Guardian Alleron’s mouth opened and closed, indignation rising in his aura. It was obvious Jax’s Ironcrest sense-stealing magic still kept his voice robbed. Seething anew, my guardian grabbed a piece of parchment that lay on the table next to the king and hastily wrote something down. And it hit me how he’d communicated everything to them. He couldn’t speak, but he couldwrite.
The king took the note, a look of disgust upon his face when my guardian edged closer to him. He read it, then zeroed in on me. “This male claims that you’re still his property. He says the supernatural courts enslaved you to him and that my son was holding you hostage as well. He says everything you two are saying is a lie.” The king scoffed and glanced back at my guardian, then the kingsfae. “Truly, this is getting ridiculous. I can assure you that my son is not lacking of females vying for his attention. He does not need to hold any female captive, and from the looks of it, this mistress he’s taken isnota captive.”
The king huffed out another breath, then raked his gaze up and down my frame. “From what I heard from the other House families, this...slavehas entirely captivated him.” He eyed the Dallinger House, then glanced back at Jax. “Although, I must say, Adarian, one thing doesn’t add up. You told the council you met this female in Fosterton and invited her back to see the palace. You never said anything about saving her from the Dark Raider. How did you even know the Dark Raider had her?”
A sheet of ice coated my stomach, and Jax’s throat rolled in a swallow.
My guardian scribbled something else down, then handed it to the kingsfae nearest him.
The kingsfae took it and read it. His brow furrowed, and he wouldn’t meet either Jax’s eye nor mine when he addressed his commander. “He’s claiming again that the prince is the Dark Raider, and that’s how he and his enslaved female came to be here. He’s saying the prince is lying, and so is the female because she’s fallen in love with him.”
I tried to keep my demeanor innocent-looking, but even I felt the blood drain from my face.
“It does support what another servant reported in our questioning this afternoon, Commander.” A kingsfae stepped forward from the wall where Jax’s friends were being held. “A staff member said he initially met this female when she was running frantically through the castle, as though she was trying to escape from here. She even had a broken arm.”
Queen Rashelle’s breath sucked in, and all of my limbs locked into place. I cursed myself a hundred times over for not trusting Jax and fleeing from his enchanted suite that day. If I’d only had faith in him, I wouldn’t have tried to escape, and a servant wouldn’t be sharing my strange behavior that day.
The commander sighed heavily. “All of this is certainly muddled and entirely conflicting, and I do apologize, my prince, but we still need you, this female, and the other males being accused of such crimes to come with us to the supernatural courts. King Paevin had also sent word to us that a male and female were abducted from his kingdom weeks ago by the Dark Raider, and he’s been searching for them ever since, and both this female and this male claiming to be her guardian match their descriptions.”
“And your name’s Elowen, is it not?” the commander asked, turning toward me.
My throat rolled in a swallow. “Yes.”
“King Paevin said his lorafin’s name was Elowen, further proving that you’re the female he’s been looking for.”
“But King Paevin already knows that I’m accounted for,” I replied in a hurry. “He knows that the prince rescued me from the Dark Raider. We told him that when we were in Leafton.”
The commander pointed at my former guardian and continued as though I hadn’t even spoken, making the rising dread inside me increase. “Furthermore, the king said he’s been searching for a male named Drevel Alleron, commonly called Guardian Alleron, and this male matches his description. King Paevin has also confirmed via dillemsill this afternoon that Elowen was once the enslaved lorafin of Guardian Alleron. At the moment, those are the facts that we solidly know.”
The commander turned to the king and bowed. “Until we can sort everything out, these fae need to come with us, Your Majesty. I do beg your pardon, but we will need to take both the prince and this female, along with his guards and closest friends, in for questioning. I’m sure it will be a formality only, but the courts do demand that we conduct a proper investigation into this matter.”
Jax snarled and stepped in front of me, blocking me from their view. “This female is mymate. She belongs to no one but herself, and you will not take her anywhere.”
The king and queen gasped simultaneously.
“Yourmate?” Ruddy color filled the king’s cheeks.
Blood pounded through my ears, and icy sweat lined my palms. I hastily stepped around Jax so I could face them, but I was met with silence. Every single fairy in the large room, even the kingsfae, appeared speechless.
“Your...mate?” The queen repeated the same statement as her husband, and her mouth dropped open. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Not at all. She’s my mate.” Jax’s nostrils flared. “We were fated, and we’ve completed the bond.”
Lady Aerobelle abruptly burst into tears, and her parents cast Jax a scathing look before ushering her away.
The king prowled toward Jax, his aura rising and growing more potent with every step he took. “You dared to defy us and your royal duties bymatingyourself to thisslave?”
That one-word accusation cut me so deep that all hope I’d ever had of being accepted by them died as though I’d been stabbed through the heart.
“I did.” Jax bared his teeth at his father and kept his hand around mine. “And nobody, not even you, can take her from my side.”
Silence again swept through the huge dining hall as the king and prince squared off.
Queen Rashelle scowled at me, that look telling me she blamed all of this entirely on me.
But I didn’t try to defend myself. I knew there was no point. His parents had already made up their minds, and my guardian’s accusations were only making everything a hundred times worse. But like Jax, I wasn’t giving up on him. Even if they hated me, Iwasn’tleaving the prince’s side.
Finally, the kingsfae commander cleared his throat, his expression looking entirely uncomfortable as he gazed between Jax and his parents. “Mating duties aside, Your Majesties, if it is suitable with you, we will escort the prince, the other males being accused of such atrocities, and this female to the courts until this matter may be straightened out. I do apologize for the inconvenience.”
