“You don’t know that,” Wren said weakly. “Thad isn’t the villain every rumor paints him to be. And besides, there are apparently drakens just running around south of here! Who knows how many there truly are?”
The words hit harder than I expected, every insecurity hitting me at once.
Bad king. Awful leader. Going to be an even worse father.
The wards shuddered, sensing our discord. Blue light rippled along the beams, crackling like distant thunder. My throat tightened. I needed to get it together in front of so many people.
Kieran moved quickly, stepping between us. “Enough.” His voice held steel and something gentler beneath. “The baby.”
Magick snapped like a cord pulled too tight between us. I had to focus.
“If he wanted to leave, why didn’t you stop him?” I questioned Nerissa.
She laughed bitterly. “You’ve never had a child, have you?”
That stung, but she wasn’t wrong.
“No,” I said, shooting Wren’s growing belly a possessive look. “Not yet.”
Nerissa scoffed. “Then let me tell you, King Benedict. Children don’t ask permission to chase the wind. They only ask forgiveness after it breaks them and you’re left picking up the pieces.”
Her voice cracked on the last word.
For a moment, I saw not the pirate witch, but a mother who had watched her son sail into a storm.
Still, I couldn’t let her derail the questions. “You knew there were others like him,” I said quietly. “Didn’t you? Others like us. Out here.”
Nerissa’s lips pressed tight. Her eyes flicked toward Meruse too quickly. My gaze sharpened between them. Kieran and Ronan tensed, picking up on it as well. Meruse was trying far too hard to not look at Nerissa.
Wren caught it too: the slight shift of scent in the air.
“What?” she asked, never one to beat around the bush. “What aren’t you telling us? Do you two know each other?”
Meruse’s lips thinned, a nervous habit she couldn’t hide even in her more human form. Astrid’s brow furrowed, clearly confused.
“Meruse,” I said sharply.
She twirled a piece of flaming red hair around her finger.
“Answer me,” Wren demanded. “You know each other!”
Nerissa smiled faintly. “She should know me. We’ve done trade before.”
“Trade?” I repeated, my voice rising an octave.
“In blood and secrets,” Nerissa explained.
That wasn’t an explanation at all.
“You knew about more drakens!” I accused, my voice rising.
Gasp and shocked cries came from the other drakens.
Kieran’s brow furrowed. “How long have you known about the other drakens?”
Meruse sighed, shoulders sinking under the weight of years. “Since before the war ended.”
I froze, my blood stopping cold in my body. “Youwhat?”
