Wait.
I would be his Queen.
My stomach dipped as I stared out the window, the rows of homes and wrought iron fences nothing but a blur.
He hadn’t made it super official, but no way in hell would I say no. We would marry, and I would be his wife. A Queen. Would I have like queenly duties? What would the queenly duties even be? I gave a little shake of my head. I needed to focus. Right now, none of that was exactly important. Dealing with it could come later. What we needed to deal with was Benji, and then afterward, I would tell Caden about the pregnancy.
I glanced over at Caden as we turned on South Peters, experiencing a weird little hitch in my chest. A part of me still couldn’t believe that this was real—that we could be together.
Caden pulled around to the side of the rundown, brick and metal building that looked like something you’d see on one of those ghost hunters shows.
“This part is so cool.” Tink gripped the back of my seat as he popped his head between the two.
Caden drove up to what appeared to be a loading dock for deliveries—two wide metal doors that were covered in splotches of rust—and then right through the doors. I didn’t close my eyes, but I did tense. I’d entered Hotel Good Fae a few times like this, and it always freaked me out. I kept expecting to crash into a cement wall.
“Magic,” Tink murmured in my ear.
“Uh-huh.” My eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lighting of the parking garage.
He pulled into the first parking space near the elevator, one I was sure had been reserved for him. Killing the engine, Caden looked over at me, and his gaze met mine. There was a flutter in my chest and then my stomach. I smiled at him.
“Ready?” he asked, and I nodded. He glanced back at Tink. “You?”
“Why, thanks for asking.” He sat back, looking between the two of us. “I am ready for some answers to the questions that have been burning me up inside, but with my dark hair comes great responsibility, and a newfound maturity.”
I blinked slowly.
“So I realized that now is not the time to ask those questions.” He held up his hand. “But as soon as you guys are done with what you’re doing, I expect the three of us—no, wait. I’m sure Fabian would also like to be included. The four of us will have a sit-down.”
“It’s doable.” Caden grinned.
“It is.” I met Tink’s gaze. “But it’s going to have to wait a little bit. There’s something I need to talk to Caden about first.”
Tink’s eyes widened, and I was grateful that I could feel Caden’s gaze on me. “What do you need to talk to me about?” he said, drawing my gaze back to his. “We can make time now. Benji isn’t going anywhere.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tink clasp his hands together under his chin. There was no way I was telling Caden that he was going to be a father in front of Tink. That would be like going on a reality show.
“It can wait,” I told him.
Caden’s gaze searched mine, and then he nodded. Exhaling roughly, I ignored the pout Tink sent in my direction and climbed out. I didn’t make it far before Tink curled an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his side.
He lowered his head, whispering, “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is more than okay.”
Tink pulled back, smiling. “I am going to need an extremely detailed report. You know that, right?”
I laughed. “I do.”
“Good.”
It was then that I realized Caden hadn’t walked toward the elevator. He’d stopped halfway across the parking garage. Tink and I caught up with him. “Where are we going?”
“To a place where Tanner handles certain…unpleasantries.”
This is the first I’m hearing of such a thing. I glanced at Tink, and he shrugged. “There is such a place?”
Caden nodded. “Only a few know of it. I’m surprised my brother didn’t tell you.”
Tink snorted as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “He knows I abhor violence unless it’s violence I’m causing.”
I frowned at him as we reached a nondescript white door. Caden placed his thumb against the keypad, and above, the red light turned green. The door unlocked, and he pushed it open. We stepped into a white hallway, and I could already hear Tanner speaking. There were also other voices I couldn’t make out. Caden turned to me, extending his hand.
My gaze dipped to his palm and then rose to his. He…he wanted to hold my hand? It was such a simple gesture that wouldn’t mean much to others, but it would be huge.
He was the King.
To the others who were here, I was just some human. They didn’t know what I was or what he’d done. Him holding my hand was a statement, and obviously, I hadn’t the chance to talk to Tanner or Faye or Kalen. They would be so confused.
But I placed my hand in his, and my heart did a back handspring when he curled his fingers around mine, squeezing.
“You guys are so adorable,” Tink said, tugging the hair I’d thrown up into a messy bun.
“You are,” Caden said. “Especially when you blush.”
“I’m not blushing.” I watched Tink walk ahead, his long-legged pace taking him around the corner of the hall.
“Your face is the shade of a rose,” he told me.
“It is not.” I could feel my cheeks heat even more. “We need to focus on what’s important.”
“I am.”
I glanced up at him and felt a little unsteady as my gaze met his. “Benji and finding out where they’re getting the Devil’s Breath is important.”
“It is. But you’re more important to me. You will always be the most important thing.”
“You…” I swallowed, closing my eyes. “I wish we had time for me to tell and show you how perfect I think you are.”
“I’m not perfect.” He touched my cheek. “But I don’t have a problem with you showing me later how much you think I’m perfect.”
Heat simmered in my veins. I planned on doing just that after I told him what needed to be shared.
But by the time we reached the end of the hall, I’d filed all of that away. What we were about to deal with needed our full attention.
The first person I saw when we turned the corner was Ren. Dressed in black, he leaned against the plain white wall, his back to us, ankles crossed. Tink was beside him. Fabian behind him, his blond hair draped over broad shoulders. He was the first to see us, his expression somber, and then there was a slight widening of his pale eyes.
Ren looked over his shoulder. “I was wondering when you were finally going…”
Either he trailed off, or I just didn’t hear what he said because my gaze had been snagged by those remaining in the hall. Faye and Kalen stood with Tanner. There was an older male fae, as well, his silvery skin pale. He’d been pacing while Faye spoke to him quietly.
Maybe it was my imagination, but everyone seemed to stop and notice our joined hands. The message Caden was sending out had been received. We were together.
It was Kalen I zeroed in on because one side of his lips curved up a moment before he bowed slightly. “My King.”
There was a flurry of the other fae beginning to do the same, but Caden stopped them with a slice of his hand through the air. “Is he in there?” He nodded at another nondescript door.
Stepping forward, Tanner cleared his throat. He looked shaken, and seeing Caden and I together had to be a part of it. He was likely seeing the crumbling of his entire Court, right in front of him. I wanted to tell him that it was okay, but now truly wasn’t the time.
And time always seemed strange like that, because minutes kept ticking by, and they were never the right ones.
“Yes.” Tanner sent a quick glance at me. “He’s restrained.”
“How is he?” Caden asked.
It was the man with Faye who spoke. “He is… He is not well.” His voice cracked. “My King, he is not well at all.”
Caden’s hand slipped from
mine as he stepped forward, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder. “How is your wife, Balour?”
“Luce believes she will heal, but…” Balour looked away, lips pressed in a thin line. “I don’t know who is in that room. He looks like my son. Sounds like him. But it is not Benji.”
“I am sorry,” Caden spoke, his voice low. “We will find who is responsible. They will pay.”
“Thank you.” The poor man struggled to take a breath as he looked at the closed door. “Is there any hope for him?
“If there is, we will find it,” Caden said. I hoped there was something to be optimistic about, but I doubted there was.
Tanner had inched closer, his voice low. “I…I didn’t expect to see you here, Brighton.”
“I didn’t expect to be here either,” I admitted, having no idea what else I could say other than, “We need to talk later.”
“Yes, we do.” He nodded, watching Caden as Benji’s father turned, slowly walking away. My heart hurt for Balour.
Before I could respond to Tanner, Caden turned. “I want to speak with him.”
“Of course.” Tanner moved to open the door. “Do you want Kalen or Faye to join you? Or Prince Fabian?”
“Brighton will join me.”
It took everything in me not to smile because doing so seemed wildly inappropriate given the circumstances.
Tanner looked as if he’d swallowed something that made him ill. “Of course.”
“I would like to be a part of this,” Faye said, lifting her chin. “He is my cousin.”
Caden studied her for a moment and then nodded. Relief didn’t flicker across her face. Steely determination lined her features.
Across from me, Ren pushed off the wall. “Be careful, he’s a biter.”
“Noted.” Caden strode forward, stopping in front of me. “Ready?”
“I am.”
“Okay.” Then he lowered his head, and his lips met mine.
Caden kissed me, right there in front of everyone, hammering home the point that we were together.
The shock of Caden kissing me in front of everyone gave way to the all-too-brief burst of warmth and pleasure, of rightness.
He was mine.
And I was his.
Chapter 13
Benji was young.
He couldn’t even be old enough to drink if he were human, and he looked so much like Faye. His hair was the same soft black, his skin a deeper, pewter shade, but those eyes were like Elliot’s, the youngling Benji had gone in search of. They were pitch-black, so dark that the pupils weren’t even visible.
The moment he saw the three of us, he pulled against the chains bolted to the wall. His hands were secured behind his back, and the length of the chain that connected to his ankles couldn’t be more than a foot long, so he didn’t make it very far.
He hissed though, the sound so eerily feline that the tiny hairs all along my body rose. His attention was focused on Caden.
“Hello, Benji,” Caden said.
The youngling growled, his lips peeling back. “You’re going to die.”
“Is that so?” Caden replied flatly.
“You’re all going to die.” Benji looked at Faye and then to where I stood. He sniffed the air. “Especially you, human.”
I rolled my eyes but remained quiet. This wasn’t my interrogation. Although Caden hadn’t said that, I knew I was here to listen. Not to engage. I wouldn’t get anything out of Benji.
“And yet you’re the one chained to the wall,” Caden pointed out.
“For now.”
Caden chuckled, the sound dark and cold. My gaze darted to him. “Do you really think you can escape me? Your King?”
Benji snapped at the air. “You’re no longer my King.”
“So, who do you answer to?”
“The one who gave us this world to rule, who will return humans to their rightful place as cattle,” he snarled. “I answer to Queen Morgana.”
Faye sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes squeezing shut.
“How can you answer to someone you’ve never met?”
“She will rip out your entrails and feast upon them.”
“Sounds delightful, but you didn’t answer my question, and my patience is already running thin.”
Benji threw his head back, letting out a high-pitched whining sound. Jerking forward like a cobra striking, he snapped at the air again. “It doesn’t matter if I’ve seen her. She will be freed, and you will bow to her. You will serve her.”
“Thought she was going to rip out your entrails,” I muttered.
Caden snorted.
Benji’s head snapped in my direction. “She’ll flay the skin from your bones, you stupid, fucking cattle. She’ll—”
Benji’s threats ended in a choking sound as Caden shot forward, clamping his hand down on the youngling’s throat. “My patience ended right there. Look at me,” he commanded. “Look at me, Benji.”
Goosebumps pimpled my skin at the change in Caden’s tone. It had lowered, but at the same time, seemed to blanket the room in soft, warm silk. I recognized the power in his words.
Glamour.
He was using glamour on another fae, something only the most powerful Ancients could do. And now I knew why he hadn’t wanted me to be here. He’d been worried that seeing him use glamour to compel Benji to speak would remind me of Aric.
It was unnerving to be reminded of how powerful Caden was, but nothing about him made me think of Aric.
Benji quieted, his mouth hanging open as he stared up at Caden.
“Who do you answer to other than Queen Morgana?” Caden asked.
“I…I answer to the Winter Court,” he answered numbly.
Faye opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak. I reached over, touching her arm slightly. She exhaled roughly and then nodded.
“Why do you answer to them?”
“Because they are…”
“They are what, Benji?”
“They are my masters.”
Caden’s head tilted slightly. He asked the question again, and then phrased the same question in a different way, but Benji, even under glamour, couldn’t say why he answered to them.
And it became clear that several months of the boy’s young life were simply gone. He couldn’t say when he’d been here last. When he last drank any liquor. All he could repeat was that he answered to Queen Morgana, that he served the Winter Court, and that he only knew one name.
“Who is the Ancient who represents the Winter Court.”
“Neal,” he said. “I answer to Neal.”
* * * *
After we left, Benji returned to his former state of hissing, snapping at the air, and threatening to kill everyone. We’d moved to one of the many meeting rooms on the first floor. Kalen and Faye sat beside Fabian, who was seated at one end of the table. Tink had moved off to the common area, where he could receive his daily dose of unfettered admiration. The fae loved him something fierce and were almost always in a constant state of awe around him, partly due to the fact that many had never seen a brownie. Ren was beside me, and Ivy was supposed to head over once she was done with her meeting with Miles. Fabian sat to my left at the other end of the table, and beside him, across from me, was Tanner. Where everyone was seated seemed to be important because when Caden pulled out my chair, every fae in the room stared as if he’d kissed me in front of them once more.
“Even under glamour, Benji couldn’t answer why he serves the Winter Court,” Caden told the room. “He doesn’t know, not on an conscious or subconscious level.”
“He has no memory. It’s like his life has simply been wiped away,” I said. “The only thing I’ve seen like that is a few humans who’ve been fed on and under glamour for long periods, but still, never to this level.”
“I haven’t seen it either,” Ren agreed. “Could it be the Devil’s Breath then?”
“It would have to be,” Fabian answered. “I cannot think of anything that would strip the will and though
ts so deeply.”
“They basically become a minion of the Winter Court without reason.” Ren dragged his hand through his hair. “This isn’t good.”
That was the understatement of the year.
I looked over at Caden. “He knew Neal’s name, though. That was the only other name he could say.”
Caden nodded. “That doesn’t tell us if Neal is still in the city or active. I couldn’t get anything else out of Benji.”
“And we already knew that Neal was involved and have checked out his bar. There was no sign of the Devil’s Breath there,” Fabian stated, his fingers tapping on the table.
“We need to find Neal,” I said, thinking more in terms of how I would do it if this were something the Order was handling. “He has to be the key here.”
“We’ve been searching the city, as has the Order,” Tanner said, nodding at Ren. “If he’s still here, he’s gone to ground. But with Aric’s death, I’m willing to bet he’s left the city.”
“It’s not like there aren’t places he can hide that we haven’t looked or thought to check,” Ren pointed out. “And given how many Winter fae are here, he’d have a lot of help doing so.”
“I’m in need of refreshments.” Tanner rose. “What would everyone like?”
Ren and Caden asked for water. Fabian and Kalen had gone for a soda, and my tongue tingled at the thought of carbonated goodness. I knew one soda wouldn’t harm the baby, so I requested one too.
Tanner nodded. “Faye, why don’t you help me?”
She blinked as if coming out of a daze and rose. I nibbled on my lip, watching her follow Tanner out. I wasn’t the only one whose eyes were glued to her. Kalen had been like a hawk where she was concerned, his gaze flickering to her every few seconds.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” I asked when the door closed behind them.
“They were close, more like siblings than cousins.” Kalen tipped his head back. “She’ll be okay. Eventually.”
Eventually always sounded manageable, except it could be a lifetime from now.
“So you think there’s no hope for this kid?” Fabian asked.
“All of the others who consumed Devil’s Breath had to be…put down,” Caden said, his elbow propped on the arm of the chair as he dragged his thumb along his lower lip. “I imagine if Benji hadn’t been restrained, the same would’ve happened to him.”
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