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“You’ve lost your mind. What the hell does any of this have to do with the throne?” Trin shouted.
Lifting one hand, Rei rubbed his eyes against the headache that was beginning there. “If King Ash and Queen Belladonna are dead, and I remain on this side of the door when you take all our people to the fae realm, who is left to sit on the Dawn Throne?”
“You plan to stay here? In the human realm? After the door closes?” Trin threw his head back and laughed, but it was a dark and ugly sound. “You’re even madder than your father. You’ll die if you stay here!”
Rei shrugged. “Then that’s my fate, and I’m fine with it.” There was no way he was telling anyone about the sandstone fix Zelda had told them about. This world couldn’t afford to have too many fae running around among the humans. He was happy to be the only one so long as he got to remain at Yichen’s side.
Trin huffed. “For him? You’d do that for him?”
“I would.”
“And if he were to fall in the battle fighting your parents?”
Rei closed his eyes at the pain that slashed across his heart at those words. Trin hadn’t said anything that was impossible, but Rei didn’t want to even consider the chance that he wouldn’t have an eternity with his vampire at his side.
Yet, without much thought, he knew his answer.
“If Yichen were to die in battle, I would return to the fae realm after the deaths of my parents. I would burn the Dawn and Twilight Thrones, and replace them with the Onyx Throne. The Silver Court would be no more, and the Blood Court would be born. I would run the Black Dogs and the Dark Hunt ragged, chasing down anyone who dared to mutter a word against me. I’d strike a new deal with King Zalramon of the Underworld, calling forth his demons to hunt those who escaped. Our rivers would forever run red with blood and the trees would be scorched black.” Rei shifted his shoulders, trying to shake loose those dark images, and clear his throat. “So, if you ever wish to sit on the throne—Dawn or whatever else—it would be in your best interest to keep Yichen alive as well.”
“Or I could kill you now and be done with all this nonsense,” Trin stated, but his hand didn’t land on his hilt as it had before.
“You could, but what would that get you?” Yichen snapped. “You get to be King Ash’s favored hunting dog for a while. Stepdaddy gives you a pat on the head and stops trying to kill you for five minutes. What after that? The king, queen, and the Silver Court return to the game of stalking you.”
That not only got Trin to grab his sword, but to draw it.
Sighing, Rei darted to Yichen’s side, where he wrapped his arm around his lover’s shoulders. Trin would not do something as stupid as to strike, but he wasn’t sure Yichen knew that. This would escalate out of control if Yichen drew his sword as well.
“Bitch all you want, but he’s right,” Rei snapped. “Any gains you make with either Ash or Belladonna will be short-lived. I don’t want the Dawn Throne, and I have no intention of taking it unless someone forces my hand.”
“But you have no chance of winning!” Trin roared, shaking his blade at them both.
“And neither do you if you side with Ash. Just a brief stay of execution. Side with me, and my odds improve. What do you think?”
“What do I think? I think you’re fucking crazy!” Trin slammed his sword into his scabbard and balled his fists at his sides. While it didn’t sound great, this was a better reaction than Rei had expected. Trin wasn’t trying to kill him now that he’d heard his plan, nor was he storming off. He was still willing to listen.
Unfortunately, the time for talking was over.
Noise rose from the deep shadows outside the torchlight. People were moving and voices were growing in volume, from a whisper to frantic demands. Something was coming.
No, someone. Someone was approaching fast.
And considering how their luck had been running, Rei could guess who was approaching.
“Get the hell out of here!” Rei snarled at Trin.
“But—”
His brother began to argue, but Rei cut him off. “Leave now and you can at least think about what I’ve told you. Stay, and you’ll have no choice but to choose a side.” He seized Yichen’s arm and retreated the way they’d come, his heart thudding hard enough to bruise his ribs.
“Go! We’ll buy you some time!” Yichen snapped.
Rei wanted to argue that they’d do nothing of the sort. Trin had some fucking soldiers at his back. What the hell did they have? Yet, he understood what Yichen was trying to do. Olive branch. Buy some goodwill in hopes Trin would make a smart decision later.
Assuming they survived that long.
To his credit, Trin didn’t linger to argue any further. The elf darted into the darkness with Aire at his side, swords and bows already drawn. Silence descended on them in a matter of a couple of heartbeats, leaving the crackling torches and the blinking of the fireflies between the trees.
“How long do you think we should give him?” Yichen stood tall, his shoulders straight, and his sword held out in front of him, ready to take out anyone who dared to attack.
