He held them back out to his father, but his dad clasped his hand and closed his fingers over them. “Keep them. Give your mate your mother’s ring.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can.”
“They’re yours. It’s… it’s Mom’s.”
“And now they’re yours.”
“You’ve worn them—”
“For six hundred and sixty-five years.”
Had it been that long? He bowed his head as he stared at the rings and remembered the woman whose love he still felt after all these centuries.
As he gazed at her band, he recalled seeing it on her hand as she ran her fingers through his hair or worked in one of her many gardens.
“I don’t need them to remember her,” his father said as he rested his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “She’ll always be in my heart, and I have only to look at you to remember her.”
Cole’s head fell back, and he gazed up at his father. He hadn’t expected the sheen of tears in his dad’s eyes, but then his father blinked them away.
“Give your girl your mother’s ring. It’s what she would have wanted, and it would have made her so happy,” his dad said.
“We’re not anywhere near that stage.”
“When you are, give it to her.” His dad squeezed his shoulder before releasing him and returning to his chair. “If you’re a fraction as happy with her as I was with your mother, you’ll have a wonderful life together, and that is all I ever wanted for you and your brothers.”
Before Cole could respond, Brokk breezed into the room with his wet hair hanging into his eyes and a smile on his face. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” their father replied as he lifted his drink.
Cole slid the rings into his pocket. When he met his father’s eyes again, they smiled at each other before his dad’s face became more serious.
“We have a meeting with the others tomorrow,” his father said. “They’re arriving here at lunch.”
Cole knew the others meant the coalition.
“What the Lord did to that marketplace never should have happened,” Brokk said. “He’s becoming more unstable and crueler.”
“I know,” their father murmured as he twisted his glass in his hands. “What we don’t know is how to get at him and kill him.”
And a solution to that would solve so many of their problems.
CHAPTER 57
They spent the next few hours catching up and plotting, but none of them had any new ideas. In the end, they were no closer to a solution for the Lord, and if they didn’t find one soon, he would destroy them all.
Every passing day was one more that the power of the throne ate into the increasingly rancid brain of the man sitting on it. But they still had no idea how to stop him.
This fact was becoming increasingly annoying. Cole felt as if they’d done nothing but talk about it for years, and, in truth, they had.
There had to be some weakness they were missing, but this Lord had learned from the mistakes of the other mad kings who came before him. He wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes that allowed others to be destroyed.
Cole was preparing to rise and send a crow to Lexi when a knock sounded on the door. They exchanged a look before his father set down his whiskey and rose. It was a clear rule that they were to be left alone when they were in the solar.
His father strode with elegant, fluid grace to the door and opened it to reveal Sindri on the other side. The helot’s black eyes glittered in the dim light.
A couple of hundred years ago, Sindri made the mistake of gathering an army to try to dethrone Tove. That army was ruthlessly slaughtered, but Tove kept Sindri alive. He had the dark fae’s powers bound by a coven of witches and forced Sindri into servitude.
The coven was depleted for weeks afterward, but Tove gave them enough carisle to make it worth their while. He also allowed them to stay in the palace until they were strong enough to travel again.
No one in the palace trusted Sindri, but he was a neutered dog, and this punishment was far worse than death. Every day, Sindri repeatedly endured the humiliation of his defeat as he waited on the man he’d sought to depose.
“What is it, Sindri?” Tove demanded.
“There is a messenger here from the Lord, milord,” Sindri murmured as he bowed his head.
The irritation vanished from Tove’s face. “Then send him in.”
“As you wish, mi—”
Sindri didn’t get a chance to finish speaking before a warlock pushed past him and barged into the solar. The abrupt action and the audacity of the warlock caused Cole to set his glass down.
Rising, he braced his legs apart as he surveyed the haughty-looking vamp who practically sneered at his father.
This fucker deserves a beating.
Cole flexed his hands. No one entered his father’s private room in such a way.
Beside him, Brokk also rose. The warlock seemed not to notice the increased hostility in the room as Tove kept his face expressionless, but Cole didn’t miss the fury in his father’s eyes.
“The Lord will speak with you,” the messenger stated.
“Of course,” Tove said. “Tell him that I will join him in the morning.”
“He will see you now. You”—the warlock’s eyes flicked to Cole— “and your eldest son.”
Cole shoved aside the uneasy feeling the words created in his stomach. They’d never been summoned to the Lord in such a way, and Cole was never ordered to attend with his father.
He’d traveled to the Dragonian realm with his dad before, but he’d never been commanded there. After the events at the marketplace, this could not be good.
It took a few seconds for Tove to respond, and Cole heard the crackle of ire in his voice when he spoke. “Of course.”
Beside Tove, Sindri smiled smugly, and his shoulders went back a little. Cole contemplated punching that smile off his face, but he couldn’t reveal his anger to this warlock.
Once this was over, he would discuss destroying Sindri with his father. The man had served his punishment, and they were all better off without him in the palace.
His dad turned toward him and plastered on a smile that many wouldn’t recognize as fake, but Cole saw through it. “Let us go, Colburn. Brokk, stay here and see over the realm.”
“Of course, Father,” Brokk murmured.
Cole glanced at the crow sitting on the windowsill. If he sent a message to Lexi now, the Lord’s minion would report the crow's departure, and they might try to discover where the bird went.
The Lord could not know Lexi existed. He glanced at his brother, but he couldn’t ask Brokk to look after her without the others overhearing him. And not in the mood to deal with Brokk’s questions and teasing, he hadn’t discussed what Lexi was to him with Brokk, so his brother wouldn’t think to check on her.
She had to know he might be gone longer than he planned, but he didn’t know how to tell her without revealing too much, and in the end, her safety was the most important thing to him. As he followed his father out the door, he could only hope they would return soon.
However, he had a bad feeling they wouldn’t be returning soon… if they returned at all.
CHAPTER 58
When the third day passed without any word from Cole, Lexi’s shoulders slumped a little and she felt like a weight was bearing down on her shoulders. By the time the fifth day passed, she was kicking herself for believing he would return.
She’d known better than to trust a dark fae; she’d repeatedly told herself not to trust him, but somehow, he slipped inside her defenses. And he’d forgotten her already.
Lexi had believed she’d prepared for him to forget her, but she hadn’t. With every passing day, her sadness grew.
However, no matter how much it felt like someone was squeezing her heart in her chest, she didn’t cry.
She refused to shed a tear over him even though some days she yearned to sit down and sob out her disappointment. But once
she started, she wouldn’t stop, and he wasn’t worth her tears.
That fifth night, as she lay alone in bed, it took all she had not to roll over and cry into the pillows still smelling of him, but she didn’t.
Instead, when the sun rose, she ripped her sheets, pillows, and comforter off the bed, carried them downstairs, and stuffed them in the washer. Thankfully, the electricity was working well as she washed them three times to ensure no hint of him remained on them.
The urge to cry was not so bad the following night.
On the seventh day, she learned she wasn’t pregnant. Relief flowed through her, as did a little sadness. The last thing she needed was a baby in this crazy world, and one whose father would never know about its existence, but she couldn’t shake her lingering disappointment.
She tucked Sahira’s bottle of birth control into a cabinet where she wouldn’t see it and closed the door. She wouldn’t have any use for it again for a while. Asshole or not, it would be some time before she moved on from Cole.
Through it all, she realized that either Cole was not her consort, or she lacked another vampire trait. From what she’d heard, a vampire who lost their consort was inconsolable and often went to the grave soon after.
While she was grieving and lost, she didn’t plan to die any time soon, and she wasn’t inconsolable. Life went on, she would get over this, and one day, she would forget him just as he’d forgotten her.
Or at least she hoped she would.
At least she hadn’t been foolish enough to love him. But as she told herself this, she recognized it as another lie.
On the morning of the eighth day, she went out to dispense as much food as they could spare to the dejected people rambling past the manor. Most were looking for work or food, but some seemed so broken that she wasn’t sure they knew where they were anymore.
They couldn’t spare much food, but their crops would soon be ready to harvest, and they were already gathering peas and tomatoes from the garden.
On the tenth day, she fed the people before heading into the woods. She had to gather some supplies from the shed before heading for the garden.
She emerged from the shed with a shovel and gloves when something zipped through the tree’s shadows. It moved so fast she couldn’t tell what it was, but it was something more than human, and that meant it was a threat.
Lexi dropped her gloves and shifted her hold on the shovel as she prepared to bash in the brains of whatever was moving through those trees. She caught another blur of movement to her right and turned to face it.
Whatever was out there was screwing with the wrong immortal. She’d never sought a fight before, but she’d gladly take her anger at Cole out on this asshole.
And then the blur vanished. She stared at the pine tree it stopped behind as she willed it to emerge. Was it Malakai?
Her heart raced at the possibility. She hadn’t seen him since that day with Cole, but she didn’t kid herself into thinking he wasn’t coming back.
Lexi held her breath as she waited to see if Malakai had finally returned. After a few seconds, Orin stepped out.
For a second, she was relieved to see him instead of Malakai, and then she recalled how much trouble he could cause her, and she scowled at him.
He grinned at her as he eyed the shovel and lifted his hands. “Easy there, killer.”
She shifted her hold on the shovel. She’d told him never to come back here, and she’d meant it.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped.
His eyebrows rose, and even she was surprised by the vehemence of her tone. But she’d had enough of him and all dark fae. As far as she was concerned, they could all return to the Gloaming and rot there.
“What has your panties in a bunch?” he asked with wry humor.
“You’re disgusting.”
He grinned as he leaned against a tree. He crossed his legs and folded his arms over his lean chest. The striking similarities between him and Cole only made her want to hit him more.
“So I’ve been told,” he murmured. “But I think I’m pretty amazing.”
“You’re the only one.” She bent and lifted her gloves from the ground, hefted the shovel over her shoulder, and started through the woods. She’d prefer to smack him with the shovel, but she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. “Get out of here.”
“Would you like all of us to leave?”
His words froze her, and for a minute, she stared straight ahead as she watched the sun’s rays playing through the trees and listened to the bird’s song. It was such a peaceful, beautiful morning, and she’d been looking forward to losing herself in the garden. She wanted her hands in the dirt and the rich aroma of the earth filling her nostrils as it eased her heartache.
Instead, she was dealing with asshole number two of the dark fae realm. His older brother had taken over the title of asshole number one.
With a sigh, she turned back to him. She opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about, but before she could, more shadows moved through the trees and drew closer.
The first one to emerge was a young woman holding a small boy in her arms. The woman was human, but the tiny fangs on the boy indicated he was part vampire. Soot streaked their noses, cheeks, and torn clothes as they stared at her from haunted eyes. No child should have eyes that wise and sad, but suffering etched his face.
From behind them, more people and immortals emerged from the woods. In the end, three men, two women, a little girl, and the boy stood before her.
She stared at their battered countenances before shifting her attention to Orin. She’d prefer never to speak to him again, but she couldn’t walk away from these people.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He stepped away from the tree and approached her. “They’re being hunted.”
“Why? And by who?”
“Because they survived the marketplace and by the Lord’s followers. No one was supposed to survive the attack, but they did.”
“I….” Her gaze flicked to them as Orin stopped before her. “I don’t understand.”
He clasped her elbow and led her a few feet away. She glowered at him as they walked, but she followed him. There was no point fighting when she wanted answers.
“Yes, you do,” Orin said as he stopped and turned to face her. “They’re on the run.”
Lexi jerked her arm free of his grasp and gave him a seething look. “And you’re helping to keep them alive?”
“Yes.”
She studied him, but she didn’t see anything smug in his gaze this time. No, all she saw was an earnestness that tempted her to punch him. He was an asshole, and she much preferred him that way.
She was sick of being used and manipulated by the dark fae, and even if Orin meant well, she’d told him never to return. He was using these people to manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to do.
And she was scared she knew what it was.
“I suppose you’re helping them out of the kindness of your blackened heart?” she muttered sarcastically.
“You’re a lot more bitter than the last time I saw you.”
“I’m sick of your shit.”
“Just mine or someone else’s too?”
She swore the top of her head was going to blow off as her blood pressure skyrocketed. It took everything she had not to bash his brains in with the shovel. However, she was not in the mood to pick brains from her clothes.
“Leave, Orin, and don’t come back,” she said.
“They need a place to stay, or they’re going to die. I’m running out of places to hide them, and the humans are slowing us down. Plus, I can’t take the mortals into any of the Shadow Realms.”
“I can’t help you.”
“There were more of them yesterday. We lost two; one was a child.”
“Leave, Orin.”
She hissed the words, but her gaze returned to where the others huddled together while they warily eyed the trees. The boy was gazing at her with h
is big blue eyes. When his mother wrapped her hand around his head and pressed it to her chest, he stuck his thumb in his mouth.
They were so broken and so helpless. Getting involved with this was a very bad idea, but how could she say no to the children? How could she turn any of them away?
Because it could lead to your death, the destruction of the manor, and possibly get Sahira killed.
Still, her heart ached for them, and her conviction to get rid of Orin wavered.
CHAPTER 59
“Why are you trying to help them?” she asked distrustfully. “I know it’s not from the goodness of your deadened heart.”
“Ouch,” Orin said and slapped his hands over his heart. “You wound me, milady.”
Lexi shot him a look; he returned it with a smug grin.
“Don’t screw with me,” she warned.
“Seriously, who got your panties in such a bunch? Was it my big brother, or did he get them off?”
A muscle twitched in her jaw, and red filled her vision. She adjusted her hold on the shovel as she prepared to bash him with it, but he threw up his hands and edged back.
“Easy, killer,” he murmured.
“I’m not in the mood, Orin.”
“Obviously, but I’m not here to fight. I’m here to find help for these innocent souls.”
“Why are you helping them?” she demanded.
“I’m not the hideous monster you think I am.”
“Oh, no?”
“No,” he said, and for the first time, there was no amusement in his gaze. “They need help, and I’m going to give it to them. Plus, the more fighters we have to stand against the Lord, the better chance we have of defeating him.”
“So, it’s not entirely from the goodness of your heart?” she asked sarcastically.
He didn’t respond.
“They’re not fighters,” she said.
She refrained from saying there was no way to beat the Lord as long as he had the dragons on his side, but she held her tongue. This day was depressing enough without adding more gloomy crap onto it.
“Not yet,” Orin said.
The little girl let out a small sniffle and whispered, “Mommy.”
Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) Page 24