Rhadamanthus
The wolf had been a prisoner of the usurper king.
His mentor a soldier under the same rule.
And their fellow bond mates were currently his prisoners.
How had Dante dipped so many fingers into my queen’s mate circle without being suspected?
The divination mage once attended the parties of the false king.
The vampire had been a target of his.
The charm mage is brother—and puppet.
It appeared like a cruel joke of the Goddesses making. Why would she design the mates of her Queen to be so enmeshed with the false king? How was it possible that a Queen’s mate circle could be so influenced by the dealings of a mind mage?
I ran a hand down my face as the rest of Ivy’s mates left the wolf. The divination mage went in search of the witches to alert them of the change, that they might need to prepare for another prisoner to check. Meanwhile, the vampire left to seek out the captured Fae lord and torture answers from his broken lips.
That left me with the shifter, who groaned as he swung his legs out of the bed. “Why are you still here?” he asked without looking at me, head bowed.
I pushed off the wall, stepping away from the corner of the room. “I was thinking,” I replied, moving to the window. “It’s strange how every single one of you has been touched by the false king. Without your knowledge—or sometimes, his own.”
From the corner of my eye, I watched the wolf stiffen. He didn’t look up immediately, but I was certain he was coming to the same conclusions I was.
“Chances are,” he said, voice hoarse, “there’s another who is just as prominent inallof our lives.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the emphasis onall. “Who?”
Finally, the wolf looked up. “Who else?” he snorted, rising to his feet. “The Seer.”
I hummed under my breath as the wolf grabbed his jacket from where the vampire left it after carrying him into the bedroom. He shoved his arms into the sleeves before reaching for his boots.
“What was it her son said?” I asked, crossing my arms. “She’s been several steps ahead this entire time?”
The wolf grunted. “We’ve known that for a while.” He put his boots on with a shake of his head. “I just don’t know what Dante meant about her hiding something from him about Ivy.”
It was my turn to stiffen. “Archer Seers are notoriously craft little wenches,” I muttered, looking away from the wolf.
“I gathered as much from the first Queen’s mate.” The wolf made a move towards the door but stopped. “I’m going to find a way to bring Cyrus in. But I might need your help.”
I raised a brow, shrugging. What else was I going to do?
I followed the wolf out of the room and into the quiet hall beyond. There were more guards patrolling the halls, but we encountered none of them as we walked to the war room. I would have to remind Sao to check the rotations. There should always be someone in the halls, especially where the Queen’s mates slept.
There was no one in the war room when we entered, which brought me a small sense of ease. The door closed behind us, and I made certain to lock it.
“What is your plan?” I asked, watching as the wolf pulled a device from his pocket.
“I know where he is,” he replied, though he shook his head. “At least, I think I do. He has a cabin, isolated. Hasn’t been part of Phoenix for years and chose to live quietly outside of pack lands. If I can get confirmation he’s there, we should be able to shadow jump to him.”
His eyes met mine; they were dark with a careful determination that was strengthened by his resolve. The shifter might have once considered the older male a mentor, family even, but that was gone now. He was a target, someone capable of giving us answers about the false king and his location.
I bowed my head in a nod, summoning the shadows to me. “Find your target, and the shadows will do the rest,” I replied.
Answers would be ours, whether the traitor liked it or not. And I would help the wolf get them.
The shadows droppedus between tall trees that reached for a dark sky.
