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But most important was the crown that sat heavy on his brow, the green speckled bloodstone glinting softly in the fire as he moved, calling to Rei. Tonight’s mission wasn’t just about stopping the fae king. They also needed to get their hands on the crown for Yichen’s sake.
Even if Rei was forced to retreat without killing his father, there was no way in hell he was leaving without that crown. While they might plan to spend the rest of eternity together, Rei wanted to know that it was purely Yichen’s choice. He didn’t want to spend another second with his vampire being forced to remain at his side.
“Enough waiting!” Ash bellowed, his ragged voice rising above the crackle of fire and distant rush of water. “We must have plenty of magic now. Release the forest from its bindings!”
“But Your Majesty—” One of the royal spellcasters attempted to argue with Ash, but his words were cut off with a single slash across the throat. Rei blinked, stunned to see the flow of blood down the elf’s chest. As weak as he was, it was clear the king was still fast. Rei hadn’t seen him palm the knife until it was already too late.
“No more arguments! I—”
“Traitor!” The shout went up directly behind them. Their hiding spot in the thick greenery outside the circle was discovered. Rei’s heart leaped into his throat as Yichen launched himself at the guard who’d found them.
Rei jumped forward, killing two of the closest spellcasters as he ran into the circle, leaving only five to continue the magic they were cooking up. If he was lucky, enough were dead to stop the spell entirely. For now, he couldn’t worry about that. All of his attention was focused on the king.
“This stops now, Father,” Rei snarled. His hands tightened on the hilts of the swords, sending a bone-deep throb of pain to his knuckles. Sticky blood coated his fingers, but it wasn’t enough to risk him losing his grip. No. Nothing could separate him from his blades now. He’d waited too long for this moment.
“I’ll give you one final chance. Stop the spell and take our people back into our realm. We have no right to the human realm. The same way the humans have no right to our realm,” Rei bit out.
“Rights?” King Ash screeched. His strong voice was ragged as if illness had eaten his throat raw. “Humans are vermin. They have no rights. Of course, they have no right to our realm or even this one. Would you allow a cockroach to dictate the land you can or can’t live on? Of course not! So, why should we leave this once pristine land to the insects another second longer? It should be ours. It should all be ours.”
A light chuckle shook Rei’s shoulders. “You know, I’ve got to admit—I was hoping you’d say that.”
Even if his father had agreed to leave the human realm immediately, it wouldn’t have stopped him from killing the ruthless bastard.
Rei lifted his swords, ready to slice through the elf king before he had a chance to draw his own weapon when a dagger shot across the field and slammed into his blade, deflecting it at the last moment so that it missed his father. He whipped his head across to see where the knife had come from and his heart sank as Trin stepped from the shadows while drawing his sword.
“You’ve chosen a side,” Rei bit out between clenched teeth.
Trin smirked as he walked closer, his long, black hair sliding in an inky wave over his shoulder as he lifted the point of his saber toward Rei’s throat. “Was there really any choice?”
“Guess not.” Rei lunged at Trin, launching them into a brutal battle. He might have no wish to kill his half brother, but he would not hesitate to do it if it meant killing King Ash at long last.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ash retreating, giving them room to fight while moving himself away from danger. The asshole was likely looking for a chance to stab Rei in the back as well, but he had no intention of giving his father the opportunity.
Outside the circle of dancing firelight, the clang of other swords echoed through the forest, sending a chill along Rei’s spine while Trin’s smile widened. It wasn’t a stretch to guess who those swords belonged to.
“Sounds like Aire found your vampire companion,” Trin taunted.
Rei said nothing. He couldn’t be distracted. Worrying about Yichen was only going to get them both killed.
“Siding with Ash buys you time,” Rei bit out in a low voice. He ducked and spun out of the way of a vicious slash that aimed to remove his head. Sweat was running down the sides of his face and gathering to drip into his eyes. The air in the forest was hot and thick with the smell of water and blood. “Not a crown or respect. I’d be willing to bet it wouldn’t even be a lot of time. Watching the death of one son might make the royal parents thirsty for the death of another.”
“Maybe this isn’t about the crown or respect.” Trin’s lips held on to their mocking grin even as Rei forced him to retreat if he didn’t want to lose his own limbs. “Maybe this is about finally wiping that smug smile off your face after all these years.”
“Boring.” Rei faked a yawn while blocking Trin’s stab. “Good thing I never tried to be your friend. Would have been a waste of time. You’re so boring.”
“I might be boring compared to psychopaths like you, but at least I’m not a traitor.”
“A traitor?” Rei repeated only because his attention was now on the fact that he found himself dangerously close to King Ash, as if Trin had been carefully herding him toward his father. He dodged one blow from Trin and spun in time to block a knife to his back courtesy of King Ash. He threw aside his father’s knife and clocked the old elf in the jaw, sending him reeling and buying some breathing room.
“There’s only one traitor here,” Rei snarled.
“That’s true. There is only one here.” And Trin winked.
He didn’t question it. There simply wasn’t time. When he should have turned to parry Trin’s next move, Rei lunged at his father, extending his body to plunge the point of his sword into the center of his father’s chest. Simultaneously, every muscle in Rei’s body clenched, his heart skipping a beat, as he waited to feel the brutal bite of Trin’s steel slicing through his flesh.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he watched as Trin’s saber cut clean through the king’s neck, lopping off his head and sending it bouncing across the ground.
