ended up being an ale induced blur, if he was honest. At that point, though, the castle itself had been off-limits to guests.
Until the royal couple mated, the castle wasn’t officially in business. Either way, it glistened with magic, the kind that appeared at sunset on a crisp fall night. The colors didn’t seem real.
“It’s beautiful,” Iris whispered beside him.
“It is.” Maybe it was his imagination, but the magic seemed different than when’d he’d been in the Unseelie realm for the wedding. He glanced at Taj, who had a curious expression on his face. “Is it different, Taj? Or am I imagining things?”
“No, it’s different. I’m not sure how. I’m also not sure why there isn’t anyone in the courtyard. It should be bustling, not empty.”
Ben had heard from Henry that King Silenus had been making a big deal out of welcoming banished and trapped fae alike into the Unseelie fold. From what he’d been told, having the new, if temporary, fae realm open to them had been welcome.
Politics wasn’t exactly Ben’s forte, so if Henry thought Silenus and Cosmo were handling things well, he believed him. Besides, Cosmo was beloved in the human realm, so with him at Silenus’s side, it gave the new king an added level of trustworthiness he didn’t have to earn on his own.
“Comms check,” Logan ordered.
Everyone completed the test. Koios nodded to let the alpha know he’d heard everyone loud and clear. Ben wanted to adjust the one in his ear, but Koios smacked his hand away before he could touch it.
“Leave it alone.” Koios followed the rebuke by running his fingers down Ben’s arm.
“We’re heading inside. Coal, Gideon, and Taj take the lead. Scout with me. Aleron and Dasan, watch our backs. Everyone keep their eyes and ears open.”
Ben sucked in a breath as Coal opened the main door. Gideon and Taj stepped inside first, then they all followed. Ben’s hands shook as he waited for something to happen.
It didn’t take long.
“Halt!”
Ben recognized the two fae standing outside the next set of doors. They were warriors of the king. Ben hadn’t heard what they officially did, but the huge swords they had in front of them gave him a pretty good idea.
“They’ve been compelled.” Taj’s voice came as a soft whisper in Ben’s ear. “Let me take the lead.”
“Go,” Logan said.
Ben had only been given one primary instruction before joining the team: do whatever Logan said the moment he said it. Ben was used to both giving orders and following them. Whoever was in control of an operating room demanded the same process. There could only be one voice you listened to for instruction or everything quickly became chaos.
That word again.Chaos.
Ben glanced at his brother. He’d never seen Jack like this. Fierce, deadly, and part of something so much bigger than their pack. Goddess, when had their world grown from their own insulated family to something so big? So connected to events that held the balance of their realm?
Coal moved in front of Koios and Ben. Dasan and Aleron similarly crowded Phoebe and Iris against the opposite wall. Apparently, the more experienced pack members had received more detailed orders than Ben.
“They’re fighting it,” Taj whispered. “But they aren’t in control of their actions.”
“We’re going to have to get past them,” Logan said. “Options?”
“Leave three to fight, but not to the death,” Gideon said. “One-on-one would be too hard to manage, but with a third our fighters will be able to hold their own.”
“Dasan, Aleron, and Coal get us through those doors and try not to kill them.”
The three pack members in question moved to follow orders. Jack fell back and took his mate’s position in front of Ben and Koios. Phoebe removed her weapons and stepped in front of Iris.
“Everybody to the left. Move on my mark,” Logan said.
Coal shifted and led the charge toward the two warriors blocking the doors to the hallway. Based on Taj’s map, the hallway was the only way deeper into castle. Every other possibility would be keyed to Silenus’s and Cosmo’s magic. Coal waited for the warriors to take their first swing, then swiped his head. They flew to the side but quickly regained their feet. Their swords slammed against Coal’s thick scales, but it took more than magical swords to wound a dragon.
