My eyes bulged, and the worry I’d begun to feel ebbed away. “Yes, you’re right. My uncle did think you’d be accompanying me instead of Royden.”
“So unless he’s reworked his wards to keep me out, I should still have access.”
A tentative smile bloomed upon my face. “And Arnel does like to keep fae out of his castle. Come to think of it, I never saw a spellcaster anywhere when Royden was there. Arnel probably personally accompanied him inside, allowing the wards to open for him. And with any luck, he hasn’t asked his spellcaster to return to rework the wards. But how will we know if that’s the case?”
Kole chuckled darkly, and a glow lit his eyes. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out, but you’re right to be cautious. We won’t want to try mistphasing through them. We should mistphase to just outside his property, and I’ll do a subtle test to see if I can get in. And if I can’t...” He shrugged. “Then we’ll think of a different plan.”
Another shrill laugh bubbled out of me. “Stars, I never thought I would be planning someone else’s murder so candidly.”
Kole chuffed. “Me neither, but I have to say, I’m quite enjoying this.” A dark light entered his eyes, and his mating instincts shone with a vengeance. “I would love nothing more than to send Arnel to the underworld for what he’s done to you. And the fact remains that he’s dangerous, and he has no qualmsabout hurting fae, and he has no respect for the law either. That in itself gives me the right to end his life according to Imperial Council law, even though mating laws give me the same right.”
“I was wondering about that. After you killed those six shifters in Stonewild, I couldn’t help but think you had the authority to do so.”
“I did, but that was only because of their threats against you. As my mate, I have the right to protect you, but normally, I haul fae before the courts to meet their punishment, but when it comes to you and fae harming you or even threatening to harm you”—he cupped my cheeks—“it tends to bring out my violent side.”
I shivered, and I knew exactly why that was. He was my mate, and since he’d realized that the first day we’d met in Whiteolf, that meant his mating instincts had activated right away.
Mated males were known to be incredibly protective of their females, so much so that if someone threatened a male’s mate, and he turned violent and killed the fairy because of it, the mated male wasn’t punished since he’d acted on primal instincts that he couldn’t control.
Those very instincts had been thoroughly studied and were well understood. Laws had been created to protect mated males because of them, and it’d become common knowledge among all fae that mated fae males were some of the most lethal creatures in our realm.Never threaten one’s mate.All fae were taught that from an early age, just as all males were taught about mate bonds and what to expect if one was lucky enough to meet their fated mate.
I tucked a strand of blowing hair behind my ear and frowned. “The hard part is that Arnel’s been so careful at hiding what he’s done. Nobody even suspects him. The only advantage we have right now is that he doesn’t know you’re aware of everything andthat because of our mate bond, you’re immune to his commands that he’s placed on me.”
Kole stroked his chin. “Then we’ll have to use that to our advantage. We’ll endeavor to subtly sneak into his castle. I’ll kill him swiftly and immediately, but if for some reason, our plan goes awry, we’ll need to use his ignorance of our mating bond against him.”
I swallowed the ball of anxiety that worked up my throat. “Okay. Let’s hope it’s as easy as killing him in his sleep.”
Kole inclined his head. “You’re right. I would love to see his expression when I end him, but it would be smarter to kill him swiftly.”
“And then we’ll have to search his castle. We’ll have to find if he has other vamfeers or vampires locked away. And we’ll need to find where he keeps his potions and ingredients and destroy them too. Oh, and then there’s the temple. If any other fae learn of what he did, they may try to do the same. We have to destroy it all.”
Kole’s lips curved, and he kissed me softly on the mouth. “Sounds like we have a plan, my love.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Kole mistphased us back to Whiteolf after we’d decided to venture together to Arnel’s at midnight. We also agreed that it would be best if I could verify if my uncle was actually home. There was no guarantee he was in residence even though he’d summoned me a few days ago, and it would be just my luck that we showed up there, alerted Arnel’s wards to our whereabouts, and then he wasn’t even present.
Back in my chambers, I said quietly to Kole, “I’ll join my parents for breakfast and will ask them if they know where Arnel is. With any luck, they’ll be able to verify if Arnel is home.”
Kole agreed just as Betsee appeared in my bedroom chambers.
“Ah, Your Highness, would you like me to bring you a breakfast tray today?”
Since I’d eaten so many meals alone in my chambers, I wasn’t surprised by her question, but I shook my head. “No, I’ll join my parents for the meal.”
Her eyes brightened. “I’m sure they’ll be delighted to hear that.”
I bid her a good day, then left with Kole following me. In the hall, Xaven stood watch. As usual, metallic throwing stars were secured to the leather straps on his chest.
He dipped his head in greeting, and Kole and I both murmured a good morning, and then we sailed down the hall.
I took each turn readily, and just as I rounded the hall to leave the royal wings, I spotted Lillith and Koraline strolling ahead of us.
My step faltered. Worry hit me that as soon as Koraline found out I was headed in the same direction they were, that she would ignore me again, but before that thought had even formed, Lillith glanced over her shoulder and waved.
“Good morning, Prim,” she called good-naturedly. “Are you joining us for breakfast?”
Her greeting didn’t overly surprise me since we’d slowly become more friendly ever since the maze attack, but what astonished me was that Koraline had also stopped, and shewasn’tsneering at me.
