“He’s still in his chambers, as angry as ever, but he’s there, and he’s alive.”
I sagged in relief, and my mate cupped my cheeks, tilting my head up. “Elowen,what’s wrong?”
But I shook my head. “It’ll take too long to explain now, but I will, I promise. And what about your”—I glanced around to ensure nobody would hear me—“brother...is he okay too?”
Jax angled his head toward me and nodded. “Yes, he’s still in his suite, again, as far as I’m aware. Do you want me to check on him too?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think you need to. I just wanted to make sure nothing else had changed. We should keep going since your parents are expecting us.”
“All right.” He clasped my hand, and we resumed walking, but he constantly glanced down at me.
I could tell from his wary looks that he knew something had happened that he was unaware of, but I was thankful he didn’t push me for answers. Given that I was about to meet his parents, and since my guardian was still locked away and the kingsfae hadn’t been called, I really needed to concentrate on winning them over. The arrest that had once been made was no longer occurring.
“What if they hate me?” I whispered.
“How could anybody hate you?”
“They might.”
He growled. “I’ll make it clear to them that hating youisn’tan option. Besides, after they hear what you’ve learned of King Paevin and that you acquired that knowledge by using your magic, they’ll realize how extraordinary you are, whether they want to admit it or not.”
My eyes widened, and I froze in place again, forcing Jax to stop too. “You mean the king’s plan hasn’t been stopped?”
Worry again puffed in Jax’s aura, and he pulled me close, slipping an arm around my waist. He frowned again, his look intent. “Something’s obviously happened, and given what you’re saying, I suspect I might know, but tell me, my love, what’s wrong?”
But all I could do was shake my head. “Not here. It’s too much to explain. I’ll tell you later.” I squeezed his hand again, trying to reassure him and myself, but my attempts at that only strengthened his frown.
And perhaps his concern was warranted, because if the king’s planhadn’tbeen stopped, then my attempt to twist fate hadn’t fully worked. Jax had remained free—thank the stars—but ifnothinghad changed with King Paevin, then I’d failed, and that meant the half-breeds were still at risk.
I numbly followed Jax down the hall toward the dining area, looking every which way as I waited for disaster to strike. I thought I’d fully grasped what Master Fistideeous had taught me about twisting fate, but I apparently hadn’t.
“Are you ready to meet your future parents-in-law?” Jax asked carefully, his aura still vibrating with concern. “Or would you rather we postpone this? We can meet them another time.”
I shook my head. “No, they’re expecting us. Let’s do this now. If we postpone, that could be something they hold against me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
We rounded the final turn of the wide hall, but before we were halfway there, a flurry of shadows emitted near the wall. In my next blink, Quinn stood before us.
My eyes bulged, and Jax’s attention whipped in all directions. “What in the realm? Someone could see you here.”
The crowfy shifter stepped forward, his movements quick. “I know. I was careful to ensure nobody was about before materializing, but I had to get to you so you knew.” He pulled Jax and me into an alcove, hiding us from view, then said under his breath, “King Paevin was the one behind your brother’s disappearance, my prince. I heard him talking about Bastian this morning.”
Jax’s tensed shoulders relaxed, and a smile tugged at his lips. “We’re way ahead of you. Elowen already uncovered that.”
But Quinn’s look stayed intent, his jaw locking. “That’s not all. There’s another reason I’m here. Therealreason. King Paevin is dead.”
It felt as though my heart stopped. “He is?”
Jax’s eyebrows shot up. “Truly? But how? And when?”
Quinn’s light-blue eyes turned as frosty as ice. “This evening, only hours ago. I was in the Faewood palace, still watching King Paevin and listening to his whisperings with his less-than-scrupulous staff, when he had an accident. He fell down the stairs. Broke his neck. It killed him instantly. The Faewood court hasn’t officially announced it yet, but his daughter will take the throne. Everything’s a mess there at the moment, especially with the Centennial Matches starting soon. It’s pure chaos.”
My mouth parted, understanding hitting me.So that’s how the semelees stopped the king’s malicious plan.A rush of relief flowed through me. Ihadfully commanded fate after all. I just hadn’t realized it yet since I hadn’t known the king was already dead.
“And the half-breeds? Where are they?” I asked quietly.
