I decided to add, “I want you to know that this isn’t an order. I know you’re an alpha with your own pack. You’re busy, and instrumental in this war, which are all the very reasons you would be my first choice to go with Blaine.”
Her head bobbed a couple of times, and her expression softened. “I would be honored. My people will be fine without me, especially when they are here under your direct command.”
I smiled. “I hear you have a very capable second-in-command.”
She nodded. “Jason. Very dominant. I definitely trust him to keep the shifters in line.”
Popping a piece of bacon into my mouth, I looked at Blaine. “Can you catch Bianca up on what to expect in the Otherworld? I need you both to leave tonight.”
“Of course, Ari.” Blaine’s voice was rough with unconcealed emotions. Something was bothering him about all of this. I wished there was time for me to find out, but he was already rising and turning to Bianca.
“Shall we?”
She nodded, standing again and giving me one final bow, before they both left the room together. It was a good choice. I trusted no one more than I trusted Blaine. He was strong, skilled, and dominant. He would make sure we learned all we could from the fae. But a secondvoice was also important, especially a true alpha’s.
Violet, who had just shoved a handful of grapes into her mouth, jumped to her feet as well. I tilted my head back to see her and she swallowed roughly, rasping out, “I’m going to round up Rowan. Meet us on the roof when you’re done with breakfast.”
With a shake of my head, I let out a chuckle. “One day you’re going to choke.”
Violet snorted as she left the room, taking her overwhelming energy with her.
Peering at Jen and Victor as they piled their plates high, I dived right into my breakfast, needing to fuel up my energy for the training I would undertake today. As I ate, my mind inevitably wandered to the Dark Fae Lord, that evil fae with the black-tipped horns. My road to being queen was already so rocky, it was hard to believe I was only a few months crowned. And while I might have taken care of Selene and her threat to our people, now it seemed I had three more adversaries to finish off before we all got our happily ever after. The winter queen, her son, and this dark fae … they all needed to die. If they didn’t, none of us would have a moment of peace.
The next few hours I spent getting beat down by Violet and Rowan. Their magic lessons were getting more grueling. I even lost the contents of my stomach after breaking a particularly complex spell — which didn’t halt their torture in any way. They trapped me in boxes and held me under water. They called it an extra incentive to break the spells quickly. Which thankfully I did, because I was not a fan of drowning — not one of my preferred ways to go.
Exhausted and starving again, I hauled butt away from those two sadists and went to meet up with Kade for lunch. He wasn’t in the main dining room, and after a few minutes searching I found him sitting in the magic library, on one of the old high wing-backed chairs. He looked stressed, leaning over the dark magic book, staring at the crystal on it, brows furrowed. Lying beside it was the cloth that Baladar had spelled to keep it contained.
“Hey, you all alone in here?” I asked, quickly glancing around the room.
He wasn’t startled; no doubt he’d heard my footsteps from a long way away. When he turned, a slow smile crossed his face. It was the sort of smile he always reserved for me.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I said, moving closer to him. “If you discount Rowan and Violet trying to kill me.”
He chuckled, reaching out to pull me into his lap.
“How’s it going with the book?” I was surprised he was in here with it alone, but maybe his unique way to read the mecca was involved. I knew he’d wanted to keep an eye on Baladar and Nikoli to make sure they didn’t succumb to the book’s powers.
He let out a ragged exhalation. “I’ve been trying to get a read on this dark energy. Usually energetic stuff comes easy to me, but this … something about it feels different, and yet familiar.” His hair was all messed up, like he had run his fingers through it repeatedly.
I felt the pull of the book’s dark magic; it was strong. “Should you be so close to it?” I was half turned so I could run my fingers along his shoulders, hoping my touch would loosen the tight muscles there.
He pulled me even tighter against him. “I don’t feel too much pull, so hopefully I’m managing to resist its draw.”
I couldn’t stop the flashback I had of the Dark Fae Lord. He had been a handsome male, just like Kade, until the dark crystal corrupted him. But … he had sought out the power, Kade was already powerful from mecca and wanted nothing to do with the dark energy, so hopefully that would make a difference in Kade’s ability to resist.
“Did you know that Violet popped in out of nowhere today and randomly told me that the dark crystal could bring people back from the dead? Then she left. A few moments later, Baladar showed up with the book and asked me to keep an eye on it until he got back.”
I furrowed my brow. Why were magic born so freaking weird and cryptic? “I thought we were going to use the book to find the other crystal? Do you think they want us to try and figure out how to use this magic now? Like … read the book? I’m not sure messing with darkness like this is a good idea.”
Kade turned to look at me, his copper eyes swirling with concern. “I’m starting to worry that the reason Violet told me that is because she feels you might die in this war. Maybe I’m supposed to use this to save you.”
I shook my head. “No one is dying. Violet is still recovering from her time in the Otherworld. She sees death everywhere. She worries a lot more now.” I wasn’t sure if I was saying this because I believed it or because I just wanted it to be true.
Kade’s hand came up and wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me closer, pressing his lips to mine. “Let’s go out. Get pizza, go for a walk in Central Park or something normal.”
I smiled. “That sounds perfect. Let’s do it.”
