Page 30 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)
As most of the people at the table lifted their goblets, instinct had Kylie slapping out, using her magic. The goblets tumbled to the floor with a loud crash, making everyone in the room glance over with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and alarm.
“What is wrong, mate?” Dominic asked.
“It’s laced with noctis poison.”
She wasn’t sure how she knew that, only that she had sensed it. Perhaps it was due to her blood bond with the gods, or maybe it was simply because she’d had a little more time to merge with her dragon spirit. Either way, the knowledge was within her, so she didn’t doubt its accuracy.
Rage filled her as she realized some asshole had just tried to kill off the entire royal family.
Her fucking family. Noctis poison was extracted from a rare flower that was found high up in the mountains.
The flower only bloomed for a few minutes in the moonlight before it died, making it very difficult to harvest.
The poison was odorless and tasteless, making it the perfect secret weapon against beings with enhanced senses.
She shared the information with her mates through their bond, and Dominic slapped his hand on the table as he surged to his feet.
“Coward,” he snarled. “Your plan to have the rogues kill us failed, so you resort to poison? Have you no honor?”
“What is wrong, Prince Dominic?” Brel Varko called out.
Brel, Galron, and Timus Varko were the Commanders of the Guard as well as the Karos family’s most trusted warriors. They were the brothers of Ronan and Dominic’s first mate and their best friends.
And they were fucking traitors.
“Why, Brel?” Ronan demanded. “Why have you betrayed us and our people? Did you think we would not know you have been secretly training the rogues? That you have set up ambushes by giving away our locations? You have disgraced the entire kingdom with your actions.”
Timus Varko, the male who had initially made the toast, slowly rose to his feet, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
“It is you who have betrayed us,” he said slowly.
Lifting his other arm, he gestured toward the other warriors in the room.
“You have had two mates, and yet how many males have you condemned to a life of loneliness by harboring the females within our city?”
Kylie let out a mocking laugh. “Harboring? Get real. You are saying you’re pissed that you can’t just claim any female you want, even if it’s against her will? That makes you as bad as the rogues.”
“You have no say here!” Timus shouted, pointing at her. “Your mates didn’t even save our sister! They do not deserve another mate!”
“And you are working with the ones who killed her,” she slapped back. “This isn’t about your sister. It’s about you being entitled, misogynistic assholes.”
Galron surged to his feet. “The rule of the Karos family has come to an end. It is time for someone new to lead this kingdom into the future. Warriors, rise up!”
It was sad to see dozens of males stand up, brandishing their swords.
Kylie shook her head. “Did they forget we have magic now?”
“Apparently, they did,” Dominic said in disgust.
“Enough of this,” Ronan growled.
He waved his hand toward the crowd, and in an instant, all the standing males, including the Varko trio, crumpled to the floor as if their strings had been cut.
Their swords slipped from their grasps, clattering to the ground with a resounding racket that echoed through the hall.
The suddenness of their collapse left a palpable tension in the air, as the onlookers gasped in shock and disbelief.
Waving his hand again, all of the bodies disappeared.
“Did you kill them?” Axis asked, sounding more curious than alarmed.
“Nay, they are merely in a deep sleep. I have moved their bodies into the dungeon. We still need to figure out how they are getting around the protective barrier,” Ronan explained.
“After we have all the answers we seek, we will hold a public hearing to let our citizens know what they have done. It is the best way to ensure others do not ever stray down this path again.”
“Well done, son,” King Sonin praised. “Our people deserve the truth.”
“Too bad about the food,” Layla said with a sigh. “I’m pretty hungry, but I don’t think I want to touch anything those assholes might have poisoned.”
Dominic grinned. “I think we can take care of that.”
Standing, he pulled Kylie to her feet with him. “What are we doing?”
“I think we should provide our people with a feast fit for our mating celebration. I will provide the Arcadian food, but I think our people might also appreciate tasting some of your human food as well.”
Ronan moved to stand beside them. “I do miss the fried chicken and the barbecue ribs.”
“I can handle those,” Kylie said with a laugh.
As the three of them used their magic to replace all of the food, loud gasps of delight filled the room. Leaning down, Ronan brushed his lips against her forehead.
“Well done, mate.”
“You’re just hungry,” she accused playfully.
Chuckling, he shook his head. “We could have made a fatal error tonight if you had not detected the poison.”
“I wonder what other special abilities you have,” Dominic murmured.
“Whatever I have, I will use to protect you and our kingdom,” she promised. Using her magic to summon new goblets of wine in their hands, she lifted hers and said, “Now, let’s party!”