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I came to court this morning hoping it would not come to this, but now that we’ve reached this impasse, now that the tipping point has become so clear, there’s no help for it. Taking a deep breath to steal myself, I address my court again.

“The witches have declared their intent to seal the route through the Veil between our realm and theirs.”

A ripple of shock murmurs through the court.

Crowley growls in anger. “We must stop them.”

Shooting him another dark glare, I point out the obvious. “I doubt we would have the means to. Not going up against the magick of the entire Crescent Coven.”

Another wave of uneasy voices, shifting bodies, and expressions of concern.

“And your wife?” Crowley says, nearly spitting the words. “Yourmate? Where does she fit into all of this? There are reports that the two of you left this realm yesterday and returned to the human realm.”

Taking the dais steps two at a time, I stalk forward and stop just in front of Crowley. I stand a few inches taller, but with the added fury of having my mate disparaged directly to my face, I feel twice his size.

“You will not speak of my wife.”

Crowley opens his mouth to offer some retort before appearing to think better of it.

“Allison had the opportunity to stay behind in her realm yesterday,” I say, letting my voice carry through the room. “She had the chance to leave me, leave this realm, stay safe and far away from the danger here. She did not take it. She chose instead to return with me and do everything in her power to see the bargain restored. Allison believes in this realm and the bargain, she believes in our ability to see both restored, and I share her faith.”

As the fading ring of the proclamation sinks into the crowd, there are a few nods, a few murmurs of assent, but also plenty of lingering fear. Cold, slithering doubt and unease coil low in my belly as I realize it may not be enough to sway them.

“Herpower,” Crowley scoffs derisively. “That’s certainly a comfort.”

I have him by the throat a moment later. The motion happens between one heartbeat and the next, fast enough that it leaves him flailing and gasping for air.

“Give me a reason to spare your life.”

His face goes ghost-pale, and both his hands claw at mine where it squeezes firmly around his neck. His mouth sputters open and closed like a caught trout and his eyes bug out of their sockets. I could end him, make an example to the entire court about what happens when their queen consort is disrespected.

At the same time, that chilly, slimy feeling in my gut only grows more pronounced with each passing second.

This is not how a king behaves. This is not how an honorable male behaves. Fear and fury and the need to fight back against the helplessness of it all carve pits from my soul and leave me utterly uncertain what I should do next.

“Eren.”

The attention of every courtier in the hall snaps to the quiet voice at the back of the room.

Allie stands beside Vayla, eyes wide as she takes in the scene. The female demon has her hand on the knife at her hip, taking a defensive stance by my wife.

Irrationally, I feel a laugh rise in the back of my throat. Allie made an ally of Vayla in the span of a single day.

Of course she did.

Allie steps forward, and the crowd parts to make way for her. I drop my hand from Crowley’s throat, and he goes sprawling out on the floor in front of me as Allie approaches. He drags a few ragged breaths in as he struggles to regain his composure, proof enough that he’s still alive.

My mate moves like a queen through her court. Composed, calm, in control, she hardly spares a glance at Crowley as she comes to take her place beside me. Extending a hand that I grasp immediately, she leads me back up onto the dais. The few moments we spend climbing the steps give us a sliver of privacy.

“How much of that did you witness?” I ask, leaning down to speak into her ear.

“All of it,” she replies.

A wave of shame breaks over me. Failing in front of my court is bad, but failing in front of my mate feels a thousand times worse.

Allie surprises me by giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “How can I help?”

I’m about to tell her it’s not her place to fix my mistakes or clean up after my blunders, but the fierce determination in her eyes gives me pause. Her words from last night echo in my head.