Page 13 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Twelve

ALLIE

V alor strolled toward a sleek silver sports car parked right out front and lifted the passenger door open with a flourish, nodding for me to get in.

My brows knitted. I’d never ridden in a luxury car like this.

Everyone knew the three founding families in Avari were billionaires, but I’d never been this close to that kind of wealth.

The leather and chrome pulsed with money signs written all over.

He tapped something on the console, and the door sealed shut with a hiss before he flashed around the hood to the driver’s side.

With a press of a button, the engine purred awake—then growled as Valor revved it twice, his profile breaking into a genuine smile.

For a second, he looked boyish. Not the terrifying vampire who’d nearly made me pass out minutes ago.

“Hope you like fast rides,” he said.

“How fast?” I asked, tightening my grip on the seat belt already in hand.

“Enough to give me a thrill, so…”

I jammed the buckle in with record speed while Valor chuckled and then peeled away from the curb like hordes of gargoyles were chasing us.

The vampire broke more traffic laws than I could count, triggered a chorus of angry honks, and had me silently thanking the fae gods when we finally pulled into the prison’s parking lot.

Valor pulled into a VIP spot and killed the engine. “You can remove your hand from the dash,” he said.

Oh. I peeled it off, elbow locked and fingers stiff from prolonged flexing. I massaged the tension from my knuckles as I followed him inside.

It finally hit me—I was about to see him again. The dangerous dragon shifter who’d held me yesterday while I cried. Who hadn’t demanded anything in return. But today was different. He’d summoned me, and part of me was annoyed with him for it and another part was dying to know why.

A deep breath soothed my nerves .

Guards scanned our IDs, but after that, no one asked questions. No paperwork and no pat-downs followed. I could get used to the VIP treatment.

Valor gestured toward door number four. It buzzed open the moment we neared. He caught it with his arm and held it open, silently inviting me inside. I steeled myself, a ball of nerves twisting my stomach, and shuffled forward.

Time seemed to slow down. His broad shoulder came into the view. Next I glanced a sliver of his face and muscular neck and my heart pitter-pattered. Finally I stepped into full view of him and my skin came alive, prickling with full awareness of his presence.

Kyon braced his elbows on his knees, his frame wider than I remembered. Raven hair, longer on top, stuck out in wild directions, a few strands falling into his eyes. Eyes that weren’t just emerald green. A flicker of molten orange passed through them like a spark caught mid-storm.

A cold hand pressed gently to the small of my back. Valor, reminding me to move. Right—I’d been standing there, gawking.

I plodded forward on wooden legs, painfully aware of Kyon’s eyes tracking every step. I sank onto the stool across from him. Though a glass divider and tabletop stood between us, it was the closest we’d ever been face-to-face.

A blackened scar split his left eyebrow and carved a shallow groove down his cheek.

Another ran horizontally across the opposite cheek, like a blade had once kissed him there.

His brows were just as thick as I remembered, his lashes dark and dense.

A straight nose, full lower lip, and that chiseled jawline framed a face that was both familiar and foreign.

Who was this man? And why couldn’t I get him out of my head—not just since yesterday’s unexpected tenderness, but since our very first meeting?

Kyon hadn’t twitched a single muscle since that door opened.

Valor cleared his throat, dragging me out of my trance. I blinked and looked anywhere but at Kyon.

“Right, so—” Valor began, but Kyon cut him off.

“Who hit her?” His voice rumbled through the glass, the vibration carrying through to my chest.

My brows drew together in confusion. I touched the spot on my forehead that still throbbed. It must’ve been pink and swollen by now.

“No one,” I said just as Valor responded, “Door.”

Kyon’s neck swelled, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I hope you made him pay in blood.” His tone had turned murderous.

My eyes widened. Wait? Did he think the door was a person?

“The hinges screamed in terror,” Valor said dryly.

Understanding dawned in Kyon’s eyes and he raised a brow in question.

“She collided with a closed door,” Valor clarified, amusement tugging at his mouth. “I may have startled her. She threw one hell of an illusion at me, though. I think your idea might work.”

“What idea?” I finally found my voice .

“When the gargoyles attacked my father’s estate a few months ago, someone messed with security feed,” Kyon said. “Certain parts of the footage are corrupted. We suspect they used a virus to destroy back-ups on our servers but took the physical memory card with them.”

“The dragon king’s life might be in danger,” Valor added, his tone graver now. “We need to locate the card and see what it captured.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Ever since Officer Marley warned me about the Voltaire family, I’d done some digging on my own.

If I was right, Kyon was referring to that night—the one where the tabloids claimed he led a gargoyle hit squad into his father’s home.

The articles alluded to a bitter feud between father and son.

None of the sources were credible—they all belonged to gossip rags—but they planted a seed of doubt.

“You’re speaking like you weren’t involved in the attack,” I said, heart hammering.

Kyon leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table, a slow scowl darkening his face. “Because I wasn’t.” His nostrils flared. Then he exhaled hard and sat back, his lips twisting in restraint.

A chill licked my spine. The dragon inside him hadn’t liked that question. I needed to tread lightly around the topic.

“So you need a memory card. I assume you have an idea where it is?” I asked, trying to show initiative. I needed Kyon to protect Grandpa, and I’d do anything to make that happen.

Valor nodded. “Gargoyles are notorious spoils hoarders. They’ve got it. ”

“The head of the Thornhide gargoyle clan is throwing his annual charity gala at the Plaza downtown—two nights from now,” Kyon said. “That’s not what matters. What we care about is the after-party hosted by his son. You’ll be attending it with Valor.” His eyes narrowed. “As his date.”

I glanced at the composed vampire beside me. Did he think this was a good idea? I couldn’t read his thoughts. Of course, he could hear my heart pounding like I was prey in a snare. Not fair.

I licked my lips, wanting to say no. But I couldn’t leave Grandpa under the mercy of prison scum.

“I’ll do it, but under one condition,” I said.

Kyon’s brow ticked upward. “You want to get paid?” he drawled.

“No. You’re protecting my Grandpa already.” Geez, does he really think that about me? That I’d bargain for more when the most important person in my life was in constant danger from prison gangs. His comment left a sour taste in my mouth.

His thick brows pinched into a V. “Then what is it?”

“Her job,” Valor said with a sigh. “Her boss is a filthy piece of work. I’ll deal with him.” He turned to me. “You have nothing to worry about.”

I mouthed a silent thank you to the vampire I barely knew, but who seemed to understand me so well.

A low growl snapped my attention back to the dragon across the glass.

My palms turned slick in an instant. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

The power and danger he exuded terrified me, yes, but also pulled me in like gravity.

When his dark eyes landed on me, pleasant warmth radiated through my body.

He could make me come undone with a single heated look.

Valor smirked, laced his fingers behind his head, and leaned back like he was watching his favorite show. “This isn’t as straightforward as showing up to a party,” he said casually. “We’ll need you to gather some intel.”

“Me?” I squeaked.

“What we’re looking for—” He tapped a finger to his temple. “—is in here.”

“Gargoyles are cunning bastards,” Kyon added. “They hide their tracks well. Searching the mansion won’t work—security’s too tight, and Valor can’t risk exposure. But you…no one can trace what you do.”

“Except the person I target,” I said. “You figured me out right away. Only low fae fall for my tricks.”

“This after-party is known for guests partaking in illegal substances. I’ve seen our target baked out of his mind more than once. I have no doubt he’ll be completely gone—and if he does remember you, he’ll probably assume his brain conjured the whole thing,” Valor said.

I let out a slow breath. “So, what you’re saying is…you want me to search his memories?” I shook my head. “My gift doesn’t work like that—”

“Have you ever tested your limits?” Valor asked.

I blinked at him. “Um…no. It’s useless. You barely flinched. I kissed a door because I lost control of my bo dy—”

Kyon growled again. “You’re discounting yourself too easily.” His chest vibrated with the sound.

Was I? I tucked a loose strand behind my ear. Maybe I should try before assuming I’d fail and disappointing both Kyon and Grandpa.

“I can try. Valor?” I turned to him because for some reason the vampire felt like the safer bet.

“No. Me,” Kyon said. “Try to access my memories.”

I hesitated, biting my lip. “Assuming this works, I may not have full control of what I see…”

“You have my permission,” he said, and somehow his voice calmed the panic broiling inside me.

I wiped my clammy hands on my shorts and summoned an illusion of myself with him. Maybe it wasn’t necessary, but it was all I knew. And it felt natural to be near him again.

This time, I perched sideways on his lap, one arm draped around his neck, the other threading through his tousled raven hair.

I could feel the silk of each strand slipping between my fingers andI couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel for real.

The touch helped anchor me inside the illusion.

Kyon’s neck and temples thrummed with heat, and his dark eyes bore into mine.

I gazed into the depths of his obsidian pupils.

Darkness swallowed everything. Only the feel of his body surrounding mine kept me tethered, reminding me I wasn’t lost. A pinpoint of light grew steadily brighter, swelling until it bloomed into a full scene. I squinted, trying to orient myself. The moment unfolded through Kyon’s eyes .

Five men tased him in tandem. They darted in and out like shadows, blades flashing like scalpel teeth. Kyon’s fists cracked out—one fae dropped instantly. What was I seeing? I focused on the setting. Grey-stained concrete walls. Orange jumpsuits…

“That was a few days ago…” Kyon’s mind-speak jolted me out of his head and from the illusion.

I gasped as I returned to my body. My breath hitched.

I’d never reached that deep into someone’s mind before—I hadn’t even known I could.

All this time, I’d been relying on cheap illusions, tricks that painted picture on the surface.

But this…this was something else entirely.

Still, that wasn’t the only thing that left me shaken. Those prisoners meant to kill him.

I swallowed. “What happened? To those men?”

Kyon rubbed a hand across his jaw, voice low. “I haven’t seen them since.”

Wait. Had he killed them? A tremor rippled through me. I’d made a deal with a killer—but what did I expect from an inmate locked inside the highest security prison in Avari? Besides, they’d attacked him , and he’d defended himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting here…

Valor cleared his throat again, and I blinked, pulling my eyes from Kyon’s.

“So it worked?” he asked.

“Yes,” Kyon said, his voice low but threaded with both relief and something that sounded like praise.

Warmth bloomed in my belly .

“Aragon was right. Her gift is unprecedented, rare for a low fae…” Kyon’s gaze swept over me again, lingering like he could peel back layers of my skin to uncover whatever truth lay hidden beneath. I didn’t feel different. And who the hell was Aragon?

“I don’t think she’s low fae,” Valor said. “Her mother was, but I found no information on her father. Whatever her bloodline is…her gift must remain hidden. In the wrong hands—”

What?

I stood abruptly, the legs of the stool shrieking across the floor. My chest heaved. They investigated my family? They were talking like I belonged to them now, like I was some powerful relic they’d unearthed and cataloged.

Both fae peered at me with questioning eyes.

“I’ll go to the party. Just keep my grandfather safe,” I said, swiveling on my heel.

Valor moved to rise, but I threw a quiet, urgent whisper over my shoulder. “No. I’ll take a cab.”

He didn’t follow. Kyon didn’t protest. But I could feel the dragon’s stare burning a trail down my spine as I slipped out of the room.