“If we can prove the dark fey are keeping Ithaki against their will, we could use it in a war crimes case to absolve us of our treason,” Sawyer added.
“Treason.” My mouth opened in shock.
Sawyer nodded, looking at Demi. “If we go marching into fey territory without permission and blow up their buildings and kill their Munai, we will have a lot to answer for.”
Yikes. When he put it that way, it sounded bad.
“The Magical Creature Council will come sniffing around,” Walsh added.
Everyone looked to Luka then, who simply nodded. “My first act as king will be to pardon us all, and I will be exempt from trial based on diplomatic immunity.”
Whoa.The plan was shaping up even better than I thought.
“Then we need to wait until you become king or we all get locked up in Magic City Prison,” Sage offered. “And that doesn’t work well for my fall wedding plans.”
Walsh gave a little chuckle.
Demi said what I was thinking: “If we don’t act quickly, they’ll move them, I know it.”
I nodded. “Then they might be forever lost to us.”
“But if we act too quickly, we may win and get locked up,” Sawyer told his wife.
I chewed on my lip, trying to think of a solution. Now more than ever before, I needed Luka to become king. With the vampire forces at our disposal and his pardoning power, we could totally pull this off.
“We wait,” Luka declared, one hand stroking his chin. “The second I’m crowned king, we storm the Fey Lands and free all of the women and children. Until then, we assign an elite group of spies to watch the camp and make sure that if the women are moved, we know the new location. Let them get comfortable somewhere else thinking they have successfully hidden, then we come for them in the dead of night.”
Chills rose up my arms at his declaration. I’d never been more attracted to him than I was in this moment. My heart hammered in my chest and his eyes met mine.
Walsh smirked. “Elite spy group?”
Luka chuckled. “You, Talon, and Bennett. Sawyer and I need to stay visible.”
The three of them nodded and it was decided.
We wait…
As hard as that was, I could wait a few weeks if it meant I knew we had a greater success of getting my mom and the others out.
With that, we disbanded and Liv, Demi, Sage, and I headed back to the guest cottage. But all the while my mind raced with flashes of her face.My mom. I just hoped she survived long enough for me to meet her in person properly.
Chapter Five
Next morning,I awoke feeling different. My entire life I’d always had a bit of a hole inside myself. Growing up without a mother and father will do that. I was never really adopted; Maz was just our mentor and leader—and sometimes mother figure, but not the one that tucks you in bed and sings you songs every night. I never had that, and now that I’d gotten a glimpse of my mother, I wanted it. After showering, I dressed and shuffled into the hallway to find Gunner standing in the kitchen wearing an apron and cooking eggs and bacon.
“Good morning, Miss Rose. I hope it’s okay that I let myself in. Luka has requested that I provide adequate nutrition for you and the other feeders. He’s asked that I serve you breakfast and bring you to the banquet hall.”
Feeder. I would never get used to that word.
I swallowed hard. “Banquet hall?”
He plopped a spoonful of eggs, two pieces of bacon, and a piece of toast onto a plate and then handed me a glass of orange juice.
“That’s where today’s battle is.” He nodded, his shiny-bald head reflecting the overhead kitchen lights. I stared at his pointy ears, getting distracted as I reached up to touch my own. They were slightly pointier than a human’s, but … I’d never really thought about it until now.
“So Luka will battle every day until he’s the last one standing?” I tore off a hunk of bacon and chewed and Gunner watched me closely. I was slightly more invested in Luka becoming king now.
“Not every day. Some days are physical battle days, in which he will need a feeder on call like today, and others are mental exercises, war games, propriety testing.”
