Kaden made a noise that was halfway between a growl and a sigh, and I elbowed him in the ribs.
“Very well,” he ground out. “Bestow whatever burden you wish to share. Then tell us how to restore the Death Bringer’s hands.”
I grimaced at his lack of deference. Something told me it was unwise to anger a celestial being — even one who had lain with his mother.
Gninou turned the full force of his gaze on me, and I fought back a shudder. “Your father no longer walks in this realm or your own. His heart beat its last many years ago, but he has not been laid to rest.”
I sucked in a breath, my throat suddenly too tight.
My father’s heart had beat its last? Did that mean he was dead?
It wasn’t exactly a revelation, though I still felt surprised. I couldn’t remember my father, though I knew he was a hunter. He’d left when I was small, and my mother had barely spoken of him. My whole life, I’d been tornbetween the fantasy of reuniting with the father I’d never known and learning that he was dead.
“Though his mortal life has come to a close,” Gninou continued, “he may yet help you in your time of need.”
Kaden’s warm hand wrapped around mine, and I let out a shaky exhale.
So hewasdead. But then how could he help me?
“W-what does that mean?” I demanded, my voice quivering with unexpected fury as Gninou turned to Kaden, clearly finished with me.
How dare he? Howdarehe thrust this piece of information at me without further explanation? That wasn’t knowledge. It was torture — like gifting a starving man with a single crumb, knowing it would do nothing to sate his hunger.
But the god began to speak to Kaden as if I hadn’t uttered a word. “You hunger for the crown ripped from your mother’s head, and you intend to slay two kings to claim the throne that is your birthright.” Silvery wisps of moonlight unfurled from Gninou’s hands, ghosting over Kaden’s arms. “Your craving for revenge taints your blood. I can taste it on your skin.”
A muscle feathered in Kaden’s jaw, though he said nothing.
“Vengeance is a blade that can be lethal when honed. Anger can be alchemized into glory, but only when it eclipses all else.” He nodded to me. “Your yearning for your mate is stronger than your bloodlust. It dulls your mind and impairs your judgment.”
His words hit me like a punch to the stomach. Kaden’s feelings for meimpaired his judgment? I might have beenaffronted by that, but a small voice in the back of my mind whispered that it was true.
I didn’t dare look at Kaden, though his shadows crept over the forest floor, colliding with the tendrils of moonlight in a brilliant clash of light and dark.
“Is that all?” he ground out sharply, and I felt the hum of his ominous power.
Gninou eyed him blandly. “You cannot have herandyour crown.”
Nausea churned in my gut, but Kaden’s grip on my hand only tightened. When he spoke next, his voice was a low growl that raised the hairs along my arms. “I am Kaden, son of Elowynn, uniter of the faerie peoples. Rightful heir to the throne of Anvalyn. I can have anything I wish.”
But the silver god merely tilted his head, his expression almost wistful. “If you insist on making her yours, you will never wear the crown.”
“Sheismine,” Kaden snarled, shadows whipping out with the force of his rage and snuffing out the twisting bands of moonlight.
My heart beat faster, my mind peeling apart what Gninou had said to get to the truth of the matter.
The silver god spoke the way faeries often did, using clever wording and half-truths to conceal their true meaning.
And yet . . . I felt the reality of his words.
It wasn’t as if Kaden and I had ever talked about what we were to one another, beyond the mating bond. And yet I felt foolish for having never considered the implications of his ascension to the throne.
I wasn’t of royal blood. I wasn’t even fae. Surely if Kaden wished to be king, he would need to take a queen.
“We’ve heard what you have to say,” I told Gninou, carefully not looking at Kaden. “Now tell us what we want to know.”
“Very well,” said the silver god, fresh tendrils of moonlight flowing out across the clearing. “There is already one among you with the power to do as you wish.”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Kaden growled.
