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Alessandro shot her a questioning look as she stood. “I need to talk to Knox.”

She hoped by using his last name she would ease any jealousy that might flare up in the dragon. She was astonished that he gave a small nod and turned to talk to Stone, who had been whispering something to him.

Taking this golden chance of unhindered decision making, she began walking the length of the row, bringing the wolf’s attention to her since she walked his way.

She stopped behind his chair. A soft knock to his telepathic walls allowed her access to say what she needed to without being overheard.

“ You need to put the headlights away when her mother is present. ” She got right to the point.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I am not afraid of Rosario the Cruel.”

“You should be.” Rowan crossed her arms, trying to decide how angry Louisa would be at what she was about to reveal. “Her cruelty has in the past extended to her daughter.”

His nose flared, and he moved to stand, but she placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place.

“I know your alpha instincts are screeching to go rescue her, but this is not the time and place for it. We are still trying to convince the world shifters aren’t willingly going to go into fits of violence.

You going up there will most definitely end up in a physical confrontation and while I’m sure you could go toe to toe with Rosario physically, Rosario’s loss will most assuredly be all of shifter-kind’s loss.

Louisa can handle her mother. She’s been doing it for ages.

If you react, you’re going to fuck up everything she’s been working hard for over the last decade. ”

He let out a displeased growl. Rowan noted the tension in Naseem’s back as Alessandro leaned forward to glance down at them.

“Still in control.” She shot towards him and he relaxed back into his chair once more to continue his conversation. Only after Naseem’s tension released somewhat did Rowan look back at the wolf.

She held out a conjured handkerchief and pointed to the corner of his mouth.

“Just right there, Mr. Knox.” She tried to smile as softly as possible as the next words she telepathically shot towards him were full of command.

“Turn around and keep your eyes off of Louisa Monterrey. You may contact her after the trial ends.”

He took the offered cloth and wiped at the corner of his mouth. His eyes returned to the hazel tone she’d grown to associate with the alpha. “Thank you, Dragon Queen.”

“No problem.” She chirped and began heading back to her mate’s side while throwing back some last words. “That handkerchief was for actual use. You were drooling.”

He let out a bark of laughter and Rowan turned her attention to her other concern, her mother.

“ This is your only warning, butt out.”

Annabelle gasped, as if affronted.

“Y ou know Rosario will only try to lock Louisa away in a tower if she finds out. ”

Annabelle threw her a withering look. “ You never let me have any fun. ”

“ What will your silence cost ?”

“ I’m in charge of your bachelorette. “

It was no actual loss. Rowan doubted the Dragon King had any intention of being at the center of the pandemonium that was a royal elf’s wedding.

Lexine’s wedding had been such an ordeal that even their cool and collected father had to take a walk to recollect himself after a meltdown surrounding the wrong utensils being delivered on the day of the event.

“Fine. But no pressuring the Dragon King to ask for my hand just so you can throw it. Only if he asks for it himself. ”

“ Fine.”

Annabelle’s eyes twinkled, and she grabbed King Kyron’s arm excitedly. “Do you think Rowan is more of a periwinkle or a baby rose kind of girl?”

King Kyron didn’t miss a beat in answering. “Sage green.”

Rowan didn’t hear what her mother replied because, from the section across the way from them, Antoni Barros had appeared. He was being led in by two minotaurs, shackled with nulling chains around his wrists.

Even if she’d seen his reformation first hand, Rowan hadn’t realized his arm had also grown back.

His blonde hair was dull, his skin a sickly green tinge, but he was whole.

His eyes found her as his guards forced him into the seat on the raised platform. His chains locked to rods on either side of the chair, which was bolted to the floor to keep him from moving too much.

Rowan’s chin tipped up in defiance as hatred boiled deep in his eyes.

Alessandro growled beside her. She reached out and interlaced their fingers together, soothing his beast.

Fury filled the eyes of the witch and he bucked against his chains before one of the minotaurs placed a hand on his head to keep him from moving. A subtle threat that the man heeded.

Once the sections were full, an eerie hush settled over the collection.

A goblin entered the floor. Dressed in black velvet robes, his scaly green scalp held strands of black and gray hair, and on his large hooked nose, a pair of spectacles sat as he shuffled papers.

He cleared his throat and, with a voice amplification spell, said to the thousands of spectators.

“Today, we are gathered to decide the fate of a man accused of using the gifts of a god-level cursed object to manipulate the public’s opinion of shifters.

The actions of this individual have cost three hundred and seventy-two lives to be lost. We will hear testimony from Stone the Dragon Prince of the Draconian Thunder, Queen Consort Rowan Dahl of the Draconian Thunder, King Kyron of the Eastern Elven Kingdom, Alpha Abanoub of The Egyptian Sphinx Lair, Alpha Harris Knox of the Mediterranean Wolf Pack, Alpha Meadow of the Canadian Sleuth, Alpha Juliana of the Amazon Knot, Elder Cherry Young of the Coven, Dae Kang of the Coven and Hye Kang of the Coven. ”

Shock roiled through her. She snapped her head around the front tables trying to spot the copper red hair of the witch who had seemed so indisposed at her visit to take the position of Elder.

She found her, dressed in the white robes of the Elder, with Dae Kang and Hye Kang on either side of her.

Rowan couldn’t recall ever seeing the woman more vibrant.

Was this Elder magic settled? Available to her because she had the Elder’s Grimoire back?

They made eye contact. Cherry’s face softened just a fraction, and Rowan beamed at her. Cherry rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the goblin.

“Antoni Barros could not find witnesses to come to his defense, and as such, will give his defense testimony himself. As always, the podium has a spell of truth cast on it. Everything you hear will be the truth to the best knowledge of the witnesses. At the end, the Scales of Justitia will appear and each of the representatives will cast a pebble to determine if Antoni Barros’ life will be forfeit or if he shall go free.

We call now the first witness to the stand, Prince Stone. ”

Chapter 38

Alessandro had never felt the fact that Stone was still so young hit him until he was on that stand.

Though in command of the situation, well-spoken and charming as always, the man lit up in a way that spoke of his youth.

It took a long search through Alessandro’s memory to recall when his heir had lit up like that.

In his early days, he’d been eager to follow Alessandro around like a second shadow. Had sought constant approval from the man who had seen potential in the kid even before he’d shown his double affinity for air and water magic.

Did Stone even want to be king? When Alessandro had informed him of his decision to retire, Stone had accepted it without a fight. But now that Alessandro thought of it, the young dragon had seemed more resigned than enthused.

Before he knew it, Rowan was called forward to give her testimony and while Stone waited by the podium to give her his hand to help her up, Alessandro was finding it hard to fathom that he’d been so blind to Stone’s reluctance.

“Well done.” Alessandro said as his heir retook his seat.

Stone looked abashed, as he always did when Alessandro paid him a compliment.

“One day you’re going to have to teach me to talk like that.” Naseem grinned at the young dragon, raising a hand to ruffle his hair.

Stone grinned and fluffed his hair back into shape as Rowan began her recounting of interfering with the dragons and the attack of Elaine after the fact.

She skirted around the fact that she was Blessed and able to purify Pan’s Flute by implying the Dragon King’s appearance had caused the water-dragon to return to her original form. Technically not a lie, but a definite mislead.

He hadn’t given details to any of his dragons and he could feel the shift in Naseem and Stone as Rowan’s story went into detail over the attack. Particularly how malformed and bloodthirsty Elaine had been.

“She regretted her actions.” Alessandro assured them.

Stone’s shoulders dropped, and Naseem shook his head.

He hadn’t heard the details of what had happened with the wolves. Her description of the civilians jumping into the water to get away from them and the little girl she’d barely saved dug in the horror of the loss of the innocent.

Rowan’s time with Abanoub was also new information and Alessandro wondered if, when the mark finally settled, he would see those moments in her exchange of memories.

Her eyes, which had been floating around the hall, just as much of a natural charmer as Stone was, landed on him and as she delved into the attack on the Eastern Elven Kingdom followed by her kidnapping, a vision filled his head.

The room was lit by wall sconces. He was behind the rods of a golden cage.

The sounds of flesh against flesh reverberated in the room and his hands were burning, pain lashing through the rest of his body.

He blinked, and the vision disappeared as Rowan went into the night Black Cove became Barros’ target.

He tried to regain control of his dragon, but he wanted the witch dead.