Page 59 of Temptation Unleashed (Talaenian Fae #3)

T he hall hummed with unspent energy rooted in uncertainty. The lively chatter and song sounded brittle beneath a proverbial cloud of worry. The next step was undetermined. The next strategy incomplete.

’Twas as such, for he did not know where his key pawn had disappeared to.

Grison tapped the bent knife against the warped metal plate, his meal untouched but his wine glass being refilled for the third time.

The flames on the crooked wax tapers hissed and flickered in response to his unease.

The hall in its entirety fed off his energy, a flagrant bristle of frustration and fury overcasting the specks of fear he refused to entertain.

Somehow, his followers sensed his fear, and that was what they chose to cling to.

He refused to acknowledge their latest failure. The depleted numbers of men left after this latest attack.

Of highest priority: finding Thaddeus.

The door to the hall creaked open. He lifted his gaze without taking his chin from his fist, and followed Cecir, flanked by two men, down the stairs and toward his table.

The High Fae kept a stoic expression, but Grison picked up on an underlying current of excitement.

Alas, he refused to get ahead of himself. Not until he had solid evidence.

“I’ve news you may wish to hear,” Cecir confided quietly, surveying the hall. Everyone watched their exchange, bodies tense, eyes flaring with the first signs of hope since the announcement of an eight-man loss four day ago.

Without responding, Grison shoved back his chair and rounded the table, stopping not until he reached his private quarters within this Netherworld of his own making.

He crossed the small space to the fireplace, turned back to Cecir, and folded his hands behind his back.

The two men who had accompanied Cecir remained beyond the door, which had been pulled closed.

“Goddess, please tell me you’ve located him,” Grison groused. The smallest hint of a grin formed at the corner of his partner’s mouth. A rush of excitement hit him, casting aside the ominous clouds he’d been perched beneath for days. “Where?”

“’Twas Cael we traced. He’s returned to visit an acquaintance.” Cecir chuckled, tilting his chin a hairsbreadth higher. His eyes glowed deviously. “He attempted to hide his sifting print, but he doesn’t possess the same gift as Thaddeus.”

His patience was running thin. “Where is he?”

“With the Talaenians.”

Grison’s eyes widened. “ What ?”

“Aye. Cael sifted to the Talaenian realm. We followed his energy to the castle. Shaye must be housing them.”

“Nay.” Grison shook his head in disbelief. “That half-breed would never lend aid to the man who set foot upon his land with the intent to destroy it and everyone within.”

Cecir’s smile grew. “Don’t discount the possibilities so soon, Grison. Do you fail to see this opportunity? ”

Grison narrowed his gaze, settling his thoughts enough to conjure exactly what opportunity this presented. A few heartbeats later, realization bloomed. Clarity eased his disbelief, caressing him beneath newly found confidence.

“Should Shaye lend aid to a traitor, he shall be condemned as an accomplice. He places himself, and his entire family, within the possibility of being exiled. He may have become Dagda’s new favorite toy within the Council, but no one can escape Dagda’s wrath for aiding the very creature who ran him through with his own dagger. ”

Grison’s lips curled higher, a plan beginning to form. He started to pace, a slow, thoughtful back and forth before the fire, wrapping his fingertips together.

“We send one of the servants, for we cannot afford to lose another soldier. As ’tis, we have to delay our plans while we recruit more men, should we proceed with our strategy to usurp Dagda.

Alas, this latest development opens the door for us to do away with not one, but two obstacles.

Betrayal is not taken lightly within the Court.

’Twill force Dagda’s hand to punish Shaye after Thaddeus’s execution, handling two of the strongest forces that may cause an issue for us in the future. ”

“Grison, before we become too happy, we first need to confirm whether or not Thaddeus is alive. Our report after the failed ambush was that his injuries were fatal. He’d sustained far too much damage from using his magic and there’s a very good probability he is dead.”

Grison spun on Cecir, causing the man to stiffen.

He shook a finger. “Do not become complacent, Cecir. He was believed dead after the battle, despite no body being found. We pulled him off that battlefield and saved his life. If Cael has returned to that half-breed’s castle, there’s a reason for it.

His mortal woman’s safety isn’t enough for him to abandon the mortal realm. ”

“Thaddeus’s anam cara resides within the walls.”

“This goes deeper. Something tells me he’s not dead.

” Grison approached the small side table at the arm of his meager sofa and poured himself a glass of wine.

“I won’t make the mistake all of Faery made.

I want to see his body, shriveled down to bone, before I’ll believe for one moment that he’s dead.

So we move forward.” He took a sip, his plan blossoming.

Slowly, he turned toward Cecir and smiled, malice licking across his lips. “And this is what we shall do.”