A low growl escaped Jax, but before he could react, several kingsfae rushed toward him and slapped glowing blue bands around his wrists.
Magic crackled around the restraints, and my heart sank. Jax’s magic had just been doused. They’d subdued the prince’s power with those bands, effectively locking his magic within him. I had a feeling that if they ever confronted the prince again, that would be the first thing they did after Jax’s unhinged display of power today.
“Be careful with her,” Jax called darkly to the kingsfae leading me away. “If you don’t, you’ll be dealing with me.”
The kingsfae tugging me from the room glanced uneasily over his shoulder at the prince, but his grip loosened even more, and he gave the slightest bow toward his sovereign.
“I apologize for my son’s behavior,” the queen called from the front of the room. Panting breaths lifted her chest, but she straightened and smoothed her gown before glaring down her nose at me. “But we all know what mated males can be like. I do expect you to take that into consideration with how you’re treating my son.”
“So she finally admits that they’re mated,” Trivan muttered under his breath as Jax’s friends were also led away.
The king, however, didn’t utter a sound. Steely blue eyes shot daggers at his son, then me, as all of us were forced from the room.
Within minutes, me, Jax, his friends and guards, and Guardian Alleron were being marched down the hall.
Every servant we passed dropped their gazes. But the second we swept by, their whispers began.
It was entirely humiliating, and when we passed the double doors to Jax’s tower, my throat constricted.
I hoped it wasn’t the last time I would ever see those doors, because as much as I prayed that we could clear this matter up, the reality of what we were facing began to sink in more and more.
The kingsfae knew when each and every raid had occurred by the Dark Raider over the seasons.
Court records would show that Jax wasn’t present in Jaggedston when each of those raids occurred. It was a big enough coincidence that they’d look into it more.
And Guardian Alleron’s internal knowledge of all he’d seen and heard would be so damning.
He knew that Lordling Neeble had been killed. He could lead the kingsfae to the exact spot where Neeble’s death had occurred in the Ustilly Mountains. They could even dig up his bones.
And the guards who had been employed by my guardian, that Jax had left alive because he refused to kill innocents, could all attest to the Dark Raider’s abduction of me and Guardian Alleron.
Which would prove that my guardianwasn’tlying.
There were so many things working against us, and with a heavy heart, I knew that even Jax’s skill at wearing his secretive masks might not be enough to save us.
CHAPTER 16
Outside of the palace, the kingsfae split us up. Every single one of us.
They called for nine enchanted carpets, and a moment of hysteria hit me when I realized I didn’t have my story straight. I didn’t know what Jax would say or what the others would admit, and I had no idea how much information would be demanded of me. It took everything in me to keep from crying out.
Jax’s gaze cut to mine. I expected to see wildness growing in his eyes since he no doubt sensed the fear cascading through me along our bond. But I only saw calmness in his expression, and along our bond, his encouragement and belief in me flowed toward me, as though he was trying to instill that same peace in me.
I could tell from his resolve that he’d mentally prepared for such an event. He and his friends probably already had a story in place, aligned for full seasons in case their arrests ever came.
But Iwasn’tprepared.
Panic fired through me anew, my throat threatening to close. One of the kingsfae lifted me onto a carpet and propelled Jax onto another, but his calm peace over the matter doubled to me along our bond.
My erratic heartbeat began to slow. Jax didn’t call out or try to say anything to me. He didn’t need to. Our bond said it all. He felt I could do this. He thoroughly trusted my instincts to guide me, and he truly believed that I would know what to say when the time came. And that belief from him slowly helped instill confidence in me.
My pounding heart slowed even more.I can do this.I’ll tell them as little as possible, and I’ll keep my answers as close to the truth as I can. I’ll do exactly what Jax does.
I nodded subtly at him, and a flare of pride shone on his face.
With a dip of his head, he silently wished me goodbye, and his relaxed stance only further encouraged me. We would see each other again.
I was able to maintain my blind faith on the entire ride to the supernatural courts. Even though I was alone with only my kingsfae beside me, since everyone’s carpets took separate paths, it didn’t matter. Jax and I would win this.
