Page 61

Chapter Sixty-One

R eign

The radiant light blasting through the dome of the Castle of Ethereal Light was blinding after the weeks spent in the cool night of Noxus’s embrace in Shadowmere. Squinting as Aelia and I strode through the magnificent hallway behind a pair of Royal Guardians, I tightened my hold on her hand. There was no point in pretending any longer. Today, we would lay the whole truth at King Elian’s feet and pray to the gods he would choose to fight on our side.

Not because he was Aelia’s uncle or because she was the true heir to the throne. No, I knew the conniving royal better than that. There wasn’t a noble bone in his body. Which was what had my shadows buzzing, and my entire body so coiled with tension, it was difficult to maintain a normal gait.

What I had to offer the king was greater than loyalty to his own blood, greater than the duty to do what was right. In exchange for his protection and Royal Guardians to fight the war, I’d offer up my father’s head.

Keeping that part of the plan from my mate, carefully tucked behind a wall of impenetrable obsidian, had been the most difficult part. With the gleaming strands of the new cuorem rushing between us, secrecy was quite a feat. Luckily, I’d spent the last three years of my life perfecting the skill, and building walls to conceal the truth was child’s play at this point. Still, I hated keeping this from Aelia, even if it was for her own good. I feared her delicate mortal sensibilities would balk at the idea of serving up my sire for slaughter, even if it meant not only saving us from Helroth but also eliminating the issue of the blood vow.

With Tenebris gone and Ruhl sitting the throne in his place, we could unite both courts against the greater threat of the Night Fae. Then once they were defeated, finally, Aelia and I could be free to live and love as we desire.

“Are you nervous?” Aelia’s hushed murmur interrupted my silent musings. “You’re abnormally quiet,” she whispered. “I can’t even hear you through the bond.”

Offering a tight smile, I squeezed her hand. “A lot to think about, princess. And it’s always preferable to guard your thoughts around enemies.”

“Right.”

The guard stopped in front of a gilded door, the polished finish reflecting the golden walls and flickering light of floating orbs. Only now did I notice how Aelia’s expression had morphed into one of wonder and awe as we’d traversed the luminescent corridors. Gods, I was a fool. I was so absorbed in strategy and plotting that I hadn’t stopped for a moment to consider what being here would mean to her. A lost childhood, a family she never knew, a past never destined to be.

How are you ? Lowering the wall between us, I allowed the question to flow through our mental link.

As good as can be expected in a situation like this .

The squeal of the enormous door opening put an end to our silent discussion, and I quickly raised my mental shield, reminding Aelia to do the same with a quick nod.

At the end of the grand luminescent chamber sat King Elian atop his throne, much like I’d found him all those weeks ago. Aelia’s gaze fixed on the royal as we approached the dais, as if finally seeing him for the very first time. Elian regarded us with barely veiled contempt from atop the white crystal throne that shimmered beneath the sunlight streaming through the glass cupola.

“Your Ethereal Highness, it is an honor to stand in your presence.” Disdain bit into my tone, but I hoped it wasn’t too evident. I dipped my head ever so slightly, and Aelia folded into a curtsy.

He should be bowing to you . I let the thought loose.

We need his help, Reign. It won’t hurt to be courteous .

The king’s typically serene turquoise gaze flared as he regarded me, then chased to Aelia and held for an endless moment. Finally, he cleared his throat, an expressionless mask sliding back into place. “You’ll have to excuse my surprise, but I believed you to be dead, Miss Ravenwood.”

“You aren’t the only one,” I interjected.

“Now then, may I ask what brings you to my court today—aside from delivering me a ghost?” His light brows furrowed. “When you requested an audience, professor, I assumed this was a matter regarding the Conservatory.”

For a moment, I’d nearly forgotten I had stolen Elian’s memories of my last visit. He had no idea he’d been the one to lead me to the Ebonshard Compass, which had ultimately guided me straight to Aelia. Now, it was time to fill in the blanks my shadows had stolen. And quickly.

“We know King Helroth is alive, along with an indeterminate amount of Night Fae. We also know you and King Tenebris are well aware of the fact and have been sending forces to fight the invaders along the border for weeks now.”

The king’s jaw slackened, turquoise eyes gone impossibly wide. Every Royal Guardian in the chamber shifted uncomfortably, tension cutting through the air. “That’s not?—”

I lifted my hand, cutting him off. “There is no point in denying it. Both Miss Ravenwood and I have encountered him personally. As a matter of fact, Aelia here spent the better part of the term as his captive.”

Anger radiated from the king’s form, a golden glow racing up and down his ethereal robes. “And what do you want for this knowledge?”

A chuckle pierced my lips, sharp and menacing. “I’m not here to blackmail you, Your Highness.”

“We’ve come to enlist your help to battle the enemy,” Aelia announced, cutting in.

“You wish to fight the Night King?” He snorted on a laugh. “What could a lowly Kin do?”

With Aelia’s long raven locks unbound, he clearly hadn’t noticed the newly sharpened tips of her ears. And was he blind to her powers? Or was it only because of how attuned my body was to hers that I could feel the trio of energies blanketing her form?

“A lowly Kin?” she growled, and tendrils of nox writhed across her shoulders, then slid down her arms. Then the pungent scent of zar invaded my nostrils, and a storm of silver eclipsed the blue in her eyes. This was not what we’d planned, but I could hardly blame her for lashing out when the royal was behaving like an ass.

“By the gods,” he hissed, and the entire room sprang into motion as Royal Guardians summoned an array of luminous weapons.

My own shadows whirled to life, a wave of impenetrable darkness coating the room, siphoning every shred of light. “If anyone makes a move toward Aelia, I will strike you down on the spot.”

“It cannot be…” the king murmured as his frantic gaze swung from Aelia to me, then back again.

“But it is, uncle.” Aelia grinned, a feral smile that had the hair on the back of my neck rising. If she weren’t my cuoré, and the young female I’d met all those months ago in Feywood, I would have been terrified by the look in her eye. “Not only am I the child of the prophecy, but I am also your niece, daughter to your late brother, King Alaric.”

Elian blanched, his porcelain features awash in an unnatural alabaster hue. “But how?” Even as he muttered the question, something like realization flashed across his pinched face. “Sable wasn’t Light Fae…” He dragged his hand through his hair, mussing up the perfect golden strands. “I should have known. My brother had always kept her away from the prying eyes of court. I thought it was simply because they were newly mated, and his jealousy knew no bounds.”

“My mother was both Shadow and Night Fae actually,” Aelia offered. “More than that, uncle, my mother was the daughter of King Helroth.”

A surge of brilliant light pulsed around the king’s form, and again, the Royal Guardians stiffened, a wave of white closing in around us. “Oh, Raysa, help us.” He shuddered, a tremor rolling through his towering form.

I called upon my shadows, readying them to strike. Every nerve and muscle in my body coiled with tension. I would reduce this castle to rubble if necessary. Losing King Elian to our cause would be a blow, but he was no longer the only heir to the House of Ether. Surely, the court would rally behind their long-lost princess.

Elian must have come to the same conclusion because he waved off his guards with a dismissive hand. Then slowly, he rose, enigmatic gaze fixed on Aelia. “Welcome home, my child.”

* * *

Despite the king’s warm welcome to his long-lost niece and the grand chamber he’d offered us for the evening, I refused to let my guard down. Though we’d disclosed most of the pertinent information, I had yet to reveal who I really was or offer my father in return for this new alliance. And the fact that Elian had so easily accepted Aelia as his niece and heir, despite the warnings of the prophecy, had every nerve in my body on high alert.

Even now, after making love to Aelia, which typically set my mind at ease, erasing all else, I could not tamp down the nervous energy rushing my veins. I couldn’t blame Aelia for being so trusting, the female had grown up without a single blood relative. Of course, she wanted to believe Elian would welcome her with open arms, but I’d grown up beneath the hand of a cruel royal, and I knew too well the way things worked at court.

And it was for all these reasons that I pressed a gentle kiss to Aelia’s forehead now that I was certain she was sound asleep and marched toward the door of our chamber. As I silently closed the door behind me, I loosed a barrier of shadows across the threshold. If anyone were to attempt to enter the room in my absence, I’d immediately be alerted. With my fear of leaving Aelia alone marginally assuaged, I trudged down the hallway to bargain with the king.

When I finally reached the gilded chamber, I found the royal surrounded by his guards, a flurry of energy filling the throne room. Elian’s light eyes narrowed as I marched in, interrupting his discussion.

“Professor Darkthorn, do you have more earth-shattering news to share?”

A smirk curled the corner of my lip. “I do, actually.”

He waved his guards away and crooked a finger in my direction, beckoning me forward. “If this is about the cuorem you share with my niece, I already surmised as much.”

“Remarkable, Your Highness, how very astute of you.” My shadows curled across my shoulders, sliding up and down my arms. “Then we may as well dispense with all of the bullshit. I’m no ordinary professor, as I’m certain you’ve already gleaned.”

“No, I never thought you were.” He drummed his fingers along the armrest of his grand throne. “So, tell me, Reign, who are you?”

“I am King Tenebris’s bastard son, and I’ve come to offer you a deal in exchange for a blood vow ensuring Aelia’s protection.”