The latest rumor was he had his own son killed when he came out, announcing he was gay and had taken lovers.
Either way, he’s not a man I want to fuck with.
“So is this the one?” he asks, swinging his gaze in my direction. I fight the urge to fidget as he assesses me standing in his presence. Which brings me to the question of why I'm here.
My father or one of the council leaders should be here if this is a diplomatic meeting, but the fact he has personal colors flying makes me question his reasons.
“Yes, Daddy,” Emer says, skipping over and grabbing my arm once again as I tense up.
“Shall we?” King Eleverson sweeps his arm out to indicate the sofas before us.
What else can I do but be polite and listen to what he has to say? The only good thing about this is that right now I can’t fuck things up. I can’t be held responsible for not knowing Fae politics, procedures or anything of the sort. But as a prominent leader's offspring, I have to have some decorum because I’m held to a higher standard.
Sitting down, Emer tries to grab my hand and even though her father is in front of me, I’m not caving into her whims. Instead I entwine my hands together in my lap as I notice the king frowns at our interaction.
“Dad, this is Levithan Caldron. Levi, this is my father, King Elverson of the Elves and of the Autumn and Summer Kingdoms,” Emer says with pride.
“Hello, your majesty. It’s an honor to meet you and I’m sorry to hear of your son's passing,” I say with remorse. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one like my father or one of my brothers. Then there’s Emer who seemed more upset about us breaking up than her brother dying. I would think, as a parent, he’s destroyed from losing his only son. I watch as his right eye twitches, and I pick up on anger before he answers.
“Thank you for your condolences. So how is school going for you?” he asks, leaning forward as if he’s really interested.
Does he really expect me to carry on small talk with him?
“Fine,” I say in a clipped and formal tone while maintaining eye contact. I would rather not play whatever game he wants to entertain.
The emotions from Emer and her dad are putting me on edge, and it’s taking all of my strength to not react or fidget. Emer is buzzing with excitement and satisfaction, which is never a good thing where I’m concerned. The powerful man across from me is radiating amusement, triumph, and anticipation. All things that are putting me on edge.
For once, I’m actually happy about how much Lilith has harped on me to school my body’s reaction. Emer gets up and goes to the bar to make drinks as her father claps his hands, grabbing my attention again.
“Well, I won’t keep you with small talk, so why don’t we get to the matter at hand of why I asked you here,” he smiles slightly.
I nod. Thankfully, we can get to the point because I have shit to do. Like go check on Rez. She wasn’t at the assembly, and I need to make sure she’s okay. Now that things are on the right track, I want to make sure I’m doing right by her. I find myself wanting to be a better person because of her. Emer passes out Fae Wine to all of us and takes a seat next to me once again, scooting closer so our thighs touch. I wasn’t planning on drinking but it might calm the nerves that want to strangle me.
“Well, first order of business is a congratulations is in order from what I hear,” he announces then takes a drink from his glass.
I pause while taking a drink as I give him a confused look.
He leans back on the sofa and throws his arm across the back. “Emer has informed me that the two of you finally made things right with each other and you have proposed.”
I have always prided myself on being able to handle my own emotions, but even the so-called “vault” that Rez likes to call me, has limits. I take in a deep breath and slowly blow it out as my teeth clench and I hear my jaw pop. I feel my entire body tense up and the glass shatters, but I can’t concentrate on anything but the king’s slight smile.
I feel someone try to pry open my hand and I look down and see blood. The broken stem of the wine glass is still in my bloody hand, and seeing Emer’s manicured hand touching mine has me flipping my lid.
I don’t care who the fuck this asshole thinks he is—I’m gonna set him straight.
Throwing the stem to the ground, I stand up, and point my finger at him, taking in a breath to yell when he clicks his tongue.
“Ah, ah, ah, before you go and say anything, Leviathan, I would strongly suggest that you listen to what I have to say first.”
ChapterForty-Five
FE, FI, FO, FUM. FUCK THIS PLACE… I’M SO DONE
Rez
We make it out of the woods and start walking across the quad just in time to see the doors open and creatures start pouring out of the building.
An elf passes us and JP asks, “Did we miss the Assembly?”
