I’d been willing to kill Fear for the sake of my family. It was time to love and value myself as much as I loved and valued them.
“I’ve made my choice. I’m not going back to Stonehaven.”
Fifty-Two
Fear
One of the Fae contingent crossed toward us, carrying a message. Ander intercepted him, but he kept arguing that he would only pass it to me. It was likely an attempt to disrupt my attention.
Finally, with a look at Maura, making sure that she was fully attending to the threat, I made my way to the man. The two of us met at the side of the table.
He bowed, but his pulse was visible in his throat. Something was wrong. “Your Highness. Your mother sends her regards.”
“I imagine she sends much more than her regards,” I said, holding out my hand for her message.
He delivered it into my hand and backed away. Wise.
My mother’s message was lengthy. I skipped over it quickly, taking in the important points.
She had not wanted to write, but the generational magic compelled her. Or so she claimed.
Cara was in danger.
She had set a plot in motion before I married my beautiful wife.
I was not sure if the warning was genuine compulsion or another layer of her game. It didn’t matter. I was already moving.
Cara was being targeted by a Nightwalker that she had known I would eventually find and bring into my inner circle.
Something cold and immediate moved through me, and I already knew, even as I raced through the last lines of her missive.
She had enchanted Tesa. Set her to kill my wife if Cara would not abandon me.
I dropped the letter as I whirled to Cara.
She had just refused. Tesa might be a danger to her at this very moment.
Understanding pierced through me. Cara had drawn one enchantment from her, but the queen must have layered in another; a second, discreet enchantment, knowing that the first would draw Cara’s blade more quickly.
My wings spread wide as I threw myself into flight toward my wife.
The room erupted in chaos, so fast it was hard to read. Tesa, in motion from behind Cara. Maura moved almost instantly, not quite understanding but moving to cover Cara. Tay, standing up so abruptly his chair fell back.
The queen’s assassination attempt was already in motion.
Cara
Something shifted in the air. Maura suddenly moved toward me, and I wasn’t sure if she was reacting to a threat or just the possibility of one now that I had refused the queen’s offer.
My focus was on Tay, and the Fae behind him. Then I felt Tesa approaching from my side.
She must be moving to protect me. Fear was—his wings had spread, and he had launched himself toward us.
A blade flashed in Tesa’s hand, metal glinting.
I drew my own knife in one smooth motion, twisting in my seat, but rising from the table was going to be too slow. I threw up one armored arm to catch the blade on my forearm, pushing it away, which bought me a split second.
Tay bought me the next one. Because he had launched himself across the table. He threw himself into Tesa.
