Page 7 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Six

KYON

I carved another notch on the wall beside my head with my talon, puzzled that time had lost meaning to me overnight.

I no longer cared how long I’d been locked up.

I only cared that a whole night passed since I’d seen her.

Now I’d count days forward—six more to see her stunning face and those soulful eyes again.

Guards marched into the mess hall and ordered me to rise—twelve of them, as was their usual quota assigned to me—and led me toward the visitation building. I strode into the compact room and found myself staring at two hapless bastards, Valor and Rhylan.

They were supposed to show up yesterday.

The prison even cut visits short because of them, including Allie & Old Pete’s.

Valor cancelled last minute, though. He’d better have a good explanation for the sudden change in plans.

Allie had woken a suppressed desire in me, to leave this shithole and taste life again. Taste her…

Valor sat tall in a black-on-black suit—standard fare for him, considering he ran half a dozen family-owned businesses. His gaze swept over me with clinical precision, eyes narrowed, jaw tight, his expression sealed off like a vault.

Rhylan, the wolf shifter fae and self-proclaimed frat god-slash-pro-football hopeful, had his cheek propped on his palm, eyes closed in nap mode. Valor kicked his shin.

The wolf jerked upright, blinking blearily. “Damn, how long was I out?” He yawned and stretched his arms overhead, revealing his practice jersey half-tucked into a pair of beat-up jeans. “Oh, hey, man. You look like hell.”

Rhylan, who was five years my junior, had never developed the concept of a filter. Whatever crossed his mind flew out of his mouth. Valor and I had practically raised him, but I’d never take credit for it now, seeing how he’d been wasting his life on endless parties.

Still, these two had been my ride-or-die since we were little boys. What brought us together? Together, our fathers owned most of the city and were, thus, rightfully dubbed kings of Avari. Between our bloodlines, we ran this place.

Me? I’d lived most of my life locked behind mansion gates, homeschooled until I took up my enforcer title at eighteen. Unlike my brother—the brainiac and golden jock before me—I never went to college. Not that I ever wanted to…but it might’ve been nice to have the damn option.

Somehow, through all these years, the vampire and the wolf had stuck by my side. Our lives had veered in wildly different directions, but one thing bound us—the crushing weight of carrying our families’ legacies as firstborn sons.

We all handled it differently.

Valor had joined the family empire straight out of college.

I couldn’t recall a single time I’d called and he hadn’t been working.

Rhylan, on the other hand, had spent the past three years actively avoiding responsibility.

He’d flunked senior year on purpose just to buy himself time—an excuse to chase his dream of getting drafted into the pro football league.

In the meantime, he partied like a full-time frat boy between games and practices.

No doubt Valor had yanked him out of bed at noon to make it here.

Valor leaned in, gaze sharp. “You look…different.”

I cocked an eyebrow. Nothing ever slipped past a vampire’s scrutiny. “Lost a little weight.”

“That’s not it. You look…” He hesitated, then added, “…happy. Did they drug you?”

What?

Oh…

I leaned back in my chair, schooling my features. “I had an unexpected visitor yesterday.”

That perked Rhylan right up. He slugged Valor’s arm and grinned. “Told you conjugal visits were a thing. Who was it? That little dragon fiancée of yours?” He wiggled his eyebrows like an idiot.

My lips tugged sideways. Catalina had always been a great friend, but our short-lived engagement had been nothing more than an arrangement. I’d never fancied her—definitely not the way my brother had.

“I doubt her family would let her set one pedicured dragon claw in this place,” Valor muttered, dry as ever.

Rhylan scrunched his face. “You’re not…dating anyone in here, right? I mean, if you are, cool. No judgment. We all got needs.” His weak laugh died before it landed.

“I’m glad you’d be so supportive,” I said flatly, then rubbed my jaw. “No. She’s the granddaughter of a new inmate. Asked for my protection…in a rather unconventional way.”

I told them what happened.

Rhylan swallowed hard. Valor adjusted his tie.

“Hot damn.” Rhylan whistled low. “She got any family outside the prison who needs protecting?”

I didn’t respond. His joke rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know the girl, didn’t have a claim, but the idea of anyone else touching her didn’t sit right with me .

Valor, ever the reader of tension, stepped in. “I see…”

I exhaled hard, running a hand down my face. Talking about her took the edge off…but not by much.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked. They never dropped in, or cancelled on me, without warning unless it was serious.

“Our families are invited to the annual Gala of Thrones,” Valor said.

My jaw locked. The fucking gargoyles were the reason I’d gotten thrown in here.

“And what’s that got to do with me?”

“The banquet? Nothing,” he said. “But the after-party? That’s where it gets interesting. Word is something big’s going down. I caught wind this morning and came straight here.”

“I can get us in,” Valor added. “No questions asked.”

“Aren’t those parties known for turning guests into glassy-eyed zombies by dawn?” The gargoyles had been smuggling a potent fae narcotic from across the sea—something that stripped inhibitions and blurred reality, usually ending in bloodshed or scandal.

“Exactly,” he said. “I mingle. Rhylan kills their security feed for five minutes. We snoop around.”

I shook my head. “It’s too risky.” Both of them already took enough flak for sticking by me. I knew Rhylan didn’t give a damn about how it affected his pushy father, but Valor… Valor was the face of his family empire. A single misstep and the media would feast on him.

“I knew he’d say no,” Rhylan drawled, rolling his eyes .

“It’s not like he can stop us,” Valor added, shooting the wolf a sly look.

Rhylan’s eyes lit up like a damn light bulb.

Idiots.

“Can’t you send one of your men instead?” I asked, already bracing for the excuse.

Valor shook his head. “Security’s tight. Word is they’ve upgraded to facial recognition. Anyone not on the guest list gets booted on sight.”

“What about dates?” I asked. “Can you bring one?”

“Well, yeah…but I don’t know a single woman we can trust—let alone one skilled enough to pull it off,” Valor said, his brows lifting in challenge. “Do you?”

Violet eyes. Hands on my shoulders. Her lips ghosting across mine.

A shiver rattled my spine.

“Can you get close to Draven?” The gargoyle’s heir was notorious for hosting wild after-parties.

Valor’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. What are you suggesting?”

I leaned in, resting my elbows on the table. “What if you didn’t need to search the place at all? What if someone could get the truth from Draven directly—while he’s under the influence? Through an illusion. No witnesses. No memory.”

Rhylan slapped the table. “Genius. Who do we know that can do that?”

Valor didn’t answer at first. His mouth tightened. “His new girl,” he said flatly.

Rhylan’s eyes went wide. “But can we trust her?”

“She’ll do anything to protect her grandfather,” I said. “And she’s low fae. No status. No connections. No reason to betray us.”

The words tasted like ash in my mouth. True—but bitter.

We lived on opposite sides of Avari, in every sense. She was part of this world because I needed her, but once I walked free, that thread would snap.

Wouldn’t it?

Still, I’d make sure her grandfather was protected. Maybe Aragon could take him in. After yesterday’s encounter, I had a feeling we could strike a deal.

Valor studied me, already slipping into strategist mode. “I’ll arrange for her to attend as my date. I’ll need her measurements, preferences. Where should I send the wardrobe?

To Valor, everything was a business project—something to plan, prep, and execute with flawless precision.

I rubbed my jaw, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. “Slow down. She’s returning next week. Let me talk to her first before you sic your assistants on her with swatch books and spreadsheets.”

Valor gave a curt nod, though his fingers were already tapping an invisible checklist on the table. “Don’t wait too long. We only get one shot at this.”