Perhaps we can be broken together.
The door swings open, and I drag my gaze away from Isabelle. She goes to stand, but I place a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back in her chair. She shoots me a reproachful look, but I simply shake my head. “You do not stand for men. They stand for you.”
Isabelle freezes, lips parted as if she wants to saysomething but then thinks better of it. She nods once, sitting back in her chair and crossing one leg over the other.
King Alpha Rip walks in first. He’s a large man and has to duck to get inside the doorframe. Next to him is a similar-sized Black male, scanning the room. I should have guessed Rip would bring his second.
King Allarick comes in next, his locs tied back neatly. Behind him, an older man with salt-and-pepper hair enters, sword at his hip. His age is deceiving, and I would bet he’d hold his own in a fight against younger warriors. Seems to me like these kings don’t trust they’re safe meeting with me without their lapdogs.
What I don’t see is their wives.
“Oziel, it was a surprise to get word from you,” Rip says in a way of greeting. His eyes flicker down to Isabelle, and something akin to jealousy and possessiveness flares to life within me. He doesn’t linger on her long before his attention is back on me. “You don’t reach out.”
“Consider it your lucky day, Wolf.” Rip huffs, causing me to chuckle. “May I introduce my wife? Queen Isabelle Sinclair.”
Isabelle eyes the men warily. “Pleasure to meet you,” she says, though her tone suggests the opposite. “Where are your wives?”
It’s a question I’d love to hear the answer to as well. “Yes, Rip and Allarick, where are your wives? Or do you always make decisions without their consent and input?”
My words earn me a growl from Rip and adisapproving stare from Allarick. I don’t fear the Kraken king here. There are no fish to do his bidding. Rip, on the other hand, would be a fun fight, but I didn’t call them here for bloodshed. At least, not entirely.
“It’s not every day we are summoned by the demon king. You’ll understand why we’re cautious,” Allarick says.
“Enough of this. Oziel, tell us why we are here. What is it you need to discuss with us?” Rip, ever the impatient dog, barks.
I gesture at the seats in front of us. I only provide two, so their guards are forced to stand behind them. “I wish to speak with you both about our new problem. The Nephilim.”
At the mention of the creatures, both kings stiffen.
“What curse befalls your kingdom?” Allarick asks.
“Ah, that’s not why we’re here.” Though, if they entered through the courtyard, they probably have a good understanding of what my people are dealing with. “Have you trapped a Nephilim?”
The furrowed brows tell me everything I need to know, even before Rip shakes his head. “No. We were too busy killing them.”
“We didn’t deal with Nephilim. We had a Leviathan problem,” Allarick admits.
I raise a brow, making a mental note to do research on Leviathan later.
“So, neither of you tried to communicate with them?” I ask.
“Communicate? Absolutely not. Why would we try tocommunicate with them?” Rip asks, his temper getting the best of him. Such an emotional wolf.
“One spoke to me,” Isabelle speaks up. Everyone in the room tenses and turns to her. To Isabelle’s credit, she doesn’t wither under their gaze. “We have an imprisoned Nephilim. It spoke to me and showed me things no one else could see.”
“What did it show you?” Allarick leans forward, hanging on to her every word.
As Isabelle looks at me, smug satisfaction grows inside me. My queen looks to me when she’s unsure, though I doubt she realizes she’s doing it. She doesn’t need my permission to speak, but I nod anyway. “It said war is coming. That all of this death is forhim, but it didn’t show me whohimreferred to. It might have, but?—”
“It was manipulating Isabelle to walk closer. I pulled her back, and it cut off their link,” I finish for her. Isabelle was not happy with me at the time. I couldn’t—and still can’t—bring myself to feel remorse for what I did. The Nephilim would have surely killed her the moment it got its hands on her. “Despite that, I assure you it was quite safe.” Probably, that is.
“And is this the part where you ask us to willingly allow our wives to meet your captive Nephilim on the chance they could speak with it?” Rip’s eyes flicker to black, his anger barely concealed.
“Precisely,” I say. “If they can communicate and see in the minds of these creatures, we can learn their secrets. I don’t need to tell you there’s power in secrets.”
“No,” Rip says immediately. His answer isn’t shocking,but it’s still disappointing. “I won’t allow Hettie to be put in danger. My stubborn wife would do so without any thought for her own safety. If there’s a chance she could get hurt, I’m not willing to risk her.”
“I don’t like making decisions without my wife,” Allarick says slowly. I brace myself for his rejection too. “However, Erin’s safety is my top concern. She finally feels safe, and I don’t want to put her in a place where she has to worry about her life.”
