Brushing her cheek with my thumb, I can’t help but feel angry at her for once again taking it upon herself to save us all, but I’m mostly glad she’s okay.
Tending to my mate and son, sleep is the last thing on my mind.
Dragging a chair by my mate’s bed I plant myself in it. Nevaeh hates waking up alone and since I’m not risking it by climbing into bed behind her, this is the only option.
Thanking Fates for keeping my family safe, the bitterness of my reality finally settles in. If nothing else, this night has revealed my blindside and how my enemies have taken advantage of it. I’ve been so busy tackling one problem after another that I lost sight of the big picture, but not anymore.
Leaving Nevaeh alone for less than ten minutes, I run back to the castle to tuck August in before asking Grace to stay the night with him. Rushing back to my mate, I march inside her room to find the nurse who helped us with August all those months back fumbling with the medicine Giana, our healer, left for Nevaeh.
My sudden arrival has her mumbling something about checking on Nevaeh and leaving my sight the next second.Something about how her hands trembled and the way she flinched when she noticed me forces me to stop and think.
I want to ignore the strange interaction and focus on my mate, but every detail about tonight starts replaying in my head. Walking through my memory with a clear head, has me even more confused. So many things don’t add up, and nothing makes sense once Anisha appears.
The biggest one is how thatthingmanaged to find a portal, a task I made impossible to achieveyearsago.
No matter how hard I try, my head refuses to shut up. Finally giving up, I link Harvey to come sit with Nevaeh while I retrace our steps to check if tonight was horrible luck or something more.
Turns out Hazel and I are on the same page because when I leave the med bay, she is already pacing the road behind Conquer that leads to the portal.
Usually, by this time in the morning, the sun starts to peak through the clouds, but I have a feeling the storm brewing for days will finally make an appearance today.
My heart is in my throat as I approach the portal that disappeared into thin air. A portal collapsing on itself is unheard of, so the hope I was holding onto that it was a mere coincidence shatters when Hazel points to the place where the portal has been tampered with from this end.
Despite my brain offering me multiple rational explanations, my gut refuse to stray from one thought. And when Hazel puts my nightmare into words, I can’t breathe anymore.
Only Horsemen know the portals enough to disrupt their magic and force it to collapse.
I don’t think how early in the morning it is and link Khatri. The Warriorhead forgets who I am for a moment and curses me thoroughly before apologizing and asking what I need from him.
His sleepy haze vanishes at my order, “Find my parents. Take more warriors with you. Do whatever you have to, but don’t let them leave the borders, Khatri.”
I don’t stop to question Khatri. Dean trusted him with his life and around his daughter when Nevaeh was young. That says enough in my books.
Turning back, I run to my mate when the sudden realization that I’ve left her alone with our enemies surrounding her slams into me. I don’t stop when Khatri links me to say my parents are nowhere to be found.
“I can’t explain everything now but don’t trust anyone. Don’t take orders from anyone other than my family—the one I chose. No one gets in and out of the kingdom without my say-so.”
My head is spinning as I try to wrap it around the pieces of a puzzle I didn’t even know I had when Hazel’s arm shoots out to block my way. She motions ahead with dread written all over her features.
A group of elders and elite warriors outside The Horsemen castle makes my steps falter. Before I can ask them to leave unless they want me to target my frustration on them, the former second-in- command of Conquer requests an emergency council meeting.
I want to tell him to choke on it and leave my sight, but Hazel agrees on my behalf. Reigning in my anger, I link Harvey to join us in the conference room but only after Khatri comes to stand guard over Nevaeh.
From the bottom of my heart, I want these people to scurry off. I have no interest in diplomacy and politics when my mate’s life is in danger, but something stops me from doing so.
“Princess of Death has brought serious trouble to the kingdom doors Horseman. After what happened last night, many of us are suspicious that Nevaeh is purposely putting our leaders in harm’s way.”
Watching half the room nod along in agreement and even adding reasons to cast out the future Horsewoman of Death makes it perfectly clear. It finally dawns on me that we’re on the cusp of a coup.
This is how the coven always knew how to find us. Our own people were selling us out this entire time.
The discovery that my own people are after my love is blinding. I never thought the people I’ve protected for years, have laid out my life on the line for more times than I can count would betray me in the most disgusting ways by targeting my family.
As much as I want to squeeze their necks until their last breath leaves them, I have to be smart about this. Everyone who knitted this elaborate scheme to destroy my family right under my nose deserves worse than a quick death.
I’m breathing fire as I scan the ones who agree to this nutcase my father chose as his Warriorhead, and carve their names in my memory. Soon I will carve this betrayal on their flesh.
With Hazel’s subtle nod, I know my life is going to blow up, and there won’t be anything subtle about it.
