“Prince Cedric announced to the kingdom that the king’s death was a result of him finally succumbing to the poison,” Draven said, and his accent thickened. “Which means you’re now wanted for his murder.”
Murder. A knot formed in my chest—and something burned white hot in the pit of my stomach. Ever since the ball, I’d held on to a shred of hope that I could someday return to Bremloc, clear my name, and return to the life I’d had with my men. The chances of that happening were slim to none now.
I could never go back.
“I’m afraid there’s more,” Reign added before looking at Maddox and the others. “Evan is no longer the only one with a bounty on his head. All of you are wanted for treason and are to be killed on sight.”
“Treason?” Maddox held his gaze. Little emotion crossed his face, but I caught the tensing of his shoulders.
“Many suspect you worked together to break Evan out of his cell the night of the ball and helped him flee the castle.” Reign looked at Briar. “And they believe you’re the one who crafted the poison given to the king.”
“What?” My pulse quickened. “This is ridiculous. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Neither did you, love.” Briar said, a tremble in his voice. “I anticipated this happening. Our disappearance the same night as yours would be seen as suspicious.”
“Cedric damn well knows I didn’tescapemy cell,” I spat, anger rising. “The psycho had medraggedfrom my cell and handed me over to Stryder under the belief I’d be killed. As far as Cedric knows, I’m six feet under right now. Why put a bounty on my head?”
“To keep up appearances, more than likely,” Onyx said, speaking for the first time. “The kingdom is unaware of the bargain he struck with Nocturne. To their knowledge, you did escape and are on the loose.”
“That’s fair, I guess.” My hands balled into tight fists. “But why go after my men?”
“Because their absence hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Draven explained. “We overheard a patrol of knights speak of how Maddox would move mountains for you. Your relationship with Shadow and Briar is also widely known, as is your close bond with the other knights. Declaring them as traitors helps sell the story Cedric crafted and further takes any suspicion off of him.”
The injustice of it all, the backstabbing and lies, awoke a soul-quaking anger I’d never felt before.
“Is Sawyer okay?” I asked. “What about Kuya and Sir Noah?”
“Prince Sawyer will be traveling to Voltas with Lady Alina soon,” Reign answered. “A tour of the city for now, but once they’re married, it will be their home. I’m uncertain what will become of the demi-cat and the royal knight.”
Angry tears burned in my eyes.
“When will Cedric be crowned?” Briar asked.
“At week’s end,” Draven answered. “Arrangements are currently being made for the occasion.”
The rage in my veins bubbled hotter.
“Just perfect!” I rose from my chair and shoved away from it so hard it wobbled. “I’m framed for trying to kill the king and chased from the only home I’ve ever known. The men I love are accused of treason. Prince Sawyer is left to deal with a tyrannical brother and marry someone he doesn’t love for the sake of an alliance, while poor Kuya is cast aside.”
My head spun, my thoughts crashing into each other.
The people closest to me were being targeted. What about Miles? Alice and Peter? I thought of all the demi-humans who’d visited my café, thanking me for giving them a safe place where they felt welcomed. Everything had been ripped away because of Cedric.
“Sweetheart?” Maddox stood and approached me. “Take a breath and—”
“I’m too pissed to breathe, Maddox!” My hands squeezed into fists. Fire burned through me, faster now. Hotter. I felt like a volcano about to blow its top. “How is it that so much bad happens to good people, while someone like Cedric, a goddamn evil psychopath, gets exactly what he wants? Where is the justice in that?”
I screamed the last sentence, having reached my damn breaking point.
The fire in the hearth blazed higher, as though doused in gasoline. Flames so high, in fact, that it left scorch marks on the bottom of the mantel.
“Maddox.” Briar gaped. “His hands.”
I looked down. Dark blue flickers sparked from my fingertips.
What the hell?I stared for several beats to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Shock drained the anger from my veins and replaced it with a deep, unsettling chill. The blue sparks died away, and the electric charge in the air went with them.
Silence followed. Every set of eyes in the room lingered on me, flickering between surprise and concern. One pair, however, burned with something much darker.
