“And yet, if your brother hadn’t rescued us, you would have condemned these poor souls to a life of captivity and misery,” Ronan retorts. “You’re no hero.”
Lord Indigo chuckles. “I never claimed to be one. But don’t be fooled—in Ellnesari, heroes don’t exist. Everyone here is a different shade of gray with hidden agendas.”
“Silence!” the king commands. “You’ve soiled the name of our family enough.” He glances at the soldiers manning Lord Indigo’s carriage. “Take him to the dungeons. I don’t want to see his face until the trial.”
Lord Indigo’s expression falls, his aristocratic features collapsing like a sandcastle. The careful mask of arrogance slips away, revealing the vulnerable male beneath. I see true fear shining in his eyes—those blue irises now rimmed with white, pupils contracted to pinpoints despite the approaching nightfall. He doesn’t struggle when the soldiers remove him from his cage—not that he could go far with chains around his ankles, hands, and neck. We all watch him be taken away, but I feel no satisfaction. My heart is heavy, and I feel like crying. I’m homesick, and I never thought I’d miss Salem as much as I do now.
With Lord Indigo gone, the king and queen of Lynx turn their attention to us. “Are you going to introduce your guests to us, my dear?” the queen asks.
“Naturally. This is Cheryl Eriksson and Ronan McLaren. They’re friends of Rikkon’s from the human world.”
I’m surprised that Castiel knows our full names. I know I never told him mine, and I’m not sure Rikkon would have disclosed them either.
“Welcome to the Lynx court,” the king says. “I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Yes, we wish that too,” Ronan replies.
“Come. There’s much to do before King Ruel arrives.”
Uneasiness takes hold of me. King Ruel is Rikkon’s father. He couldn’t get rid of us fast enough the last time we saw him. I can’t imagine he’ll be happy to see us back in Ellnesari.
Thirty-Eight
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
The Lynx castle is a towering masterpiece, beautiful and yet savage, with its spires reaching toward the clouds like the claws of a lynx about to pounce. It seems every construction in Ellnesari has been built to impress, and this place is no exception.
Banners of midnight silk hang between columns showcasing the emblem of the kingdom—a silver lynx embroidered with constellations in the background that seem to shift positions when viewed from different angles.
The inner courtyard is a mosaic of glittering marble and delicate flowering plants, surrounded by tall columns and guarded by statues of fierce silver lynxes. They almost look real, and for a moment, I think their heads turn to watch us walk by. I blink fast, and the illusion vanishes. They’re still as statues should be. My head feels light, though, and I wonder if it’s the scent hanging in the air that’s doing that to me. The cloying and sweet perfume from the flowers is so strong that it coats the back of my throat.
Ollie is fast asleep in my arms, but her nose wrinkles, and then she sneezes. She doesn’t wake up, though. I glance at Cheryl to see if she’s affected as well, but she seems fine. The baby, however, is much calmer now than he was a moment ago.
Cheryl catches me staring and asks in a whisper, “What is it?”
“Is the fragrance of these flowers doing anything to you?”
“No. Why? Is it affecting you?”
I open my mouth to reply, but Castiel looks over his shoulder and answers, “The shinti flowers have a calming effect. Perhaps that’s what you’re feeling.”
I’m not calmer by any stretch of the imagination. But I’m also not keen to disclose to Castiel how the perfume of these flowers is affecting me, so I reply, “Perhaps.”
He seems satisfied with my answer and continues walking ahead of us without a care in the world. The king and queen have already vanished, and I suspect they walked the wind when I was distracted. They weren’t that far ahead of us, after all.
As we approach the entrance to the palace, the columns in the courtyard give way to archways where bioluminescent vines crawl up stone walls, casting everything in an eerie blue-green glow.
Cheryl gasps, her eyes widening as she leans forward, fingers reaching out as if to touch the shimmering surface. The fascination etched on her face hits me straight in the chest. She’s never looked more breathtaking than she does now, staring at everything in wonder. I want to pull her into my arms and never let her go.
For once, I’m not guarding my feelings from her. She turns to me, and the emotion I see glimmering in her eyes echoes my own, which makes it much harder to control my impulse to kiss her until she begs for more.
Castiel clears his throat without looking back, but I know that was meant for us. Shit. Are we projecting our feelings to theworld that loudly? Cheryl’s cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink before she focuses ahead, making me forget all about Castiel and the other soldiers in our vicinity.
We don’t find any guards stationed in front of the double doors that lead into the palace. However, there’s another pair of lynx statues, one on each side of the entrance. Once again, I have the sensation that they’re watching me.
Inside, the wonders don’t stop. The wide hallway has a domed ceiling with paintings depicting the night sky so vividly, it’s like I’m staring at the real thing. The walls are adorned with intricate carvings of fantastical creatures—I recognize a couple, such as the rombolos and the giant birds from the Aquila Kingdom.
